#Flights to Vilnius International Airport

[unilifeabroadcareersolution]

Benefits of Paid Education in Lithuania

Benefits of paid Education in Lithuania

A small European country, Lithuania is home to nearly 50 higher education institutions. Higher education institutions have many faculties including Engineering, Medical, Humanities, Economics, Management and Many more. University degrees are offered in three cycles. The first cycle is undergraduate ( Bachelor degree )  The second cycle is graduate ( Master and specialized professional studies  ). The Third cycle is Postgraduate ( Doctoral).

There are two types of higher education institutions in Lithuania, colleges and universities. Collegesare focused on practical training for particular professions. Bachelor degrees and professional qualifications are offered at universities. There are 23 universities and 24 colleges in Lithuania. In comparison to other European countries, it is a quite big number. 

Low Tuition Fee

The tuition fee is quite affordable for international students. The tuition fee is refundable if you cannot attend university due to any reason. Tuition fee varies between 2000 EUR to 5000 EUR per year. .As compared to many EU countries, International students pay very low tuition fee for bachelor’s and master’s degree courses.

100% success rate for Visa

What about the chance to get a visa for Lithuania? In recent time, Lithuania has a 100% success rate for visa applications. So, you can apply for a study visa in Lithuanian Embassy in your country due to its high acceptance rate of international students.

High-quality education

 

Lithuanian universities are renowned for providing top-notch education. They consistently rank among the best universities in Europe, and employers highly value their graduates. Many universities in Lithuania offer English-taught programs, making it an excellent choice for non-Lithuanian-speaking international students

High quality of life

What’s great is that the low costs translate to a comfortable standard of living in Lithuania. It’s easy to get around as public transportation is inexpensive and widely available. There are numerous leisure and sports activities, as well as accessible public parks and amenities. The country is famed for its clear lakes and verdant pine forests, but also for developing a wide range of green products. On top of that, you will be able to keep safe and healthy thanks to world-class health infrastructure and expertise.

Travel around Europe while studying in Lithuania

Given its location, studying in Lithuania can be your gateway to the rest of Europe. Lithuania is bordered by Latvia, Belarus, and Poland, and isn’t too far away from Germany and Denmark. You can find flights to major European destinations at the Vilnius and Kaunas airports, or take advantage of the well-connected railway network. This way, you can get pop over to Paris one weekend and Amsterdam the next.

Contact us : 8428440444 , 8428999090 , 8608777070

Mail ID : anagha@unilifeabrod.com , diya@unilifeabroad.com

[warningsine]

Polish prosecutors will press charges against three Belarusian citizens in connection with the forced diversion of a commercial flight to Minsk in 2021, a court in Warsaw confirmed on Friday.

On May 23, 2021, Ryanair flight FR4978 from Athens, Greece, to Vilnius, Lithuania, was instructed while in Belarusian airspace to divert to Minsk due to a supposed bomb threat, and was escorted by a MiG-29 fighter jet. The plane was registered in Poland.

Upon landing in the Belarusian capital, two of the passengers, dissident Belarusian journalist Raman Pratasevich and his Russian girlfriend Sofia Sapega, were arrested. Nobody was hurt. The incident sparked international outrage.

Who is going to be charged?

In a statement on Friday, Polish prosecutors said they had gathered enough evidence to bring charges against three Belarusian officials whose surnames they did not mention in accordance with Polish law.

Leonid C., the former director of the Belarusian air navigation agency; Yevgenia T., the air traffic control manager in Minsk on the day; and Andrey AM, the head of the Belarusian KGB secret service, are accused of taking control of the flight by providing the pilot with false information about an alleged explosive device on board.

"This resulted in the unlawful deprivation of liberty of 132 people on board the aircraft, including citizens of the Republic of Poland," read a court statement.

Also on Friday, Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza cited audio extracts from Minsk airport control tower, secretly recorded by an air traffic controller who subsequently fled to Poland and handed the files to the authorities.

Arrest warrants have been issued but, given that the suspects are not in Poland, prosecutors said they would be filing for European Arrest Warrants and requesting an Interpol "red notice" search.

According to Interpol, a red notice is not an international arrest warrant but rather "a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action."

What happened to Pratasevich?

Pratasevich was sentenced to eight years in prison in May 2023 for offenses including inciting terrorism, organizing mass disturbances and slandering Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

He was pardoned later the same month, as was Sapega a month later.

As part of sanctions imposed following the incident, the European Union banned Belarusian airlines from the bloc's airspace and airports.

mf/nm (Reuters, EFE, AFP)

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 1.13 (after 1940)

1942 – Henry Ford patents a soybean car, which is 30% lighter than a regular car. 1942 – World War II: First use of an aircraft ejection seat by a German test pilot in a Heinkel He 280 jet fighter. 1950 – British submarine HMS Truculent collides with an oil tanker in the Thames Estuary, killing 64 men. 1950 – Finland forms diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. 1951 – First Indochina War: The Battle of Vĩnh Yên begins. 1953 – An article appears in Pravda accusing some of the most prestigious and prominent doctors, mostly Jews, in the Soviet Union of taking part in a vast plot to poison members of the top Soviet political and military leadership. 1958 – The Moroccan Army of Liberation ambushes a Spanish patrol in the Battle of Edchera. 1963 – Coup d'état in Togo results in the assassination of president Sylvanus Olympio. 1964 – Anti-Muslim riots break out in Calcutta, in response to anti-Hindu riots in East Pakistan. About one hundred people are killed. 1964 – In Manchester, New Hampshire, fourteen-year-old Pamela Mason is murdered. Edward Coolidge is tried and convicted of the crime, but the conviction is set aside by the landmark Fourth Amendment case Coolidge v. New Hampshire (1971). 1966 – Robert C. Weaver becomes the first African American Cabinet member when he is appointed United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. 1968 – Johnny Cash performs live at Folsom State Prison. 1972 – Prime Minister Kofi Abrefa Busia and President Edward Akufo-Addo of Ghana are ousted in a bloodless military coup by Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong. 1977 – Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1045, a Douglas DC-8 jet, crashes onto the runway during takeoff from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, killing five. 1978 – United States Food and Drug Administration requires all blood donations to be labeled "paid" or "volunteer" donors. 1982 – Shortly after takeoff, Air Florida Flight 90, a Boeing 737 jet, crashes into Washington, D.C.'s 14th Street Bridge and falls into the Potomac River, killing 78 including four motorists. 1985 – A passenger train plunges into a ravine in Ethiopia, killing 428 in the worst railroad disaster in Africa. 1986 – A month-long violent struggle begins in Aden, South Yemen between supporters of Ali Nasir Muhammad and Abdul Fattah Ismail, resulting in thousands of casualties. 1988 – Lee Teng-hui becomes the first native Taiwanese President of the Republic of China. 1990 – Douglas Wilder becomes the first elected African American governor as he takes office as Governor of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia. 1991 – Soviet Union troops attack Lithuanian independence supporters in Vilnius, killing 14 people and wounding around 1,000 others. 1993 – Space Shuttle program: Endeavour heads for space for the third time as STS-54 launches from the Kennedy Space Center. 1993 – The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is signed. 1993 – Operation Southern Watch: U.S.A.F., U.S.N., R.A.F. and French Air Force jets attack AAA and SAM sites in Southern Iraq. 1998 – Alfredo Ormando sets himself on fire in St. Peter's Square, protesting against homophobia. 2000 – A Short 360 aircraft chartered by the Sirte Oil Company crashes off the coast of Brega, Libya, killing 21. 2001 – An earthquake hits El Salvador, killing more than 800. 2012 – The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia sinks off the coast of Italy due to the captain Francesco Schettino's negligence and irresponsibility. There are 32 confirmed deaths. 2018 – A false emergency alert warning of an impending missile strike in Hawaii causes widespread panic in the state. 2020 – The Thai Ministry of Public Health confirms the first case of COVID-19 outside China. 2021 – Outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump is impeached for a second time on a charge of incitement of insurrection following the January 6 United States Capitol attack one week prior.

[wikiuntamed]

On this day in Wikipedia: Saturday, 16th December

Welcome, 欢迎 (huānyíng), welkom, üdvözöljük 🤗 What does @Wikipedia say about 16th December through the years 🏛️📜🗓️?

16th December 2022 🗓️ : Event - 2022 Batang Kali landslide A landslide occurs at a camp at an organic farm near the town of Batang Kali in Selangor, Malaysia, trapping 92 people and killing 31. "A landslide occurred in the early hours of 16 December 2022 near the Malaysian town of Batang Kali, Selangor, displacing 450,000 m3 (16 million cu ft) of soil and burying campsites at an organic farm. The accident trapped 92 people under the collapsed slope; most were campers from the farm. 31..."

16th December 2017 🗓️ : Death - Keely Smith Keely Smith, American singer and actress (b. 1928) "Dorothy Jacqueline Keely (March 9, 1928 – December 16, 2017), professionally known as Keely Smith, was an American jazz and popular music singer, who performed and recorded extensively in the 1950s with then-husband Louis Prima, and throughout the 1960s as a solo artist.Smith married Prima in 1953...."

Image by Photographer not credited

16th December 2013 🗓️ : Event - 2013 Metro Manila Skyway bus accident A bus falls from an elevated highway in the Philippines capital Manila killing at least 18 people with 20 injured. "The 2013 Manila Skyway bus accident occurred on December 16, 2013 between Bicutan and Sucat Exits of South Luzon Expressway in Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines, after a bus fell off the Skyway, crushing a delivery van and fatally wounding the van's driver. 19 people died and 19 others were..."

16th December 1973 🗓️ : Event - Aeroflot Flight 2022 Aeroflot Flight 2022 crashes in the Soviet Union's (now Russia) Volokolamsky District, killing all 51 aboard, including 4 Lithuanian doctors. "Aeroflot Flight 2022 was a scheduled Soviet domestic passenger flight between Vilnius Airport in Lithuanian SSR and Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union that crashed on 16 December 1973, killing all 51 people on board. The five hundred mile flight suffered a loss of..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0? by Lars Söderström

16th December 1923 🗓️ : Birth - Menahem Pressler Menahem Pressler, German-American pianist (d. 2023) "Menahem Pressler (Hebrew: מנחם פרסלר; 16 December 1923 – 6 May 2023) was a German-born Israeli-American pianist and academic teacher. He was known for his work with the Beaux Arts Trio that he co-founded in 1955, playing until its dissolution in 2008, in hundreds of recordings and thousands of..."

Image licensed under CC BY 2.0? by Leeds Piano Competition 2015

16th December 1812 🗓️ : Birth - Stuart Donaldson Stuart Donaldson, English-Australian politician, 1st Premier of New South Wales (d. 1867) "Sir Stuart Alexander Donaldson (16 December 1812 – 11 January 1867) was the first Premier of the Colony of New South Wales...."

Image by Not known, see source list

16th December 🗓️ : Holiday - Day of Reconciliation, formerly celebrated as Day of the Vow by the Afrikaners (South Africa) "The Day of Reconciliation is a public holiday in South Africa held annually on 16 December. The holiday came into effect in 1995 after the end of apartheid, with the intention of fostering reconciliation and national unity for the country. The date was chosen because it was significant to both..."

Image by Flag design by Frederick Brownell, image by Wikimedia Commons users

[kokobiz24]

Vilnius Travel Vibes: Easy Ways to Get There!

Dreaming of exploring the historic beauty of Vilnius? Your journey is just a few steps away:

Road Trip: Hop onto A1 or A2 highways connecting Vilnius with major cities. Navigate through E85 or E272 routes from neighbors. Consider Vilnius tour packages for an effortless ride. #VilniusRoadTrip #TravelLithuania

Train Adventure: Arrive at Vilnius Railway Station for a scenic route. Enjoy the ride and absorb the surroundings. #VilniusByTrain #TrainTravel

Air Escape: Vilnius Int'l Airport, your gateway to the city. Domestic and international flights await. #VilniusAirport #FlyToVilnius

Pack your excitement, choose your mode, and let Vilnius embrace you! 🏰🌟 #VilniusExploration #TravelDreams

[cukaweqo]

Vilnius Tour - Stays in Vilnius While on Your Visa Waiver

https://ru.ivisa.com/lithuania-etias

Lithuania Etias international airport is situated between Lithuania and Russia. By using the center of Lithuanian visa, you may readily enter this airport to visit friends or family. The Vilnius International Airport is one of the busiest airports of the nation with roughly twelve million visitors per year.

Over three hundred thousand people a year travel through this airport and the majority of them get their passports by paying the required fee using the e.u. visa waiver scheme. In case you have a legitimate e.u. visa, you may readily get an unprotected remain e.u.

There are lots of reasons why Lithuanians traveling to Vilnius. The funds of Lithuanian is Klaipanmaror. It is simple to find some fantastic restaurants in this town since they are located at the principal boulevards. The capital also has a fantastic nightlife which is the reason why tourists from all over the world flock to this place to spend some quality time with their loved ones.

When you're planning to submit an application for a Lithuanian Passport, you must keep in mind that the procedure would be quickly if you use the e.u. visa strategy. The e.u. visa will give you a free travel pass and a valid passport.

There is an application fee on the internet, which you need to pay once you receive your passport. Your passport will be stamped with a special hologram which will prove you've implemented for a Lithuanian visa waiver. After that you can use this approved visa waiver to buy any tickets to Vilnius and any other destination in the region.

If you aren't from the Schengen area but from another country, for example Germany, the Lithuanian Passport could be renewed online. You may only need to fill out a new application form. If you have an active bank account in the country of Lithuanian and you've got a debit card that can be utilized to make the payment, then you can easily apply for a Lithuanian passport even if you are traveling from another country. This is possible because the present government is aiming to enlarge the visa-free territory to include all EU countries, Russia, and America.

Traveling by air to Vilnius is no problem since it is by far the handiest way to get there. The airport is located in Kaunas and is approximately thirty-five km from Vilnius. A whole lot of firms are now operating flights to Vilnius, which will let you take a peek at the gorgeous landscape and landscape of the Lithuanian countryside. You can even stay overnight in Vilnius. The airport offers both business class and economy class travelers to permit visa-exempt taxpayers to board an immediate flight to Vilnius.

You'll be able to finish all the necessary process in about two weeks time. Once your application process has been approved, you should get a confirmation that your visa is on its way. In late 2021, you and your loved ones will have the ability to travel around European cities like Krakow, Bratislava, Warsaw, Prague, Vienna, Cluj and Budapest.

If you've already paid for the flight and resort, the next thing you want to do is find out where to stay while in Vilnius. There are a whole lot of budget accommodations which you can choose from, like guesthouses, inns, and camping grounds. You won't be able to enjoy all of the sights and activities if you stay in a guesthouse or an inn, but it will be better than staying at a budget hotel. You'll also be able to save some cash by staying in these lodging facilities rather than hotels, because they usually provide a less costly accommodation. By putting everything together, it shouldn't be difficult for you to come up with a decision on where to stay while in your own Vilnius tour.

[gugopuro]

Vilnius, the City of Saints

https://es.ivisa.com/lithuania-etias

Lithuania is among the Baltic nations. It shares its boundary with neighbouring countries including Poland, Finland, Russia, Norway, Sweden and Germany. Because of this, the people is quite large and the terminology is also widespread. Regardless of this, Vilnius is among the least preferred tourist destinations in Lithuania. Despite this, the local administration was working hard to improve the situation and create the processing of Lithuanian visa easier for vacationers.

To begin with, Vilnius has a rather poor international airport that only handles small aircraft. Travellers Who Would like to travel to Vilnius Should fly to Tallinn, Klaipeda or even Sukhumvit Airlines. That's why it's better to book your flight weeks beforehand. For those who want a inexpensive flight to Vilnius, the ideal time to do this would be throughout the off-season - from October to March. If you aren't that concerned about getting a visa and only wish to see Vilnius, then you might have the ability to have a visa on arrival.

Finding a visa on arrival is not the only alternative available for people travelling to Vilnius. There's another alternative available known as the Vilnius Visa Waiver. This is a special visa that allows you to remain in Vilnius even if you do not have a visa. To acquire a Vilnius visa waiver, then you'll need to make an application for an EU citizenship through the Vilnius European Centre. By doing so, you can benefit from many advantages like free public transport, simpler handling of money and more opportunities to get the job done.

The Vilnius visa waiver to the EU citizens is also beneficial for other tourists visiting Vilnius. By way of example, tourists from the uk, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Norway and other EU member states can apply for this. Once you are approved, you can remain in Vilnius for the period specified by the Lithuanian government. As a consequence, you will not have to depart the country if you plan to stay longer.

In addition to this, tourists from the uk, Australia, New Zealand, Norway and other EU member states may also apply to your schengen etias application fee waiver. The Vilnius visa waiver is available for three months or more if desired. The Schengen visa generally requires you to remain in the nation for an entire year. But in case you've got an EU citizenship, then you can stay in Vilnius for up to a year if you meet specific requirements.

To discover more regarding the availability of this Lithuanian schengen visa waiver and application form, you can contact Vilnius International Airport's tourism and cultural section. They are usually quite knowledgeable about lodging, shopping, sightseeing, foreign currency exchange, medical aid and other choices for vacationers traveling to Vilnius. The city of Vilnius is also home to many award-winning museums and historical sites, making it a popular destination for cultural travelers. You may find restaurants and pubs that offer entertainment and food which are designed to satisfy international standards. The access to a Lithuanian resort or Vilnius apartment during your stay might be the ideal method that you appreciate your stay in Vilnius.

[urbanspacegamingespoo2020]

Sunday 9 February

The big storm over the Atlantic, Ciara, had been announced and it was now to hit Ireland and Britain big time as well as later other parts of Western Europe, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands etc. In any case Wulf, one of the tutors, had to get up and leave really early, his flight to Manchester hadn’t been cancelled yet. However, it took him a really long time to get home, there were delays, trains cancelled in the UK, terrible flooding and effects of the storm. Sam, another tutor, who was scheduled to leave later in the afternoon for London was confronted at the airport with eventually a cancelled flight (one of many). He had to stay in Helsinki until he got home after the storm died down following Tuesday evening.

Ausra, the Lithuanian tutor, left with her students to Vilnius on schedule in the afternoon, no storm warning or cancellations in the Baltic area.

•   •   •   •   •

Reflecting on this third installment of the CIRRUS project series in Helsinki, what have we learned?

The three main countries participating were Lithuania, Iceland and Finland (the workshops took place in that order), but students and tutors came from 16 different countries or regions. Therefore these projects had a very international feel — almost like a small ‘united nations’.

However, it is interesting to see how each time the location of this project had an effect on the outcome of it. There were some constants of course, e.g., the time of year, early February, the Northern latitudes, the shortness of daylight and the immediate presence of nature.

Please take note that in each of these three countries a very unique language was spoken among a relatively small group of people, i.e., Lithuanian, Finnish, and Icelandic, which also gave it a particular flavor. Obviously working with so many people from all over the world, English was used for communicating, but still, one could see that each language, each location, was leaving its own mark on the projects and concepts. In particular as many concepts were digging into sometimes local narratives and (sub)cultures.

The gaming aspect then added new perspectives. Game design and gamification are excellent problem solving tools and means of connecting people and addressing meaningful issues. And even more than in previous workshops, aspects like social communication, sustainability and responsibility were more present in all of the ideas that were developed in the Aalto University workshop.

As a closing thought, after these three initial pioneering workshops, we are of course immensely grateful for the opportunity that was being offered to us, to research and explore this. The workshops reinforce that the learning is very much for institutes, students and alike. However, it would be of great interest to all parties involved, i.e., sponsors as well as participating schools and organizations, if this could lead to more in depth follow-up projects. We conclude that this is not an ending, but we are on the verge of a new beginning.

[warningsine]

The diversion of a Ryanair flight to Lithuania by Belarus, leading to the arrest of an opposition journalist who was a passenger, has sparked international outrage and calls for tough sanctions against the former Soviet nation.

Here is a look at what happened in the sky over Belarus and its aftermath.

WHAT HAPPENED ON THE FLIGHT?

Ryanair Flight FR4978, traveling Sunday from Athens to the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, was in Belarus airspace about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Lithuanian border when it changed direction and turned toward the Belarusian capital of Minsk.

Ryanair said Belarusian flight controllers told the pilots that there was a bomb threat against the jetliner and ordered them to land in Minsk. The Belarusian military scrambled a MiG-29 fighter jet in an apparent attempt to encourage the crew to comply with the orders of flight controllers.

Once the plane landed, Belarusian security agents arrested Raman Pratasevich, who ran a popular messaging app that helped organize mass demonstrations against President Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus’ authoritarian leader. They also removed from the plane Pratasevich’s Russian girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, who studies at a Vilnius university.

Agents with dogs then checked the plane and the passenger luggage, and let the flight continue to Vilnius hours later.

Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary described the move as “a case of state-sponsored hijacking … state-sponsored piracy.”

WHY DID BELARUS DO IT?

To arrest Pratasevich, a 26-year-old activist and journalist who left Belarus in 2019 and faced charges there of inciting riots. He was a blogger and co-founder and editor of Nexta, a popular channel on the Telegram messaging app that was a key factor in organizing protests in Belarus after a presidential election in August 2020.

Lukashenko, who has run the nation of 9.3 million with an iron fist for over a quarter century, was declared the winner by landslide, but the opposition and some election workers say the vote was rigged. Months of protests followed, representing the strongest challenge to Lukashenko’s rule since he took over in 1994 following the demise of the Soviet Union.

The Belarusian authorities have unleashed a brutal crackdown on demonstrations. More than 34,000 people have been arrested since August, including opposition activists, and thousands have been beaten and abused by police to try to stem the protests.

Pratasevich was charged in absentia with inciting mass riots, and he faces 15 years in prison if convicted. But the Belarusian state security agency, which still goes by its Soviet-era name KGB, also has put him on a list of people suspected of involvement in terrorism, a sign he could face more serious charges. Terrorism is punishable by death in Belarus, the only country in Europe that still has capital punishment.

A brief video clip of him in custody was shown on Belarusian state television Monday night. He sat at a table with his hands folded in front of him and spoke rapidly, saying he was in satisfactory health, and that his treatment was “maximally correct and according to law.” He added that he was giving evidence to investigators about organizing mass disturbances.

WHAT’S THE INTERNATIONAL REACTION?

In unusually swift action, the European Union agreed to impose sanctions against Belarus, banning the country’s airlines from using the airspace and airports of the 27-nation bloc.

The EU leaders also urged all EU-based carriers to avoid flying over Belarus, decided to impose sanctions on officials linked to Sunday’s flight diversion, and urged the International Civil Aviation Organization to start an investigation.

They also urged Belarus to release Pratasevich and his Russian girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, who was taken off the plane with him.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it amounted to a “hijacking,” and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called it a “state-sponsored terror act.”

The bloc summoned Belarus’ ambassador “to condemn the inadmissible step of the Belarusian authorities” and said the arrest was yet again “another blatant attempt to silence all opposition voices in the country.”

U.S. National Security adviser Jake Sullivan raised the issue in his call with the secretary of the Russian Security Council, said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. She added the U.S. was in touch with NATO, the EU, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, among others about next steps.

Briitain barred Belarus’ national airline Belavia from operating in the U.K. and instructed British carriers to avoid Belarusian airspace. Latvian airline airBaltic said it would avoid Belarusian airspace, and Lithuania’s government instructed all incoming and outgoing flights to avoid Belarus starting Tuesday, without waiting for the EU decision.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ordered officials to move to cut the air link with Belarus and ban Ukrainian flights via the neighbor’s airspace.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls for Pratasevich’s release and supports calls for “a full, transparent and independent investigation into this disturbing incident,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Belarus can rely on its main sponsor and ally, Russia, which has provided political support and financial assistance to Lukashenko’s government amid the protests.

[laurajameskinney]

Delayed Flights

TItle: Delayed Flights

Characters: APH Poland, APH Lithuania

Pairings: LietPol

Words: 563

Warnings: None

Additional Notes: Human AU

Summary: In which Felix’s flight is delayed, and he meets someone new along the way.

Feliks sighed internally. Of course his flight had been delayed, of course it had been. It’s not like he’d been looking forward to getting back to his nice home in Warsaw or anything like that.

The blond flopped down in one of the uncomfortable airport sats, thankful that at the very least he didn’t have any plans that might have been ruined by this development.

“Isn’t that a bit melodramatic?” a voice asked, causing Feliks to jerk in surprise. He hadn’t realized anyone was sitting next to the seat he’d chosen.

“Sorry, am I disturbing you?” he responded, exhaustion blurring his mind and causing him to fall back on commonly accepted courtesy in lieu of his usual slightly rude mannerisms.

“No, not at all. I was just asking a question. You don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to,” the person answered. They were decidedly male, if the pitch of their voice was anything to go by.

Feliks pondered the original question before answering through a travel-induced haze, “well, I suppose it could be considered melodramatic, but I like to think of it as bringing a bit more life into the world. Most of it’s just so boring, you know?”

There was the audible flip of a page, and then a faintly bemused “I see,” before silence descended once more. Or at least, as silent as it got in the middle of a fairly busy airport during the morning hours.

It was then that Feliks decided to actually look at the man he had been conversing with, and promptly regretted ever opening his mouth.

Tall, with shoulder-length brown brown hair and green eyes, lost in a book of ancient myth and lore, he was undeniably attractive. Feliks couldn’t help but let out a small squeak, kicking himself for not leading with his best. Too late now, he supposed - first impression had already been made.

Thankfully, the beauty next to him didn’t seem to notice the squeak, or perhaps he was just polite enough to not mention it. Either way Feliks was grateful for that at least.

“Hi,” Feliks stated abruptly. The brunette’s eyes flicked up to him briefly before settling once again on the pages of his book. “I’m Feliks. What’s your name?”

“Toris. But please, call me Tolys - Toris is a dog’s name where I’m from,” this time, he didn’t even glance up.

“Alright then, Tolys, where are you going? I’m headed back to Warsaw, myself,” Feliks laughed.

“Going? I am not going anywhere, Feliks - I am returning home, to Vilnius,” Tolys said calmly as he shut his book.

“Same here,” Feliks said, prompting Tolys to raise and eyebrow. Feliks quickly figured out his mistake, and rushed to correct himself as his cheeks darkened. “I - I meant about going home, and stuff. Not about Vilnius. N-not that Vilnius is bad or anything, it just isn’t home for me.”

Tolys for some reason found that hilarius, and started laughing, which of course made Feliks start laughing, and from there they were off, talking as animatedly as if they had been friends for years instead of the near-perfect strangers that they truly were to each other.

When Feliks’s gate was finally called, he walked away with the knowledge that he’d gotten the number of one of the best guys on the planet, and that they would both hopefully see each other soon.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 9.11

9 – Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends, where the Roman Empire suffers the greatest defeat of its history and the Rhine being established as the border between the Empire and the so-called barbarians for the next four hundred years. 1185 – Isaac II Angelos kills Stephen Hagiochristophorites and then appeals to the people, resulting in the revolt that deposes Andronikos I Komnenos and places Isaac on the throne of the Byzantine Empire. 1226 – The first recorded instance of the Catholic practice of perpetual Eucharistic adoration formally begins in Avignon, France. 1297 – Battle of Stirling Bridge: Scots jointly led by William Wallace and Andrew Moray defeat the English. 1390 – Lithuanian Civil War (1389–92): The Teutonic Knights begin a five-week siege of Vilnius. 1541 – Santiago, Chile, is besieged by indigenous warriors, led by Michimalonco, to free eight indigenous chiefs held captive by the Spaniards. However, the Spaniards decapitated them and rolled their heads on the main square, horrifying the indigenous warriors, and subsequently ending the attack. 1565 – Ottoman forces retreat from Malta ending the Great Siege of Malta. 1609 – Henry Hudson arrives on Manhattan Island and meets the indigenous people living there. 1649 – Siege of Drogheda ends: Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentarian troops take the town and execute its garrison. 1683 – Battle of Vienna: Coalition forces, including the famous winged Hussars, led by Polish King John III Sobieski lift the siege laid by Ottoman forces. 1697 – Battle of Zenta: a major engagement in the Great Turkish War (1683–1699) and one of the most decisive defeats in Ottoman history. 1708 – Charles XII of Sweden stops his march to conquer Moscow outside Smolensk, marking the turning point in the Great Northern War. The army is defeated nine months later in the Battle of Poltava, and the Swedish Empire ceases to be a major power. 1709 – Battle of Malplaquet: Great Britain, Netherlands, and Austria fight against France. 1714 – Siege of Barcelona: Barcelona, capital city of Catalonia, surrenders to Spanish and French Bourbon armies in the War of the Spanish Succession. 1758 – Battle of Saint Cast: France repels British invasion during the Seven Years' War. 1775 – Benedict Arnold's expedition to Quebec leaves Cambridge, Massachusetts. 1776 – British–American peace conference on Staten Island fails to stop nascent American Revolutionary War. 1777 – American Revolutionary War: Battle of Brandywine: The British celebrate a major victory in Chester County, Pennsylvania. 1780 – American Revolutionary War: Sugarloaf Massacre: A small detachment of militia from Northampton County are attacked by Native Americans and Loyalists near Little Nescopeck Creek. 1786 – The beginning of the Annapolis Convention. 1789 – Alexander Hamilton is appointed the first United States Secretary of the Treasury. 1792 – The Hope Diamond is stolen along with other French crown jewels when six men break into the house where they are stored. 1800 – The Maltese National Congress Battalions are disbanded by British Civil Commissioner Alexander Ball. 1802 – France annexes the Kingdom of Piedmont. 1803 – Battle of Delhi, during the Second Anglo-Maratha War, between British troops under General Lake, and Marathas of Scindia's army under General Louis Bourquin. 1813 – War of 1812: British troops arrive in Mount Vernon and prepare to march to and invade Washington, D.C. 1814 – War of 1812: The climax of the Battle of Plattsburgh, a major United States victory in the war. 1826 – Captain William Morgan, an ex-freemason is arrested in Batavia, New York for debt after declaring that he would publish The Mysteries of Free Masonry, a book against Freemasonry. This sets into motion the events that led to his mysterious disappearance. 1829 – An expedition led by Isidro Barradas at Tampico, sent by the Spanish crown to retake Mexico, surrenders at the Battle of Tampico, marking the effective end of Mexico's campaign for independence. 1830 – Anti-Masonic Party convention; one of the first American political party conventions. 1836 – The Riograndense Republic is proclaimed by rebels after defeating Empire of Brazil's troops in the Battle of Seival, during the Ragamuffin War. 1851 – Christiana Resistance: Escaped slaves led by William Parker fight off and kill a slave owner who, with a federal marshal and an armed party, sought to seize three of his former slaves in Christiana, Pennsylvania, thereby creating a cause célèbre between slavery proponents and abolitionists. 1852 – Outbreak of Revolution of September 11 resulting in the State of Buenos Aires declaring independence as a Republic. 1857 – The Mountain Meadows massacre: Mormon settlers and Paiutes massacre 120 pioneers at Mountain Meadows, Utah. 1881 – In the Swiss state of Glarus, a rockslide buries parts of the village of Elm, destroying 83 buildings and killing 115 people. 1897 – After months of pursuit, generals of Menelik II of Ethiopia capture Gaki Sherocho, the last king of the Kaffa. 1903 – The first race at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wisconsin is held. It is the oldest major speedway in the world. 1905 – The Ninth Avenue derailment occurs in New York City, killing 13. 1914 – World War I: Australia invades German New Guinea, defeating a German contingent at the Battle of Bita Paka. 1914 – The Second Period of Russification: The teaching of the Russian language and Russian history in Finnish schools was ordered to be considerably increased as part of the forced Russification program in Finland run by Tsar Nicholas II. 1916 – The Quebec Bridge's central span collapses, killing 11 men. The bridge previously collapsed completely on August 29, 1907. 1919 – United States Marine Corps invades Honduras. 1921 – Nahalal, the first moshav in Palestine, is settled as part of a Zionist plan of creating a Jewish state, later to be Israel. 1922 – The Treaty of Kars is ratified in Yerevan, Armenia. 1941 – Construction begins on The Pentagon. 1941 – Charles Lindbergh's Des Moines Speech accusing the British, Jews and FDR's administration of pressing for war with Germany. 1943 – World War II: German troops occupy Corsica and Kosovo-Metohija ending the Italian occupation of Corsica. 1944 – World War II: The Western Allied invasion of Germany begins near the city of Aachen. 1944 – World War II: RAF bombing raid on Darmstadt and the following firestorm kill 11,500. 1945 – World War II: Australian 9th Division forces liberate the Japanese-run Batu Lintang camp, a POW and civilian internment camp on the island of Borneo. 1954 – Hurricane Edna hits New England (United States) as a Category 2 hurricane, causing significant damage and 29 deaths. 1961 – Hurricane Carla strikes the Texas coast as a Category 4 hurricane, the second strongest storm ever to hit the state. 1965 – Indo-Pakistani War: The Indian Army captures the town of Burki, just southeast of Lahore. 1967 – China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) launched an attack on Indian posts at Nathu La, Sikkim, India, which resulted in military clashes. 1968 – Air France Flight 1611 crashes off Nice, France, killing 89 passengers and six crew. 1970 – The Dawson's Field hijackers release 88 of their hostages. The remaining hostages, mostly Jews and Israeli citizens, are held until September 25. 1971 – The Egyptian Constitution becomes official. 1972 – The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit system begins passenger service. 1973 – A coup in Chile, headed by General Augusto Pinochet, topples the democratically elected president Salvador Allende. Pinochet exercises dictatorial power until ousted in a referendum in 1988, staying in power until 1990. 1973 – JAT Airways Flight 769 crashes into the Maganik mountain range while on approach to Titograd Airport, killing 35 passengers and six crew. 1974 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 crashes in Charlotte, North Carolina, killing 69 passengers and two crew. 1976 – A bomb planted by a Croatian terrorist, Zvonko Bušić, is found at New York's Grand Central Terminal; one NYPD officer is killed trying to defuse it. 1980 – A new constitution of Chile is established under the influence of then Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, which is subject to controversy in Chile today. 1982 – The international forces that were guaranteeing the safety of Palestinian refugees following Israel's 1982 Invasion of Lebanon leave Beirut. Five days later, several thousand refugees are massacred in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps by Phalange forces. 1989 – Hungary announces that the East German refugees who had been housed in temporary camps were free to leave for West Germany. 1991 – Continental Express Flight 2574 crashes in Colorado County, Texas, near Eagle Lake, killing 11 passengers and three crew. 1992 – Hurricane Iniki, one of the most damaging hurricanes in United States history, devastates the Hawaiian Islands of Kauai and Oahu. 1997 – NASA's Mars Global Surveyor reaches Mars. 1997 – After a nationwide referendum, Scotland votes to establish a devolved parliament within the United Kingdom. 2001 – The September 11 attacks, a series of coordinated terrorist attacks killing 2,977 people using four aircraft hijacked by 19 members of al-Qaeda. Two aircraft crash into the World Trade Center in New York City, a third crashes into The Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, and a fourth into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. 2007 – Russia tests the largest conventional weapon ever, the Father of All Bombs. 2008 – A major Channel Tunnel fire breaks out on a freight train, resulting in the closure of part of the tunnel for six months. 2011 – The National September 11 Memorial & Museum opens on the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. 2012 – A total of 315 people are killed in two garment factory fires in Pakistan. 2012 – The U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya is attacked, resulting in four deaths. 2015 – A crane collapses onto the Masjid al-Haram mosque in Saudi Arabia, killing 111 people and injuring 394 others.

[orbemnews]

Lukashenko says documents about Ryanair flight will reveal 'what's going on' as Putin underlines his support for Belarus A Ryanair flight traveling from Athens to the Lithuanian capital Vilnius was intercepted and forced to land in Minsk as it overflew Belarus on Sunday. When it landed, prominent opposition activist Roman Protasevich and his Russian partner Sofia Sapega, who were on the flight, were both detained. Ahead of closed-door talks between the two strongmen leaders in Sochi on Friday, Lukashenko told Putin while gesturing to a briefcase that he brought documents to show Russia “what is going on” regarding the incident. Lukashenko claims that the flight was diverted because of a bomb threat, saying the threat had originated in Switzerland, allegations that Swiss authorities refute. The email indicating a bomb threat was sent 30 minutes after Lithuanian officials received the signal from Minsk to land the Vilnius-bound plane, according to Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda. “The initial signal came from Minsk airport with the requirement to land in Minsk airport, and this signal came 30 minutes earlier than the email,” Nausėda told CNN on Friday. “So this is the reason, mismatch between the information presented officially, and the true information. This mismatch shows that it is misinformation, and we cannot just keep it for true.” US warns airlines to ‘exercise extreme caution’ when flying over Belarus The European Union has banned Belarus-registered carriers flying to and from European airports and urged European airlines to avoid Belarus airspace. The bloc is also mulling fresh sanctions against Belarus. The decision to ban Belarus-registered carriers was a “painful” to make as “this kind of transport generates the hard currency” for Belarus, Nausėda said. Nausėda said the action was directed at the Belarusian regime and oligarchs, not the Belarusian people or members of the opposition. US aviation authorities on Friday warned airlines “to exercise extreme caution” when flying over Belarus. A notice issued by the Federal Aviation Administration will remain in effect until it “can better assess the circumstances” around the incident. “FAA evaluation of the pending international investigation report is necessary to determine the associated safety implications for U.S. civil passenger-carrying operations” in the airspace, it said. On Thursday, the International Civil Aviation Organization said it would carry out an investigation into the diversion of the flight, while at least two European carriers say they were refused permission to fly to Moscow by Russian authorities after they requested to fly an alternative route bypassing Belarusian airspace. Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency said in a statement on Friday that it has issued a notice notifying airlines that changing previously approved routes from and to Europe through Russian airspace may result in longer clearance times due to an increase in requests. During the meeting between the two strongmen, Lukashenko told Putin, “You know, there are always those who want to throw problems at us.” “Taking advantage of such a trusting relationship as I have with you, I brought some documents. I’ll show them to you so that you understand what’s going on,” said Lukashenko, later adding, “I will show you some documents, you will understand what is happening there and what happened. There is an attempt to swing the situation up to the level of August last year.” Last August, Lukashenko’s disputed reelection sparked some of the biggest anti-government demonstrations in Belarus’ recent history. Protasevich was one of dozens of Belarusian journalists and activists campaigning in exile against Lukashenko’s 27-year grip. Protasevich, 26, is the founder of the Telegram channel Nexta, which helped mobilize anti-Lukashenko protests, and is on a government wanted list for terrorism. Putin told Lukashenko on Friday that there was not an international outcry in 2013 a plane carrying Bolivia’s president was forced to land in Austria after false rumors circulated that former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden was aboard the aircraft. Earlier this week, Lukashenko described the attacks on Belarus as modern hybrid warfare. “The West has moved from (organizing) revolts to strangling the country,” Lukashenko told the Belarusian parliament. “As we predicted, our ill-wishers both outside and inside the country, have changed their methods of attacking the Belarusian state. They have crossed a lot of red lines and transgressed the limits of common sense and common morality.” The G7 group of the world’s wealthiest nations on Thursday added its voice to the international condemnation of Belarus’s actions, issuing a joint statement that called the move a “serious attack on the rules governing civil aviation,” . In the statement, the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US, as well as the High Representative of the EU demanded the “immediate and unconditional release of (Roman Protasevich), as well as all other journalists and political prisoners held in Belarus,” condemning the actions by Belarusian authorities “in the strongest terms.” CNN’s Kara Fox, Stephanie Halasz, Tim Lister and Zahra Ullah contributed to this report. Source link Orbem News #Belarus #documents #flight #Lukashenko #Putin #Reveal #Ryanair #Support #underlines #Whats

[lithuanias]

Na Żywo

Title: Na Żywo  Pairing: Lithuania/Poland Rating: PG-13 Warnings: Temporary character deaths, blood, homophobic terminology Word Count: 5,610 Summary: Lithuania becomes impulsive when Poland’s life is on the line. Notes: This is my atrociously late @lietpolsecretsanta for @eternal-night-owl I will give the prompt at the end of the fic because it really gives the plot away. Hope you like it!

Milk swirled into the bowl filled with chocolate cereal, quickly turning from white to a light brown.

The sky just changed color in the east with most of the sky above Warsaw still dark. Poland groaned and lowered the top of his French press. He added milk and sugar to his coffee. It was getting harder and harder to wake up every morning, a combination of everything going on in the country and the shorter daylight hours.

He sat down at his small kitchen table and dipped his spoon into his cereal. Something seemed out of place.

Kurwa.

Poland shuffled to this door, picked up the morning newspaper from his welcome mat, and plopped back down at the table with a frown on his face at both the morning and the headline. His cereal turned too soggy for his liking.

His phone buzzed, and his heart jumped at the thought of going into work early again.

Thank God, it wasn’t his work phone. It was his personal.

He picked up and turned on the speaker. “Hello?”

“Good morning, Poland!” said Lithuania. “Is everything alright?”

“Liet…!” Poland rubbed his eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine. Morning.”

“I had to be the one to call you. Are you tired?”

“Yeah.” Poland sat down at the table and opened the newspaper. “You sound happy.”

“It’s my turn to bring Monday coffee.”

“I wish I had a latte,” Poland groaned. “My cereal is inedible.”

“Did you pour the milk before you got the paper again?”

“Mmhmm.” Poland ate a spoonful of the soggy cereal and cringed. “You used to get the paper. That’s why my milk never got soggy.”

“And I’ve been living in Vilnius for almost two years.”

“You know that you can still—”

“Poland—”

“What?”

“Don’t tell me to move back.”

Poland rubbed his forehead. “It’s too early to argue.” And I’m too tired. Poland sipped his coffee and read a column on the first page. “Ugh, this group is at it again.”

“Which one?”

“PP.” Suspect in Newspaper Firebomb Is a Member of Poland First. Suspect Monika P. was arrested at her home in Legionowo.

“Why won’t the government do anything about them?”

“They have friends in high places.”

Poland turned the page and read, The president of Poland First, Marcin Szymczak, strongly condemned the actions of the suspect.

“They sound like they’re dangerous,” said Lithuania. Poland heard the faint ticking of a car blinker in the background. “And with their membership increasing…Whatever, I technically shouldn’t have opinions on your domestic issues.”

“I know.” Poland reached across the table for his planner and looked at his schedule. “Maybe the Internal Security Agency will have something to say. I’m going into their offices a little bit before noon.”

“That’s a coincidence. I’m doing work for the State Security Department today.”

“Really?”

“Yes, just analyzation work as usual.”

“Oh I sometimes do that.”

The only sound heard was the blinkers and occasional car horn coming from Lithuania’s side. Poland shoved some of the cereal into his mouth and sipped more of his coffee. Lithuania should be the one talking, right? He was the one who called…

“So…”

“I’ll be in the parking garage soon, so I’m sorry if I cut out.”

“Th-That’s okay. I was about to head off.”

“Alright. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“That sounds good.”

“Okay…Bye.”

“Bye.”

Poland hung up and pursed his lips. And he thought the conversation they had last week was awkward.

His work phone vibrated in his bag, blessedly distracting him from his thoughts.

“Hey, boss.”

“Łukasiewicz, are you awake?”

“Good morning to you too.”

“This isn’t a game. Your meeting with the ISA’s been pushed up.”

Poland set his dishes in the sink and leaned against the kitchen counter. “Pushed up? To when?”

“As soon as possible.”

Poland blinked. “As soon as possible? Is something up?”

“The message only said to head to Rakowiecka as soon as possible.”

Lithuania’s coworker took one sip of the coffee and grimaced. “I asked for soy, Laurinaitis.”

“S-Sorry, Arlauskas!” Lithuania said. “A latte for you, Nekrusienė.” He put a latte on a woman’s desk, one of the last of many.

“Thanks, Laurinaitis,” she said with a smile.

“Oh, Laurinaitis, Butkus wants to see you in his office,” Arlauskas barked from across the room.

“He does?” Lithuania set down the last coffee with a, “Here’s yours, Vilkas,” and threw out the coffee holder in the trash. “Any reason why?”

“Didn’t say.”

Upstairs, Lithuania knocked on the door of his supervisor for the day.

“Come in. Oh, close the door, Laurinaitis.”

Butkus had been working in the intelligence services since the 90s and had known Lithuania since then.

“Arlauskas said you wanted to see me,” Lithuania said.

“Yes. It’s a serious situation.”

Lithuania’s breathing grew faster, and he sat down. He had felt nothing off in his interior all weekend. “What happened?”

“We’ve received intelligence reports about that Polish extremist group in the past.”

“PP?” Lithuania said.

“Yes.” Butkus slid a manila folder across his desk. “We received a report from the ISA in Poland stating that some of their intelligence has been compromised. A hacker from PP is a suspect.”

Lithuania opened the folder. The ISA’s symbol headed the top of the paper. “That is serious—”

“And more concerning you, it’s possible that they came into contact with files about Poland.”

“About Poland?” Lithuania gasped. Only select members of the intelligence community, the head of state, and the head of government knew about the nature of nations.

“Yes, about him. We’re overhauling the security system surrounding files about you. Have you logged on today?”

“N-No, I just finished giving out coffee when I came up here.”

“You won’t be able to log on. We’ve disconnected your computer from the network until we update its security. What’s your phone’s operating system?”

“Operating system?” Lithuania pulled out his personal phone from his pocket. “I’m not sure. It’s an iPhone 3.”

Butkus raised his eyebrows. “I’m sorry, an iPhone what?”

“This sucks.”

Poland threw some socks and shirts into a suitcase and pressed the send button on his work phone. “This flight just set me back 1000 złoty. Stupid WizzAir.”

“The government should pay for that, right?” Hungary’s voice cracked through Poland’s personal phone.

“Yeah, but it’s still a lot.” Poland went into his study and pulled out his passport from his desk. “Anyway, thanks a lot for letting me stay over. I hope this doesn’t last too long.”

“Anytime. How are you feeling?”

“I probably should be scared, but this is so annoying. It’s Christmas.”

“You can spend Christmas here. I eat carp on Christmas too, you know—”

Poland rolled his eyes. “It’s not the same.”

“I know. I know.”

Poland looked at his open suitcase with his clothes haphazardly piled to the brim. “…I think I’m ready.”

“When’s your flight?”

Poland checked his work phone. “In two hours.”

“Should you be—”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m going.” Poland zipped up his suitcase and pulled it upright. “I’m calling a taxi. They told me I was at risk traveling publicly, so I can’t take the train to Chopin.”

“Have you talked to Lithuania?”

Poland bit his lip. “He called me earlier today, and oh God, it was so awkward—”

“It’s been two years—”

“I know. It’s just….I don’t know. We have nothing in common anymore.” Poland turned off the light in his living room and looked outside at the rain pattering on the window outside. Warsaw had a wet winter.

“That’s impossible. You’ve known each other for 700 years. I only asked because I wondered if he knows about this.”

“State Security Services probably know. He said he worked with them today.” Poland grabbed his keys off the counter. “Anyway, I’m leaving now. I’ll text you in the taxi.”

“Be careful, Poland. I know they’re your citizens, but these people are lunatics.”

“I mean, if they love Poland as much as they say they do, I doubt they’ll try to kill me or anything. Anyway talk to you soon.”

Lithuania’s computer screen was split into two documents. On the left side was an official Russian document several pages long. On the right was a Word document growing in length. Lithuania took a few seconds to read lines in Russian before typing the same text in Lithuanian on the other one. The rest of his coworkers in the office did something similar.

Lithuania normally did not check his personal phone while at work unless the meeting was excruciatingly boring or Poland kept blowing up his messages and he had to put his entire phone on silent.

However, this time in the corner of his desk, his phone lit up with a text message from someone else: Hungary.

Hey, has Poland texted or called you recently?

Intrigued, Lithuania responded. I called him this morning. Why?

He booked a plane to Budapest but he hasn’t messaged me at all since he left his apartment.

Budapest, but not Vilnius? When did he leave his apartment?

About an hour ago.

Lithuania looked at the clock. And you said he took a taxi there? Have you tried calling?

His phone’s off. It’s going straight to voicemail.

Impossible. Poland would never allow his phone to die during the day.

I’m taking the rest of the day off, Lithuania responded. I’ll drive to Warsaw.

The speedometer on Lithuania’s car read no lower than 140 kilometers an hour, as fast as Lithuania’s heart went. The dark woodlands of northeastern Poland flew by on either side of him. Hoping his new cars stereo system worked, Lithuania scrolled up on his center display and pressed a contact.

Please work. Please work. Please work.

“Hello?”

“Hungary! Oh thank God, you responded.”

“Lithuania? Have you left work yet?”

“I’m in Poland. Where are you?”

“Poland! How fast are you driving?”

“Um…” Lithuania looked at the speedometer. “Fast. I should be in Warsaw in a few hours.”

“Wow. I’m at the airport. My flight’s in an hour.”

“Y-You’re flying?” Lithuania couldn’t see himself taking a plane to Warsaw. He would have frantically paced back and forth in the terminal until his flight was called.

“It’s a lot faster than driving.”

Lithuania swallowed. “I know.” The next questioned bothered him for hours. S-So Poland was going to Budapest?”

“Well, yes, he called me right after his meeting with the ISA. He said he had to leave the country, and he wanted to come to Budapest.”

“To Budapest?” Lithuania’s heart deflated, but he knew that he shouldn’t whine to Hungary. Poland didn’t even message him after his meeting. “My supervisor mentioned that we have the ISA involved.”

“Anything else?”

“That’s it. They might be formulating a plan as we speak. I’m just…” Lithuania sighed. “I’m scared for Poland. He must be so scared. You know how shy he is.”

“You sons of bitches, let me go!”

When Poland came to, he found himself in—presumably—an apartment in Warsaw with a blindfold over his eyes. No one had bothered to remove the jacket and scarf he wore outside and sweat dripped down his forehead as a result. His hands were tied up in duct tape; he could easily wrest himself free, but if he did, then he might get stabbed or shot. In other words, not get very far.

“The paperwork never mentioned he had a temper.” Poland recognized the soft voice—one of PP’s representative he’d heard on TV. Marcin Szymczak?

“Personality doesn’t matter,” a harsher voice responded to Szymczak. “His actions are a disgrace to the nation.”

Poland rolled his eyes. “You’re a disgrace. Why are you doing this?”

“Shut up, you—”

“Quiet,” Szymczak said. “Go call Tomek in the other room.”

The other man grumbled and left, slamming the door behind him. Szymczak sighed.

“Pawel can be a bit zealous,” he told Poland. “He wanted to hurt you when you first arrived, but I still respect you as the Polish nation.”

“Kidnapping me isn’t respect,” Poland snapped.

“You don’t agree with our methods. That’s to be expected.”

Poland stiffened as Szymczak stepped forward and touched the back of his head. “Wh-Wha—” Poland’s blindfold came off. Szymczak looked as well-groomed and well-dressed as he appeared in front of the cameras. A smart shirt and pants, his light brown hair slick backed—it must’ve been his outfit when he worked as a financial analyst in London.

“What’s the point of kidnapping me? You know intelligence agencies are onto you.”

“Nothing’s happened to groups like ours for a while.” Szymczak sat in a leather chair across the room from Poland.

Poland took one look around the room—at the bookshelves, oak desk, and the iMac. “Is this your home office?” he asked.

“Yes,” Szymczak said. “Most of our supporters don’t know that we have you. Only our computer experts and other higher-ups know of your existence.”

“Then what’s the damn point of keeping me if your followers don’t know about it?” Poland said.

“We don’t just want our followers to know about it. If we told our followers about you, they would rip you apart. No, we want the entire country to know about you.”

Shocked, Poland blurted out the most obvious thing. “That’s classified information!”

“We are aware of this. However, we find it imperative that the country knows you and your actions, which in my opinion do not befit the Polish nation.”

Poland blinked slowly. “…What?”

“We read your file. Your actions towards other nations in the past have been…inappropriate.”

“Oh. My. God.” Poland rolled his eyes for the second time in the room. “I already explained this to my boss.”

“Your friendliness towards Lithuania and Ukraine in light of their treatment of our countrymen, your…relationship with Lithuania. Although, he doesn’t live with you anymore so that’s a plus—”

Poland had explained this so many times that he felt nothing when a government official or someone else expressed concern about his sex life.

“You know, it’s funny that you’re what…thirty?” said Poland. “And you’re bringing up historical problems that you haven’t even lived through. Do you even remember communism? I do, and I remember World War II and the partitions and Grunwald. I knew Pilsudski and Mickiewicz and Jagiello. I’m over a thousand years old. I know more about myself than you and anyone else alive. And by the way, who I fuck is no one’s business.”

Szymczak was silent for a few moments before responding, “It’s a shame we don’t see eye to eye. It seems that you’re quite eloquent, not that I should be surprised. But unfortunately, your actions are still not appropriate. We cannot have someone like you representing the nation. In conclusion, a new Poland, other than you, must be reborn.”

But that’s not how it—Wait a minute…Poland opened his mouth to speak and then closed it. They hadn’t stolen all of his information then. He could use this to his advantage.

“I-I must be reborn?” Poland said, feigning fear.

“For the good of Poland,” Szymczak said. “You know our motto.”

“Dla lepszego narodu.” For a better nation. “So…I must die for the good of Poland?”

“That is what we believe, yes. I know that it’s harsh for you, considering you’ve lived for over 1000 years. But your sacrifice would be for the good of the country and the good of Europe.”

Poland pretended to look shocked.

“If…I have to die for the good of Poland…then…” He closed his eyes. “So be it.”

“So be it,” Szymczak repeated and put the blindfold back on Poland.

The green sign on the side of the road read Warszawa. He had slowed down significantly a few hundred miles ago, as the sun set and Lithuania felt uncomfortable driving so fast in the dark.

“I’m finally in Warsaw,” he told Hungary over the phone.

“Finally.” She had arrived in Poland three hours before. “I spoke with an ISA officer when I arrived. They have a plan to rescue Poland.”

“Alright.” Lithuania looked at the clock in his car. “Where do you want us to meet? Rakowiecka?”

“No, there’s a safe apartment in Śródmieście. A few blocks away on Chmielna. I’ll text you the address.”

Lithuania calculated how long it would take from across the river to one of Warsaw’s most southern districts. “I’ll catch you there. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Now that he was in Poland, Lithuania’s car picked up Polish radio show. Currently, it had automatically switched to Polskie Radio.

At this hour, the Vistula was pitch-black as Lithuania drove over the river, lights from the businesses on the riverfront reflecting across the water.

Compared to earlier (and partially because he slowed down the car), Lithuania’s breathing significantly slowed down. Calm down, Lithuania thought. You’re in Warsaw. Poland will be safe. He breathed out. Everything is going to be alright.

The radio blathered on and on about domestic Polish politics.

“We interrupt our daily broadcast for an emergency announcement.”

Lithuania passed through Nowe Bemowo. He turned up the volume.

“It appears that our colleagues at Wiadomośći TVP have been displaced from the newsroom a few minutes before their nine o’clock broadcast.”

“Displaced?” Lithuania asked out loud.

“They are currently safe in their offices. A group has taken control of the newsroom. We do not know if they will make an announcement.”

Lithuania wanted to call Hungary, but he didn’t want to lose the announcement on the radio either. He reached across the car to grab his phone and call—

“Because TVP is our television branch, we have now information about the—”

Something large crashed into the recording studio.

“PUT YOUR ARMS UP AND LEAVE IMMEDIATELY.”

Some yelling and more crashing sounded from the radio. People on the sidewalk checked their phones in confusion, no doubt receiving notifications as a news headline.

The noise from the radio studio ceased, and instead, a calm voice flowed from Lithuania’s stereo.

“We apologize for the interruption to our regularly scheduled program. Please stand by for an important announcement.” The radio station played an instrumental version of the Polish national anthem.

Pulling up to a red light, Lithuania took out his phone from his center console and called Hungary.

“Hello?”

“Are you hearing this?” Lithuania said.

“It might have to do with Feliks,” said Hungary.

“What?”

“I can’t say more. I’m in a meeting. I’m sorry. Just meet us three blocks away from the TVP studio where Poland is being held.”

“Where’s that? Aren’t they in Mokotów?”

Hungary asked someone else in Polish. “Not the studio for Wiadomośći. Plac Powstańców Warszawy. It’s in Śródmieście. You can’t miss it. We’ll meet you there.” Hungary ended the call.

Śródmieście! Lithuania pressed his foot to the gas. That was a twenty-minute drive with the current traffic, from the north to downtown Warsaw.

Forget about the police. Warsaw was bright enough anyway so at least Lithuania could see.

Poland, like Hungary and Lithuania, was a nation. He could not die, at least, not permanently unless the Polish nation and its people was erased from existence. He could be stabbed, shot, drowned, tortured, and somehow be revived as fit and healthy as before.

Still, as someone who had experienced all of that during his life, Lithuania found it deeply unpleasant. Despite immortality, nations did not seek pain.

Which made the thought of Poland being threatened or tortured worse to Lithuania. He may never die but Lithuania did not want to see him hurt either.

On the third loop of Mazurek Dabrowskiego, the song stopped in the middle of the third verse.

“My fellow Poles.”

Lithuania turned up the volume to its highest setting.

“We believe that today is a day to begin a new Poland. As such, one of our own has uncovered a government secret that will change how you view the country forever—”

Oh no.

A sea of news vehicles and cameras from private Polish media organizations and foreign news organizations crowded a few blocks away from TVP studios.

Lithuania shut off the car and entered the apartment complex.

“Laurinaitis is here!” Hungary exclaimed, pulling Lithuania into a massive hug. Unlike the others in the room, she wore no protective armor nor even carried a weapon.

“Toris! You finally came.” She disengaged from the hug. “This is Baranowski,” she said, gesturing to a man with a bulletproof vest in the middle of the room.

“You must be Lithuania,” said Baranowski, going over to him. He shook Lithuania’s hand. “Rafał Baranowski. I’ll be leading the mission. I trust you’ll be staying here.”

“No!” Lithuania said. “I want to be involved in the raid.”

“Do you have any military experience?” a blond agent asked scornfully.

“Do you remember the Battle of Vienna?” Lithuania snapped. The other agent gave him an incredulous look in response.

“Laurinaitis’ position is similar to Hedervary and Łukasiewicz’s,” Baranowski explained. “He’s been here for a while. Give him a vest, Taser, and gun. Now remember, this is a rescue situation, not a hostage one. We don’t know how many TVP workers are trapped inside, but PP has not made any indication that they are hostages nor have they entered into negotiations with us. Łukasiewicz should be in the studio for Wiadomośći in the TVP building.” The scornful agent handed Lithuania a Taser. “The fortunate part is that the members of PP involved is so small that we should be able to enter the building with ease. The priority is to get him off of television. If he gets shot, so be it.”

Lithuania flinched at the idea of Poland getting hurt, but it was true. Poland could survive a bullet to the head.

“We want him alive or dead?” asked another agent.

“Yes, because…wait, what level clearance do you have?”

As Lithuania threw on the bulletproof vest and body armor, Baranowski explained the plan. Baranowski, Lithuania, and the others would conduct a straight-up rescue mission through the headquarters. Snipers would be set up on the roofs of nearby buildings in case of emergencies. The fact that it was dark outside worked to their advantage.

As they moved to leave, Lithuania looked over at Hungary, who was still sitting on a chair without a vest or weapon. “You’re not going?”

Hungary shook her head. “I didn’t get approval from my boss to go on this raid.”

Lithuania gulped. “O-Oh…”

“Did…you not ask for your boss’ approval?”

Lithuania blushed and felt idiotic. “I...never thought of that…” He got permission to go to Warsaw and ran out of the office as quick as he could.

“I know you want to save Poland, but should you be getting involved in this without permission?”

Lithuania gestured at his bullet-proof vest and the weapons on his belt. “I think it’s a little too late to turn back now.”

Hungary stared at him oddly. “Huh…” she said. “If I remember correctly, you’ve almost always followed rules to a T, especially if it comes to your boss.”

She had a point. After all, he even made dinner for his President the night France hosted a massive Halloween party.

“But…” Lithuania said the first thing that popped into his head. “Poland isn’t my boss.”

“Everyone, out!” Baranowski yelled. “We’re heading to the main building. Our target is the studio for Wiadomośći.”

The studio that held Poland was, thankfully, much smaller than the monstrous TVP building in Mokotow Lithuania had seen on occasion. It stood in a non-descript white building in a square. Snipers crouched on the nearby bank building and helicopters buzzed overhead.

After entering the building through a side entrance, their group of ten split off into groups of five. The scornful agent who asked about Lithuania, named Karnowski, led Lithuania’s group.

They silently paced through the pale hallways, the only sound coming from their shoes and gripping their weapons. Fluorescent lights flickered above them.

It was deserted.

“Clear,” said Karnowski, closing the door on the fifth room they came across on the second floor.

“We’ve confirmed that they’re in this complex, right?” another agent in their group said. His name was Lewicki.

“We’ve confirmed that they’re clearly broadcasting from the Wiadomośći studio,” Karnowski said. “Now the only question is where the—”

Bang! Bang! Bang! from the floor below.

“Sudas!”

“Live fire!

“One of us is down!” Baranowski said over the various shots in the room. “All of the workers were taken here. PP is returning live ammu—”

His radio cut out.

“Kurwa, kurwa,” muttered Karnowski, his eyes wide in concern. “They need our help.”

“Laurinaitis! We’ll reinforce them. You, head to Studio Wiadomośći.”

As quickly as Lithuania nodded, the other four fled down the hallway and left.

Studio Wiadomośći.

The first thing Lithuania tried to find was the staircase going up. The notes they went over aid that the studio was on the third floor of the complex. He found a stairwell and pulled out his Taser.

Lithuania stopped and heard footsteps outside of the door leading to the third floor.

“So do you really think that Szymczak managed to get the actual personification of the country?” one of them asked.

He must have been talking through a radio because the next thing Lithuania heard was, “I know. This sounds idiotic.”

He stopped outside of the door.

“Geez, I hope no one’s dead—”

Lithuania threw open the door.

“Hey—!”

Lithuania fired the Taser, and the man screamed before dropping to the floor.

Shit.

Lithuania bolted down the hallway, hoping and praying that he headed in the right direction to the studio. The man’s scream should have alerted other guards in the building.

His feet pounded the floor. His eyes scanned every door he passed by just in case it led to the studio. Footsteps

Wiadomośći…Wiadomośći…Wiado—Oh that’s TVP Info.

He turned a corner and saw the sign on the door.

Studio Wiadomośći.

He opened the studio door just a crack, and then wider and wider. Szymczak sat at the presenter’s table, still continuing with his speech. In the seat next to him sat Poland with his arms tied behind his back.

“By eliminating this man, we are ushering in the era of a new Poland. The new Poland will represent Polish interests everywhere, stand up against nations who have wronged us, and…”

But something was off. There was a certain coyness to Poland’s expression underneath that fear. Lithuania had seen Poland truly terrified in the past. What was he playing at?”

“It is time for this news Poland to be born.” Szymczak then pulled out a pistol and laid it on the table. Poland gulped but otherwise made no other motion.

Forgetting all years of training, Lithuania slammed the door open. “FELIKS!”

Everyone, from the crew to Szymczak and Poland, snapped their attention Lithuania. Poland’s face shocked Lithuania most of all. It was a combination of shock and…a hint of anger, like Lithuania had ruined some grand plan of his.

Szymczak put the gun to Poland’s head and pulled the trigger.

“NO!” screamed Lithuania. “POLAND, NO—”

A stinging sensation landed in Lithuania’s head as all sound stopped. ISA agents poured into the room from all sides, and the room went dark.

“S-Sir, he’s breathing again—”

Lithuania’s eyesight fell in and out of focus, staring up at the ceiling.

“Wh-What…”

Out of the corner of Lithuania’s vision, two armed men tackled Szymczak and others to the ground.

“Can someone check on Łukasiewicz?”

An agent stepped behind the news podium to look at Poland’s body. “He’ll take some time.”

“Ugh…agh!” A sharp pain jolted through Lithuania’s skull; his body rejected the bullet. It fell with a small clatter onto the floor.

“How do you feel, Laurinaitis?” asked the agent

“Like I got shot in the head.” Lithuania managed to send his body into a sitting position. Blood splattered on his face, helmet, and the front of his bulletproof vest.

“He’s moving again!”

With groans, the gory figure stood up behind the podium, his once-honey blond hair caked with red.

“Wh-Where am…Liet?” Poland squinted, whether from the pain or surprise. “What’re you doing here?”

“Poland…” Lithuania forced himself onto his knees, holding one side of his head.

With his body still gripping the podium, Poland staggered around to the other side. “L-Liet…Liet!” As if realizing the fact that Lithuania had been shot, he stumbled in Lithuania’s direction. “You’re hurt!”

“I-I’m fine. Don’t hurt yourself, Po!”

Poland crawled on his hands and knees to Lithuania. “You came all the way here…?”

“Y-Yeah…”

Poland stopped in front of Lithuania. “Liet.” He put his hand on the side of Lithuania’s head. “Liet, you’re hurt.”

“It was just a flesh wound for us. Po…” Like Poland, Lithuania rested his hand on Poland’s cheek.

“I…You ruined my plan!”

“What?!”

“You weren’t supposed to save me! I wanted to get shot!”

Lithuania stared at him. “What?”

“Szymczak doesn’t know that we revive! I was gonna play dead until the cameras stopped rolling and I’d scare the shit out of him!”

“You’re still alive?!” Szymczak yelled from across the room. He had his wrists in handcuffs. “I shot you in the head.”

“Shut up, dumbass,” Poland snapped.

After millions in Poland and abroad witnessed Poland (or in their eyes, an innocent man) being murdered on national television, public opinion quickly turned against Poland First. The organization headquarters had been raided by the ISA, the most prominent members arrested, and the organization forcibly disbanded.

The fire crackled in the electric fireplace as Hungary, Poland, and Lithuania sat in chairs around it. Poland had given each of them a bottle of Żywiec that he had in the fridge. After Hungary bombarded Poland with hugs and cries of “I saw the whole thing!” they decided to stay inside Poland’s apartment as it seemed all of Warsaw was turned upside down.

“How long do you two have to stay here?” asked Hungary.

“At least a day,” said Lithuania. “They want to check for footage of me being shot or recorded.”

Hungary frowned. “That’s understandable.” She turned to Poland. “How about you?”

Poland sighed. “A week. I’m basically under house arrest while the investigation is ongoing.”

Lithuania turned to Poland. “What will you do?”

Poland shrugged. “I dunno. Play piano. Watch the news. Read.”

“Well,” Hungary set down her empty bottle, “I’m out.”

“Hungary!”

Hungary stood up. “You two. Make up. Now.”

Poland looked like he had seen a ghost. “Wh-Where’re you going?”

“I have a flight to Vienna.” Hungary gathered her bags. “And please only message me when you’re done.” She left the room.

“Well…”

Poland looked at the ceiling.

“So uhh…you weren’t acting like yourself.”

“Hungary made that remark earlier too!” Lithuania said. “What’s so hard to believe about that?”

“I dunno. The Liet I know would risk life and limb to save me from terrorists. But without getting permission from his boss?”

“Did Hungary tell you that?”

Lithuania checked his phone for the first time in hours, His boss left no less than thirty messages. “Oh…”

“Well…thanks,” Poland said. “For saving me. Even if you did ruin my plan.”

“Ah yes…your plan.” Lithuania chuckled. “And that was…?”

“To let him shoot me.”

“Anyway?! Why?”

Lithuania sighed. “I didn’t come in time.”

Poland chuckled. “Not every life and death situation has to be a repeat of Grunwald.”

“You were still shot.”

“We were both shot. That also wasn’t a part of my plan” Poland took a sip of his beer. “Hungary also said that…” His hands flexed around the glass. “…You acted a little funny when she mentioned that I was on my way to Budapest.”

Lithuania blushed, whether from the alcohol or embarrassment. “…Yes. I mean.” He sighed. “I tried not to show it.”

“What was that about?” Poland asked.

“Err…” Lithuania watched the beer swirl in his glass. “You didn’t talk to me after you found out. I would have offered you a place to stay.”

“You could’ve called me yourself,” said Poland.

“That…” Lithuania wanted to kick himself; it took hours for Poland to tell him the most obvious solution. How stupid. Even if Poland’s life wasn’t at risk, his hostile countrymen found out his existence. “…Makes sense.”

Poland bit his lip. “You called me earlier today, but that conversation was…”

“Not good.”

“So what are we?” Poland blurted out. “We’ve been talking like that for the past few months.”

“Friends,” Lithuania said immediately.

Poland felt like rolling his eyes. Friends would be a massive understatement for what they went through—and had done, to put it lightly—together.

“Do friends have awkward conversations like four times a week?”

“I am not moving back in with you,” said Lithuania.

“I never said you should move back in.” Poland hated it when Lithuania moved out, but he wondered why Lithuania made that assumption.

“You keep alluding to it,” Lithuania said.

“Because I miss you,” Poland said.

He blushed. He shouldn’t be blushing. “I don’t want you to move back with me, but can’t I be allowed to miss you?”

The fire continued to crackle as Lithuania took a large gulp of his beer.

“I’m sorry, Poland.

Poland checked his watch. “Well, it’s getting late. I think I’ll be heading to bed.”

“Thank you for the drink.” Lithuania set his glass down. He froze, his expression like a deer in the headlights. “Was my car impounded?”

“You can stay here,” Poland said. “Your spare bedroom is still here.”

“Thank you.” Lithuania stood up. “I think I’ll go to bed now too. I’ll see wherever my car is tomorrow. Are you going to your bedroom?”

Poland nodded. “Yeah, I think I’ll stay in my bedroom tonight.”

By the time morning dawned, Poland had curled up in Lithuania’s chest.

Prompt: A terrorist group with a grudge against nations kidnaps Poland and wants to shoot him on live TV. Lithuania goes to save him and they get shot together.

[newstfionline]

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Watchdog: US forced deported parents to leave kids behind (AP) A government watchdog says the Trump administration, under its practice of separating families at the border, forced migrant parents to leave the U.S. without their children, contradicting claims by officials that parents were willingly leaving them behind. The Department of Homeland Security Inspector General said in a report released Monday that it found at least 348 cases in which Immigration and Customs Enforcement had no records showing migrants wanted to leave their children in the U.S. It also found “some” cases in which agency officials deported parents even while knowing they wanted to take their children with them. That contradicted assertions by senior DHS officials that parents were choosing to leave their children in the U.S. to stay with family or for other reasons while they were deported in 2017 and 2018 as the administration sought to enforce a hard-line approach to immigration enforcement. The findings, issued by Trump-appointed Inspector General Joseph Cuffari, provide new insight into a policy that became a significant political crisis for the previous administration and a continuing challenge for the current one, which is working to reunite children who remain separated even now. “Those who conceived of this travesty will have to live with the memory of their cruelty for the rest of their lives,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat who is chair of the Judiciary Committee and requested the report.

In Mexico, drop in life expectancy linked to drug cartel violence (Worldcrunch) Crime in Mexico related to gangs and drug cartels is believed to have shortened the lifespan of the country's residents, according to a new study. The National Police report has found that life expectancy fell by one to six months in the five-year period beginning in 2005, as a veritable war began between the government and drug traffickers, Milenio newspaper reported this week. The report also found that life expectancy dropped six months to one year in 10 of the country's 32 states that are most affected by gang-related violence. Though the report did not clarify whether crime had continued to cut life expectancy in the subsequent 10 years, the World Bank put life expectancy in Mexico at just over 75 years in 2019, confirming a decline from 75.3 years in 2005. Milenio cited a poll by Inegi, the national statistics office, that found that 40% of all Mexicans could hear "frequent gunfire" in their locality in late 2020, though this hovered around 75% in crime hotspots like the districts of Iztapalapa and Chimalhuacán on the edge of Mexico City. Violence in Mexico rose sharply from 2006 after the conservative president Felipe Calderón declared war on the cartels. His approach was criticized but several changes of strategy have yet to bring crime back down.

Peru’s Shining Path rebels kill at least 14 ahead of vote—military (Reuters) Leftist Shining Path militants killed at least 14 people, including two children, in a remote region of Peru known for coca production and burned some of the bodies beyond recognition, the military said on Monday. The military called the murders “an act of genocide” and said the Shining Path had previously labeled such attacks a form of “social cleansing.” The statement assured Peruvians of “a secure electoral process.” The incident took place in a region called Valle de los Rios Apurimac, Ene y Mantaro (VRAEM), where 75% of cocaine is produced in the South American country, according to authorities.

As countries condemn Belarus flight diversion, critics accuse West of similar tactics (Washington Post) In an elaborate ploy, a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius on Sunday was forced to land in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, over a bomb scare that Belarusian authorities appear to have engineered. Foreign officials expressed fury over the incident. Russia, on the other hand, accused the United States of applying a double standard, pointing to instances of U.S. intervention in international travel. In July 2013, under the Obama administration, Bolivian President Evo Morales was forced to land in Austria, amid U.S. pressure, in a hunt for U.S. fugitive Edward Snowden, who was thought to be aboard. Another incident involving the United States took place in October 1985, when four U.S. Navy F14s intercepted a chartered EgyptAir flight traveling from Egypt to Tunisia. It had aboard four members of the Palestine Liberation Front, which had been involved in a cruise ship hijacking that left an American citizen dead. The plane was forced to land at the joint U.S.-Italian Sigonella Naval Air Base in Sicily, where a standoff between Navy SEALs and Italian military police ensued. The United States eventually ceded control of the situation to the Italians, and the hijackers were later found guilty in an Italian court and served various prison sentences.      Other countries have taken somewhat similar steps. In February 2010, Iranian fighter jets intercepted a plane owned by Kyrgyz company Istok-Avia traveling from Dubai to Bishkek and forced it to land at Iran’s Bandar Abbas airport, where authorities took two passengers off the plane. Some analysts see the arrest of the journalist Protasevich as part of a more recent trend—what Freedom House, a nongovernmental, nonpartisan advocacy organization, has dubbed “transnational repression.” A report released by Freedom House this year found that there had been 608 cases of “direct, physical … transnational repression” since 2014, which the organization defines as including state-sponsored assassinations, abductions and assaults that took place across international borders.

European planes skirt Belarus amid fury at dissident arrest (AP) European airlines began skirting Belarus on Tuesday at the urging of the European Union, which also imposed new sanctions to punish the ex-Soviet nation’s forced diversion of a passenger jet to arrest an opposition journalist. In unusually swift action at a summit in Brussels, EU leaders agreed Monday to ban Belarusian airlines from using the airspace and airports of the 27-nation bloc, imposed sanctions on officials linked to Sunday’s flight diversion, and urged the International Civil Aviation Organization to start an investigation into the episode some described as state terrorism or piracy.

A mobster’s online confessions are shaking Erdogan’s government. Turkey is riveted. (Washington Post) The videos are set in a tidy hotel room, with props such as prayer beads and books arranged just so. Host Sedat Peker is garrulous, menacing and more than a little grandiose. His stories—about the nexus of organized crime and politics in Turkey—are earthquakes, rumbling dangerously close these days to the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In the videos, released on his YouTube channel this month, Peker, a convicted crime boss who says he lives in exile in Dubai, has implicated current and former Turkish officials, their relatives and other prominent figures in grave crimes, including murder plots, rape and drug trafficking. Turkey has been riveted by the allegations and the boldfaced names. The videos are a sensation, each one eagerly awaited, all earning millions of views. The deluge of dirt has set off a crisis for Erdogan’s government, brought demands for investigations and even calls for the resignation of the interior minister, a star of Peker’s videos. None of the accusations have directly implicated Erdogan. But the mobster’s claims have undercut assertions by the government that it has shed the kind of underworld affiliations that characterized eras in Turkey’s past.

Thousands evacuated in India as strong cyclone inches closer (AP) Tens of thousands of people were evacuated Tuesday in low-lying areas of two Indian states and moved to cyclone shelters to escape a powerful storm barreling toward the eastern coast. Cyclone Yaas is set to turn into a “very severe cyclonic storm” with sustained wind speeds of up to 177 kilometers per hour (110 miles per hour), the India Meteorological Department said. The cyclone is expected to make landfall early Wednesday in Odisha and West Bengal states. The cyclone coming amid a devastating coronavirus surge complicates India’s efforts to deal with both just 10 days after Cyclone Tauktae hit India’s west coast and killed more than 140 people.

Countering the Coup, One Verse at a Time (NYT) After the first and second poets were killed, the third poet wrote a poem: They shoot at heads / But they do not know / That revolution lives in the heart.      After the third poet was killed, the fourth poet wrote a poem: Don’t let your blood run cold / Pool your blood for this fight.      After the fourth poet was killed, his body consumed by fire on May 14, there was no verse. At least for a moment. Poetry remains alive in Myanmar, where unconventional weapons are being used to fight a military that has killed more than 800 people since it staged a coup on Feb. 1 and ousted an elected government. Sensing the power of carefully chosen words, the generals have imprisoned more than 30 poets since the putsch, according to the National Poets’ Union. At least four have been killed. “Anti-authoritarian sentiments have always been in the flesh and blood of poets,” said U Yee Mon, a poet who also serves as the defense minister for a shadow democratic government that is challenging Myanmar’s junta from jungle redoubts. “The people with weapons are afraid of pen-wielding hands.”

Covid Origins Questioned Again (CNN/WSJ) A U.S. intelligence report states that several researchers at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology got sick in November 2019, and had to be hospitalized. This is a previously unknown detail about the severity of the researchers’ symptoms that could fuel further debate about the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. A State Department fact sheet released in the waning days of the Trump administration said only that the researchers had fallen ill in the fall of 2019, not that they had been hospitalized. China reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) that the first patient with Covid-like symptoms was recorded in Wuhan on December 8, 2019. Last month, more than a dozen foreign scientists led by the WHO gathered with Chinese counterparts to investigate the origins of the virus. The team is preparing to finalize its report, but a Wall Street Journal investigation has uncovered fresh details about the team’s formation and constraints that reveal how little power it had to conduct a thorough, impartial examination. In April, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told lawmakers that “the intelligence community does not know exactly where, when, or how Covid-19 virus was transmitted initially.” It still doesn’t know what the Wuhan researchers were actually sick with, and continues to have low confidence in its assessments of the virus’s precise origins beyond the fact that it came from China. “At the end of the day, there is still nothing definitive,” said one of the people who has seen the intelligence.

Tokyo’s Olympic hopes (Foreign Policy) The U.S. State Department has advised its citizens not to travel to Japan, as the country faces a fresh COVID-19 outbreak just two months before Tokyo is set to host the Olympics. Foreign spectators were already banned from attending, but the move comes as domestic support for hosting the Olympics is already near rock bottom: A poll released last week found that 83 percent of those surveyed said they did not want Tokyo to host the Games.

How much money does Israel get from the US? (BBC) President Joe Biden is facing questions from some in his Democratic party about the amount of aid the US sends to Israel. Senator Bernie Sanders has said the US must take a “hard look” at how the money is spent. So what does Israel get and what is it used for? In 2020, the US gave $3.8bn (£2.7bn) in aid to Israel—part of a long-term, yearly commitment made under the Obama administration. Almost all of this aid was for military assistance. This support came as part of an agreement signed by former president Barack Obama in 2016 for an overall package of $38bn (26.8bn) in military aid over the decade 2017-2028. Over the years, US aid has helped Israel develop one of the most advanced militaries in the world, with the funds allowing them to purchase sophisticated military equipment from the US. For example, Israel has purchased 50 F-35 combat aircraft, which can be used for missile attacks—27 of the aircraft have so far been delivered, costing around $100m (£70.4m) each. Since World War Two, Israel has been the largest overall recipient of US foreign aid. In 2019, the most recent year to publish fully reported figures, Israel was the second highest recipient of US foreign aid after Afghanistan, according to USAID. The 2020 Democrat party election platform expressed “ironclad support” for Israel, but some on the left of the party are now questioning the US aid commitment. Senator Sanders and other Democrats have moved to try to halt the planned sale of $735m (£518m) worth of precision-guided weapons to Israel.

Mali’s coup leader wrests back control of the government (AP) Mali’s former coup leader Assimi Goita took control of the West African country again Tuesday after firing the president and prime minister of the transitional government, a move France decried as a coup d’etat. While Goita pledged to go ahead with holding new elections in 2022 as previously promised, his display of force casts doubt on whether the vote will go ahead without significant interference by the junta that overthrew the last democratically elected president last August. The move also raised concerns that the new political unrest could further destabilize efforts to control Mali’s long-running Islamic insurgency. The United Nations now spends some $1.2 billion annually on a peacekeeping mission in Mali and France’s military has spent eight years trying to stabilize its former colony amid the ongoing threat.

[worldnewsupdatesblog]

EU agrees new Belarus sanctions after plane arrest-sdsdsd

The EU has decided to ban Belarusian airlines from European skies after a flight was diverted to Minsk on Sunday and an dissident journalist arrested.

At a meeting in Brussels, the leaders of the 27 member states also told EU airlines not to fly over Belarus, and promised further economic sanctions.

Roman Protasevich, 26, was on a flight from Greece to Lithuania which was rerouted over a supposed bomb threat.

Western countries accused Belarus of “hijacking” the Ryanair plane.

A video has now emerged of Mr Protasevich that appears to have been recorded under duress since his detention at Minsk airport.

In the clip, which was released late on Monday, the journalist said he was in good health and seemingly confessed to crimes he had been charged with by the Belarusian state.

But activists, including the country’s main opposition leader, criticised the video and suggested Mr Protasevich was under pressure to admit wrongdoing.

US President Joe Biden described the actions of the Belarusian authorities as “outrageous”, saying they were “shameful assaults on both political dissent and the freedom of the press”.

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Mr Protasevich’s father has told the BBC he fears his son may be tortured.

Dmitri Protasevich said on Monday he was “really afraid” of how his son would be treated by the authorities in his home country.

“We hope that he will cope. We are afraid to even think about it, but it’s possible he could be beaten and tortured. We are really afraid of that,” he said in a video call.

“We are really shocked and really upset,” he said. “This sort of thing shouldn’t be happening in the 21st Century at the heart of Europe.

“We hope that the whole international community, including the European Union, will put unprecedented pressure on the authorities. We hope the pressure will work and the authorities will realise they’ve made a really big mistake.”

How did events unfold on Sunday?

Belarus sent a fighter jet to force Ryanair flight FR4978 — which had departed from the Greek capital, Athens, and was bound for Vilnius in Lithuania — to land, claiming there was a bomb threat. It touched down in the capital Minsk at 13:16 local time (10:16 GMT) on Sunday.

Police then took Mr Protasevich away when the plane’s 126 passengers disembarked. The activist, who witnesses said was “super scared”, was arrested along with his girlfriend Sofia Sapega.

Ms Sapega’s mother told the BBC that the 23-year-old had been taken to a Minsk jail, adding that the last word she managed to write on her WhatsApp messaging account was ‘Mummy’. The accusations against her are unclear.

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Belarus is the only European country that still executes prisoners, and witnesses said Mr Protasevich told fellow passengers he feared he would face the death penalty.

Three other passengers did not reach the plane’s final destination in Vilnius. Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said he believed some Belarusian KGB agents also departed the plane at Minsk, but this has not been independently verified.

Belarus said the flight had been diverted because of a bomb threat from the Palestinian militant group Hamas. A senior transport official read a letter to reporters that he claimed was from the militant group.

“If you do not fulfil our demands, the bomb will explode over Vilnius,” it said.

But Hamas has denied any involvement. The group has no history or known capability of mounting operations outside Israel and the Palestinian territories. German leader Chancellor Angela Merkel said the Belarusian claim was “completely implausible”.