{
  "id": 7181888,
  "title": "Latvian welfare minister sacked for drink-driving",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/latvian-welfare-minister-sacked-for-drink-driving",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-13T21:18:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/highlight/2026/09/14/latvian-welfare-minister-sacked-for-drink-driving"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs dismissed welfare minister Reinis Uzulnieks from his party on Sunday following a drunk driving incident. Police stopped Uzulnieks, 40, on Saturday, finding him with a blood alcohol level over 0.3%, six times the legal limit. Both the Prime Minister and President Edgars Rinkēvičs condemned the dangerous act. Uzulnieks' blood alcohol content was measured at 0.309% by Latvian news agency LETA and 0.35% by Latvian television. The legal limit is 0.05% for drivers with over two years of experience. A BAC of 0.4% can be fatal, and at 0.3%, individuals face alcohol poisoning, loss of consciousness, and potential danger to society. The Union of Greens and Farmers announced Uzulnieks' dismissal and expulsion at an emergency meeting, with further details to follow on Monday.",
  "summary": "Reinis Uzulnieks was caught by police while driving with a blood alcohol level of more than 0.3% – or some six times higher than the legal limit.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Latvian welfare minister sacked for drink-driving",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/latvian-welfare-minister-sacked-for-drink-driving-7184962",
        "published": "2026-09-13T21:18:08.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}