The daily Latvijas avīze complains that the Latvians are full of apathy in the run-up to this October’s parliamentary elections, and points to the country’s more active and successful neighbour Estonia: “Of course there has been fraud and self-enrichment in Estonia in the past 20 years. And the Estonians have left their country to seek [...]
Numerous youths have drowned or perished in traffic accidents this summer in Estonia. The daily Eesti Päevaleht blames the deaths on increased alcohol consumption and calls for stricter laws: “Why must alcohol be available at petrol stations, as if it were just another thing you needed for your car like motor oil or windshield washer [...]
Polish schools are breaching their obligation to remain silent about the religious denomination of their pupils, the European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday. The ruling was prompted by the fact that Polish teachers simply put a slash in the religion and ethics category when they don’t offer courses in ethics and the pupils [...]
The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg will deal at the end of June with the Italian state’s petition for one of the court’s former rulings according to which crucifixes in school classrooms violate the religious freedom of pupils to be reexamined. The daily Kristeligt Dagblad defends religious freedom: “Yes, [...]
It wasn’t the economic weakness of the crisis but the ideological one that harmed Europe most. Who wanted to be be part of the dominoes in the name of solidarity? Unfortunately, the dominoes of each member state provoked nationalist reactions. The region comprising the Lithuanian capital is one of the fewest cities where two nations [...]
A political statement by several pastors has caused a stir in Estonia. The weekly Eesti Ekspress criticises the anti-clerical and anti-Christian mood in the country: “Even in their critical attitude, the Estonians show that they have internalised the Lutheran stereotypes and patterns of behaviour. Every self-respecting Lutheran wants nothing more than an orderly world, with [...]
The River Neris splits Vilnius down the middle: to the North lies the university, the stadium and terraces with views; to the south is the heart of the capital: cobbled, colourful, and impeccable. But a sinister notice hangs from one of its bridges, followed by a telephone number. ‘There are people who care about you. [...]
The Swedish royal family is insisting that King Carl XVI Gustaf lead Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden to the alter when she marries Daniel Westling on June 19. The Swedish church had wanted to avoid this form of ceremony but in the end was forced to oblige. The liberal daily Dagens Nyheter says this is [...]
The fact that two prominent Swedes have been the betrayed parties in two major sex scandals, the one involving Princess Madeleine and the other involving golf pro Tiger Woods, prompts Norwegian correspondent Jakob Lund to speculate about the Swedes’ sex life on the blog portal Newsmill: “Swedes are terribly afraid of making mistakes. They love [...]
The highly popular Night of Museums will be held for the 6th year in a row. On the evening of May 15, 96 museums across Latvia will open their doors to visitors free of charge from 7 p.m. until 1 a.m. On top of the programme offered by various museums, during the event the public [...]
