Thursday, February 21, 2019
A fire in a Paris apartment building early Tuesday killed seven people and sent residents fleeing to the roof or climbing out their windows to escape, authorities said. The cause of the blaze that burned for hours and injured 28 people is unclear. Firefighters were still searching for other victims and working to extinguish the blaze, city fire service spokesman Clement Cognon told The Associated Press. “The situation was already…
Lithuanian Minister of National Defense Raimundas Karoblis said on Monday he was assured by his visiting German counterpart Ursula von der Leyen that her country would invest 110 million euros into military infrastructure in Lithuania over the upcoming three years. Berlin will also allocate money for the upgrade of the military training area in Pabrade, Svencionys District. “These will be not only investments into Rukla, but also where training takes…
Over 900 uniformed personnel from Estonia as well as allied states will take part in the Estonian Independence Day parade to be held in Tallinn. Over 900 participants and some 50 units of equipment will participate in the Independence Day parade to be held on Freedom Square, Tallinn. Altogether 45 flags, four companies, two batteries, 15 platoons and two orchestras will take part, spokespeople at the headquarters of the Estonian…
Lithuania’s intelligence bodies on Tuesday warned of increasing activity by China’s intelligence and security services in the country. This marks the first time that Lithuania’s bodies have identified Chinese espionage as a threat to national security. “As Chinese economic and political ambitions grow in Lithuania and other NATO and EU countries, activities of the Chinese intelligence and security services become increasingly aggressive,” the State Security Department and the Second Investigation Department under the Defense…
The plane carrying Prime Minister Jüri Ratas and the delegation accompanying him was unable to land at Riga Airport due to bad weather on Monday morning, the Baltic News Service reported. The plane returned to Tallinn. Mr Ratas was scheduled to attend a meeting with prime ministers Krišjānis Kariņš of Latvia and Saulius Skvernelis of Lithuania in Riga today Monday. He and his delegation were travelling on board a surveillance…
The Baltic states are skeptical about efforts by the UK to reopen negotiations with the European Union about the terms of the British withdrawal from the bloc, Baltic leaders said to reporters on February 4. On Monday, a prime ministerial meeting of the Baltic Council of Ministers was held in Riga with the participation of Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš, Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis and Estonian Ambassador to Latvia…
Latvian municipalities have finished the year 2018 with a combined budget deficit of 150.5 million euros, which is the largest such deficit since the economic and finance crisis around ten years ago. Latvian Ministry of Finance reported that the combined budget deficit, which last year had increased by 136 million euros as compared to the year 2017, can be attributed to a surge in capital spending, prompted by active investment…
