Latvia Court Upholds Bribery Sentences: Riga Regional Court has upheld prison terms for former Bank of Latvia governor Ilmārs Rimšēvičs and businessman Māris Martinsons in a bribery case, with asset confiscations and recovery orders still in play. Baltic Security Alert: Latvia and Finland raised readiness after security warnings near the Russian border; NATO fighter jets were scrambled and Finland tightened air/sea traffic restrictions as a precaution. Ukraine War Spillover: Russian strikes on Kyiv and the surrounding region continued for a sixth day, killing at least nine and injuring more than a dozen, while drones and missiles also hit infrastructure and border areas. EU Tourism Keeps Climbing: Eurostat reports EU overnight stays rose 1.7% in H1 2026, with foreign tourists accounting for 48.9% of stays. Ikea Price Cuts: Ikea announced a €1.2bn Europe-wide price-reduction push to attract cost-pressured shoppers. Business & Tech in Latvia: XTEND’s XOS-powered AtlasROVER made its first post-acquisition ground deployment in Asia-Pacific, signaling expansion of Physical AI robotics software across domains. Venture Building in Riga: University of Latvia Innovation and Acceleration Centre teams joined Maxwell Centre’s Impulse programme, culminating in a pitching event. Immigration Politics in Latvia: NA demanded answers from Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs after objections to an immigration restriction plan, raising coalition tensions. Defense Industry Event: Latvia is listed among confirmed national pavilions for Korea’s integrated K-DEX 2026 ground defense exhibition in December.