Latvia has received official confirmation that the 24 hour 100 meter relay conducted in October 2008 has made it into the Guinness Book of World Records. The event titled "Run! For Latvia!" was conducted from Oct. 18-19 in Daugava Stadium in Riga as part of Latvia's 90th anniversary celebrations. The masters behind the idea were Aigars Runcis and group "Borowa Mc." The team successfully broke the record for longest 24 hour 100 meter relay, a record previously held by Singapore. A total of 3,807 runners participated in the relay. Officials from Guinness Records were present at the event.
Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis has announced that Latvia must conduct educational structural reforms. Dombrovskis said that in accordance with Ministry of Education guidelines, there should be nine students per teacher. He went on to say it is clear that Latvia must realize these structural reforms. "If, for example, Estonia has 13 students per teacher, Lithuania 11, then in Latvia we currently have six," the prime minister told reporters.
A Nile crocodile at the Riga Zoo nearly injured two zoo patrons close to an empty swimming basin in the tropical exhibit. The crocodile, Krokse, threw herself with teeth bared and almost caught a child. Later Krokse frightened a young man as well. Problems with the unruly crocodile began a year ago when the creature escaped from an irresponsible owner's home. The crocodile has lived in the zoo ever since. It has been established that the crocodile exhibit is not safe and should be restructured. The question also remains of whether or not to put the violent crocodile to sleep. Riga Zoo representative Laura Lidaka said that they are responsible for zookeepers as well as visitors, but that the crocodile's fate was in the hands of one irresponsible person. Other zoos have said they would not take Krokse, and the only hope for her now is if the zoo gets support to build a stronger enclosure for crocodiles.
Latvia has recorded one of the steepest increases in fuel prices at the end of June 2009, with the average price for 95-octane fuel at .73 lats (1.04 euros) per liter. In the first half of the year, the fuel price increased by 30.6 percent in Latvia 's the third steepest in the EU. The diesel fuel price has gone up by 7.7 percent, marking the eighth steepest increase in the EU. The highest increase in fuel prices was observed in the Netherlands and Finland, while the lowest was recorded in Romania and Cyprus at .87 euros and .93 euros respectively. The most expensive fuel price was in the United Kingdom at 1.27 euros per liter.
The Constitutional Court in Latvia has so far received 500 individual and collective petitions protesting amendments to the Pension Law, according to Lina Kovalevska, aide to the Constitutional Court chairman. Some of the petitions are already being considered by the Constitutional Court's Panel, which will decide whether to initiate a case, Kovalevska added. The Latvian Parliament recently approved sweeping budget cuts that saw pensions slashed by 10 percent and 70 percent for working pensioners, starting July 1 this year. Numerous complaints have since been lodged against the government's hard hitting reforms aimed at turning the country's economic fortunes around.
