A municipal center for helping refugees, run by the Riga City Council has been operational for a year now, led by Sandris Bergmanis, a well-known member of the Harmony political party. Yet despite being established with the goal of helping refugees find housing, work, and education, no one at the center speaks English (or other shared languages) well enough to communicate effectively with clients, reported LTV's De facto on May 14.
In the last six months, four out of eight forest regions managed by Latvijas Valsts mezi (Latvian State Forests, LVM) have been stripped of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certificate for responsible forest management. Despite audits being carried out at these regions, LVM opted only for a certificate proving that timber has come from a legal source, reported LTV's De facto Sunday.
Latvia's Council of Higher Education has opted against accrediting the Latvian Business College (LBK) as a higher education institution. While the council has found that LBK doesn't meet education criteria, authorities are worried about illegal immigration risks posed by the school's attempts to attract foreign students, reported LTV's De Facto Sunday.
The last group of the trains under the €22m diesel train modernization project was accepted by Latvia's national carrier Passenger Rail (Pasažieru vilciens) from contractor DMU Vilcieni on September 19 - a year later than initially planned.
Among European countries, Latvia and the Baltics have the most favorable terrain for defense, says defense expert Phillip Karber, a lecturer at Georgetown University and a consultant at the Latvian Ministry of Defense in an interview to LTV's De Facto.