The Latvian capital is in danger of being thrown into chaos this weekend as the climax of its 800th anniversary approaches.
Published:
18 August 2001 y., Saturday
Well over a million visitors, including top foreign officials, are expected to turn up for the festivities, which are to take place Aug. 17-19.
Latvia's police threatened last week that they could not to take responsibility for the well-being of visitors unless the City Council puts essential security barriers into place. Officials in the City Council have finally purchased the safety barriers, it was announced on Aug. 13. But they may have broken procedures in doing so. No tender was announced to buy them.
According to Baltic News Service, the City Council reassured critics that 70,000 lats ($110,000) have been spent on the barriers, with an additional 103,000 lats spent to ensure Riga 800 will be a safe and memorable festival.
President Vaira Vike-Freiberga said she would attend some of the events. After she met with Gundars Bojars, Riga's mayor, on Aug. 14, she reassured the press that there was little reason to worry about security. She pointed out that the City Council has taken adequate precautions to avoid any serious incidents.
Rudite Kalpina, a spokeswoman for the Riga 800 agency responsible for the celebration program, confirmed that there would be around 1 million visitors in Riga this weekend.
Šaltinis:
baltictimes.com
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
The fate of blue fin tuna hangs in the balance this week as a complete ban on the trade is debated by MEPs.
more »
A $100 million pledge from the Government of Japan has helped to secure the funding base and launch the operational phase of two new climate programs supporting forest management and renewable energy investments in developing countries.
more »
Europeans quite happy with their personal situation, but less satisfied with economic and social climate in their country.
more »
Spain wishes to “make as much progress as possible” to ensure the EU becomes party to the Council of Europe's Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms soon, according to the Spanish Minister for Justice, Francisco Caamaño, at today's opening of a seminar on the challenges and possibilities arising from the Treaty of Lisbon coming into force.
more »
According to Belarusian tradition, a stork brings good fortune to the village it settles in while in western culture the stork is commonly associated with childbirth.
more »
The World Bank Board of Directors today approved an additional financing credit to the Republic of Moldova in the amount of US $20 million for the Social Investment Fund II Project.
more »
The Spanish Health and Social Policy Minister, Trinidad Jiménez, and the European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Vladimir Spidla, addressed the press in Madrid on the launch of the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion 2010.
more »
The European Commission and the Spanish Presidency of the EU will tomorrow launch the 2010 European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion.
more »
Smoking at a restaurant like this one in Spain could soon be a thing of the past. Spanish lawmakers want to stub out the habit in public places like bars and restaurants. But it's an unpopular proposal in a country where around 30 percent of the population smoke.
more »
As President of the European Economic and Social Committee, I would like, on behalf of all the Committee's members, to express my sympathy to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.
more »