Archive for the Category ‘Lithuania’

 Gazprom demands €140 million

Written by Adam Mullett Lithuania, TOP NEWS Mar 5, 2010

VILNIUS — The Lithuanian government received a letter Thursday from Russian oil and gas giant Gazprom demanding €140 million in compensation for what they say are losses from a Kaunas power and heat facility.

Gazprom, the state-owned energy company, bought the Kaunas Heat and Power Plant from the Lithuanian government in 2003 for 116.5 million litai [...]

 Seminal gay rights rally preparing

Written by Adam Mullett Lithuania Mar 4, 2010

VILNIUS — Both Lithuanians and foreigners are making their voice heard in the fight against the the new law on the protection of minors, which has been dubbed homophobic.

The Swedish Minister for EU affairs, Birgitte Ohlsson Thursday declared that she would be taking part in the Vilnius gay pride parade, which will march on May [...]

 House fire kills at least three

Written by Nathan Greenhalgh Lithuania Mar 4, 2010

VILNIUS — A house fire in Balceriškiai, a village near Elektrėnai, Lithuania claimed the life of at least three people temporarily squatting in the abandoned structure.

The fire was reported by a neighbor at 4:45 a.m. Thursday morning, but by the time firefighters arrived the structure was already consumed in flames. Firefighters said accessing the wooden [...]

 Degutienė supports radical election reform

Written by Adam Mullett Lithuania, TOP NEWS Mar 3, 2010

VILNIUS — Speaker of the Seimas Irena Degutienė is calling for a transformation in Lithuanian democracy by allowing non-party affiliated members to be able to run for positions in local government.

Degutienė says that allowing people to vote for non-party members will — This is a paid article. To subscribe or extend your [...]

 Universities want shorter courses

Written by Adam Mullett Lithuania Mar 3, 2010

VILNIUS — Three Lithuanian universities announced Tuesday they are looking to offer three-year bachelor degree programs rather than the usual four-year length of study.

Vilnius Pedagogical University, Mykolas Romeris University and Kaunas University Technology all announced their intentions this week to offer — This is a paid article. To subscribe or extend your [...]

 Two-year-old falls to death

Written by Adam Mullett Lithuania Mar 3, 2010

VILNIUS — In what appears to be a case of neglect, a two-year-old girl fell to her death after climbing onto the windowsill of her fourth story home on Švitrigailos street and slipping.

At the time of the incident, the three children in the family were being — This is a paid article. [...]

 Unions challenge retirement age increase

Written by Adam Mullett Lithuania, TOP NEWS Mar 2, 2010

VILNIUS — Lithuanian unions told the government Tuesday that its plan to raise the age for pension eligibility will increase unemployment and emigration, although no labor action has been announced.

In order to have a maintainable social security system over the next 30 years, the government said they would need to increase the retirement age to [...]

 Mayor gets involved over taxi scam

Written by Adam Mullett Lithuania Mar 1, 2010

VILNIUS — Vilnius’ mayor will meet with the city’s airport director to introduce a fixed maximum fare for taxi rides from the airport to downtown to fight an alleged “price cartel.”

Some taxi companies are charging 9 litai (€2.61) flagfall and 6 litai per km for rides from the airport, around four times what cheaper [...]

 Peasants may bolster shaky coalition

Written by Adam Mullett Lithuania Mar 1, 2010

VILNIUS — In an effort to shore up the coalition’s stability in the Seimas, the Lithuanian Peasant Popular Union has been invited to join the ruling majority.

Though the party only controls three seats out of 141 in the parliament, the government needs extra support because it only holds a one-seat majority that looks increasingly shaky. [...]

 Šukys to be health minister

Written by Nathan Greenhalgh Lithuania, TOP NEWS Mar 1, 2010

VILNIUS — Raimondas Šukys is set to become Lithuania’s next health minister after his appointment received a crucial endorsement from President Dalia Grybauskaitė Monday morning.

The appointment culminates the Artūras Skikas scandal, which saw the conviction of a health ministry vice minister and the resignation of former Minister of — This is a [...]

Archive for the Category ‘Latvia’

 Nationalists protest immigration bill

Written by James Dahl Latvia Mar 4, 2010

RIGA — A group of nationalists gathered outside Latvia’s parliament on Thursday to protest an amendment to the immigration law which would allow foreign investors to acquire temporary residency.

The approximate 150 protesters, who are affiliated with either For Fatherland and Freedom, a coalition party, and All for Latvia!, a marginal right-wing party with a large [...]

 Baltics criticize French ship sale to Russia

Written by James Dahl Latvia, TOP NEWS Mar 4, 2010

RIGA — Latvian foreign minister Māris Riekstiņš has once again criticized the decision by France to sell several Mistral-class military ships to Russia.

Riekstiņš told the “900 Seconds” program on Thursday that the sale of the offensive naval ships to Moscow was not welcomed and could not be considered the best way to lay the Cold [...]

 Over 200 police don’t know Latvian

Written by James Dahl Latvia Mar 2, 2010

RIGA — A recent audit by Latvia’s interior ministry has found that 219 police officers do not possess sufficient knowledge of the national language.

Ministry spokesman Mareks Matisons told local media that the number amounts to 3 percent of — This is a paid article. To subscribe or extend your subscription, click here.

 When titans unite

Written by James Dahl Latvia Mar 2, 2010

RIGA — The possibility of a merger between two languishing parties, the People’s Party and the Latvia’s First/Latvia’s Way, appears to be gathering momentum based on a rash of announcements by party members and political insiders.

Māris Kučinskis, a leading member of the People’s Party, told the Delfi news portal Tuesday that party leader Andris Šķēle [...]

 Legionnaire parade may be banned

Written by James Dahl Latvia, TOP NEWS Mar 1, 2010

RIGA — Riga Mayor Nils Ušakovs is hoping to forbid the annual Legionnaire procession on March 16 and has reportedly contacted the State Police as he searches for legal basis to ban the event, according to Latvian media.

TV3 reported on Sunday that the Riga City Council currently sees no formal reason not to allow the [...]

 More tax record hacker details emerge

Written by James Dahl Latvia, TOP NEWS Feb 26, 2010

RIGA — The high-profile theft of confidential tax data continued to hex Latvia, with officials on Friday admitting that a total 120 people lifted documents from a hole in the State Revenue Service’s website and the enigmatic “Neo” releasing salary data of the country’s financial markets regulator.

An official from the — This [...]

 Politicized bureaucrats now punishable

Written by James Dahl Latvia, TOP NEWS Feb 25, 2010

RIGA — Latvia’s parliament on Thursday passed amendments to a law on civil servants that provide for disciplining bureaucrats who demonstrate a discernible political bias in their actions and words.

Under the amendments to the Law on Liability of State Civil Service Employees, bureaucrats now face a range of disciplinary actions, from an admonishment to a [...]

 100-year record for Riga snow

Written by James Dahl Latvia, TOP NEWS Feb 24, 2010

RIGA — The snowfall that has overwhelmed the Latvian capital, creating impossible traffic jams, headaches for civic leaders, and endless joy for children and skiers, is that largest in a century, the meteorological agency has said.

The Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Center announced Tuesday that the average snow cover in Riga was 55 cm, the [...]

 Latvian hackers called heroes

Written by James Dahl Latvia, TOP NEWS Feb 23, 2010

RIGA — The hackers who stole over millions of electronic files from Latvia’s state tax collector’s website could become bona fide national heroes for exposing the unjustifiably high salaries of public servants and executives in state-run companies, a lawmaker has said.

In the words of Māris Kučinskis, chairman of the parliament national security committee, “Judging by [...]

 Dombrovskis wants chancellery probed

Written by James Dahl Latvia Feb 22, 2010

RIGA — Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis has ordered an ethics probe into the State Chancellery and its top official, who has come under fire for apparent abuses of office.

State Chancellery Director Gunta Veismane allegedly suggested that the State Security Police tap the phone of a reporter from the LETA news agency after the latter publicized [...]

Archive for the Category ‘Estonia’

 Estonia selling excess emission quotas

Written by Kai Joost Estonia Mar 5, 2010

TALLINN — Although Estonia is planning on building another oil shale plant this year, increasing its carbon footprint, the country will still be able to sell carbon emission quotas under the cap-and-trade system for extra revenue.

The government authorized the minister of the environment to compose the first sales agreement of assigned amount units Thursday. The [...]

 Estonia, Lithuania low risk of money laundering

Written by Kai Joost Estonia Mar 4, 2010

TALLINN — While Estonia and Lithuania have escaped criticism, the U.S. state department has labeled Latvia as a high risk country for money laundering.

The U.S. state department published its annual international narcotics control strategy report on — This is a paid article. To subscribe or extend your subscription, click here.

 Council of Europe scorns Estonian citizenship law

Written by Kai Joost Estonia, TOP NEWS Mar 3, 2010

TALLINN — The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, an arm of the Council of Europe, released a report Tuesday strongly criticizing the number of stateless persons in Estonia as too high.

Currently 8 percent of the Estonian population is stateless. Although the number is declining, the commission still considers it too high and called out [...]

 Parking lot ceiling collapses

Written by Kai Joost Estonia Mar 2, 2010

TALLINN — The ceiling of the fourth floor parking lot at the Viru Center shopping mall in Tallinn collapsed Monday morning, but fortunately no one was hurt.

The ceiling collapsed after water coming from the balcony of a neighboring — This is a paid article. To subscribe or extend your subscription, click here.

 Russia expels Estonian diplomat

Written by Kai Joost Estonia, TOP NEWS Mar 2, 2010

TALLINN — A diplomatic spat is brewing between Russia and Estonia after each country dismissed a consul from the other.

The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a meeting with the Russian ambassador to Estonia Nikolai Nikolajevitch Uspenski Monday to discuss Russia’s decision to expel Rasmus Lumi, the Estonian consul general in — [...]

 Recession favors public transport

Written by Kai Joost Estonia Mar 1, 2010

TALLINN — A recent poll shows that although public transportation use in Tallinn has declined since 1999, from 2008 to 2009 it usage upticked as the crisis forced people to cut their costs.

The survey, conducted by polling — This is a paid article. To subscribe or extend your subscription, click here.

 Estonia entering an “age of poverty”

Written by Kai Joost Estonia, TOP NEWS Feb 26, 2010

TALLINN — While the government concentrates on adopting the euro, the continuing economic crisis is increasing poverty, and even after recovery Estonian may find itself with a society of greater income inequality and stratification.

The plight of the Estonia’s poor was highlighted in President Toomas Hendrik Ilves’ Independence Day speech Wednesday, where he called for unemployment [...]

 Ilves: “something has to be done” for jobless

Written by Kai Joost Estonia, TOP NEWS Feb 25, 2010

TALLINN — In his Independence Day address, Estonian President Toomas Henrik Ilves identified unemployment as the biggest problem the country faces and stressed that cross-party cooperation and the euro adoption will combat it.

In a speech that was broadcast live on national television Wednesday evening from Tartu’s Vanemuine Theater, Ilves called for unemployment benefits to be [...]

 Ministry hiding cost of digitalization

Written by Kai Joost Estonia Feb 25, 2010

TALLINN — Estonia’s Ministry of Social Affairs is going ahead with the digitalization of nearly all state records, but is not revealing the costs, potential savings, or other important details of the switch.

The new digital prescription system has had troubles, but regardless the ministry is pushing ahead with forgoing paper records for birth, marriage, divorce [...]

 Photos of juvenile offenders released

Written by Kai Joost Estonia Feb 24, 2010

TALLINN — Despite a strict policy on releasing information on crime, especially minors, Estonia’s Southern Police Prefecture inexplicably released the photos of juvenile criminals to the media on Feb. 22. Apparently their patience with a group of repeat juvenile offenders, whose names and ages are — This is a paid article. To subscribe [...]

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