A new political party, which is described as socially liberal and whose supporters include ex-president Guntis Ulmanis, has been formed in Latvia, according to media reports.

Called Jaunlatvija, the party held its founding congress March 28 in the National Theater in Rīga and elected Didzis Šmits its chairman. Its platform includes solving the problem of non-citizens’ integration into Latvian society and addressing the issue of domestic partnerships.

Šmits has worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been press secretary for the conservative party Jaunais laiks and was involved in the founding of the relatively new political party Civil Union (Pilsoniskā savienība).

Besides Ulmanis, other supporters of the new party include chemist and science historian Jānis Stradiņš. Ulmanis, a grand nephew of Latvia’s last pre-World War II president Kārlis Ulmanis, served as the nation’s first president after it regained independence. While lending his support to the new party, according to media reports, he has not become a member of Jaunlatvija.

Stradiņš, the news agency LETA reported, told the party congress that it will have to work to reassure older voters. Many of those attending the congress were in their thirties or younger, according to journalists’ observations. In media interviews, party founders have spoken about their desire to get younger generations involved in politics.

Meanwhile, another party, the Young Democrats (Jaunie demokrāti), during its March 28 congress changed its name to Demokrāti.lv.

Royal Dutch Airlines KLM will suspend its flights from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport to Rīga International Airport beginning this summer, the company has announced.

“The last flight will be on June 28th,” KLM spokeswoman Marisca Kensenhuis said in an e-mail.

The airline cited the global economic crisis, which has especially affected the Baltic routes in KLM’s network, Kensenhuis said.

KLM has offered two daily flights to Rīga. The flight takes 2 hours, 30 minutes.

With the departure of KLM, the Rīga airport will still be served by Russia’s Aeroflot, Latvia’s airBaltic and Latcharter, Czech Airlines, Finland’s Finnair, Poland’s LOT, Germany’s Lufthansa, Norwegian, discount Irish airline Ryanair, Turkish Airlines and Uzbekistan Airways, according to the Rīga airport’s Web site.

Two years ago, British Airways ended its Rīga-Gatwick route.

Irish police are investigating the death of a 29-year-old man from Latvia whose body was discovered March 24 in a house in Newbridge, southeast of Dublin in County Kildare.

A 42-year-old man has been charged in the death, according to Sgt. Gerry Curley of the Garda Press Office.

Neither the victim nor the suspect was named by Irish police.

The Latvian man’s body was taken to Naas General Hospital in nearby Naas, where a post-mortem examination determined that he had died from head injuries.

The suspect was arrested the same night the body was found, Curley said in a press release. The suspect has been charged under Ireland’s Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act. His next appearance in Naas District Court in County Kildare is scheduled April 1.