Latvia's parliament elected Defence Minister Raimonds Vejonis as the Baltic state's new president, giving the 28th member of the European Union a Green party head of state.
Latvia's parliament votes for a new president on Wednesday as the small Baltic NATO and eurozone member weighs security concerns amid heightened tensions with Soviet-era master Russia.
In a special hostage rescue operation, Latvian police has freed a Kazakhstani family of four, who were kept hostage for their expensive property in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Latvia said Russia seemed more open to a negotiated solution over the conflict in Ukraine, raising the prospect of an easing of sanctions against Moscow.