Maestro Raimonds Pauls gets Latvian highest state decoration

Maestro Raimonds Pauls will be awarded the highest award of the Order of the Three Stars - First Class - for his outstanding and enduring contribution to music and to Latvia, Latvian Television reported on 26 October. On the Latvian Independence...

Putin kills children while his envoy spreads Kremlin propaganda in U.S. — Latvian FM

Latvia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braze, commenting on Russia's overnight attack on Kyiv, stated that while Vladimir Putin's special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, Kirill Dmitriev, is visiting the United States, the...

Latvia's emergency medical service plans reforms

The Emergency Medical Service (NMPD) is preparing major changes to its work to respond to calls faster. According to Latvian Television's programme ‘De Facto’ aired on 12 October, a pilot project has just been launched in Rīga to test a one-person...

NEWT21 Showcases Reliable Autonomous Navigation on Its USV with UAV Navigation-Grupo Oesía’s Support

Madrid, 4 Nov, 2025. – NEWT21, the Latvian manufacturer specializing in unmanned surface vessels (USVs), has successfully demonstrated advanced autonomous navigation on its FOG USV. This achievement follows the smooth integration of UAV...

Latvian healthcare union not confident in Health Minister

On Tuesday, 21 October, the Latvian Health and Social Care Workers' Trade Union (LVSADA) decided to express no confidence in Health Minister Hosams Abu Meri (New Unity) and the Ministry of Health, said Valdis Keris, head of the trade union, in an...

Health care spending: Where are out-of-pocket costs highest across Europe?

The European Union describes access to health care as a fundamental human right, but who bears the cost? According to Eurostat, mandatory health insurance contributions account for slightly more than half (51 per cent) of total health care...

Medical workers’ union expresses no confidence in Latvia’s Minister of Health

The Latvian Health and Social Care Workers’ Trade Union (LVSADA) has decided to express no confidence in Health Minister Hosams Abu Meri (New Unity) and the Ministry of Health, union leader Valdis Keris informed. LVSADA will decide on further...

Healthcare clinic merger as VCA buys Medical Plus in Latvia

The Competition Council (KP) has adopted a decision to allow JSC "Veselības centru apvienība (VCA)" to acquire sole decisive influence over LLC "Medical plus". The Council did not find any significant harm to competition and therefore decided to...

Rīga's water disinfection to take place at end of October

Preventive disinfection or chlorination of Rīga's water mains is planned from 27 October to 30 October. It will start simultaneously at all water supply pumping stations, spreading the disinfectant evenly throughout the city's water supply...

Best Places To Retire Outside The U.S. For Financial Security, As Per 2025 Reports

Preveli gorge, Crete, in Greece, consistently ranks highly as one of the best places to retire. getty Retiring abroad is becoming an increasingly attractive option for Americans seeking financial security and a better quality of life. The 2025...

Latvia’s emergency medical service tests new approach – “standby points”

The State Emergency Medical Service (NMPD) has introduced a new ambulance post in Jaunmārupe this summer, while another will open in Baloži in October. In addition, the service has launched a pilot project testing a new concept – “standby points”,...

Proposal to reorganise hospital system in Latvia

The Ministry of Health (VM) is proposing to move to a three-tier hospital model - local, regional and multiprofile hospitals - replacing the current five-tier division, LSM.lv reports on 24 October. The existing five-tier governance has led to...

Latvia’s healthcare workers lose patience – minister faces possible vote of no confidence

One of the next steps that the Latvian Health and Social Care Workers’ Union (LVSADA) may take to express dissatisfaction with the government’s failure to increase funding for medical workers’ salaries could be a vote of no confidence in Minister...

Funding shortages threaten service continuity at Stradiņš and Eastern hospitals

The Ministry of Health (MoH) will request a total of 8,428,604 euros from the state’s contingency funds for Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital (PSKUS) and Riga East Clinical University Hospital (RAKUS) to ensure the continuity of...

Mammography map developed in Latvia

The tool was developed by the Latvian Women's Volunteer Association "Vita" in collaboration with the "Women's Health Partnership" team. A digital card, using a QR code, will help provide information about the nearest mammography location, contact...

Latvian Radio surveys China's interest in Latvia

Latvia's security services say they have been closely monitoring China's activities in the country for the past decade and have repeatedly mentioned it as a potential source of security risk. China supports Russia in the war against Ukraine, and...

Sports federations budget 'unacceptable', says Latvian Olympic Committee

The budget for sports federations has not changed since 2016, even though the country's total budget has almost doubled during this period, said Raimonds Lazdiņš, president of the Latvian Olympic Committee (LOK), in an interview with Latvian...

Kristaps Porziņģis Aims for Strong NBA Season After Health Scare

ATLANTA, Ga. — Kristaps Porziņģis is set to make an impact with the Atlanta Hawks this NBA season after overcoming a significant health issue that affected his performance last spring. Diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or...

Nicholas A. Riga

Share Tweet Share Share Email Comments WESTFIELD – Nicholas A. Riga of Westfield, MA died on October 21st, 2025. Nick was born in Westfield on October 30th, 1936, the son of the late Nicholas and Lucy (Cennamo) Riga and first grandchild of Rosina...

Latvia Scales Back Support Measures for Ukrainian Refugees

(MENAFN) The Latvian government has officially sanctioned modifications to its legislation concerning assistance to Ukrainian refugees, cutting the support budget by more than one-third and significantly reducing several existing benefits. Latvia,...