Latvia stands ready to send 25 rescue personnel, doctors and police to help with recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which on Aug. 29 devasted the Gulf Coast of the United States, including the city of New Orleans.

Prime Minister Aigars Kalvītis will make the offer of help to the U.S. Embassy in Rīga, Latvian State Television reported Sept. 4. Latvia may also offer drinking water and building materials.

Meanwhile, no reports have been heard of any Latvian-Americans or Latvian citizens who might be among the victims of the hurricane and the ensuing floods. Once communication channels have been repaired, the American Latvian Association will attempt to reach its small number of members in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, said Juris Mežinskis, head of the association’s welfare office.

The ALA counts six members in Louisiana, five in Mississippi and eight in Alabama, Mežinskis told Latvians Online.

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, persons claiming at least some Latvian ancestry totaled 197 in Alabama, 259 in Louisiana and 138 in Mississippi. In the three states combined, a total of 254 persons claimed Estonian ancestry, while 2,714 claimed Lithuanian ancestry.

The American Red Cross is accepting donations for disaster relief on its Web site at www.redcross.org.

The award-winning Latvian youth choir Balsis, directed by Agita Ikauniece and Ints Teterovskis, is set to perform nine concerts in 10 days as it tours France, Germany and Switzerland from Sept. 6-15.

Formed in 1989, the choir has performed 1,189 concert in 17 countries, according to the choir’s manager, Sanda Katkeviča.

On this tour, concerts are scheduled Sept. 6 in Nordstemmen, Germany; Sept. 8 in Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Urrugne, both in France; Sept. 10 in Ascona, Switzerland; Sept. 12 in Zurich, Switzerland; Sept. 13 in Zumikon, Switzerland, and Sept. 15 in Passau, Germany.

The concert program includes compositions by Javier Busto, Emils Dārziņš, Vytautis Miskinis, Arvo Pärt, Uģis Prauliņš, Joseph Reinberger, Urmas Sisask, John Taverner and Eric Whitacre, as well as arrangements of Latvian folk songs.

For further information about the choir, visit www.balsis.lv.

Canada’s new ambassador to Latvia, Claire A. Poulin, has presented her credentials to President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, the president’s press office has announced.

Poulin replaces Robert Andrigo, who served as ambassador since 2002.

Poulin most recently worked in the Parliament of Canada as director general of International and Interparliamentary Affairs and as chief of protocol, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Educated at the Université de Provence in French literature and civilization, Poulin’s early career took her to the Dominican Republic and Tunisia. She joined the foreign affairs department in 1991 and has worked in Argentina and France.

Canada opened its embassy in Rīga in 1993. The embassy also serves Canada’s interests in Estonia and Lithuania.