The maestro will receive an order, night transport is canceled, Latvia has switched to winter time… Here is the traditional weekly roundup of news that has not gone unnoticed.
Pauls — the First Latvian to Receive a 'Royal' Award
For special services to the state and for outstanding and lasting contributions to music, composer and pianist Raimonds Pauls has been awarded the Order of the Three Stars and appointed Commander of the Grand Cross of the Order of the Three Stars, the press service of the President of Latvia reported. Usually, the Grand Cross is awarded to foreign presidents and kings, and less frequently to diplomats. Raimonds Pauls will be the first Latvian to receive this highest award during the period of Independent Latvia.
In honor of the state holiday, the 107th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Latvia, the Chapter of Orders decided to award 33 individuals with the highest state awards of Latvia - the Order of the Three Stars, the Order of Viesturs, and the Cross of Recognition.
For special services to the Latvian state, the Order of the Three Stars has been awarded to the producer of the animated film "Straume" Ron Dians, the music producer of the film Gregory Zaltsman, and the former ambassador of Ukraine to Latvia Anatoliy Kutsevol; they have also been appointed commanders of the Order of the Three Stars.
The title of Officer of the Order of the Three Stars has been awarded to the captain of the national men's hockey team of Latvia, Kaspars Daugaviņš.
Taxes: Project "Clean Sources"
The government has adopted amendments to the building regulations, which will come into effect on November 1. If the initiator of the construction is a natural person, they will need to provide information about the intended source of funding for the construction works in the Construction Information System (CIS) when the conditions for starting construction work are met.
The State Construction Control Bureau (SCCB), which operates the CIS, reported that the user must log into the portal and select the section "Būvniecība", then the subsection "Būvniecības lietas" to indicate the source of funding for the construction works. The contract amount and source of funding must be specified by selecting one of the proposed options: "Algota darba ienākumi", "Ienākumi no saimnieciskās darbības", "Aizdevums" or "Cits ienākumu veids".
When indicating the source of funding, it is permissible to combine types, for example, to specify two sources simultaneously - "Algota darba ienākumi" and "Ienākumi no saimnieciskās darbības".
The information provided in the CIS will not be publicly available; it will only be accessible to state structures.
French-style Robbery
In France, police arrested two men in connection with the theft of jewelry worth €88 million during a daring robbery at the Louvre that took place last week in central Paris.
According to French media, one of the detainees attempted to flee to Algeria and was caught by border control at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport around 10:00 PM. The second man was arrested shortly after in the suburbs of Paris.
According to the publication Le Parisien, the investigation is related to the high-profile raid on the Louvre, which occurred on the morning of October 19. The criminals, whom the police describe as a "highly professional group", broke into the museum in broad daylight - around 9:30 AM - and stole exhibits worth €88 million (approximately £76 million or $102 million) in just a few minutes.
Among the stolen items are part of the French royal jewels, as well as rare jewelry displayed in one of the museum's halls.
The Louvre, the largest museum in the world, attracts around 9 million visitors annually. A theft of this magnitude has become one of the most notorious crimes in the history of French museums.
Time: Did You Forget to Change the Clocks?
On Sunday, October 26, at 4:00 AM, the clocks needed to be set back one hour. Like it or not, I hope you didn’t forget.
Transport: Night Bus Goes into Winter Hibernation
The last night transport services in Riga were operated on the night of Sunday.
As previously reported, the Riga City Council resumed night public transport services on weekends and holidays during the warm season. The Passenger Commercial Transport Licensing Commission extended the license for night transport until the end of October.
During the pilot project, the Riga City Council assessed whether there is demand for such a service. After its completion, the issue of introducing permanent public transport routes will be considered. It will also be decided whether night routes will be resumed next year.
From the center of Riga to the neighborhoods, buses departed five times during the night - at midnight, as well as at 1:00 AM, 2:00 AM, 3:00 AM, and 4:00 AM.
Night transport operated on three routes: the 1st bus - on the route "Center - Teika - Jugla - Mežciems"; the 4th bus - on the route "Center - Agenskalns - Zolitūde - Imanta"; the 6th bus - on the route "Center - Purvciems - Plavnieki - Dārziems".
Record: My Little Berry!
The winner of the "Latvian Championship for Growing the Largest Pumpkin" was a pumpkin weighing 295 kilograms, grown by Gundega Neimane from the Kuldīga region.
In honor of the championship, a postage stamp was issued, and works by students of the Latvian Academy of Arts were also presented.
A total of 39 pumpkins from 15 regions of Latvia were submitted for the competition.
The record for the heaviest pumpkin in the history of the championship belongs to Luīze Neimane - in 2018, her pumpkin from Kuldīga weighed 574 kg.
On Record: We Are Not Homeless, Just Street People
On the night of October 22, a count of the homeless was conducted in Riga using a unified European methodology. The aim of the campaign is to obtain the most accurate data about people living without a roof over their heads. This information will help city authorities plan the development of social services and support for those in need.
The Riga City Council, together with the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences of the University of Latvia, is participating in the international project "European Initiative for Counting the Homeless". Simultaneously with Riga, studies will be conducted in another 35 cities across Europe. This is the first project that creates a unified methodology for counting the homeless - with the aim of understanding their real numbers, living conditions, reasons leading to the loss of housing, and types of necessary assistance.
The European Parliament called on the EU and member states in November last year to eliminate homelessness by 2030.
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