A new school for Latvian children in Ireland will meet for the first time May 29 in Dublin, the Latvian Ministry for Foreign Affairs has announced.

The school was started through the initiative of the Embassy of Latvia in Dublin, the foreign ministry said in a press release. The school is supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ireland.

The school will meet monthly beginning at 14:30 hours May 29 in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ireland, 24 Adelaide Road, Dublin. It is open to children of all ages. Heading the school will be Ramona Āboliņa and Jolanta Šmite.

The first church service for Ireland’s growing Latvian population was scheduled in December in St. Finian’s Church in Dublin. So many Latvians have migrated to Ireland for work that the government’s Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment even has published a brochure in the Latvian language to explain workers’ rights. Nearly 2,300 immigrants from Latvia were reported in Ireland in 2004, according to Ireland’s Central Statistics Office.

A British judge is calling for an investigation of mistakes by London police that allowed a man to repeatedly beat and rape a 17-year-old girl from Latvia, according to media reports in the United Kingdom.

Judge Martin Reynolds of Snaresbrook Crown Court on May 23 sentenced Agrol Xhabri, a 22-year-old illegal immigrant from Albania, to 12 years in prison for abducting the girl from her London home, forcing her to work as a prostitute, beating her and raping her at least 30 times, according to The Evening Standard and The Guardian newspapers.

The girl, who had been living with her father, was taken from her home late last year. She escaped once in October and called police, but no help came. In November, she managed to call her mother in Latvia, who called her father in London, who then called police. But when police arrived at a location in East London to rescue girl, they hesitated. While they stalled, Xhabri reportedly beat and raped the girl again.

Xhabri, according to his sentence, is to be deported to Albania after he serves his time in prison.

Next year’s Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Greece after performer Helena Paparizou won first place in the 50th anniversary contest. Latvia’s young male duo Valters un Kaža (Valters Frīdenbergs and Kārlis Būmeisters) managed a respectable showing, placing fifth overall.

The annual contest, which showcases popular songwriting and performances from across Europe, was held this year in Kiev, Ukraine.

A total of 24 countries were represented in the May 21 finals, but voting took place in a total of 39 nations, including Turkey and Israel. Greece earned 230 points, followed by Malta with 192, Romania with 158, Israel with 154 and Latvia with 153.

Valters un Kaža performed the song “The War Is Not Over,” penned by Mārtiņš Freimanis, lead singer of the group Tumsa. As country-by-country results were announced from Kiev, Latvia at one point even found itself in first place.

Paparizou, born to Greek parents, grew up in Sweden. She previously represented Greece in the 2001 song contest as a member of the group Antique, which won third place that year.

Latvia’s Marija Naumova won the contest in 2002, which led to Rīga hosting the competition in 2003.