Latvian men's national ice hockey team qualified for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi – their fourth in a row – last Sunday

According to seasonally non-adjusted data, the volume of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Latvia in the 4th quarter of 2012, as compared to the 4th quarter of 2011, increased by 5,1%.

Compared to 2011, manufacturing turnover at current prices in 2012 increased by 11,9%, of which in domestic market by 5,7% and in export - by 18,2%.

Prime Minister of Latvia Valdis Dombrovskis is in Brussels today to defend Latvia's priorities - to maintain at least the current funding level for the cohesion projects and to achieve fair competitive conditions for Latvian farmers in the EU market.

Latvia does not exclude a possibility of mobilising all the instruments at its disposal towards the protection of its interests in EU’s multiannual financial framework for 2014-2020.

Compared to 2011, volume of industrial production at constant prices in 2012 increased by 6,2%.

Martins Dukurs, defending World skeleton champion, placed second in the 2013 Skeleton World Championships in St Moritz.

Data of the Central Statistical Bureau show that compared to 2011, the total retail trade turnover at constant prices in 2012 increased by 9,7%, of which in food commodity group – by 3,1%, but in enterprises selling non-food products – by 12,9%