Dmītrijs Milkevičs, a 22-year-old freshman from Rīga, broke University of Nebraska and Big 12 conference records in the 600-yard run Feb. 14 in Lincoln, Neb.—the first time he’s competed in the event.

Milkevičs, who told the campus newspaper Daily Nebraskan that the run in the Adidas Classic “was just for practice,” ran the event in 1:08.67, breaking the previous Huskers record of 1:09.17 set in 1986.

Formerly a student at Rīga Technical University and the University of Latvia, Milkevičs is classed as a middle-distance runner, according to Huskers.com, the official Web site of Univeristy of Nebraska sports. His main event is the 800-meter run.

The Huskers are looking for big results from the runner in the upcoming Big 12 conference track-and-field indoor championships meet, set Feb. 27-28 in Lincoln.

Milkevičs came to Nebraska with a record of success in Latvia and Europe, including being Latvia’s 400-meter dash champion in 2001 and 2002.

Digimarc Corp. of Tualatin, Ore., has been awarded a USD 9 million contract to create Latvia’s new digital driver licenses, the company announced Feb. 13.

The five-year contract with Latvia’s Road Traffic Safety Directorate calls for Digimarc to serve as the prime contractor for the design, installation, maintenance and servicing the new digital driver license system. The new licenses will conform to European Union standards.

More than 744,000 driver licenses in all categories have been issued in Latvia as of Jan. 1, according to Road Traffic Safety Directorate statistics.

Digimarc is based in Oregon and describes itself as “a leading supplier of secure media solutions used in a wide range of security, identification and digital media content applications.” The company provides secure driver license solutions in 32 U.S. states and in about 20 other countries.

Latvian President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga will lead a delegation of government officials and business people on a three-day state visit Feb. 16-18 to Malta, the president’s press office has announced.

The visit comes in response to an invitation from Maltese President Guido de Marco. Both Latvia and Malta are set to join the European Union in May.

Joining the president will be her husband, Minister of Culture Ingūna Rībena, Rīga Mayor Gunārs Bojārs and other officials.

In addition to meetings with Maltese political leaders, Vīķē-Freiberga is scheduled to participate in a discussion at the University of Malta about the opportunities and challenges facing small nations in a globalized world.

The president, along with Latvia’s Honorary Consul Mark Anthony Sammut, also will officially open an honorary consulate in Malta.