Crab war continues
Agriculture Minister Janis Duklavs met with European Fisheries Commissioner Karmenu Vella in Brussels March 8 to discuss the release of a fishing ship being held in custody by Norway.
Norwegian coastguards impounded the Latvian ship, the Senator, for taking snow crabs near the Arctic island of Svalbard. Norway says it has exclusive rights to fish the entire continental shelf around the island. The European Union, of which Latvia is a member, disputes this.
The European Commission will send a note to Norway in the near future, demanding the urgent release of the ship and the cancellation of a €180,000 fine imposed by the Norwegian authorities. The owners of the Senator claim they are losing €7,000 a day while the ship remains impounded.
Islands in the stream
Flood waters in Daugavpils region show no sign of disappearing, with four small settlements, home to around 20 people, completely cut off.
Ice blocks have accumulated in the river in the area of Nicgale and the water level continues to rise. Other settlements are threatened, but residents show little sign of wanting to leave, with one telling LTV he would only do so when the waters reached his window.
Tune-up for inspections
A parliamentary committee meeting Wednesday supported amendments to the Road Traffic Law that would lengthen the period between technical inspections applicable to new cars.
At present, all cars must undergo an annual inspection regardless of their age. Under the terms of the new amendments, cars up to four years old would only need to be inspected every other year.
Nest eggs
This spring the Latvian Fund for Nature will begin a sixth season of live transmissions from birds' nests.
Since 2012, WWF has placed discreet live cameras in the nests of protected birds to allow viewers to watch all the drama of mating, egg-hatching a territorial battles.
Birds starring in the new season will include sea eagles, black storks, the famous Riga chicken hawk and for the first time, ospreys.
See all the live action HERE.
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