Latvia

The wedge clam, or Atlantic rangia has been named the mollusc of the year 2026; the choice of a non-native species aims to drawing attention to alien and invasive species in the Baltic Sea, according to the Latvian Malacological Society

85 cruise ships with 115.500 passengers have docked in the Port of Riga in the 2025 cruise season, +43% more than last year; the cruise segment in the Port of Riga is expected to grow with 98 cruise ships registered for 2026 and over 100 in 2027

Riga Airport signed a cooperation memorandum with the Aviation Academy of South Korea’s Incheon International Airport Corporation, a leading aviation training centre in the Asia-Pacific, to develop RIX Academy, attracting a broader range of trainees

Latvian full-service aircraft leasing company SmartLynx Airlines has ceased operations; in a statement to the media the company said the decision was made after assessing financial position and long-term operating prospects

Lāčplēsis Day was celebrated yesterday across the country; named after Latvia's mythical warrior hero, it's a day of historical commemoration and an occasion to express appreciation for the service and sacrifice of all those who serve in the armed forces

Agricultural lending platform LANDE and European Investment Fund will support a loan portfolio for small and medium farmers in Latvia and Lithuania; EIF will cover 80% of credit risk on loans of up to €50.000, which will be granted without collateral

Hundreds protested against looming Latvian U-turn on Istanbul Convention, saying that exiting the Convention, would give the country an international civil rights reputation similar to that of Turkey the only to have signed up and then exited

Police seized 1,2 million cigarettes without Latvian excise stamps from a group of smugglers, probably destined to Finland market, in a search in the Ķengarags and Iļģuciems neighborhoods of Riga

Riga Vice Mayor Edvards Ratnieks announced to the press that he is urging illegal immigrants to leave Riga and Latvia in a month, as citizens reportedly feel less safe; migration was one of the issues highlighted in the campaign this year

13.481 people graduated from Latvia's higher education institutions, 4% less than 2023, according to latest Education and Science Ministry report; over 6.000 students was at bachelor-level, 3.000 completed college, almost 4.000 obtained master degrees

The concert "Te–aust" closed this year's School Youth Song and Dance Festival: it presents works of contemporary composers who have chosen lines written by prominent poets and sequences of Latvian folk songs for their compositions

Changing the system of service pensions, said Prime Minister Evika Silina, is necessary to restore equality with other recipients of retirement pensions; the retirement pension age was raised some time ago, but the age for service pensions hasn't