Police in Ireland arrest two suspects in disappearance of Latvian man

Latvians Online | 

Two persons have been arrested in Ireland in connection to the disappearance of a Latvian man who has been missing since July 7, according to police.

The two, a man and a woman both in their 30s, were arrested July 20, according to the Garda Press Office. They were being held in the Tuam Garda Station in western Ireland. No further details were available.

Police have been investigating the disappearance of 30-year-old Juris Buls from his home in Glenamaddy, County Galway. He was last seen at 10:45 p.m. July 7.

Police on July 19 issued a renewed appeal for information about Buls’ whereabouts, noting that they have “serious concerns” about his welfare. Police want to get in touch with anyone who may have seen unusual or suspicious activity around Buls’ home on Ballymore Road in Glenamaddy.

Buls is described as 5 feet, 7 inches tall (about 170 cm), with short blond hair and blue eyes. He is of light build, police said. He may have been wearing a blue, heavy-line dwork jacket with the inscription “Titan” on the front left lapel and the word “Kingspan” on the back.

Buls’ car is described as a black Audi A4 with a registration number of 04D76216.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the Garda station in Tuam at +353 093 70840.

Juris Buls

Juris Buls has been missing since July 7. (Photo courtesy of Garda Press Office)

Canada gets new Latvian ambassador

Latvians Online | 

Latvia’s new ambassador to Canada is scheduled to receive his letter of accreditation July 21 during a ceremony with President Andris Bērziņš in Rīga, according to the president’s press office.

Juris Audariņš, the new ambassador, since 2004 has been the special assignments ambassador to the Latvian diaspora. He will replace Marģers Krams, who has been Latvia’s ambassador to Canada since 2007.

Audariņš began working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1992. Before being put in charge of diaspora affairs, from 2001-2004 he was Latvia’s consul general in St. Petersburg, Russia. He also has been a counselor in Latvia’s embassy in Italy and has served as assistant state secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Krams will become the special assignments minister for the European Union directorate, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Latvian Embassy is located in Ottawa.

(Updated 21 JUL 2011)

Jauns alfabēta mācīšanas rīks

Daina Grosa | 

Latviešu alfabētu var tagad iemācīties ar jaunas grāmatas un DVD Joka pēc alfabēts palīdzību. Alfabēta iemācīšana kļūst par jautru spēli un bērns pilnīgi nemanot ir burtus iemācījies, pie tam galvā palikusi arī jauna dziesma.

Apgāds Zvaigzne ABC, sadarbojoties ar mūzikas grupas Prāta vētras solistu un komponistu Renāru Kauperu, filmu studiju Rija (suņu meitenītes Lotes veidotājiem), mākslinieci Indru Sproģi un Rīgas nedzirdīgo bērnu internātpamatskolas bērniem izveidojusi jaunu, interaktīvu veidu, kā mācīties latviešu alfabētu. Komplektā iekļauts arī DVD un sienas plakāts ar alfabētu.

Alfabētu var mācīties dažādi – dažādi varianti gan vizuāli, gan audio veidā. Alfabēta veidotāji ir bijuši īpaši radoši iesaistot Kauperu, kas dzied jautru, asprātīgu alfabētu dziesmiņu.

Alfabētam iespējams sekot līdzi tekstam gan lasot grāmatu, gan lasot karaoke versiju dziesmiņai. Karaoke dziesmai iespējams izvēlēties subtitrus gan latviski, gan angliski, kas īpaši noder tiem bērniem, kuriem latviešu valoda nav pirmā valoda. Dziesmiņai DVD formatā arī dažādi varianti – gan animācija, gan ierakstītā dziesmiņa, kur redzams Kaupers kopā ar bērniem. Grāmatā arī iespējams nākamajā līmenī arī lasīt mazliet sarežģītāku tekstu; tātad alfabēta grāmata noder vairākiem līmeņiem.

Lai iepazītos ar alfabēta dziesmiņu, iespējams noskatīties videoklipu Description of image

Joka pēc alfabēts ir gan grāmata, gan DVD ieraksts.

Daina Gross is editor of Latvians Online. An Australian-Latvian she is also a migration researcher at the University of Latvia, PhD from the University of Sussex, formerly a member of the board of the World Federation of Free Latvians, author and translator/ editor/ proofreader from Latvian into English of an eclectic mix of publications of different genres.