• Chas prints an article by the MPs Valerijs Buhvalovs and Jakovs Pliners about preservation of Russian culture in Latvia
• Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis: granting status of official public holiday to Orthodox Christmas in Latvia would promote unity among Latvian Christians

Chas prints an article by the MPs Valerijs Buhvalovs and Jakovs Pliners about preservation of Russian culture in Latvia. The authors believe that preservation of Russian culture is depended on education in Russian schools and the support state and Russian NGOs.

The Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis has stated that granting status of official public holiday to Orthodox Christmas (6-7 January) in Latvia would promote unity among Latvian Christians. According to the Board of Religious Affairs, there are about 350,000 Orthodox Christians and 2, 693 Old Believers in Latvia. Vesti Segodnya, NRA

• Head of the Latvian Traders Association Henriks Danusevics: Latvia does not have to bring guest workers

In an interview with

In an interview with Vesti Segodnya, the Head of the Latvian Traders Association Henriks Danusevics has stated that Latvia does not have to bring guest workers because this would hinder growth of salaries in the country. Mr. Danusevic believes that the solution for shortage of labour force in Latvia is to raise productivity of labour and redistribute available labour force.

• Security Police has initiated 16 criminal cases on incitement to national, ethnic or racial hatred in 2007
• Ex-President of Latvia Guntis Ulmanis: decrease of mass-scale non-citizenship in the country is among the main national interests
• Chas prints an appeal of the EU Commissioner on Education, Training, Culture and Youth Jan Figel about the year 2008 proclaimed as the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue
• MEP from Latvia Tatyana Zdanoka: Russian parties from Latvia should unite in one list for the next EP elections in 2009
• National Radio and Television Council has sent a letter to the regulator for the U.K. communications industries Ofcom with a request to provide information about its further actions regarding a greeting Happy New Year, Aryans! which appeared on the First Baltic Musical Channel

The Security Police has initiated 16 criminal cases on incitement to national, ethnic or racial hatred in 2007. All cases are still under the investigation. According to a representative of the Security Police, there is no tendency for extremist activities in Latvia to subside. Manifestations of extremism most often include targeting certain racial, religious and ethnic groups, such as expressions of ethnic hatred between Russian speakers and Latvians. Telegraf, Latvijas Avize

Chas prints an interview with the ex-President of Latvia Guntis Ulmanis. Mr. Ulmanis considers that decrease of mass-scale non-citizenship in the country is among the main national interests of Latvia. Mr. Ulmanis believes that non-citizens should not be examined for their loyalty towards Latvia because their choice to reside in the country, work and pay taxis here displays their loyalty.

Chas prints an appeal of the EU Commissioner on Education, Training, Culture and Youth Jan Figel about the year 2008 proclaimed as the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue. According to the Commissioner, this year will give a chance for everybody to realise that mutual understanding and respect should play a central role in our society if it wants to continue peaceful and constructive development. The Commissioner believes that intercultural dialogue should be a long term priority for each person and for entire society.

Telegraf prints an interview with the MEP from Latvia Tatyana Zdanoka. Mrs. Zdanoka believes that if so-called Russian parties from Latvia want to be represented in the European Parliament they should unite in one list for the next EP elections in 2009.

Diena reports that the National Radio and Television Council (NRTC) has sent a letter to the regulator for the U.K. communications industries Ofcom with a request to provide information about its further actions regarding a greeting Happy New Year, Aryans! (signed Skinheads) which appeared on 1 January on a chat of the First Baltic Musical Channel. The Channel is broadcasting in Latvia trough satellite, however, it is registered in the United Kingdom, and therefore, Latvian legal acts do not allow reacting on such statements which allegedly incite to racial hatred. According to the representative of the NRTC, Ofcom is authorized to request from the channel a record of the broadcast in which the message has appeared, and if the message will be interpreted as incitement to hatred the British side might and impose severe sanctions on the channel.

• Chas reports on a case under the revision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) of a Latvian pensioner, non-citizen Natalija Andrejeva
• Chas reports about a book Identity of Russians in Latvia: Historical and Sociological Study
• Head of the State Border Guards Gundars Dabolins: number of illegal immigrants in Latvia might increase soon
• Latvijas Avize reports that a racist greeting was published on 1 January on a chat of the First Baltic Musical Channel

Chas reports on a case under the revision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) of a Latvian pensioner, non-citizen Natalija Andrejeva who objects to the fact that the years of her employment spent outside of Latvia in Soviet times not included into the total length of service. The claim was submitted to the ECHR in 2000 and recently was forwarded to the Great Chamber of the ECHR for revision. The newspaper argues that if Mrs. Andrejeva wins the case Latvia will have to repeal the refusal to include years of employment spent outside of Latvia by non-citizens.

Chas reports about a book Identity of Russians in Latvia: Historical and Sociological Study edited by the academicians Ilga Apine and Vladislavs Volkovs with financial support of the Secretariat of the Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration. The book is an overview of historical development and the present state of Russian identity in Latvia. According to the authors, Russians in Latvia have strong collective identity.

The Head of the State Border Guard Gundars Dabolins has stated that the number of illegal immigrants in Latvia might increase soon because the country has joined the Shengen zone and it is hard to control incomers.

The Head of the State Border Guard Gundars Dabolins has stated that the number of illegal immigrants in Latvia might increase soon because the country has joined the Shengen zone and it is hard to control incomers. Vesti Segodnya

Latvijas Avize reports that a greeting Happy New Year, Aryans! (signed Skinheads) appeared on 1 January on a chat of the First Baltic Musical Channel. Representative of the Ombudsmans Office has stated that such greeting is unpleasant and unacceptable, however it will be very hard to prove that it incites to racial or ethnic hatred.