With less than a week to go before parliamentary elections, the latest party ratings commissioned for SKDS pollster by LTV show that there has been a steep drop for the Harmony party.
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Jānis Urbanovičs, parliamentary leader of the Harmony party, has alleged that a non-governmental organization with the power to control states, governments and ministries is engaged in a Europe-wide campaign to discredit Christianity.
A stand constructed at Rīga International Airport with the purpose of promoting Latvian business has come under scrutiny from LTV's De Facto investigative journalism show, which asked if it was worth the 600,000 euro price tag.
Two families living in a single building in Latvia have had their three computers held for weeks after their IP address was found to be linked to fraudulent online purchases, reported LTV's De Facto investigative show June 10.
The brewery business partner of Latvia's scandal-prone Agriculture Minister Janis Dūklavs also makes warships for the Russian navy, LTV's De Facto investigative show reported May 20.
In 2017, Latvia's gambling industry posted a €64 million profit. Under a scheme introduced in 2011, people can opt out of being allowed to gamble, with 1,260 applications submitted thus far. Nevertheless, these people who are unable to keep themselves away from gambling are still able to visit Latvia's gambling houses freely, because visitors are seldom asked IDs and the owners face no consequences for letting an opted-out gambler inside, reports LTV's De Facto.
October 6 will see parliamentary elections in Latvia, and ahead of that date political parties are doing their best to raise money to fuel their campaigns.
The former head of Riga's central market begins his third criminal court case this week, with a picture unfolding of widespread corruption within one of Latvia's main commercial centers, reported LTV's De Facto investigative show March 25.
New investigations by LTV's De Facto investigative news show and Re:Baltica, the Baltic Center for Investigative Journalism, have raised serious questions about the ways in which Rīga mayor Nils Ušakovs publicizes himself via social media and the associated costs of doing so.
Armands Rasa, the insolvency administrator of Trasta Komercbanka, has been paid €2.9 million for his services, as creditors who have little chance of recovering their assets have voted to pay Rasa 30% of the recovered money, reported LTV's De Facto March 4.
Latvia has implemented 80% of the recommendations set forth in the Istanbul Convention, a Council of Europe initiative that aims to reduce levels of violence against women, reported LTV's De Facto February 11.
Polish authorities suspect that Verners Lūsis, an official at a subsidiary of state-owned Latvian Railways (Latvijas Dzelzceļš), has engaged in tax fraud worth €48 million, reported LTV's De Facto February 4.
An apparent cyber-attack which briefly shut down Latvia's online health system two weeks ago involved attacks on other agencies as government departments as well LTV's De Facto investigative show reported January 28.
Turnover among police officers of the State Police is taking place at a worrying rate, reported LTV's De Facto investigative news show December 17.
Latvia offers too few Latvian language courses for free, reports LTV's De Facto on December 10.
With the Latvian national soccer team's recent victory against Andorra regarded as a notable achievement, it would be fair to say the national football league (Virsliga) does not stand serious comparison with Serie A in Italy or Germany's Bundesliga.
A company with which the city of Riga has teamed up to deliver a 'smart city' solution for €8.7m may be tied to Māris Martinsons, a businessman with a checkered past, reported LTV's De facto on September 17.
Latvia's Health Ministry has defended having a controversial claimed treatment for cancer on its official list of medicines, despite expressions of doubt about its effectiveness and clinical validity from oncologists, the De Facto investigative new show reported September 3.
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.
The heads of Lattelecom and airBaltic boast higher paychecks than others in similar companies abroad, reported LTV's De Facto on April 9.
The bankruptcy of MiniCredit, one of the largest Estonian payday loan companies, reveals a picture of a luxurious but possibly criminal lifestyle under the guise of quick cash, reported LTV's De Facto in cooperation with Estonian Äripäev daily Sunday.
Some entrepreneurs want the government to loosen requirements for hiring guest workers due to industry-specific labor shortages. However their proposals have been halted by the National Alliance party, reported LTV's De Facto on January 22.
Ivans Stalnoy, the main producer of of nozagts.com website that posts unverified news, has close ties to the Harmony party, reported LTV's De Facto Sunday.
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.
About €7.9m of EU funds in ministry-ordered e-governance projects have been found to be misspent, costing taxpayers millions, 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.
The Education Ministry has proposed changes in Latvia's education marking a turn towards competency-based learning. The new model is planned to be introduced gradually by 2023 with the €14m EU project recently greenlighted, according to an unofficial source, reported LTV's De Facto Sunday.
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.
Longtime Riga Freeport chief executive officer Leonids Loginovs holds several ten thousands of euros in cash, owns an impressive car fleet and has received several large donations, Latvian Television's De Facto reported Sunday. Strikingly, he also appears to have inherited a Maybach luxury car from his father.
As Europe is being tested by an ongoing migration crisis, the 'Tēvijas Sargi' (Fatherland Guards), an anti-immigrant organization with a paramilitary slant, is attracting more followers, with a Latvian MP apparently among its supporters, reported Latvian Television's De Facto Sunday.
Latvia requires firms to obtain a permit to be registered at a particular address, a requirement for setting up an official company. Cases of possible fraud have been on the increase, with one address reportedly hosting a whopping 596 companies. The Justice Ministry is eyeing solutions to the problem, reported Latvian Television's De Facto Sunday.