Latvia

The Rīga Stradiņš University opened its first branch outside Latvia at the Elbe Kliniken in the German city of Stade: this is the first international branch of a Baltic national university in the field of medical studies

Following an incident involving a Russian combat drone flying over Latvian territory, the National Security Council decided to update and improve procedures for more effective action in the event of a security threat from unmanned aerial vehicles

Attempts to disrupt the functioning of Latvian websites continue, and last week there was another wave of attacks, which, however, in most cases only succeeded in slowing down the functioning of various pages, not blocking them completely

Residents of the village of Tirza are protesting against the planned felling of more than 20 apple trees as part of the road improvement works, demanding that the fruit trees be spared and sending letters to both Latvian highways and President Rinkēvičs

The reliability of trains in Latvia has improved since the beginning of the year, with problems with train services less frequent and train punctuality averaging 98%; in July, however, over 400 journeys were cancelled due to severe storms

Insurance companies received more than 7,000 claims for damages caused by the storm and rain that occurred on 28 and 29 July, said representatives of the Latvian Association of Insurers

To celebrate 500 years of books in Latvia in 2025, LSM - Public Broadcasting of Latvia - is organising a major series in cooperation with the Latvian National Library examining various aspects of the national literary heritage

Riga Airport signed a €248.000 contract with BM-projekts for the development of a multi-storey car park; the short-term 400-space car park project will be developed and approved by the construction authority within nine months

Wheelchair users of the Latvian railway operator must now request a ride only 24 hours in advance instead of three days as before, a small improvement in the face of the difficulties still present for people with disabilities

The average gross hourly wage of women is 16,5% lower than that of men in 2023, according to estimates by the Central Statistical Office of Latvia

The Latvian Postal Board has announced an open competition for the positions of chairman and board member, with applications open until 5 July

Latvians have the longest working hours in the Baltic States: while the EU average is 36,1 hours per week, Latvians work 38,4, according to Eurostat data