In order to evaluate the progress of improving the ecological situation in the Baltic Sea, there will be a meeting of Environmental Protection Ministers of the Baltic Region in Copenhagen, Denmark, on October 3. As it is noted in the … Read More
Monthly Archives: September 2013
Strong tourism season gives Europe an economic boost and more jobs
Despite the economic crisis, Europe remains one of the favourite destinations. International tourist arrivals in Europe grew by 5 % during the first half of 2013, with best results recorded in Central and Eastern Europe (+ 9 %) and Southern … Read More
In Riga 55,8% of the inhabitants speaks Russian at home
According to the data of Population and Housing Census 2011 conducted by the Central Statistical Bureau, the mostly used language at home is Latvian which is used by 62.1% of population. The second most popular language spoken at home is … Read More
Sweets and Swedes
Could anyone resist the smell of cinnamon and freshly baked buns? I would say kannelbulle, cinnamon bun, is the most typical Swedish pastry eaten with coffee and tea. Sweden has a special verb “att fika” which includes the whole activities … Read More
Death penalty under discussion in Lithuania
After the cruel crime in Panevezys city, Lithuania’s Speaker of the Seimas Vydas Gedvilas said that he would consider the opportunity of the death penalty to be restored in Lithuania, informs LETA/ELTA. “In my opinion, when such cruel crimes are … Read More
German hackers crack iPhone security system
German hackers said on Monday they have been able to get past the new biometric identification system contained in the latest generation of Apple’s iconic iPhones. On its website, the Chaos Computer Club (CCC) said that by using “the simplest, … Read More
Foreign tourists boosting Polish economy
A more popular place to go on Holidays. The number of foreign tourists visiting Poland grew by 11 percent year on year in 2012, growing to almost 15 million, with tourism accounting for 6 percent of GDP last year. The figures, … Read More
Outrage grows over policemnes illegal Roma registry
News that Swedish police have kept an illegal registry charting members of the Roma community and their families has sparked outrage from Sweden’s integration minister and from representatives of the Roma community. “This is upsetting, to say the least,” Integration … Read More
Latvia and Estonia not enthusiastic about Lithuanian nuclear power plant project
With experts from the three Baltic countries due to provide their conclusions on the viability of Lithuania’s Visaginas nuclear power plant project (VNPP), Latvians and Estonians are waiting for a proposal of a commercially successful project, the business daily Verslo … Read More
Mushrooms – the pride of Dzukija region
Mushrooms and berries are the pride of Dzukija, the region located in the South of Lithuania. According to a Lithuanian saying, without mushrooms and berries, the girls of Dzukija would be naked (“Jei ne grybai ir ne uogos, dzūkų mergos … Read More
EU: New ways to clamp down on tax evasion
An estimated €193 billion in VAT revenues (1.5% of GDP) was lost due to non-compliance or non-collection in 2011, according to a new study on the VAT Gap in Member States. The study was funded by Commission as part of … Read More
Finnish Angry Birds to introduce Nordic educational system to China
A new, innovative way to combine education with use of games. Now the Finnish makers of the popular Angry Birds game say they will use the product to introduce the Nordic country’s educational system to China. Rovio, makers of Angry Birds, says the … Read More
Latvia has the lowest rate of hospital infection in the EU
Latvia has the lowest rate of nosocomial infection being transmitted during hospital treatment among European countries, according to the data of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. A total of 231,459 patients at 947 hospitals, including 3,477 patients … Read More
Polish farmers tried to cheat EU 1,812 times
Polish daily Rzeczpospolita reports, citing internal documents from the Polish prosecutor general, that Polish farmers filed 1,812 fraudulent claims for EU funds last year, compared to around 1,500 in 2010. Most cases involved farmers saying they own more land than … Read More
Lithuania’s students among leaders for using technologies in EU
Lithuania’s students are among the European Union’s (EU) leaders for the usage of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for the educational purposes. Moreover, the time spent for using the ICT by Lithuania’s teachers exceeds the EU’s average as well, … Read More
Chemical weapons from WWII cause genetic mutations in fish
Chemical weapons that sank in the Baltic Sea during WWII are now causing genetic mutations in fish. An international team of scientists have come to this terrifying conclusion. Latvian scientists were not invited to participate in this research because there … Read More
The Value of Tradition
Sports fans in Finland and Sweden were in for a treat last weekend as Stockholm staged the 2013 edition of the traditional Finland-Sweden athletics international match-up. The competition is the only existing bi-lateral athletics competition in the world and dates … Read More
Polish patients to be treated in other EU countries
In line with the cross-border health care directive, Polish patients will be able to travel to other EU countries to receive planned medical treatment as of October 25, writes Gazeta Wyborcza. The treatment will be refunded by the National Health … Read More
Baltic, Finnish and Polish ministers sign “Rail Baltica 2″ joint venture
Today in Vilnius, Latvian, Lithuanian, Estonian, Finnish and Polish transport ministers signed a joint declaration on the basic principles of establishing the “Rail Baltica 2″ joint venture, the Transport Ministry informed the business information portal “Nozare.lv”. The signing of this … Read More
Social networks cost Lithuanian employers EUR 20 mln annually
Use of social networks at work costs Lithuanian employers around 20 million euros per year. On average employees spend 34 minutes a day on social networks, informs LETA/ELTA. At work 71% of Lithuanians check their email, 65% read news online, … Read More