Canada’s foreign minister has appointed a new ambassador to Latvia, the government has announced.

John Morrison, who most recently has been his country’s ambassador to Serbia, will replace Scott Heatherington, who has been stationed in Rīga since 2008.

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird made the announcement on Dec. 19, according to a press release from Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT).

Morrison holds a bachelor’s degree from McGill University and a master’s degree from Cambridge University. He joined Canada’s Department of External Affairs, now DFAIT, in 1985. Morrison’s diplomatic appointments have included service in Malaysia, China, Taiwan and Japan, as well as in the department’s headquarters in Ottawa.

From 2005-2008, Morrison was the deputy head of mission in Canada’s embassy in Moscow.

Police in Great Britain are now using social media and are offering a reward for information about a 17-year-old girl from Latvia who has been missing for three months.

Alisa Dmitrijeva has not been seen since shortly after midnight Aug. 31 in King’s Lynn, which is about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northeast of London. Dmitrijeva, who was born in Latvia, was reported missing by a relative on Sept. 6, according to the Cambridgeshire Constabulary.

Police have created a Facebook advertisement targeting people living in Wisbech, Norfolk and Lincolnshire that will take visitors to a page with details on Dmitrijeva and the GBP 5,000 reward being offered for information that leads officers to finding her. The advertisement is in English, Latvian and Lithuanian.

“We know Alisa used social media so this advert will target people who may have information about her whereabouts,” Detective Chief Inspector Melanie Dales said in a Dec. 5 press release. “By translating the advert we hope to reach members of the community who know Alisa but may not have seen the appeals in traditional media.”

Police say they are becoming increasingly concerned for Dmitrijeva’s safety.

Dmitrijeva is described as 5 feet, 6 inches tall (1.67 meters), with collar length dark brown hair with blonde highlights. However, her hair may now be darker with a fringe.

Persons with information about Dmitrijeva’s whereabouts may telephone Cambridgeshire police at +44 0345 456 456 4 or, anonymously in the United Kingdom, through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Čikāgas piecīši, a popular music group founded 50 years ago by exiles, has been named this year’s recipient of the top honor bestowed by the World Federation of Free Latvians (Pasaules brīvo latviešu apvienība, or PBLA).

The organization recognized the group “for a half century of success, with humor and affection, reflecting in song the Latvian people’s joys, sorrows and desires in the context of contemporary events,” according to an announcement released Nov. 21.

Čikāgas piecīši was founded in 1961 in by Alberts Legzdiņš and Modris Avotiņš, both of Chicago, and Jānis Rinkuss and Uldis Ievāns, both of Kalamazoo, Mich. The group’s first concert took place in Kalamazoo. Maija Dumpe joined the group soon after. Through the years the group has had more than 25 different members, but Legzdiņš has been a constant presence, serving as both lead singer and composer.

The group has performed in the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe and South America, according to the PBLA announcement. Čikāgas piecīši first traveled to Latvia in 1989—two years before the homeland renewed its independence—and was greeted with large audiences. Despite Soviet-imposed restrictions on Western music, the group’s songs reached listeners in Latvia through recordings smuggled into the country and through Voice of America broadcasts.

Čikāgas piecīši has released 12 vinyl recordings, 17 audio cassettes, 10 compact discs, seven videotapes and one book.

The announcement of the PBLA award was made during Independence Day celebrations in Latvian communities around the world. The award was first given in 1963 to stage designer and artist Jānis Kuga (1878-1969). Last year it was presented to Līga Ruperte, founder of the 3×3 culture camp movement.