Read the latest news from regional and global sources, presenting different voices and perspectives.
Kindergarten teacher quits after publicly disparaging Latvian language
LSM
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July 3, 2025
Comments directed against the state language and its use are incompatible with the teaching profession, Rīga City Council emphasised in response to comments made publicly by a teacher at Riga's 252nd preschool on the TikTok platform. In the...
Latvian Song and Dance festival souvenirs available for purchase
LSM
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June 30, 2025
Twenty employees are involved in printing, engraving and embroidery work. Although at times the brightly coloured threads make your eyes water, they remain cheerful. "You could say that the Song Festival started three weeks ago for us, we're...
Beware of rip currents at Rīga's bathing sites
LSM
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July 3, 2025
For this reason, special warning signs have been installed at Rīga's swimming areas, urging swimmers to be careful and not to leave children unattended, according to the Rīga City Council. What is a rip current? A strong current away from the...
Rīga Pride march gathers several thousand participants
LSM
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June 30, 2025
The march was organised by the LGBTQ and their friends association ‘Mozaīka’. Participants use this day as an opportunity to remind people of their rights and to speak out against prejudice. There were also some protesters present. The march, as...
UK pledges to ban sales of energy drinks to children
Food Navigator
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It is expected a ban would cover energy drinks with more than 150mg caffeine per liter: with sales banned in both retail outlets and online. That threshold would cover most traditional caffeinated energy drinks on the market: including Red Bull,...
Epidemiologists search for cause of strep throat infection in Rīga
LSM
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July 3, 2025
Both preschool-aged children were taken to the Children's Hospital over the weekend with complications from a type A streptococcal infection. One of the children has died, while the other is currently being treated in intensive care. Their...
Traffic restrictions in Rīga during Youth Song Festival
LSM
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July 3, 2025
The municipality has created a digital map showing traffic changes in Riga during the festival. The information on the map will be updated as the festival progresses. The local government urges residents and visitors to familiarise themselves with...
Will small nationalisms remake Europe?
Unherd
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July 9, 2025
San Candido is Italy — if only someone would tell the locals. Even before you arrive, past needle peaks and pine trees, you’ll notice the road signs: “Innichen” defiantly above, “S. Candido” almost a nickname below. Once you reach the centre, the...
How Soviet occupation tried to erase asparagus from Latvian memory
LSM
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July 2, 2025
In Rīga, a street has been named after asparagus, and the name has remained since the interwar period. However, during the Soviet occupation, this vegetable, which was so popular in Western cuisine, disappeared from plates and from historical...
New stamp dedicated to Rīga Cathedral Boys' Choir
LSM
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July 2, 2025
The new stamp has a face value of €2.55 and is intended for postage on items weighing up to 100 grams within Latvia. A total of 15,000 stamps have been printed. A special envelope with a print run of 500 copies has also been issued to accompany...
Bus routes launched in Latvian-Estonian border area
LSM
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July 2, 2025
The bus routes will help to solve transport accessibility problems in border regions and facilitate everyday mobility, especially for older people. In a festive atmosphere, the ribbon is cut and the first passengers set off on a test run,...
More than 100 people have been convicted of LGBTQ+ ‘extremism’ in Russia
Pink News
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July 1, 2025
A demonstrator holds a poster depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin in makeup. (Getty) Russian authorities have convicted more than 100 people of LGBTQ+ “extremism”. Under Russia’s anti-LGBTQ+ law, the so-called international public LGBT...
Riga has a new mayor – Viesturs Kleinbergs
Baltic News Network
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June 27, 2025
On Friday, the 27 of June, Viesturs Kleinbergs, a representative of the Progressive party, was elected as the new Chairman of the Riga City Council. Kleinbergs received 34 votes in favor, while 22 deputies voted against him. A total of 56 deputies...
Fremont teen heads to Latvia for summer program
Tri City Voice - California
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July 1, 2025
One of 440 students selected from thousands of high school applications, Mission San Jose High School student Cham Yu is set to travel to Latvia this summer to study Russian as a part of the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y)...
Honor | Évora named European Capital of Culture for 2027 – Portugal
Portugese American Journal
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June 30, 2025
Évora city in Portugal’s Alentejo region, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has been named the European Capital of Culture for 2027, marking the fourth time a Portuguese city has received this honor. Chosen from a shortlist that included Aveiro,...
Another EU state introduces immigration controls
Birmingham Star - Alabama
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Polands prime minister has announced the reinstatement of temporary checks on the borders with Germany and Lithuania Poland has decided to temporarily reintroduce border controls along its frontiers with Germany and Lithuania to stop the flow of...
Latvian Foreign Minister: Trump knows ‘very well’ that ‘NATO is not a rip-off’
The Public's Radio - Rhode Island
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June 26, 2025
Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže says her country “supports” Trump’s efforts to make peace between Ukraine and Russia, but says NATO “will have to push Russia to peace.” (Mehmet Futsi/Anadolu via Getty Images | Getty Images)At a press...
Latvian Foreign Minister: Trump knows 'very well' that 'NATO is not a rip-off'
NPR
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June 26, 2025
Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže says her country "supports" Trump's efforts to make peace between Ukraine and Russia, but says NATO "will have to push Russia to peace." Mehmet Futsi/Anadolu via Getty Images/Getty Images hide caption toggle...
235 same-sex partnerships registered in Latvia within a year
Baltic News Network
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July 1, 2025
In the year since Latvia introduced the Partnership Institute, 235 same-sex partnerships have been officially registered, according to the Latvian Council of Sworn Notaries. As of the 1st of July, a total of 613 partnerships have been recorded in...
Partnerships registered by over 600 couples in one year in Latvia
LSM
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July 1, 2025
In total, as of 1 July this year, the Register of Natural Persons contains information on 613 registered partnerships, of which 235 are same-sex partnerships and 378 are opposite-sex partnerships. Meanwhile, 19 partnerships have ended. Nine...