The Hungary-based low cost airline Wizz Air will begin service from Rīga in March with flights to Great Britain, Norway and Finland, the company has announced.

Thrice-weekly flights to London Luton Airport and Sandefjord Airport Torp near Oslo will commence March 30, the airline announced in a press release. Twice-weekly flights to Turku Airport will start March 28.

“Wizz Air’s opening of the Rīga market is a natural next step in the airline’s expansion in Central and Eastern Europe,” Wizz Air CEO József Váradi said in a press release. “We continue our dynamic development to reinforce our leadership position in the region to the benefit of the ever growing number of people who can now afford to fly.”

Latvian transportation officials credit lower tariffs at Rīga International Airport for helping to lure Wizz Air. The new tariffs went into effect Nov. 1.

“We are gratified that one of the fastest growing airlines in the Central and Eastern Europe is commencing operations at Rīga International Airport,” Krišjānis Peters, chairman of the airport board, said in a press release. “Important preconditions to our cooperation were the advantageous geographical position of Rīga and our new tariff policy, which is one of the friendliest among the airports of the European capitals.”

Wizz Air started operations in 2004 with flights from Poland. Today the airline has flights on more than 150 routes.

Fourteen people have died so far in Latvia from complications associated with the H1N1 flu, the Infectology Center of Latvia announced Dec. 7.

The most recent deaths were of two men in Rīga. One of them was 29 and the other 46, according to spokeswoman Liene Johansone.

Five deaths—including the first of a child—were reported last week. A 1-year-old child, a 52-year-old man and a 57-year-old woman died in Rīga, while the deaths of a 39-year old woman and a 58-year-old man outside the capital city also were reported.

The first death, of a 56-year-old woman, was reported in Rīga on Nov. 9.

According to infectology center data, the first case of H1N1 in Latvia was confirmed in late June. The number of confirmed cases ballooned during November. As of Dec. 4, a total of 966 cases of H1N1 have been confirmed in Latvia, all but two in Rīga.

Visitors in Latvia who have observed flu-like symptoms and need medical attention are asked to call the emergency number 122, according to the infectology center.

The intensity of H1N1 outbreaks in Latvia is now listed as high, according to the World Health Organization. Two weeks ago the intensity was medium. Intensity, according to WHO, “is an estimate of the proportion of the population with acute respiratory disease.” Medium intensity refers to usual levels of influenza activity.

Police in Ireland are seeking the public’s assistance in locating a 50-year-old Latvian woman who has been missing for more than two weeks.

Anna Larkina left her residence in Johnstown on the morning of Sunday, Nov. 15, and has not been seen since, according to a spokesman for the Garda Press Office. Johnstown, a village near Navan, is about 50 kilometers northwest of Dublin.

Larkina is described as between 5 feet, 5 inches and 5 feet, 7 inches in height. She is of slight build and has dark brown hair and brown eyes. When she left her residence, police said, she is believed to have been wearing a long, cream-colored coat, navy trousers with light blue stripes, and a dark-colored polo neck sweater.

Anyone with information is asked to telephone the Gardai in Navan on 046 9079930 or the Garda Confidential line on 1800 666 111.