NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) there are no signs of Russian preparations for an imminent confrontation with NATO, Tsahkna said Wednesday.

Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas (Eesti 200) has appointed Martin Eessalu as director general of the Language Board.

The opposition Social Democrats (SDE) will not be joining a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Kristen Michal's government before a clear plan is unveiled.

Support for Isamaa has risen slightly over the past four weeks, widening its lead over the Center Party, according to the weekly Norstat AS poll.

Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas (Eesti 200) has appointed Martin Eessalu as director general of the Language Board.

The Estonian Publishers' Association has issued an open letter urging the state and local governments to pay greater attention to libraries and literature as pillars of education, culture and mental well-being.

Viljandi HC võitis kolmapäeval Eesti meeste käsipalli karikavõistlustel Tallinna Mistrat 27:19.

Tallinna FCI Levadia jalgpalliklubi president Viktor Levada on emotsionaalne mees. Kui eelmine hooaeg läks aia taha, tekkis tal tunne, et jätaks kõik kus see ja teine. Tänavune annab aga energiat jätkata, hooaeg tõi ajaloolise õnnestumise – Eesti meistritiitel kindlustati juba kuus vooru enne lõppu.

Elon Musk's system allows Kyiv to protect Ukrainian skies and effectively guide drones to Russian targets.

The 71-year-old Pope was diagnosed with lung cancer after the 90-minute procedure on Tuesday.

Confirming the review, the government said it was "vital to ensure travel remains accessible and that passengers are treated fairly".

The cuts equate to around 6% of the streaming giant's total workforce worldwide.

BRUSSELS ― Political pressure is leaving Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz poorly placed to break the deadlock over the EU’s next seven-year budget. As EU leaders gather for a two-day summit in Brussels from Thursday, the heads of the bloc’s two largest countries hold the keys to breaking the impasse between capitals that has persisted for months, as a Germany-led group advocating a smaller budget clashes with those like France which are resisting reductions. “Delays and persisting divisions in the Council [representing EU governments] are worrying,” said Siegfried Mureșan, co-leading the European Parliament’s work on the MFF, the multiannual financial framework. “The EU budget can only be built through compromise … The faster we adopt the budget, the faster we can implement it and become more competitive, safer, help farmers and researchers and protect our borders and cyberspace.” Sealing agreement on the EU’s long-term central budget, worth approximately €2 trillion, is the biggest challenge over the next few months facing leaders, all of whom must sign up to the final numbers. While it isn’t just up to Macron and Merz, getting the chiefs of the bloc’s two most powerful countries to overcome their differences would be a massive step in making all the pieces of the jigsaw slot into place. But with Macron soon to leave office and Merz under severe pressure domestically, officials and diplomats in Brussels, Paris, and Berlin are playing down hopes of a Franco-German breakthrough this week. “If the French and German leaders come hand in hand, I think that could change the game,” an EU diplomat, granted anonymity to speak frankly, said. “You need [Italian Prime Minister Giorgia] Meloni and [Polish Prime Minister Donald] Tusk, but it starts with Merz and Macron.”While Merz and Macron may talk bilaterally during the summit, according to an Elysée official, there were no firm plans for a more formal sit-down, two EU diplomats said, adding they were expecting them to use the two-day meeting to hash out positions. Domestic political weakness makes both leaders less likely to yield ground, three EU diplomats said. Backfiring For the French president, who leaves office next year, the fear is that making big concessions — like accepting cuts demanded by Berlin — could be weaponized by presidential candidates vying to replace him. “Macron should not appear too conciliatory” in budget talks, said an ally of the French president. “It would backfire in the presidential campaign.” Indeed, Macron may be wary of striking a deal that could lead to attacks from far-right leader Marine Le Pen or far-left rival Jean-Luc Mélenchon, both of whom argue that France receives too little value for its contributions to the EU pot. During a press conference in Brussels on Wednesday evening, Le Pen accused negotiators of speeding up talks as “an attempt to stifle future democratic choices before they even take place” — effectively warning Macron against locking in an agreement before France’s April presidential election and votes in other major EU countries, such as Spain, which goes to the polls next month, and Italy, which is due to hold a poll next year. “All this is not serious,” Le Pen told reporters on the 26th floor of The Hotel in Brussels. It’s complicated Merz faces similar political pressures. Following humiliating state election defeats to the far-right Alternative for Germany party, the Chancellor is wary of concessions that could be framed as sending more taxpayer money to Brussels. Berlin prefers no deal at all to one that increases the overall budget, Merz said. But Paris and Berlin’s positions may not be as far apart as public statements suggest. “It’s complicated because France and Germany both need to step outside of their comfort zone,” said the Macron ally. “But it will end with a deal between France and Germany,” France’s Europe minister Benjamin Haddad told reporters on Tuesday that discussions should focus on raising money via taxes, or “own resources” as they’re known in the EU —such as online gambling levies—rather than “massive cuts.” However, Paris also wants to “stabilize national contributions” ― in other words, keep its own payments level. Berlin was “open to examine new own resources, but we are more skeptical than the French that it will generate enough money,” a German official said. France is betting that when push comes to shove, Merz will give in to pressure from other countries — and German captains of industry — to abandon his demands for far-reaching cuts. “I see that there is also a real debate in Germany as well on the fact of having a position that would only be focused on cuts to the detriment of future policies,” an Elysée official said Wednesday. This week, Germany’s industrial lobby BDI and top industry groups urged their government to defend a more ambitious EU budget. Macron and Merz showed unity earlier this month by jointly urging the European Commission to toughen its stance on China. But they still struggle to agree on another major deal—first reported by POLITICO in July—where Berlin accepts stronger “Made in Europe” rules in exchange for France backing relaxed car emission targets and the 2035 combustion engine ban. EU Industry chief Stéphane Séjourné told POLITICO on Tuesday he supported the deal to finalize both files. Macron recently called the agreement “imminent,” suggesting progress depended on German coalition talks. But their failure to present an agreement at this week’s Paris car show confirms Paris and Berlin still disagree on terms, with the Elysée confirming negotiations remain ongoing.

BRUSSELS — Far-right leader Marine Le Pen pledged to turn the European Commission into a “secretariat” in the service of its member countries as part of her plan to slash the size and power of the European Union should she win France’s presidential election next year.  “Over the past 10 years, France has seen the implementation of a European vision that is the exact opposite of the one I will champion,” Le Pen told reporters at a press conference in Brussels after a meeting with fellow European far-right leaders. “They wanted a powerful Europe. We got a powerless Europe. They wanted European sovereignty. All we’ve gotten is the dilution of national sovereignty.”  Asked by POLITICO what downsizing the EU would look like in practice, the front-runner in the race to replace term-limited President Emmanuel Macron next year said the EU should pare back its operations in areas it has expanded in recent years such as foreign policy, security and public health. Le Pen also promised to “stop” the bloc’s Green Deal, which she claimed was harming economic growth, and eliminate institutions like the European Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee.  “I’m not fooled by what the European Commission wants to do. The European Commission wants to turn itself into a state; we do not. And so we will stand in its way,” Le Pen said.  Though Le Pen has abandoned her calls for France to leave the European Union, she remains deeply skeptical of the bloc and its ambition.  She and her National Rally party last week said they would unilaterally slash France’s annual contribution to the EU budget by €11.1 billion as early as next year if Le Pen wins the presidency.  Le Pen frames the move as necessary to help fix France’s disastrous public finances — she is proposing €140 billion in savings by 2032 — but her critics say such a move would set up a dramatic showdown with Brussels that could end with France leaving the bloc.  Le Pen is in Brussels the day before EU leaders meet for key discussions over the bloc’s next seven-year budget, which Council President António Costa had hoped to get finalized before elections in France, Italy and Poland in 2027 that could derail the talks.  But EU countries have weakened their commitment to wrap up negotiations by year-end amid a major split between frugal countries such as Germany, which want to further shrink the budget, and countries like France that support more EU spending.   Le Pen once again reiterated her accusations that Brussels’ attempt to speed up budget talks — which would prevent France’s next government from having a say in the matter — is “a democratic scandal.”  This developing story has been updated.

The Trump administration has killed at least 239 people in boat strikes denounced as extrajudicial killings.

An orange haze is blanketing Indonesia’s Central Kalimantan as wildfires rage across the province.

Government building and two banks set on fire as tens of thousands take to streets over education costs and corruptionTens of thousands of students have taken to the streets of Tirana, the Albanian capital, setting alight a government building and two banks and hurling stones at police during a protest over rising education costs and ⁠corruption.Police responded with water ⁠cannon and teargas to disperse protesters who started a fire at the ministry of education building, overturned bins and smashed the fronts of local businesses. A branch of Raiffeisen Bank near the education ministry also caught fire. Continue reading...

Launch of Russian ballistic missiles on Ukraine, with no US warning, coincides with outage of Starlink managed by Musk’s SpaceXUkraine’s military has suddenly had its access to Starlink satellite internet terminals restricted as the Trump administration has increased pressure on Ukraine to halt long-range strikes on Russia’s oil industry immediately.The terminals, which are produced by Elon Musk’s SpaceX but managed by the US government, are a key component of Ukraine’s military operations and the sudden restrictions on the terminals travelling at high speeds on Tuesday evening led to the failure of several combat missions, said an adviser on military technology to Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Continue reading...

UK prime minister holds talks with Ukraine’s president in Downing Street following US diesel deal with Russia

Roula Khalaf, Leila Abboud et Ben Hall interrogent la candidate à la présidentielle de 2027 sur l’Europe, Donald Trump et l’Ukraine