Free Republic

The flight of money from Egypt has become a growing concern as many wealthy individuals seek to move money out of Egypt and keep their fortunes out of the eyes of the authorities. The Zambian Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) intercepted an aircraft carrying five million dollars in cash and over 100kg of suspected gold at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport near the capital Lusaka on August 14, according to several sources. Found on the plane were $5,697,700 in cash, five pistols, seven magazines, 126 rounds of ammunition, 602 pieces of suspected gold weighing 127.7 kg, and equipment for measuring gold. Later,...

On this day in 1941, seventeen-year-old Shaya “Shaike” Iwensky came within seconds of being shot by the Einsatzgruppen outside the city of Daugavpils, Latvian SSR. Sheer dumb luck — and a slight miscalculation by the Germans — saved his life. Shaike was born and raised in Jonava, Lithuania and fled to Daugavpils with his brother when the Germans invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941. On June 29, he was arrested along with the other Jewish male adults in town. His brother, who was fifteen years old, was arrested alongside him, but released the same day because of his age....

Latvian government takes control over No. 2 bank to save it from bankruptcy Latvia's government has decided to take over the nation's No. 2 financial institution after the bank ran into a liquidity crisis, an official said Sunday. The government decided late Saturday to take a 51 percent stake in Parex Bank, the Baltic state's second largest bank by total assets, based on data that indicated the bank was headed toward insolvency, said Krists Leiskalns, press adviser to Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis. On Saturday, Godmanis explained that Parex was functional but in need of liquidity. He also said the government...

<p>During its last campaign, the Latvian Scientific Mission, which has already worked more than two years in the Step Pyramid of Saqqara (Egypt) in the framework of its joint-venture with the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities and direct supervision from Dr. Zahi Hawass, has successfully carried out some additional documentation works, very important for the safeguarding and restoration of the oldest stone monument in the world. Resources allocated to this program (15 scientists) represent the largest scientific team never mobilized abroad in the History of this small but scientifically highly advanced Baltic country...</p>

Lithuanian and Latvian languages are not Slavic and not Balto-Slavic. I made a deep esearch and I can say that both Baltic languages are definitely not Slavic, not even close, and neither Balto-Slavic. They should be separated into a very early separation branch similar to Armenian. There are very few Slavic-sounding words in both Baltic languages and those words were borrowed in near modern times. All other words (99,999999%) in both Baltic languages don't even remind of any Slavic language. There are words that sound Arabic, Franco, Latin, Greek, even English and Italiamn and even Pacific, but very few Slavic...

TALLINN – Two Latvian soldiers were killed and three were wounded in Iraq on Wednesday when a bomb exploded under their patrol vehicle near Baghdad, the Latvian Defence Ministry said. The Baltic state has a 113-strong force in Iraq.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2006 – A Latvian soldier and Iraqi civilians were injured in Iraq in separate incidents and Iraqi security forces found a bomb in Fallujah, U.S. military officials reported. The Latvian guard was injured by small-arms fire today in al Kut when unidentified gunmen fired at an observation post in the Multinational Division Central South area of responsibility. The guards returned fire. The wounded soldier was transported to a military medical facility, where his condition is stable. Five Iraqi citizens were injured Jan. 19 when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device near Forward Operating Base Summerall in...

After talking with some left-wing friends this weekend, I realized now more than ever that the question of whether to vote for Bush or Kerry truly boils down to another question, “A war for our lives, or a nuisance to our lifestyle?” The later question was asked on Friday by eminent historian Victor David Hanson. He answers it with honesty and erudition, but leaves out a very important point: the fear factor. Hanson correctly identifies Kerry et al’s penchant for wanting to solve our foreign policy disputes through diplomatic bureaucracy ad nauseum -- e.g., the United Nations. He hints at...

Latvian police have seized 28 tons of military hardware reported to be destined for Iran. Latvian security police said Thursday they seized the $315,000 shipment at the airport in the capital, Riga. Customs documents show the shipment was registered as farm equipment. Police say the cargo actually included spare parts for tanks, night-vision instruments and armament parts. Latvian authorities say the shipment may have been destined for terrorists. No one has been detained in the incident. Latvian military intelligence units are investigating the shipment. Authorities say the equipment appears to be old Russian military hardware. Several off-shore companies were reportedly...