Latvia’s Riga Regional Court has overturned a lower court ruling in a bribery case involving the state-owned railway company, Latvijas Dzelzcels (LDz), BNS reports. The court found LDz’s former CEO, Ugis Magonis, and Estonian businessman Oleg Ossinovski guilty of bribery, sentencing Magonis to 2.5 years in prison and Ossinovski to a fine of EUR 151,700….
Leaders of the three Baltic States took part in the first Eastern Flank Summit, which was organised by Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, LETA reported. The summit was also attended by leaders from Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, and Sweden as well as EU defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal noted that Europe’s eastern…
Most Latvians are satisfied with their lives, according to a new Eurobarometer survey conducted in October 2025, LETA reports. The survey showed that 84% of Latvian residents were satisfied with their lives, which was the highest figure ever recorded and almost unchanged from spring 2025. Respondents cited rising prices, inflation, and cost of living (33%),…
Latvia’s population totalled 1.826 million people as of 1 November 2025, according to provisional data from the Central Statistical Bureau (CSP), LETA reports. The number of live births totalled 9,887 in the first ten months of 2025, which was 1,108 (10.1%) fewer than in the same period of 2024. Boys accounted for 5,162 (down 3.8%)…
Average housing prices in Latvia rose by 8.4% in the third quarter of 2025, compared to the same period of 2024, according to provisional data from the Central Statistical Bureau (CSP), LSM reports. Prices of new dwellings increased by 3.8% and old dwellings by 9.4% over a year. Compared to the second quarter of 2025,…
The new National Security Strategy (NSS) of the United States shows that the US understands the security sensitivities of the Baltic region, Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene stated, BNS reported. Speaking after a joint meeting with her Estonian and Latvian counterparts in Riga, Ruginiene said that the US had assured that it would not withdraw…
Latvia’s State Police now has authority to impose penalties on drivers without having to stop their vehicle, LSM reports. Police can issue automatic traffic fines for violations detected by mobile and stationary speed cameras and radars as of 11 December 2025. Drivers can appeal the automatic fines within one month of notification.
UAE’s state-owned air carrier, flydubai, has opened regular flights from the Latvian and Lithuanian capitals, Riga and Vilnius, to Dubai, LETA and ELTA reported. The company will have three flights per week on both routes. Jeyhun Efendi, senior vice-president for commercial operations at flydubai, said that the airline planned to open flights to the Estonian…
Latvian universities will begin switching to spring admission for new students, LSM reports. In 2026, around half of all institutions of higher education in Latvia will accept students into some study programmes in spring instead of summer, according to Andris Teikmanis, chairman of the Council of Higher Education (AIP). Previously, admission to universities began in…