Author's articles
The Minutes from Latvia podcast reaches double figures this week with its tenth episode -- it's terrifying to think there's already five hours of this stuff available.
Prepare to be stunned, shocked and concerned; not by the prospect of a depleted NATO fighting a desperate war in the Baltic states, but by possibly the worst prose style you will ever encounter.
There is a lot of talk at the moment about the possibility of using English in a semi-official capacity at state institutions in Latvia. As editor of LSM's English-language service, you might expect me to be all for this. But to tell the truth, I'm not so sure this is a good idea.
The Minutes from Latvia podcast returns for its first edition of 2017 in the company of perhaps the best-connected man in the whole country -- Andris Rubins.
Latvia's foreign policy experts and observers gathered in Riga January 18 for the unveiling of what is effectively the annual handbook of Latvia's foreign policy.
I hope recent events have taught us hysteria rarely helps.
Our final podcast of the year sees Edgars Raginskis, a composer, radio presenter and TV host entering the pod. But things are of a rather improvised nature this week, so expect us to veer off in various bizarre directions...
New rules take effect on January 1, 2017 that mean Latvian teachers can be sacked for ''disloyalty''.
Quite how this will work remains to be seen as the rules and procedures are far from clear according to the terms of the new law, which was passed as part of the 2017 budget. In an effort to help clarify this situation, we have drawn up a handy multiple-choice questionnaire which students* can make their teachers answer so that they can accurately assess loyalty levels and whether or not they need to be summarily dismissed.
In a moment of weakness last night I succumbed to emotional blackmail by Karlis Dagilis, the former head of the Pieci.lv radio station, to write something about their new charity fundraising campaign.
I don't know about you, but I was outraged to see that in what the Latvians insist on calling Latvia, a nice thing has been erected that looks a lot like a nasty thing if you use your powerful imagination.
Speaking in Riga December 1 at a special event held at the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga to mark 250 years since Sweden introduced the world's first press freedom law, acclaimed journalist Peter Greste told LSM how he found out he had received Latvian citizenship.
The Minutes from Latvia podcast is back and this time the guest in the pod is academic and geopolitical expert Andis Kudors.
In the wake of Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election, thoughts are inevitably turning to what it means for Latvia and the Baltic states, with numerous talking heads appearing on TV, radio and online giving their best guesses.
In the pod this week is Dagnija Lejina, one of the organizers of the forthcoming Digital Freedom Festival taking place in Riga November 27-29.
On November 5, Riga is hosting a summit meeting between China and 16 countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Here is an attempt to describe what's happening.
The arrival of the snow in Latvia brings all sorts of changes. Warm coats and mittens - infinitely superior to mere gloves - are retrieved from wardrobes and drawers. Summer slick tires are pulled off the cars, deep hatched treads and lacerating spikes are levered into their place.
The main event in Latvia this week will be the so-called "16+1" summit taking place November 5 and 6 in Riga, or to give it its full title: "5th meeting of heads of government, Central and Eastern European Countries and China"
Minutes from Latvia is back for another half hour, with this week's special guest Aiva Rozenberga of the Latvian Institute.
Days ahead of a large-scale meeting between China and 16 central and eastern European states, Riga's advertising billboards have been flooded with images of China.
"Teamwork makes a dream work!" comes the cry from the basketball court.
Anyone who likes to party should get ready for two years of non-stop celebration, the Baltic states and Finland said Wednesday.
The third Minutes from Latvia podcast breaks away from politics to follow an artsy theme.
As an employee of Latvian Public Media (LSM) I naturally take a passing interest in its content. By which I mean not just the work of my ace news-gathering colleagues, whose stories I steal, mis-translate and pass off as my own, but the other content strands, TV channels and, most particularly, the radio stations.
Our English-language podcast, Minutes From Latvia returns for a second go with LSM editor Mike Collier joined by political expert Iveta Kažoka of the Providus center for public policy.
At a September 16 conference in Tallinn, LSM spoke with Dario Cavegn, Responsible Editor of the Estonian public service broadcaster ERR's English-language service - the equivalent of LSM.
Latvia is behind only Estonia and Slovenia in the progress it has made developing its democracy since the end of totalitarianism 25 years ago, according to the latest report from democracy organization Freedom House.
European Council President Donald Tusk made a whistlestop visit to Latvia Thursday as part of his efforts to work out a joint European Union response to Britain's decision to leave the bloc.
Vice President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, visits Latvia Tuesday to meet with the presidents of the three Baltic states and to deliver a speech "to the Baltic people" at the National Library. You can follow events here.
The Latvian Journalists Association (LJA) said Wednesday it was "completely opposed" to core proposals that would see Latvian public media (LSM - including the LSM English language service) controlled by political appointees and a selection of oher special-interest groups.
In these troubling times it is hard to find a cause one can truly believe in. I count myself lucky to have found such a cause. It is, I hope you will agree, one with much to recommend it and with your help it may even come to pass. The cause of which I speak is the letter 'O'. Or, to be more precise, the letter 'Ō'.
The central Latvian town on Cēsis on Friday launched a new magazine, 'Creative Cēsis', pitching its credentials as a place where innovative businesses, artists and craftspeople are setting up shop in surprisingly large numbers.