Latvia: Koran translated into Latvian

Latvia: Koran translated into Latvian

Via the Baltic Times:

Popular Latvian composer and politician Imants Kalnins has published the first Latvian translation of the Koran.

Kalnins had been working on translating the Koran from Arabic for many years. The first Latvian-language version of the book was officially launched on May 31.

(source)

Latvija Avize interviewed famous Latvian composer Imants Kalnins, who recently translated Koran into the Latvian language. Mr. Kalnins believes that Latvians should familiarize themselves with the Koran in order to form their own opinion. (source)

Russia: Estonia becoming transit point for illegal immigration

Russia: Estonia becoming transit point for illegal immigration


Russian border and migration officials estimate that there are about 20,000 illegal immigrants near Estonian and Latvian borders whose destination is Finland or other Scandinavian countries and who attempt to get there through the Baltic states.


They say that if Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania wish to keep those illegal immigrants outside their borders they need to close all loopholes that they may use for illegal border crossing.


Estonian police and border guard board agrees that Estonia is becoming an important transit point for smuggling illegal immigrants, especially Afghans, Syrians and Palestinians to Scandinavia.


(...)


After Finnish authorities informed Estonian border guard service that the number of illegal immigrants arriving from Estonia was increasing, Estonian authorities started active inspections and in two months detained more than ten Afghans and Palestinians who were travelling to Tallinn from Riga by intercity coach and who had either forged IDs or none.


(...)


According to informed sources, illegal immigrants pay up to 15,000 US dollars per person for the right to get to the West. They sell everything, are taken first to Russia and then to the Baltic border zone.


(more)

Source: Baltic Business News (English)

Latvia: Halal slaughter legalized

Latvia: Halal slaughter legalized

Sweden gets its halal chicken from Denmark, now a Latvian company intends to sell Sweden halal beef.

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The Latvian parliament recently enacted controversial legislation in the animal welfare law, which legalizes halal and kosher slaughter. The meat will be exported to Sweden.

With a narrow majority the Latvian parliament, the Saeima, decided to implement an adaptation of the Animal Welfare law, which makes it legal to ritually slaughter animals. This method means that the animal isn't stunned before its throat is cut and the animal bleeds to death.

About 300 people protested outside the Saeima with the Animal SOS organization, which thinks the method is inhumane. In Sweden the method is not allowed, but Vents Armands Krauklis of the conservative Latvian People's Party think that exporting the meat to Sweden can help Latvia's crisis-hit finances.

"This is necessary when there's an economic crisis," said Kraulik, who had trouble making himself heard during a break, surrounded by the demonstrators.

Krauklis is the one who pushed hardest for the legislation, which was enacted after only two meetings. In the past this has only occurred when a quick decision was absolutely essential.

Several demonstrators thought it was peculiar that the legislation was called for by a private company and not by Muslim or Jewish groups. The CEO of the company is a party member of Krauklis, and demonstrators accused the member of corruption.

"We think he's just using the crisis as an excuse," said a demonstrator.

The organizers Animals SOS, emphasized that their protest didn't have racist motives, but only animal rights. Despite this, there was a poster among the demonstrators of Latvia squeezed between a Star of David and an Islamic crescent.

"That man is not with us. We tried to get him to go but he refuses. We are against cruelty to animals, not religion," said Laura Karnite of Animals SOS to Swedish newspaper Arbetaren.

Source: Tidningen Arbetaren (Swedish)