Are we absolutely certain that Vladimir Putin is 62 years old? I know the fact that he has been running the Russian Federation in his own inimitable style for the last 15 years suggests he might indeed be a man of fairly mature years, but I have come to suspect the truth may be something else: Vladimir Putin is in fact only fifteen years old.
I was recently asked if I would be interested in refuting “lies” about Latvia in the international media. It was an unusual request. As a journalist you are more used to being accused of distortions than correcting them – and that applies whether you are writing about businesses, politics or doing restaurant reviews.
When Latvia takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union on January 1 for six months, Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs will become one of the most influential men in European politics, chairing meetings and seeking consensus from 28 EU member states. Here he tells us what to expect.
Have you ever been to a dinner party where the host is really trying to impress the guests? They cook extravagant Asian food, they mix obscure and complex cocktails and their whole house is rearranged, decorated with candles and artistic knick-knacks as a CD of Balinese chants plays from speakers artfully draped with white muslin.
Much media coverage, particularly among foreign press, has centered on the role of Latvia's Russian minority in parliamentary elections taking place on October 4.
International newspapers and agencies have asked if the eastern Latgale region, which borders Russia, is a breeding ground for pro-Kremlin radicals that could even see the arrival of "little green men" welcomed by locals.
Rather than rely on hearsay and assumption, LSM took to the road to see at least some of Latgale for itself.
Latvia goes to the polls on October 4 to elect 100 representatives to the parliament or Saeima for a four-year term. There are a total of 1,156 candidates from 13 different parties fighting for seats.
Some are familiar, some new - and some are a bit of both. Here's LSM English's not entirely reverential overview of what to expect from each of them.
Thousands of people are expected to flock to the central Latvian town of Cēsis on August 9 for the annual 'Medieval day' at the landmark Livonian Order castle. When the knights in armor have done battle, the visitors will leave, but a different battle will continue - one designed to lure back residents of Cēsis or 'Cesnieki' who have emigrated.
For a man described by the UK's Daily Mail as having "links to high-ranking Russian political figures" Beness Aijo doesn't look particularly well-connected. Short and skinny, dressed in T-shirt and sandals with a floral-patterned bag slung over his shoulder, he looks far younger than his 35 years and could easily pass as a foreign student at Latvian summer school.