Breast cancer treatment in Latvia has taken a big step forward, reports Latvian Radio.
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In Rīga, an overpass to Kundziņsala is being built on the right bank of the Daugava, on Tvaika Street. The tens of millions of euros worth bridge will be a continuation of the Daudersala flyover and the Eastern Motorway, which opened last year. The overpass is due to be completed in just over a year, Latvian Radio reports.
The problem-ridden Rail Baltica project has another information report published by the Latvian Transport Ministry on October 28. This says that the tracks all the way to the Estonian border may not be built until 2030, Latvian Radio reports.
New Škoda electric trains have been found to have yet more shortcomings. Latvian Radio has noticed that after only a few months in service, some of the windows on the 238-million-euro trains have started to fog up. Passenger train operator Vivi admits that dozens of windows have defects, Latvian Radio reports October 27.
"This is pure vandalism and blasphemy of one's ancestors", "it would be better to dismantle or leave" – these are the words used on social media to describe the Riga City Council's decision to halve the monument to writer Andrejs Upīts. Experts, many of whom criticize the decision, have also expressed their views, Latvian Radio reported on October 18.
Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and other global companies managed by the technology company Meta are planning to set up an artificial intelligence center of excellence in Latvia. It would be the first of its kind in Europe, according to Minister of Economics Viktors Valainis (Greens and Farmers Union), who met with a representative of Meta on Thursday, October 17.
On October 1, ambitious five-year street maintenance contracts come into force in Rīga. Yesterday, September 30, the municipality signed a last-minute contract for the maintenance of bridges, overpasses, and pedestrian tunnels. The agreement is temporary, however, until the municipality finds a permanent contractor, Latvian Radio reports.
Several local authorities are working hard to clean up their sewage systems and ditches after the massive floods that hit some Latvian municipalities in late July and early August. A working group is planning to amend the law to make water management more uniform, Latvian Radio reports September 17.
As an austerity measure, President Edgars Rinkēvičs is planning to submit an initiative to the Saeima this week that would temporarily reduce the remuneration of the management and supervisory boards of state-owned companies, which are mostly supported by the budget. The head of the responsible Saeima committee agrees, Latvian Radio reports September 10.
The passenger train operator Vivi has received around 100 compensation claims from citizens for delayed or canceled train services between April and mid-July. Most of them were for situations beyond the company's control, but for the rest of the cases, passengers were paid a total of around EUR 800, the company told Latvian Radio August 7.
Many places will have to wait a long time for comfortable and modern railway platforms - the ambitious project of Latvian Railways to modernize and build almost 50 railway stops will be fully completed only next year. The government has approved another extension of the deadline, Latvian Radio reported August 6.
Demand for international bus routes is increasing in Latvia, according to the Road Transport Directorate (ATD). Since last weekend, Latvians have had more opportunities to travel by bus to Finnish cities, and international services are being considered between Riga and Klaipėda in Lithuania, Latvian Radio reported July 31.
While Rīga has many areas of outstanding architectural beauty, the city also has another, less attractive side with abandoned lots, houses that are crumbling, and streets that are not properly repaired. Tackling these and other challenges is the job of city architect Pēteris Ratas, who has been leading the municipal architectural service for a year and a half.
Residents of Riga and the vicinity are increasingly sorting organic waste, but the necessary indicators are still far from being reached. In Riga, bio-waste containers have been compulsory at apartment buildings since March, but there are currently 2,000 missing. House managers will soon be fined for failing to install them, Latvian Radio reported July 10.