Ahead of Memorial Day for the Victims of Communist Regimes (June 14) and Holocaust Remembrance Day in Latvia (July 4), Marcus Kolga spoke with Ilja Lenskis, director of the "Jews in Latvia" Museum.
Features
Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš had to spend two weeks in self-quarantine at the start of the coronavirus crisis, and has since been leading a government remotely from a home office in times of social distancing. Alexander Welscher asks how it all works in this feature from Baltic Business Quarterly magazine which is published by the German-Baltic Chamber of Commerce (AHK) and is reproduced here with permission from a special COVID-19 edition.
A couple of years ago LSM paid a great deal of attention to a very little word in the Latvian language: "nu".
Every Friday lunchtime, an old red van trundles into a farmyard in Drabeši parish, Vidzeme region. The engine idles for a moment then dies. The front doors open.
Even though Covid-19 is the first major epidemic most of us are going through in our lives, it's definitely not the first to take place on Latvian soil. Numerous epidemics have passed through Latvia throughout the years, leaving traces in our history. Test your knowledge about epidemics and diseases from the Stone Age to the 20th century.
The Latvijas kods (Latvian code) documentary film strand from Latvian Television has another offering available to view online with English subtitles.
LTV has prepared another in its series of short documentary films "The Keys", each one tackling a particular topic in a particular year.
While exact figures can't be procured, it seems that thousands of Latvians are taking part in a novel trend of posting childhood photos on social networks.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other institutions are urging people to ventilate rooms at work, in school and at home, so it's important to ventilate rooms in the correct way to release CO² and minimize risk of disease transmission, according to a Latvian Television broadcast on March 17.
The Covid-19 virus has caused the Latvian government to close schools, ban public gatherings, impose quarantines and encourage social distancing - so what can parents do when the children are cooped up at home and are starting to get bored? While TV time is an easy fix, we've come up with some fun activities you can do at home to stimulate their brains and encourage exercise.
The COVID-19 is dominating the world's headlines and while the situation is certainly serious, a slightly softer approach can also be taken to the subject.
The latest episode of LTV's short documentary series "The Keys" concentrates on the story of the Latvian lats - the national currency which was an important symbol ever since independence was first won, but which disappeared with the adoption of the euro in 2014.
The Atslēgas (Keys) documentary strand has another offering available to view online with English subtitles.
Latvian Public Media (LSM) has developed an online quiz in which you can test your attitudes and responses to the reliability of different stories you might commonly encounter in the media.
Short documentary season "The Keys" returns with a look at the events of 1987, when Latvia was first experiencing the "perestroika" (restructuring) policies of Mikhail Gorbachev while still under Soviet occupation.
LTV's documentary series "Atslēgas" (The Keys) has another short film for you with English subtitles.
The third episode of Latvian Television's series of short history documentaries is now available to watch online, complete with English subtitles.
Latvian Television's One on One interview show ventured into the English language January 21 when the guest in the studio was Pēteris Aloizs Ragaušs, an American-born businessman from a Latvian family who has ambitious plans to build a gas terminal in Skulte as well as a range of other financial interests in the country. He has also invested in the current cinema release Pilsēta Pi Upis.
Following my failure in the first citizenship examination, I had four months to prepare myself for the re-take.
The day of my citizenship test was a strange one.
Having decided to apply for Latvian citizenship, my next step was to do very little for a couple of years. Rather, I quickly obtained most of the necessary documents and assumed the rest would take minimal effort so could be put off until that mythical moment we all dream of "when I have some free time."
I looked at the dead body on the sidewalk just ahead of me.
As part of Latvia's centenary celebrations, the Latvian Institute produced a book called Latvia 100 Snapshot Stories. We are reproducing a selection of the entries to give you a few flavors of the country. If you would like to read the whole thing, a free downloadable PDF is available at the Latvian Institute website.
In the summer of 2019, Latvia’s parliament will elect a new president. In this article, we will briefly explain the process and history behind presidential elections in Latvia.
How many representatives does Latvia have abroad, how much does it cost, and why is it important for a country like Latvia to get involved internationally in the long term? Clear enough questions, but ones which are perhaps taken for granted much of the time. So here at LSM we decided to establish the actual facts and figures - and the results may surprise those who regard Latvia as an insular nation.
I have always preferred minor character actors to A-list film stars. They might only get a scene or two, but the presence of these strangely-shaped, broken-nosed, odd-looking and heavily-accented figures gives a film a human appeal and variety that can never be conveyed by the handsome and beautiful leading men and ladies.
As part of Latvia's centenary celebrations, the Latvian Institute produced a book called Latvia 100 Snapshot Stories. Over the next few weeks we will be reproducing a selection of the entries to give you a few flavors of the country. If you would like to read the whole thing, a free downloadable PDF is available at the Latvian Institute website.
Krišjānis Kariņš took over from Māris Kučinskis as Prime Minister of Latvia on January 23, 2019. Now one month into the job, he spoke to LSM about his background, his reasons for accepting the position and his future plans for his government.
As part of Latvia's centenary celebrations, the Latvian Institute produced a book called Latvia 100 Snapshot Stories. Over the next few weeks we will be reproducing a selection of the entries to give you a few flavors of the country. If you would like to read the whole thing, a free downloadable PDF is available at the Latvian Institute website.
As part of Latvia's centenary celebrations, the Latvian Institute produced a book called Latvia 100 Snapshot Stories. Over the next few weeks we will be reproducing a selection of the entries to give you a few flavors of the country. If you would like to read the whole thing, a free downloadable PDF is available at the Latvian Institute website.