LRT English Newsletter: Napoleonic pick-up lines and mass vaccination
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Napoleon Bonaparte / AP
LRT English Newsletter – May 7, 2021.
From disappointed Napoleon (more on that later), to the rekindling of the Lithuanian–Polish Commonwealth and the announced mass vaccination – it has truly been a historical week.
First things first, mass vaccination. The slots will be offered to the following age groups:
– May 10: 55+
– May 31: 16+
For now, you can register on dedicated websites of some municipalities, on Koronastop.lt, or by calling the coronavirus hotline 1808. A nationwide system will be launched by May 13. Meanwhile, here’s an explainer if you’re a foreign national and you’re wondering if you’re eligible. To put it simply, it all comes down to whether you pay contributions to the national health insurance (PSD).
Lithuanian Dream Podcast: what was the KGB and why was it so feared?
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Lithuanian Dream Podcast2021.05.01 12:00
Vilnius HQ of the KGB, now a museum and the Lithuanian Court of Appeals / D. Umbrasas/LRT
LRT English is partnering up with Lithuanian Dream to bring you a weekly English-language podcast. In the new installment, Arūnas Borisas, a guide at the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fighters, tells us about the KGB and why it was so feared.
The Soviet KGB, or the State Security Committee, in addition to conducting intelligence and counter-intelligence, was in charge of tracking and repressing any domestic opposition to the Soviet regime.
LRT English Newsletter: Don’t visit your grandma just yet
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Quarantine in Lithuania. / D. Umbrasas/LRT
LRT English Newsletter – April 9, 2021.
Lithuania lifted the domestic travel ban as the measure has been “exhausted”, according to the health minister. Some restrictions, however, remain very much in force. Although there will be no more roadblocks, visiting your grandparents may not be such a great idea just yet – Lithuania has reported over 60,000 unused AstraZeneca doses as over-65s have been reluctant to get the AZ jab.
Lithuanian Police still set up a roadblock – this time, however, in front of the government’s building to protest the current vaccination plan. The force is the last in the priority list to receive the shot before mass vaccination is rolled out.
Lithuanian Dream Podcast: forging new identity for former capital
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Kaunas 2022 / Andrius Aleksandravičius
LRT English is partnering up with Lithuanian Dream to bring you a weekly English-language podcast. In this installment, Ana Kočegarova talks about what being the European Capital of Culture means and offers for Lithuania s second-biggest city.
“From temporary to contemporary” is the slogan of Kaunas 2022, the European Capital of Culture, encapsulating well the city s aspiration to showcase its past, but not neglect its present potential.
“We wanted the city to find itself today. Get rid of this sad, nostalgic mood,” says Ana Kočegarova, who heads Kaunas 2022. “There s nothing wrong about romantic nostalgia from time to time [.] but our connection with the city cannot be built only on something that was in the past.”