Šlesers rules out coalition with three parties

Latvija pirmajā vietā leader and prime ministerial candidate Ainārs Šlesers said the party would not form a post-election coalition with New Unity, the Progressives or Sovereign Power, LSM reported. Šlesers made the statement in the podcast “Politicians, what was that supposed to be?!” He said th…

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Police say Panevezys TAMO platform was breached and school threat sent

LRT reported that an electronic learning platform in Panevezys was breached and messages, including a threat to blow up a school, were sent to 83 recipients, all teachers. The Police Department said it received the report at about 6:24 p.m. on Friday. The breach was believed to have occurred roug…

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Leg injury severity determines how long patients need crutches

The type and severity of a leg injury determine whether a patient needs crutches, a wheelchair or both, LSM reported. Doctors also advise patients to follow the weight-bearing restrictions set after an injury or operation. When are crutches needed? Andris Džeriņš, chief doctor at the Traumatology…

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Gun owners can join Lithuania’s organised defence through commandant units

Gun ownership alone does not mean a person is prepared to defend the state, but safe firearms handling, knowledge of local terrain and other practical skills can be valuable when combined with military training and organised service, LRT reports. One option for people seeking to use these skills …

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Traveller pushes stroller from Nordkapp to Cape Town for positive encounters

Italian traveller Ezio Marchetti is walking from Europe’s northernmost point to Cape Town while pushing a child stroller and offering coffee to people he meets, ERR’s Ringvaade programme reported. Marchetti began his journey in June at Nordkapp. He has now walked almost 2,500 kilometres and is al…

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Officials find illegal cigarettes and alcohol near Kaunas market

LRT reported that customs and tax officials found 2,108 packs of cigarettes and 24 litres of alcohol without Lithuanian excise stamps during a raid near Kaunas’s Aleksotas market on Thursday. The Customs Criminal Service and the State Tax Inspectorate conducted the joint operation to prevent ille…

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Riga residents can deliver storm debris until September 20

Riga residents can continue delivering trees, branches and leaves broken by the storm, LSM reports. The collection point at 12 Siguldas Prospect in Mežapark will operate until Monday, September 14, while the point at 16A Uzvaras Boulevard will remain open until Sunday, September 20. Large timber …

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Herem says arms purchases require risk-taking to avoid inaction

Arms purchases and aid to Ukraine inevitably involve serious risks, but fear of making mistakes must not lead Estonia into inaction, Martin Herem said in an interview with Vikerraadio’s Vikerhommik, reported by ERR. The interview took place before he learned that he had been proposed as the next …

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Lithuanian politicians reject Kremlin threat over nuclear weapons

Lithuanian politicians have dismissed a warning from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov that Lithuania would become a target for Russian nuclear weapons if it allowed allies to deploy them, LRT reported, citing the ELTA news agency. They described the statement as an attempt to exert political and p…

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Quiz explores how quickly Tammsaare’s Truth and Justice won Estonian hearts

ERR reports that the educational centre of the National Library of Estonia has created a quiz marking the 100th anniversary of the first publication of Anton Hansen Tammsaare’s “Truth and Justice”. The quiz tests knowledge of the novel and its reception in different periods. It asks how quickly t…

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Latvia’s PISA lead says stop blaming teachers

Latvian 15 year olds’ performance in reading, mathematics and science has fallen sharply, reaching its lowest level this century, LSM reported. Rita Kiseļova, the leading researcher at the Institute for Education Research and head of the PISA study in Latvia, discussed the results in an interview…

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Mutt says Viiding foresaw his tragic death 20 years ahead

Writer Mihkel Mutt told ERR’s Ringvaade that poet Juhan Viiding had foreseen his tragic end nearly 20 years in advance, describing it not as a sorrowful flight but as a triumphant desire to become part of the universe. Mutt discussed his book “Juhani evangeelium”, which he wrote after becoming in…

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Olekas proposes raising judges’ service age limit to 70

Lithuanian Parliament Speaker Juozas Olekas has proposed extending the age limit for judges by five years, from 65 to 70, LRT reported. Olekas has registered amendments to the Law on Courts, saying they would help retain judges with extensive professional experience. If approved, a judge’s powers…

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Charity festival seeks funds to save Sigulda’s Hope House

Organisers are collecting donations at the Kalniešu spēles charity festival in Sigulda to help the Cerību māja home for young people with intellectual disabilities remain in operation, Latvian Radio reports. The festival is being held for the 10th time on Saturday as part of the Mājām būt fundrai…

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Peers remember public figure and director Rihards Pīks

Colleagues remember the late cinematographer, director and public figure Rihards Pīks as an outstanding figure in culture and foreign affairs, LSM reported. A farewell ceremony for the former politician will be held at the Riga Crematorium on Saturday at midday. Actor Andris Lielais recalled how …

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Lithuania turns back 21 migrants at Belarus border

Lithuanian border guards turned back 21 migrants attempting to enter the country irregularly from Belarus over the past 24 hours, LRT reported Saturday, citing the State Border Guard Service. Latvian border guards turned back 56 migrants on Friday, while Poland recorded no attempts to enter the c…

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Tallinn Marathon to disrupt traffic and public transport

The Tallinn Marathon and Tallinn Autumn Run will cause temporary traffic restrictions and changes to public transport in Tallinn’s northern, central and Haabersti districts this weekend, ERR reported. Thousands of recreational runners are expected to take to the city streets. People travelling ne…

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Court orders detention of Kenyan citizen posing as Norwegian

A court has ordered the detention of a Kenyan citizen who allegedly used a forged Norwegian identity card at Vilnius Airport, LRT reported, citing Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service (VSAT). Border guards stopped the man in the departure hall near the boarding gate for a flight to Catania, Sic…

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Weekend to bring warm weather and little rain in Lithuania

Warm weather and limited rainfall are expected in Lithuania this weekend, LRT reports, citing the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Institute. Saturday will be cloudy with sunny intervals, with brief rain in some places. Westerly winds will reach 4 to 9 metres per second, while temperatures will ran…

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Family finds century old cosmetics box revealing Kaunas businesswoman’s story

A family clearing a storage room in an old apartment in central Kaunas discovered a wooden box containing empty cream tubes that had belonged to Marija Nikolskienė, who ran a cosmetics business in interwar Kaunas, LRT reports. The box had been hidden at the back of the storage room for almost a c…

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Rising costs push Estonian restaurants to close their doors

Restaurants in Estonia are closing one after another as customer spending declines while labour, tax, gas and electricity costs continue to rise, ERR reported. The latest to close is Ülo, which has operated in Tallinn’s Kalamaja district. Ülo’s last day will be Sunday. Co-owner Steve Heinlo told …

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EU weighs packaging rule exemptions for microbusinesses

The European Union is considering more flexible packaging requirements for micro and small businesses selling to other member states, ERR reported. Patrick Child, deputy director-general of the European Commission’s environment directorate, said the new extended producer responsibility requiremen…

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A. Le Coq chief Jaanus Vihand to leave after four years

ERR reported that Jaanus Vihand, the head of Estonia’s largest beverage producer A. Le Coq, will leave his position at the end of October after four years. The company said he was stepping down at his own request to pursue new professional challenges and had begun searching for a successor. Speak…

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Lithuanian tech firms offer pay boost to employees serving in military

Four Lithuanian technology companies will pay employees who voluntarily choose military service nearly 1,500 euros a month after tax throughout their service, LRT reports. The initiative is intended to help employees maintain financial security for themselves and their families while serving the …

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Lithuanian MPs seek to restrict minors’ access to video game loot boxes

Lithuanian lawmakers have proposed restricting minors’ access to paid random-reward mechanisms in video games known as loot boxes, LRT reports. The amendments, initiated by conservative MPs, would classify the mechanisms as information that can negatively affect minors’ development. Game develope…

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Saaremaa students relive 1936 in Kuressaare

More than 250 school students took part in a time-travel event in Kuressaare on Friday, recreating life in 1936, ERR reported. The event took place in the courtyard of Kuressaare Castle, where participants welcomed Estonian Olympic wrestlers Kristjan Palusalu and Voldemar Väli in the style of 193…

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Saturday forecast points to rain and thunderstorms

Saturday will bring increasing cloud and showers across Estonia, while thunderstorms are possible on Sunday, ERR reports. The night will remain mostly clear under the influence of a high-pressure ridge arriving from the Baltic Sea. Coastal areas may see occasional showers, and fog will form in so…

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LSM puts Greens and Farmers Union under election spotlight

Latvian Television has devoted the fourth episode of its election series Partija fokusā to the Union of Greens and Farmers, LSM reported. The series is intended to help voters make critical and informed choices in the election for Latvia’s 15th Saeima by offering a comprehensive look at political…

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Michal expects new energy and environment minister to be named Tuesday

Estonia’s new energy and environment minister is likely to be named by Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Kristen Michal said, according to ERR. He did not name any possible candidates and did not rule out reshuffling Reform Party ministers within the government. Michal said he had offered the portf…

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Local resident restores power line three weeks after Latvia storm

A local resident restored electricity to three households in Mazzalve parish, Aizkraukle municipality, three weeks after a storm damaged their power line, LSM reported. Power was restored on September 10 through a roughly 2.6-kilometre line owned by the municipality. The residents pay their elect…

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