Off the wire
• U.S. not to impose punitive duties on iron mechanical components from China, Canada  • Reburial of Polish former presidential couple held in Krakow  • 1st LD Writethru: WHO says Zika no longer constitutes public health emergency of international concern  • On World Toilet Day, UN highlights impact of sanitation on peoples' livelihoods  • U.S. stocks retreat amid Fed officials' remarks  • Chinese president wraps up visit to Ecuador, leaves for Peru, APEC meeting  • Gold down on stronger U.S. dollar  • Small plane crashes south of San Francisco, killing one  • Poland to host 2018 UN climate conference  • Hungary supports NATO, EU membership for Macedonia: PM  
You are here: 　 Home

Latvia celebrates 98th anniversary of its statehood

Xinhua, November 19, 2016 Adjust font size:

Latvia marked the 98th anniversary of its independence with a rich program of festive events in the capital city Riga and other regions across the country on Friday.

In many cities, people formed Paths of Light in honor of Independence Day. In the seaside resort city Jurmala, for instance, more than 7,000 burning candles were placed along the main motorway to create the Path of Light in what has become a tradition spanning for more than a decade.

In Riga, people gathered for a torchlight procession, which has also become increasingly popular in recent years.

In his Independence Day address to the nation, which aired on public television earlier in the day, President Raimonds Vejonis called on Latvians to work to ensure Latvia develops as a prosperous and peaceful country.

Addressing the people at the Freedom Monument in the center of Riga in the evening, President Vejonis pointed to social inequality as a problem that has to be dealt with, as it divides people. Endit