![]() WorldThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania allocated 30 thousand euros to the project carried out by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Ukraine. The project aims to strengthen the legal and institutional anticorruption environment, as well as international cooperation in the field of anticorruption. President Dalia Grybauskaitė extended congratulations, on behalf of the Lithuanian people and on her own behalf, to His Majesty Emperor Akihito of Japan on the occasion of his birthday and Japan's national holiday. The new mandate of the European Parliament officially started on 1 July with 751 MEPs from across the continent taking up their seats. Approximately half of those elected last May were not in the previous legislature and we interviewed seven such MEPs following their arrival in Brussels. Almost six months into their five year term, how are they progressing and what are their hopes for 2015? We asked them to share their experiences and thoughts. The last plenary session of 2014 saw the European Parliament adopt a hard-fought compromise on the EU budget. Other topics on the agenda included Palestine statehood, the use of torture by the CIA and media freedom in Turkey. MEPs also reappointed Emily O'Reilly as European ombudsman until 2019 and awarded the Lux Film Prize to the Polish-Danish co-production Ida. Read our summary of an eventful week in Strasbourg. The European Parliament gave its green light to the EU-Georgia Association Agreement on Thursday. The deal will establish deep political association and economic integration between the EU and Georgia, including the progressive opening up of their respective markets. At the European Council meeting in Brussels, President Dalia Grybauskaite together with other EU leaders discussed topical external policy issues and the situation in Ukraine. Human rights: democratic opposition in Venezuela; arrests of activists in Sudan and Mauritania2014-12-19, 17:00Parliament passed three resolutions on Thursday, calling on the Venzuelan authorities to withdraw "unfounded" charges against the opposition leader; condemning the arrest of human rights activist Dr Amin Mekki Medani in Sudan; and demanding the immediate release of anti-slavery activist Biram Dah Abeid in Mauritania. Lithuania is going to open new visa centers in 7 foreign countries. Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevicius says the crash of the Russian rouble against the US Dollar to record lows should not be gloated over. According to the foreign minister, the financial crisis in Russia is a good moment for the country to change the course of its policy. Lithuania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemns the brutal school attack in the north-western Pakistani city of Peshawar on 16 December. The Taliban movement in Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack that left more than hundred dead. The number of victims continues to grow. |
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