Business & Technology (29)

Journalist builds $50 stand-in for Meta's AI pendant using Claude

The Verge's Sean Hollister bought a $50 Chinese development board and used Claude to reprogram it into a device that talks to Meta's Muse AI assistant. He concludes dedicated hardware is only worth it if it can be freely programmed.

The Verge · 31 Oct, 18:09

Majority of funds stolen in cryptocurrency exchange hack replenished, Binance says

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance says about 90% of the digital assets stolen in a hack on a major exchange have been replenished. The source does not specify which exchange was hit.

Sky News · 31 Oct, 17:11

UK Charity Shop Profits Plunge as Online Secondhand Clothing Market Grows

Profits at several well-known UK charity shop chains have dropped sharply even as national spending on secondhand clothing has quadrupled in a decade. The British Heart Foundation plans to close 150 stores, while Oxfam's retail profit fell 23%.

The Guardian World · 31 Oct, 17:10

IMAX 3D vs 2D: When the Extra Glasses Are Worth It

An Engadget writer compares IMAX 3D and 2D screenings and concludes that 3D is worth choosing only for films that use depth purposefully. Screen brightness, viewing comfort, theater equipment and price also matter.

Engadget · 31 Oct, 17:09

Best Buy Bundles $100 Gift Card With Preorders of the Touchscreen MacBook Pro

US electronics retailer Best Buy is offering a $100 gift card with preorders of Apple's new MacBook Pro with a touch-enabled PROLED XDR display. Several major retailers take preorders, but only one is adding this perk.

The Verge · 31 Oct, 17:09

Latvian businesses pay more for loans than firms in the euro area

The margin added to interest rates on loans to Latvian companies is on average about 1.35 percentage points higher than on comparable loans in the euro area. This comes from an analysis by Latvijas Banka.

TVNET · 31 Oct, 16:10

TechCrunch Reporter Compares Foldable iPhone Duo With iPhone 17 Pro Max on Vacation

A TechCrunch technology reporter used Apple's new foldable iPhone Duo during a five-day vacation, carrying an iPhone 17 Pro Max as a backup. The reporter came to like the Duo, though Touch ID and the weaker camera are significant drawbacks.

TechCrunch · 31 Oct, 16:09

Microsoft Urges Owners of Unused Xbox Consoles to Trade Them In

Microsoft is emailing some Xbox Series X and S owners, inviting them to trade in idle consoles at Best Buy for up to $375. The campaign comes as a RAM shortage tightens console supply and pushes prices up.

Engadget · 31 Oct, 16:09

Business starters in Latvia to be able to pay a 10% micro-enterprise tax from 1 April 2027

A new 10% micro-enterprise tax will take effect in Latvia on 1 April next year. It is intended for individuals whose annual turnover does not exceed 12,000 euros.

LSM · 31 Oct, 15:10

Why Games Take Up Far More Drive Space Than Expected

Game sizes have grown sharply, and patches, language packs, shader caches and screenshots add even more. Some data also remains after a game is uninstalled.

Engadget · 31 Oct, 15:09

New Data-Stealing Malware Uses AI to Profile Its Victims

Cisco Talos researchers have found Volta-Autodoxer, a malware strain that sends stolen data to AI language models to automatically assess victims and pick out the most valuable ones. It is not known whether it has been used in real attacks.

Wired · 31 Oct, 14:10

The Verge's weekly roundup: new iPad mini, Alexa photo frame and a revived notes app

David Pierce, an editor at the tech site The Verge, highlights Apple's new iPad mini, Amazon's Alexa Photo Frame and the updated nvAlt notes app in the 150th edition of his weekly gadget and app newsletter. It also includes reader recommendations.

The Verge · 31 Oct, 14:10

Govee Smart Christmas String Lights Get 25% Discount on Amazon

Amazon is offering a 25 percent discount on Govee Christmas Lights 2 smart string lights, from $25 off the shortest length to $100 off the longest. A Wired reviewer says they haven't seen them this cheap since last year's Black Friday.

Wired · 31 Oct, 13:09

Meta quietly releases AI-powered fashion styling app Style Sketch

Technology company Meta has released Style Sketch, an app that uses artificial intelligence to build outfit combinations from a user's own wardrobe. The app can be linked to an Instagram account.

Kursors.lv · 31 Oct, 13:09

US Tech Stocks Slide as Investors Question How AI Spending Will Be Financed

US tech shares fell sharply on Friday amid growing concern over the cost of building artificial intelligence infrastructure and its increasing reliance on debt. Companies are still investing, but investors want to see when the spending will pay off.

Jauns.lv · 31 Oct, 12:11

AI Agent Carries Out Injection in a Live Mouse's Brain

The head of biotech company Exin Therapeutics let an AI agent control a robotic rig that injected a compound into a live mouse's brain. The procedure succeeded, though a technical glitch had to be resolved.

Wired · 31 Oct, 12:10

Sony unveils transparent accessories for PlayStation 5

Japanese technology company Sony has announced an accessory line called “Prism Collection” for its PlayStation 5 game console. It includes controllers and swappable console panels with transparent elements in three colours.

Kursors.lv · 31 Oct, 12:09

Apple's foldable iPhone Duo launch boosts Samsung Galaxy Fold8 sales in Europe

Samsung says combined European sales of the Galaxy Fold8 and Fold8 Ultra are 45% higher than those of the previous-generation Fold7. Google searches for its foldable phones also surged, peaking in the week Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo.

Kursors.lv · 31 Oct, 11:10

Wired review: the best sunrise alarm clocks of 2026

A Wired reviewer has spent two years testing nearly a dozen alarm clocks that wake users with gradually brightening light. She names the Lumie Bodyclock Luxe 700FM as her favorite and the Hatch Restore 3 as the most popular.

Wired · 31 Oct, 11:09

Fodder Beet: If You Gave a Cow Pocket Money, She'd Spend It on Beet!

In Ireland, fodder beet is praised as an outstanding crop. The Rīga TV editorial team compared yields, feed value and costs with Latvian conditions: a hectare could yield 50–90 tonnes of beet, but energy from it would cost 1.8–3.1 times more in Latvia than energy from maize silage. Here, beet is a valuable supplement, not cheap feed.

Rīga TV redakcija · 31 Oct, 11:03

HP and ASUS Move Some Production Back to China

Electronics makers HP and ASUS are returning part of their production to China. Rising component costs are reportedly squeezing profits even more than US tariffs.

Kursors.lv · 31 Oct, 10:10

Samsung posts record third-quarter profit as revenue rises 126%

South Korean tech company Samsung reported an operating profit of 107.4 trillion won, about 72.18 billion euros, for the third quarter of 2026. Latvian outlet Kursors.lv links the result to the artificial intelligence boom.

Kursors.lv · 31 Oct, 09:10

Latvian Firms Pay More for Loans Than Eurozone Peers, by About 1.35 Percentage Points

The margin on loans to Latvian companies is on average about 1.35 percentage points higher than on comparable eurozone loans, according to the Bank of Latvia's Financial Accessibility Review. The gap cannot be explained by borrower or loan risk alone.

BNN · 31 Oct, 08:10

Greece has the highest share of people overburdened by housing costs in Europe

Eurostat data for 2025 show that 26.4% of people in Greece live in households spending over 40% of disposable income on housing, against an EU average of 7.7%. Cyprus has the lowest rate, at 2.4%.

Euronews Business · 31 Oct, 08:10

Piglet prices dip slightly in Poland as producers sell below cost

On 30 October, prices of both domestic and imported piglets edged lower on the Polish market. Prices remain below production costs.

farmer.pl cenas (Polija) · 31 Oct, 08:08

Investors Behind VC Funds Weigh OpenAI and Anthropic Bets and Faster Fundraising Pace

Two limited partners who back venture capital firms told TechCrunch that funds are piling into the same AI companies, OpenAI and Anthropic. They see this as largely positive but warn about how quickly managers are returning to raise new funds.

TechCrunch · 31 Oct, 07:11

Vet: 'Iceberg diseases' are cutting sheep flock productivity

Sheep veterinarian Phillipa Page says hidden "iceberg" diseases significantly reduce flock productivity, especially when ewe mortality exceeds 3% a year. She urges farmers to set targets and make small annual improvements across several management areas.

Agriland UK · 31 Oct, 07:08

South Australia grants building exemptions to boost grain storage during bumper harvest

The South Australian government is granting building exemptions so the state can store grain from its record harvest. The crop is now seen as potentially reaching 14 million tonnes.

Grain Central (graudi) · 31 Oct, 07:08

North Korean hackers prime suspects in record Binance theft

Two blockchain analytics firms say a North Korean state-backed group, Lazarus, is the likely culprit behind the $6.3bn hack of Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange. Pyongyang has long denied such accusations.

BBC World · 31 Oct, 06:10

Data breaches: how to check for free whether your email and passwords have fallen into the wrong hands

Personal data, including email addresses and passwords, can end up with fraudsters after breaches, even at large companies. Latvian news site Jauns.lv says people can check this themselves, free of charge and within minutes.

Jauns.lv · 31 Oct, 06:09

Non-herbicide tools valuable in weed control

Grain Central, an agricultural news outlet, says that countering high-risk weed populations with non-herbicide (cultural) tools is central to an integrated management program. Such a program aims for a low-weed farming system.

Grain Central (graudi) · 31 Oct, 06:09

Vogelsang and BeTEC Merge: Joint Brand Vogelsang BeTEC Debuts in Poland

Germany's Vogelsang and Slovenia's BeTEC have joined forces in slurry applicator equipment. The joint Vogelsang BeTEC brand was shown for the first time anywhere at the Agro Show 2026 farm machinery fair in Poland.

farmer.pl tehnika (Polija) · 31 Oct, 06:08

Ewe body condition scoring shapes milk quality and lamb size

Sheep specialist Dr. Nerys Wright says a ewe's body condition score is a key indicator of productivity. It influences milk quality and lamb weights.

Agriland UK · 31 Oct, 06:08

Bluesky adds a moderation inbox to its app

Social network Bluesky has launched a beta moderation inbox that gathers a user's reports, actions against their account and account standing. The feature is meant to make communication with users easier.

Engadget · 31 Oct, 05:12