RIGA, August 28. /TASS/. Latvian authorities have refused to register a bureau of the Russian news agency Rossiya Segodnya in the Baltic country, a spokesperson for the registration service told TASS on Friday.

"The decision was taken on Thursday evening," the spokesperson said. "The notary examined the [registration] papers and said they were in no compliance with the legislation."

The Latvian council for electronic media earlier said the Rossiya Segodnya agency (formerly known as RIA Novosti) wanted to open its bureau in Riga to spread "information reflecting interests of Russian foreign policy."