Latvia
Eintracht held in Hanover, Bayern three wins away
Mar 10, 2013 14:50 EDT
Bayern Munich finished the weekend 20 points clear in the Bundesliga and are now just three league wins from the title, while Eintracht Frankfurt stayed in the chasing pack after Sunday's draw at Hanover.
Eurozone targets Cyprus bailout deal this month
Mar 04, 2013 16:53 EST
Eurozone finance ministers said Monday that a long-delayed bailout for Cyprus could be fixed by the end of the month after Nicosia agreed to submit its financial sector to independent scrutiny over concerns of large-scale money-laundering.
EU reaches deal to cap banker bonuses
Feb 28, 2013 05:11 EST
The European Union has reached a deal to cap bankers' bonuses, which critics say played a major role in driving the financial crisis, officials said on Thursday.
Dries Van Noten sparkles at Paris fashion
Feb 27, 2013 18:20 EST
Belgian designer Dries Van Noten sparkled on the second day of Paris fashion week Wednesday with a collection combining men's tailoring with glamorous feminine touches, as Swedish cheap chic giant H&M made a spectacular catwalk debut.
H&M makes Paris fashion debut
Feb 27, 2013 12:29 EST
Swedish cheap chic fashion giant H&M takes to the catwalk at Paris fashion week for the first time on Wednesday, hard on the heels of its Helen Hunt Oscar coup.
The art of Latvia's ritual saunas
Feb 23, 2013 00:17 EST
Lying face down in deep snow, naked, in bone chilling sub-zero weather is enough to make anyone think twice.
Britain braces for fresh Eastern European immigration wave
Feb 22, 2013 05:22 EST
Coils of Polish sausages glisten on shop counters and vodka bottles line the shelves. In this corner of the English countryside, much of the chatter is in Latvian or Lithuanian.
Watchdog blasts excessive drugging of mentally ill in Latvia
Feb 20, 2013 14:18 EST
A human rights watchdog in EU member Latvia on Wednesday alleged mental health patients in the ex-Soviet Baltic republic were routinely illegally and excessively drugged.
Israel's Lieberman denies corruption as trial opens
Feb 17, 2013 20:43 EST
The trial of Israel's former foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman on charges of fraud and breach of trust opened at a Jerusalem court in a case which will decide the former nightclub bouncer's political future.
Israel's Lieberman goes on trial for corruption
Feb 17, 2013 08:10 EST
The trial of Israel's former foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman on charges of fraud and breach of trust opened at a Jerusalem court Sunday in a case which will decide the former bouncer's political future.
Smooth Federer into Rotterdam quarter-finals
Feb 14, 2013 15:15 EST
Two-time champion Roger Federer moved swiftly into the quarter-finals of the Rotterdam World Tennis tournament on Thursday with a 6-3, 6-4 win over home hope Thiemo de Bakker.
Klopp determined Dortmund fire against Shakhtar
Feb 12, 2013 19:58 EST
Borussia Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp has insisted his side will bounce back at Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday in their Champions League Last 16 first leg clash following a heavy home defeat by Hamburg.
Gay rights mostly out of reach in central, eastern Europe
Feb 11, 2013 12:31 EST
Ania and Yga have been inseparable for the last 17 years, living together as a couple in the Polish capital Warsaw but their love is seen as second class in this deeply Roman Catholic country.
Dominant Bayern rout Schalke to go 15 points clear
Feb 09, 2013 15:16 EST
Bayern Munich moved closer to their first title in three years after extending their lead at the top of the Bundesliga to 15 points on Saturday following their 4-0 rout of Schalke 04 at the Allianz Arena.
Champions Dortmund suffer Hamburg hammering
Feb 09, 2013 12:50 EST
Defending champions Borussia Dortmund suffered a shock 4-1 defeat at home to Hamburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday with South Korea's Son Heung-Min claiming two goals as both teams finished with 10 men.
Japan players need thick skins abroad - Kawashima
Feb 07, 2013 02:22 EST
Japanese footballers need to develop thicker skins to deal with the racism of the European leagues, national team goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima said.
Japan beat Latvia 3-0 in season opener
Feb 06, 2013 08:55 EST
Stuttgart striker Shinji Okazaki scored two goals to lead Asian champions Japan to a 3-0 win over Latvia in their season opener on Wednesday in a warm-up game ahead of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.
Lisicki powers into Pattaya semi-finals
Feb 01, 2013 16:36 EST
Germany's Sabine Lisicki reached her first semi-final in two years on Friday when she clawed her way past New Zealand's Marina Erakovic 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 at the Pattaya Open.
US charges East European cyber virus gang
Jan 23, 2013 17:31 EST
The United States on Wednesday charged three young East European men with running an international cyber theft ring that broke into a million computers, including at the space agency NASA.
South Korea's Koo nets as Augsburg claim away win
Jan 20, 2013 14:37 EST
South Korea midfielder Koo Ja-Cheol netted on Sunday to help Bundesliga strugglers Augsburg pick up only their second league win of the season with a 3-2 victory at Fortuna Duesseldorf.
Facts from the Wikipedia page:
| Republic of Latvia
Latvijas Republika
| ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||
| Anthem: "God bless Latvia!" (Latvian: Dievs, svētī Latviju!) | ||||||
 Location of Latvia (dark green)
– on the European continent (light green & dark grey) | ||||||
| Capital (and largest city) | Riga 56°57′N 24°6′E / 56.95°N 24.1°E | |||||
| Official languages | Latvian | |||||
| Ethnic groups | 59.2% Latvians 28.0% Russians 3.7% Belarusians 2.5% Ukrainians 6.6% others [1] | |||||
| Demonym | Latvian | |||||
| Government | Parliamentary republic | |||||
| - | President | Valdis Zatlers | ||||
| - | Prime Minister | Valdis Dombrovskis | ||||
| Independence | from Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Germany | |||||
| - | Declared1 | November 18, 1918 | ||||
| - | Recognized | January 26, 1921 | ||||
| - | Soviet occupation | August 5, 1940 | ||||
| - | Nazi German occupation | July 10, 1941 | ||||
| - | Soviet re-occupation | 1944 | ||||
| - | Announced | May 4, 1990 | ||||
| - | Restored | September 6, 1991 | ||||
| EU accession | May 1, 2004 | |||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 64,589 km2 (124th) 24,938 sq mi | ||||
| - | Water (%) | 1.57% (1,014 km2) | ||||
| Population | ||||||
| - | July 2009 estimate | 2,231,503 [2] (143rd) | ||||
| - | 2000 ppl census | 2,377,383 | ||||
| - | Density | 34.4/km2 (166th) 89.3/sq mi | ||||
| GDP (PPP) | 2009 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | $32.346 billion[3] (92nd) | ||||
| - | Per capita | $14,304[3] (51st) | ||||
| GDP (nominal) | 2009 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | $24.198 billion[3] (80th) | ||||
| - | Per capita | $10,700[3] (45th) | ||||
| Gini (2003) | 37.7 (medium) | |||||
| HDI (2008) | ▲ 0.866 (high) (48th) | |||||
| Currency | Lats (Ls) (LVL) | |||||
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | |||||
| - | Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | ||||
| Drives on the | right | |||||
| Internet TLD | .lv 2 | |||||
| Calling code | +371 | |||||
| 1 Latvia is de jure continuous with its declaration November 18, 1918. 2 Also .eu, shared with other European Union member states. | ||||||
