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…
A man serving a sentence for attempted murder escaped from Latvia’s Riga Central Prison on 23 July 2023 but was caught within a few hours, LSM reports. Police launched an extensive search for the convict across the country, limiting the movement of persons and searching vehicles leaving Riga. Interior Minister Maris Kucinskis said that road…
Latvia’s National Alliance, Latvian Association of Regions (LRA), Movement For, and Progressives have failed to reach agreement on reducing the number of deputy mayors in the Riga City Council, LSM reports. The combined political group of Movement For and Progressives wants to cut the number of deputy mayors from the current three to just one,…
Latvian capital Riga’s acting mayor, Vilnis Kirsis (New Unity), expects political parties in the Riga City Council to reach a consensus on the formation of a new coalition next week, LETA reports. However, the parties have still failed to reach a “spirit of compromise,” Kirsis said. The parties disagree on the number of deputy mayoral…
The editor-in-chief of Russian propaganda agency Sputnik’s Lithuanian edition, Marats Kasems, has fled Latvia, fearing criminal prosecution, Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, announced, LETA reports. Riga-based Russian independent news website Meduza reported that Kasems was now in Russia. Meanwhile, his Facebook page indicates that he is currently in the UK. Earlier, Kasems pled…
The number of schools in Latvia’s capital city of Riga will be the same in the school year 2023/2024 as in the previous year, LSM reports. Riga will have altogether 101 schools. However, 7 schools will no longer have grades 10 to 12, and they will gradually become primary and secondary schools. The number of…
Latvia’s State Revenue Service (VID) has published a list of the country’s 17 largest corporate taxpayers, Baltic News Network reports. VID highlighted the largest taxpayers in the large, medium, and small business segments in Latvia’s five regions. The country’s biggest taxpayer in 2022 was Polish-owned fuel trader Orlen Latvija, which paid 278.95mn in taxes. In…
Latvia’s Health Ministry has proposed amendments to further restrict the availability of alcohol, LSM reports. The amendments would reduce the sales hours of alcoholic beverages, ban sales of alcohol at petrol stations, and raise the legal drinking age to 20 years. The ministry hopes that the amendments will reduce alcohol consumption, illness, injuries, and mortality….
Latvian capital Riga’s acting mayor, Vilnis Kirsis (New Unity), has invited all political groups in the current ruling coalition in the Riga City Council for talks to form a new coalition on 25 July 2023, LETA reports. Kirsis suggested that the talks could be held either with each political group individually or with all groups…