The Estonian nation has never been extinguished despite having once lost independence through occupation and oppression, Estonia’s President, Alar Karis, stated, ERR reports. Speaking on Estonia’s 32nd Independence Restoration Day, Karis said that the Estonian state was founded on “liberty, justice, and the rule of law,” in that order. He said that freedom constituted the…
More than 50,000 people in Estonia have signed a public petition against the introduction of a car tax, BNS reports. The petition is thus the most successful public petition to date in Estonia. The petition is open until 31 August 2023. Priit Tammeraid, board chairman of the Estonian Car Owners Association (EAOL), said that the…
Estonia is celebrating the 32nd Independence Restoration Day on 20 August 2023, Estonian World reports. Estonia formally restored its independence on 20 August 1991 during the failed Soviet coup attempt, reconstituting the pre-1940 Estonian state. The first country to recognise Estonia’s reclaimed independence was Iceland. The Estonian War Museum (ESM) has placed a giant Estonian…
Latvia’s population totalled 1,882,600 people at the end of the first half of 2023, which was 8,400 fewer than in the beginning of 2023, according to the Central Statistical Bureau’s provisional data, LSM reports. The number of deaths amounted to 14,291 (down 9.1%) and live births to 7,051 (down 12.1%). Latvia’s natural population growth was…
One person was killed during a severe storm in Lithuania on 7 August 2023, LRT reports. Lithuania’s Fire and Rescue Department (PAGD) announced that a woman was crushed to death by a falling tree in the town of Zagare in Joniskis district. The storm caused widespread damage in northern Lithuania, as hail broke windows and…
One person died and eight were injured during a severe thunderstorm in Latvia on 7 August 2023, LETA reports. Wind speeds reached up to 33 m/s in areas. The Emergency Medical Service (NMPD) had to provide assistance to people who were injured by falling trees and heavy hail. The storm and lightning caused major damage…
Members of the Lithuanian World Community (LWC) held a congress in Lithuania’s seaside resort of Palanga on 4-6 August 2023, Baltic News Network reports. The event marked the 65th anniversary of the organisation. The congress brought together representatives of Lithuanian communities in 30 countries and Lithuanian officials.
Family doctors in Latvia are considering going on strike in autumn 2023, LETA reports. Speaking in an interview with TV3, Ainis Dzalbs, board member of the Latvian Association of Rural Family Physicians (LLGAA), insisted that the lack of budget funding made it impossible to provide proper patient care. He noted that patient queues currently exceeded…
The number of foreign citizens living in Lithuania totalled 195,500 at the end of the first half of 2023, which was an increase of more than 6,000 from 189,411 in the beginning of 2023, according to the Lithuanian Migration Department (LMD), BNS reports. Foreigners accounted for 6.83% of the total population, which was up from…