The Istanbul Convention is expected to feature in discussions as Latvia forms its next government, with lawmakers considering a referendum, delaying debate or withdrawing the country’s ratification. LSM reports that a proposal to revoke ratification has been passed to the 15th Saeima, Latvia’s pa…

Students from the Estonian Academy of Arts are curating a new permanent exhibition at Poco, a pop art museum, bringing together international works, Estonian pop art classics and younger artists, ERR reports. The exhibition explores digital art, political reflection, street art, links between Est…

A man drowned in Elektrėnai Reservoir on Sunday after falling from a boat, LRT reported. Fire and rescue services said they received a report at about noon that the man had fallen into the water and failed to resurface. Divers recovered him after several hours of searching. The circumstances of t…

Rest may be the best response to some health problems, rather than reaching straight for medication, pharmacist Ene Jõgisoo told Vikerraadio, part of ERR. She said the viral illness season began early at the Kose pharmacy, with patient numbers rising after children returned to school in early Sep…

Jānis Urbanovičs says he failed to revive the Harmony party and plans to leave its leadership, LSM reported, citing the LETA news agency. He said apathy among party members contributed to its poor result in the 15th Saeima election. Urbanovičs said many party representatives had given in to apath…

Residents of Klaipėda and Telšiai counties have been warned to prepare for potentially dangerous winds on Monday, LRT reports, citing the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service. The warning will be in effect from 12:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on October 5. Southwesterly and westerly wind gusts are expecte…

Latvija pirmajā vietā (LPV), which won 17 seats and 13.09% of the vote in Latvia’s 15th Saeima election, is ready to join government talks, party leader Ainārs Šlesers told Latvian Radio, according to public broadcaster LSM. Šlesers said LPV was prepared to remain in opposition but could also be …

Seventeen European Union member states, including Estonia, have called for agricultural and regional funding to be preserved in the bloc’s next seven-year budget. ERR reported that the appeal sets them against Germany and other wealthier countries seeking to cut the budget. In a letter disclosed …

The Lithuanian government has backed a proposal to expand the Nevėžis State Landscape Reserve to 1,746.95 hectares, LRT reports. The reserve would grow by 621 hectares. The expanded reserve would cover parts of Šilainiai in Kaunas city and the Užliedžiai, Babtai and Raudondvaris elderships in Kau…

People who need assistive devices can receive some of them at public expense, but many do not know where to apply, LSM reported, citing the Latvian television programme 4. studija. Wheelchairs, walking frames, crutches, hearing aids and special mattresses are among the devices that may be availab…

Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs has called the record-low turnout in the 15th Saeima elections alarming, LSM reported. Just 51.81% of eligible voters took part. Rinkēvičs thanked voters, election commission members and organisers, as well as those who ensured the vote took place safely and wit…

The United List was surprised by its provisional result of 42 seats in Latvia’s 15th Saeima, the country’s parliament, its representatives told Latvian Radio and Latvian Television, LSM reported. Edgars Tavars, one of the political force’s leaders, said it had not expected such a strong result an…

Artist Pille Ernesaks has opened an exhibition inspired by her grandmother at Vabaduse Gallery, an art gallery in Tallinn, ERR reports. At its centre is a hand-embroidered tablecloth that belonged to her grandmother, Hilda Valentine (1908-1989). The tablecloth was found in a country-house barn de…

Lithuania and Poland maintain close security cooperation, but political analyst Andžej Pukšto says too much time has passed between meetings of their prime ministers. LRT reported his comments to ELTA, in which he called for more political attention to bilateral ties. Prime Minister Mindaugas Sin…

Lithuania’s Environmental Protection Agency plans to revoke Klaipėda Zoo’s permit on October 5, the agency told news agency ELTA, according to LRT. The zoo’s owner will be responsible for finding new homes for the animals that remain there. The agency issued a warning about revoking the permit on…

Voters interviewed in central Riga said they had cast ballots in the 15th Saeima election, while people in Ludza were not yet ready to analyse the results in detail and said they expected greater support for Latgale from the new government, LSM reported. Riga residents gave mixed reactions. Marut…

Estonian singer Voldemar Kuslap says he is grateful to have enjoyed a long career on stage, while recognising that age eventually takes its toll on a singer’s voice and health. He spoke on ERR’s programme “Hommik Anuga” after recently celebrating his 89th birthday. This autumn, Kuslap and fellow …

Unauthorized building and waste dumping have continued for years at the Sauleskalna dārzi allotment cooperative in Zaķumuiža, while residents say the municipality has not resolved their concerns, Latvian Television’s 4th Studio reported, according to LSM. The allotments are in Ropaži Municipality…

Progressives leader Andris Šuvajevs welcomed his party’s improved result in Latvia’s 15th Saeima election but said he was concerned the new parliament could reverse course on human rights, LSM reported. Preliminary results gave the party 7.83% of the vote, up from 6.8% four years ago. It won nine…

Estonian publisher Koolibri has released a translation of Nobel laureate Sinclair Lewis’s 1935 novel It Can’t Happen Here, ERR reports. The book was translated by Olavi Teppan and published in Koolibri’s Hieronymus series. The novel draws on the crises of its time and has become Lewis’s most-read…

A woman learned that her father had died at a hospital nearly two days after his death, LSM reported. Latvian law sets no specific deadline for hospitals to notify a patient’s relatives, the report found. Sintija’s father was transferred on the evening of September 4 from a regional hospital to G…

The Sovereign Power/Alliance of Young Latvians is set to win 15 seats in Latvia’s 15th Saeima, with nearly 12% of the vote, according to provisional results. Alliance leader Jūlija Stepaņenko called the result “quite a noble representation” in an interview with Latvian Radio, LSM reported. “We wi…

Singer Eleryn Tiit says the feeling that nothing lasts forever shaped her new album, she told ERR’s Hommik Anuga programme. Tiit’s album, “Meil pole aega maa ja ilm” (“We don’t have all the time in the world”), was released this week. She said its origins go back a couple of years, when she began…

Actor Märt Avandi says his life has changed beyond recognition since overcoming cocaine addiction, and he is now using his experience to help prevent drug use among young people, ERR reported. Avandi spoke about his recovery on the television programme Hommik Anuga. Three years ago, he told the p…

Estonia’s Heritage Board has recommended ending state protection for 48 of 133 manor-related built heritage monuments in Jõgeva County, ERR reported. It proposes continuing protection for the other 85, but the recommendations are not final. The board will present its findings to the county commun…

French social photographer Jean-Louis Courtinat’s work is driven by a desire to make the world better, ERR writes in a review of his exhibition “This concerns us all” at the Juhan Kuusi Documentary Photo Centre. The review was first published in Sirp. The exhibition features about 80 photographs …

Latvia’s preliminary parliamentary election results point to voters seeking change but not a radical shift, political scientists told public broadcaster LSM. They said a three-party coalition involving the United List, the National Alliance and New Unity is the likeliest outcome. The United List …

Reading and writing more could improve mental health and help reduce medical costs, Loomingu Raamatukogu chief editor Triinu Tamm told ERR in an interview. Tamm said people still read books, but reading habits are changing and long texts are read less often than in the past. She pointed to shrink…

Director Vincent Boussard’s production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Othello at Estonia National Opera explores how lies exploit human weaknesses, according to a review by Aare Tool published by ERR. The review first appeared in Sirp. Tool links the production’s themes to the present, where “alternative tr…

New Unity won slightly more than 6% of the vote and seven seats in Latvia’s 15th Saeima election, a result below the party alliance’s expectations, parliamentary faction leader Edmunds Jurēvics told Latvian Television on Sunday, according to LSM. With 98.5% of votes counted, New Unity’s seat tota…

Folk band Oopus won the most awards at the 2026 Etnokulp folk music gala in Viljandi on Saturday, ERR reported. Oopus won Album of the Year for “Reivlender”, Artist of the Year and New Folk Artist of the Year. Nublu, Tief City 44 and Curly Strings won Song of the Year for “Tšastuška”. Nova Lyre w…

The United List, represented by Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, has won a record number of seats for a single political force in Latvia’s parliament, LSM reported. With 99.4% of votes counted, the party had about 35% of voter support and was projected to win at least 40 seats. The provisional res…

Estonian public broadcaster ERR reports that ETV2 will dedicate its Sunday theme night to musician Tiit Kõrvits, who turned 75 on October 3. The evening begins at 7.30 p.m. with the 2023 documentary “Rock-Hotel: How Did Your Game Go?” It recalls the band’s first performance, at a party at the Est…

The number of voters who changed their ballots in Latvia’s 15th parliamentary election was nearly seven times higher than before, Central Election Commission head Māris Zviedris told Latvian Television on Sunday, LSM reported. About 95% of the votes had been counted at the time. Zviedris said the…

A woman was found dead in her apartment in Visaginas on Saturday afternoon, and a man suspected of killing her has been detained, LRT reported. Police said the body of the woman, born in 1959, was found at about 2.10 p.m. on Energetikų Street. The suspect, a man born in 1979, was taken to a tempo…

Latvia’s Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) has failed to cross the 5% threshold to enter parliament for the first time in its history, LSM reported, citing nearly complete election results and the party’s leader. With 98% of votes counted, ZZS had won 4.46% of the vote. Party chairman Armands Kra…

Šiauliai Mayor Artūras Visockas plans to seek a fourth consecutive term, while the mayors of Širvintos district and Kazlų Rūda have yet to decide whether to run again, LRT reported. Visockas, who has led Šiauliai since 2015, told news agency ELTA that he would run, saying local self-government wa…

Research on retracted papers highlights how problems in scientific publishing may extend to artificial intelligence responses, ERR reports. Anton Sokolov, a doctoral student at Tallinn University of Technology and researcher at the Tyche Institute, studies trust infrastructure, including research…

The United List has won the most support in 36 of Latvia’s 42 municipalities in the 15th Saeima election, according to LSM, with 95.4% of votes counted. The party failed to lead in only six municipalities, all in Latgale. The results mark a sharp shift from the previous parliamentary election. In…

Light rain will return to parts of Lithuania on Sunday, with morning fog in some areas and changeable cloud cover, LRT reports, citing forecaster Elena Kliukina. Temperatures will be slightly lower than during the sunny week, but the change will be modest. Some western districts may see brief, li…

Merkinė could have become a major tourist destination if not for wars and occupation, says Žygimantas Buržinskas, director of the Merkinė Regional Museum. In an interview with LRT, he describes returning with his family to the town in Dzūkija, where he grew up, and says he prefers life there to t…

The United List won Latvia’s 15th Saeima election decisively, while voter turnout fell to its lowest level ever in a parliamentary election, LSM reported. At least 800,000 eligible voters, or 51.67%, cast ballots on October 3. Experts suggested the low turnout may have reflected a lack of promine…

Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs’s United List has taken the lead in Latvia’s 15th Saeima election, winning more than a third of votes counted, preliminary Central Election Commission results cited by LSM show. With 51% of ballots counted, the commission’s figures indicated that United List had won…

Latvia First is ready to offer the United List cooperation in forming Latvia’s next government, party prime ministerial candidate Ainārs Šlesers told Latvian Television, LSM reported. Šlesers said available voter survey results would differ from the final election results. He said the United List…

Latvia could speed up vote counting in future parliamentary elections by ending the option to deposit ballots for safekeeping or amending the Constitution to allow advance voting, Central Election Commission head Māris Zviedris said, LSM reported. The count in the 15th Saeima election was schedul…

Counting in Latvia’s 15th parliamentary election began more than two hours later than planned as officials checked for repeat votes, the Central Election Commission (CVK) told LSM. Preliminary results were expected at around 4 a.m. on Sunday. Officials had to identify and annul earlier ballots ca…

Political groups contesting Latvia’s 15th Saeima elections gathered at venues across the country to await the results as vote counting began, LSM reported. Fourteen political forces are running in the election. The National Alliance gathered at Benjamins’ House, while Latvia First awaited results…

Veliuona has renamed its last street named after writer and Soviet official Petras Cvirka, LRT reported. The street, in the town of Veliuona in Jurbarkas District, will now be called Kalno Street. The roughly 500-metre street is home to nearly 30 residents. The new name was chosen in a resident s…

Vote counting had not begun nearly three hours after polling stations closed in Latvia’s parliamentary election, as officials continued checking voter data, LSM reported, citing the LETA news agency. Laura Krastiņa, a member of the Rīga Election Commission, told LETA that officials were verifying…

Latvian voters have given Andris Kulbergs of the United List a substantial vote of confidence, political scientist Jānis Ikstens said, according to LSM. He called the election period Kulbergs’ “star hour” in an interview with Latvian Radio. Ikstens said the United List was nowhere near its curren…