Anti-corruption bureau chief Aleksejs Loskutovs said that municipal officials have become more educated in issues concerning conflicts of interest and perform with more sense of responsibility. "I believe that the situation is changing because our everyday activities reach more and more local authorities. On the other hand, information about probes are published in the mass media," he said, adding that lawmakers now focus more on the responsibility that comes with their position.
Four people were evacuated from an Estonian yacht in the Riga Port after the boat caught on fire. The blaze began in the vessel's electric switchboard. Latvian Naval Forces coastal guard service representative Vita Lebedeva said that the maritime rescue coordination center received an alarm signal from motor yacht Anni at 9:25 a.m. on July 8. There were two adults and two children aboard. No one suffered in the accident.
Latvian Ambassador to the U.S.A. Maris Riekstins handed a $1,500 donation to the chairman of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, Lee Edwards, to construct a memorial for the victims of communism in Washington. The donation was approved by the Latvian government. Edwards said that the Latvian community in America has been one of the largest sponsors of the memorial. The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation is a non-profit organization that was set up by an Act of the U.S. Congress to erect a memorial commemorating more than 100 million victims of Communism across the world. The memorial will be situated in Washington, D.C. and will consist of a large square with a statue symbolizing democracy. There will also be a memorial plaque that provides a historical explanation. The memorial is to cost approximately $700,000.
A man was struck by lightning while wading in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Jurmala July 11. The man, who suffered from shock and burns on his heels and genitals, was immediately hospitalized. Imants Ostrovskis, head of the Jurmala ambulance service, said the 42-year-old man was coming out of the water after a swim at about 5 p.m. when he was suddenly struck by lightning. The victim was wearing a golden chain necklace, which left visible burn marks on his skin. The necklace, which is believed to have attracted the lightning, is now missing. Medics said the man's life was not in danger.
