Weekly News from Lithuania, November 27

Nov 27 2020

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POLITICS

National Cyber Security Centre of Lithuania joins international project to strengthen Georgia’s cybersecurity capacities

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) under the Ministry of National Defence started a European Union Twinning project to boost Georgia’s competencies in cybersecurity cooperatively with the Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs of Austria. On November 23 a corresponding agreement was signed by the NCSC and the Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs of Austria.

President Gitanas Nausėda had a conference call with President of Iceland Guðni Jóhannesson. In their conversation, the Presidents focused on the cooperation of the Nordic and Baltic countries in dealing with the pandemic as well as testing and vaccination strategies.

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The President: Lithuania supports and will support the civil society of Belarus

President Gitanas Nausėda had a conference call with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Belarusian leader of civil society and symbol of protests for democratic transformation in Belarus, to discuss the difficult situation in Belarus as well as Tsikhanouskaya’s immediate plans and the impact of sanctions on the regime.

Given that John Shimkus, a long-standing member of the US House of Representatives, is bidding farewell to the US Congress and in appreciation of his overall contribution to the freedom cause of the Baltic States, the Seimas expressed, on behalf of Lithuania, its utmost gratitude to him for his steady 23-year-long concern for Lithuania’s security.

BUSINESS & SCIENCE

Best EU Economy in Year of Covid Was Bloc’s Worst-Hit After 2008

The European Union’s worst-hit economy in the wake of the global financial crisis is looking like the bloc’s least affected during the coronavirus pandemic.

Lithuania suffered the deepest recession in 2009 as it became a testing ground for the harsh austerity that later ravaged Greece. This time, the European Commission reckons it will notch the shallowest contraction of all, with forecasts this month pointing to a dip in gross domestic product of just 2.2%.

Lithuania made news at the largest international competition of synthetic biology iGEM held on 13-22 November. The Vilnius-Lithuania iGEM team, which has been participating in this prestigious competition for six years, has won the grand prize of the competition and became the best iGEM team in the world in 2020

Vilnius University (VU), together with the Vilnius University Foundation, has started a fundraising campaign to give access to studies for a larger number of Belarusian citizens to study and is ready to accept scientists persecuted by the regime too. The campaign is launched in response to the intensifying Belarusian authorities' repression against the country's academic community, with large numbers of students, teachers and researchers being expelled from universities for their civic or political activities.

Lithuania makes it easy for fintech innovators to set up shop in the country. The secret is close collaboration between government, the national bank, and private firms.

The fintech industry has done well amid the coronavirus pandemic, as the use of electronic money has grown – along with other forms of contactless living – and Lithuania, something of a European star of the industry and where fintech is a national priority, has continued to attract international players.

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CULTURE & HISTORY

Architecture, fashion and dance. Kaunas blends them all in its unique style. And that style is Modernism. As temporary capital of Lithuania during the interwar period, the city embraced an art movement that best represented its future focused vision |
Credits @ Lithuania. Real is Beautiful

Kaunas is Waiting for “Sweet Christmas”

Even though COVID-19 pandemic is changing everyday life, but it cannot change one of the most beautiful time of the year – Christmas. This year, the main Christmas tree in Kaunas will be lightened as always, but the festive concert will take place outside the Town Hall Square – in order to protect health of Kaunas citizens, on November 28, Kaunas residents and spectators from all over Lithuania are invited to watch the concert comfortably at home on LRT television.

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Searching for Vilna Gaon

Many things about the legendary figure of the Vilna Gaon remain a mystery up to this day – what did he look like? are all the stories about his ascetic yet profoundly enlightened life mere fiction? Lithuanian film director Vytautas Puidokas attempts to tap into the mystery of this prolific Talmudist, halakhist, kabbalist and thinker, born as Elijah ben Solomon Zalman in 1720. In a short, but poignant film he highlights our elusive knowledge, yet enduring impact, of this man’s legacy. What in fact are we searching for when we embark on the quest to find the genius of the Vilna Gaon?

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November 29

Creative Shock | International Social Business Conference 2020

This year Creative Shock invites everyone to the Online International Social Business Conference “Business that Challenges” to present social business as an opportunity to provide meaning and purpose while doing everyday work and show the challenges they meet on their way.

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December 8

Virtual presentation of the “Soon To Be Gone” photography series by Tadas Kazakevičius

In his Soon to Be Gone photography series, Tadas Kazakevičius draws inspiration from American photographers who documented rural America during the Great Depression era, such as Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans.

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