National Opera Estonia council chair Ivari Ilja says the problems facing the opera house have developed over an extended period, and their main cause is the theater's consistently lagging funding.

A healthy lifestyle helps reduce the risk of premature death and increases the number of years lived in good health. However, no short-term miracle cure or strict diet can guarantee living to the age of 100, Tallinn University demographers Michel Poulain and Anne Herm emphasize in a new research paper.

Parliamentary parties will spend this week discussing ways to agree on a joint candidate in an effort to elect the president in the Riigikogu. Members of the European Parliament elected from Estonia believe reaching a consensus is possible.

Several of Estonia's political parties have already begun campaigning for the next Riigikogu elections, hanging banners and ordering newspaper adverts, which will take place in March 2027.

Saarde municipality said the halted Kikepera bog restoration can continue after determining the work does not qualify as construction, a reversal that ends a months‑long permit dispute but leaves the project at risk of missing its deadline.

Although a large share of Estonia's population is served by public water supply and sewerage systems, not all properties are connected to the network. For many property owners, the main obstacle is the high cost of connecting.

Pärnu ajaloolise vesimudaravila peahoones (praegune Hedon Spa & Hotel, Ranna pst.1) on lahti Eesti Metallikunstnike Liidu temaatiline aastanäitus «Suvepuhkus».

Kirjutan koolide sisseastumiskatsetest ja -vestlustest, mis puudutavad igal aastal tuhandeid Eesti peresid, kuid millest avalikult räägitakse minu hinnangul liiga vähe.

The pilot and 10 passengers - including five first-time parachutists - died in the incident, local officials said.

An estimated 150 million people have been experiencing temperatures of over 35C across Europe.

The tobacco industry is grappling with declining demand for traditional cigarettes.

It comes as regional rivals like Taiwan, China and Japan are investing heavily in chip factories and other technology.

LONDON — Agent of “chaos” or more of the same? Britain’s opposition parties are still trying to work out how to paint Andy Burnham. With the Labour MP likely just weeks away from becoming Britain’s prime minister, Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch used a punchy speech Monday to warn of a “summer of chaos” under his leadership. “Investment decisions will be put on hold,” the Tory leader told a Westminster press conference. “Every time the newspapers are briefed about new tax rises, the markets will react. Every time it looks like Britain is going to be borrowing more money, our economy will be left in limbo.” All Labour MPs care about, she charged, “is which jobs they will be getting in the new government.” Burnham himself lacks a plan and is already ducking scrutiny, she argued. “Giving speeches in Manchester and not taking any questions is simply not good enough.” It’s just the latest swipe from Badenoch, who has spent the past week trying out lines of attack against Burnham — notably dismissing him as a “pair of eyelashes and a fancy t-shirt” in a fiery Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons Wednesday. But deeper questions remain about how both the Conservatives and Reform, the right-wing populists led by Nigel Farage, will try to take on Labour’s expected next boss over the long-term. Both now parties face a dilemma: amp up Burnham’s agenda as a clear and present danger to Britain, or paint him as an insider unable to do much to move the needle to help a restive electorate. “Truthfully, I don’t know how we tackle him yet,” one Conservative adviser, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss party matters, confessed. Both parties have so far taken a crack at tying Burnham to his predecessor’s deep unpopularity. That’s despite him running in — and winning — the Makerfield by-election as a Labour candidate who could effectively remove the centrist Starmer and fundamentally change his party. “Burnham won’t solve your problems, because Labour cannot solve your problems,” Farage has said. “His plan for government is to act as continuity Starmer, and hope the rest of us are too stupid to notice.” There are early attempts to chip away at his right to govern. Reform has already called for an immediate general election — a prospect Badenoch’s Tories, polling considerably worse — are resisting. Reform insiders hope he’ll run into the same fundamental problems that hobbled Starmer in office. “He’ll have a fresh look, but he won’t be able to deliver anything and will become associated with the Labour brand after a few months,” a Reform official said. Others in the Reform tribe appear keen to talk up the chaos angle and paint Burnham as an extremist. The party’s deputy leader Richard Tice has repeatedly described Burnham’s agenda as “hard socialism” and of the “hard-left.” Reform’s Tory rivals, who are still struggling in the polls after their own prime-minister-switching run in office came crashing down in 2024, argue the change of leadership should spark panic for Farage’s crew, who have painted themselves as the anti-establishment outsiders. “I think it doesn’t change too much for us,” a member of the Conservative shadow cabinet argued. “Reform though, blooming heck.” “Reform’s [argument] until Makerfield was ‘vote Reform, get rid of Starmer’ — now it can’t be ‘vote Reform get rid of Burnham’ because he just thrashed them in a place they should have walked,” the same person said. After their own general election wipeout in 2024, the Tories have retreated from seats which are now likely to be straight fights between Labour and Reform at the next vote. But both parties are now wargaming for the possibility of Burnham — seeking his own mandate after ousting Starmer — going to the country earlier than planned. “I’ve been arguing we need to be ready for an election in 2027,” a second Tory official said. “You’d only be sure it wouldn’t happen if you thought Burnham wasn’t a risk-taker. But just look at what he’s done in the last month.” Sascha O’Sullivan contributed reporting.

The July revision of the EU ETS Directive will determine whether the EU can reconcile it with industrial competitiveness. In short, whether it can achieve decarbonization without deindustrialization. EU’s global competitiveness gap is growing Europe now operates in a very different environment than when its climate policy was originally designed. According to forecasts from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), EU economies are expected to remain among the slowest-growing in the G20 in the coming years, while the gap between Europe and major competitors such as the United States and China continues to widen.[1] European industry faces structurally higher energy costs. This is not a short-term fluctuation but a trend. The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Electricity 2026 report underlines the scale of the challenge. EU electricity prices for energy-intensive industries remained elevated in 2025, averaging more than twice American levels and almost 50 percent above those in China. Wholesale electricity prices followed the same pattern: the EU recorded the highest levels among the markets analyzed by the IEA, matching the twofold gap with the United States, while standing significantly above levels in India, Australia and Japan. The report also points to the role of EU ETS prices in maintaining upward pressure on electricity costs.[2] If European industry pays much more for electricity than its global competitors and, at the same time, bears higher climate-related regulatory costs, policymakers cannot simply take it for granted that companies will remain, invest and create jobs within the EU. The EU ETS revision: time to rebalance priorities A growing number of stakeholders are highlighting the rising cost burden imposed on EU citizens. The costs associated with the EU ETS already account, on average, for 11 percent of industry electricity prices in the EU. However, in many countries it is substantially more. Poland records that figure at around 50 percent, despite the country having already decommissioned 22 GW of coal-based capacity between 2010 and 2022.This cost is already proving to be an obstacle to accelerate electrification in many member states. If European industry pays much more for electricity than its global competitors and, at the same time, bears higher climate-related regulatory costs, policymakers cannot simply take it for granted that companies will remain, invest and create jobs within the EU. The fact that it is not just about the figures is illustrated by examples such as the latest report on the EU chemical industry (CEFIC). It shows that chemical plant closures in Europe have increased sixfold since 2022, reaching 37 Mt of capacity — around 9 percent of European production capacity — and leading to the loss of 20,000 direct jobs. The report also points to a sharp slowdown in new investments, with energy cost competitiveness cited as the main reason for closures in 49 percent of cases, ahead of demand-related factors (19 percent), overcapacity (9 percent) and regulation (8 percent).[3] “Business as usual” won’t work In this context, it is worth referring to the conclusions of the European Council of March 19, in which heads of state and government called for the EU ETS review to “reduce the volatility of the carbon price and mitigate its impact on electricity prices.”[4] This message was reaffirmed in the June European Council conclusions, which recalled the need to accelerate work on lowering energy prices.[5] The key to restoring Europe’s industrial competitiveness lies above all in affordable and secure energy. For many industries, it is the foundation of competitiveness. The EU’s climate policy model, based mainly on CO2 allowances cost pressure, might be rational in a world where the EU enjoyed a strong economic position, and had no serious competitors capable of scaling industrial production cheaper and faster. But that is not the world we live in anymore. The key to restoring Europe’s industrial competitiveness lies above all in affordable and secure energy. For many industries, it is the foundation of competitiveness. This is why EU competitiveness should not be built primarily on imposing high EU ETS costs on the European industries. Moreover, planned large-scale electrification requires particular attention to the energy sector. EU ETS reform: a solution for all 27 member states is needed Three elements should be at the heart of the upcoming reform. Addressing the link between carbon costs and power prices would bring down energy costs across the entire EU in a systemic way, which would be far more effective than the current subsidy race. In order to do so, we propose increasing the predictability of CO2 prices by making intervention in the EU ETS market more realistic. Moreover, a specific volume of energy directed to final customers should be exempted from the obligation to purchase allowances. In exchange, installation operators should reduce their emissions by a specified percentage to comply with the EU 2040 and 2050 climate targets. The volume of energy corresponding to the emission volume should be allocated directly to industrial end users, at a price that reflects the absence of carbon costs. Market liquidity needs to be restored. With the current EU ETS parameters, the supply of CO2 allowances on the primary market will end around 2040. The Market Stability Reserve (MSR) will be empty by that time and will not be able to mitigate supply constraints, which will probably occur due to economic recovery after the end of the war in Ukraine, the increase in EU defence capabilities and insufficient supply of decarbonized gases to replace natural gas. Therefore, to prevent a market squeeze, the EU ETS revision should, in the first place, substantially reform the MSR parameters. The already presented proposal to abolish the invalidation of allowances by the MSR is the right move, but more needs to be done. The current Total Number of Allowances in Circulation (TNAC) indicator is static and does not reflect the number of allowances held in speculative long-term positions. We suggest introducing a dynamic TNAC to better reflect market circumstances. We also recommend lowering the Linear Reduction Factor to reach climate neutrality by 2050, instead of the current 2040 target. What is more, peaking units, which ensure system stability and adequacy, should be exempted from the obligation to surrender allowances. International carbon credits should also be integrated with the EU ETS. A focus on affordability and investments is also needed.  Further decarbonization of power systems is becoming more challenging, as the remaining emissions are more costly and difficult to abate. The EU ETS auction revenues (estimated at €1.5 trillion by 2050) are expected to cover only 11 percent of the sector’s total investment needs. Since the whole economy benefits from energy infrastructure, initiatives such as the recently announced €30 billion ETS Investment Booster should support the energy sector. It is also of the utmost importance to maintain the Modernisation Fund in the post-2030 framework, which needs to be continued at the level of 4.5 percent of the total pool of allowances. Furthermore, the standard and additional allocation of free allowances for the district heating sector should continue after 2030. Key message The real test of the next EU ETS reform is not whether it drives decarbonization, but whether it can do so without driving industry away. Decarbonization has to strengthen the competitiveness of the entire EU, not only selected sectors, companies or member states. It should not be only for first movers, but for the entire European industry. [1] OECD Economic Outlook, Interim Report March 2026 | OECD, [2] [3] [4] en-20260319-european-council-conclusions.pdf [5] en-20260319-european-council-conclusions.pdf Disclaimer POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT The sponsor is PKEE – Polish Electricity Association . The entity ultimately controlling the sponsor is PKEE – Polish Electricity Association. This article is linked to the revision of the EU ETS Directive. More information here.

Former US Ambassador to Oman Richard Schmierer says recent US-Iran military exchanges appear to have run their course.

Russian president claims Ukraine, which has ramped up attacks on Russia's energy sector, proposed the limits.

At least 130 million Europeans will see temperatures of 35C and above todayMeanwhile, Ukraine is bracing to absorb the impact of the heatwave on its energy network, already pummelled by Russian attacks over more than four years of war, AFP reported.Grid operators in at least five regions – from Ivano-Frankivsk in the west to Zaporizhzhia on the frontline in the south – announced temporary restrictions on energy usage would be in force during parts of Tuesday. Continue reading...

Team hope 30 of hours of footage held by three countries will be enough to bring to life film-maker’s visionMore than 70 years after he shot the first few frames, Orson Welles’s ambitious project to put Don Quixote on the big screen may finally be completed thanks to a consortium of European film archivists.Oja Kodar, the American film-maker’s partner and collaborator, has given her blessing to the project led by archives in France, Spain and Italy, along with the Munich film museum, to produce a coherent film out of 30 hours of footage scattered among them. Continue reading...

Andy Burnham is right to argue for a shift in power but he has to manage political risk

State media increases pressure in advance of high-stakes negotiations with Brussels