The International Human Rights Law Summer Study (IHRLSS) took place on July 19-28, 2010 in Vilnius (Lithuania) with the participation of the Lithuanian Minister of Justice Remigijus Šimašius in the closing ceremony on July 28.

The Summer Study is a two-week intensive program providing comprehensive exposure to International Human Rights Law. As a rapidly developing interdisciplinary field, International Human Rights Law is gaining importance in an increasingly globalized and ever more interconnected world.

According to the Lithuanian Minister of Justice R. Šimašius, human rights and freedom is the basis and guarantee of democracy. It is one of the most relevant issues within sovereign countries and in the context of international relations. The implementation of universal human rights and freedom reinforces peace, provides security by preventing aggression, corruption and crime. Therefore, it is very important to improve legal system and develop international cooperation in order to provide security for people and allow for using their rights in any country.

This year 31 students and 18 lecturers from Belarus, Canada, France, Georgia, Lithuania, Russia and the United States participated in the program. The program featured intensive classroom instruction with classes conducted by practitioners, professors, and experts in the fields of international and human rights law. Classroom instruction was enhanced by experiential components such as workshops, field work and site visits.

The Summer Study was introduced in 2008 through a unique partnership involving the Elon University Center for Public Affairs (USA), NGO Bring Human Rights Home (USA), Human Rights Monitoring Institute (Lithuania), and Mykolas Romeris University (Lithuania). The European Humanities University (Belarus-Lithuania) joined the partnership in 2008.

Vilnius, July 28 (ELTA) - Representatives of the World Lithuanian Community do not seek to provide or maintain dual citizenship, however, they are against taking away Lithuanian citizenship against person's will.

Chairman of the Board of the World Lithuanian Community Regina Narusiene says that the adoption of the Law on Citizenship takes a long time.

According to her, the World Lithuanian Community is convinced that Lithuanian citizenship is an innate human right and the government cannot take it away.

"We maintain the position that people of Lithuanian origin, who were born in Lithuania and have Lithuanian citizenship, have an innate right. And Lithuania cannot deprive them of this right. This is guaranteed by the Constitution, but somehow the lawyers did not take that into account. In our opinion, depriving those people, who left Lithuania after the year 1990, of Lithuanian citizenship and closing the doors for Lithuanian living abroad is against the interests of Lithuania," saif the chairman of the World Lithuanian Community.

Naruseviciene is convinced that Lithuanians living abroad should keep in touch with their motherland through Lithuanian citizenship.

As reported, on June 4, the Seimas decided to allow more people to have dual citizenship. Under the amendment to the Law on Citizenship, those people who departed from Lithuania after March 11, 1990 - the restoration of Lithuanian independence - will be able to have a dual citizenship, if they are of Lithuanian origin and if they have a citizenship of the European Union or North Atlantic Treaty Organizations country and live in a country that is separated from the Republic of Lithuania by a state border.

Klaipeda, July 27 (ELTA) - The international naval exercise "Baltic Bikini 2010" was opened in Klaipeda on July 26. More than 70 airborne personnel of the Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian Air Forces take part in the training event, the press service of the National Defence Ministry reports.

During the exercise aircrews will train to abandon an aircraft after ditching, and drill their skills of using rescue equipment.

In the active phase, aircrews will rely on their own strength and rescue equipment at hand to dive out of the cockpit of an imitation aircraft submerged 2 metres under water. The cockpit will be lowered from a ship following the pattern of ditching. After that participants will use rescue equipment to stay on water surface for around an hour waiting for the rescue helicopter.

"Baltic Bikini" is organised by the Lithuanian Air Force, logistics of the exercise will be conducted by P-14 "Aukstaitis" of the Lithuanian Naval Force. Mi-8 on standby in the 1st Search and Rescue Post of Nemirseta will also participate in the exercise. Personnel of each Baltic State prepared for the exercise in their home countries. In the end of June airborne personnel of the Lithuanian Air Force's Airbase trained in Lake Gudeliai near Siauliai City.

"Baltic Bikini" is held for the seventh time. International sea survival exercise has been held in one of the three Baltic States by rotation since 2004. It involves airborne personnel of Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian Air Forces - pilots, loadmasters, technicians, military medics flying with search and rescue crews.

The Baltic States lent the name of the training event from their Danish colleagues that organise "Baltic Bikini" annually. According to the order used in Denmark, each training or exercise team is denoted with one letter.

The first "Baltic Bikini" training event was held in Denmark as a joint Baltic-Danish project. Under the project which was launched in 1999 Denmark handed over to Lithuania on a non-reimbursable basis a spectrum of rescuing equipment, trained aircraft crews to conduct rescue tasks, as well as rescuing instructors. From 2004 the Baltic States began arranging "Baltic Bikini" independently.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė received Eastern European political business and public women leaders. The representatives of many different professions, politicians, lawyers, journalists, and NGO members gathered in Vilnius for a conference on women's leadership organized by the International Republican Institute and the Community of Democracies.
 
Among the issues discussed with President Grybauskaitė were the strengthening of gender equality in Europe, unequal pay for men and women, women's employment, and other matters.
 
The President underlined that even though to stand at the helm of the state in times of economic downturn, to make difficult but necessary decisions and at the same time not to lose public confidence meant great responsibility and commitment, it was also an opportunity to introduce important positive changes to the life of your country.
 
"As political, business and public leaders, each of you has a unique opportunity to shape the public opinion in your respective countries, to actively contribute to passing laws on gender equality and to promote women's leadership. I hope that the ideas and the experience exchanged at the conference will give a good momentum to strengthening gender equality in Europe and will encourage women to engage even more dynamically in the life-building process," the President said.
 
She pointed out that many positive changes could be seen in Lithuania with respect to equality between men and women and women's leadership: women had become active participants in political, business and public life. In Lithuania, women not only hold the highest power positions, but the gap between men's and women's employment has been narrowing. The European Institute for Gender Equality in Vilnius is the first EU agency in the Baltic States. Next year in Lithuania, the Community of Democracies will hold a high-level meeting on women and democracy.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė sent a letter to the participants of the ceremony of unveiling a commemorative plaque in Washington Square in Vilnius to mark the seventieth anniversary of the US Department of State Declaration on the Non-Recognition of the Annexation of the Baltic States.
 
"Distinguished Participants, Dear Friends of Lithuania,
 
Stability, continuity and mutual respect have always constituted the very foundations of friendship between two countries. For Lithuania and the United States of America, these values were meaningfully imprinted in a milestone document issued seventy years ago today.
 
On July 23, 1940, the then Under Secretary of State Sumner Welles made a declaration stating, resolutely and uncompromisingly, to the world that America did not recognize de jure and de facto the occupation and annexation of Lithuania and the other Baltic States.
 
This step of major historic significance led to Lithuania's uninterrupted diplomatic representation in the United States. The Welles Declaration became a model for other Western countries to pursue a policy of non-recognition and not to forfeit loyalty to the ideals of freedom and independence. The resolve demonstrated by the United States helped the Lithuanian people to sustain hope during five long decades of occupation that Lithuania would be an independent and democratic state.
 
Even today, the Sumner Welles' Declaration is a cornerstone document defining bilateral relations and the principles of continuity and cooperation. I am confident that our shared ideals will continue to further strengthen the relationship between our countries," the President writes in her statement.

Vilnius, July 21 (ELTA) - On Wednesday, students who showed best results at maturity exams and graduates of vocational training institutions who showed best results at professional examinations were honoured at the Government. The students, their teachers and parents were congratulated by Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius.

"You are investing your knowledge in your future. Investment in education always pays off," said the prime minister, wishing the graduates success in future studies and best of luck.

54 best students were presented with congratulation letters and commemorative gifts.

Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius invited the best graduates to participate in the project of the Government, National Students' Academy, Lithuanian School Students' Union and Lithuanian Students' Parliament "Students - to the Government" on August 23-27.

This project will allow students to get acquainted with the activities of the Government, public institutions and politicians, their daily work.

The future politicians will have an opportunity to train at the Prime Minister's Office and ministries for one week, they will spend a day with the prime minister, monitor the Government sittings, attend various meetings, get acquainted with the structure of the Government and ministerial work.

Krakow, July 15 (ELTA) - Instead of paying his knights for fighting at the Battle of Grunwald, Polish King Jagiello could have bought thirty Ferrari 599 GTOs, Onet Biznes writes.

The Polish King Jagiello (Jogaila) who commanded the joint Polish and Lithuanian army against the Teutonic Knights at the Battle of Grunwald in the year 1410 spent 30,000 grzywna to pay the knights, which amounts to approximately 37.5 million zloty (9.3 million euro) or an equivalent of thirty Ferrari 599 GTOs.

"About 15,000-16,000 Teutonic Knights and 30,000 Polish and Lithuanian knights fought in the Battle of Grunwald," says historian Marek Janicki from Warsaw University. Although the Polish King had to spend a fortune to pays the knights, they themselves also had to bear high costs of the battle.

A complete set of knight's armour cost up to 100 grzywny, which can be compared to the cost of 50 cows. A visor, for example, cost 4 grzywna, chainmail cost 2-7 grzywna, armour protecting one's torso 9 grzywna and armour protecting one's legs cost 4 grzywna. A shield was cheaper, costing 0.1-0.9 grzywna, an axe 0.75 grzywna and a bow 1.5-3.2 grzywna. The most expensive was a horse, which cost about 150 grzywna and a knight usually needed at least two horses - one for battle and another for carrying luggage. A knight also had to pay for food: during the four-month campaign which ended with the Battle of Grunwald, a knight probably spent about 3.5 grzywna on alimentation.

A monthly pay of a medieval Polish knight amounted to 100 grzywna, the equivalent of about 1,980 zloty (500 euro). On average, a knight had to work for two years in order to afford a horse. In spite of rather moderate pay and high battle costs, knights usually managed to turn a profit from war spoils.

"As many as 8,000 Teutonic Knights died in the Battle of Grunwald and they were well-armoured so Polish and Lithuanian knights had great loot," says historian Marek Janicki from the University of Warsaw. The Polish Royal Treasury was also replenished as a result of the battle. Under the Peace of Thorn in 1411, which ended the Polish-Lithuanian-Teutonic War, the Teutonic Order paid "sixty times the number of 100,000 Prague groschen or 20,000 kilograms of silver" in exchange for captives.

"The sum was so high that the Teutonic Knights barely were able to raise the money," says Janicki.

The Battle of Grunwald took place on 15 July 1410. It was one of the most important battles in Medieval Europe and the largest battle involving armoured knights. The forces of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were led by King Wladyslaw Jagiello (Jogaila), aided by Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas, and the Knights of the Teutonic Order by the Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen. The battle was a complete defeat for the Teutonic Knights, who lost the area known as Dobrzyn Land and had to pay high war reparations. After the Battle of Grunwald, the Teutonic Knights were unable to recover their former might.

Colonel Romualdas Petkevičius, the Lithuanian National Military Representative at Supreme Headquarters – Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), was recently awarded the US Legion of Merit by Ambassador Anne E. Derse, in recognition of his service as Defense Attaché at the Lithuanian Embassy in Washington, DC from 2004 to 2008. 

The Legion of Merit, one of the United States’ highest military honors, is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements.  Commenting on the importance of the award, Ambassador Derse said that “Colonel Petkevičius was instrumental in the full integration of Lithuanian forces in NATO during his time as Defense Attaché.  His dedication to the alliance and hard work in building lines of communication between Washington and Vilnius helped to make Lithuania integral to 21st century security.”

Victory in the Battle of Grunwald (Žalgiris) stands as a symbol signifying the hope of the Lithuanian people to seek freedom and independence, President Dalia Grybauskaitė underlined at the celebration of the 600th Anniversary of the Grunwald Battle.
 
President Grybauskaitė, together with Polish President-elect Bronisław Komorowski and other Heads of State of Central and Eastern European countries, attended the anniversary celebrations at the historic battlefield of Grunwald, where she addressed the participants in Lithuanian and Polish. Later on, Dalia Grybauskaitė and other prominent guests watched the Lithuanian and Polish Guard of Honor Parade and Tournament of Knights.
 
"Today is a very special day. Today, on this historic battlefield, we celebrate one of the greatest victories in our history - a victory that ended more than one hundred year long aggression against the region. It reminds us all how much we can achieve when we are together. I am speaking not only about Lithuanians and Poles. I have in mind here all of us who 600 years ago participated in the Battle of Grunwald and made victory possible," the President said.
 
Dalia Grybauskaitė expressed her sincere gratitude to the Polish hosts for organizing such wonderful and spectacular celebrations. She also thanked Eastern and Central European leaders for honoring the Grunwald anniversary that carries a meaning of great symbolic importance to Lithuanians and Poles.
 
"May this celebration inspire us all to seek brave, ambitious and important goals for our nations and for the whole of Europe," the President said.
 
Later on in the day, President Grybauskaitė and other heads of state will visit the Castle of Malbork and attend a festive dinner.

Vilnius, July 19 (ELTA) - It is proposed to eternalize the memory of deceased President Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas by giving Kaunas Hidroelectric Plant his name.

"This proposal sounds nice to me," Member of the Social Democratic Party leadership Ceslovas Jursenas told ELTA.

According to him, there are various proposals on how to eternalize the name of the first president of the independent Lithuania. They will be considered by the party's leadership.

Kaunas Hidroelectric Plant was Brazauskas' first employer. He got a job there in 1965, after graduating the then Kaunas Politechnic Institute.

At a press conference held to review the first year of her term in office, President Dalia Grybauskaitė said that she, just like all the people of Lithuania, had had a difficult, painful and yet optimistic year. "It was a year of great personal responsibility placed by public expectations for a quality attitude towards work upon both the civil service and law enforcement institutions," the President said.
 
According to the President, the main objective for the first year of her term in office was to help the country recover from the economic crisis, curb monopolies and ensure competition in the areas of energy, pharmacy and retail trade.
Last year also saw the start of creation of a more transparent judicial system, implementation of tangible measures to combat corruption, reforms of the national security and intelligence systems, and the formulation of clear foreign policy priorities defending the interests of Lithuania.
 
According to the President, during the second year of her term in office, the President's Office will assume an even more active role both in the domestic and foreign policy, taking account of changes in the political life of Lithuania and on the international arena. In the President's words, faster changes in the country also depend on public cohesion and responsibility.
 
"Most people understand the situation in the country and the difficulties faced by the State. Therefore, I would like to thank the Lithuanian people for not only their trust but also patience and understanding. I understand that we all want faster results and changes. Lithuanian people's expectations are an obligation and responsibility for me and other public authorities. I assume it personally. However, only by working together, assuming responsibility and doing our best can we cope with the situation in Lithuania. Everything depends on our will, responsibility and cohesion," the President said.

Photo: Lars Bryne

Algirdas Brazauskas, Signatory to the Act of Independence of Lithuania, Speaker of the Seimas and Acting President of the Republic of Lithuania in 1992-1993, President of the Republic Lithuania in 1993-1998, and Prime Minister of the 12th and 13th Governments passed away on 26 June 2010 after a long and severe illness.
 
He identified service to the Nation and the State to be his supreme duty: “authority, as I see it, entails the greatest responsibility. It is only through brainpower, diligence, and strong will that we can build a prosperous state of Lithuania, a good and safe place for every citizen to live in”. These simple words of wisdom guided Brazauskas in his work, speeches, articles, and books.
 
Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas was born on 22 September 1932 in Rokiškis to a family of civil servants Sofija and Kazimieras Brazauskas. While giving their children simple farm tasks to perform, his parents instilled a sense of diligence and integrity in Algirdas and his younger brother Gerardas from an early age. Algirdas studied at the secondary school in Kaišiadorys, later graduated from the Kaunas Polytechnic Institute, then worked hard, got married, and had daughters Audronė and Laima.
 
Algirdas Brazauskas’ professional career began at Kaunas Hydroelectric Power Plant Authority where he was first employed as an engineer. As a knowledgeable construction specialist, and expert organizer of manufacturing processes, thanks to his sense of initiative Brazauskas started going up the career ladder. Even under the difficult conditions of centralized management, Brazauskas and his colleagues endeavoured to use the funds and resources in the areas where Lithuania needed them most.
 
M. Dobrovolskis, the priest and monk from Paberžė and former political prisoner, better known Father Stanislovas, refers to the Lithuanian government of the time saying, “during the Soviet years, it was them who managed to get the funding for the reconstruction of the castle of Trakai, the construction of the Žemaičių Highway, and for numerous construction projects in Lithuania.” Brazauskas’ own attitude to the events and achievements in Lithuania during the annexation as well as his assessment of his professional activities is accurately reflected in the title of his last book Ir tuomet dirbome Lietuvai (Even Then We Worked for the Benefit of Lithuania). According to Brazauskas, “one may not primitively and angrily write off two generations, their work and efforts just because they happened to live and work in the annexed state. Our country was far from being at a standstill, it was not too far away from the free European nations in terms of education, professional skills, and the level of academic research. It is with a fairly high standard of education that we began our new life as an independent state.”
 
In 1988, after the national revival began, Brazauskas got actively engaged in politics, participated in rallies, made speeches, supported the reform proposals of the Reform Movement Sąjūdis, and initiated some changes on the political scene. Supported by the mass movement of the Sąjūdis, Brazauskas was elected First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Lithuanian and became the most prominent leader of the nation. His popularity was based on personal qualities, including persistence in defending Lithuania’s interests and personal charm, which inspired people's self-confidence and helped to consolidate the nation. In 1988-1989, as the de facto leader of the Lithuanian SSR and the People's Deputy of the USSR, Brazauskas was in permanent contact with the Soviet Union's leadership and maintained contact with the leaders of the Reform Movement Sąjūdis at the same time. This helped him neutralise Moscow’s resistance to Lithuania’s national liberation process and significantly contributed to peaceful restoration of Lithuania’s independence.
 
The Communist Party of Lithuania, led by Brazauskas, split from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in December 1989 thus breaking the dictatorial monolith of the Party. This decision of the Lithuanian Communists was sensational to the entire world and Lithuania’s people for the first time showed their sincere solidarity with the “political divorce”.
 
Brazauskas was elected Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Lithuanian SSR on 15 January 1990. Under his leadership, the Supreme Council adopted the resolution on 7 February abolishing the 21 July 1940 declaration of the Seimas referred to as the People’s Seimas on Lithuania’s accession to the Soviet Union, which deprived the USSR of any legal grounds to consider Lithuania part of the Soviet Union. In paragraph 3 of the resolution, the Supreme Council proposed the Soviet Union to commence bilateral negotiations on the restoration of the independence of the Lithuanian State. At the end of the Session, Brazauskas said to the Members of the Supreme Council, “It is the fate of our generation to take the responsibility for Lithuania, its future, and the destiny of its people. Bearing this in mind we must consider every step we take and its purpose. Building of the state is the greatest collective activity and responsibility to the nation and its expressed will”. At the height of the national revival Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas was named “the man as hard as rock”, whose protection, warmth, and peace was sought by our citizens.          
 
On 24 February 1990, Brazauskas was elected Member of the Supreme Council of the Lithuanian SSR (subsequently named the Supreme Council – Reconstituent Seimas) in Kaišiadorys electoral constituency. He voted in favour of the restoration of the Independent State of Lithuania on 11 March 1990. Brazauskas became a historic figure during Lithuania’s struggle for independence in the period of 1988-1990. 
 
The Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania approved Brazauskas for the post of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania on 17 March 1990. Much was to be done by the first Government of the Independent Republic of Lithuania. It was a manifest example of cooperation between the Lithuanian Reform Movement Sąjūdis and the independent Communist Party of Lithuania. The economic blockade imposed by the USSR, which was aimed at suppressing Lithuania’s attempts of independent existence and at destroying Lithuania’s economy, brought much tension and concern. At some point Brazauskas noted that “being independent we worked in the binding environment, and yet we sought to avoid the negative effect on Lithuania and its people as much as possible”.
 
The Communist Party of Lithuania was renamed the Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania in December 1990 and Brazauskas was elected its Chairman at the inaugural meeting. When the first Government resigned in 1991, Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas joined the constructive opposition to the radical policy of the Sąjūdis. The Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania, led by Brazauskas, convincingly won the national election in 1992. Brazauskas was elected Speaker of the Seimas and appointed Acting President of the Republic of Lithuania.
 
On 14 February 1993 A. M. Brazauskas won the highest trust of Lithuanian people in direct and general presidential elections held in Lithuania for the first time in its history that led him to a new five-year term as Head of State. Lithuania was consolidating its statehood and democracy further, carrying out essential reforms, separating authority functions, legitimising ample freedom of the media, while the country’s economic indicators were improving. Lithuania became a member of a number of international organizations, it established and developed bilateral relations with European countries and states from other continents, and established good relations with its neighbours. With the priority mandate given to him by the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania in foreign policy, President Brazauskas devoted special attention to the development of economic relations, strengthening of co-operation with Lithuania’s closest neighbours – Russia, Poland, Belarus, Latvia and Estonia in the fields of culture and arts, health protection, science and technology, information, etc. Therefore, the evaluation of this huge and significant work, resolute efforts and tolerant decisions of many years, Russian President D. Medvedev’s Order of Honour awarded to A. M. Brazauskas in June 2010 for his contribution to the development of relations between Lithuania and Russia, is fully understandable. As President of the Republic, Brazauskas set up the Office of the President and formed its units; he was leading the process of introduction of the national currency Litas, ensured withdrawal of the Soviet occupational army from Lithuania and submitted an application for Lithuania’s accession to NATO and the European Union. He signed the agreement on the Lithuanian-Russian state border and, together with the Polish President he organised the Vilnius Conference for the leaders of Central and Eastern European countries and initiated the reconstruction of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. During his service as Prime Minister, a decade later, Brazauskas was also destined to sign the Accession Treaties, and thus Lithuania became a member of NATO and the European Union.
 
When communicating with people, President Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas always tried to empathise with them. He had a captivating personality that radiated inner courtesy, tolerance, and lenience. He neither attempted to demonstrate his superiority over other people nor to insult or humiliate anybody, even his biggest opponents. These features of his character particularly attracted people and helped him to win their favour.
 
When recalling the period of his own presidency, Brazauskas stated that his “views had always been leftist”, thus nobody was really surprised at his closeness with the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania. Co-operation between left-wing political forces which were the Opposition at the Seimas started in 1996-2000, and one of the most successful examples of this co-operation was the emergence of Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas Social Democratic Coalition before the 2000 national election to the Seimas. Brazauskas’ return to politics was first of all related to the aspiration at consolidation of the left-wing political forces and at inspiring them to be active for the sake of Lithuania and its people. On 27 January 2001, the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania merged with the Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania and Brazauskas was elected its Chairman.
In the summer of 2001, when the political situation changed, President Valdas Adamkus appointed Brazauskas Prime Minister of the 12th Government of the Republic of Lithuania and tasked him with its formation. The new Government started work under complicated conditions. The main aims of the Government were to ensure the growth of the national economy and Lithuania’s membership of NATO and the European Union.  These aims were consistently reached by Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas through intense work, sparing no efforts or time.
 
On 14 July 2004, after the presidential election, President of the Republic of Lithuania Adamkus repeatedly trusted Brazauskas with the new Government. Under his leadership the economy became stronger, the economic and social situation as well as macroeconomic indicators improved. On 1 June 2006, he resigned and his successor took over the leadership of Lithuania, already as a member of NATO and a member of the European Union. When addressing the issue of relationship between a Prime Minister and citizens, Brazauskas used to stress, “I have never avoided people, I always did my best to hear what they say, understand them, and help as much as possible”.
 
Until the last days of his active life, Brazauskas was active in the public area as a politician, he cherished immense desire to serve for the benefit of the state and the nation, and he was always interested in economic and political matters. He has been and will remain one of the most prominent political figures and heads of state of the last twenty years of independent Lithuania.
 
History will judge his deeds providing good inspiration for future generations...
 
Awards, earned by Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas:
Grand Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great – 26 02 1998;
Lithuanian Independence Medal – 01 07 2000;
Order of Vytautas the Great with the Golden Chain – 03 02 2003;
20 awards, given by foreign states
Books by Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas:
Lietuviškos skyrybos (Lithuanian Divorce), 1992
Penkeri Prezidento metai (Five Years as the President), 2000
Apsisprendimas (Self-Determination: 1988-1991), 2004
Lietuvos galia: atlikti darbai ir mintys apie ateitį (Lithuania's Power: Works Accomplished and Thoughts about the Future), 2004
Ir tuomet dirbome Lietuvai (Even Then We Worked for the Benefit of Lithuania), 2007
Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas honorary ranks:
Doctor of Economics, 1974
Degree Honoris Causa at Kaunas University of Technology, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Minsk Humanitarian University, and Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv

Honorary citizen of the towns of Kaišiadorys, Rokiškis, Švenčionys, Visaginas, and Neringa

Logo and labelling
When consumers like you choose to buy organic products, you need to know that you are getting exactly what you pay for. The organic logo and labelling system is the mechanism that makes this possible.

It is designed to provide you with complete confidence that the goods you buy are produced entirely in-line with the EU organic farming Regulation, or in the case of imported goods, an equivalent or identical strict set of rules.

Certification
The production and placement of organic products with labels and logos on the EU market follows a strict certification process that must be complied with.

Conventional farmers must first undergo a conversion period of a minimum of two years before they can begin producing agricultural goods that can be marketed as organic. If they wish to produce both conventional and organic produce, they must clearly separate these two operations throughout every stage of production.

Both farmers and processors must at all times respect the relevant rules contained in the EU Regulation. They are subject to inspections by EU inspection bodies or authorities to ensure their compliance with organic legislation.

After the two year period successful operators are granted organic certification and their goods can be labelled as organic.

Clarity
The Regulation contains clear and strict rules about labelling and logo use, to minimise any confusion among consumers, or potential misuse:

“Any terms such as organic, bio, eco, etc., including terms used in trademarks, or practices used in labelling or advertising liable to mislead the consumer or user by suggesting that a product or its ingredients satisfy the requirements set out under this Regulation shall not be used for non-organic products.”

In addition, the organic label can not be used for a product that contains Genetically Modified Organism (GMO).

Indications
To provide you with further confidence, by law all products labelled as organic must bear the name of the last operator who has handled the product, e.g. the producer, the processor or the distributor and the name or code number of their inspection body.

Logo
The EU organic logo and those of EU Member States are used to supplement the labelling and increase the visibility of organic food and drink for consumers.

So, consumers buying products bearing the EU logo can be confident that:
• at least 95% of the product's ingredients of agricultural origin have been organically produced;
• the product complies with the rules of the official inspection scheme;
• the product has come directly from the producer or preparer in a sealed package;
• the product bears the name of the producer, the preparer or vendor and the name or code of the inspection body

The placement of the EU logo is mandatory from 1 July 2010 for pre-packaged food. It remains voluntary for imported products after this date. From 1 July 2010, where the Community logo is used, an indication of the place where the agricultural raw materials were farmed should accompany it. It should be indicated that the raw materials originate from 'EU Agriculture', 'non-EU Agriculture' or 'EU/non-EU Agriculture'. If all raw materials have been farmed in only one country, the name of this specific country, in or outside the EU, can be indicated instead.

If operators wish to sell their products in another EU Member State than their own, they may place an additional national or private logo that will be recognised by the consumers of this particular country. However, the EU organic logo should in time be recognised by all European consumers.

For more information: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/organic/splash_en

Inspections
Once the conversion process has been completed, operators continue to be subject to comprehensive annual inspections comprising:

• Inspection of documentation over purchases and sales, livestock and medication log books etc.
• Possible taking of samples
• Inspection of in- and outdoor livestock conditions
• Inspection of warehouses, fields, orchards, greenhouses and pastures.

Additional inspections and “on the spot” visits may also be carried out by inspectors for operators presenting more risks.

Each EU Member State has established an inspection system and designated a number of public authorities and/or approved private inspection bodies to carry out the inspection and certification of organic production.

Non-compliance
In the case of operators not complying with all the requirements, their organic certification can be withdrawn and their right to market their products as organic be removed.

Vilnius, July 9 (ELTA) - On Friday, President Dalia Grybauskaite promoted the Commander of Lithuanian Land Forces, Brigadier General Jonas Vytautas Zukas, to the military rank of Major General.

"The military rank of Major General is the evaluation of your honest service and long years of experience. You are one of the armed forces leaders and the founders of the restored Lithuanian army. I wish you not to forget the oath to defend the state of Lithuania, its freedom and independence that you took two decades ago, and to use your knowledge and experience gained during your service in training new soldiers, defenders of our country and its people," the head of state said.

Zukas was appointed the commander of the Land Forces on 26 September 2007. He was assigned the rank of Brigadier General on 23 November 2007.

The commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces graduated from Vilnius University, the Bundeswehr Command Academy and the NATO Defense College.

Vilnius, July 8 (ELTA) - A draft resolution, proposing to announce 2011 the year of Remembrance of Holocaust Victims in Lithuania, has been registered at the Seimas by 55 MPs belonging to different political parties.

Seimas Speaker Irena Degutiene informed Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who is currently visiting Lithuania, about that.

The draft resolution proposes the Government to draw up a programme for the year of the Remembrance of Holocaust Victims in Lithuania which would be dedicated to honour the Holocaust victims, to restore and immortalise the historical and cultural heritage of the Jews in Lithuania.

The Seimas speaker pointed out that Lithuania had been implementing the unique in Europe Holocaust Education Programme for a decade almost. This programme has been presented by the Council of Europe as an example to follow for other countries.

"The Holocaust education programme occupies a very important place in the Lithuanian education policy. Since 2002, the National Holocaust Education Programme has been implemented by building tolerance centres at schools, preparing teachers, drawing up education programmes and issuing publications," Degutiene said.

During the meeting, the Israeli foreign minister also discussed restitution issues and thanked the Seimas speaker for Lithuania's decision to complete the process smoothly.

Statistics Lithuania informs that, based on the data of the inbound tourism survey, the number of overnight trips of foreigners in 2009, compared to 2008, decreased by 16.8 per cent (from 1.6 million in 2008 to 1.3 million in 2009), that of same-day trips – by 6.6 per cent (from 2.8 million in 2008 to 2.7 million in 2009). 

Most foreign visitors with one or more overnight stays arrived in Lithuania for leisure (63.8 per cent), 36.2 per cent – for business purposes. In 2009, compared to 2008, the decrease in the number of business trips was not as large (-13.4 per cent) as that of leisure trips (-18.6 per cent).

The larger portion of foreign visitors, were males, who accounted for 68 per cent of all tourists. The main source of information about Lithuania (indicated by 48 per cent of tourists) was friends and relatives. For every third tourist, it was the first visit to Lithuania.

More than half of foreigners used road transport – 60 per cent (in 2008, 56 per cent); air transport was used by 31 per cent (in 2008, 36 per cent), rail transport – 6 per cent (in 2008, 6 per cent), sea transport – 3 per cent (in 2008, 2 per cent) of foreign tourists.

In 2009, most overnight visitors arrived from Belarus (18 per cent, or 247.3 thous.), Russia (14 per cent, or 189.4 thous.), Latvia (11 per cent, o r 149.4 thous.), Poland (11 per cent, or 141.5 thous.), and Germany (10 per cent, or 135.2 thous.). In 2009, compared to 2008, the number of overnight trips from Belarus increased by 18.6 per cent. The largest impact on the decrease in the number of trips in 2009, compared to 2008, was made by a decrease in the number of trips from Poland – by 22 , Russia – by 16.7 , and Latvia – by 17.9 per cent. The number of trips to Lithuania from EU countries decreased by 21.3 per cent (in 2009, 777.4 thous.; in 2008, 988.3 thous.), from non-EU member states – by 9.5 per cent (in 2009, 563.6 thous.; in 2008, 623 thous.).

Last year, the average duration of a foreigner’s trip to Lithuania amounted to 4.5 nights (in 2008, 4.9 nights). In 2009, compared to 2008, the number of longer trips (with 4 or more overnight stays) decreased by 17.5 per cent; such trips made up 26 per cent of all overnight trips. In 2009, the total number of overnight stays amounted to 6.1 million, and, compared to 2008, decreased by 23.1 per cent.

In 2009, average expenditure per foreign overnight visitor in Lithuania amounted to about one thousand litas, which was by 12 per cent less than in 2008. The highest expenditure per tourist trip was recorded for tourists from Israel and United States – about LTL 2.2 thousand per trip with 9 overnight stays, the lowest – for tourists from Latvia and Estonia (on average, LTL 595 per trip with 3 overnight stays). In 2009, total expenditure incurred during trips with one or more overnight stays amounted to LTL 1.3 billion, which is by 27 per cent less than in 2008.

Half (51 per cent) of foreign tourists indicated that they stayed in hotels and motels, 36 per cent – at relatives’ and friends’. The most popular places visited by foreign tourists were Vilnius – 66 per cent, Kaunas – 22 per cent, Klaipėda – 18 per cent, Trakai – 12, and Palanga – 9 per cent. Almost all (96 per cent) foreign tourists gave a very good or good assessment to their trips to Lithuania.

Foreigners usually went on a same-day trip for shopping (35 per cent) or business (26 per cent). In 2009, same-day visitors in Lithuania spent LTL 809.2 million, which is by 10 per cent more than in 2008. Almost half (43 per cent) of expenditure was on shopping. Average expenditure of a foreigner per same-day trip amounted to LTL 304 (in 2008, LTL 316).

In 2009, almost half of same-day visitors arrived from Latvia (1119.1 thousand, or 42 per cent), Poland (748.9 thousand, or 28 per cent), Belarus (284.8 thousand, or 11 per cent), Russia (226.9 thousand, or 9 per cent), and Estonia (154.1 thousand, or 6 per cent).

Vilnius, June 30 (ELTA) - It is proposed to declare 2013 the year of the 1863 January Uprising.

Seimas Speaker Irena Degutiene has registered a draft resolution at the Seimas’ Secretariat of Sittings after taking into account the fact that 2013 would see the 150th anniversary of the 1863 January Uprising.

In this way it is expected to mark the historical and cultural significance of this uprising to the nations of Lithuania, Belarus and Poland.

The draft resolution proposes that the Government should develop and approve the programme for the commemoration of the anniversary of the 1863 Uprising and provide for its funding.

Vilnius, June 28 (ELTA) - President Dalia Grybauskaite has signed a decree on the appointment of Arunas Gelunas as Lithuania's culture minister.

The new culture minister was appointed after being nominated by Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius. Gelunas is yet to be sworn in at the Seimas. Next week, President Dalia Grybauskaite will present the candidature of Gelunas for the culture minister for the Seimas' approval.

Last week, the president met with the candidate for the culture minister, pro-rector of Vilnius Academy of Arts Gelunas, to discuss the vision of the country's culture, the necessity of educating a creative society and improving the accessibility of culture to all the residents of Lithuania. According to Gelunas, he will continue the work that was started by his predecessor, Culture Minister Remigijus Vilkaitis, especially the one related to the culture of regions and the preservation of heritage.

According to presidential spokesman Linas Balsys, the president assessed Gelunas' proposal to reduce the cultural divide among the major cities and regions of the country favourably. Grybauskaite believes that it is necessary to ensure the dissemination of a good-quality culture across the country and create equal conditions for the artistic self-expression of the people, awareness of the culture and promotion of the culture of their region.

The new culture minister plans to set up a new cultural policy model, according to which, the Culture Ministry would form the cultural policy, but it would be conducted by the Culture Council which would be composed of Lithuanian experts. If necessary, foreign experts would be invited for consultations.

Gelunas graduated from Vytautas Magnus University, earned a Ph.D. degree. In 1995-1997, he studied arts at the Tokyo University of the Arts, before that he was awarded a diploma of a graphic artist at Vilnius Academy of Arts.

Since 2004, Gelunas has worked as a vice rector for studying at Vilnius Academy of Arts. He is also a member of the Lithuanian Artists' Association, and board chairman of the National Association of Creative and Cultural Industries. The candidate for the culture minister speaks five foreign languages: Russian, English, French, Polish and Japanese.

Gelunas was proposed for the post in the wake of the resignation of Culture Minister Remigijus Vilkaitis. The Nation's Resurrection Party (TPP) decided to recall Vilkaitis from the post in April. Under the coalition's agreement, the post of the culture minister belongs to the said party. The TPP stated that they were dissatisfied with Vilkaitis because of the poor quality of his work and poor results of the ministry as well as the overall situation in the area of culture.

Panevezys dstr, June 23 (ELTA) - Midsummer Day - a great opportunity to attract foreign tourists, to acquaint them with Lithuanian customs, cultural, national and culinary heritage, says the head of the state, who is celebrating Midsummer Day in Panevezys District.

On Wednesday, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite took part in the Midsummer Day celebration in Panevezys District Rekstino forest, where she went by the Aukstaitija narrow gauge railway festive John's train.

"The Midsummer Day - is a feast having a long tradition in many European countries. It is a good time to present the cultural, national and culinary heritage of Lithuania, get acquainted with unique Lithuanian customs and traditions. This feast has to be included and creatively presented in all programmes of cultural tourism," said the president.

According to President Dalia Grybauskaite, the John's train organized by Aukstaitija narrow gauge railway and ceremony in Rekstino forest - is one of the most original events in the summer equinox that may be of interest and attract tourists not only from Lithuania but also from all over the world.

Vilnius, June 23 (ELTA) - On June 23, farewell ceremony for the outgoing US Naval Attache in Lithuania Cdr Tomas Algirdas Alksninis was held at the Ministry of National Defence. Vice Minister of National Defence Vytautas Umbrasas bestowed the Medal of Merit of the National Defence System on Cdr T. A. Alksninis for personal contribution and merits to development of cooperation between the Lithuanian and US Armed Forces, informs Ministry of National Defence.

HE US Ambassador in Lithuania Anne Ellizabeth Derse, US Defence and Army Attache in Lithuania Lt Col David B. Millner, representatives of the Ministry of National Defence and Armed Forces participated in the ceremony.

US Naval Attaché in Lithuania is based in Vilnius. Interest of the United States in Lithuania is also represented by the US Defence and Army Attache, the position is currently held by Lt Col D. Millner.

The United States is one of Lithuania's key partners in defence area. Political support and military contribution the United States rendered under the Memorandum of Understanding on Lithuanian-US defence cooperation signed in 1994 had a major influence on Lithuania's success in entering NATO. USA actively supports reform of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, and ensures every support to Lithuania's troops deployed to multinational operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Cooperation between the Lithuanian Armed Forces and the Pennsylvania Army National Guard gathered pace in the recent years, cooperation plans for events oriented at strengthening capabilities of the Lithuanian Armed Forces were ratified.

USA and Lithuania also cooperates in arranging joint training with the Baltic States; Baltic Host 2010" held in the three Baltic capitals simultaneously to drill host country support capabilities in the beginning of June was an example. Another US-led international naval exercise taking place in the Baltic Sea on June 7-25 is Baltops 2010". This autumn joint training event of the US and Baltic land forces Sabre Strike" will be held in Latvia. Lithuania has invited USA to contribute its troops to the Amber Hope" exercise our country will host in 2011.

US Air Force deployed two air contingents (in 2005 and 2008) to provide security in the Baltic skies since it joined the Baltic Air policing mission in 2005. The US Air Force is planned to guard the Baltic skies for the third time this autumn.

According to an intensive cooperation schedule in training personnel of the Lithuanian National Defence System, around 500 Lithuanian representatives underwent training in military education institutions of the United States under the US International Military Training and Education Program endorsed in 1992.

Minister of Social Security and Labour Donatas Jankauskas signed an order, whereby LT 27.8 million has been allocated from the European Social Fund (ESF) for the implementation of computer literacy projects. These funds will be used for financing 13 projects targeted at the development of computer literacy skills of 48,000 people.

“We are pleased with the fact that these projects will focus on older people (45 years and older) who lack knowledge of using computers and the Internet. Training will be offered for both residents of big cities and remote Lithuanian regions,” said Minister Jankauskas.

When selecting the projects, a priority was also given to applications covering small towns and rural settlements, as well as those who have longer experience of relevant activities.
With regard to the fact that the applications for the ESF funding were drafted adequately and qualitatively, nine more projects have been included in the reserve list. If there are financial viable, these reserve projects will be financed with European funds as well.

The projects will be implemented in Lithuania by 2013 according to the “Development of Computer Literacy Skills” of the Operational Programme for the Development of Human Resources 2007–2013.

This measure is aimed at the development of computer literacy skills applied in practice and related to the needs of a specific person in the labour market (to get employment, seek promotion, requalify), as well as the development of computer literacy skills necessary for a successful application of information and communication technologies in daily activities.

Certificates of scholarships established by the United States for studies in prestigious US military academies were presented to three cadets of Gen. Jonas Žemaitis Lithuanian Military Academy. During the ceremony the cadets were congratulated by the US Ambassador Anne E. Derse, Commandant of the Military Academy Col. Gintaras Bagdonas, relatives of the cadets, and other guests.
 
Three cadets of the Lithuanian Military Academy - 3rd year cadet Vytautas Drejeris and 2nd year cadets Saulius Gauronskis and Giedrius Mikalauskas - will study at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis (Maryland), the United States Military Academy at West Point (State New York) and the United States Coast Guard Academy (New London, Connecticut) respectively. Lithuanian cadets are among the 32 international students who have been selected for scholarship in the mentioned prestigious military education institutions. The total of 120 states were invited to recommend their candidates for studies in the US military academies.
 
After studies in the United States the cadets will join service in the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
 
This has been the twelfth time Lithuanian cadets were selected to study at the US military education institutions. Over twenty cadets from Lithuania underwent studies under the same selection programme since 1995.

Riga, June 16 (LETA-ELTA) - United States (U.S.) Embassy in Riga advises the public to be cautious in dealing with individuals or companies that claim to offer assistance in obtaining U.S. work visas, LETA was informed by the embassy's press and culture department.

The embassy warns that in particular, potential visa applicants should be wary of any promises by placement agencies or prospective employers to arrange for a work visa after travel to the United States. All legitimate U.S. work visas must be obtained at the embassy prior to entering the United States.

Those who enter the United States on visa-free travel or on tourist/business visas, and who then take up employment in the United States, are violating the terms of their travel status and significantly jeopardizing their ability to obtain visas and travel to the United States in the future, the embassy points out.

The U.S. Embassy in Riga is also concerned that potential visa applicants who receive deceptive information about U.S. visas may become targets of human traffickers. Human trafficking occurs whenever a person is recruited, transported, or kept against his or her will for the purposes of exploitation.

U.S. Embassy in Riga strongly encourages residents of Latvia to exercise caution when accepting advice on U.S. visas from third parties not affiliated with the U.S. Government. The embassy does not endorse, recommend or sponsor any information or material shown on non-governmental web-sites that provide immigration- and visa-related information and services.

To avoid being misled or deceived, the embassy strongly encourages each visa applicant to confirm the accuracy of information about U.S. visas or immigration procedures by accessing the U.S. Embassy in Riga website or the U.S. Department of State website.

Potential applicants may also send the embassy an inquiry by e-mail at askconsular@usriga.lv, or contact its representatives by phone at 67 03 62 00.

Gediminas Kazlauskas, the Lithuanian Minister of Environment, paid a visit to Dagda (Latvia) on 3 June to meet with his Latvian and Estonian colleagues.

During the meeting of the Environmental Committee of the Baltic Council of Ministers (BCM), the minister of environment discussed marine environment issues and waste management problems (improvement of interstate waste transportation control, emphasising green and asphalt waste transportation control).

The meeting addressed the National Plan for Allocating Tradable Allowances and renewable energy sources. The ministers also discussed the planned construction of nuclear power plants in Belarus and Kaliningrad.

A new agreement among the three Baltic states on cooperation in the environmental area was also signed during the meeting.

An agreement signed back on 21 July 1995 has been valid so far. However, it is no longer in line with the current situation and political context. The new agreement includes a provision encouraging raising common issues of national importance on European Union level and supporting their resolution.

The purpose of the agreement is to continue tripartite cooperation in the areas of environmental protection and prevention of environmental pollution, develop economic, scientific and technical relations in order to solve regional and global ecological problems together.

Regional environmental problems will be studied and more effective environmental protection measures will be sought in order to achieve this objective. The countries will regularly exchange information on the environmental condition, inform each other on emergency situations in the environmental area and will immediately take joint actions to eliminate their consequences.

• Empire of the Sun

Music and arts festival Be2Gether will take place on June 25 – 27 in Norviliškės. Around 50 different artists from all around the world will perform at Lithuania’s biggest festival.

This year organizers are happy to present an interesting program for all music fans. The line-up includes such artists as Empire of the Sun, rockers Skunk Anansie, hip – hop stars Roots Manuva and Killa Kella with DJ First Rate, shocking Ruble and many others. 

The Big Stage program at Be2gether has such additions as acrobatic show actors Instrumenti, Belosrussian rock legend Liavon Volski and Open Space band. The festival organizers are also happy to present the modern jazz project BrassBastardz who have been captivating audiences with melodic sounds of soul, jungle, hip-hop, house, big beat and drum&bass. BrassBastardz call their mix “new groove acid jazz”.  

Festival club ZIP FM is presenting Be2gether Fresh program. It is featuring talented music projects by young artists, such as guests from Moscow, indie rockers Everything is made in China, stylish Gerai gerai & Miss Sheep, theatric and cool Liūdni Slibinai (Sad Dragons) , the winners of Blogiukai (Bad Guys) music competition – Vilnius band  The Dominoes, progressive Avaspo and other unique artists.

Dance music virtuosi will show the best turntable skills in the Club Tent. The Old School night program featurs all-night old school hip-hop with Svaras ir DJ Mamania projects Gatvės lyga soundsystem, Justas Fresh, Quazar, Manfredas, MC Messiah, Shidlas, Lietuva, Dee & Kamy, Repo seniai, the world’s most famous  beatboxer Killa Kela and Dj First Rate. Silence family program will present Leon Somov & Jazzu, Vidis, Few Nolder, Monika Liu, Adomas, Mario Basanov. 

On Sunday the festival climax with the notes of Roko maršai (Rock Marches). Until late at night the big stages will host Bix, Antis, Žas, Poliarizuoti stiklai, Svastikos Sukitės Greitai, Freaks On Floor. You will also be able to watch the Paskutiniai Brėmeno muzikantai (The Last Bremen Musicians) presented by the Keistuolių teatras (Cranky Theatre).  

This year Be2Gether will also offer a movie night, football competition, anti-stress activities, on-site steam bath and exotic massages, a separate stage for art performances, the first Lithuanian space volleyball Bossaball tournament and a mass wedding.

Even more information about Be2gether Festival can be found at  www.b2g.lt

A three-day festival pass costs LTL130, one-day pass LTL70. Ticket prices will rise after 25 May.

Vytautas Antanas Dambrava, considered by many to be the father of Lithuanian diplomacy, was honoured by friends and colleagues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently.

See Photo Gallery

Born in 1920, Dambrava left Lithuania in 1944 making his way to the US where he worked as a journalist for the Voice of America as well as the Lithuanian newspaper Draugas.

He joined the US diplomatic corps in 1969 and become head of Media Relations in the US Embassy in South America.

When Lithuania restored its independence Dambrava was appointed Lithuanian Ambassador to Venezuela, Columbia, Argentina, Brazil and Uraguay, and from 1999 - 2004 was Lithuania's Ambassador to Spain, Morocco and Andora.

Many friends and former ministers spoke about the influence Dambrava had upon their careers and praised him for his total commitment to his duties, as well as his endearing character.

* Photo: Leonas Garbačauskas

On 10 June in Washington, DC, Lithuania‘s Ambassador to the USA. Audrius Brūzga laid a wreath at the Monument to the Victims of Communism.

The Ambassador attended a commemoratory event that was organized by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. Foreign ambassadors of the countries that had suffered from Communism, representatives from non-governmental organizations and members of the US Congress took part in the ceremony.

The goal of this commemoration is to remember the consequences of crimes against humanity, which have not yet been fully evaluated historically, and to honour the victims of this regime.

Vilnius, June 11 (ELTA) - According to Speaker of the Seimas Irena Degutiene, who is currently on a one-day working visit to Poland, sufficient goodwill is vital in addressing the national minority issues.

"I believe that upon resolving the problems at municipal level it will be easier to find common solutions at cross-border level," Irena Degutiene said on Friday after visiting Sejny, Nowiniki and Punsk.

Speaker of the Seimas expressed hope she would be the last Lithuanian government official who had to raise these issue and that these problems would be left aside during the future visits.

The Seimas speaker met with Ryszard Grzybowski, governor of the Sejny county and Marshal, Bialystok voivodship marshal Jaroslaw Dworzanski

At the meeting, the problems of the Lithuanian minority in Poland, the maintenance of the Lithuanian school network and funding of these schools, the outstanding issues related to publishing of textbooks in the Lithuanian language were discussed.

The Seimas speaker pointed out that it was not her first time in this region and that she knew very well the problems and concerns of its Lithuanian population.

"Today I can say that there are changes for the better, however we are still facing old problems that could be easily overcome. Sometimes I do not even understand why they are not being solved," said Degutiene.

During the visit, the Seimas speaker laid flowers at the graves of Lithuanian volunteers and Polish soldiers graves in the Berzniki cemetery.

Vilnius, June 11 (ELTA) - Although the number of children who experienced violence is decreasing, the problem still remains very acute, says Vice Minister of Social Security and Labour Skirma Kondartas.

"The trends of the recent years clearly show that the number of children who experienced violence is decreasing, however, this does not mean that we have stop fighting against this phenomenon, especially now, when the adults feel insecure about tomorrow and can work off their angers and fears on the weak - the children," said Vice Minister of Social Security and Labour Skirma Kondratas.

As every year, this year the social campaign "No to violence against children" is strengthening the public intolerance to violence against children. According to the report of the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, similar social campaigns have shown positive results. From 2004 to 2009 there was a consistent decrease in registered cases of violence against children. Last year, the number of registered cases of violence against children decreased by almost two times.

It is noted that in recent years, public awareness has been increasing, and more and more children of different ages can identify violence and realize the damages related with violence. Also, more and more children dare to speak about violence and other problems that they face.

This year's campaign "No to violence against children" is held in cooperation with the Lithuanian basketball federation and 2011 European Men's Basketball Organising Committee. Last week, a photo session of children and well-known basketball players was held during which the basketball stars and their little friends called everyone to say no to children violence.

Vilnius, June 10 (ELTA) - On the occasion of 600 anniversary of the Battle of Grundwald, the Bank of Lithuania will issue three collectible coins.

On Thursday, the Board of the Bank of Lithuania announced the decision to issue three collectible coins: silver collectible (occasional) coin of the nominal 50 Lt, Golden collectible (occasional) coin of the nominal 500 lt, current (occasional) collectible coin of the nominal 1 litas.

The graphics of the coins was designed by artist Rytas Jonas Belevicius, the coins were mint by UAB Lietuvos Monetu Kalykla.

Vilnius, June 3 (ELTA) - Lithuania intends to continue its support to the Vilnius-based European Humanities University (EHU) until this education institution is able to be settled again in Minsk, country's Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Azubalis said on 2 June in Vilnius, addressing the participants of the third EHU Trust Fund Donor Assembly, informs Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to the minister, Lithuania's decision to open the EHU in Vilnius was based on respect to democracy values, freedom and human rights, but the mission of the EHU is impossible without the support from partners.

Minister Azubalis thanked the European Commission and the Nordic Council of Ministers, the biggest donors of the university, and expressed hope that the support of these institutions would not decrease in the future.

"The EHU is one of the most prominent international projects of democracy promotion, and it became a reality because of your support", the Minister told the participants of the donor conference.

Minister Azubalis also noted that the EHU is an important promoter of Belarusian culture and identity. Therefore, in the opinion of the head of Lithuania's diplomacy, it would make sense to teach more subjects in the Belarusian language, in addition to the existing studies of Belarus.

In 2008, Trust Fund was established at the initiative of the European Commission. The fund aims to guarantee continuous funding to the EHU, it is administrated by the Nordic Council of Ministers, which makes payments for the activities of the university only according to the strategic plan and budget, that are adopted by the Governing Board of the EHU.

Currently, the Trust Fund has become the main source of the EHU's financial stability. The fund is supported by the European Commission, Nordic Council of Ministers, the U.S.A., the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Spain, and Sweden.

Advisory Committee of the fund was established aiming to effectively attract funding from governments and private sources. Members of the committee are representatives of Estonia, Lithuania, Norway, and the U.S.A.

The first Donor Assembly was held on 23 October 2008 in Brussels, the second was organized on 2 June 2009 in Vilnius. The third assembly was attended by representatives of the European Commission, Nordic Council of Ministers, McArthur Foundation, United States Agency for International Development, the EHU, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and the U.S.A.

The European Humanities University was originally based in Minsk, but in 2004 it was closed down for political reasons. At the invitation of the Government of Lithuania, the university moved to Vilnius in 2005. In 2006, it was granted the status of a Lithuanian university. Currently, it is has more than one and a half thousand Belarusian students. By inviting this Belarusian university to renew its activities in Vilnius, Lithuania undertook a commitment to support it.

During the first year of the Law on Higher Education and Research in effect, major steps have been undertaken in order to modernise the system of higher education and research and implement the key objectives of the reform. They include the quality and accessibility of studies, development of modern technologies and putting an end to brain-drain. The reform is being carried out using financing from EU Structural Funds.
 
“The reform of higher education and research is moving forward and success has been achieved in implementing the most important tasks”, said Minister of Education and Science Gintaras Steponavičius while presenting various changes made. “The tasks for the second year of the reform are in-depth monitoring of the reform processes, correction of identified shortcomings, supervision of transparent use of funds and assessment of achieved results“.

The reform was launched when the Law on Higher Education and Research came into effect on May 12, 2009. The Law provided for the reform of legal status, management and funding of the state academic institutions.

Starting 2009, the state allocates all the necessary funding, which is twice the amount prior to the reform, per one student.

In 2010, the state plans to fund the studies of almost 19,000 first-year students, including 9,700 in universities and 9,200  in colleges. Around half of all the entrants will be able to study in universities and colleges for free. Direct investment into the quality of studies amounts to half a billion of the EU funds.

Ensuring accessibility of studies

Statistics have shown that a bigger percentage of state-funded places was won by entrants from provinces rather than major towns. Even at the time of a difficult economic situation social grants were not reduced and the circle of beneficiaries was widened. The created system of state-support loans makes the system more accessible for those who pay for the studies. The plan is to have the interest rate of loans, which depends on the overall economic situation of the state, to be less than 5 per cent.

Improved admission procedures

Adjustments have been made with respect to the organisation of admission to universities and colleges: applications will be sent online, admission to universities and colleges will take place at the same time and no fee will be collected for submitting an application. The number of student vouchers in business management and legal studies has been cut down taking into account the trends of previous years as well as the market needs.

Special attention will be paid to the training of future pedagogues: there will be fewer student places but more funds allocated per student voucher; motivation assessment of entrants has been introduced and additional student grants will be provided. The admission procedure to art studies has been subject to adjustment: exceptional study programmes of arts will be provided targeted funding, the formula of special capacity assessment has been improved to make a clear differentiation between the best and mediocre examination results and define assessment criteria.

Higher education establishments obtain full autonomy

The new curriculum requirements open opportunities to shape a distinct separate profile of studies both for a  school and a student.

When the legal status and management of higher education establishments will be reformed by the end of 2011, state universities and colleges will gain the right to use their real estate and their earnings. The management of state universities and colleges will involve social representatives of broader public as well as the academic community. At present, the management and legal status has been already reformed by one university and one college.

Lithuanian science is being directed towards the international market

The network of research institutions has been optimised: prior to the reform there were 45 state education establishments operating. With common research trends combined, 17 institutions have been integrated into universities and the rest were combined into 5 research centres,6 other state research institutions were set up. The share of research funding on the basis of quality results has been increased: the ratio of basic funding against competition funding: 60/40 this year and 50/50 in 2011. The plan is that, after the reform is completed, investment in 2020 will amount to 2% of GDP. Currently, it accounts for 0.8% of GDP.

Five integrated centres (valleys) of research, studies and business have laid grounds for a breakthrough in modern technologies.

Projects amounting to over LTL1 billion will be carried out in valleys. The contracts for the projects have already been signed. A system of valley management and monitoring has been created.

During the second year of the reform the following will be performed: monitoring of transparency and efficiency in the use of funds, supervision of follow-up reform, assessment and improvement.

On the World Bank initiative, the experience of reforming higher education and research in Lithuania has been presented in international conferences and other countries have shown interest in it.

The Global Internet Governance Forum 2010, which will be held in Vilnius on 14-17 September 2010, will provide new opportunities for Lithuania in generation of knowledge society and participation in the formatting of new information and communication technology policies, as well as facilitating the development of new business contacts.

“The Global Internet Governance Forum to be held in Vilnius provides a particular opportunity for presentation of Lithuania, as a modern country and increasing the influence on the management of social processes, as well as enhancing international business relations in the field of information and communication technologies, attracting the attention of potential investors”, said Vice-Minister Rimvydas Vaštakas.  

According to the Vice-Minister, increasing attention of politicians is necessary for the improvement of internet management, solution of contents development issues, safety and reliability problems. The Global Forum will provide an opportunity to instigate discussions regarding the above-mentioned problems and enable to make solutions meet future requirements and facilitate the tackling of problems in the future.  
 
Lithuanian business representatives will be able to participate in Forum discussions and present their aspect towards the global topicalities of the internet. Main topics – management of critical information resources, openness and privacy, access and diversity, internet management development, internet management and the future. During the event, discussions will be also held regarding such advanced technologies as cloud computing of data, software in the internet.

The Global Internet Governance Forum in Vilnius is arranged by the United Nations Secretariat General and by Lithuanian partners – the Ministry of Transport and Communications and the Information Society Development Committee.

Vilnius, June 1 (ELTA) - On Tuesday, children gathered at the Daukantas Square near the Presidential Palace to express their thought for a childhood without violence and mockery in a 60-metre long picture. During the event, the actors of the Forumas theatre played sketches from the life of the young generation together with the children to show that the importance of a secure environment to children.

The children presented their own book with their dreams to President Dalia Grybauskaite.

The head of state emphasised that everyone were responsible for the welfare of children. Therefore, according to the head of state, everyone, including parents, guardians, teachers, governmental institutions, non-governmental organizations, the business sector and others, should show their personal example to others rather than declare the respect, tolerance, friendliness, good manners.

"Children have a right to live without any fear, they have a right to say what they think, they have a right to play. However, few of them know their rights and can use them. Adults must protect children's interests, whereas children have to respects agreements and not to lie, to keep their word, to respect each other, not to mock at each other, not to litter and to cherish their environment," the head of state was cited by the presidential press service.

• President Grybauskaitė with Dr Birutė Galdiakas. Photo: Džoja Gunda Barysaitė.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė met with Dr. Birutė Galdikas, a well-known Lithuanian Canadian primatologist, conservationist, ethologist, and author of several books relating to the endangered orangutan.
 
The conversation centered on Dr. Galdikas' research, conservation activities and plans for the future. The President underlined that Birutė Galdikas, who is internationally recognized for environmental initiatives, was making a significant contribution to protecting animals and their natural habitats and to fighting the destruction of living nature.
 
"The Earth is our only refuge and home. By devastating the environment, we are devastating ourselves. Your invaluable experience, enthusiasm and high aspiration to stop the demolition of nature is an example to be followed and a great incentive to protect our surroundings. We cannot live for this day only. To change the situation, we first have to change ourselves: we must preserve nature for those who will come after us," the President said.
 
The President expressed her strong hope that Birutė Galdikas, whose environmental activities were promoting the name of Lithuania around the world, would share her priceless experience and knowledge with Lithuanian researchers and students by including them into joint work projects.

The Guildhall School is delighted to announce that 25 year old Lithuanian born pianist Martyna Jatkauskaite is the winner of this year’s Gold Medal, the School’s most prestigious prize for outstanding soloists.

The prize presents a sum of 1000 pounds along with the gold medal, generously donated by The Worshipful Company of Musicians.

The three Gold Medal finalists each performed a concerto with the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra conducted by Peter Stark to a capacity audience in the Barbican Hall on Wednesday 5 May. The other two finalists were Romanian born Diana Ionescu, pianist, and Irish cellist Brian O’Kane.

Martyna Jatkauskaite’s winning performance was Prokofiev Concerto No 3 in C Op 26. Martyna was awarded the prestigious Baltic State Scholarship in 2005 to study at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama with Joan Havill.

She received a first class Bachelors Diploma in Music with Honours (2007) and completed her Masters Degree of Music in Music Performance (2009); Martyna is now a Fellow at the Guildhall School.

The final took place before a distinguished panel of judges including Jonathan Vaughan, Director of Music at the Guildhall School, conductor James Gaffigan who is Chief Conductor of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra and Principal Guest conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Peter Stark who conducts a number of the world’s leading ensembles, Nicholas Mathias who is Senior Vice-President and Co-Director of the Conductors and Instrumentalists Department at IMG Artists, journalist Tom Service who writes for The Guardian and BBC Music Magazine, and is presenter of BBC Radio 3 Music Matters.

Lithuanian-born pianist Martyna Jatkauskaite leads an active concert life as a soloist in England and Europe. She has appeared as a soloist with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, the Lithuania Chamber Orchestra, the Kaunas Symphony Orchestra, the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra and the London Festival Orchestra among others, under esteemed conductors such as Saulius Sondeckis, Modestas Pitrenas, Vasily Petrenko, Espen Selvik, Ovidiu Balan and Ross Pople.

Martyna’s musical journey started at the Kaunas J. Naujalis Music College where she studied with Birute Kumpikiene, and later with Veronika Vitaite at the Lithuanian Music and Drama Academy. In 2005 Martyna was awarded the prestigious Baltic State Scholarship to study at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama with Joan Havill. Martyna received a first class Bachelors Diploma in Music with Honours (2007) and completed her Masters Degree of Music in Music Performance (2009). Martyna is now a Fellow at the Guildhall School.

Vilnius, May 14 (ELTA) - On 12 May, a round table discussion "Through Exploring the Past we Shape the Future" was held at the Lithuanian Embassy in Warsaw. The Lithuanian Institute of History organized the discussion in cooperation with the History Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

The Lithuanian and Polish parliamentarians, historians, journalists, representatives from Foreign Ministries and Lithuanian diplomats took part in the discussion.

At the beginning of the event, greetings of Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Azubalis were conveyed to the participants of the discussion, informs Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"Through mutual cooperation in a united Europe, Lithuania and Poland must benefit from our rich heritage, develop an objective and open attitude to the past, and admit that even when dealing with complicated periods of our history, we need an open and sincere dialogue. I trust that this event will be another important step towards a common approach, which will allow us to gain better understanding of the glorious historic past of our nations," Lithuania's Minister of Foreign Affairs wrote in his congratulatory letter.

The discussion "Cooperation between Lithuanian and Polish historians over the past twenty years and its prospects" started with opening speeches by Prof. Andrzej Rachuba from the History Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Dr. Rimantas Miknys from the Lithuanian Institute of History. During the discussion, intensive contacts between the historians of our two countries were evaluated. However, the importance to institutionalize the cooperation of historians was highlighted. A possibility to establish a History Commission of the two countries was discussed.

Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Seimas (Parliament) Emanuelis Zingeris and Chairman of the Group for Parliamentary Relations with the Republic of Lithuania of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland Tadeusz Aziewicz spoke during the second part of the event, which was called "Impact of joint history research on current bilateral relations". T.Aziewicz stressed the necessity to fight with myths and stereotypes that harm the Lithuanian-Polish relations. The participants of the discussion underlined the necessity for Lithuania and Poland to research history more intensively, including the events in the 20th century history that are painful to both nations.

This week, 3-7 May, “Transparency International” Lithuanian Chapter (TILS) is organizing the corruption themed film festival ‘Brave Word’. It will be held at Pasaka. Šv.Ignoto 3/4, Vilnius
www.kinopasaka.lt Tel: (85) 261 15 16

The Brave Word program will include movies by famous directors Martin Scorsese, Steven Soderbergh, Jose Padilha and Tony Gilroy; and will try to highlight their hidden meaning, as sensitive social issues are lurking in the background of each film.

All the films in the programme of the festival reveal what corruption is, how it showcases itself in our lives, also what are the causes and consequences of this phenomena.

Through these films the organizers aim to show that there is one main weapon against corruption, which is the courage to speak up.

The Films of the Festival:

3 May, 17.30
Michael Clayton
Directed by Tony Gilroy, 2007

4 May, 17.00
The Departed
Directed by Martin Scorsese, 2006

5 May, 17.00
The Aviator
Directed by Martin Scorsese, 2004

6 May, 17.30
Elite Squad
Directed by José Padilha, 2007

7 May, 18.00
The Informant!
Directed by Steven Soderbergh, 2009

Entrance to all screenings is free of charge.

* Photo: Minduagas Kulbis

Metallica wowed them in Lithuania recently with two concerts in Vilnius. Scheduled in the middle of the volcanic mayhem, the band had to travel to Lithuania by ferry and bus from Oslo.

The bus trip was the hardest of the 28 hour journey to Riga, not physically, but more of an emotional stress because 20 years ago then bassist Cliff Burton died when the Metallica tour bus at the time skidded and flipped in Sweden.

Ever the hardened professionals, Kirk Hammett led a heavy metal assault on the senses of Vilnius faithful with the aid of another eight busloads of sound and stage equipment that was much appreciated by both the young and old in the audience for the aging rockers.

* Photo: Mindaugas Kulbis

Riga, April 26 (NOZARE.LV-ELTA) - The representatives of Latvia and Lithuania dominated the world's biggest open robot championships in the U.S. city of San Fransisco, the business portal "Nozare.lv" was informed by Vitolds Birins, creative director of the firm "Terra Virtuala".

In the event, which featured the largest autonomous (not remote controlled) sumo robots - the two Baltic countries took the first four places, with first and third places both going to reigning European champion Vitalij Rodnov, of Lithuania. Latvia's robot engineers have won their first silver medal.

According to Birins, this was Latvia's first year in the "Robogames" competition, also known as the "Robot Olympics", which sees participation from 37 countries worldwide.

Between April 23 and 25, more than 500 robots faced off in 53 different disciplines. The robots played bowling, football, and hockey, took part in tests of dexterity, speed, power and orientation, as well as in kung-fu, sumo and paintball battles. More romantically inclined robots also painted and played musical instruments. The most useful discipline for the audience was perhaps the robotic barman competition, but the most adrenaline-stimulating event was the robot wars "almost without rules", which took place in a special ring behind a reinforced glass screen, indicated Birins.

Around 700 engineers from all over the world traveled to San Fransisco along with the robots. The honor of Latvia was defended at the competition by four robots built by Maris Abele from the Riga Technical University and Eriks Zaharans from the University of Latvia.

Abele's robot "Tacka" won silver in the 3 kilogram robot sumo event, while another Latvian robot came fourth in the same event, said Birins.

* Photo: Algis Kriščiūnas

Inculto will be representing Lithuania’s honour at this year’s Eurovision. Eastern European Funk is the song that will carry the nation’s pride to the Eurovision finals which will be held between 25 – 29 May in Oslo, Norway.

Jurgis Didžiulis, the Columbian-born lead singer of Inculto takes his particular mix of talent and energy to Eurovision for the first time, after being overshadowed by LT United a few years back with their equally deserving entry; Welcome to Lithuania.

Didžiulis and Inculto made quite an impression in the finals of Lithuanian qualifying for Eurovision this year by ending their performance devoid of pants and revealing their glittering silver boxers as a finale.

While showmanship and schmaltz are the cornerstones of Eurovision, Inculto, and Didžiulis in particular, are far from the single dimensioned performers that usually fill the bill at Eurovision.
Inculto have been a successful and popular band in Lithuania since 2003 and the infectious style of their self-proclaimed Latino-ska has had them dancing in the aisles since their first performance.

Inculto have also managed to bring a bit of politics into Eurovision, with their song lyrics being scrutinised by various authorities to ensure their ‘suitablitity’ for the contest.

In part, the lyrics include: “Yes Sir we are legal we are, though we are not as legal as you/No Sir we’re not equal no, though we are both from the EU/We build your homes and wash your dishes,/Keep you your hands all soft and clean/But one of these days you’ll realize Eastern Europe is in your genes”.

Further they promise to bring their instruments, play live and get the audience dancing, instead of relying solely on the pre-recorded fluff that is so necessary in the heavily choreographed bits of theatre most countries bring to the stage.

Here’s hoping that he’ll go a few better than LT United’s sixth place a few years ago, or for bragging rights at home, better the 13th place that Didžiulis’ wife Erica Jennings took with Skamp back in 2001.

The Butterflyers team, made up of five programmers and artists, picked up the “Ones to Watch” prize at the BAFTA Videogames Awards Ceremony in London recently.

The team also took the Best Game prize at the BAFTA Scotland New Talent Awards in Glasgow for their game ‘Shrunk’– an imaginative and unusual fantasy in which players are reduced to the size of a salt shaker to battle against Dr Shockalot and to rescue the Kleinoscope – a device which miniaturizes the world around you at will.

“We’re overwhelmed, but so happy. The competition was so tough and the other teams were just brilliant. To win one BAFTA is very special, but to win two in one night is just fantastic,” said Vykintas Každailis, Butterflyers’ team leader and son of the well-known Lithuanian artist Arvydas Každailis.

Vykintas was in London with team-mates Andrew Macdonald, Jacek Wernikowski, Stuart Kemp, and Michael Cummings to receive the “Ones to Watch” BAFTA, while close friend Iain Smith attended the BAFTA Scotland event in Glasgow to receive the Best Game trophy on The Butterflyers’ behalf.

There was a surprising twist to the London ceremony, because winning team member Andrew Macdonald had in fact designed the “Ones to Watch” trophy three years ago when the award was first established.

Forces of time, memory, change, and humans collide in Jonas Mekas’ compelling work - Lithuania and the Collapse of the USSR (2008). The work’s title refers to the time when the world watched as Mekas’ home country of Lithuania fought for independence from Soviet rule. Comprised of four parts with a total running time of 4 hours and 46 minutes, it will be presented in four parts at the Gilmorehill 12 in Glasgow from 13 March 2010. The film will be introduced by Louis Benassi, curator, artist and filmmaker and Professor David Smith, Head of the Department of Central and East European studies, Glasgow University. The screening will be followed by a Q&A session.
 
“The video is made up of footage that I took with my Sony from the television newscasts during the collapse of the USSR, with the home noises in the background. It’s a capsule of record of what happened and how it happened during that crucial period as recorded by the television newscasters. It can be viewed as a classic Greek drama in which the destinies of nations are changed drastically by the unbending, bordering on irrational will of one single man (Vytautas Landsbergis), one small nation determined to regain its freedom, backed by its fight against the Might & Power, against the Impossible.” Jonas Mekas said of the project.

The screenings have been organized in collaboration with CRCEES (Centre for Russian, Central and East European studies) Glasgow University, the Lithuanian Embassy in the UK and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania. Admission is free. More info at: boxoffice@gilmorehillg12.co.uk

On its 15th anniversary, the organizers of Kino Pavasaris are promising an even more extensive and diverse festival and event programme this year. The festival will expand into three theatres and show on seven screens. As usual all films will screen not just in Vilnius, but Kaunas, Klaipeda, Panevezys and Siauliai as well.

Kino Pavasaris is the biggest cinema event of the year and is attended by 50,000 people each year. Over 100 films will be screened from Europe and all over the world. Altogether 400,000 people have come to see good quality films in the last 15 years of the Vilnius International Film festival “Kino Pavasaris”.

"Lithuania is rich in internationally renowned artists. By presenting the path of our artistic pilgrims to the world - which would include exhibitions covering the works by such famous Lithuanians such as Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, Vytautas Kasiulis, Kazimieras Žuromskis, Kazys Varnelis and Antanas Montis - Lithuania would become even more attractive to tourists.

“This idea could be driven forward by the ministries that promote tourism, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Economy," President Dalia Grybauskaitė said when she visited the Vytautas Kasiulis International Exhibition ‘Gardens of Paradise’.

According to the President, we have been offered a unique opportunity to get a better insight into the creative work of Vytautas Kasiulis - a talented Lithuanian émigré, yet not very well known in his home country. The President said the fact that his widow provided the Vilnius Picture Gallery with Kasiulis' paintings from her private collection was a gift of great value to all of us who are not indifferent to one of the most interesting painters of the Paris School.

Vytautas Kasiulis is among the few Lithuanian artists to have earned recognition on the global art scene. His paintings have been bought by art galleries across the world and by private art collectors. More than 150 of his works are presently on display at the Vilnius Picture Gallery.

In July 2009 Lithuania assumed the Presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States. Traditionally each Presidency holds an event that is dedicated especially for youth. This year Lithuania will host the Lithuanian Youth Council (LiJOT) – the country’s largest non-governmental body that brings youth organizations under one umbrella.

It is expected that between 13-16 May, about 150 14-29 year olds will gather for B-Young event in Vilnius. There will be participants from all the member countries of the Council: Belarus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia and Sweden.

The goal of the event is to provide young people with an opportunity to present the best youth projects and initiatives, and also to learn from each other, to discuss current topical issues for young people, to present their suggestions, and recommendations for the member countries of the Council of the Baltic Sea States.

During the event, there will be 12 different working groups, where young people will discuss the mobility of young people, Baltic identity, ecology, entrepreneurship, co-operation and other issues. The participants of the event intend to adopt the Youth Declaration, which would provide representatives from the authorities of region’s countries and businesses with suggestions how to address youth problems more actively.

Youth organizations are invited to register, actively offer ideas and select projects that were implemented with the greatest success.

During his visit to the European Humanities University (EHU) in Vilnius together with representatives of the Nordic Council of Ministers on 18 February, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis thanked the European Commission and the Nordic Council of Ministers for their continuous support of the university.

During the discussions with students, the Minister stressed that Lithuania, being a close neighbour of Belarus, fully understood the situation and the expectations of people in Belarus. According to the Minister, Lithuania is ready to support any steps of Belarus towards Europe.
Minister Ažubalis said that the EHU was based on traditions of liberal education. According to him, the EHU prepares graduates that will shape the future of Belarus.

“We do not expect that the country’s democratization and liberalization of economy will happen overnight,” Minister Ažubalis said highlighting that an independent, stable Belarus with a free market and moving towards the consolidation of an open democratic society was in the interests of Lithuania and the EU.

* Text: Ray Vyšniauskas

The perennial favourite filler on the news is the granny who takes her first skydive on her hundredth birthday. It’s always a woman, and the newsreader, nearly always a man, comments that he’d love to be that sprightly at her age.

You see these x-gen grannies, but I’ll tell you now that they’re no match for our own Lithuanian pensioners.

You see these grannies in the West, and they are so tightly secured to an instructor and are required to do nothing other than have a nap, and you feel the instructor could jump from 10,000 feet with a goldfish bowl and not spill a drop.

The granny always says something like: “That was fun and I can’t wait to do it again.” But let’s face it, she’s only saying that because likely she has slept through the whole thing, and it was only the camera crew that woke her up for the interview.

I would like to see a granny really go for it. I would even settle for an 80 year old say, standing by the open door of a plane and throwing her parachute out first, and having to jump after it, put it on and pull the rip-cord before hitting the ground, now that would be something to see. But where to find such grannies?

Well I see them everyday here in Lithuania. They may be frail looking, but these girls are tough, and that’s why I was a bit worried recently when the pensioners had a few protests against the government – they could have made the riots in front of parliament in 2009 look like a kindergarten playground.

I’ve seen them on busses that lean more than most motorbikes as they tear through town and country. As I hang on for dear life I see the faces of these grannies, my fellow passengers, no concern for their safety, simply picking up the odd potato that centrifugal force sends flying across the aisle. In fact I try to position myself between a couple of them as makeshift airbags as they stand in their huge fur coats.

I can see in their eyes that they are not thinking of their own safety, instead wondering why the bus is going so slow.

I see these grannies in the streets. In the snow I’m not used to walking on frozen ground, and shuffle down the ice lanes as if my pants have been poohed and I hold on to any walls I can reach. Just to mock me the grannies go zooming past, impatiently nudging me aside as they speed off over the horizon in front of me. They carry a week’s grocery shopping and usually they travel in packs.

And you get between a gang of grannies and a sale of cucumbers or tomatoes at the market and you will know the feeling of running with the bulls.

And how do they breed them so tough? Well in the land of pork, potatoes and pints they teach them discipline. How else would Lithuania girls have the lowest body fat index in the EU? They send them out in the snow, on cobblestone streets covered in ice – in high heels. And then there’s the legendary goat training.

Don’t know what I’m talking about? Well read on, maybe you remember this story from a couple of years ago that was widely reported around the world:

Miss Popova from Klaipėda was 93 years old, but not quite as frail as she looked and shocked two young robbers by fighting back fiercely and grabbing one of them by the testicles.

The plucky pensioner, who says she developed a “grip like iron” due to her many years of milking goats, held on tightly until police arrived on the scene to rescue the whimpering man.

She told police: “He started screaming like an animal and his friend was trying to pull him free, but I have a grip like iron.”

When officers arrived Miss Popova, who still had the man’s wedding tackle tightly in her grip, finally released her prey so police could take the injured man to hospital and his accomplice off to jail.

A police spokesman said: “They would not have got far, one of them could hardly walk and seemed pleased when he saw the police car.”

Sir Roger Moore made his second visit to Vilnius, this time to attend a concert at the Philharmonic which he himself suggested and helped organise. He also attended a charity dinner, both in his role as UNICEF ambassador.

During Roger’s first visit to Vilnius in May 2009 he suggested to UNICEF staff that he could help organise a concert with Itamar Golan and Julian Rachlin, who were both born in Vilnius. Sir Roger works with these classic musicians regularly and was instrumental in bringing them to Vilnius along with Richard Hyung-ki Joo and Aleksey Igudesman.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė attended both events as patron and stressed the importance of raising funds for the construction of schools in the Ghor Province where Lithuania leads reconstruction efforts.

Sir Roger and wife Kristina Tholstrup enjoyed their second visit to Vilnius, though they were somewhat surprised by the especially cold weather.

The International Women’s Association of Vilnius (IWAV) recently held an action to collect food for the needy in our society.

In conjunction with Prisma at the Ozas Shopping Centre, IWAV volunteered their services to collect donations of food to be given to Mother Teresa Sisters of Charity Shelter, the village of Dailidės and the Village of Rudiškės.

The public responded generously and IWAV were already well on their way to collecting the 1000 kilogram target of food that they were aiming for by the Saturday.

The children of IWAV members and supporters were also eager volunteers and worked tirelessly throughout the whole weekend to make the event a success.

The new World Lithuanian Youth Association (Pasaulio Lietuviu Jaunimo Sajunga or PLJS) board was elected in South America during the 13th Congress recently, and comprises: Kęstas Pikūnas (pictured - UK, Chair), Martynas Gaurilčikas (Germany), Juan Ignacio Forment Kalvelis (Argentina), Giedrė Kazlauskaitė (USA), Stasys Kuliavas (Canada), Saulius Simonavičius (Canada), Petras Vaičiūnas (Canada), Nicolas Velo (Uruguay).

The next and 14th Congress will be held in the UK in the summer 2013. One more member was added to the board later, a representative from the UK and head of the organization committee: Karolis Adomaitis.

The slogan ‘Believe in Freedom’ and the stylized pattern of a woven Lithuanian sash will symbolise the twentieth anniversary of the Re-establishment of Lithuania’s Independence. The pattern is the main graphic symbol in the logo of the anniversary, which is celebrated this year.

Believe in Freedom reflects the main value which united the Lithuanian nation and helped it to keep alive the aspiration to re-establish statehood and led towards the 11th of March 1990.

For the creation of the logo, designer Giedrė Jaronytė used the colours of the Lithuanian national flag, which represent the country’s traditions, values and freedom.

The tiniest graphic elements of the logo - rectangles and squares – form a pattern with traditional motifs, and alludes to modern technologies such as a digital code. The original and modern expression of motifs from Lithuanian folk-art in the logo points to the innovative state of Lithuania.

The logo will be used during the events marking the twentieth anniversary of the 11th of March, also in publications, posters, media and internet, on souvenirs and document forms of state institutions.

10 and 11 February, 2009. Leonid Shinkarenko, an acoustic and electric bass virtuoso, and his band Jazz 4 are appearing at 606 club on 10th February and at Charlie Wrights International on 11th February.

Next to the leader of the band Leonid Shinkarenko, the concert features one of the best jazz trumpet players in Lithuania Valerijus Ramoška, pianist ‘one man orchestra’ Dainius Pulauskas and the drummer Linas Būda. The concert is presented in collaboration with the Lithuanian Embassy in London, Star 1 airlines and Lithuanian weekly Londono žinios.

The fearsome Saor Patrol stole the show bringing the unique sound of Scottish pipes and drums into the 21st century at the 11th Annual Burns Night, a traditional charity event held at Vilniaus Rotušė (Town Hall) on Saturday 30 January.

The Gala Charity ball and raffle, drawn by Rūta Mikelkevičiūtė, raised over LTL15,000 for Mamu Unija Foundation, which supports parents of children with cancer in Lithuania.

The event was attended by 230 guest who were treated to fine Hag-gis (traditional Scottish dish) and ceilidh dancing with the Benach-ally Ceilidh band.

Essen, Pécs and Istanbul celebrate their debut as European capitals of culture
Three European cities have kicked off a year-long culture fest featuring exhibitions, music and theatre. The cities chosen as this year’s European capitals of culture are Essen and the Ruhr region of Germany, Pécs in southern Hungary and Istan-bul in Turkey.

Taking over from Linz (Austria) and Vilnius (Lithuania), the three have put together a packed programme of events that should attract tens of thousands of visitors.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the EU’s culture capital programme. Events must reflect the city’s European character and directly involve residents. They must also promote the cities’ overall development. To that end, each ‘capital’ receives €1.5m in EU funds.

Organisers of the Ruhr programme hope to contribute to the revival of the heavily urbanised area in western Germany - home to well over 7 mil-lion people. Istanbul is playing up its history as a crossroads of European civilisation and a bridge between Europe and Asia, and the Hungarian city of Pécs is highlighting its rich multicultural heritage.

On the last day of the last decade, Lithuanian National Television announced that Lithuania will indeed be participating in Eurovision.

Thanks to TEO LT, who put up the finances to ensure our participation, a Lithuanian delegation will head to Norway to compete in the annual European celebration of schmultz.

It was also announced that anyone interested in representing Lithuania in Norway will need to lodge their applications with Lithuanian National Television by 24 January. All songs need to be originals, less than three minutes long and cannot have been publicly broadcast before 1 September 2009.

The selection process of our representative song will take place in February and March. The Eurovision semi-final will be in Oslo 25 – 27 May and the final on 29 May.

On 31 December, Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas awarded ‘The Star of Lithuania’s Millennium’ for special personal contribution to the restoration of an independent Lithuania’s diplomatic service, strengthening of Lithuanian statehood and merits of promoting Lithuania’s name on Vytautas Landsbergis, Speaker of the Reconstituent Seimas, member of European Parliament and Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas, President of Lithuania.

While conferring the awards, the Minister stressed that the last day of the year dedicated to the celebration of Lithuania’s Millennium, in the junction of two important years, when Lithuania’s millennium is met by the 20th anniversary of Lithuania’s independence, to pay tribute to two most meritorious persons in Lithuania.

The Minister said that during the years of Mr Landsbergis and Mr Brazauskas leadership many diplomatic goals important for Lithuania were achieved: international recognition, withdrawal of a foreign army, agreements on Lithuania’s state border demarcation with the neighbouring countries were signed, friendly relations with Poland were established and strengthened, the recognition of historical truth was achieved, as well as the normalisation of relations with the world Jewish community and Israel, the US-Baltic Charter was signed, paving the way for our country’s membership in NATO, the country’s modernization, and membership in the European Union.

“Fate has been generous to Lithuania, to have these persons leading Lithuania during its return to the world and strengthening its diplomatic service. Time is running out fast. These achievements may appear or seem for many diplomats of the younger generation as usual or natural ones.

However, as President Valdas Adamkus was conferred with ‘The Star of Lithuania’s Millennium’ in June for his contribution to Lithuanian diplomacy, I said that nothing comes of nothing. Lithuania’s achievements needed a vision, the determination, the courage, the ingenuity and the commitment. You have embodied all these features,” Minister Ušackas said.

8 January – 6 March, 2010. Lithuanian Embassy in London presents the colour photographs of Mečys Brazaitis (1903-1952), a Lithuanian military pilot with the rank of captain, topographer, and photographer, whose photographs take us back to the end of the 1930s, a period when the first colour photography methods were established and flourished.

The exhibition by Mečys Brazaitis beautifully shows not only the characteristics of Lithuanian colour photography that reflect the spirit of the times, but also the first signs of a long period of change in photographic culture. Despite the fact that at the time the technical capabilities to print a colour image on photographic paper did not yet exist, Brazaitis not only carefully studied the technical possibilities of colour photography, but also looked for the best artistic solutions to give meaning to colour as a component of the photographic image.

After Mečys Brazaitis left Lithuania for the West in the summer of 1944 because of the Soviet invasion, the colour slides were kept safe by his family in Lithuania. In order for his photographic work to be introduced to a wider audience, the heirs gave permission to the Association of Open Society Studies located in Kaunas to promote his work.

Vilnius, Dec 29 (ELTA) - In 2012, Vilnius and Kaunas will attempt to become the joint World Book Capital. This title is granted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to a city in recognition of the quality of its programs to promote books and reading.

“It is not known yet, whether it will be possible to nominate two cities, if not, most probably Vilnius will receive this title, however, there still will be a number of joint projects with Kaunas,” said Gintaras Babravičius, Vilnius Deputy Mayor.

According to the deputy mayor, applications will be submitted to UNESCO in January, and an announcement will be made in the middle of February.

The European Union is one of the richest areas in the world, but still 17% of EU citizens have such limited resources that they cannot afford the basics.

Poverty is often associated with developing countries, where a lack of food and clean water can often be a daily challenge. Europe is also affected by poverty and social exclusion. It may not be as severe, but is nonetheless unacceptable. Poverty and exclusion of one individual amounts to the poverty of society as a whole. Europe can only be strong if each individual’s potential is realised.

There is no miracle solution to put an end to poverty and social exclusion. The time is ripe to renew our commitment to solidarity, social justice and greater inclusion. The time is ripe for the 2010 European Year against Poverty and Social Exclusion.

A key value of the European Union is solidarity. As a union we are facing the crisis together, and this solidarity creates a safety net for each and all of us.

Story: Deimantė Dokšaitė and Sandra Sirvidienė

Kūčios (Christmas Eve) is one of the most important celebrations for Lithuanians. During Kūčios Lithuanians used to say goodbye to the old year and celebrate the upcoming New Year. Now Kūčios is identified with the Christian feast – the eve of the birth of Jesus.

The name Kūčios comes from the main dish of this celebration, which is intended for all family members and the souls of relatives. During the ritual evening diner the first mouthful was dedicated to the souls and harvest gods. The kūčia dish was passed around the table and everybody had to taste it.

Kūčia was made from sprouted wheat, peas, beans, poppy, nuts, and hemp. All these seeds were mixed with honey and sweet water. The Kūčios ritual dinner would lead to a productive and fruitful new year.

Kūčios is a family celebration. All family members, even those far away come home to spend time together. It is a holy family duty to come home for Kūčios and strengthen family ties. If somebody died during the year or is not present because of an important reason, an empty seat is left at the table. Candles used to burn in the empty plates.

It was believed that a deceased’s soul would attend dinner with the rest of the family.

Lithuanians also had a tradition of inviting lonely neighbours for Kūčios. If they could not come, they would take some Kūčios dinner to their house.

Preparations for Kūčios used to start early in the morning. It was very important to clean the whole house, change bedding and clothes. Lithuanians also used to go to the bathhouse. This also had a symbolic meaning – protection from any evil or diseases. Up until Kūčios all major work had to be finished, all debts repaid. During the day of Kūčios men would bring firewood to the house, put away tools and clean cattle pens.

For Kūčios the home was decorated with straw. The Christmas tree is not a very old tradition in Lithuania. At the beginning people used to decorate it with apples, nuts, cookies and candles. It was also very important that the fire in the fireplace was not put out during Kūčios.

Women prepared food not only for Kūčios, but also for Christmas. Lithuanians still maintain the tradition of not eating meat during Kūčios.

The Kūčios dinner table was set with hay under the tablecloth. It symbolised the birth of Jesus in a barn.

Hay also had a magic meaning. People would take straw from under the table cloth, if it’s long – you can expect to have a long life, a short one – short life. Thick straw meant a rich and happy life.

Kūčios dinner has to consist of 12 different dishes. They symbolise the 12 months of the year, and according to the Christian traditions the 12 Apostles of Jesus. All dishes have to be without meat, most popular is fish, herring, kūčiukai (small Christmas Eve cookies) with poppy milk, kisielius (a Lithuanian drink from cranberries), dried fruit soup, vegetable salad, mushrooms, boiled potatoes, sauerkraut, bread.

Kūčios is the last evening of Advent, so it has to be spent solemnly.

And Kūčios has magical meaning, with different magical rituals. People predict their future, whether younger girls will get married in the next year, and if farmers will have a good harvest.

IOM Vilnius (Jakšto 12, 4th floor) hosts Doors Open Days on 17-18 (Thu-Fri) December to celebrate International Migrantion Day. A newly published handbook for migrants “First steps in Lithuania” will be freely available for visitors.

The handbook includes information on residency, work permits, social security, education, language education and other important issues. It is available in English, Russian, and Chinese.

Foreigners are also encouraged to use this opportunity to meet IOM staff and discuss various issues and problems they might face in Lithuania. IOM also has a toll-free line 8-800-25252.

“At the time of crisis migrants can easily become scapegoats for social problems that countries face. Our aim is to raise awareness of the rights they hold as migrants and help them feel more comfortable and welcome in Lithuania”, says Audra Sipavičienė, head of IOM Vilnius.

At the moment IOM implements two integration projects for third country nationals. It also organises human trafficking prevention activities and assists migrants in returning home voluntarily.

IOM is a non-political humanitarian inter-governmental organisation, which believes that regular and humane migration can benefit both migrants and societies.

• Photo Gediminas Savickas (ELTA)

On 11 December the annual National Culture and Art Awards were announced, and the presentations will take place on 16 February, Lithuanian Independence Day.

Almantas Grikevičius, a director, was given a lifetime achievement award, director Jonas Rimgaudas Jurašas was awarded for the creation of a modern theatre language and the re-establishment of legend into contemporary Lithuania.

Photographer Romualdas Rakauskas (pictured) was awarded for his photographic artistry, Marija Matušakaitė for the unveiling of authentic ancient Lithuanian art, Ramutė Skučaitė for unification of young and old through her literature and use of prose, Rolandas Kazlas, actor, for both his tragic and comedic theatre performances and creative principles.

Each recipient will receive a prize of LTL104,000, a diploma from the President and a medal at a ceremony to be held at the Presidential Palace.

The 13th World Lithuanian Youth Congress (WLYC or Kongresas) will take place in South America from 22 December 2009 to 7 January 2010. Delegates will meet with Lithuanian communities in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. The benefit of WLYC taking place outside of Lithuania is clear; they help not only strengthen the Lithuanian youth associations around the world that organise the event, they also help solidify the relationship with the host country’s Lithuanian community (Bendruomenė) and ensures the continued existence of a strong and vibrant Lithuanian community.

The World Lithuanian Youth Congress is an extremely important event for Lithuanian youth living in the Diaspora, as it brings together representatives of all Lithuanian youth associations from around the world to discuss various topics relevant to today’s youth and is a forum to help one another deal with the unique challenges that various countries may face in uniting their groups.

A new Executive Committee of the World Lithuanian Youth Association (PLJS) will be elected at this Kongresas, as well as the selection of the location of the next Kongresas.

Lithuanian film director Gytis Lukšas will present his new feature film “Duburys” (Vortex) at the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture on Saturday 19 December at 6:30 pm, 6500 South Pulaski Road, Chicago. Entrance is $10.

The film is based on the novel by Romualdas Granauskas, winner of the Lithuanian National Cultural and Arts Award, and is the chronicle of a young man’s shifting relationships as he adjusts rather dramatically to the unfamiliarity of freedom.

The film will be shown in Lithuanian with English subtitles.

Duburys won the Silver Crane Award in Lithuania. It has been selected as Lithuania’s entry for this year’s Oscar nomination in the foreign language film category. Duburys was entered in the Montreal World Film Festival, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and has been invited to Cairo International Film Festival and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Music and art festival Be2gether nominated in the European Festival Awards 2009. It is the first Lithuanian festival nominated in the festival awards which is organized by Virtual Festivals Europe and festivals association Yourope since 2004.

Be2gether is only three years old and is already nominated in Best Small Festival category – crowds of around 10,000. Festival fans can vote throughout December, and later a music industry juries will further rate the festivals. The winners will be announced on 13 January in Netherlands.

Place your vote at: http://eu.virtualfestivals.com/index.cfm?section=euroawards&yearid=7

In December, for the fifth year in a row, the Human Rights Monitoring Institute together with our partners organizes the Annual Human Rights Awareness Month to commemorate International Human Rights Day and encourage our society to live and act by human rights principles.

There’s a powerful connection between artists of all kinds and human rights. Artists and activist sometimes stand up against the establishment to say what needs to be said in the name of humanity. Art communicates across the boundaries of geography, politics, gender and race. Human rights too, cross all divides and belong to every individual on the planet.

Freedom of expression is vital for an artist’s work and human rights activist work to protect that very right. But in the end the relationship is more fundamental. We experience art together. It makes us feel human, and moves us to protect the human rights of others. (Amnesty International Magazine, July/August 2006)

Events exploring the connection between art and human rights are popular all over the world – human rights art exhibitions, film festivals, video installations and public actions have been held in Australia, USA and many European countries. This year we decided to bring this theme to Lithuania, therefore we have Human Rights Awareness Month 2009: Artists for Human Rights.
Regretfully, half of events had to be postponed due to the flu epidemic. They have been moved to the Annual Week Against Racism, March 2010 (including a series of discussions at the National Art Gallery as well as the high-level discussion in Seimas with politicians and Nordic experts).

If you are feeling healthy you are most welcome to attend the events that we still have in our calendar (see below). However please take the necessary precautions.

HUMAN RIGHTS AWARENESS MONTH 2009:
ARTISTS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
Calendar of Events

30 November 17:30
Grand Opening of the Living Space “Am I Allowed to Dream?”. Place: Gedimino 9, 4th floor. Visitors to the mall are invited to draw their dreams which will be displayed on the walls and ceilings of the 4th floor. Every day from 10 am - 8 pm.

1 December 17:00
Documentary screening Vilnius Ghetto 2009 (Director A. Lelkaitis, 2009). Place: Cinema Pasaka, v.Ignoto str. , Vilnius.

2 December 15:00
Discussion. The New Edition of the Law on Protection of Minors from the Negative Impact of the Public Information: Discriminating Protection or Bridle on Art? Place: Mano Guru, Vilniaus str. 22/1.

3 December 17:30
Movie screening: Vilnius Ghetto (Director A. Juznas, 2006). Place: Cinema Pasaka, v.Ignoto str. , Vilnius.

4 December 15:00
Grand Opening of Exhibition “Artists for Human Rights”. Human Rights Ambassador Award Ceremony. Place: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, J. Tumo-Vaiganto str. 2, Vilnius.
Registration by mail: hrmi@hrmi.lt

10 December 17:15
Documentary screening: Vilnius Ghetto 2009 (Director A. Lelkaitis, 2009). Place: Cinema Pasaka, v.Ignoto str. , Vilnius.

11 December 15:00
Movie screening: Women in Shroud (Director F. Haerinejad, M. Reza Kazemi, 2009). Place: Residency of the Ambassador of Netherlands, Barboros Radvilaits str. 12, Vilnius.
Registration by mail: hrmi@hrmi.lt

21 December 17:30
Closing of the Living Space “Am I Allowed to Dream?”. Place: Gedimino 9, 4th floor.

All Events of the Human Rights Awareness Month 2009 are free of charge.
Everyone is welcome!
Contact: Dovilė Šakalienė
Ph.: +370 5 2314 681
E-mail: dovile.sakaliene@hrmi.lt
Partners and Sponsors: Lithuanian National Commission for UNESCO – General Sponsor of the HRAW, NORDEN Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania, Royal Embassy of Norway, Royal Embassy of Sweden, Royal Embassy of Denmark, Embassy of Finland, Royal Netherlands Embassy, Human Rights Committee of Seimas, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, United Nations Development Programme in Lithuania, European Law Student Association Lithuanian National Group Vilnius Chapter (ELSA Vilnius), Centre of Ethnic Studies of the Institute for Social Research, Roma Community Center, Art Gallery „Vartai“, Association of Lithuanian Young Falcons, ECO Banga (Community Communication Consultants) and Minciu Sodas (Garden of Dreams).

In keeping with Cozy tradition, a new photographic feature adorning the walls of the Old Town café was opened recently. This time around it is the work of Amsterdam-based Lithuanian-born artist Inga Cholmogorova, whose shots of her performance together with a Belgian artist Sarah Benn in an abandoned Belgian factory form the basis of the work.

Entitled Paper Love, the performance piece was improvised during the opening, using the surounds of Cozy rather than abandoned Belgian building, but Inga and Sarah were very pleased with the response and said that the universal themes of love are just as applicable here as in Western Europe.

“The idea of the ‘paper love’ itself was quite intuitive working with the given space,” Inga said. “Already after creating the paper costumes and the whole performance I have realized that they remind us of something well known - Pierrot and Colombine, the characters of Commedia dell’Arte”. The artist also says that the clothes worn by her and Sarah were made out of paper to echo the delicate issues addressed in the work, such as the vulnerable nature of human emotions, relations and expectations as well as the ever-changing nature of material things.

“I like the personality of Inga, I do like her work as well and I think the new pictures will contrast quite nicely with the exhibition of beauties we had before,” said Bernie Ter Braak, the owner of Cozy.

The pictures from the performance Paper Love will stay in Cozy Spring 2010. There are also ‘fragments’ of Paper Love available in the form of postcards that you can send to family and friends from the café.

Aleksandras Aleksejevas: Bronze Relief Icons

St Anthony the Great Bronze

3 – 24 December, 2009. “Sacred Space” gallery presents a solo exhibition by the Lithuanian artist Aleksandras Aleksejevas.

3 December 2009 – 16 January 2010. Anya Stonelake/White Space Gallery presents the first solo UK exhibition of Lithuania’s outstanding photographer, Rimaldas Vikraitis at John McAslan + Partners Architects Gallery. Championed by Martin Parr; Vikraitis won the Arles Discovery Award for New Photography in 2009.

Vikraitis has been quietly pursuing his photography for years, cycling around the desolate farms in the Lithuanian countryside with his camera tied to his bike. Being compared with the British photographer Richard Billingham, he grew up “between marshes and clay” in one of the most secluded corners of the Lithuanian akiai district. “You couldn’t get out to the world without a large pair of wellingtons.”

Vikraitis describes his subjects as “Bearing their cross and yet not grumbling over their lot.” Behind the backdrop of hilarity is the disintegration of a way of living, and persistence for survival. The resulting images are slightly insane and wonderfully surreal.

Rimaldas Vikraitis graduated in Photography from the Vilnius Technical School. He worked for ten years as a photographer in akiai. He has been a member of the Union of the Lithuanian Art Photographers since 1985. Nominations: 2000/2002 and 2003/2004 a State Stipend from the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture. 2009 Arles Discovery Award, Arles Photofestival, France. Major photographic series include “Slaughter” (1982-86), “Nude in a Desolate Farm” (1991), A Meadow at 11.00 (1995), This Crazy World (1995-),Grimaces of the Weary Village (1998-), Farmstead Children (2000-), Farmstead Dreams (2000-). He is represented by Anya Stonelake/White Space Gallery in London.

Supported by the Lithuanian Photographers’ Union, Kaunas Department, and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania.

On Tuesday, December 1, US Ambassador Anne E. Derse and Lithuanian Minister of Culture Remigijus Vilkaitis participated in a book donation which took take place at Adomas Mickeviius Public Library (Trak 10, Vilnius).

The project, “1000 Books for Lithuania’s Millennium,” began early this year, when employees of the US Embassy to Lithuania and their family members shared the titles of their favorite children’s books to be included into the collection.

The entire set of one thousand books consists of new preschool and elementary-school children’s books purchased for the project. The collection is going to be presented to children’s literature departments of Lithuanian libraries, Adomas Mickeviius Public Library among them. The project aims to reach out to five different libraries throughout Lithuania, donating sets of 200 books to each. The total value of the donation exceeds $8,000.

Native American Poets in Lithuania

Four young poets from Navajo and Tohono O’odham tribes performed their original poems and Native songs in Vilnius and Kdainiai recently.

Led by their coach and writer Timothy McLaughlin and the teacher of music Madi Sato, the young poets from the Spoken Word team of the Santa Fe Indian School, New Mexico, USA struck a chord with mesmerized Lithuanian audiences.

The second annual Vilnius Hospitality Awards were presented recently. Designed to lift the calibre of service in the Vilnius hospitality industry. Many of the awards were decided by customer feedback, and agencies and guides were judged by a commission. The competition ran for four months from 1 May to 30 September 2009 and awards presented at Vilnius Rotušė (Vilnius Townhall).

Most Hospitable Large Hotel: Radisson BLU Astorija; Most Hospitable Mid Sized Hotel: Hotel Tilto; Most Hospitable Small Hotel: Hotel Grotthuss; Most Hospitable Restaurant: Neringa; Most Hospitable Café: Mano Guru; Most Hospitable Bar: Bar Bobo; Most Hospitable Music Club: Tamsta; Most Hospitable Museum: (joint winners) Contemporary Art Centre, and Energy and Technology Museum; Most Hospitable Guide: Laima Andrikytė; Most Hospitable Travel Agency: Baltic Travel Group; Most Hospitable Waiter or Waitress: Silvestras Pladas from Cozy; Most Hospitable Service Staff: Monika Agintaitė from Hotel Tilto.

Below is a listing of the films playing at Pasaka Cinemaboutique during the next two weeks.
Call or check on the internet for session times.
All film titles written in original language, all films shown with original sound and Lithuanian subtitles.

Tel: (85) 261 15 16
Šv.Ignoto 3/4, Vilnius
www.kinopasaka.lt

The Tall Ships’ fleet said its goodbyes to Klaipeda recently after four days of celebration during which over a million and a half people, a third of the population of Lithuania, visited the port.
As part of the Klaipòda Sea Festival for the first time, The Tall Ships Regatta proved a more than worthy addition to the Klaipòda seaside celebrations, and the spirit and nautical themes meshed flawlessly over a weekend also blessed with good weather.

As the Tall Ships left the Lithuanian port city, many thousands of people lined the quaysides and the peninsula to wave to the ships as they left.

The smaller vessels that had been moored inside the port made their way out into the bay first before Sedov (Russia), the first of the Class As to slip its moorings, blew her horn loudly to thank the crowds, and with the aid of two tugs made her way into the channel to lead the procession. The rest of the fleet followed, including Astrid (Netherlands) who sailed off her berth to the delight of the many assembled onlookers.

The fleet made its way out to sea towards the Lithuanian navy vessel, Jotvingis, to make the final salute of sail. The large number of vessels in the parade took some three hours to pass . They then dispersed in all directions - some going to their home ports, others onto pastures new, making a fitting ending to one of the most successful Sea Festivals on record.

Ragenaite crowned Mrs Universe 2009

Riga, Aug 10 (ELTA) - Lithuanian representative Vaida Ragenaite has been chosen the most beautiful woman in the competition Mrs. Universe 2009, which took place in Riga.

According to the news portal lrytas.lt, the representatives of 20 countries participated in this competition. The second and third places were taken by the representatives of Belgium and Philippines.
Lithuanian representative Ragenaite is - 35-year-old financial specialist, she is brining up two children: son Arnas, aged 15, and two-year-old Urte. In free time, she likes painting and is interested in rose planting.

Ragenaite is to go to Vietnam in the end of the year to participate in the competition Mrs. World with the representatives of 50 other countries.

* The editor notes with some interest that Vaida Ragenaite must now come back to conquer the world after being crowned Mrs. Univers.