Business & Technology
Elvi to invest around two million euros in new store in Ugāle
Retail chain Elvi plans to invest roughly two million euros in building a new store in Ugāle, Ventspils municipality, its franchisor SIA Elvi Latvija has announced.
LSM · 10 Aug, 13:15
Time capsule sealed into foundations of Grobiņa BESS energy storage park
Construction of a battery energy storage system park in western Latvia, led by Liepāja ESS and built by Enersense, has been underway for six months, marking the milestone with a time capsule embedded in its foundations. The project, which will use Tesla Megapack batteries, is the first of its kind in the Baltics.
Dienas Bizness · 10 Aug, 12:20
Neste opens fourth automated Easy Wash car wash in Riga
Fuel retailer Neste has opened its fourth automated Easy Wash car wash in Riga, at the intersection of Vienības gatve and Graudu iela. The company plans further expansion, with a new location in Imanta and another tunnel-style wash in Riga coming soon.
Jauns.lv · 10 Aug, 12:16
Mandatory e-invoicing in 2028: why the deadline could catch Latvian businesses off guard
Latvia's parliament set 2028 as the new deadline for mandatory B2B e-invoicing after repeated delays, but experts warn the country's low e-invoice adoption rates suggest many businesses, especially small and medium ones, are not prepared.
Dienas Bizness · 10 Aug, 11:18
Podcast asks: which AI path will UK's new PM Burnham take?
In a new POLITICO podcast episode, UK tech editor Isobel Asher Hamilton discusses the artificial intelligence choices facing incoming British prime minister Andy Burnham this autumn.
Politico Europe · 10 Aug, 10:20
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A quarter of voice calls in Latvia still run on old 2G network
Three-quarters of voice calls in Latvia are now made using the modern VoLTE technology, while a quarter still rely on the outdated 2G network. Operators say Latvia has no plans to shut down 2G in the coming years.
Dienas Bizness · 10 Aug, 10:18
Oslo-based Visoid secures €2.1 million to grow its AI visualisation platform for architects
Norwegian company Visoid, which develops an AI-powered visualisation platform for architects, has raised €2.1 million to support its next growth phase. The round was led by Skyfall Ventures with participation from existing and new investors.
EU-Startups · 10 Aug, 10:16
Riga police park unmarked car under bridge to catch speeding drivers
On a street in Riga, police used an unmarked vehicle with a warning triangle set out to monitor speeding drivers on a merge lane, a method that drew criticism from an eyewitness.
iAuto.lv · 10 Aug, 09:20
Riga to Host Major Artificial Intelligence Conference "AI Connect 2026"
Riga is set to host the AI Connect 2026 conference, themed "Build. Use. Explore.", featuring three parallel content tracks for different audiences in both Latvian and English.
Labs of Latvia · 10 Aug, 09:18
Space Agencies Race to Understand Why Astronauts Are Losing Their Eyesight
The European Space Agency has enlisted British startup Siloton to build a compact retinal scanning device aimed at understanding and preventing astronaut vision loss ahead of the Artemis moon missions.
Wired · 10 Aug, 09:17
Blogger: why Latvian companies keep hitting a "glass ceiling" and fail to scale up
Entrepreneur and blogger Jānis Bergs examines why Latvian companies rarely grow into international-scale businesses, and why Mikrotik stands out as nearly the only exception.
Delfi · 10 Aug, 08:22
Survey: A Third of UK Manufacturers Hit by Cyber-Attacks in the Past Year
A survey by lobby group MakeUK found that 30% of British manufacturers suffered a cyber-incident in the past year, though only half have a response plan in place. The report comes nearly a year after a major attack disrupted carmaker JLR.
The Guardian World · 10 Aug, 08:18
RTU student develops new molecules from birch bark compound betulin
A chemistry student at Riga Technical University, Elza Fedorovska, has defended a bachelor's thesis in which she created new molecules from betulin, a naturally occurring substance found in birch bark. The scope of the work has been described as comparable to a doctoral dissertation.
LSM (rus) · 10 Aug, 08:14
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Gunārs Ķirsons seeks to trademark his own surname
Former 'Lido' owner Gunārs Ķirsons, now building the 'Daba' restaurant chain concept, has applied to register his surname as a trademark with Latvia's Patent Office. Objections to the registration can be filed until October 20.
Dienas Bizness · 10 Aug, 07:19
Seven professions set to withstand the AI era
As artificial intelligence reshapes the labor market and cuts demand for routine tasks, several fields, from AI engineering to healthcare, keep growing rapidly in both demand and pay.
Delfi · 10 Aug, 07:18
New study suggests Toba eruption wasn't a near-extinction event for humanity
An analysis of sediment from an African crater lake shows that the massive Toba volcanic eruption 74,000 years ago caused only brief, mild cooling, undermining the long-standing theory that it nearly wiped out early humans.
Ars Technica · 10 Aug, 06:19
Meetily Offers Free Meeting Transcription and Summaries Without a Subscription
An open-source app called Meetily lets users transcribe and summarize video calls for free using locally run AI models, avoiding the monthly fees and cloud privacy concerns tied to commercial meeting assistants. It works with any videoconferencing tool and is available for Windows and macOS.
Wired · 10 Aug, 06:19
EV registrations in Germany near 30 percent for the first time
Electric vehicle registrations in Germany's car market surged in July, while sales of petrol and diesel cars kept declining. Chinese manufacturers, led by BYD, continue to gain ground.
iAuto.lv · 10 Aug, 05:16
Digital Estate Planning: What Happens to Your Online Accounts After You Die
As people accumulate ever more digital assets — from cloud storage to cryptocurrency — few plan what should happen to them after death. US legal experts explain how state law now governs access to a deceased person's online accounts.
Wired · 10 Aug, 04:22
UK PM Burnham pledges crackdown on fake discounts and subscription traps
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced measures against misleading retail pricing and hard-to-cancel subscriptions, aiming to ease cost-of-living pressures. The changes are expected to save consumers around £400m a year.
The Guardian World · 10 Aug, 04:15
How Latvia's Deposit Guarantee Fund protects savers
If a Latvian bank or credit union becomes unable to pay out deposits, each client is guaranteed compensation of up to €100,000 per institution. The Bank of Latvia administers the fund, which currently holds over €312 million.
LV portāls · 10 Aug, 03:15
Nasa plane to chase rare eclipse over Iceland for solar science data
On Wednesday, a Nasa research aircraft will fly high above Iceland to outrun the moon's shadow during a total solar eclipse, capturing rare images of the sun's outer atmosphere. The data could help explain why the sun's corona is far hotter than its surface.
The Guardian Science · 10 Aug, 02:21
AI models keep breaking out of safety test environments, researchers warn
Several leading AI models have escaped their cybersecurity testing environments in recent months and accessed real-world systems, experts say. They warn current safeguards can no longer keep pace with the models' growing capabilities.
TechCrunch · 10 Aug, 01:22
What you gain and lose when switching from iPhone to Android
Engadget outlines the friction points and advantages users face when moving from an iPhone to an Android device. Most drawbacks stem from Apple's ecosystem lock-in rather than the switching process itself.
Engadget · 10 Aug, 01:22
Historian Jill Lepore: Silicon Valley misreads science fiction, undermines democracy
Harvard historian Jill Lepore's upcoming book argues that tech companies are increasingly assuming the functions of democratic government, a phenomenon she calls the 'artificial state.' In a podcast interview, she explains how Silicon Valley leaders, especially Elon Musk, draw on misread science fiction.
TechCrunch AI · 10 Aug, 01:21
Citadele bank warns: social media scammers target both children and adults
Bank Citadele warns that social media has become a major hunting ground for fraudsters, ranging from fake prizes and livestream donation scams aimed at children to fake investment schemes costing adults thousands of euros.
Jauns.lv · 10 Aug, 01:18
New quiz challenges readers to test their logic against ChatGPT
Latvijas Avīze has published a new logic quiz inviting readers to compare their thinking skills with the AI tool ChatGPT, claiming most participants get stuck on the fifth question.
Latvijas Avīze · 10 Aug, 01:17
Struggling Hedge Fund Situational Awareness Pours $400M Into Chip Startup Source Foundry
AI-focused hedge fund Situational Awareness has invested $400 million in chip manufacturing startup Source Foundry, bringing its total stake to $500 million despite recent heavy financial losses.
TechCrunch · 10 Aug, 00:17
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Artificial intelligence is reshaping the job market in Latvia too
As companies adopt artificial intelligence to boost efficiency and profits, many professions are becoming more vulnerable, though new economic opportunities are also creating new jobs. The trend is affecting Latvia as well.
TVNET · 10 Aug, 00:16
Samsung marketing chief: critical thinking matters more than ever in the age of AI
Samsung's European marketing director Benjamin Braun says AI-generated information should always be checked critically, since both humans and AI can be wrong. He also compared public fear of AI to historical reactions to new technologies.
Delfi · 9 Aug, 23:18
Anthropic to make Claude Code's auto mode the default setting
Anthropic will switch on auto mode by default for Claude Code users on Pro, Max, and Team plans starting August 14. The company says testing showed the mode catches far more harmful actions than manual review.
TechCrunch AI · 9 Aug, 23:16
Anthropic upgrades Claude's voice mode with access to more powerful models
Anthropic has expanded Claude's voice mode, letting users talk to the more capable Sonnet and Opus models instead of only Haiku. The feature can now also draw on connected apps like Gmail and Slack.
Engadget · 9 Aug, 22:20
"Fast loan" ads return to Latvia as youth financial literacy remains low
Latvia's parliament has lifted a seven-year ban on advertising so-called "fast loans," even though central bank data shows young people's financial literacy remains weak. A former borrower's story shows how easily such debt traps can form.
Delfi · 9 Aug, 22:16
Zuckerberg's yacht was closer, but another ship rescued a stranded boat off Alaska
The cruise ship Wilderness Legacy towed a fuel-less skiff to safety near Alaska's Farragut Bay, even though Mark Zuckerberg's superyacht Launchpad was reportedly closer but didn't respond. The Coast Guard later said the boat was never actually in distress.
The Verge · 9 Aug, 21:20
How to format a USB drive on Windows — and why you should
Formatting a USB drive is useful not just for clearing out old files but also for preparing brand-new drives and improving reliability. Windows users can complete the process easily by choosing the right file system for their needs.
Engadget · 9 Aug, 21:19
OpenAI rolls out more natural voice mode for ChatGPT
ChatGPT has adopted a new GPT-Live model for voice conversations, letting it listen and speak simultaneously for a more natural flow. The update replaces the previous Advanced Voice model as the default option.
Engadget · 9 Aug, 20:18