LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, November 29, 2023
- Six irregular migrants turned away on Lithuania's border with Belarus
- Lithuanian chief of defense to attend Berlin Security Conference
- Protest to be held in Vilnius in solidarity with Palestinian people
- JEF to respond to critical infrastructure breaches Baltic, North Sea regions
- Lithuania reports 1,222 new COVID-19 cases, 1 death
- Lithuanian parlt speaker won’t run for president
- Russia has started rebuilding non-Ukraine war capabilities – NATO commander (media)
- New defense tax unrealistic unless all parties agree on it – Lithuanian parlt speaker
- Ministry, trade unions back tighter recruitment of third-country nationals
- Lithuania, 4 other countries submit Siberia birch bark letters to UNESCO register
- Russia's rebuilding capabilities for non-Ukraine war 'on paper' – Lithuanian defmin
- Lithuania contributes EUR 2 mln to Grain from Ukraine program
- Russia, Belarus can't use Interpol for political purposes – Lithuanian minister
- Masiulis, Kurlianskis ask Lithuanian Supreme Court for acquittal in corruption case
- Around 100 Palestinian supporters protest in Vilnius against Israeli actions
- Lithuania's migration chief elected chair of EU asylum agency's management board
- Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, November 30, 2023
Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, November 29, 2023
VILNIUS, Nov 29, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Wednesday, November 29, 2023:
SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen to meet with Czech Ambassador Ales Opata at 11 a.m.
THE CABINET to hold its regular meeting and sitting at 1 p.m.
FOREIGN MINISTER Gabrielius Landsbergis to attend a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.
INTERIOR MINISTER Agne Bilotaite to pay a working visit to Vienna.
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Six irregular migrants turned away on Lithuania's border with Belarus
VILNIUS, Nov 29, BNS – Lithuanian border guards have in the past 24 hours turned away six migrants attempting to cross into the country from Belarus illegally, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Wednesday morning.
Latvia reported no attempts at illegal border crossings on Tuesday, and there were no attempts recorded into Poland on Monday, according to the latest available information.
More than 2,500 irregular migrants have been barred from entering Lithuania from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year.
Lithuanian border guards have prevented a total of over 21,800 people from crossing in from Belarus since August 3, 2021, when they were given the right to turn away irregular migrants. The number includes repeated attempts by the same people to cross the border.
The influx of irregular migrants to the EU's eastern member states from Belarus began in 2021 and is blamed by the West on the Minsk regime.
Almost 4,200 irregular migrants crossed into Lithuania from Belarus illegally in 2021. However, the vast majority of them fled Lithuania once they were allowed to move freely.
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Lithuanian chief of defense to attend Berlin Security Conference
VILNIUS, Nov 29, BNS – Lithuania's Chief of Defense General Valdemaras Rupsys is leaving for the two-day Berlin Security Conference, one of the largest events on European security and defense issues, the Lithuanian army said on Wednesday.
Rupsys has been invited to join the high-level military forum Deterrence and Defense in the Central Region, which will discuss key deterrence methods and defense plans. It will bring together the chiefs of defense of Lithuania, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Hungary and Germany for an exchange of views and discussions.
They will discuss NATO and EU political leadership, rapid reaction force issues, and the importance of the "nuclear card" as a NATO deterrent. The event will cover preparations for the defense of NATO territories and multi-dimensional defense plans, as well as the development of a strong reserve.
The conference will also cover the EU Strategic Roadmap Strategy, NATO's security and defense plans in different dimensions, energy and critical infrastructure as a basis for economic security, the security implications of climate change, the healthcare system as part of the national defense strategy, the use of artificial intelligence in the military dimension and military assistance to Ukraine.
The Berlin Security Conference is attended annually by members of national parliaments and the European Parliament, representatives of ministries and agencies, armed forces and security organizations from more than 50 countries, as well as the military industry.
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Protest to be held in Vilnius in solidarity with Palestinian people
VILNIUS, Nov 29, BNS - A protest against Israel's actions will be held in Vilnius on Wednesday to mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
The organizers say the aim is to express solidarity with the Palestinian people, honor those who have died as a result of Israeli military action in Gaza and the West Bank, and condemn what they say are crimes against humanity.
Protesters will gather in the Cathedral Square, then march along Gediminas Avenue to Vincas Kudirka Square where a commemoration of the Palestinian dead will take place.
The war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas began on October 7 when the group killed at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took nearly 250 hostages. In response to this attack, the deadliest in the country's history, Israel launched an offensive in the Gaza Strip to destroy Hamas.
Palestinian hospitals, schools, refugee camps, mosques and churches, and residential buildings have been hit during this period.
According to the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip, nearly 15,000 people, mostly civilians, have died in the Palestinian territory.
More than two thirds of Gaza's total population of 1.7 million have been forced to flee their homes, and there's a critical shortage of water, food and electricity, according to the United Nations.
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JEF to respond to critical infrastructure breaches Baltic, North Sea regions
VILNIUS, Nov 29, BNS - The UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force will contribute capabilities to respond to critical infrastructure breaches in the Baltic and North Sea regions, Lithuania's Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
The decision follows an incident in October when a ship is believed to have damaged a gas pipeline connecting Estonia and Finland in the Baltic Sea.
According to the ministry, this is the first time that the JEF response has been activated in response to an actual incident, the aforementioned case.
"Repeated breaches of critical infrastructure in the region are a serious signal. The response requires coordination, and we thank and support the Joint Expeditionary Force for its initiative. We, the JEF countries, need to remain vigilant and be able to react quickly to provocations, to prevent and deter them in the future," Lithuania's Defense Vice Minister Zilvinas Tomkus told a virtual meeting of JEF defense ministers on Tuesday.
The meeting agreed to activate a JEF Response Option, where maritime and air capabilities will be deployed in the Nordic-Baltic region as a military contribution to the protection of critical underwater infrastructure.
The measure will be launched in early December to demonstrate capability and deter hostile actions, and will ensure a security presence and strengthening of the common efforts with NATO in the Baltic Sea.
"We see the JEF as one of the first responses to any crisis, and the activation of the response is proof that the JEF is a credible European security actor. Working together through the JEF, we can pool resources, share intelligence and find a wide range of common solutions to common regional security challenges. In this way, we can support the efforts of NATO and other organizations in this area," Tomkus said.
In his words, the security of critical infrastructure remains high on the agenda in Lithuania, and the Defense Ministry is working hard to enhance the resilience and protection of critical infrastructure.
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Lithuania reports 1,222 new COVID-19 cases, 1 death
VILNIUS, Nov 29, BNS – Lithuania has recorded 1,222 new coronavirus infections and one death from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, official statistics showed on Wednesday morning.
The 14-day primary infection rate has risen to 387.8 cases per 100,000 people, with the seven-day percentage of positive tests at 37.3 percent.
The number of new coronavirus cases hit the peak in Lithuania in early February 2022 when more than 14,000 new infections were recorded daily. Around 1.19 million people in Lithuania have tested positive for COVID-19 at least once.
COVID-19 incidence in Lithuania took an upward turn in mid-September after having stayed at a low level since May.
Two-thirds of the country's population have received at least one coronavirus vaccine jab so far, according to the statistics.
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Lithuanian parlt speaker won’t run for president
VILNIUS, Nov 29, BNS – Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen has announced her decision not to run for president next year, and her party, the Liberal Movement, therefore, has no plans to nominate a candidate at all.
Cmilyte-Nielsen notified the Board of the Liberal Movement of her decision on Tuesday night.
"As the leader of the Liberal Movement and when I was considering whether to run for president, I stressed that the Seimas election in 2024 was a priority for the party. Therefore, after thanking my colleagues for the confidence they expressed in me, I informed them that I do not intend to participate in the presidential election," the Seimas speaker said.
The party's board then unanimously decided not to take part in the presidential election and instead to focus on the Seimas and European Parliament elections.
Cmilyte-Nielsen said it would be "logical" for her to lead the party in the Seimas election. She also reiterated her decision not to run for the European Parliament.
As Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte has already announced her decision to run for president and President Gitanas Nauseda is expected to announce his decision to do so later this year, Cmilyte-Nielsen says "it would be very logical for one of the three state leaders not to partake in the race", and to focus on parliamentary work.
The presidential election in Lithuania will take place in May.
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Russia has started rebuilding non-Ukraine war capabilities – NATO commander (media)
VILNIUS, Nov 29, BNS - Russia has started rebuilding its capabilities not meant for the war in Ukraine, Lieutenant General Jurgen-Joachim von Sandrart, commander of NATO's Multinational Corps Northeast, says.
"Russia has announced that it will rebuild its capabilities on the other other border we share. Russia is currently heavily engaged in an illegal war against Ukraine, but it has already started and will continue rebuilding its capabilities for a war outside of Ukraine, which poses a heightened threat to the region where we live, the Baltic Sea region," the general, who visited Vilnius last week, said in an interview with Lithuania's public broadcaster LRT, published on Wednesday.
The NATO commander also said that "the region is responding very well to the sensitive situation with increased tensions".
"It has to do with the fact that the Baltic Sea region, which mainly includes Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, is the one that has the longest border with Russia's area of influence. Including Russia itself with Kaliningrad and perhaps Belarus, which is more like an intermediate or even independent state, but still within Russia's sphere of influence," the NATO Corps commander said.
Von Sandrart came to Vilnius to congratulate the Lithuanian Armed Forces on their 105th anniversary and to participate in the parade of Lithuanian and allied military personnel and equipment.
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New defense tax unrealistic unless all parties agree on it – Lithuanian parlt speaker
VILNIUS, Nov 29, BNS – Introducing a new defense tax in Lithuania would only be realistic if all parliamentary parties agreed on it, Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, speaker of the parliament, said on Wednesday.
"In my opinion, the idea of a defense tax, which has been actively discussed, would only be realistic if all parliamentary parties committed to it and engaged in discussions, because there can be no politicking on this subject," she told the Ziniu Radijas radio station.
When asked if it would be possible to reach an agreement on such a tax in the pre-election period, Cmilyte-Nielsen agreed that it was not the best time to find solutions on new taxes, but added that a consensus should be sought on fundamental issues for the state, such as security.
Laurynas Kasciunas, chairman of the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense, raised the idea of a defense tax following criticism from the president's office that next year's draft national defense budget does not earmark funds for the plan, approved by the State Defense Council, to create a Lithuanian Land Force division.
Kasciunas has said he will start rallying support from political parties for a new defense tax, which could come into force in 2025.
He cited Estonia's two percentage point increase in value added tax (VAT) as a possible example of a defense tax.
By Milena Andrukaitytė
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Ministry, trade unions back tighter recruitment of third-country nationals
VILNIUS, Nov 29, BNS – The recruitment of third-country nationals should be tightened to attract more workers with higher added value, Vice Minister of Social Security and Labor Vytautas Silinskas says after the country's Interior Minister's said earlier this week that the growing inflow of third-country nationals coming to Lithuania to work poses a threat to Lithuania's security and proposed tightening up the recruitment of such people.
The Social Security and Labor Ministry supports the recruitment of highly qualified foreigners, the vice minister says, adding, however, that the proposed requirement for foreigners not to change jobs during the first six months is excessive.
"We are in favor of tighter requirements as we need more investment in automation, to move towards competition on quality rather than cheaper products, and this does not require cheap labor, it requires a skilled, highly-qualified workforce," Silinskas told the public radio LRT on Wednesday.
The Interior Ministry vows to propose stepping up controls on the employment of foreigners and their employers' activities in Lithuania, as well as to tax mediation letters for companies that invite foreigners to work.
Interior Vice Minister Arnoldas Abramavicius says the changes must take into account threats to national security, the interests of politicians, businesses and workers.
"We want to focus specifically on the national security component. Of course, migration needs to be legal to maintain the economy, (...) we have to take a balanced stance with the business world, (...) taking into account the situation of trade unions, workers, and also the situation of those third-country workers, so that they do not become slaves," Abramavicius told the LRT radio.
The proposals to change the employment procedure and promote integration include proposal to require newcomers to learn the Lithuanian language to a certain level and to refrain from changing jobs for six months.
Audrius Cuzanauskas, who leads the Trade Union Alliance, says the existing procedure needs to be changed because it lacks control and, as a result, a lot of unqualified labor force is being brought into the country by falsified documents.
The growing inflow of foreigners coming to Lithuania for work is a threat to Lithuania's security, Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite said on Monday, adding that newcomers are being used as a cover by the intelligence services of hostile countries.
According to the Interior Ministry, some 50,000 foreigners have come to work in Lithuania this year. These are mainly citizens of Belarus, Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan. The number of foreigners coming from Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan is also increasing.
By Valdas Pryšmantas
Editor: Roma Pakėnienė
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Lithuania, 4 other countries submit Siberia birch bark letters to UNESCO register
VILNIUS, Nov 29, BNS – Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Ukraine have submitted a joint application for a collection of letters written in Siberia on birch bark to be inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register.
The application comprises 148 documents dating from 1940-1965 and held in 31 memory institutions.
The collection includes letters from deportees and political prisoners, memory albums and postcards, the Secretariat of the Lithuanian National Commission for UNESCO said on Wednesday.
"With this application, we want to remember and honor those who suffered from the atrocities of the totalitarian regime. In their letters written on birch bark, we read about their suffering, hunger, sorrow and longing for their homeland and loved ones," Migle Masanauskiene, secretary general of the national commission, said in a press release.
"These extraordinary ego-documents, not many of which have survived, also tell us about the inexorable desire to live, to keep in touch with dear people, and to preserve our cultural identity and hope," she said.
In Lithuania, this unique documentary heritage is held by 10 institutions, including the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights in Vilnius and the Martynas Mazvydas National Library of Lithuania.
The UNESCO Memory of the World Register currently has 494 entries.
The international register is part of the Memory of the World program, which aims to promote cooperation among memory institutions to preserve and ensure access to documentary heritage.
The register already has three entries related to Lithuania: The Baltic Way – Human Chain Linking Three States in Their Drive for Freedom, Radzwills' Archives and Niasvizh (Nieswiez) Library Collection, and The Act of the Union of Lublin.
A decision on the inclusion of the collection of letters written in Siberia on birch bark is expected to be announced in May 2025.
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Russia's rebuilding capabilities for non-Ukraine war 'on paper' – Lithuanian defmin
VILNIUS, Nov 29, BNS – The capabilities Russia is reportedly rebuilding for a non-Ukraine war are still "on paper", Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas says.
"Russia is so far, I would say, more in the field of planning, rebuilding those capabilities. So far, everything is all on paper, but, of course, every military unit, unit, formation, its creation starts with planning," the minister told reporters on Wednesday.
Earlier this week, Lieutenant General Jurgen-Joachim von Sandrart, commander of NATO's Multinational Corps Northeast, spoke about the capabilities Russia is rebuilding. This poses an increased threat to the Baltic Sea region, he said.
"When they move from planning to concrete action, of course we will see. I cannot deny that Russia is seeking to rebuild those capabilities, despite the losses in Ukraine. Yes, it always has and always will. The question is always the time factor," Anusauskas said. "I'm not one to make predictions, there could be all sorts of options. But this can take not one, two, three years"."
Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has recently increased its military budget to rebuild lost capabilities.
Analysts from the US Institute for the Study of War, Russia's total spending next year will reach 412.5 billion US dollars (376.7 billion euros), with defense and law enforcement accounting for around 39 percent of the total, or 157.5 billion US dollars (143.8 billion euros).
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Lithuania contributes EUR 2 mln to Grain from Ukraine program
VILNIUS, Nov 29, BNS - The Lithuanian government on Wednesday allocated 2 million euros to the Grain from Ukraine humanitarian food program being implemented by Ukraine in cooperation with international partners.
"As the war continues, we need to collectively ensure the continuity of assistance, and Lithuania is also paying close attention to this. The Grain from Ukraine initiative plays an important role in mitigating the negative impact of the war on the global food market and in strengthening Ukraine's ability to export grain, especially to vulnerable countries," Lithuanian Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste says.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine disrupted Ukraine's grain exports, pushing up global food prices and, in particular, those of grain. In response, the Grain from Ukraine initiative was launched to maintain Ukrainian grain exports and contribute to global food security. Lithuania also contributed 2 million euros to this initiative in 2022.
The new contribution was announced by Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte during her visit to Kyiv last week.
According to the Finance Ministry, Lithuania's humanitarian, financial and military assistance to Ukraine date amounts to more than 1.9 percent of Lithuania's GDP.
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Russia, Belarus can't use Interpol for political purposes – Lithuanian minister
VILNIUS, Nov 29, BNS – Lithuanian Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite on Wednesday called on Interpol to ensure that Russia and Belarus do not use their membership of the organization to achieve their political goals and persecute dissidents.
"Interpol must do everything to prevent non-democratic states such as Russia or Belarus from using membership to pursue their political aims," Bilotaite said in a press release.
"The international community cannot tolerate the abuse of the Interpol channel to persecute one's own citizens and those of other countries for political purposes," she said.
Bilotaite is taking part in the 91st Interpol General Assembly in Vienna.
In the Austrian capital, the minister met with Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock to discuss Russia's prosecution of Lithuanian judges, prosecutors and other officials involved in the January 1991 Soviet crackdown trial.
Fourteen civilians were killed and hundreds more were wounded when the Soviet troops stormed the TV Tower and the Radio and Television Committee building in Vilnius in the early morning hours of January 13, 1991.
Russia has filed criminal charges against several Lithuanian judges involved in the trial and has launched an international search for them.
Lithuania, for its part, has condemned the use of international legal instruments for politically motivated prosecutions and requested support on this matter.
In Vienna, Bilotaite also presented Lithuania's position on proposals by Russia and Belarus to the General Assembly.
"We notice that Russia and Belarus constantly seek ways to impose their political will," the minister said in the press release.
"This General Assembly is no exception, which is well illustrated by the draft resolutions proposed by the countries," she said. "We have to ensure that no proposals of this kind are accepted."
According to the Lithuanian Interior Ministry, Russia's draft resolution for amending Interpol's Constitution proposes that only members themselves can terminate their membership of the organization.
Bilotaite said that Russia's proposal contradicts the resolution proposed by Ukraine and adopted by the General Assembly last year, adding that she believes that Moscow completely disregards the ongoing discussions within the task group regarding the possibility of suspending membership for abusing member states.
Meanwhile, Belarus' proposal, citing excessively long verification periods, aims to oblige Interpol to publish Interpol notices after a certain period, even though they have not yet been verified.
The minister said that such publication would allow using bilateral relations to take action based on unverified alerts.
Earlier this month, she wrote to the interior ministers of EU member states and Schengen associated countries regarding the draft resolutions tabled by Russia and Belarus.
Interpol's secretary general was also informed of Lithuania's readiness to delegate a Lithuanian police representative to the organization's General Secretariat, according to the press release.
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Masiulis, Kurlianskis ask Lithuanian Supreme Court for acquittal in corruption case
VILNIUS, Nov 29, BNS – Raimondas Kurlianskis, a former vice-president of MG Grupe (formerly MG Baltic), and Eligijus Masiulis, a former chairman of the Liberal Movement, have appealed to the Supreme Court of Lithuania against the prison sentences handed to them for corruption crimes, and asked for acquittal.
The court said that it received their appeals on Wednesday.
Last week, the Court of Appeal reversed the ruling of the first instance court and convicted all defendants in the high-profile political corruption case centering around MG Grupe, one of Lithuania's biggest business groups.
The Court of Appeal found Masiulis guilty of bribery, influence peddling and unlawful enrichment and sentenced him to five years and six months in prison. The court also ordered the confiscation of over 242,000 euros he received as a bribe from Kurlianskis.
The former MG Grupe vice-president was found guilty of bribery and influence peddling and handed down a prison sentence of six years.
In his cassation appeal, Masiulis is asking the Supreme Court to overturn the appellate court's judgment and uphold the first-instance acquittal, or uphold the first-instance verdict with modifications.
The former politician is also requesting the Supreme Court to state that the criminal intelligence actions against him were unlawful or overturn the appellate court's judgment and refer the case for re-examination under the appellate procedure.
Kurlianskis is asking the Supreme Court to overturn the appellate court's ruling and uphold the first-instance acquittal, or uphold the first-instance verdict with modifications. The Court of Appeal also imposed a fine of over 18,000 on him.
Both convicted men reported to the police on Friday and were transferred to a Kaunas prison to serve their sentences.
MP Vytautas Gapsys has also appealed against the Court of Appeal's judgment and started serving his prison sentence of four years and six months.
All three convicts are asking the Supreme Court to suspend the execution of the judgement.
Also convicted in this case are former MPs Sarunas Gustainis and Gintaras Steponavicius, and MG Baltic, the Liberal Movement and the Labor Party as legal entities.
Opened more than seven years ago, the political corruption case destroyed the politicians' careers and the Liberal Movement's chances to win the general election in 2016.
By Ingrida Steniulienė
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Around 100 Palestinian supporters protest in Vilnius against Israeli actions
VILNIUS, Nov 29, BNS – Around 100 people gathered in Vilnius on Wednesday evening for a protest against Israel's actions, marking the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
The organizers say the aim is to express solidarity with the Palestinian people, pay tribute to those who have died as a result of Israel's military action in Gaza and the West Bank, and condemn what they say are crimes against humanity.
"We want to send a message that war crimes and crimes against humanity should not occur in the modern world. Unfortunately, they are being committed by Israel in Palestine right now and have been committed for a long time since the establishment of Israel," Andrius Mazeika, one of the organizers, told BNS on Wednesday.
Protesters, carrying Palestinian flags, gathered in the central Cathedral Square and were to march along Gediminas Avenue to Vincas Kudirka Square where a tribute to those killed was to be held.
People chanted "stop the genocide" and some held placards reading "End the occupation", "Free Palestine", and others.
Participants of the pro-Palestinian protest were met by a group of Israel's supporters waving the Jewish state's flag.
The war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7. The Palestinian militant group has since killed at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taken nearly half a hundred hostages.
In response to this attack, the deadliest in the country's history, Israel launched an offensive in the Gaza Strip to destroy Hamas.
Since then, Palestinian hospitals, schools, refugee camps, mosques and churches, and residential buildings have been hit.
According to the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip, nearly 15,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the Palestinian territory.
The United Nations says that about 1.7 million people, nearly three quarters of Gaza's population, have fled their homes and that there are critical shortages of water, food, fuel and electricity.
By Greta Zulonaitė
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Lithuania's migration chief elected chair of EU asylum agency's management board
VILNIUS, Nov 29, BNS – Evelina Gudzinskaite, director of the Lithuanian Migration Department, was elected chairwoman of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) on Wednesday.
"The EUAA Management Board has elected its Lithuanian member, Ms. Evelina Gudzinskaite, as its new Chair," the organization said in a press release.
Gudzinskaite, director of the Lithuanian Migration Department since 2015, was appointed as the Management Board's deputy chairwoman last March.
"I am delighted to welcome our new Chair, Evelina Gudzinskaite to her role; the first woman to hold the position, and to continue to build with her, on the strong partnership between the Management Board and the Agency in the months and years to come," EUAA Executive Director Nina Gregori was quoted as saying in the press release.
Gudzinskaite said that she was "proud" to take on her new role, underlining her responsibilities as some of the agency's "most important new functions" are set to come into force next year.
During the two-day session, the Management Board's members "had a strategic discussion on the Agency's Strategy and prioritization mechanism, took stock of the asylum situation in the EU+ and discussed the ongoing implementation of the EUAA Transition Program", according to the press release.
EUAA was officially launched in January last year, on the basis of the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) that had operated since 2021.
The agency is mandated to provide technical, expert and operational assistance to member states on a wide range of issues related to asylum procedures.
By Ignas Jačauskas
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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, November 30, 2023
VILNIUS, Nov 29, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Thursday, November 30, 2023:
SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen to take part in a roundtable discussion on "Toward Total Global Defense: Overview of the Situation and Next Steps" at 10 a.m.; to meet with Deputy Foreign Minister Jovita Neliupsiene at 11 a.m.; to meet with Zygimantas Pavilionis, chairman of the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, at 1 p.m.
PRIME MINISTER Ingrida Simonyte to give an interview to the Ziniu Radijas radio station at 8:05 a.m.
HEALTH MINISTER Arunas Dulkys to attend a meeting of the EU Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council in Brussels.
INTERIOR MINISTER Agne Bilotaite, on a working visit to Germany, to meet with Federal Police President Dieter Romann in Potsdam at 11 a.m. and with Federal Minister of the Interior and Community Nancy Faeser in Berlin at 2 p.m.
ARMED FORCES
A changeover ceremony for military units performing the NATO air policing mission in the Baltic states to take place at the Air Base in Siauliai at 1:30 p.m.
OTHER EVENTS
Vilnius University's Institute of International Relations and Political Science to host the Annual Lithuanian Political Science Conference "The Echoes of Polycrisis in Lithuania and the World" starting at 9:15 a.m.
Vilnius University, along with the French Embassy and the French Institute, to hold a conference on "Culture and Imaginary Facing the War" starting at 9:15 a.m.
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