Latvia’s Ministry of Defence and National Armed Forces (NBS) have extended the application period for volunteers in the second draft for military service by about a week until 21 July 2023, LSM reports. The Ministry of Defence said that there was a spike in applications just before the earlier deadline. So far, 172 young volunteers…
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,…
Trains from Latvia’s capital, Riga, to the port city of Liepaja will begin running daily as of 31 July 2023, the Public Transport Council announced, LSM reports. The train will leave from Liepaja shortly before 5am and depart back to Liepaja at around 6:30pm. On Sundays, there will be two trains between the two cities….
Planned new wind energy projects in Latvia would be sufficient to generate electricity for more than half of the country, LSM reports. At the moment, wind energy accounts for just under 3% of Latvia’s electricity production, according to the Ministry of Climate and Energy. Lasma Livzeniece, executive director of the Latvian Wind Energy Association (LVEA),…
Latvia’s Ministry of Justice plans to propose amendments that would abolish conditional prison sentences, replacing them with probation, LSM reports. Anda Smiltena, deputy secretary of state at the Ministry of Justice, said that the State Probation Service’s (VPD) task would be to influence the thinking of the offender and correct their behaviour. The measures would…
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics has asked Prosecutor General Juris Stukans to explain why a Latvian citizen who provided support to Russia got away with just a fine, LSM reports. Earlier, a court found Marats Kasems, editor of Russian propaganda agency Sputnik’s Lithuanian edition, guilty of supporting Russia’s activities against Latvia and sentenced him to a…
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…
Latvia’s new president, Edgars Rinkevics, has appointed his chief policy advisers and aides, LSM reports. Gunda Reire, parliamentary secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will become head of the presidential chancellery. The president’s chief legal adviser is Kristine Licis, who has served as Latvia’s representative in international institutions. Edvins Severs will continue as the…
Latvia’s foreign trade turnover totalled EUR 17.93bn in the first five months of 2023, which was down EUR 718.4mn (3.9%) from the same period of 2022, according to provisional data from the Central Statistical Bureau, LSM reports. Exports totalled EUR 8.12bn, which was down EUR 281.2mn (3.3%) over a year. Imports totalled EUR 9.81bn, which…
