Business & Technology (179)

ACA Timber disputes Competition Council ruling on long-term logging contracts

Timber trader ACA Timber says a Latvian Competition Council decision, which it considers unfounded, threatens the continued execution of two long-term logging contracts with state forestry company Latvijas valsts meži.

TVNET · 13 Aug, 18:58

Apple reportedly in talks to pay publishers for news content to power Siri

Apple is negotiating with publishers to license their content for the upcoming Siri AI so it can provide current news, according to The Wall Street Journal. The company is reportedly considering a nine-figure budget.

TechCrunch · 13 Aug, 18:04

Red Bull Show Run on August 15: rally driver Mārtiņš Sesks to appear on Riga's riverside

As part of Riga's 825th anniversary celebrations, a Red Bull Show Run motorsport event will take place on the city's riverside on August 15, featuring WRC driver Mārtiņš Sesks, a BMW M4 drift show and a Formula 1 car.

iAuto.lv · 13 Aug, 17:04

Chinese AI models see surging demand in Russia amid lower costs, easier payment

Clients of Russia's major cloud computing platforms sharply increased their use of Chinese-made AI language models in 2026, as they prove cheaper and easier to pay for under sanctions, business daily Kommersant reports.

Meduza · 13 Aug, 16:06

Why women need 12 times their salary to buy a home, while men need only eight

New findings show that women in England typically need over 12 times their annual salary to buy a home, compared to just over eight times for men, driven by pay gaps, saving difficulties and stricter lending conditions. The disparity highlights a broader gender housing gap across Europe and the UK.

Euronews Business · 13 Aug, 16:04

Latvian traders' body: officials block food rescue at shuttered MERE stores as producers' funds stay frozen

The Latvian Traders Association has sharply criticized the Financial Intelligence Unit for refusing to allow perishable food from the closed MERE store chain to be donated, while more than €1.52 million in producers' funds remain frozen.

BNN · 13 Aug, 16:00

Virgin Galactic pushes back new spaceship's first commercial flight to 2027

Virgin Galactic says assembly problems have delayed the debut commercial flight of its new Delta-class spaceship from late 2026 to February 2027 at the earliest. The company says its finances remain solid thanks to over $50 million in already-sold tickets.

Engadget · 13 Aug, 15:04

Drivers over 60 must undergo health checks every three years

Latvia's Road Traffic Law requires drivers who have turned 60 to undergo medical checks every three years, more frequently than younger drivers. The Health Inspectorate has explained how the rule is applied in practice.

Delfi · 13 Aug, 15:02

Elenger secures natural gas supply for next heating season

Elenger's Latvia director Gints Brakovskis says the company's customers have full natural gas supply guaranteed for the coming heating season, with most volumes already delivered and the rest under contract. The company plans 11 LNG cargoes to Finland and Lithuania this year, mostly from the US.

Dienas Bizness · 13 Aug, 14:59

UK economy grows faster than expected in first half of 2026, but risks loom

Despite the shock from the Iran war, the UK economy remained the fastest-growing in the G7 during the first half of 2026, though analysts warn the resilience may not last into autumn.

The Guardian World · 13 Aug, 14:04

CSDD hit by cyberattack, historical receipt data stolen

Over the weekend, attackers partially breached the IT systems of Latvia's Road Traffic Safety Directorate (CSDD) and extracted historical payment receipt data containing personal information. The agency, working with CERT.LV, has stopped the attack, and customer passwords were not affected.

Delfi · 13 Aug, 14:02

Why is it harder to sell a used car in Latvia? The answer lies in pricing and supply

A social media post questioning why used cars are hard to sell in Latvia sparked discussion online. Market data suggests the real cause is neither mass wealth nor poverty, but rising supply and pickier buyers.

Latvijas Avīze · 13 Aug, 14:00

Hackers gain partial access to Latvia's road traffic agency CSDD IT system

Cyberattackers managed to partially breach the IT system of Latvia's Road Traffic Safety Directorate (CSDD), extracting some personal data. The attack has been stopped and customer passwords were not affected.

Dienas Bizness · 13 Aug, 13:59

Wired rounds up the best cooling mattresses for hot sleepers in 2026

Tech outlet Wired has published a 2026 guide to cooling mattresses, naming the Nolah Evolution Hybrid its top pick for side sleepers alongside several other tested cooling models.

Wired · 13 Aug, 13:03

Perk's Chief Product Officer Nikita Miller discusses shift to AI-native travel platform

In an EU-Startups podcast interview, Perk's (formerly TravelPerk) Chief Product Officer Nikita Miller discusses the company's transformation from a business travel platform into an AI-native travel and spend management ecosystem, along with its international expansion plans.

EU-Startups · 13 Aug, 13:02

Mandatory building inspections in Latvia become less frequent, shifting responsibility to homeowners

Amendments in force since July 30 reduce how often multi-apartment buildings in Latvia must undergo mandatory visual inspections, placing greater responsibility on apartment owners to monitor their building's condition. Property manager "Civinity" says the change should not be seen as neglect, but urges owners to stay alert.

Dienas Bizness · 13 Aug, 12:59

Pensions to be indexed from October 1, rising by 4.24% to 5.22%

On October 1 this year, Latvia's annual state pension indexation will take place as required by law, affecting 97% of pensioners with increases depending on insurance record length.

Dienas Bizness · 13 Aug, 12:01

Study: most children don't understand how bike lane and road sign rules work

A road safety test by insurer BALTA shows children lack knowledge of traffic rules, even though they handle other safety topics well. Experts urge parents and teachers to regularly revisit the rules with kids.

iAuto.lv · 13 Aug, 11:59

Latvia's state forestry company fined €7.86 million for competition breach

Latvia's Competition Council has fined state forestry company Latvijas valsts meži €7.86 million for giving unfair advantages to six long-term logging contract partners. The company must also end the discriminatory practice and ensure equal market access going forward.

BNN · 13 Aug, 11:02

Latvia's State Forests fined €7.86 million for competition violations

The Competition Council has fined state company "Latvijas valsts meži" €7.86 million for giving certain long-term partners advantages unavailable to other market players for years. The company must now end the practice and ensure equal access to timber for all buyers.

Jauns.lv · 13 Aug, 11:00

State forestry company Latvijas Valsts meži fined almost €8 million

Latvia's Competition Council has fined state forestry company Latvijas Valsts meži (LVM) nearly €7.9 million for granting certain timber processors access to state timber without public auctions over a period of more than six years.

LSM (rus) · 13 Aug, 10:58

UK economic growth slows as Iran war drives up energy prices

UK GDP grew 0.4% in the second quarter, down from 0.6% in the first, as disruption from the Iran war began affecting the economy. Analysts say the economy has nonetheless proven more resilient than feared.

The Guardian World · 13 Aug, 10:03

Life in Latvia no longer cheap: food and clothing now pricier than EU average

New Eurostat data show that food, clothing and alcohol in Latvia already cost more than the EU average, though lower housing, healthcare and service costs still keep overall living expenses below the EU norm.

BNN · 13 Aug, 10:02

SAF Tehnika more than doubles quarterly revenue in latest financial quarter

Latvian company SAF Tehnika reported revenue of €14.167 million for the quarter from April to June 2026, 2.7 times higher than a year earlier, swinging to a profit after a prior-year loss.

Dienas Bizness · 13 Aug, 09:04

Wall Street stocks mostly rise as European markets slip

Following the release of the latest US inflation data, US stock prices mostly rose on Wednesday, while European stock markets largely declined.

Dienas Bizness · 13 Aug, 07:58

Trump sued over plan to sell paid Truth Social API access for up to $100K a month

News outlet The Intercept has sued President Trump and several administration officials over a scheme to sell fast-track access to Truth Social posts, arguing he is improperly profiting from government information he shares only on his platform. The lawsuit names Trump, two aides, and two White House offices as defendants.

Ars Technica · 13 Aug, 07:08

Twitch lets users block Amazon from using their content for AI training

Twitch has introduced an option letting users opt out of having their content used to train Amazon's AI models, following backlash from the platform's community. The setting remains opt-out by default.

BBC World · 13 Aug, 07:04

Which professions will survive the age of artificial intelligence

An analysis outlines which professions offer the greatest growth potential in 2026 as AI reshapes the labour market, and which fields face shrinking demand. The most valuable skill is becoming the ability to keep learning and adapting.

Žurnāls Ir · 13 Aug, 07:04

DelfinGroup bonds worth five million euros to join stock exchange's alternative market

Latvian non-bank lender DelfinGroup's bonds worth five million euros will be included in the stock exchange's alternative market. No further details about the transaction were disclosed in the announcement.

Dienas Bizness · 13 Aug, 07:02

Experts remind Latvians: pay closer attention to the second pension pillar

Public debate around Latvia's second pension pillar is growing, but many people still treat it carelessly without realizing how much their future pension depends on it. Specialists also explain how the first pillar works.

Jauns.lv · 13 Aug, 07:00

Chinese physicists find compelling evidence for long-sought glueball particles

Scientists at the BES III experiment in Beijing have published new data pointing to the existence of glueballs, particles made entirely of gluons that had long been predicted but never confirmed. The finding could close one of the last remaining gaps in the Standard Model of particle physics.

Ars Technica · 13 Aug, 05:06

Tesla to recall over 20,000 EVs in US over overly bright headlights

Tesla is recalling 20,349 electric vehicles in the US after tests found their headlights can exceed the permitted brightness limit, risking glare for other road users. The issue affects Model Y and Model 3 vehicles.

iAuto.lv · 13 Aug, 05:04

New font tricks AI scrapers into reading gibberish

Two designers created a font called ShieldFont that shows readable text to humans while feeding web-scraping AI tools a subtly altered, nonsensical version, aiming to disrupt unauthorized AI training on web content.

Ars Technica · 13 Aug, 04:03

Claude Cowork now works inside a Chrome sidebar

Anthropic has folded its Claude Cowork feature into the Claude for Chrome browser extension, letting users pick up conversations and tasks across the app and browser.

Engadget · 13 Aug, 04:02