Latvia Weekly

After more than a month as "president-elect," Mr. Egils Levits was finally handed the keys to Rīga castle by outgoing President Raimonds Vējonis. On the other side of town, former Nacionālā apvienība mayoral candidate Baiba Broka spent time in very different accommodation — a jail cell in Čiekurkalns after being detained by KNAB agents over bribery allegations. Join Olevs and Joe as they break down these developments and others including major passenger rail contracts, new initiative proposals by the Kariņš government, sexist sports posters, and much more! Opening and closing music by Anna Veisa

10 Juli 201956min

As if there wasn't enough political drama this week with KNAB announcing a status of "suspect" for former Mayor Nils Ušakovs just days before assuming his duties as an EU parliamentarian, the resignation of the entire temporary supervisory board of Latvenergo as well as major developments in the ongoing green energy subsidy corruption debacle certainly kept things interesting. Join Joe and Olevs as they take you through these stories and more, including yet another pothole in the road towards a Rīga concert hall, a new "receipt lottery" scheme, and a massive windfall for Latvia's most famous athlete! Opening and closing music by Anna Veisa

2 Juli 201956min

While Rīga City Council might be quickly running out of ways to avoid a messy early election, Otto and Joe certainly aren't in danger of running out of issues to discuss, with major topics such as the final 2026 Olympic decision, the rejection of a civil partnership bill, and the dismissal of the entire Latvenergo energy utility's board all happening throughout what was expected to be a slow news week following Latvian midsummer celebrations. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this episode claimed that the Ulmanis provisional government was "toppled by Baltic Germans" in 1919, which is not an accurate description of the events that took place. Opening and closing theme: Think Tank by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Artist: audionautix.com/ Weather theme: Smooth Jazz (am) by Backing Track Ninja Source: backingtrackninja.bandcamp.com/track/smo…h-jazz-am

27 Juni 201955min

Join Joe as he sits down with Latvian-Australian Kris Akenfelds, who is halfway through a 2-month cycling journey along Latvia's entire border and a few places off the track. Kris recounts some of the most interesting places he's been to and people he's met, as well as a brush with the supernatural and a few life-changing moments along the way. Photo credit: Bhavishya Goel https://www.flickr.com/photos/103799582@N02/42450309940 Opening and closing music: Bicycle - Reunited by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100870 Artist: http://incompetech.com/

25 Juni 201940min

Līgo, Līgo! In honor of this year’s quickly approaching midsummer celebration, Joe sat down with 2x2 Latvian youth camp volunteer Austra Apsīte to discuss Jāņi traditions, clear up midsummer myths, and even share some traditional Līgo music. Whether you're a midsummer newbie or a lifelong "Jāņa bērns," you're likely to learn something interesting about this important time of the year for Latvian culture! Opening music by Austra Apsīte Photo courtesy of Austra Apsīte

22 Juni 201947min

With small cracks starting to appear in Attistibai/Par! and giants fissures widening in KPV LV, Joe and Olevs discuss the stability of both parties as well as the coalition as a whole. Other major topics include updates in health and financial reforms, an increase to teachers' salaries, a knockout performance by Briedis, and a sad day of remembrance for all Latvian people.

20 Juni 201958min

In this next installment of the summer interview series, Joe sits down with local archaeology assistant Jānis Tomašuns to talk about some of the surprises hidden throughout Latvia just a few centimeters below the ground as well as his experience going on digs throughout the country.

16 Juni 201945min

What began as Joe and Olevs' going away party for Otto ended in disaster thanks to the abnormally tropical weather overheating Joe's laptop and erasing the first ever episode all three had recorded together. Sadly, the loss of a podcast episode was far from the most serious consequence of the heatwave, with severe thunderstorms, hail damage, and drownings being reported throughout the country. Join Joe as he tries his best to recount the major domestic happenings of the week solo before calling Kris Akenfelds to hear the latest about his cross-country cycling adventure and then handing it over to Otto for international stories and the week in history. Think Tank by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Artist: audionautix.com/ Weather theme: Smooth Jazz (am) by Backing Track Ninja Source: backingtrackninja.bandcamp.com/track/smo…h-jazz-am

12 Juni 201950min