Six young boys escaped from a social correction facility in the Valmiera district. The boys escaped by jumping out of second story dormitory windows. When The Baltic Times went to press, police had already managed to detain two. Local residents have reported sightings of another two. This was the first large-scale escape in the history of the institution.
For Fatherland and Freedom proposed amendments on Sept. 28 that envisage granting the controversial Latvian Waffen SS unit, also known as the Latvian Legionnaires, special status as "participants of the national resistance." The new status would allow the veterans to receive monthly benefits from the Defense Ministry totaling of 1.2 million lats (1.7 million euros). The legionnaires are commemorated for fighting for Latvia's freedom against the Soviet occupation; but their connection to Nazi Germany has caused great controversy abroad, most notably with Russia.
Former President Vaira Vike-Freiberga said that the election of For Latvia and Ventspils Party, and Union of Farmers and Greens party member Gunars Daudze will belittle Latvia's reputation abroad. In a Sept. 28 interview with the daily Diena, Vike-Freiberga called the move a "provocation" and pointed to ties with For Latvia party head Aivars Lembergs 's currently on house arrest and charged with multiple counts of large scale bribery, extortion and abuse of power. Daudze was elected to the post with 52 votes to 36.
The TNS Latvia pollster released survey results showing that an astounding 68 percent of respondents throughout the country own a cat. The survey found that 39 percent of people own a dog while only eight percent have rats or other rodents, 7 percent have parrots or other birds, 6 percent have fish, 6 percent have rabbits and 2 percent have tortoises. The survey also found that animals from shelters or the street were most often taken by women, respondents aged 35-44, Russian speakers, self-employed people, housewives, schoolchildren, unmarried people, people living in villages and rural territories and people who already have pets.
