Mike Collier

Feb 27, 2025 | eng.lsm.lv | Mike Collier

AS lawmakers objected to part of the Yearbook which discussed relations between Latvia and Israel. At a previous Saeima sitting February 13, AS politician and former Saeima speaker Edvards Smiltēns said some of the Yearbook's recommendations "in my opinion, damage our relations not only with Israel, but also with our strategic security partner – the United States of America."The publication of the Yearbook has become a staple of Latvian geopolitical discussion over the last few years.

Feb 26, 2025 | eng.lsm.lv | Mike Collier

There is a wealth of material available via the official LSM media portal REplay.lv where you will find all of the available archived material as well as direct links to live coverage as it is broadcast (look for the word 'tiešraide', which means 'live').     Viewers and listeners outside Latvia may be particularly interested in the 'Visiem' online TV channel which broadcasts material that should mostly be free of geoblocking issues.

Feb 6, 2025 | eng.lsm.lv | Mike Collier

Kazāks was confirmed in a Saeima vote carried by 67 votes to 18 with 4 abstentions. The vote finally draws a line under a saga that has raised question marks about the ability of Prime Minister Evika Siliņa's three-party coalition to come up with joint decisions and put Latvia temporarily in the embarassing position of leaving its seat at the table vacant during meetings of the European Central Bank because it was unable to install a governor in a timely manner.

Jan 29, 2025 | eng.lsm.lv | Mike Collier

Did you know that 40% of all farms in the EU have manure storage facilities (based on figures from 2020)? You do, now!The highest share of farms with manure storage facilities was in slurry-tastic Slovenia (nearly 100%), but second on the list is Latvia (98%), followed by near-neighbor Estonia in third (92%), which your olfactory organ will confirm when the wind is blowing from the north.

Nov 21, 2024 | eng.lsm.lv | Mike Collier

Lembergs, who has been sanctioned by the United States since 2019, now finds himself the subject of an asset freeze after being included on a list of people "who are or have been involved in serious corruption." In its announcement the UK government describes Lembergs as: "one of Latvia’s richest people, who abused his political position to commit bribery and launder money.