The Saeima Social and Labor Affairs Committee supports the intention to raise the alcohol-purchase age limit from 18 to 20, Latvian Radio reported on October 31.
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The government plans to raise excise tax on alcohol annually for the next few years in order to benefit the State budget and invest in public health. However, there is resistance from the industry, which believes that the state budget will suffer from excise duty, Latvian Television's Vita Anstrate reported as part of the public media-driven alcohol problem-tackling series Zeme, kur dzer (Land that drinks) on October 13.
How to reduce alcohol consumption in Latvian society? After a long break, the Saeima will discuss this at the end of the month. Very little has been done to limit alcohol purchases recently, and the policymakers are up against a powerful industry lobby, Latvian Television reports as part of the Zeme, kur dzer (Land that drinks) series tackling Latvia's drinking issues.
In several countries, cars with Russian license plates are no longer allowed in, and there is currently discussion about how to treat those cars that were able to enter the European Union before the ban. Latvia is working on a framework that will determine the timeframe before these cars must be registered in Latvia or they should leave the territory of our country, as agreed on by the coalition on Monday, September 25.
From January 1, 2024, biological waste sorting will be mandatory in Latvia. Although sorting this waste may cause inconvenience to some, it is important for us to ensure that the waste mountains do not grow, Inese Avota, project manager of “Getliņi EKO” in the field of environmental education, told Latvian Radio September 6.
The Saeima Defense, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention Committee has decided to direct amendments to the Immigration Law, which will provide for the possibility for Russian citizens living in Latvia to apply for a temporary residence permit for a period of two years during which the official language exam has to be completed, for viewing in the parliament, Latvian Radio reported September 5.
During the period from April 11 to August 29, the Latvian language test was passed by 39% of Russian citizens taking it for the first time, while 61% of Russian citizens did not pass the test on the first try, the State Educational Content Center (VISC) reported on September 5.
According to the law currently in force, a number of citizens of the Russian Federation who have not shown an initiative to pass the Latvian language check lose their permanent residence permit in September. Meanwhile, additional proposals are coming in and there is no complete clarity on what's awaiting these people yet, Latvian Television reported on September 4.
The biggest challenge of the next school year will be the transition to the Latvian language only in general education. Minister Anda Čakša (New Unity), together with the State Education Quality Service, promises enhanced inspections, Latvian Radio reported on August 23.
The government will urge the Saeima to amend the Immigration Law, providing that those Russian citizens who have not passed the Latvian language exam until September 1 will have the opportunity to apply for a temporary residence permit for two years during which the exam is to be set, Minister for Interior Māris Kučinskis told Latvian Television on August 23 after the government meeting.
The arrival of several citizens of the Russian Federation in Latvia for a European football match as part of an Azerbaijani team has attracted the attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which will invite other Schengen zone member states to adopt a common approach to the matter.
On Sunday, July 23, Māris Kovaļovs who was in prison for attempted murder managed to escape but was caught within a few hours, Interior Minister Māris Kučinskis confirmed to Latvian Television.
In September this year, the system for evaluating pupils' knowledge will remain unchanged, said Education and Science Minister Anda Čakša (New Unity) on July 18.
The Justice Council will evaluate individual court judgments that have brought public attention with too lax punishments, after meeting with the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, who last week sharply criticized the work of the prosecutor's office, confirmed Aigars Strupišs, Chairman of the Supreme Court and Justice Council on July 17.
For students of Year 12 this year, the best average results for centralized exams were in English, but worst in math, the National Educational Content Center reported on July 14.
Education and Science Minister Anda Čakša (New Unity) will not resign as requested by the Latvian Education and Science Workers' Union (LIZDA), Čakša said Monday, July 3.
Graduates of year 9 have received their centralized exam results. Pupils have performed best in the English exam this year, while the lowest results are in math, Latvian Television reported on June 27.
With an exam in history on Monday, June 19, the centralized exam session at schools has ended. This year brought several changes to the exam-taking order, Latvian Television reported.
High school pupils will soon end their exam session and some will start preparing for university. For the first time, graduates took exams in two different degrees of difficulty, so the enrollment criteria also change, Latvian Television reported on June 14.
Prosecutor General Juris Stukāns criticizes the lawyer of the woman stalked and killed in Jēkabpils, meanwhile, the lawyer is surprised by the accusations and calls them repugnant. The lawyers' council is asking for an investigation into Stukāns' actions, Latvian Radio and Latvian Television reported on June 8.
On Sunday, May 28, the Saeima decided shortly before midnight to declare Monday, May 29, as a holiday in honor of the bronze medals won by the Latvian hockey team at the world championship. For those institutions that still had to work, the decision brought extra challenges, Latvian Radio reported on May 30.
On Friday, May 26, a convoy with technical aid was sent by the Latvian State Police to soldiers in Ukraine. In cooperation with the Ministry of Defense and the Entrepreneurs for Peace Fund, a 12-vehicle convoy has been launched today, but there are more cars in the aid package, as well as unmanned aircraft, generators, mobile power stations and uniforms.
The Latvian Education and Science Workers' Trade Union (LIZDA) is still not satisfied with the calculations of the Ministry of Education and Science (IZM) in relation to the fulfillment of the requirements of the teachers' strike, Latvian Television reported on May 18.
The State Blood Donor Center (VADC) has opened new premises in an accessible location to many – in the very heart of Rīga, on Brīvības Boulevard 32, Latvian Television reported on May 2.
Despite the fact that Latvia has a border with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south and the countries share a great deal in terms of history and culture, there is currently little appetite for learning the Estonian or Lithuanian languages, reported LTV May 1.
The Latvian Education and Science Workers' Trade Union (LIZDA) and the government's representatives have reached a conceptual agreement on the increase in teachers' pay, with additional funding of €4.168 million, LIZDA's head Inga Vanaga and Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš (New Unity) said after a meeting on Tuesday, April 25.
The Paris referendum on banning the rental of electric scooters has brought traffic rules to the fore again in Latvia. People surveyed on the streets don't exactly agree with a ban, while emergency services are alarmed and the high number of accidents related to the use of scooters, Latvian Television reported on April 3.
The Saeima Defense, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention Committee on Tuesday, March 28, supported the Interior Minister's proposal to allow Russian citizens to re-take their mandatory state language exams, and not to cancel previous residence permits during repeated applications and language exams, Latvian Television reported.
With donations from entrepreneurs and citizens, the charity platform “Ziedot.lv” has provided €2.5 million in aid to Ukrainian war refugees who have arrived in Latvia during the year, Ziedot.lv said on March 28.
Registering for the mandatory Latvian proficiency test has closed. According to prior estimates, the test is due for approximately 18,000 Russian citizens living in Latvia. Otherwise, they will lose their permanent residence permit in September. 7,500 applications have been received so far, but the total data will still be collected next week, Latvian Television reported.
Protesters voiced their opposition March 12 to plans to potentially remove a statue of Russian writer Alexander Pushkin from a Rīga park, reported Latvian Television.
The Agriculture Ministry has requested money in the state budget for the construction of a chapel at the Likteņdārzs park. Several points are unclear about this: why is it the Agriculture Ministry and why is it proposed at a time when there is not enough money for priorities, Latvian Television reported on March 2.