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☆ Greek PM says not fair to manage EU migration problem alone
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Greek coast guard rescued 104 people but hundreds of migrants drowned after an overloaded boat capsized and sank in international waters off Greece's Pylos on June 14, in one of Europe's deadliest shipping disasters in recent years. Survivors have said that the ship capsized after a disastrous towing attempt by the Greek coast guard, which Greece denies. Greece is one of the main routes into the European Union for refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Mitsotakis is expected to meet re-elected Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of a NATO Summit this week. Reporting by Renee Maltezou and Lefteris Papadimas; Editing by Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mitsotakis, Tayyip Erdogan, Renee Maltezou, Christina Fincher Organizations: European Union, EU, Latvian, NATO, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, Greece, Pylos, Riga, East, Asia, Africa, Turkey, Greece’s, EU

☆ Latvia swears in EU's first openly gay president
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsLatvia swears in EU's first openly gay presidentPostedLatvia's new president Edgars Rinkevics was sworn in on Saturday (July 8) in Riga, becoming the first openly gay head of state of a European Union nation.

Persons: EU's, Edgars Rinkevics Organizations: Latvia, European Union Locations: Riga

☆ Allies Pressure Biden to Hasten NATO Membership for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( David E. Sanger | Steven Erlanger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Krisjanis Karins, the American-born prime minister of Latvia, argued that “the only chance for peace in Europe is when Ukraine will be in NATO.” Speaking Wednesday at a strategy conference in Riga, he said that any other outcome means inevitably “Russia will come back.”The hope in the push is that once Ukraine is a full member of the alliance, Russia would not dare to try to topple the government in Kyiv because an attack on one NATO country is considered an attack on them all. Ukrainian membership has become a “consuming debate,” both in Europe and inside the Biden administration, according to one senior U.S. official who is deeply involved in the discussions. Only Germany has sided fully with Mr. Biden, though some of the other 29 allies have their own quiet doubts about Ukraine’s readiness to fully join the alliance — and the risks that NATO nations could get sucked directly into a conflict with Russia in the future. In a blur of memos and meetings, several American officials, led by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, appear to have taken the position that the Biden administration will be forced to be more specific about Ukraine’s path to membership, even if no date can be agreed upon in the middle of a war that has no clear end in sight.

Persons: Krisjanis Karins, ”, Biden, Antony J Organizations: NATO, U.S Locations: American, Latvia, Europe, Ukraine, Riga, Russia, Kyiv, Germany

☆ Alphabet-backed U.K. payment firm GoCardless to cut 15% of headcount
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Alphabet -backed British fintech unicorn GoCardless has said it will reduce its global headcount by 15%, slashing 135 roles in a bid to cut costs. A separate 15 roles will be transferred from Britain to Latvian capital Riga. The payments firm most recently raised $312 million in a Series G funding round in February, earning a $2.1 billion valuation. Its backers include Alphabet's venture capital investment arm GV, BlackRock and Permira. Takeuchi hinted at the firm's renewed focus on profitability to CNBC in comments at the Money 20/20 conference last week.

Persons: GoCardless, Hiroki Takeuchi, Permira, Takeuchi, CNBC's Ryan Browne, — CNBC's Ryan Browne Organizations: GV, CNBC Locations: British, Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Latvian, Riga, London, BlackRock

VILNIUS, May 29 (Reuters) - Latvians woke up to go to work on Monday morning, only to find they didn't have to. Their parliament had met at midnight to declare a holiday after the national ice hockey team chalked up its best-ever result at the world championship. Latvia, where hockey is the national sport, was co-hosting the men's championship with Finland, and the Latvians' extra-time victory over the U.S. for third place was greeted with wild jubilation. At quarter to midnight on Sunday, sporting red and white national team jerseys, members of parliament convened for a ten-minute session to unanimously declare the holiday. The bill was introduced by a smiling member of parliament with her face painted in the colours of the national flag.

[1/5] Teacher Inese Rudzite stands in front of Russian citizens during the Latvian language learning class in Riga, Latvia May 2, 2023. Speaking Russian instead of Latvian has not been a problem until now, but the war in Ukraine changed the picture. He said the test was needed because Russian authorities justified their invasion of Ukraine by the need to protect Russian nationals abroad. "I think that learning Latvian is right, but this pressure is wrong," Sevastjanova said. But now I end up learning Latvian instead.

☆ Russian fertilizer seized in Latvia sent to Kenya by UN agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

VILNIUS, April 22 (Reuters) - Russian-origin fertilizer which Latvia seized due to European Union sanctions is being sent to Kenya by the United Nations' World Food Programme, Latvia's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday. The first shipment of part of the 200,000 tonnes of the seized fertilizer left the port of Riga on Friday and several more are due to follow, it added. "The Latvian Government decided to facilitate the donation, with support from the UN World Food Programme, of mineral fertilizers owned by companies sanctioned by the European Union," the statement said. "Together with its foreign partners and international organisations, Latvia continues providing support for the countries that have been affected by the food crisis triggered by Russia’s war on Ukraine." Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Silicon Valley Bank Financial in talks to sell itself after attempts to raise capital have failed, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Jesse Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this articleThis is breaking news. Please check back for updates. The Silicon Valley Bank mobile app logo on a smartphone arranged in Riga, Latvia, March 10, 2023. SVB Financial , parent of Silicon Valley Bank, is in talks to sell itself, sources told CNBC's David Faber. Attempts by the bank to raise capital have failed, the sources said.

☆ Latvia donates drunk drivers' cars to Ukraine's war effort
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Andrius Sytas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A general view of a trailer loaded with vehicles to send to Ukraine, which were confiscated from drunk drivers, in Riga, Latvia March 8, 2023. REUTERS/Janis LaizansRIGA, March 9 (Reuters) - Latvia began seizing cars from heavily drunk drivers this year, and as hundreds of vehicles began overfilling impound lots, decided to send them to Ukrainian military and hospitals. Two hundred cars were taken from drivers found with blood alcohol levels over 0.15% in two months in the Baltic nation of 1.9 million people. So that's why I came with the idea – send them to Ukraine," Poznaks said. He laughed as he found a Russian flag pinned in one of the confiscated vehicles, left there by its owner.

☆ War in Ukraine by the numbers: Mass deaths, billions in aid, thousands of destroyed tanks, and more stats that paint an image of Russia's unprovoked invasion
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | Erin Snodgrass | Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

February 24, 2023, marked the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Billions of dollars of aid has been sent, and Russia has lost about half its fleet of tanks. When his troops invaded on February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin expected to quickly sweep through the country and capture Kyiv. Still, the cost of the war — in lives, dollars, and military equipment — has been high. AP Photo/Daniel ColeThe dead and woundedUkrainian refugees are seen after crossing into Poland on March 13, 2022.

[1/5] Supporters of All Progressives Congress (APC) wear traditional attire with APC branding during a campaign rally in Abuja, Nigeria, February 11, 2023. Ahead of the Feb. 25 vote, political rallies and campaign events have become catwalks for colourful printed fabrics twisted into elaborate dresses, tunics and headscarves. He wore an LP-emblazoned, green, red and white version of a traditional hat and held a wooden walking stick that is often used as an accessory among Hausa men. "You can see the stick here which means I am a full Lagosian by virtue of this campaign in Lagos," said Ahanotu. "This is our official regalia for APC presidential campaign council," she explained.

☆ Oil rises for 4th day as supply disruptions, China demand supports
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Freight wagons carrying oil and fuel at a petroleum products terminal in Riga, Latvia, on Feb. 2, 2023. Oil edged up in early trade on Thursday, extending gains for a fourth consecutive day, as crude loading disruptions in Turkey and optimism over China's recovering demand continued to buoy sentiment. Brent crude futures rose 14 cents, or 0.2% to $85.26 a barrel by 0239 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures firmed 11 cents, or 0.2% higher, to $78.58 a barrel. The disaster had halted operations at Ceyhan and disrupted crude oil flows from Iraq and Azerbaijan. However, increasing crude inventories in the United States put pressure on oil gains.

☆ Latvia threatens Olympic boycott if Russians compete
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Latvian Olympic Committee is the first national Olympic body other than Ukraine which has threatened to boycott rather than compete against Russia. He broadened that position Wednesday by saying Latvia should boycott Olympic qualifying competitions, which are already under way in some sports, if Russians or Belarusians are allowed in. The Ukrainian National Olympic Committee has threatened to boycott and is due to hold talks Friday on the issue. Ukraine boycotted some sports competitions, including Olympic judo qualifiers, last year when Russians competed. Other national Olympic sports bodies, including the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, back the IOC efforts to find a path for Russians to compete.

☆ Lithuania's Teltonika in semiconductor deal with Taiwan group
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

RIGA, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Lithuanian tech firm Teltonika said on Wednesday it had signed a cooperation agreement with Taiwan's Industrial Technology Institute, giving the Baltic company access to semiconductor manufacturing technologies. The deal was valued at 14 million euros ($15.2 million), and was supported by a 10 million euro grant from Taiwan's foreign ministry, it said. ($1=0.9223 euro)Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Riga, editing by Terje SolsvikOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Mercedes to launch vehicle-charging network, starting in North America
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A Mercedes-Benz sign is seen on Mercedes-Benz EQE, an all-electric sedan, during International Motor Show Auto 2022 in Riga, Latvia April 30, 2022. REUTERS/Ints KalninsBERLIN, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE) is poised to invest billions of euros to build 10,000 fast-charging points in North America, Europe and China by 2030, the luxury carmaker said on Thursday. The carmaker will commence construction in North America this year, targeting 2,500 charging points at 400 locations across most U.S. states and Canada by 2027, it said at the CES car show in Las Vegas which runs from Jan. 5-8. The United States has around 140,000 public EV chargers, according to July 2022 data from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Still, the region requires at least 3.4 million charging points by 2030 to meet an expected rise in demand, the study said.

Ukraine has shared a list with European countries of some 10,000 items it urgently needs to maintain power. Since early October, Russian forces have targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure, causing blackouts and forcing millions of people to endure sub-zero temperatures with little or no heating. As stockpiles of state-owned European power grids dwindle, Lorkowski expected the private sector to become more important in meeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure needs. A first tranche of U.S. power equipment worth $13 million has been shipped to Ukraine, officials said, and two more planeloads were due to leave shortly. Olena Osmolovska, director of the reform support team at Ukraine's energy ministry, said it would cost tens of billions of dollars to fully restore the energy system.

☆ UK's Sunak to attend Baltic summit, meet UK troops in Estonia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 19 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will meet his Nordic, Baltic and Dutch counterparts at the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) summit in the Latvian capital Riga on Monday, before heading to Estonia to meet British and NATO troops, the government said. The JEF, a British-led group of Denmark, Estonia, Finland and Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, will be addressed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. At the summit, Sunak will call on leaders to sustain or increase lethal aid, economic resilience and political backing to Ukraine in its resistance against Russia's invasion, according to a British government statement. After the JEF summit, Sunak is expected to meet Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins, before heading to Estonia to meet UK and NATO troops serving on the military alliance's eastern flank on the Russian border. Sunak will sign a technology partnership agreement with the Prime Minister of Estonia, Kaja Kallas, to bolster technology ties and support new digital infrastructure, the statement said.

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy asks European leaders for air defence, tanks, weapons
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Andrius Sytas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"I ask you to increase the possibility of supplying air defence systems to our country, and to help speed up the relevant decisions to be taken by our partners," Zelenskiy said, addressing Sunak. "For our defence operations to be more successful we need armoured vehicles, primarily tanks," said Zelenskiy. "The sooner we restore our border control, the stronger your security will be," Zelenskiy said. "Ukrainian children in their letters to St Nicholas ask for air defence, for weapons, for victory," he said, referring to the name used for Santa Claus in Ukraine. Reporting by Andrius Sytas, editing by Terje Solsvik, Stine Jacobsen and Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Latvia cancels license of Russian independent television station TV Rain
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

VILNIUS, Dec 6 (Reuters) - The Latvian broadcasting regulator cancelled the license of Russian independent television station TV Rain on Tuesday, the regulator's chairman said. "In connection with the threat to the national security and public order, (the regulator) has made a decision this morning to annul the broadcast license of TV Rain", Ivars Abolins said on Twitter, adding the broadcasts will cease on Thursday. (This story has been refiled to add the dropped word 'of' in paragraph 1)Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius and Janis Laizans in Riga, editing by Stine JacobsenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Latvia cancels licence of exiled Russian television station TV Rain
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Andrius Sytas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary Russian TV station moved to Latvia after Ukraine invasionLatvian regulator says it poses security threatTV Rain calls accusation "absurd"VILNIUS, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Latvia has cancelled the licence of Russian independent television station TV Rain after the company was branded a threat to national security, the state broadcasting regulator said on Tuesday. TV Rain said it programmes could still be seen on YouTube. Abolins said the regulator was convinced TV Rain did not understand "the essence and gravity" of its alleged violations. TV Rain apologized to its viewers and fired a presenter on Friday after Latvia's State Security Service launched an investigation into comments he made on air. TV Rain editor-in-chief Tikhon Dzyadko called the comments "misleading", tweeting last Friday: "TV Rain did not, does not, and will not act to help supply the Russian army".

☆ German architect von Gerkan, who designed Berlin airport, dies at 87
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Meinhard von Gerkan, one of Germany's most famous architects who designed Berlin's Tegel Airport and the capital's main railway station, has died at age 87, his office said on Thursday. A year after graduating from his architecture studies in 1964, von Gerkan founded a partnership with Volkwin Marg, which survives under the name "von Gerkan, Marg und Partner" (gmp). Von Gerkan also designed Berlin's main railway station, which is near the chancellery and within sight of the Reichstag parliament's glass cupola, though he fell out with rail operator Deutsche Bahn, which he said mutilated his design. Von Gerkan said Deutsche Bahn had made the underground hall look like a supermarket when it should have been an undulating, cathedral-like space. In 2008, Bahn and von Gerkan settled their dispute, with the rail operator paying an undisclosed sum to a foundation set up by the architect's office.

☆ 25 Ukrainian soldiers hospitalised after bus crash in Latvia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

VILNIUS, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Twenty-five Ukrainian soldiers and an Estonian soldier were hospitalised after their bus collided with a truck in Latvia, Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported on Sunday. The coach travelling from Tallinn to Riga was chartered by the Estonian army, and its driver was killed in the Saturday evening crash, ERR said. It did not say why the Ukrainian soldiers were in Latvia. The crash was one of several that occurred along the road on Saturday as ice and snow made driving hazardous, Latvia's public broadcaster said. Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ I quit a stressful marketing job that was giving me insomnia and took a warehouse job. I realized other people's opinions don't matter.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Krista Krumina | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Dainis Gzibovskis, 32, left his exhausting marketing job to work in a warehouse. I was the head of marketing of one of the country's largest supplement-and-vitamin suppliers, Pro Supply. Three months later, I left Pro Supply and my team of 10 that I had built from scratch to become an order picker at the local grocery store. Others felt sorry for me, assuming Pro Supply had fired me and the warehousing job was the only one I could get. I'm certain that I'll be able to return when I'm ready to go back to marketing again.

☆ ECB can't just mirror Fed moves, Lagarde says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FRANKFURT, Nov 3 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank must be attentive to policy decisions by the U.S. Federal Reserve, which influence global markets, but cannot just mirror its moves, ECB President Christine Lagarde said on Thursday after the Fed guided for more rate hikes. But Lagarde said the ECB, which itself raised rates by 75 basis points last week, could not simply mimic the Fed because economic conditions were different in the 19-country euro zone - a point underscored earlier by ECB board member Fabio Panetta. Lagarde conceded the ECB was "influenced by the consequences" of Fed action through financial markets and especially the euro's exchange rate, which was falling against the U.S. dollar on Thursday. "Clearly the exchange rate matters and has to be taken into account in our inflation projections," Lagarde said. He was echoed by Portuguese central bank governor Mario Centeno, who said in an interview the ECB had already completed a large part of the rate hikes it sees as needed.

Net profit for the three-months ending Sept. 30 rose to 910 million crowns ($87.57 million) from a year-ago profit of 169 million, Norwegian said. Norwegian Air shares were up 8.5% at 0912 GMT, beating a flat Oslo benchmark index (.OSEBX), though share are still down 17% over the past year, lagging a benchmark down by 6% over the same period. "We have a flexibility with our fleet that means we can reduce our capacity by up to 30%," Chief Executive Officer Geir Karlsen told Reuters. Norwegian Air Sweden Boeing 737-800 plane SE-RRJ approaches Riga International Airport in Riga, Latvia January 17, 2020. ($1 = 10.3139 Norwegian crowns)Reporting by Gwladys Fouche; Editing by Terje Solsvik and Mike HarrisonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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