Lithuania has the highest suicide rate in all of Europe The country underwent a difficult transition after the fall of the Soviet Union and still struggles with problems from the past things are changing and an unlikely group from a small town is now leading the charge It is a three hour bus ride from the nation’s capital The trip through the country is picturesque we pass by idyllic woods and shining lakes a 1.5 metre tall sign greets us –“Welcome to Kupiškis.” Kupiškis looks like any other city in a rural area The bus station is old and grey and is the only connection to the rest of the country A large church and its two tall towers can be seen from most of the city The main street takes you through the city to the municipal building a tourist information point and a few local shops The derelict bus station in Kupiškis is the only connection of the city to the rest of the country Paulius Pranckūnas was born in Kupiškis and has lived here most of his life He is also a councilman and owns a café outside of the city where he sells coffee and turquoise coloured donuts next to an artificial lagoon Kupiškis is not a close-knit community: “There are different types of people who do not want to talk together and do not want to do anything together with people whom they don’t know But something lurks underneath the surface of this quite ordinary city A local tells us that a priest once called the city “the valley of death” Maybe something wrong happened here in the past It is an historic fact we had witches here Maybe it somehow affected us,” Pranckūnas ponders It is not that the people of Kupiškis talk about the city as a cursed place Pranckūnas sits with half a smile and half a serious face but on the other hand he is not excluding anything Lithuania has the highest suicide rate in Europe This is almost ten times higher than Greece (which has the lowest suicide rate in Europe) and is higher than other European countries like Poland Lithuania had the highest suicide rate in the world Lithuania’s cultural background is a contributor to its high suicide rate Suicidologist and professor at the University of Vilnius “They do not trust others and do not look for help They think they have to solve their problems on their own We see a lot of people who have unresolved trauma and they do not look for help or think it is a problem for others.” Gailienė also mentions Lithuania’s strong ties to the Catholic Church three out of four Lithuanians are Catholic the church condemns victims of suicide and can refuse to bury them the rural parts of Lithuania have a much higher suicide rate than urban areas This was also the case with Kupiškis – a small city which has since managed to turn itself into the country’s poster child for suicide prevention The many metal sculptures and the large church should have been the city’s famous hallmarks but instead Kupiškis made its name for a grim reason In a country with the highest suicide rate in Europe Kupiškis had the highest suicide rate in all of Lithuania in 2015 “It was very sad,” says Dainius Bardauskas the mayor of the Kupiškis District Municipality who seems reluctant to talk about suicide at all “The problem was coming from the fact that there was no work People had nothing to do and they drank too much alcohol.” Twenty-one people died by suicide in the district in 2015 In a municipality with just over 23,000 inhabitants the suicide rate was 113.8 per 100,000 people which is about four times the national average and almost eight times higher than the rate in Vilnius what we think of ourselves and other people We are not talking much about it,” Bardauskas says The mayor has focused on developing the city in order to improve the suicide problem in order to create a more positive environment Even the mayor’s mood quickly changed when the conversation shifted from suicide to the city’s local basketball team But there are others who are more willing to talk about the city’s suicide problem and are taking a proactive approach to combat the issue We came across a small group of dedicated locals who have organised to liberate Kupiškis of its unwanted distinction The volunteers have set up a telephone hotline for local residents who want to discuss their feelings with someone anonymously Since the average age of those who die by suicide in Kupiškis is 65 for men and 68 for women – a statistic that reflects the country at large – the hotline was set up mainly for elders The project is run by Violeta Šabrinskienė who says: “The seniors are using the hotline They understand they can share their feelings The calls are mainly about emotions but there are several cases related to suicide.” She also adds that many of the people who call feel lonely and neglected by their families Many who are terminally ill end up killing themselves Gaila Matulytė is another dedicated local in Kupiškis She is a member of the city council and writes for the local newspaper She is also the head of an NGO group called the Consultancy and Initiative Centre The NGO visits communities and institutions such as schools and orphanages around Kupiškis where they talk about suicide and mental health They talk to families and children and listen to their concerns The goal is for communities to work together to create this chair Each community is visited four times and each time they assemble a new part of the chair with the final session asking what can be done with the chair and how can one talk with others The programme talks about the joy of life and why it is a great life to live,” she says energetically Another innovative programme is the fabled algorithm it is well known all over Lithuania and is even being adopted elsewhere has become a local hero in suicide prevention circles The head of the Suicide Prevention Bureau in Vilnius even called her “a saint” In her office among the many diplomas and psychology books is an award from Lithuania’s president Šap has now become the “face” of the Kupiškis Algorithm She co-ordinates with the different institutions involved in implementing a programme with the algorithm including  psychologists Šap identifies this as the main key to its success “Everyone believed in the idea that we have to bring together all the forces and efforts that we have everyone was involved in creating this algorithm It was a collaboration – common work and a common result,” Šap explains while holding up the algorithm which “There has been a change in attitudes towards suicide as a result,” she continues “Suicide and suicidal thoughts were viewed as a call for attention but now we see it as real pain that someone is dealing with and we pay more attention to it We asked everyone to take every case seriously people were excited because we could see that it worked the Kupiškis Algorithm does not look like much but this piece of paper might be the model for rest of Lithuania The diagram consists of 26 boxes on how to act in a different situation Šap points out and explains each of the boxes with the patience of a kindergarten teacher: “This is what you do if the person wants help at this stage; this is what you do if they don’t This is what you do when they say one thing; this is what you do when they don’t.” It is simple “This algorithm has become a pilot model for other municipalities who are implementing something similar have also learned from this algorithm,” Šap says It can be different actors or suicide prevention centres But the steps are exactly the same.” A group in the ministry of health is now trying to create an algorithm based on the Kupiškis Algorithm that could be applied throughout all of Lithuania But it is not without challenges to create an efficient suicide prevention programme An important part of the programme includes free consultations with a psychologist an appointment with a psychologist is not something everyone can afford To help with the situation a mysterious entrepreneur named Valdas Calas has stepped in to provide funding for visits is concerned that the governmental funding is not enough He is grateful for people like Calas who are offering additional aid The Lithuanian government has put suicide on its agenda and aims to lower the suicide rate to around 20-30 per 100,000 per year by 2020 and to 12 per 100,000 by 2025 – a level similar to Sweden and France there is still no concrete plan on how to achieve this remains sceptical: “We have ambitious goals but no strategy on how we are going to achieve those goals.” Over the last 18 months there have been three different health ministers worked as a professor in the Department of Health Psychology before taking office last October “There are no results yet but there are negotiations work in progress and hope for a national strategy.” On the outskirts of Kupiškis is a hill where there once was a fort It is reminiscent of the legend of Pilėnai – which tells the story of a Lithuanian fort in an unknown location whose men fought bravely against invading Teutonic forces in 1336 the defenders burned their property and committed mass suicide The legend has become a symbol of Lithuanian resistance and is being taught in school 36.6 per cent of school children agreed that it was an individual’s decision to choose between life and death The government has put suicide prevention on its agenda and is searching for real solutions to the problem The silence in this small town has turned into hope a shining example for the rest of the country Through the work of passionate locals with a desire for change has now landed itself in the history book of Lithuania’s long and turbulent struggle with suicide Emil Staulund Larsen is a Danish freelance journalist focusing on European culture and politics Noah Groves is an Australian journalist who has spent the last year living and reporting in Europe [1] See: Skruibis, et al. “Attitudes towards suicide among regional politicians in Lithuania, Austria, Hungary, Norway and Sweden”. Suicidology Online 2010, vol. 1:79-87. http://www.suicidology-online.com/pdf/SOL-2010-1-79-87.pdf [2] Zemaitiene N “Suicidal tendencies and attitude towards freedom to choose suicide among Lithuanian schoolchildren: results from three cross-sectional studies in 1994 The consequences of Russia’s invasion are visible not only in Ukraine The Kremlin has set off or exploited a series of crises that face most European countries New thinking is needed in policies towards Russia in whatever form it will take after the war Ukraine’s suffering goes well beyond the front line With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine we now see our western values under siege whether we consciously recognise it or not The invasion by Russian forces of Ukraine from the north south and east – with the initial aim to take the capital Kyiv – has changed our region The situation with Russian threats towards Ukraine once again illustrates the high level of instability in our region Only a year ago we witnessed the second Nagorno-Karabakh war between Armenia and Azerbaijan It took at least 5,000 lives and significantly shifted the geopolitics in the South Caucuses This special issue aims to honour the plight of Belarusians whose democratic choice made in August 2020 was shamelessly snubbed by Alyaksandr Lukashenka a lot of work still remains for this country And this is why Ukraine’s story is incomplete 30 years after the fall of the Soviet Union Our societies are more polarised than ever before which makes them more susceptible to disinformation The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed limitations and weaknesses in nearly all countries around the world volatility and the relationship between Russia and the West The Black Sea region is quickly becoming a geopolitical battleground which is gaining the interest of major powers regional players and smaller countries – and the stakes are only getting higher This issue is dedicated to the 10 year anniversary of the European Union’s Eastern Partnership as well as the 30 years since the 1989 revolutions in Central Europe The consequences of the emerging multipolar world This issue takes a special look at the role and responsibility of the public intellectual in Central and Eastern Europe today In the eastern parts of the European continent 1918 is remembered not only as the end of the First World War but also saw the emergence of newly-independent states and the rise of geopolitical struggles which are felt until this day that Belarus remains isolated from the West and very static in its transformation The Summer 2018 issue of New Eastern Europe tackles the complexity of para-states in the post-Soviet space Marek said that while he is neither a hunter nor a naturalist he spends a lot of time in nature photographing wildlife he decided to buy a trail camera to observe forest animals and he now has several cameras set up in different locations one of his cameras – placed in the forest near Gerviškės in the Šalčininkai district close to the border with Belarus – recorded footage of a bear Kislovskij recalled: "When I came to check the camera I was really surprised to have captured such a shot and it was a bit unsettling to realise that a bear had recently been walking around in that same area." he had never heard of any bear sightings – or even tracks – in the Šalčininkai district do not provoke it and calmly retreat to a safe place Sign in Join now, it's FREE! 2020 at the Algoma Residential Community Hospice late Stase Rudinnskas(Jonas) and Ada Terese Martutaitis(Jonas) Ontario and was a devoted and loving husband to her for 68 years Romas set a wonderful example for his four boys  Richard(Marie) He loved and was loved by his grandchildren Celeste(Darren) and Darryl(Stephanie) Throughout the years he remained close to his in-laws late Jacqueline Levi(late Roland) and Leo Mantha and several nieces and nephews in Lithuania and Canada Romas enjoyed 10 pin bowling and was an avid bridge player.  He always found time to give back to the community volunteering at the Soup Kitchen for many years and preparing income tax returns for lower income recipients through the United Way for over 30 years While the family is mourning the loss of this beloved man we are eternally grateful that he was part of our lives and that we were fortunate to be a part of his life.  We have been left with the memories of a caring generous and supportive man who impacted each and everyone of us Thank you to Collegiate Heights for the many enjoyable years Romas spent with you.  Deepest gratitude to Dr Nicki Apostle and ARCH for your care and compassion.  Family and friends are invited to a Funeral Mass on Friday 2020 at 11 am at Our Lady of Good Counsel (maximum 40 people Paul Conway officiating.  Interment Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers memorial contributions to ARCH or the charity of your choice would be appreciated.  Please visit Arthur Funeral Home website obituaries to leave memories and condolences as a keepsake for the family More In Memoriam > Stichijos Festival in Kupiškis. Photos Gintarė Baseckaitė “Stichijos” (“Elements”) is a creativity and arts festival that does not have an equivalent in the entire Lithuania, and is aimed at promoting the name of the city of Kupiškis the third iteration of the “Stichijos” event arrived to the Kupiškis lagoon with a resonating name “Mother-in-law’s Tongue” The event was dedicated to celebrating the centenary of Lithuania’s independence earth and air – that reflected the specific periods of the country’s history and creative activities Kupiškis Culture Centre wrote in a press release Water – "the area focusing on Smetona (Inter War President) sentiments" This romantic memories scene was enveloped in the sounds of the Smetona-era: the music of Danielius Dolskis which was presented with a modern twist by DJ Minvydas from the Kupiškis youth centre Songs about Lithuania and love were sung by Kupiškis' youth centre Salamiestis division country music group „LyjA" (led by Almantas Totoris) Subtle romance songs were performed by Biržai regional Papilis culture house female ensemble "Sentimentai" Smetona era music was spread by Panevėžys city "Šaltinis" gymnasium retro group "Šaltinėlis" The main act was performed by the talented Kaunas music theatre's performer Andrius Apšega while Zorian Ivanec and Saulė Girdzijauskaitė taught lindy hop moves to visitors Water area invited to visit the "Konrad's teahouse" participate in the "Just like 100 years ago" photo-shoot an education programme "Become the captain of the centenary ships" learn the subtleties of the arts of binding and butter churning spend jovial time fishing for prises in the aquarium and taste some of the fish soup made by the volunteers from the Kupiškis youth centre the teahouse and the entire zone was created by Justina Skrupskytė from the Kupiškis youth centre Earth – "the forest brothers' area" The activities in the zone presented a very sensitive period to Lithuania after the Second World War songs and lifestyle of the resistance fighters The scene for the area was made from materials collected from nature and created by the Kupiškis culture centre's artist Ingrida Rudzinskienė performed by locals Viktoras Bražas ir Matas Sankauskas bards Juozas Mulaučius ir Vygantas Kazlauskas multitalented composer and performer Raminta Naujanytė – Bjelle This area was rich in creative activities educational and historical programmes as well as power games "Partizanų antspaudai" (the signs for the forest brothers) educational programme which was led by Kupiškis; ethnographical museum representative Miglė Zakarauskaitė Tent villages and activities taking place in them were co-organized with a group of likeminded people from Ukmergė club "Brothers of the forest" Kupiškis 504 infantry company's soldiers invited to take part in formation practice Viewers were also tempted by the authentic guerrilla dishes – military porridge Air – "Seaside Grannies area"This year the volunteers in the air area invited everyone to a Soviet era resort a popular destination to which many rushed to relax where parents took their children to the pier to watch the sunset and listen to music of bygone music stars Participant of the „Stichijos" event had the opportunity to listen to legendary primadonna including Nijolė Tallat Kelpšaitė and Irena Ulvydaitė Snabaitienė This scene was also a home to the debut of the Kupiškis' culture centre female ensemble The area was craftily decorated by florist from the Salamiestis city Jolanta Kovičienė The viewer were transported directly to the Palanga pier a traditional street market taking place next to it with workshops of all kinds working tirelessly an exhibition of childhood photos brought by the visitors themselves called „Ember holiday" There were even two photo studios available – a childhood sentiment memorialising "the Ship of Palanga" and a contemporary studio that used air blowers Fire – "Freedom and progress area" The fire element represented the contemporary Lithuania – almost 30 years after it has been liberated and the symbols of free speech and freedom of creativity The fiery programme started accompanied by the sound of motorbikes and American cars which was organised with the help of Gintaras Songaila and Paulius Pranckūnas In earlier years "Rock Marches" were the first examples of freedom of speech which is why it was mostly rock music that was ringing on the scene of the artist Marius Skrupskis decorated in national attributes and 3D holograms Bands that played live included a local young band „Rockstars On Budgete" and bands "The Rocketshoes" ir „Rivercross" from Kaunas a local inhabitant and the creator of official "Stichijos" emblems Contemporary culture was represented by a highly regarded on YouTube rap group "8 Kambarys" and a dance group from Kaunas "AK Dance" (trained by Kristina Burneikienė) They were joined by a karate presentation of Gintautas Čepukaitis' trainees Modern fashion was presented by the joint model team "2KAR2" from Kupiškis and Panevėžys cities (taught by Karolina Anskinaitė) The "modern circus" isle invited to learn the art of juggling building a night torch and exercising your mind while pedalling a "reverse bicycle" Youngest participants could face their fears in the labyrinth "Light at the end of the tunnel: the end of the bogey man" while strength enthusiasts competed in car pulling competition Members of the fairer sex joined the abode of the henna painting master Viewers were able to take photos near the symbolic "freedom wings" After the activities „Stichijos" festival were over the skies of the lagoon housed the aero club acrobatic flight masters while the main stage presented the teams from all four elements areas and their activities The evening was crowned with a gala show from the 90s euro disco group "Joy" singer Donatas Montvydas and hiphop duo "Lilas and Innomine" The concert was then led by a lively duo – Džilda ir Orestas Vaigauskai (actors Ineta Stasiulytė ir Aistis Mickevičius) the island was lit up by the fire jugglers The celebration was closed by disco party led by DJ Dainiusha from Vilnius The organisers were happy not only with the excellent weather but also with the fact that the organising team was joined by over 70 local volunteers This year „Stichijos" received about six thousand visitors from all over Lithuania We are grateful to the main festival sponsors - Kupiškis district municipality and UAB „Durpeta" friends of the event - UAB „Dangų centras" The organisers are grateful to our digital sponsors: radio station „Radiocentras" VšĮ Kupiškio district tourism and business information center We are also deeply grateful to all the partners and supporters of the festival – Kupiškis' district municipality employees VšĮ Kupiškis' district tourism and business center Kupiškis district municipality primary healthcare centre Panevėžys' district Kupiškis' region Chief Police Commissariat all the guests and visitors enjoyed the multitude of creative activities and felt safe throughout the event The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com Team Abu Dhabi’s Mansoor Al Mansoori powered his way into the lead in the 2022 UIM F2 World Championship today with a commanding victory in the Grand Prix of Lithuania After securing his first F2 pole position in Kupiškis 24 hours earlier Al Mansoori produced an immaculate performance to claim his maiden Grand Prix success by 2.416 secs from Sharjah Team’s Sami Seliö It was a mature and impressive display from the Emirati driver who has gradually grown in confidence since joining Team Abu Dhabi last season The result more than made up for Al Mansoori’s disappointment in Lithuania last year when he was force out of the race after being rammed from behind while chasing a podium finish and I want to thank my team for all the hard work they put in to make this happen,” he said before leaping from the pontoon into the water to celebrate his success After problems in qualifying led to him starting the second round of the 2022 season in 7th place It might have been a lot better for Al Qemzi but for an incident which brought the race to a temporary halt on the first lap after he had started superbly showed no signs of that as he made a perfect start to reach the first turn in the lead and was quickly up to fourth before losing the three places he had gained when a collision between Swedes Johan Österberg and Bimba Sjöholm brought out a yellow flag With Österberg flipping and going out immediately and Sjöholm exiting after the restart Al Mansoori continued to lead comfortably from Seliö He drove flawlessly through the 45 laps as he recorded a victory which gives him an eight-point world championship lead from first round winner Grand Prix of Lithuania result (provisional): Mansoor Al Mansoori        (UAE)             42.856 6          Sami Seliö                          (UAE)             + 2.416                        Giacomo Sacchi                  (MON)            + 23.536          Duarte Benavente               (POR)              + 28.760          Stefan Hagin                       (GER)             + 30.672          Rashed Al Qemzi               (UAE)             + 33.160          Edgaras Riabko                  (LTU)              + 36.809          Nikita Lijcs                         (LAT)              + 38.064          Marszałek Bartłomiej         (POL)              + L1    Colin Jelf                          (GBR)             + L1  UIM F2 World Championship leading positions (provisional) Mansoor Al Mansoori        (UAE)             35pts   Stefan Hagin                       (GER)             27        Sami Seliö                          (UAE)             22        Giacomo Sacchi                  (MON)            21        Duarte Benavente               (POR)              14        Tobias Munthe-Kaa            (NOR)             12        Edgaras Riabko                   (LTU)              8          Rashed Al Qemzi                (UAE)             5 we have little to offer,” says Kupiškis Hospital chief Julius Panka but big cities are still offering better pay.” And it is not just Lithuania's big cities that regional hospitals have to compete with – many medical students prefer to emigrate to Scandinavian countries or Germany right after graduating the parliamentary Healthcare Committee has proposed that newly trained doctors be given mandatory appointments medical students who finish government-funded residency programmes would have to stay and work in Lithuania for four years This would also help alleviate healthcare access disparities between Lithuania's big cities and regions “The average age of medics in regions is very big and it's a pity that even though local authorities are offering apartments and additional funding “People sometimes need to travel 100 kilometres to see a dermatologist or a cardiologist.” “Instead of talking about [reasonable] workloads we're taking the easiest route – forcing people to work off [their education] board chairman of the Young Doctors Association chairwoman of the Residents Council at Vilnius University's Faculty of Medicine says the measure would only encourage more medical students to leave and look for residency programmes abroad “It is important to note that only in Lithuania and Latvia are medical residents considered students elsewhere they are workers and do not need to pay for residency programmes,” she says The proposal at the parliamentary Healthcare Committee has been drafted by MPs from both the ruling coalition and the opposition junior members in the conservative-led coalition these coercive projects do not solve anything only make problems worse,” argues Ieva Pakarklytė leader of the Freedom Party's group in the parliament Even the authors of the proposal doubt if it would pass especially as giving appointments to medics but not graduates of other state-funded programmes so it would make sense to have them [medical students] work off [what the state has invested into their training] and then go to the private sector,” says MP Remigijus Žemaitaitis another member of the Healthcare Committee there may be people who'll turn to the Constitutional Court and ask if it's not a discriminatory rule.” former health minister and vice chairman of the Healthcare Committee “we will not return to the Soviet times when everyone would get appointments” The Health Ministry says it will make up its mind whether to back the proposal after there is more discussion in the parliament “This proposal is not a silver bullet that would solve all problems,” says Vice Minister of Health Aurimas Pečkauskas the new rules would come into effect next May and would only apply to new medical students Greece and Hungary have adopted similar mandatory appointments The bear spent the night traversing the Šimonių forest some 50 kilometres from the Latvian border The journey was also recorded by another camera set up by hunters to monitor the population of animals Read more: 'Don't look it in the eye'. What to do if you spot a bear in the Baltics there have been several bear sightings in Kupiškis District as well as in neighbouring regions “A bear in Biržai District has even been spotted with two younglings,” he added because they used to live here in the olden days.” according to environmental scientist Antanas Slučka forests in Lithuania are too sparse to support a local bear population Bears that are spotted in Lithuania usually come from Belarus and Latvia “and the Baltic country with the most brown bears is Estonia” Brown bears are considered an extinct species in Lithuania.Read more: Estonian police call off search for bears in capital Tallinn