News

Several years ago Ilga Reizniece of the folk-rock group Iļģi began a campaign to popularize traditional Latvian methods of celebrating the summer solstice. The campaign, called “Piedzīvosim Jāņus”, consisted of various folklore groups and folklore-minded individuals leading short seminars that were open to the public.

These took place throughout the month of June at various locations throughout Latvia. Each seminar was a bit different, since each group or individual focused on those songs and traditions and aspects of the celebration that were important to them.

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Baltic Times

An English-language weekly newspaper. Based in Rīga, it covers all three Baltic countries. EN

Chas

A daily Russian-language newspaper in Rīga. RU

Db.lv

Web site run by Dienas bizness, Latvia's leading business newspaper. LV

Diena

Daily newspaper based in Rīga and published in the mornings Monday through Saturday. LV

Latvijas Avīze

Formerly known as Lauku Avīze, the paper converted to a daily in December 2003. LV

LETA

The oldest news agency in Latvia (formed in 1919) offers both free and subscription-based news. EN LV RU

Neatkarīgā Rīta Avīze

A morning daily newspaper based in Rīga, part of the holdings of SIA Mediju nams. LV

White House nominates next ambassador to Latvia

Andris Straumanis

June 25, 2009

A resident of Virginia who is a career diplomat has been nominated by President Barack Obama to be the next U.S. ambassador to Latvia.

Judith Gail Garber, a deputy assistant secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, was nominated June 25, a White House spokesperson announced. She has been in her current post since October 2007, overseeing bilateral relations with Baltic, Nordic and Central European countries, according to her State Department biography.

Recent news and features

24 Jun 2009

Traffic deaths show sharp decline

The number of people killed in Latvian road traffic accidents dramatically decreased last year, but the country still has one of the highest death rates in Europe, according to a report from the Brussels-based European Transport Safety Council (ETSC).

23 Jun 2009

Latvia reports first case of H1N1

A woman who traveled to the United States and Canada is the first verified case of the H1N1 flu in Latvia, the Public Health Agency in Rīga has announced.

18 Jun 2009

Prime minister apologizes for Latvia’s hard times

Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis has apologized to the Latvian people for the serious tests they will have to endure as the country struggles to emerge from its economic crisis and avoid bankruptcy.

17 Jun 2009

Health minister steps down as Latvia faces budget reforms

Latvia’s Health Minister Ivars Eglītis has resigned, saying he will not be responsible for what cuts in the government budget will mean to medical care in the country.

15 Jun 2009

Institute: Latvia drops in global peace ranking

Political instability and internal conflict have contributed to Latvia dropping to 54th place in the Global Peace Index compiled by the Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace.

13 Jun 2009

Washington events to commemorate deportations

The first Baltic Remembrance Day is scheduled June 14 in Washington, D.C., to commemorate the Latvians, Estonians and Lithuanians who were deported by Soviet authorities in 1941.

13 Jun 2009

Latvian government agrees on more deep budget cuts

The Latvian government has reached agreement on a further LVL 500 million in budget cuts, a move observers say should save it from bankruptcy and clear the way for an international loan to be released to the country.

11 Jun 2009

New 1-lat coin features Namejs ring

A new 1-lat coin depicting the traditional Namejs ring (Nameja gredzens), often viewed as a symbol of one’s ethnicty, has been put into circulation by the Bank of Latvia.

09 Jun 2009

Data on Europarliament vote abroad mingled with prisoners’ ballots

How Latvian citizens abroad voted for the country’s European Parliament representatives may never be known, because their ballots were mixed in with those of prisoners who also voted by mail, according to the Central Election Commission in Rīga.

07 Jun 2009

Civil Union, Harmony Centre lead in Europarliament vote

Sandra Kalniete, a former foreign minister and now a member of the Latvian parliament, appears to be heading to the European Parliament as one of the country’s newest representatives, according to provisional voting results announced June 7 by the Central Election Commission in Rīga.

07 Jun 2009

Rīga goes to Harmony Centre, but Civil Union fares surprisingly well

The socialdemocratic Harmony Centre (Saskaņas centrs, or SC) appears to have fared even better in the Rīga City Council election than exit polls suggested during the June 6 election, in which Latvians across the country voted for their local government and European Parliament representatives.

06 Jun 2009

Exit poll: Harmony Centre takes Rīga, while Civil Union does well

Relatively high turnout June 6 across Latvia and especially in Rīga has apparently given the socialdemocratic Harmony Centre (Saskaņas centrs) a boost, while the still young reformist party Civil Union (Pilsoniskā savienība) has surprised observers with victory in the European Parliament election.

05 Jun 2009