Latvia Weekly

A dramatic, 15-year criminal process has resulted in a five-year prison sentence and massive property confiscations for oligarch Aivars Lembergs, but is this truly the end of the road for one of Latvia's most infamous political operators? Otto and Joe break down this court decision as well as other stories, including an increasingly worrying bird flu situation, more bumps on the road toward better cycling infrastructure in Rīga, an international basketball heartbreak, and the latest COVID-19 updates. Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki, used with permission Closing theme song: Think Tank by Audionautix audionautix.com​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: bit.ly/_think-tank​ Music promoted by Audio Library youtu.be/mbV9t1Z0rA8 otos/valstskanceleja/50932447422/

25 Feb 20211h 19min

Among other measure to fight the public health and economic effects of COVID-19, the Krišjānis Kariņš-led government has announced its support for a one-time 500 euro per child payment for families in Latvia. Otto and Joe discuss the implications along with other stories such as record low approval ratings for said government, a plan to vaccinate Latvia's seniors, a visit by Estonia's foreign minister, commemoration of the country's worst ever rail disaster, and more! Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki, used with permission Closing theme song: Think Tank by Audionautix audionautix.com​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: bit.ly/_think-tank​ Music promoted by Audio Library youtu.be/mbV9t1Z0rA8

18 Feb 20211h 3min

As Latvia' s ministers attempt to lead by example and get vaccinated against COVID-19, Latvia' s poultry farmers have yet another deadly virus to worry about. Otto and Joe break down these stories and others on this week' s episode! Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki, used with permission Closing theme song: Think Tank by Audionautix audionautix.com​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: bit.ly/_think-tank​ Music promoted by Audio Library youtu.be/mbV9t1Z0rA8 Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/valstskanceleja/50932447422/ Credit: Valsts kanceleja

13 Feb 20211h 9min

The online manavakcina.lv portal is up and running without much of a hitch, but the end of the pandemic is still over the horizon, with the state of emergency being extended until the 6th of April. Otto and Joe break down what this all means, along with some other important domestic and international stories throughout the week. Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki, used with permission Closing theme song: Think Tank by Audionautix http://audionautix.com​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_think-tank​ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/mbV9t1Z0rA8

6 Feb 20211h

Otto and Joe discuss the latest developments in Latvia related to COVID-19 and other stories such as a possible restoration of passenger rail to Bolderāja, a political crisis in Jēkabpils, scammers targeting DPD customers, a reduction in the amount of exams students must take, another development in the KPV LV soap opera, and more!

29 Jan 20211h 19min

Otto and Joe discuss the news of the week including the first actions of the new health minister, a new party founded by populist deputy Aldis Gobzems, the latest COVID19 updates, and more! Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki, used with permission Closing theme song: Think Tank by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Artist: audionautix.com/ Music promoted by Audio Library youtu.be/mbV9t1Z0rA8

21 Jan 20211h 1min

With Latvia Weekly' s 2020 person of the year Ilze Viņķele unceremoniously fired just days into the new year, it's not surprising that people aren't falling over themselves to become the next health minister as the pandemic enters its most critical stage yet. Otto and Joe discuss the fallout from Prime Minister Kariņš' momentous decision as well as other important stories from the week. Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki, used with permission Closing theme song: Think Tank by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Artist: audionautix.com/ Music promoted by Audio Library youtu.be/mbV9t1Z0rA8

7 Jan 20211h 3min

Otto and Joe take their yearly look back and count down the top 10 stories of 2020 (9:43), the "people's choice" person of the year (1:05:17), and the official Latvia Weekly person of the year for 2020 (1:20:48).

3 Jan 20211h 26min