The bureau launched the review on its own initiative after information emerged publicly about possible dishonest conduct linked to the compensation. KNAB confirmed to LSM that it is examining the basis for requesting and paying Rasima’s compensation.

Rasima, a member of the Progressives party elected to parliament from Rēzekne, receives 610 euros a month in housing compensation. Her declaration of interests shows that she owns an apartment in Riga.

Rasima told Latvian Television that the apartment effectively belongs to her mother, who lives there. She said she had never lived in the apartment or received any financial benefit from it, and described accusations circulated on social media as unfounded.

The Saeima Press Service said there had been no breach of the law by the deputy. It also said, however, that deputies were responsible for assessing their actual need when requesting compensation.

KNAB said it had repeatedly drawn the Saeima’s attention in recent years to shortcomings in the rules governing compensation for deputies’ transport and housing-rental expenses. The bureau said the shortcomings created opportunities for the system to be used dishonestly.

According to KNAB, the current rules may allow people to obtain compensation dishonestly by declaring a place of residence more than 39 kilometres from Riga, including cases in which they actually own housing in Riga or within 39 kilometres of the capital.

KNAB said its previous practice had identified cases in which Saeima deputies received compensation unlawfully. In two cases, deputies were prosecuted for fraudulently obtaining compensation for transport and housing-rental expenses, and both cases resulted in final convictions.

The bureau said stricter control over compensation payments could reduce the risk of dishonest claims and payments, including through additional requirements for the documents submitted and assessed.

The post KNAB reviews MP Leila Rasima’s housing compensation appeared first on Daily Baltic.

The tunnel was discovered on Tuesday near Latežeris village in the Druskininkai municipality by officers from the Kabeliai Border Guard Station, part of the Varėna Border Guard Unit. They used specialist tunnel detection equipment brought by experts from the Podlaskie section of Poland’s Border Guard Service.

The passage had been dug beneath a physical barrier at a depth of about 1.5 metres. It was reinforced with logs and boards and extended about four metres into Lithuanian territory from the border line.

On the Belarusian side, the tunnel entrance was covered with camouflage fabric. However, the passage was not finished and had no exit beyond the physical barrier marking the state border, meaning migrants or other people could not have used it to enter Lithuania.

The Varėna Border Guard Unit has launched a pretrial investigation into illegal border crossing under the direction of a prosecutor from the Alytus District Prosecutor’s Office, part of the Kaunas Regional Prosecutor’s Office. The offence is punishable by a fine, arrest or up to two years in prison.

After the necessary procedural actions were completed, the tunnel, which officers suspect was intended to facilitate the entry of foreign nationals from Belarus into Lithuania, was filled with earth.

On July 23, officers near Piesčiai village in Varėna District found another unfinished tunnel extending about five metres into Lithuania from Belarus. It also had no exit on the Lithuanian side.

On July 26, officers from the Kapčiamiestis Border Guard Station found an unfinished tunnel about 11 metres long near Pertakas village in Lazdijai District. It was located on the Lithuanian side, 9.5 metres from the physical barrier, and appeared to have been intended to run beneath a patrol path into Lithuania. Logs, possibly intended as supports, excavated sand and buckets were found nearby and inside the tunnel.

The State Border Guard Service said 12 attempts to enter Lithuania by digging underground had been recorded this year.

The post Varėna border guards find third tunnel from Belarus appeared first on Daily Baltic.

Martin, an entomologist at the University of Tartu, said on the Vikerraadio programme Huvitaja that Estonia may be home to 24,000 insect species or more. A study conducted more than a decade ago identified about 15,000 species, while comparisons with research in neighbouring countries suggested the higher estimate.

Martin said the expansion of trade allows insects that live on food products to spread quickly with goods. He also noted a sharp increase in tiny black ants known as soil ants, which find stone paving around homes and in other paved areas a suitable habitat.

He said frequent lawn mowing and the presence of dandelions could also favour the ants. In research in his own garden, Martin found ant nests around the roots of nine out of 10 dandelions growing in the lawn.

Insect communities also differ considerably between western and eastern Estonia, Martin said. Different species are active at different times from early spring until almost the arrival of snow, with some continuing to move even beneath the snow.

Overall, insect numbers are declining, Martin said. He added that wasp and hornet populations appeared low this year and that next year might not be favourable for them either.

Insect allergies are a serious problem, Martin said, noting that Estonia has recorded deaths caused by allergic reactions that can develop very quickly. Biting midges can also cause painful bites and remain active throughout the summer and into September.

Insect populations fluctuate in cycles, Martin explained. A normal cycle lasts three or four years, while numbers can rise sharply in the fifth, sixth or seventh year. He attributed the low number of ladybirds seen this year to a normal stage in that cycle, while webbing moths have been relatively numerous.

One of the latest arrivals in Estonia is the sea buckthorn fly, which feeds heavily on sea buckthorn berries. In some places, Martin said, growing sea buckthorn has become pointless because of the insect.

Horseflies are associated with bodies of water and wet areas, where their larvae live in mud or damp soil. Their numbers depend on the availability of suitable habitats, and they are more common near bodies of water.

The post New insect species reach Estonia every year, entomologist says appeared first on Daily Baltic.

The ministry is preparing amendments to the Law on Protection Against Domestic Violence to strengthen protection and assistance for victims. The proposed changes would introduce a long-term protection order, replacing the current 15-day emergency order in cases where it does not provide sufficient protection.

Victims would also receive legal and psychological assistance, while fines for breaching the conditions of a protection order would be increased by more than double under the Code of Administrative Offences.

Ruginienė said behaviour-change programmes should become mandatory for repeat domestic violence offenders. Those who fail to complete the programmes would be required to pay for them themselves.

The ministry plans to submit the amendments to the Seimas in early autumn. Ruginienė said administrative measures alone were not enough and called for more effective action by law enforcement agencies.

According to BNS, police suspect that a man killed his cohabiting partner in Vilnius district on Tuesday. A woman had reportedly called for help at around 2 p.m., saying that her former cohabiting partner, who was subject to a domestic violence protection order, was trying to enter the home.

Officers found the woman with serious knife wounds. She later died. Police detained a man who had also suffered knife injuries and was taken to hospital. A child was at the scene and has been placed in a safe environment with the child’s father, according to the State Child Rights Protection and Adoption Service. The child has received emergency psychological assistance.

The post Minister seeks long-term protection order after Vilnius district killing appeared first on Daily Baltic.

Under the plan, admissions to preparatory study will begin on September 1 next year, and the programme will be offered only to people who do not have another place to study.

Changes are also planned in connection with applications to upper secondary school.

The post Estonia plans to limit preparatory study admissions next year appeared first on Daily Baltic.

The incident took place on July 26 in Varėna district, where a group of migrants allegedly tried to enter Lithuania illegally through a tunnel and attacked border guards. The incident was not publicly announced at the time.

Lazdijai politician Vilma Danauskienė raised the issue on Facebook on Wednesday, questioning why four border guards had been sent to confront a group of more than 20 migrants armed with sticks and stones.

Katelynas said he had previously been told that border guards had stopped the construction of a tunnel near the state border. However, he said he learned the essential details only on Wednesday after seeing reports on social media.

Before a government meeting, the minister summoned State Border Guard Service commander Rustamas Liubajevas to provide details. Katelynas said Liubajevas had accepted responsibility for the incident’s significance not being properly assessed and for the minister not being adequately informed.

“After this conversation with the commander of the State Border Guard Service, I decided to begin an official inspection so that the actions of the border service leadership could be objectively assessed,” Katelynas said.

He said further comments would be provided after the inspection.

The post Minister orders inquiry after migrant attack on Lithuanian border guards appeared first on Daily Baltic.

Inese Dadžāne, a midwife who worked in the Balvu maternity ward for 40 years, said she was struggling to accept the decision.

“It was my first, only and last workplace. When I talk about it, I cannot control my tears,” Dadžāne said.

She said staff had received the news suddenly and did not know what would happen to them. Some midwives have been offered work in the hospital’s admissions department, where they would be expected to perform nursing duties during 24-hour shifts.

The maternity ward’s renovated facilities opened three years ago and include seven modern rooms. However, they are used infrequently as the number of births in Balvi continues to fall. The ward recorded 140 births last year, compared with 190 the year before. During the summer, the monthly average has ranged from five to 16 babies.

Marika Jermaševiča, a member of the hospital board, said the closure was linked to the hospital network reform. From next year, the hospital would not have enough funding to provide round-the-clock shifts for a gynaecologist, she said.

Jermaševiča said the hospital planned to close the ward in September because it needed to reorganise its operations before the new rules take effect on January 1. Under those rules, a midwife would work in the admissions department.

The post Balvu hospital to close maternity ward in September appeared first on Daily Baltic.

The post Swedbank economist links June industrial decline to four sectors appeared first on Daily Baltic.

The case was due to be heard on Thursday, but the court postponed the preparatory hearing until October 15 at the prosecutor’s request.

The civil case was brought by Rolandas Kruopys, chief prosecutor of the Vilnius Regional Prosecutor’s Office, who is acting to protect the public interest. The claim seeks the return of property allegedly acquired without legal grounds.

A pretrial investigation into Zuokas’s expenses as a council member had previously been conducted, and he was questioned as a special witness.

As part of the Skaidrinam initiative, public figure Andrius Tapinas said Zuokas had submitted named fuel receipts to the Vilnius municipality that had been paid for with five different cards.

The post Prosecutors seek nearly 3,000 euros from Artūras Zuokas appeared first on Daily Baltic.

Set in 18th-century Denmark, the film follows former army officer Ludvig Kahlen as he pursues an almost impossible goal: cultivating the barren lands of Jutland and establishing a settlement there.

His plans face opposition from an influential and ruthless local landowner. The struggle over the land becomes a fight for honour, freedom and survival.

The film explores a person’s determination to resist both nature and the rules imposed by society. Personal ambition intersects with social inequality, a brutal struggle for power and the search for human dignity.

The Promised Land also examines a person’s place in society and the price of trying to change one’s fate. Critics have highlighted Mikkelsen’s performance, the film’s convincing atmosphere, its authentic recreation of the period and its tense narrative, which includes dramatic conflicts and unexpected emotional moments.

The Promised Land will be shown on LRT PLIUS on Thursday at 9.30 p.m.

The post Mads Mikkelsen stars in historical drama The Promised Land appeared first on Daily Baltic.