Lietuva in brief - 2011-02-24

An alarming number of residents have left Lithuania this year, reports ELTA. The number of residents willing to leave is increasing - 8.5 percent of Lithuanians intend to pack their bags this year; 16.9 percent said they would do this in the coming few years, a survey by the public opinion and market research company Spinter Tyrimai shows. In most cases the Lithuanians choose to leave the country for economic reasons, such as unemployment, low wages. “Not only Lithuania sees large-scale emigration due to economic reasons; almost all the countries having economic difficulties face this phenomenon. Looking at the global level, it happens all the time,” said Jolanta Kuznecoviene, associate professor in the Department of Sociology of Vytautas Magnus University (VDU). 15.6 percent of respondents noted that they were dissatisfied with political processes in Lithuania, the lack of respect for a person and tolerance.

Hundreds of people queued on Gediminas Avenue near the Palace of the Academy of Sciences to bid farewell to the Poet of the Nation, Justinas Marcinkevicius, reports ELTA. Public figures, education officials, scientists and scholars, admirers of Marcinkevicius’ works and personality, gathered to pay respects to the late poet. Former President Valdas Adamkus and Professor Vytautas Landsbergis, former speaker of the Reconstituent Seimas, with their wives, also conveyed heartfelt condolences to the family of Marcinkevicius. Lithuania declared two days of mourning for the great poet, playwright, translator and public figure Marcinkevicius, from Friday, Feb. 18 till Saturday. On Saturday, Cardinal Audrys Juozas Backis was to celebrate a Holy Mass for Marcinkevicius. Marcinkevicius was to be buried at Antakalnis cemetery, near the January 13 memorial. The 80-year-old poet passed away the morning of Feb. 16.