Politicians, lawyers and activists have commenced discussions about ways to punish Russian citizens that live in Latvia with permanent residence permits and who are unable or are unwilling to pass the state language exam.
It would seem the possibility of deportation for people whose residence permits run out is inevitable. It could have an impact on the country’s society (both for «welcomers» and «deporters»), as well as Latvia’s allies.
If you want a longer holiday but frequent court hearings interfere with your plans, just ask the judge. Follow Aivars Lembergs’ example.
In ancient times, «before Crimea», NATO was generally referred as an umbrella under which to seek refuge. But no more – now it’s a shield we are holding up ourselves. On the 19th anniversary of Latvia’s membership of this alliance the country received a valuable gift – a new member. Finland will soon enter the alliance.
The Minister of Finance continues patiently convincing residents there is no way to go on without reviewing taxes. The review must go up, he says. He also delicately mentioned Estonia, where the general tax burden from GDP is about three percentage points higher than Latvia’s 30.8%. Higher taxes in Europe means more welfare. For everyone, the minister says.
Donald Trump, who is accused of accused him of concealing financial information, will enter the history of US presidents. He will be the first US President, though an ex-president at this point, to stand before a court of law. Even Richard Nixon managed to escape this fate – by resigning.
Talks about Artificial Intelligence are no longer something seen exclusively in science fiction movies. But it is time to wake up – the frightening aspect of this is exactly the prospect of AI technologies rapidly developing.
BNN gives you a summery of the most relevant events of the past week in the following topics: Deportations are nigh; Themis with benefits; Latvia’s shield; Almost Metallica; In welfare’s name; Nuclear neighbour; Hit the brakes!; Stormy consequences.
DEPORTATIONS ARE NIGH
BNN IN FOCUS | Saeima holds heated debates about Russia citizens: «to deport or not to deport?»
Photo: Evija Trifanova/LETAOn Thursday, the 30th March, Latvia’s Saeima passed in the first reading amendments to the Immigration Law that provide certain minor reliefs for Russian citizens to make it easier for them to update their residence permits. The planned amendments caused sharp discussions among deputies – certain politicians said the proposed changes will basically «permit forced deportation of these people from the country».
69 deputies voted in favour of amendments, 12 voted against, and eight abstained in the vote. The final reading of amendments to the Immigration Law is planned for next week.
Jānis Dombrava from the National Alliance said the arguments from For Stability political party leader Aleksejs Rosļikovs against the proposed amendments to the Immigration Law can be considered as «pitiful Russian propaganda».
More here
THEMIS WITH BENEFITS
BNN ANALYSES | Court reschedules hearing because it interfered with Ventspils ex-mayor’s leisure trip
Aivars Lembergs. Photo: Edijs Pālens/LETAOpinion piece
The so-called Aivars Lembergs criminal case has been in review by Riga Regional Court for more than a year. Among the accused are ex-Mayor of Ventspils Aivars Lembergs, his son Anrijs Lembergs and once business partner Ansis Sormulis.
The court hearing of Monday, the 27th of March was organised, like many previous ones, using a video conference call. However, at the very start the usual trial process was interrupted by Aivars Lembergs. He asked the judge to cancel the court hearing that was unexpectedly scheduled for the 11th of April. The reason: it would interfere with his family already paid for Easter holiday trip.
The court, after consulting with the prosecution and defence about schedule, happily postponed this hearing to the 21st of April, perhaps partially because the prosecutor dared to attack Lembergs, asking why deputies, unlike him, are allowed to travel around during work time. The prosecution made it clear again that the honoured court would not allow any liberties, stressing that everyone involved «must know their place»…
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LATVIA’S SHIELD
BNN ASKS | Latvia has been in NATO for 19 years. What does the country give the alliance?
Photo: Zane Bitere/LETAWednesday, the 29th of March, marks 19 years of Latvia receiving the most effective means of protection for the nation and state – Article 5 of NATO Treaty.
Latvia – lacking its own aircraft carriers and fighter jets – is part of the world’s strongest military force. At least the country sees it this way in these troubled times.
There have been talks from certain westerners that Latvia, and Baltic States in general, only consume NATO security, not contribute to it. There has also been an increase of scepticism among Latvian residents about the guarantees provided by Article 5: will the big and powerful members of the alliance truly rush to our aid is disaster strikes? We can see the answer to this in Ādaži.
So what was Latvia’s main contribution to its partners these years?
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ALMOST METALLICA
This year’s Song Celebration tickets expected 40% more expensive than before
Photo: Evija Trifanova/LETATicket prices for the XXVII Latvian Song and XVII Dance Celebration will be approximately 40% higher than they were in past years. Various estimates indicate as much. Nevertheless, the Cabinet of Ministers will need to review the price list before it is approved.
The price rise for various events is not equal. There are also events whose ticket prices have gone down. Unlike the celebration in 2013 and 2018, the range of tickets is down, specifically the cheapest tickets.
For example the tickets for the final concert in Mežaparks will be presented in five price groups – 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 euros. Tickets for the concert in 2018 were presented in six price groups – 15, 25, 35, 45, 55 and 65 euros. In 2013 there were seven ticket price groups, the cheapest cost 3 lats or 4.3 euros.
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IN WELFARE’S NAME
Latvia needs more money – all 14 taxes to be reviewed
Photo: Edijs Pālens/LETAThe volume of collected taxes in Latvia is insufficient to afford all of the outlined budget needs. This is why when working on the Tax Policy guidelines for 2024-2027, there will be discussions about all 14 active taxes, as Minister of Finance Arvils Ašeradens told journalists on Wednesday, the 29th of March.
The minister explained there will be a review of all existing taxes. Offers from political and social partners will be considered as well. Ašeradens explained that coalition and social partners put an emphasis on labour taxes. New Unity plans to propose a sustainable healthcare funding model in upcoming discussions.
Currently Ašeradens does not predict how discussions might end. At the same time, he said discussions about labour taxes will be the most difficult.
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NUCLEAR NEIGHBOUR
Latvian security expert calls Putin’s nuclear arms deployment in Belarus an intimidation attempt
Jānis Kažociņš. Photo: Edijs Pālens/LETAThe announcement from Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the deployment of tactical nuclear arms in Belarus is yet another attempt to intimidate the West, so that they reduce support for Ukraine, said ex-Director of Latvia’s Constitutional Protection Bureau Jānis Kažociņš in an interview to TV3 programme 900 seconds.
He explained that Russian armed forces have a tough time, because the intended three-day war in Ukraine has become too long and the successes achieved so far are few and weak. This is why Putin has decided to return to a tactic that would intimidate the West the most and force them to reduce direct support for Ukraine. This method is waving nuclear arms around.
«In this case it is clear they [Russians] could have brought nuclear arms to Belarus sooner if they considered it necessary.
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HIT THE BRAKES!
Experts call to halt training of AI
Photo: UnsplashLeading figures in the world of modern technology want to stop training of the most powerful artificial intelligence (AI) systems, stating that there is a threat to humanity, writes the BBC.
Twitter and Tesla owner Elon Musk, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Deep Mind researchers are among the signatories of the petition calling for a halt to training AI systems for at least six months.
OpenAI, which also developed ChatGPT, recently released GPT-4. It has impressed observers with its ability to perform simple tasks, such as answering questions about pictures or objects.
In a letter created by the Future of Life Institute and signed by supporters, it is said that the development of AI should be stopped at the current level for the time being, pointing to the risk that even more advanced systems may pose in the future: «AI systems with human-competitive intelligence can pose profound risks to society and humanity.»
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STORMY CONSEQUENCES
Trump faces official charges
Photo: PixabayFormer US President Donald Trump has become the first ex-president to face criminal charges after a Manhattan court formally accused him of concealing financial information, writes Reuters.
At the moment, the exact wording of the indictment is not known, but the CNN television channel reported on Thursday, the 30th of march, that Trump faces indictments in more than 30 episodes. The former president, on the other hand, has declared that he is completely innocent and is not going to give up the fight for the position of president in next year’s elections. He accused the Democratic Party of trying to destroy his chances in the elections:
«This is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history.»
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BNN SUMMARY OF THE WEEK: Deport or not deport. Blessed burden. Song inflation. Danger close
