A new Web site examining the Roma community in Latvia has been unveiled by the Roma Culture Development Centre. Roma also are known as the Gypsy people or, in Latvian, čigāni.

The site, Romi.lv, claims to be the first such medium in the Baltic states. It was unveiled March 21.

Romi.lv reports news and covers issues about the Roma community, and also provides background on the history, traditions and role of Roma in Latvia. Among well-known Roma in Latvia, the site notes, is young singer Dzintars Čīča.

A total of 8,512 Roma lived in Latvia at the beginning of 2006, according to the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia.

Information on the site is presented in Latvian, English and Russian.

The site is supported by the British Embassy in Latvia and the Secretariat of the Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration.

A Latvia-based smuggling gang is behind the approximately 1.4 million cigarettes seized at Dublin Airport since St. Patrick’s Day, says Irish Revenue’s Customs Service.

The cigarettes, seized from flights arriving from Rīga, have a value of EUR 483,000 and represent a potential loss in tax revenue of EUR 378,000, the government agency said in a March 21 press release.

Customs officers seized Marlboro, L & M, Chesterfields and other lesser-known brands of cigarettes, as well as two motor vehicles used in transporting the smuggled smokes. The cigarettes were headed for the black market, the agency said.

Since January, the agency added, about 7.5 million cigarettes valued at EUR 2.7 million have been seized at Dublin Airport.

A new honorary consul has been named in the Oulu region of northern Finland, the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said March 21.

Timo Levo, managing director of the regional bank Oulun Osuuspankki, as honorary consul will focus on building Latvian and Finnish cooperation in culture, science and education, the ministry said in a press release.

Levo is Latvia’s fourth honorary consul in Finland. The others are Tapio Aho in Helsinki, Sture Carlson in Äland and Kai Holmberg in Kotka.

Latvia’s ambassador to Finland is Einars Semanis.