Latvia presidential residence Riga Castle hit by fire June 21, 2013 - 10:42 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Fire has badly damaged the roof of Riga Castle, official residence of the Latvian president and home of Latvia's National History Museum, BBC News reported. TV images showed smoke and flames shooting into the night sky over the Latvian capital. The Baltic News Service said the fire started late on Thursday, June 20 and raced through the attic and roof. President Andris Berzins has not been staying at the castle, as it is being renovated. There are no reports of injuries but it is not yet clear if any museum artefacts have been damaged or destroyed. Fire service spokeswoman Viktorija Sembele told AFP news agency that the cause of the fire was not yet known. "It is serious because it is an historic building in Old Riga," she said. She added that 10 fire crews had helped tackle the blaze and that the army provided a helicopter to drop water from a nearby river.   Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news OSCE vows support for Armenia “in all three directions of security”  Achieving stable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains a priority of the OSCE, said Ian Borg.151 detained as civil disobedience campaigns continue in Yerevan Citizens have been blocking streets in the Armenian capital, demanding Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation.IDBank issues 2nd tranche of dollar bonds of 2024 On May 13, 2024, IDBank placed registered coupon bonds under the abbreviation AMANLBB2PER9.Russia provides info about arrested Armenian ex-MP Russian law enforcement agencies have provided information about the arrest of Tigran Urikhanyan. |
