The traditional song festivals of the Baltic states have been proclaimed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as one of 28 new “Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.”

The Paris-based UNESCO’s proclamation is aimed at raising public awareness of cultural heritage, as well as to urge governments to safeguard it.

In naming the song festivals, UNESCO highlighted the historical importance of the events in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

But the organization also raised concerns about their future.

“Today’s principal threats stem from the rural exodus and the resulting break up of local amateur groups,” UNESCO said in a press release, “as well as the celebration’s exploitation by political parties and commercial concerns for advancing their particular agendas.”

UNESCO also added the cultures of Kihnu and Manija islands, off the coast of Estonia, to the list. The islands are inhabited by about 600 people whose geographic isolation has allowed them to preserve many traditional ways.

In 2001, in the first round of proclamations, UNESCO picked the tradition of cross crafting in Lithuania as one of the original 19 masterpieces.

A new honorary consultate for Latvia has been established in the northern Norwegian city of Tromso, according to the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It’s the fifth honorary consulate in Norway, in addition to the Latvian Embassy and a consulate-general in Oslo.

The honorary consul in Tromso will be Kore Bjorns Kongsnes, the ministry said. Kongsnes, a businessman involved in information technology, also is described as a supporter of the arts. This summer he helped organize concerts by Latvian performers in northern Norway, as well as a visit in October by Latvian businesspeople.

Tromso, a city of 60,900 inhabitants, is a key fishing community in Norway. It is the country’s northernmost city.

Other Latvian honorary consultates in Norway are located in Bergen, Kristiansand, Sandnes and Trondheim. An honorary consul-general also is found in Oslo. The Latvian ambassador to Norway is Normunds Popens.

Dr. V. George Nagobads, who served as the team physician, is among those honored Oct. 18 when the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, Minn.

The “Miracle on Ice” team, which won the gold medal in a final game against the Soviet Union during Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y., is only the second team so honored, according to a press release from the Hall of Fame.

Born in 1921 in Rīga, Latvia, Nagobads has served as a team physician for a number of American teams, including the former Minnesota North Stars of the National Hockey League. He also served from 1958 to 1992 as the team physician for the University of Minnesota’s hockey team.

Last year he was honored with the Paul Loicq Award for lifetime service to hockey worldwide. The award was presented by the International Ice Hockey Federation.