Business & Technology
Riga Homebuyers Turn to More Affordable Districts, Citadele Mortgage Data Shows
Data from Citadele bank shows the average home loan rose to 84,500 euros in the first nine months of the year, with buyers increasingly choosing cheaper Riga districts. The number of secondary-market deals financed by the bank grew by 12% over the year.
Dienas Bizness · 9 Oct, 11:26
Microsoft 365 Family subscribers will finally be able to share AI features
Microsoft will let Microsoft 365 Family and Premium subscribers share Copilot and other AI features with up to five other people on a plan. Storage will also change from 1 TB per person to 2 TB shared across the whole plan.
The Verge · 9 Oct, 10:27
IT Management Is Not Fully Organised at More Than Half of Latvian Companies
Only 11% of Latvian companies say their IT infrastructure is very well organised, documented and regularly maintained. More than four in ten admit their IT operates without a sufficiently clear structure, processes or division of responsibilities.
Kursors.lv · 9 Oct, 10:26
Riga Dairy Plant Invests €26,000 in Expanding Its Lakto Drinking Yogurt Range
Latvian dairy processor Rīgas piena kombināts has put €26,000 into widening the Lakto drinking yogurt range and improving its recipes. Three new products join the lineup this autumn, and all five products in the Lakto 450 g line are now lactose-free.
Dienas Bizness · 9 Oct, 10:26
Fuel thefts surge in Estonia
Estonia has recorded more than 2,000 motor fuel thefts since the start of 2026, roughly 50% more than a year earlier. The Ministry of Justice says the thefts have become more systematic.
ERR (rus) · 9 Oct, 10:24
Latvian Chamber of Commerce wants impact of higher capital gains tax assessed
The Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LTRK) wants to discuss with the next government whether raising the capital gains tax rate has helped or held back the economy. It also calls for tax stability and for shifting personal income tax revenue toward the place of work.
Dienas Bizness · 9 Oct, 09:27
Independent tool RemoveMacAI lets users strip Apple Intelligence from Macs
Some Mac users do not want Apple's artificial intelligence features, and independent developers have built a tool called RemoveMacAI that disables the system and deletes its models. Tech site Kursors.lv says Apple may have to offer such an option officially.
Kursors.lv · 9 Oct, 09:27
Russia to cut cancer programme funding almost twelvefold in 2027 as defence spending hits post-Soviet high
Russia's draft 2027 federal budget would reduce its national cancer programme from 44.9 to 3.87 billion roubles, while defence spending reaches 17.1 trillion roubles, the largest share since the Soviet collapse.
Euronews · 9 Oct, 08:28
Samsung could cut smartphone output by a third this year
South Korean technology company Samsung may reduce smartphone production by as much as 30%. The reason is rising memory component prices, which are squeezing profit margins in its mobile division.
Kursors.lv · 9 Oct, 08:27
Banks' Attitude to Financing Latvian Defence Firms Has Improved, Says DAIF Latvija Head
Egle, head of the industry organisation DAIF Latvija, says banks now treat defence companies' financing requests more favourably. Producers of purely military goods, however, often still have to seek funding abroad.
Dienas Bizness · 9 Oct, 08:26
EU warns of gas supply shortage as winter approaches
Politico Europe reports that the European Union faces a gas supply shortage ahead of winter. The available source excerpt gives no detailed figures, but it references recent EU and G7 discussions on oil reserves and diesel.
Politico Europe · 9 Oct, 07:29
BMW iX3 M60 xDrive: Most Powerful Electric SUV Variant Reaches 100 km/h in 3.9 Seconds
German carmaker BMW is adding the 450 kW iX3 M60 xDrive to its new-generation electric iX3 SUV range. Production is planned to begin in spring 2027 in Hungary.
iAuto.lv · 9 Oct, 06:29
Riga resident shares money-saving habits: second-hand clothes, AI recipes and mustard powder for dishes
Vita, a reader of the Latvian daily Latvijas Avīze from Riga, describes how she cuts everyday spending on clothing, food and cleaning amid high prices. The newspaper estimates such habits could save about 1,200–1,300 euros a year, though it calls this an illustrative example.
Latvijas Avīze · 9 Oct, 06:28
Kulbergs: Work on draft of new government's declaration continues
Kulbergs, tasked with forming Latvia's new government after the 15th Saeima elections, is preparing a first draft of the government declaration to share with potential coalition partners. He says agreement on what the government will do must come before deciding who will do it.
Dienas Bizness · 9 Oct, 06:27
Microsoft tests a completely redesigned search in Windows 11
Microsoft is testing a new, faster Windows 11 search tool that can run actions directly from the search box. It is part of the company's effort to modernize core Windows features.
The Verge · 9 Oct, 05:29
Forza Horizon 6 to Launch on PS5 on January 26
The racing video game Forza Horizon 6 will arrive on PlayStation 5 on January 26, together with its first expansion. The game debuted on Xbox and PC in May.
Engadget · 9 Oct, 05:28
Judge weighs whether Trump can charge up to $100,000 for early access to his Truth Social posts
A US federal judge will soon decide whether President Donald Trump may profit from selling instant access to his Truth Social posts. News organizations say the fees violate the Constitution and records law, while the Justice Department denies any conflict.
Ars Technica · 9 Oct, 05:28
Latvia and Canada Strengthen Cooperation in Quantum and Other Emerging Technologies
The Investment and Development Agency of Latvia and the Economic Development Department of Sherbrooke, Canada, have signed a three-year cooperation agreement. It will link Latvian companies and researchers with a quantum technology ecosystem in Quebec.
Jauns.lv · 9 Oct, 05:26
Bugatti chief: European carmakers should keep their own identity rather than copy China
Bugatti head Mate Rimac says European carmakers should not compete with Chinese brands on technology, but focus on luxury, quality and craftsmanship. He acknowledges that this approach will not suit the whole industry.
iAuto.lv · 9 Oct, 05:26
California Athletic Commission Moves to Halt Human-vs-Robot Fights
The California State Athletic Commission has sent a cease-and-desist letter to the startup Rek, which hosted a match between a human and a humanoid robot in September. The company's CEO posted the letter on X.
The Verge · 9 Oct, 04:30
Paramount Developing Live-Action Film Based on Cyberpunk 2077
Paramount Pictures is developing a live-action film set in the world of the video game Cyberpunk 2077. The game's creator, studio CD Projekt Red, will be among the producers.
Engadget · 9 Oct, 04:29
Researchers Propose Treating Circadian Rhythm Disruption as a Key Part of ADHD
A perspective article published in Frontiers in Psychiatry in December 2025 reviews evidence that many people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have a delayed body clock. The authors recommend behavioral measures first, such as fixed wake times and morning light.
Hacker News (≥150 p.) · 9 Oct, 04:29
SpaceX urges better data sharing in orbit after close approaches to Starlink satellites
A senior SpaceX executive, Michael Nicolls, called on all satellite operators to share information about where their satellites are and where they are heading. He said that without it, the risk of orbital collisions grows.
Ars Technica · 9 Oct, 04:28
Let's Encrypt to shorten certificate lifetimes to 64 days
Let's Encrypt, the free SSL/TLS certificate provider, will cut certificate validity from 90 to 64 days starting February 10, 2027. Testing begins October 14, and a 45-day default is planned for later.
Ars Technica · 9 Oct, 03:30
AMD Plans to Bring FSR 4 Upscaling to Handheld Gaming Devices by End of 2026
AMD consumer chip chief Jack Huynh says the machine-learning-based FSR 4 frame-rate technology will expand to APUs, gaming laptops and handhelds by year's end. It remains unclear whether existing handhelds will get it.
The Verge · 9 Oct, 03:29
Meta's business keeps growing despite lawsuits and Zuckerberg's poor public image
US tech giant Meta has lost several child-safety court cases this year and agreed an $18bn settlement with states. Even so, its user numbers and revenue are rising, and its new AI app Muse is drawing millions of users.
BBC World · 9 Oct, 03:28
ENTSOG Warns of Possible Winter Gas Shortfall in Europe; Latvia Has Inčukalns Storage
The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas (ENTSOG) warns that a harsh winter combined with supply disruptions could leave the EU short of up to 15% of its natural gas. Latvia faces a lower risk of physical shortage, but price rises could still affect heating bills.
Jauns.lv · 9 Oct, 02:29
Anthropic bans sustained and needless abusive treatment of its AI models
US artificial intelligence company Anthropic has updated its usage policy to prohibit sustained and needless abusive or cruel behavior toward its models. It has also revised its election rules ahead of the US midterms.
Engadget · 9 Oct, 02:28
Trump Honors Tech Executives With Top US Science and Technology Medals
US President Donald Trump on Thursday presented the National Medal of Science to Elon Musk, Jensen Huang, Sergey Brin and Lisa Su, and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to Michael Dell and Satya Nadella. According to The New Republic, the recipients have together donated nearly $6 billion to efforts tied to Trump and his administration.
TechCrunch · 9 Oct, 02:27
US plans to livestream execution of Fort Hood shooter
US authorities plan to livestream the execution by firing squad of Nidal Hasan, a former Army major. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the execution will be public.
The Verge · 9 Oct, 02:27
SpaceX Buys Low-Band Spectrum, Plans to Become a Major US Mobile Carrier
US space and satellite company SpaceX has acquired low-band spectrum licenses to turn its Starlink Mobile service into a major US carrier. The deal still needs approval from the Federal Communications Commission.
The Verge · 9 Oct, 01:30
Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro vs iPad Pro: Similar Display, Far Lower Price
Amazon's new Android-based Alexa Tablet 12 Pro is aimed squarely at Apple's iPad Pro. The displays are comparable, but Apple's tablet is more powerful, while Amazon's is considerably cheaper.
Engadget · 9 Oct, 01:30
Firmus scraps Australian stock market listing after weak investor demand
Firmus Technologies, an Australian AI data centre company, has cancelled its planned share market debut, which would have been Australia's largest in decades. It will now seek private capital and weigh other options.
The Guardian World · 9 Oct, 01:28
Website lets visitors sit at Elizabeth Holmes’ desk
Extend engineer Bo Lau has built a site simulating the workspace of the Theranos chief executive, using documents made public in her trial. The project also promotes his company and a watch party for Nathan Fielder’s upcoming documentary.
TechCrunch · 9 Oct, 01:00
IDC: Global PC Shipments Fall 20% Year Over Year in Third Quarter
IDC says 62.7 million PCs shipped worldwide in Q3 2026, down 20.1% from a year earlier. The firm points to supply problems and elevated prices.
Engadget · 9 Oct, 00:58
Anthropic Offers Free AI Security Scans for Open-Source Projects
Anthropic has launched OSS Scanner, a service that gives open-source projects free, periodic vulnerability scans. The reports are generated entirely by AI with no human review, so some may be inaccurate.
The Verge · 9 Oct, 00:58