"Rigas Sargi" (Defenders of Riga) premiered in Tokyo's National Museum of Modern Art as they host the European Union Film Days Festival. This is the third year Latvia has participated. The Embassy of Latvia in Japan told reporters that the film, directed by Aigars Grauba, was well received and the premiere was sold out. The film will be shown again on June 19 and in Kyoto on June 21. Together with Japanese company "New Select Co," the Embassy of Latvia in Japan has made subtitles for the Latvian film in Japanese. A DVD of the film is also available for purchase in most major retail DVD stores in Japan.
From Aug. 1 the VAT on both wood and books will be lowered. The parliament Budget and Financial Commission unanimously approved the law to lower the VAT to 10 percent. Former Finance Minister Atis Slakteris said that the previous decision to raise the VAT for these goods was a mistake that needed to be corrected. The lowered 10 percent VAT applies to all books, for both textbooks and literature. The law will be in effect until Dec. 31, 2010.
So far this year 101 people have lost their lives on Latvian roads, 12 percent less than the same period in 2008, announced the State Police. In the first few months of 2009, the number of deaths was 20 percent less. The most fatalities occurred in Riga and the Riga region (39 deaths), Daugavpils region (7) and Ogre (6). So far this year 1,340 people have been injured in car accidents, 35 percent less than 2008. In total, the State Police reported 7,175 accidents this year, which is nearly 46 percent less than the same period in 2008.
The Maxima grocery store at Brivibas Street 310, has been selling bananas with May 9 Victory Day greeting stickers. The small sticker has a greeting written in Russian, as well as a picture of the hammer and sickle. "Maxima Latvija" press secretary Ivars Andins said the bananas were clearly meant for the Russian market, and it wasn't previously known that a portion would end up in Latvia. The bananas, imported from Ecuador, surprised even the Maxima store manager, who has since made it clear that the store is not interested in such "commercial materials" in the future. Despite the fact that the Victory day celebrations of May 9 occurred a month ago, Andins expressed certainty that the bananas are not past their expiration date, but were in a European storage facility to ripen when the stickers were applied.
State Border guards in Ludza's Zilupes rail border control point are holding an Egyptian national with stolen documents. The Egyptian citizen showed the border control a Belgian residency permit which was found to be registered as missing. A criminal procedure has begun regarding this document. The Egyptian, born in 1973, will be held in the short term detention facility in Ludza.
