A plan to make switching mobile phone providers in Estonia achievable in 15 minutes has hit rocky ground.

The concerns voiced by the signatories of the tech entrepreneurs' open letter about the future of forests are understandable, but there is no reason to fear the disappearance of Estonia's forests. A well-managed commercial forest and sensible nature conservation are not opposites, writes Mart Erik.

Party ratings from Estonia's three leading pollsters seem to point to diametrically different trends this week.

Support for the Reform-Eesti 200 coalition polled at just 12 percent, according to a recent poll. This is the lowest the coalition has rated at.

The century-old Sorgu Lighthouse off Estonia's southwest coast faces an uncertain future pending an expert audit due in August.

Despite recent media coverage, plans for a new high-rise in Central Tallinn's Kompassi Square remain uncertain as the city continues early-stage talks with the developer.

Esmaspäeval algab Tallinnas ja Rakveres U17 vanuseklassi noormeeste jalgpalli EM-finaalturniir, kus lisaks korraldajana otsepääsme pälvinud Eestile osalevad seitse Euroopa tipp-noortekoondist.

«Ringvaates» rääkis oma loo verevähki põdev 15-aastane Aron Aart, kes armastab väga korvpalli. Kossukarjäär katkes aga uudise tõttu, mis tabas peret ühel täiesti tavalisel päeval väga ootamatult.

Ukraine said it hit Russia's elite Rubicon drone military unit in a Moscow-occupied part of eastern Ukraine.

The appeal court declared Özgür Özel's party leadership victory void, further cementing the president's grip on power.

John Boumphrey says the education system "isn't necessarily producing young people who are ready for work".

The Standard Chartered boss said he values all colleagues and is committed to helping them cope with change.

The leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the U.K. on Friday urged Israel to halt the expansion of settlements in the West Bank and curb rising settler violence. “Over the past few months, the situation in the West Bank has deteriorated significantly. Settler violence is at unprecedented levels,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a blunt joint statement. “The policies and practices of the Israeli government, including a further entrenchment of Israeli control, are undermining stability and prospects for a two-state solution,” they warned, targeting the E1 development east of Jerusalem for criticism as Israel looks to push out Palestinians. European countries have steadily increased their criticism of Israel in recent months, and even staunch supporters like Merz and Meloni — the EU’s most prominent conservative leaders — have taken a notably tougher stance on expansionist ambitions. A video this week showing Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir taunting activists who Israel detained en route to deliver supplies to Gaza drove the criticism to new heights. In their joint statement, the French, German, Italian and British leaders called on Israel to end settlement expansion, ensure accountability for settler violence and “respect the Hashemite custodianship over Jerusalem’s Holy Sites and the historic status quo arrangements.” They also urged Israel to lift financial restrictions on the Palestinian Authority. The statement added that companies bidding for construction tenders in the E1 development area should be “aware” of potential legal consequences. Additionally on Friday, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten announced that the Netherlands would ban goods coming from illegal Israeli settlements. Last summer, the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also criticized Israel for advancing the E1 settlement plan. She warned that settlement construction in the area would “permanently cut the geographical and territorial contiguity between occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank” and “sever the connection between the northern and southern West Bank.”

PRAGUE — Russia is trying to turn a string of stray combat drones appearing over the Baltic countries into a political crisis between Ukraine and some of its staunchest allies. So far, the effort appears to have fallen flat. After a wave of drone incidents across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — blamed on Russia using electronic warfare to redirect Ukrainian drones into NATO airspace — Moscow accused the three Baltic countries of allowing Ukraine to use their airspace for attacks on Russia and threatened them with retaliation. Baltic officials denied the charges. A statement issued by the three governments late Friday said they “categorically reject Russia’s blatant disinformation campaign and its fabricated accusations following the airspace violations, which Russia shamelessly uses to mask its military failures.” “This is wrong,” Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said of Moscow’s accusations at the POLITICO Speakeasy at GLOBSEC, adding that “Ukraine has never asked to use our airspace.” He said Estonia has asked Ukraine to be careful in how it targets its attacks against Russia, but put the blame for any drone incidents squarely on Moscow. “The reason behind that is the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, and the reason behind that is that Russia is using the electronic warfare to manipulate the data and also to impact the flight path of these drones,” he said. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also underlined that Russia is to blame. “If drones come from Ukraine, they are not there because Ukraine wanted to send a drone to Latvia, Lithuania or Estonia,” he told reporters in Brussels on Wednesday. “They are there because of the reckless, illegal full-scale attack by Russia.” That message has been echoed across Europe. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called Moscow menacing the Baltics “completely unacceptable,” underlining that a threat against one EU member state was a threat against the entire bloc.  German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also weighed in, accusing Moscow of targeting the Baltics with “absurd Russian allegations and dangerous threats.” Speaking at POLITICO’s Speakeasy, EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová argued that Europe should see Ukraine not as a burden, but as central to its future defense architecture. “For me, it’s very easy. Look at the counterfactual,” Mathernová said. “Imagine they’re not with us, but against us.” Pevkur put the point even more bluntly from the Baltic perspective: “Supporting Ukraine is not charity, it’s an investment in our own security.” The solidarity matters because the drone problem is real.  In recent weeks, Baltic countries have seen air defense alerts, temporary flight restrictions and military responses. Earlier this week, a Romanian F-16 operating under NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission shot down a drone over Estonia. This week, Lithuania temporarily suspended air traffic at Vilnius airport and sent lawmakers underground after a drone alert. Latvia has faced repeated incursions and its government collapsed following recriminations when two drones hit the Baltic state’s oil facilities. That’s feeding domestic pressure over whether its air defenses are ready for the kind of drone-heavy war seen over Ukraine. Misdirecting drones The Ukrainian long-range drones appearing over the Baltic countries are a consequence of Kyiv’s expanded strike campaign against targets deep inside Russia, including the energy and oil infrastructure that helps sustain Moscow’s war economy. To stop them, Russia uses electronic warfare systems that can jam satellite navigation signals or spoof them — effectively feeding drones false coordinates. A drone’s autopilot may think it is still heading toward its programmed target while its actual route has shifted. That can send drones toward neighboring NATO territory — something Baltic and Ukrainian officials say is now happening. For Kyiv, the balance is delicate. Ukrainian officials have apologized for incidents involving stray drones, while insisting that strikes on Russian military and economic targets are lawful acts of self-defense. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has shown no sign of halting the bombing campaign, which he calls “sanctions” aimed at bringing Russia to its knees. Russia’s air defenses are becoming increasingly porous, prompting it to try to use political pressure to halt the Ukrainian attacks. “Russia wants to discredit Ukraine in the eyes of countries that are one of the key ones in terms of direct and indirect support for Ukraine,” Mykola Bielieskov, a senior military analyst with the Come Back Alive Initiative and a research fellow at Ukraine’s National Institute for Strategic Studies, told POLITICO. The goal, he said, is to create “a point of contradiction and division” between Kyiv and the Baltic countries. So far, that effect has not materialized. Baltic officials are not blaming Ukraine for deliberately endangering them, and Latvia has signaled it will not trigger NATO’s Article 4 consultation mechanism over the incursions. Rather than fraying relations between Ukraine and its allies, it seems to be strengthening them. In an X post addressed to his Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian counterparts, Wadephul said Germany stood in solidarity with its Baltic allies, adding: “A threat against one ally is a threat against the whole Alliance. We won’t be intimidated. We stand together.”

Taiwan fears a US pause on a $14bn arms package could weaken its defences and shake confidence in Washington’s support.

Pep Guardiola departs Manchester City with a legacy that stretches well beyond the 17 trophies he won in 10 years.

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