On August 21, a celebration and concert marking the 35th anniversary of Estonia's restoration of independence was held at the Mere Cultural Center in Tallinn. Among the speakers was Gaute "Rohke Debelak" Kivistik. His full speech is published below.

Representatives of the cultural sector are dissatisfied with the size of Estonia's national cultural awards, which have remained unchanged since the kroon era.

EKRE's support has fallen by 1.9 percentage points over the past four weeks, causing the party to drop from third to fifth place in the ratings, the latest Norstat poll commissioned by the Ühiskonnauuringute Instituut shows.

The new city government in Pärnu wants to sell off the town's airport to the private sector and is not keen on running the airport itself.

Representatives of the cultural sector are dissatisfied with the size of Estonia's national cultural awards, which have remained unchanged since the kroon era.

The Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) is pausing the recruitment of assistant police officers until legislative amendments clarifying the rules governing their background checks are adopted and enter into force.

Rootsi tuntud matkarõivaste ja -tarvete tootja Fjällräven nõuab, et parempopulistlik erakond Rootsi Demokraadid teeks ümber oma valimisplakatid, kuna nendel kasutatud kirjastiil näib äravahetamiseni sarnane ettevõtte visuaalse identiteediga.

Teisipäeval lõppes kliimaministeeriumi ja Eleringi korraldatud maismaatuuleparkide vähempakkumine. Ministeerium ei ütle veel, kas või kui palju pakkumisi kokku tuli.

Fuel companies are urging customers not to linger at the pumps after a wave of deadly attacks.

Flight tracking data confirms an American military aircraft travelled to Russia from the US via Latvia on Tuesday.

A household using a typical amount of gas and electricity will pay £60 a year more, regulator Ofgem says.

From baby banks to supermarket deals, there are many ways parents can ease the back-to-school burden.

Listen on Spotify Apple Music Amazon Music France and Germany are clashing over how far the EU should go to protect European industry — with Paris pushing stronger “Made in Europe” rules and Berlin warning against provoking new trade fights. Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart look at what that battle says about Europe’s struggle to go green, stay competitive and keep its markets open at the same time. Then, Brussels is rattled by another wave of shootings. We look at the drug trade behind much of the violence, the Antwerp connection, and the political fight over whether the capital has enough police resources — or whether Belgium’s fragmented system is part of the problem. And on a much lighter note: Eurostar may finally get some serious competition. New operators are lining up to run through the Channel Tunnel, raising the prospect of more trains — and maybe cheaper tickets — between Brussels and London. Have you witnessed any of the recent shootings in Brussels? Or has the rise in gun violence changed how you feel about the city? We’d like to hear from you. Send us a message or a voice note on WhatsApp here or at +32 491 05 06 29.

LONDON — Kemi Badenoch’s Conservative Party used to discuss who would replace her. Now they want her secret sauce.  Almost two years after taking the helm of the Tory party in the wake of its 2024 general election battering, Badenoch’s personal ratings are soaring. YouGov polling, conducted last month, found 38 percent of Brits think Badenoch is doing well as Conservative Party leader — up 23 points from last October. Some 43 percent of Brits see her as decisive, with 40 percent regarding her as competent.   But with just one in five Britons believing her Conservative Party is ready to govern again — and the party now facing a more popular adversary in No. 10 Downing Street in Andy Burnham — strategists are eyeing an autumn blitz putting Badenoch to the fore.   “Kemi is popular. We are trying to promote the rest of the shadow Cabinet to make sure that popularity rubs off on the rest of the party,” said one Badenoch staffer, granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record. So far, it hasn’t worked. “Badenoch’s success has still failed to translate into any meaningful movement in the polls for her party,” said Scarlett Maguire, founder of independent polling firm Merlin Strategy. “The Conservatives’ mediocre polling numbers, still worse than when they lost the 2024 election, shows the extent to which they have lost trust in their brand.” New look conference The party’s first big set piece moment this autumn will come when the Conservative Party meets for its annual conference in Birmingham at the beginning of October.  Badenoch’s performance at last year’s gathering marked the beginning of her transformation as party leader, and her team is hoping to repeat the trick by making this year’s conference more Badenoch-focused.  There will be less policy this year, according to one shadow minister familiar with the plans and also granted anonymity to speak freely. “Last year was a bit scattergun. There was a bit too much policy, trying to prove we had something to say. This will be about putting Kemi forward as an alternative to Andy Burnham,” this person said. “People see Burnham as someone who blows with the wind a bit, so [we] want to push forward the theme that Kemi is someone who doesn’t change her mind, is guided by a strong set of principles and isn’t going to change just to be popular,” the same shadow minister added. Viral economics  Hot on the heels of party conference season will be the Burnham administration’s first budget, currently penciled in for Oct. 28. Strategists hope it will give them a chance to promote the party’s “sound” economic vision.  Badenoch’s response to last year’s budget went “viral” — and is seen as a key moment when the public started to see the Tory leader differently.  It is Badenoch and not Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride who is “calling the shots” on economic strategy, according to another member of the shadow Cabinet. “The economic direction of the party has to come from her, not from Mel,” they said.  Badenoch discussed how to shape a right-wing economic vision — in particular the challenge of keeping wealthy people from leaving the country — with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Monday, according to the Times.   Though shadow ministers and advisors agree long-serving Conservatives like Stride will help give Badenoch credibility within the business community. “We need to get to a point where we’ve got a real economic narrative. That’s what Kemi’s team are hoping will be the transformative thing,” said the same shadow Cabinet minister quoted above.     Reform, interrupted   The mood in Tory ranks has also been bolstered by a difficult few months for Reform’s Farage, who has faced questions over whether he properly declared donations.  MPs and strategists were delighted Farage spent his summer tied up in the Clacton by-election triggered by his own resignation in July, leaving Badenoch clear to be the main critic of the newly crowned Burnham.  Tory MPs gleefully claim those who defected from their party to Reform are starting to look differently at the Reform UK leader.  “The change in the Conservatives has been substantial, but there has also been a big change in Reform as well,” the shadow Cabinet member quoted above said, pointing to reported splits in Reform over how to approach Farage and and policy areas such as welfare spending.   Badenoch’s sharp remark that a pact with Reform would be “monstrous” points firmly to the Tory leader wanting to stand her ground against the threat from the right.

Fernandes rewarded for an outstanding season with a record number of assists in the league; Shaw builds on league win and Golden Boot.

The US has used threats of secondary sanctions, whereby countries trading with a sanctioned country also face sanctions.

Protests and petitions planned amid growing concerns over impact of climate crisis on numbers of Alpine rodentAnimal rights campaigners are gearing up for protests and petitions aimed at persuading the French government to ban the hunting of Alpine marmots.Open season on the rodents, members of the squirrel and groundhog family, begins in September, a few weeks before they go into a long winter hibernation. Continue reading...

Yorgen Fenech tells jury he had nothing to do with killing and alleges top adviser to Malta’s then PM was instigatorA businessman on trial for the murder of the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has spoken about the charges for the first time in court since his arrest seven years ago, telling the jury he was framed by police and had nothing to do with the killing.During four days of questioning by defence and the prosecution lawyers, Yorgen Fenech, 44, accused the most senior adviser to Malta’s prime minister of giving the go-ahead for the murder. Continue reading...

Also in this newsletter: Ukraine wants EU cash to buy US missiles

Living on investment income alone no longer constitutes a financial strategy for most better-off Britons