A security threat involving PHP software affected several websites in Latvia in the second half of October. Website operators restricted access as a precaution. LSM.lv was unavailable for around five hours, while access to websites in the Latvijas Vēstnesis group was restored gradually over several days.

Delfi.lv, including its Latvian- and Russian-language mobile apps, ranked first with 794,500 real users, up 2,400 from September. Inbox.lv, including its mobile app, was second with 718,700 users, down 43,500. TVNET.lv, including its Latvian- and Russian-language apps, ranked third with 718,300 users, a decrease of 9,400. Gemius said technical problems with tracking the TVNET app affected its October figures.

Jauns.lv, including its streaming service, held fourth place with 632,700 real users. LSM.lv, together with its mobile app, reached 627,500 users, an increase of 15,800 from September despite the outage.

1188.lv, including its streaming service, fell one place to sixth with 603,100 users. TV3.lv, its streaming content and the TV3Play mobile app ranked seventh with 514,400 users, while la.lv remained eighth with 495,000. Apollo.lv, including its mobile app, was ninth with 405,100 users, and santa.lv rounded out the top 10 with 337,200.

In the next 10 places, lasi.lv remained 11th with 261,000 users. Bilesuparadize.lv climbed four positions to 12th after gaining 50,200 users, reaching 251,200. Likumi.lv held 13th place with 238,100 users.

Tags: LSM.lv, Latvia, online media

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“We confirm the presence of Apache Troop, 5th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, for its planned nine-month rotation in Estonia,” US Embassy spokesperson Kelli Long told ERR.

A formal ceremony marking the unit’s presence across the Baltic states, during which it will raise its flag, is scheduled to take place in Lithuania later this month, Long said.

Herem said the unit’s advance team and equipment had been in Estonia for more than a week.

The previous US unit left Estonia in the summer, before the arrival date of its replacement was known. Then-Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said the gap in the US military presence was due to the Pentagon’s review of its forces in Europe.

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Bernotas interrupted the judge, addressed him informally and made dismissive remarks during the hearing. He said he had not arranged a lawyer because he did not know how to do so, and told the court to find evidence of his illnesses through the national e-health system. He had not submitted medical certificates to support his claims.

Prosecutor Daiva Kaučikienė and Songaila’s lawyer, Ramūnas Dobrovolskis, asked the judge to order Bernotas’s arrest, saying it would ensure his attendance and that the proceedings were being delayed. Dobrovolskis also said remote participation was not working well because the connection kept breaking up.

Judge Aleksandras Prygunkovas rejected the request for the strictest preventive measure but warned Bernotas that he must attend the next hearing, scheduled for the afternoon of December 2. The court will invite a lawyer it has found to represent him. Bernotas may have to pay for the legal services.

Songaila was injured on the evening of May 19 in central Šiauliai, on A. J. Greimo Street. The coach of the Šiauliai men’s basketball team was walking a small family dog near the Saulės miestas shopping centre when a large, aggressive dog without a muzzle appeared. Songaila picked up his dog, then pushed the other animal away with his foot. Its owner allegedly ran over and struck Songaila with a heavy leash, cutting his head.

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The selection committee chose two of nine applicants to proceed to the second round, the State Chancellery said. Roze is one of them. Reiniks, who heads KNAB’s Operational Activities Department, was not selected.

In the second round, the committee will assess candidates’ qualifications, relevant experience and knowledge. It will also hear their views on KNAB’s priorities and development, and on improving anti-corruption measures in Latvia.

The candidate with the highest score will be nominated to the Cabinet of Ministers. The Saeima appoints the KNAB chief for a five-year term on the Cabinet’s recommendation.

Roze became head of KNAB’s Internal Security Division in 2014 and was appointed deputy chief for combating corruption in 2016. Before joining KNAB, he worked for the Security Police. Reiniks joined KNAB around 2006 after working for the State Police.

The current KNAB chief, Jēkabs Straume, retired at the beginning of August before his term ended. He first took up the post in June 2017 and was reappointed for another five-year term in 2022.

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Rosin said he pursued his doctorate mainly for himself, because it allowed him to study a subject in much greater depth. He competed on the Klassikatähed programme in 2013 and has since become a father of two. He said he has spent much of that time making music and teaching.

As a student, Rosin practised the marimba barefoot because he liked feeling the sound through his feet. He said the instrument produces a lot of vibration. His own marimba cost more than 20,000 euros, and he believes he has earned back its price through concert performances.

Rosin explained that the marimba should not be touched by hand: slightly acidic sweat can wear away the surface of its keys over time and cause the instrument to go out of tune. The instrument is made from Honduran rosewood.

Rosin practised karate actively for years, but stopped after injuring his knee meniscus before competing on Klassikatähed. His last belt exam was in 2009. He said he regularly uses karate stances while playing the marimba, especially when he needs a wide reach, and that combining the two works well.

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According to the case file, police searched the man on March 29, 2025, and later searched his apartment. They found more than 26 grams of tablets containing MDMA and more than 27 grams of ketamine, as well as other narcotic and psychotropic substances and postage stamps with traces of such substances. Police also said the man had transported drugs by car through the streets of Kaunas.

The man is charged with possessing narcotic or psychotropic substances with intent to distribute, or with possessing a very large quantity of such substances. The offence carries a prison sentence of 10 to 15 years.

The pre-trial investigation was led by Kaunas Regional Prosecutor Nomeda Urbonavičienė and conducted by officers from the Kaunas Žaliakalnis Police Station. The case has been referred to the Kaunas Regional Court.

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While an administrative offence or criminal investigation is under way, the dog may be kept outdoors only in a physically enclosed area. Radio fences will not be allowed because they are not considered effective enough to prevent a dog from leaving. Entrances must have gates or doors that can be securely closed and locked. A kennel run is permitted if it provides a sufficient physical barrier and a lockable entrance. If several dogs are kept on the property, they must be separated.

Whenever the dog is taken outside its owner’s or handler’s property, it must be on a sturdy leash no longer than 1.5 metres. Retractable leashes will be prohibited. A longer leash may be used in a specialised, enclosed dog-walking area if no other dogs are present, or when walking the dog outside a populated area.

The dog must wear a muzzle with a closed front to prevent it from biting a person or another animal. It may not take part in exhibitions or other public events.

The Food and Veterinary Service will check whether owners or handlers have completed training in animal welfare and protection, and whether they and their dogs have completed obedience training. Owners or handlers whose dogs have already been classified as dangerous and recorded in a database by the time the amendments take effect must complete the training by October 1, 2027.

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The European Research Council received 7,710 applications for its Starting Grant call, which closed in October, 60% more than a year earlier. Meanwhile, the planned budget fell from 705 million euros to 594 million euros. Under the current plan, about 373 grants could be awarded next summer, down from 421 in the previous round.

At that level, only about one in 20 applicants would receive a grant. Starting Grants generally provide up to 1.5 million euros over five years to help researchers begin independent work or establish a research group.

The eligibility rules also expanded for the 2027 call. Previously, researchers could apply from two to seven years after defending their doctoral thesis. They can now apply immediately after the defence and for up to 10 years afterwards.

Kristiina Tõnnisson, head of the Estonian Research Council, said the low success rate raises questions about whether the time and money spent preparing applications are worthwhile. She noted, however, that the budget is preliminary and the final amount could increase after an assessment.

Tõnnisson said Estonian researchers have performed well in securing top grants relative to the country’s small population. Across all European Research Council grant types, their success rate during the current Horizon Europe research programme has been about 7%. Estonia currently has 17 active projects funded by the council. She encouraged researchers to keep applying and consider other European funding opportunities.

Mari Moora, the University of Tartu’s vice rector for research and a former member of an ERC evaluation panel, also urged researchers with strong ideas to apply. She said the increased number of applications had not brought a rise in their average scientific quality.

Moora said she had to read many more applications in the latest Starting Grant evaluation round and believed a large share may have been written using artificial intelligence. She estimated that 60% of the text was AI-generated, describing it as uninteresting, low-quality and lacking original ideas.

The parties are discussing a plan to support more researchers who do not receive top grants.

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The agency said it had found no signs of corruption in the actions of Ruginienė or then Finance Minister Kristupas Vaitiekūnas when Mantas Matulionis was declared the competition’s winner. It declined to open a pre-trial investigation, but said it could reconsider if other institutions provide important new information.

The request for an investigation came from conservative politician Dalia Asanavičiūtė-Gružauskienė, who asked the agency to determine whether Ruginienė had unlawfully instructed the Finance Ministry to name Matulionis the winner, according to 15min.

Matulionis is taking legal action against the ministry, which has not appointed him to lead the department. After challenging the results of an earlier competition, he was named winner in a second selection following an undisclosed visit to Ruginienė. His sister had worked on her close-protection team while Ruginienė led the government. The meeting also included Vaitiekūnas and Matulionis.

The ministry announced the new competition in April after ending an earlier one in March. The earlier competition had been won by current deputy director Žaneta Rudaitienė. The department is currently headed on an interim basis by deputy director Vygantas Paigozinas.

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The property at 333 Brīvības gatve includes an athletics hall. RSU says the building fails to meet fire safety requirements, lacks accessibility and has limited functionality. Creating a suitable study environment would require investments estimated at more than 30 million euros.

Part of the complex is currently used for teaching and research. The former Latvian Academy of Sport Education joined RSU in 2024 and has been called the RSU Sports Academy since 2026. The property is valued at 3.8 million euros, and the auction is planned for no earlier than 2027.

RSU also plans to auction a nearby staff dormitory, valued at 800,000 euros, and a property at 23 Kapseļu Street, valued at 464,000 euros. It plans to give up its property at 24/26 Riņķu Street in Liepāja, which houses the university’s Liepāja branch, after it is no longer needed. The building is expected to remain in use at least until the end of 2027, while rooms at the Kurzeme Study Centre are adapted for teaching.

The university estimates it could raise about 7.6 million euros by selling the properties, which the state previously transferred to RSU free of charge. It plans to use the proceeds for other development projects, including sports, rehabilitation, healthy living and research facilities on Fricis Brīvzemnieks Street, and an extension to the social sciences campus at 9A Kuldīgas Street.

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