LATVIA popularity and LATVIA trends

Europe's fast-growing economy in the first quarter, surprisingly, was Latvia, which just two years ago was on its knees. Stranger still, Latvia remains determined to join the euro zone.

Latvian authorities must ensure that vulnerable groups are not disproportionately affected by austerity measures and other economic policies, a United Nations independent expert said today.

Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie said here Monday that China looks forward to enhancing military exchanges and cooperation with Latvia.

Microsoft has launched Web Windows Phone Marketplaces — the web versions of online stores where Windows Phone users can buy apps and games…

Dmitri Okhotsky from Latvia spends months painstakingly creating these tiny works of art that function just like the originals.

Envoy Hannah Rosenthal to raise offensive comments in meeting with Malmo mayor, observe Holocaust commemorations in Latvia.

Apple took to the wires this morning to announce that the new iPad will hit 12 countries later this week. Along with South Korea, this coming Friday the new iPad launches in Brunei, Croatia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Malaysia, Panama, St Maarten, Uruguay and Venezuela. Then, the following Friday, it hits Colombia, Estonia, India, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, ...

We're always hearing about how swell it is in Sweden -- but how about Lesotho and Latvia?

Moscow has accused Latvian President Andris Berzins of flouting a UN resolution which warns against the glorification of the Nazis.

Only Romania and Latvia have bigger disparities among EU states

The vote defeated a constitutional referendum that underscored ethnic and political tensions that remain.

LATVIA HAS rejected a proposal to make Russian its second official state language, prompting criticism from Moscow.

About 75% vote against constitutional recognition for mother tongue of about a third of the populationLatvian voters have resoundingly rejected a proposal to give official status to Russian, the mother tongue of their former Soviet occupiers and a large chunk of the population.Russian is the first language for about a third of the Baltic country's 2.1 million people, and many of them would like...

RIGA, Latvia (AP) -- Latvia on Saturday opened a referendum on whether Russian should become the Baltic country's second national language, a poll that is likely to fail and widen the rift in an already divided society....

Latvia votes on whether to make Russian the country's second official language, in a referendum that has exposed deep divisions.

RIGA (Reuters) - Latvia has been busy purging itself of Russian influence for the last two decades but will hold a controversial referendum on whether to make Russian a second official language this...

Latvia’s economic crisis erased more than one-fifth of the country’s economic output, depressed incomes and put more people at risk of poverty, the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday, adding that the nation needs to work quickly to repair its social safety net. Read full article >>

Not a bad start to her Super Bowl weekend! Madonna's newest album, MDNA, has reached #1 on iTunes in the U.S. and 34 other countries for pre-sales, including: Argentina, Columbia, Chile, Brazil, Mexico, US, Canada, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cypress, Czech Republic, Denmark, Deutschland, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Nederland, N...

Blog post by Ritums IvanovsJanuary 29 at 12:00: meeting with the artitst at Riga Art Space (Riga, Latvia)Today, the exhibition hall under Riga town hall square will host a Sunday Brunch together with the artists of the exhibition „Is it that he does not seek the truth, but does want to influence?”. Everybody is invited to walk through the exhibition and discuss it with artists Džemma Skulme, Si...

The United States has been downgraded. Reporters Without Borders has released its annual World Press Freedom Index and the United States fell 27 points to No. 47 on the list. We now tie with Argentina, Romania and Latvia at “satisfactory” levels of freedom. The reason for the plummet? “The many arrests of journalists covering Occupy Wall Street protests.” Read full article >>

For more than three years, six foreign nationals ran an Internet vehicle-selling scam that bilked customers out of more than $4 million without delivering a single car, motor home or boat, according to a federal indictment out of Los Angeles this week.  The indictment charges six people from Germany, Russia, Romania and Latvia with conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud and money laundering. ...

Latvia is getting ready for a referendum on granting the Russian language the status of the second state language. Latvian politicians are strongly opposed to this initiative as the Parliament voted "no" on the issue, and President Andris Berzins is of the same opinion. However, neither the President nor the Parliament can cancel a popular vote

RIGA, Latvia (AP) -- A euro7.5 billion ($10 billion) bailout program that helped Latvia avert bankruptcy came to an end Thursday, a three-year journey that saw the tiny Baltic nation suffer one of the worse recessions on record....

Swedish lender Swedbank doesn't expect the weekend's extensive cash withdrawals in Latvia to result in any liquidity problems, an executive said.

Social impact on the former Soviet republic that met recession and austerity without devaluing its currency or experiencing riots is evident

Key facts, figures and dates