Latvia & nearby (163)

The role of academic arbitration courts in protecting student rights in Latvia

As the new academic year begins, a legal analysis explains the role of universities' academic arbitration courts in protecting students' rights and how they differ from faculty appeal boards and administrative courts. Practice at Riga Stradiņš University shows how the institution balances academic autonomy with legal oversight.

LV portāls · 27 Aug, 06:41

Opinion: Latvia's competency-based education reform under fire after hundreds fail to finish primary school

Columnist Andris Upenienieks argues that blame for over 800 young people failing to complete primary school this year should not fall solely on the current education minister, but on the entire education system and the competency-based reform introduced in 2020. He cites veteran teacher Zenta Klaipa, who says the system needs to be rebuilt from scratch.

OgreNet · 27 Aug, 06:38

Light and sound cathedral rises again in Brukna as “Songs of Angels” concert wraps up

On August 21, the spiritual music project “Time. You. Prayer.” held its third annual outdoor concert performance in Brukna, drawing a record crowd of nearly 450 people. The next event is planned for August 20, 2027.

Bauskas Dzīve · 27 Aug, 06:35

Registration opens for “Liepāja Throwdown 2026” functional fitness competition

The “Liepāja Throwdown 2026” functional fitness event will take place at Liepāja Olympic Centre on November 21, introducing a new pairs category. Registration for athletes has already begun.

irLiepāja · 27 Aug, 05:41

Latvia's toughest week: worst summer storm since 1966 and a major dairy takeover

A powerful storm on the night of August 23 became Latvia's worst summer storm since 1966, killing one person and cutting power to more than 277,000 households, while separately an Estonian company moved to buy the Rīgas Piena kombināts dairy business.

Žurnāls Ir · 27 Aug, 05:41

"Logos Centre": modeling agency pedophilia scandal with 67 victims

In the late 1990s it emerged that leaders of the photo and video modeling agency "Logos Centre" had produced and distributed online pornographic material involving minors. Investigators identified 67 victims in the case.

TVNET · 27 Aug, 05:40

Truck overturns on Ventspils highway near Spuņciems

A truck crashed and overturned into a ditch on the A10 highway near Spuņciems on Wednesday evening. Emergency services are working at the scene.

Jauns.lv · 27 Aug, 04:41

Liepāja Social Service restructures to work more efficiently

Since July 1, 2026, Liepāja's Social Service has undergone internal restructuring, handing off housing maintenance duties to focus more on social work. Core services for residents remain unchanged.

irLiepāja · 27 Aug, 04:41

After the storm — how ready is the state itself for a crisis?

A recent storm with power outages raises the question of whether the state has its own readiness plan for the first 72 hours of a crisis, not just individual citizens. The discussion focuses on whether the state can coordinate when several systems fail at once.

TVNET · 27 Aug, 04:40

Wednesday to bring variable cloud and temperatures up to +20 degrees

Forecasters expect changeable cloud cover on Wednesday with light rain possible in northern Latvia, slow winds and air temperatures reaching up to +20 degrees. Riga may see sunny spells and light afternoon rain.

Delfi · 27 Aug, 04:35

Applications open for Liepāja 2027 youth training and mentoring programme

The Liepāja 2027 foundation is inviting young people aged 14-24 from the Liepāja, South Kurzeme and Kuldīga municipalities to apply for a training and mentoring programme in which 24 participants will create and stage cultural events at four venues by June 2027. Applications close on 15 September.

irLiepāja · 27 Aug, 03:44

1990s scandal around modeling agency "Logos Centre" resurfaces

In the late 1990s, the photo and video modeling agency "Logos Centre" became the center of a scandal after its leaders produced and distributed pornographic material online, including content involving minors. Reports at the time also mentioned material involving animals.

Apollo.lv · 27 Aug, 03:42

Farmers' Night Market Shows First Signs of Autumn

In late August, the Farmers' Night Market reportedly offered an unusually rich selection of goods, with the first signs of approaching autumn already noticeable.

TVNET · 27 Aug, 02:41

New quiz claims it can guess your age using only "yes" or "no" answers

Latvijas Avīze has published a light entertainment quiz that tries to determine a participant's age through a series of yes-or-no questions, without ever asking for their birth year. The quiz's creators say honest answers lead to a more accurate result.

Latvijas Avīze · 27 Aug, 01:41

Latvia's Energy Ministry proposes emergency status for eastern border area

Latvia's Ministry of Climate and Energy has drafted an order to declare a state of emergency in the country's eastern border region covering health, energy supply and water services. The move is justified by risks of a potential escalation in Russian military activity.

TVNET · 27 Aug, 00:38

Latvian MP Jurēvics: law should require mobile networks to stay up for 24 hours after power cuts

Following a powerful storm, Latvian MP Edmunds Jurēvics is calling for legislation requiring mobile operators to keep networks running for at least 24 hours after a power outage. He warns that base stations currently last only a few hours without electricity, risking people's access to information during crises.

Latvijas Avīze · 27 Aug, 00:37

Ministry proposes state of emergency in Latvia's eastern border region

Latvia's Climate and Energy Ministry has drafted an order to declare a state of emergency in the eastern border area covering health care, energy supply and water services, citing threats from Russia's escalating military activity. The move follows increased sightings of drones and unidentified objects near the border.

Jauns.lv · 26 Aug, 23:35

Opinion: Backlash over storm response and cyberattack often disproportionate

In a Delfi opinion piece, Jānis Bergs argues that public demands for officials to resign after a recent storm and a CSDD data breach are excessive. He contrasts this with Ukraine, where comparable crises occur weekly without such calls.

Delfi · 26 Aug, 22:41

Southern part of Riga's new Central Station building nearly complete

A key stage of construction on the southern part of Riga's new Central Station has been completed, though full passenger operation must wait until railway tracks are finished in mid-2028.

LSM (rus) · 26 Aug, 22:41

Rēzekne region continues assessing damage from late-August storm

Several days after a destructive storm hit the Rēzekne region on August 22, authorities are still assessing the damage. Roads have been cleared of fallen trees, but parish parks and cemeteries remain in worse shape, and arborists are working to save the Malta history museum.

LSM (rus) · 26 Aug, 21:38

After the storm, Vircava's wastewater treatment plant in Jelgava municipality still on emergency mode

Jelgava municipality reports that power outages caused by the recent storm have left the Vircava wastewater treatment plant running in emergency mode, while most other infrastructure problems have already been resolved.

Jauns.lv · 26 Aug, 21:36

Former 'Gors' concert hall director to lead Ludza Municipality Culture Centre

Ludza Municipality Council on Wednesday appointed Diāna Zirniņa, former director of the Latgale Concert Hall 'Gors', to head the local Culture Centre starting September 14.

TVNET · 26 Aug, 21:35

Thousands of Latvian homes still without power, restoration promised by Friday

About 8,500 households remained without electricity Wednesday evening after last weekend's storm, with grid operator Sadales tīkls aiming to restore supply to all customers by Friday. The worst-hit areas are Aizkraukle, Bauska and Jēkabpils municipalities.

Latvijas Avīze · 26 Aug, 20:44

Part of school building collapses in Tartu, repairs to cost several million euros extra

A section of the 1960s-built wing of Miina Härma Gymnasium in Tartu, Estonia, collapsed in August during ongoing renovation work, forcing the city to decide whether to rebuild it as before or construct a larger new wing.

ERR (rus) · 26 Aug, 20:40

Family injured in Krustkalni fire disputes investigation quality, police reject claims

A family that suffered severe losses, including two children, in a fire in Krustkalni wants the closed criminal case reopened, questioning the quality of the investigation. State Police reject the accusations.

LSM · 26 Aug, 18:38

Combat munitions and anti-tank mine factory planned near Jēkabpils within a year

Company "Wolfram Europa" plans to build a combat munitions factory in Jēkabpils municipality, which could begin operations in the second half of 2027. The announcement was made at a Wednesday press conference by board chairman Magnuss Valdemārs Sārs.

TVNET · 26 Aug, 18:37

Major construction work completed in southern part of Riga Central Station

Key construction work has been finished in the southern section of the future Riga Central Station being built under the Rail Baltica project, though the building will not open to passengers until 2028.

LSM · 26 Aug, 17:42

Jelgava Municipality to raise childbirth benefit and launch new large-family payment from 2027

The Jelgava Municipality Council has approved changes that will increase the childbirth benefit and introduce a new one-off payment for families reaching large-family status, effective 1 January 2027.

Latvijas Avīze · 26 Aug, 17:38

Latvia's social insurance agency to suspend e-services for several days

From the afternoon of August 28 through September 1, Latvia's State Social Insurance Agency (VSAA) will suspend its e-services on the Latvija.gov.lv portal while migrating its systems to new servers.

Jauns.lv · 26 Aug, 17:35

New southern section of Riga Central Station could open to trains by mid-2028

The newly built southern part of Riga Central Station, constructed under the Rail Baltica project, could start handling train traffic on the existing 1520 mm gauge tracks by mid-2028, representatives of European Railway Lines said on Wednesday.

Apollo.lv · 26 Aug, 16:38

Estonian court convicts man over large-scale illegal cigarette trade

Harju County Court has found Konstantin Letko guilty of trafficking more than 4.7 million cigarettes without Estonian excise stamps. He received a partly suspended sentence but has already served the real prison term imposed.

ERR (rus) · 26 Aug, 16:38

Lithuania declares state of emergency after storm devastates farmers

Lithuania's government declared a state of emergency on Wednesday after a storm over the past weekend caused significant damage to the country's agricultural sector. The move aims to help address the consequences of the losses suffered by farmers.

TVNET · 26 Aug, 15:40

Former Latvian Armed Forces commander: country is not ready for crises after storm chaos

Former National Armed Forces commander Juris Maklakovs sharply criticized Latvia's response to the August 22 storm, citing a lack of coordination, resources and public information. He recalled that identical shortcomings were flagged after a 2008 storm, yet nothing has changed in 18 years.

BNN · 26 Aug, 15:38

Vilnius approves €1 million to upgrade emergency shelters

Vilnius City Council has approved €1 million in funding to improve the accessibility and readiness of the capital's emergency shelters. The money will cover access improvements, window protection and help with paperwork for national shelter programs.

LRT English · 26 Aug, 15:37