In a speech at the 13th Youth Song Celebration "Holy is the Land" in Tallinn on 2 July 2023, Estonia’s President Alar Karis insisted on the need for unity in preserving Estonian language and culture, ERR reports. There must be unity in protecting and respecting all people who live in Estonia, he said. "We do…
Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that the thousands of young people who performed at the Estonian Song Festival (Laulupidu) in Tallinn on 2 July 2023 instilled faith that the country’s future is in good hands, Postimees reports. “Nothing can compare to this feeling; I tried to hold back tears several times,” she said. There…
A fire broke out at the Live Square business centre in the city centre of the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, on 1 July 2023, DELFI reported. Firefighters and an ambulance arrived at the scene on Gediminas Avenue at around 2pm. The fire damaged a room on the first floor of the building. The cause of the…
Beer prices in Lithuania are rising, leading locals to question why they have to pay as much as they would in Paris or Rome, LRT reports. The price of a pint of beer in central Vilnius can range from EUR 3.5 to EUR 6. Raimondas Pranka, president of the Vilnius nightlife association, NaktA, explains that…
The Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, has approved in first reading amendments proposed by parliamentary speaker, leader of the Lithuanian Liberal Movement (LLS) Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, that would provide for administrative liability for insulting the honour and dignity of people who provide public services, LRT reports, citing Novaya Gazeta. Violators will face fines of EUR 50-300 for…
Renovation work on the ground floor of Latvia’s Riga City Hall has started, LETA reports. The Riga City Council awarded the EUR 142,000 contract to Riga-based construction company UL Nami, which is owned by Uldis Lieknins. Under the project, the company will renovate the lobby on the ground floor of the City Hall building by…
Three people drowned in the Baltic Sea at the same time off the Latvian coast in Carnikava on 1 July 2023, DELFI reports. The three people — two young men and a 40-year-old woman — were swept away by strong waves and underwater currents. When rescuers arrived at the scene, the three persons were already…
The finals of the Latvian Song and Dance Festival’s choir competition took place on 1 July 2023, TVNET reports. The winner in the mixed choir competition was the youth choir, Kamer. In the women’s choirs competition, the grand prize went to the Ventspils Culture Centre’s Venda choir. In the men’s choir group, the grand prize…
Estonia’s Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA) checked 50 websites of companies and entrepreneurs providing accommodation services in autumn and winter 2022/2023 for compliance, DELFI reports. TTJA checked if the website information on service providers, prices, and booking conditions was correct and sufficient. The agency found that price information was unclear in 20 cases,…