January 5, 2026: A Wintry New Year, DIY Danger, What's in a Name (Change), and Akenfelds by the Sea

It's already been a hectic new year in Latvia, with a massive wind storm ushering in the true beginning of winter and other major stories such as a fatal gas explosion in Torņakalns, the reestablishment of a single train between Rīga and Tallinn, and a number of high profile passings. Cian joins the team as international correspondant, and Kris calls in from Liepāja to tell about his experience during the storm and how life is settling into the city where wind was born. Image credit: Jānis Vilniņš, used with a Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike License v. 3.0 https://lv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Att%C4%93ls:Um%C4%81ras_upe_2013._gada_mart%C4%81.JPG Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki, used with permission International Outlook music: Background News by MiroMaxMusic via Pixabay https://pixabay.com/music/upbeat-background-news-438895/ Akenfelds by the Sea music: Jamaica reggae (Sunny Dreamers) by u_98673jp944 via Pixabay https://pixabay.com/music/reggae-jamaica-reggae-sunny-dreamers-327065/ Closing theme song: Think Tank by Audionautix audionautix.com​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: bit.ly/_think-tank​ Music promoted by Audio Library youtu.be/mbV9t1Z0rA8