Read the latest news from regional and global sources, presenting different voices and perspectives.
Latvia agrees to strictly regulate the distribution of additional funding for healthcare workers’ salaries
Baltic News Network
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June 25, 2025
Medical institutions that provide state-funded inpatient healthcare services will now have unified guidelines for increasing salaries, according to amendments to the Cabinet of Ministers’ regulations on the organization and payment of healthcare...
Bus routes launched in Latvian-Estonian border area
LSM
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July 2, 2025
The bus routes will help to solve transport accessibility problems in border regions and facilitate everyday mobility, especially for older people. In a festive atmosphere, the ribbon is cut and the first passengers set off on a test run,...
235 same-sex partnerships registered in Latvia within a year
Baltic News Network
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July 1, 2025
In the year since Latvia introduced the Partnership Institute, 235 same-sex partnerships have been officially registered, according to the Latvian Council of Sworn Notaries. As of the 1st of July, a total of 613 partnerships have been recorded in...
Avoidable chronic diseases are Europe’s deadliest killers, says Eurostat data
EurActiv
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July 1, 2025
New data from Eurostat show that around 1.1 million deaths per year in Europe could be avoided through smarter public health policies targeting alcohol and tobacco, or better-quality medical care. According to new figures from 2022 released by the...
Partnerships registered by over 600 couples in one year in Latvia
LSM
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July 1, 2025
In total, as of 1 July this year, the Register of Natural Persons contains information on 613 registered partnerships, of which 235 are same-sex partnerships and 378 are opposite-sex partnerships. Meanwhile, 19 partnerships have ended. Nine...
"Jelena Ostapenko decided not to give a f**k" - Iga Swiatek fans relieved after Latvian's shock Wimbledon loss to World No. 51
Sportskeeda
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June 30, 2025
Jelena Ostapenko's shocking first-round exit from Wimbledon led to Iga Swiatek's fans rejoicing. The Latvian boasts a 6-0 win-loss record against the Pole and was in the same half of the women's singles draw at SW19 as the former No. 1. On Monday,...
Latvia ramps up crackdown on Russians with real estate purchase ban
Politico Europe
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June 20, 2025
The newly passed law forbids Russian and Belarusian citizens, as well as companies that are at least 25 percent owned by them, from acquiring property in Latvia — but provides exceptions for EU and Latvian permanent residence holders from Russia...
Latvia's foreign minister criticises WHO Europe chief's visit to Russia
Ukrainska Pravda
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Baiba Braže. Photo: Laura Celmiņa, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže has criticised Hans Kluge, World Health Organisation Regional Director for Europe, for visiting Russia and his statement on the trip....
Why Electric Go-Karting in Riga Should Be on Your Bucket List: 8 Reasons You Shouldn’t Miss It
The Baltic Review
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June 27, 2025
Riga is full of surprises. From its charming Old Town to its vibrant nightlife, it offers something for every traveler. But if you’re looking to add excitement, speed, and a healthy dose of adrenaline to your itinerary, there’s one experience that...
Rīga Stradiņš' Hospital new building promised for 2029
LSM
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June 19, 2025
Anastasija Popova, head of the Infrastructure Development Department at Stradiņš Hospital, knows every metre and every problem in the unfinished building. The unfinished operating theatres have already been, so to say, operated on – several layers...
BNN Interview | Hosams Abu Meri: Why waiting times remain long and how to treat Latvia smarter
Baltic News Network
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June 26, 2025
Healthcare ranks at the top of the priority list for every Latvian resident. Yet, the sector is also riddled with “tough questions” more than perhaps any other. What are the real benefits of the pharmaceutical reform? How long will patients...
FC Kallon’s Female Striker Kumba Brima Signs With UEFA Women’s Champions League Club Riga FC
Sierraloaded
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June 27, 2025
Kumba Brima, a prominent striker from Sierra Leone’s Kallon Female Football Club, has officially signed her first professional contract with Riga Football Club Women in Latvia. The transfer allows her to compete in the UEFA Women’s Champions...
Transgender and nonbinary Latvians face a struggle for recognition
LSM
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June 27, 2025
Eren, who declined to provide his last name due to safety concerns, came to Latvia in 2020 to be with his husband after getting married in Russia, where his gender on official documents was listed as female. There, Eren was completely unable to...
Retail figures down 2% on year in Latvia
LSM
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June 27, 2025
The largest year-on-year increases were recorded in the retail sale of electrical household appliances in specialised stores (10.6 %), retail sale of information and communication equipment in specialised stores (7.5 %), as well as retail sale of...
Record 769 arrests and USD 65 million in illicit pharmaceuticals seized in global bust
International Criminal Police Organization
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SINGAPORE – An INTERPOL-coordinated operation across 90 countries has resulted in the seizure of 50.4 million doses of illicit pharmaceuticals worth USD 65 million, highlighting the alarming scale of the global trade in unapproved and counterfeit...
Sunny Thursday, but rainfront to take over Latvia on Friday
Baltic News Network
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June 26, 2025
Thursday will be sunny, with only occasional cloud cover in some areas. There is a slight chance that a passing cloud could bring a brief shower, according to the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre. A light to moderate westerly...
Midsummer was relatively peaceful for Latvian rescue services
LSM
·
June 26, 2025
The State Fire and Rescue Service received 149 calls for rescue operations and extinguished 69 fires. Four people were injured in fires, and two people were rescued from water bodies. The emergency medical services received around 900 calls, which...
How far has Latvia come with mental health in past three years?
LSM
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June 25, 2025
Mental health – one of the priorities of the Ministry of Health Since 2018, the Ministry of Health has made mental health one of its priorities. The ministry developed a two-year ‘Plan for Improving Access to Mental Health Care’, but its...
NATO countries’ budgets compared: Defence vs healthcare and education
Al Jazeera
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June 25, 2025
NATO leaders signed a deal to increase defence spending as the annual alliance summit in The Hague drew to a close after two days of meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday. At the top of the agenda was a big new defence spending target demanded by US...
First Estonian-language medical books reached thousands of peasants
ERR
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June 25, 2025
In its early years, the Estonian National Museum began collecting printed materials alongside ethnographic artifacts. As early as 1910, a complete set of the first Estonian-language journal, Lühike Õpetus ("Brief Instruction," 1766–1767),...