Latvia & nearby
Riga Expands Support for Homeless People with Longer Shelter Hours and More Places
Since 1 October, Riga, the capital of Latvia, has expanded support measures for people without housing. Night shelters have set opening hours and more places, and inspections of places unfit for living are being stepped up.
LSM · 17 Oct, 14:32
Kohtla-Järve Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Killing Acquaintance in Estonia
The Viru County Court in Estonia sentenced 52-year-old Pavel Molodtsov to nearly nine years in prison for killing an acquaintance and drunk driving. The ruling has not yet come into force.
ERR (rus) · 17 Oct, 14:32
Hospital Association Calls for Deeper Review of Stradiņš Hospital Losses
The Latvian Hospital Association urges the government not to let Pauls Stradiņš University Hospital's negative impact on the budget balance exceed €5 million in 2027 and 2028 until the causes of its losses are analysed. The association has not endorsed the Health Ministry's report.
Jauns.lv · 17 Oct, 14:31
Niks Endziņš's ex-partners react to his prison sentence
After a Riga court sentenced Niks Endziņš, accused of possessing drugs for sale, to prison, his former partners Elīna Gluzunova and Iveta commented on social media. Both expressed support for the court's decision.
Latvijas Avīze · 17 Oct, 13:33
More than 200 horses registered in Riga, kept at 20 addresses
Data from Latvia's Rural Service show that more than 200 horses are registered in the capital, Riga. They live at 20 addresses, and the story centres on Atgāzene, Riga's smallest neighbourhood.
LSM · 17 Oct, 13:31
Technical problems slow baggage drop-off at Riga Airport, some flights depart late
Technical problems slowed checked-baggage screening at Riga International Airport on the morning of 17 October, leaving passengers in long queues. The airport urges travellers to arrive early and says there is no reason to suspect malicious action.
Latvijas Avīze · 17 Oct, 12:32
Hybrid wind farm under construction in Latvia stirs discontent in Estonia
Utilitas Wind is building a hybrid wind farm with 18 turbines and battery storage in Latvia near the Estonian border. Residents and officials in a neighbouring Estonian parish object to the traffic burden and environmental risks.
ERR (rus) · 17 Oct, 12:32
Riga residents to vote on 49 participatory budget project ideas, about 12 could be built
Riga residents will be able to vote this year on 49 project ideas submitted by residents themselves in the city's participatory budget contest. The municipality is setting aside more than 2.8 million euros, which could fund about 12 ideas.
LSM · 17 Oct, 12:31
Estonia and Latvia at odds over wind farm on the border
A hybrid wind and battery park is being built in northern Latvia right at the Estonian border, with nearby Estonian villages bearing the greater impact. Estonia's Mulgi Municipality tried to challenge it in a Latvian court and lost.
ERR News · 17 Oct, 12:31
Unusually warm weather expected in Europe, but no heatwave for Latvia
In the second half of October, temperatures in Central and Eastern Europe may run 5–10 degrees above normal, reaching up to +23°C in parts of Poland. Latvia is forecast to stay mostly dry, with daytime highs of +9 to +15°C.
Latvijas Avīze · 17 Oct, 11:33
Technical Problem Delays Checked Baggage Screening at Riga Airport
Screening of checked baggage is currently delayed at Riga International Airport because of technical reasons. The airport's communications representative confirmed this.
Apollo.lv · 17 Oct, 11:33
Pharmacist and lab doctor outline which nutrients matter most for seniors
A Latvian pharmacist and a laboratory physician explain which vitamins and minerals are important for older people's immunity, bones and nervous system. They advise supplementing the diet only after tests and consulting a specialist.
Ziemeļlatvija · 17 Oct, 11:33
Canceled school trips abroad leave dozens of Estonian families chasing refunds
About 40 families of Estonian students are still waiting for refunds of roughly €50,000 after language trips abroad were canceled by organizer Gerri Vihman. The consumer regulator TTJA has opened supervisory proceedings against his company.
ERR News · 17 Oct, 11:32
Baggage drop-off delays at Riga airport on Saturday
On Saturday morning, 17 October, technical problems at Riga airport (RIX) slowed the processing of checked baggage. Queues formed at the airport.
LSM (rus) · 17 Oct, 11:31
Inčukalns volunteer firefighters receive additional fire engines
Ropaži Municipality has handed fire trucks it received from the State Fire and Rescue Service over to the Inčukalns Volunteer Firefighters' Association. The vehicles are intended for the volunteer post in Ropaži.
Jauns.lv · 17 Oct, 11:31
Forest cleared along railway tracks in Jūrmala on safety grounds
A large area of forest has been cleared near the Lielupe and Priedaine railway stations in Jūrmala, Latvia. The clearing is justified by safety concerns and lessons from a storm in late last summer.
LSM · 17 Oct, 10:34
Hunters offered €15 per fox or raccoon dog shot to help monitor rabies vaccination
Latvia's Food and Veterinary Service is accepting shot foxes and raccoon dogs from hunters in the eastern border area to test how well wildlife rabies vaccination works. Hunters can receive €15 compensation per animal, but their interest is reportedly low.
Ziemeļlatvija · 17 Oct, 10:33
One person killed and eight injured in road accidents in Latvia on Friday
The State Police report that road traffic accidents on Friday left eight people injured and one dead.
TVNET · 17 Oct, 10:32
Brūvers on Three Surprises of the Saeima Election: Turnout, Kulbergs' Success and the Pro-Putin Vote
In an opinion piece on OgreNet, Pāvils Brūvers names three things that surprised him in Latvia's Saeima (parliament) election: voters' attitude to politics, the result of the Unity List, and the success of Sovereign Power/Jaunlatvieši. This is the author's view, not an official review of the results.
OgreNet · 17 Oct, 10:32
Conservation of historic “Swedish Church” ruins completed in Allaži Manor
Conservation work has finished at the “Swedish Church with a Medieval Cemetery” monument in Allaži Manor, Sigulda Municipality. Research suggests the building is most likely a 19th-century grain storehouse rather than an old church.
Jauns.lv · 17 Oct, 10:32
Sunākste to get a container for bulky waste
From 19 October, residents of Sunākste parish will be able to dispose of bulky waste in a special container at “Ozollejas 1”. Tyres, slate roofing and electrical appliances are not allowed in it.
Staburags · 17 Oct, 10:32
Estonia studies Soviet-era summer cottage culture, aiming to move one to a museum
Estonian researchers are documenting garden cottages, known as suvilas, built during the Soviet period. The project aims to relocate one such cottage to the Estonian Open Air Museum.
ERR News · 17 Oct, 10:31
Latvijas Avīze Looks at What Latvians Do When They Finally Have a Free Saturday
On 17 October, the Latvian newspaper Latvijas Avīze published a lifestyle piece on how Latvians spend a free Saturday. It lists typical chores and plans that pile up on a day off.
Latvijas Avīze · 17 Oct, 10:31
Electrical cabinet fire in Saldus forces 377 people to evacuate nearby building
On Friday an electrical cabinet caught fire on Lielā iela in Saldus, next to a public building. A total of 377 people left the building before rescuers arrived.
NRA · 17 Oct, 10:31
91 residents tour renovated Aizkraukle municipality building
The Aizkraukle municipality in Latvia held tours of its renovated administration building, attended by 91 people. Residents viewed the premises and asked questions about the local government's work.
Staburags · 17 Oct, 09:33
The chestnut tree: from a staple food to an ecological disaster
For thousands of years the chestnut tree has been an important food, timber and cultural symbol in the Northern Hemisphere. The regional newspaper Stars, which serves the Madona area of Latvia, has published a historical overview of the tree.
Stars (Madona) · 17 Oct, 09:33
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Eight injured and one dead in Latvian road accidents on Friday
Road accidents on Friday left eight people injured and one dead, according to the State Police.
Apollo.lv · 17 Oct, 09:32
Kuldīga ceramicist Monta Plaude on avoiding conflict with herself while searching for her path
Ceramicist Monta Plaude from Kuldīga, Latvia, describes her route from teaching to her own studio in the former Padure ceramics factory. She runs workshops and is slowly building the BoLu Ceramics brand.
Kurzemnieks · 17 Oct, 09:32
Estonian NGO Calls Wind Farm Bonus for Municipalities Unconstitutional
Estonia's economic affairs minister plans to pay a bonus to local governments that back wind farm development, but an NGO says the idea is unconstitutional.
ERR News · 17 Oct, 09:31
Former Daugavpils Mayor Eigims Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Demanding a €10,000 Bribe
Latvia's Supreme Court Senate upheld the verdict against Rihards Eigims, the former chairman of Daugavpils City Council, who was found guilty of demanding a bribe from a businessman. He received a prison term of one year and six months, and the ruling cannot be appealed.
Bauskas Dzīve · 17 Oct, 09:31
Ogre Municipality Registers 4 Births and 11 Deaths in One Week
Between 8 and 14 October, the Ogre Municipality Civil Registry Office registered four newborns, while 11 residents of the municipality died. The local news portal OgreNet published the weekly figures.
OgreNet · 17 Oct, 08:34
Lithuanian Muslim scholar says fear-based rhetoric undermines migrant integration
Islam researcher Paulius Abdulhakimas Bergaudas of Klaipėda told LRT.lt that knowledge of Islam in Lithuania is limited and that politicians' rhetoric erodes migrants' trust in state institutions, hindering integration.
LRT English · 17 Oct, 08:33
Estonian Education Minister's Adviser Leaves Eesti 200 for the Social Democrats
Daniel Kõiv, 22, a longtime adviser to Estonia's Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas, is joining the Social Democratic Party and plans to run in Tartu in the Riigikogu election. Eesti 200 is meanwhile debating its own path, as polls suggest it may miss the parliamentary threshold.
ERR (rus) · 17 Oct, 08:31
Pärnu to replace public recycling dumpsters with curbside pickup in 2027
The council of Pärnu, a city in southwestern Estonia, has unanimously approved a 2027–2031 waste management plan. It moves sorted packaging waste to household pickup, leaving only public glass containers.
ERR News · 17 Oct, 08:31
Rīga–Ogre Railway Section to Be Upgraded and Airport Rail Link Built
A Latvian railway project will modernise the electrified network from Rīga Airport through Rīga Central Station to Ogre. In total, €264.18 million has been allocated, and the plan includes a shuttle train between the airport and the city centre.
OgreNet · 17 Oct, 07:34
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14-year-old flees into woods after crash near Ropaži, found with help of a drone
In the Ropaži area, a 14-year-old drove someone else's car into roadside trees and tried to run away. Eyewitnesses spotted him, and a law enforcement drone later located him too.
TVNET · 17 Oct, 07:33