Annual inflation in the Baltic States was highest in Estonia in June 2023, according to Eurostat data, LETA reports. Estonia’s inflation rate stood at 9% in June 2023, followed by Lithuania with 8.2% and Latvia with 8.1%. Compared to May 2023, inflation amounted to 0.8% in Estonia. Meanwhile, consumer prices went down by 0.1% in…
The Latvian alliance of liberal political parties, Development/For, has changed its name to PLI, LETA reports. Miks Celmins, executive chairman of Movement For, said that PLI’s initials stood for the three parties that formed the alliance: Movement For (Kustiba Par), For Latvia’s Development (Latvijas Attistibai), and Growth (Izaugsme). Celmins said that PLI would not coordinate…
Latvia’s Food and Veterinary Service (PVD) has confirmed African swine fever (ASF) at a farm with 48 domestic pigs in Kraslava municipality, LETA reports. The farm has been quarantined, and all 48 pigs will be destroyed. This is the fourth confirmed ASF outbreak at a farm in Latvia in 2023. The first was recorded in…
Replacing Latvia’s current coalition government was “unnecessary” and would cause chaos, Edgars Tavars, chairman of the United List’s parliamentary group, stated, LETA reports. At the same time, he insisted that expanding the government, as proposed by New Unity leader, Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins, was “legally impossible.” Tavars pointed out that Karins himself had said that…
A fire broke out at a production facility of the Latvian grain processor, Dobeles Dzirnavnieks, in Dobele in the morning of 16 July 2023, LETA reports. The fire engulfed several floors of the seven-storey building on the city’s Spodribas Street. Dobeles Dzirnavnieks is part of Estonia’s Tartu Mill group. The company produces flour, pasta, cereals,…
The Latvian Olympic Committee (LOK) has elected Janis Buks, president of the Latvian Volleyball Federation (LVF), as acting LOK president, LETA reports. Buks will head LOK until the committee’s next annual assembly. He is chairman of the supervisory council of the Latvian pharmaceutical company, OlainFarm. The previous LOK president, Zorzs Tikmers, resigned in May 2023…
Latvia’s President Edgars Rinkevics said that he had a plan if the current coalition government fails to agree on continued cooperation by the end of August 2023, LETA reports. He refused to reveal the plan, saying that he would leave it as “a potential surprise for when the time comes.” Rinkevics urged political parties taking…
Around 54,000 secondary school students in Latvia passed and around 1,000 failed centralised exams in 2023, LETA reports. Exam results were the poorest in mathematics, with an average student performance of 35%, which was the lowest in all exams and 3.4% below the results in 2022. Average scores in Latvian language exams were better than…
The Latvian government has postponed reviewing Welfare Minister Evika Silina’s (New Unity) proposed draft bill on the ratification of the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention on violence against women and domestic violence, LETA reports. One of the parties in the coalition government, United List, wanted to introduce additions to the draft bill. United List’s parliamentary…