Let the Latvians keep all those Kārums and saldējums as source of national pride. There's no need to feel envy, because Latvia — for an Estonian — is anyway "us," not "them," writes Argo Ideon.

Agricultural producers will recieve an additional €26.4 million next year to help alleviate the rise in prices following the Middle East crisis and losses resulting from adverse weather conditions.

Presidential candidate Ülle Madise said on ETV's "Esimene stuudio" talk show that she is a conscientious and resolute leader in times of crisis who, like a ship's captain, would not abandon ship when difficulties arise.

Center Party leader Mihhail Kõlvart cannot bar Riigikogu members from his party voting in next week's presidential election, one expert said.

Agricultural producers will recieve an additional €26.4 million next year to help alleviate the rise in prices following the Middle East crisis and losses resulting from adverse weather conditions.

On Baltic Sea Day, TalTech Professor Urmas Lips said there are reasons to be positive, and improvements are being made every year.

Läti peaministri Andris Kulbergsi poliitilise jõu Ühendatud Nimekiri (Apvienotais Saraksts) toetus kasvas augustis, teiste koalitsioonierakondade populaarsus aga kahanes, näitavad Läti televisiooni tellitud SKDS-i küsitluse tulemused.

Prantsusmaa majandusminister Roland Lescure ütles neljapäeval, et järgmise aasta eelarve eesmärgiks on stabiilne eelarvepuudujääk.

The 89-year-old has been in hospital for over a week receiving treatment for a rare blood condition.

Remembering its role in the World Wars is a key aspect of modern Germany's identity but the AfD argues it is time to take a more positive view of the past.

Perhaps our days of doomscrolling are numbered, writes the BBC's technology editor Zoe Kleinman.

The UK government claimes panels could help homes "significantly cut" energy bills.

LONDON — Britain’s party conference circuit is not to be missed this year, with a new prime minister in No. 10 Downing Street and multiple parties in the running to replace him. But with the cost of joining the fall schmoozing circuit soaring, even Britain’s biggest lobbyists are concerned they could be priced out of the engagement carousel. Two lobbyists said they were quoted £5,500 to attend this year’s business day at Labour conference — an industry-focused event that is distinct from the main conference agenda. That’s up from £5,000 last year, and £3,000 in 2024 — an 83 percent increase in just two years. The figures all exclude the consumption tax VAT. With opinion polls in flux, lobbyists now feel compelled to invest in attending more conferences, including standalone business events put on by parties like Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. Multiple industry professionals — some of whom were granted anonymity to speak frankly about the impact on their business — told POLITICO that they had planned to cut back their presence at the ruling Labour Party conference if ex-Prime Minister Keir Starmer had still been in power. But Burnham’s elevation to Downing Street, and the need to get clarity on his agenda, meant scaling back was too big a risk. One senior in-house public affairs leader said the leadership shuffle had seen two executives now opting to attend in addition to the original core team members they had planned to attend Labour’s business bash — adding a further £11,000 to the firm’s conference bill for those tickets alone. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, speaks at a Labour Business Conference at the Oval on February 1, 2024 in London. | Dan Kitwood/Getty Images After the party’s 2024 event fell so flat that firms demanded refunds, it stepped up its game for last year’s gathering — often jokingly referred to by industry pros as the “CEO creche.” But business leaders are now privately questioning whether inflation-busting cost hikes can remain defensible given the increasingly tight margins on which many firms are operating. “Generally, I think conference is getting more overpriced and overhyped each year, and certain senior leaders are driven more by FOMO [fear of missing out] than anything strategic,” the same senior in-house pro said. “Yes, you can have great conversations, and occasionally a meaningful breakthrough, but a large part of any public affairs pro’s successes come at events away from conference,” they said. A second public affairs executive at a major trade body said their mid-term presence had been subject to a big debate in the office, but the Burnham bounce meant that “what looked like a bit of a gamble has turned into a good bet.” “We’ve definitely pared back our presence at the opposition conferences, as much because we can’t justify the time out of the office as much as the cost of going,” that lobbyist said. One public affairs company with event space in the Liverpool secure zone at Labour conference is charging between £10,000 and £15,000 to host a one-hour panel session, a pricing document seen by POLITICO suggests. Multiple public affairs executives said that is standard pricing, and often doesn’t include prices for catering and AV support. The door of number 10 Downing Street is seen through a camera screen on the morning that Labour Party Leader, Andy Burnham, will take over as Prime Minister following the resignation of Keir Starmer on July 20, 2026 in London. | Ryan Jenkinson/Getty Images Even the most basic presence at Labour conference is getting increasingly expensive. A commercial guest pass now costs £1,820. That’s up from £1,600 last year, which in itself was a rise of over £500 from the previous year. The ticket price for a third-sector attendee — including charity staff — has now hit £645, up from £552 last year, which was already more than double the cost from 2023. Alexander Gray, deputy director for external affairs at Energy UK, said: “The thing now, compared to previous years, is obviously having to split conference budgets potentially up to five or seven ways if you need to be present at all the major ones.”Gray said the cost “that stung the most recently” was the “£500 plus” charge for a microphone — without a lectern — for “what you know is a three-minute speech.” Those wanting to raise a toast via their £166-a-minute microphone are facing even steeper costs. According to a price list seen by POLITICO for the main Hilton hotel hub, a standard bottle of rosé wine will cost organizers £50 each… bog-standard beer is being charged at £9.50 per bottle, up from £8.60 last year… while fruit juice has gone up £1.50 to £14 per jug. The price for a jug of Liverpool tap water has remained stable at just £3.50. Those ever-increasing costs have left industry pros scrambling to find cost-cutting measures. A delegate raises his hand to speak on day two of the Labour Party conference on October 9, 2023 in Liverpool. | Christopher Furlong/Getty Images Gray said that could mean ensuring that conference passes are included as part of packages for putting on events. Others are getting more creative with their cost-cutting schemes. As POLITICO reported previously, some senior public affairs figures have become members of several British political parties solely to take advantage of attending conferences on the significantly cheaper tickets offered to grassroots supporters. Most major parties ban such practices, but the trend appears to be growing. Several industry professionals also say there is a growing case for ditching the passes entirely, and instead focusing on the blossoming ecosystem of fringe events happening outside the secure zone. That’s especially viable for the smaller parties such as the Liberal Democrats and Green Party conferences where compact venues necessitate that swathes of events take place away from the ticketed areas. But Daniel Gilbert, a partner at Shearwater Global, says that while there’s still a legitimate debate to be had around whether we’ve reached “peak conference,” it remains a big milestone in the political calendar — although he insists he’s long encouraged clients to be realistic about what to expect. “More and more MPs and peers would rather meet back in Westminster where they can have a better conversation,” he said. “Where it excels is on the fringe. Nowhere else is there such an array of ideas and speaker opportunities.” Ed Lavelle, director at DGA Group, agrees that despite the huge time and budget investment, the circuit remains “one of the most valuable ways to take the political temperature in real time.” Building that “deep understanding” of a party’s mood is particularly important given that British politics is experiencing a period of major flux. “The conversations around conference often reveal perspectives that speeches and media coverage cannot fully capture, while strengthening the relationships on which effective public affairs depends,” he said. This reporting first appeared in POLITICO London Influence, a weekly newsletter on lobbying, campaigning and influence in Westminster and beyond.

PARIS — France’s Economy Minister Roland Lescure said on Thursday a “stable public deficit” was the goal for next year’s budget. The government was initially aiming to bring France’s 2027 deficit below 5 percent of GDP, the current estimate for this year, in its upcoming budget bill, with a target reportedly set at 4.9 percent. But grim economic forecasts and a fractured parliament are making its deficit reduction trajectory more and more elusive, including a government commitment to bring back the deficit under 3 percent by 2029 to abide by EU rules. Lescure was speaking at a high-profile gathering of business leaders organized by French business lobby Medef, where he said his government was working on providing “stability” in the upcoming months, with no tax increases and an effort to further tighten the administration’s belt. He also confirmed that the government was looking into a partial pension freeze in an effort to keep the deficit under control. The government is facing a new harrowing budget season, with a deadlock parliament and opposition parties unlikely to cooperate as the 2027 presidential election campaign swings into full gear. Leftist candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon has already said his party was readying for a no-confidence vote over the budget bill.

Ivory Coast legend Toure takes Slovan Bratislava into the group phase two months after joining the Slovakian club.

Al Jazeera reports from hospital in Kathmandu, after flash floods swept through several districts in Nepal.

Moscow threatens retaliation after Andy Burnham says UK will help Ukraine start producing long-range missilesRussia has said it could retaliate against the UK for its support of Kyiv by striking military targets inside and outside Ukraine, amid reports that the director of the CIA warned the Kremlin against attacking Nato during a secretive visit this week.Andy Burnham, Britain’s prime minister, said on Monday the UK would allow Kyiv access to classified technology to start ⁠its own production of Storm Shadow ​long-range ​cruise missiles. Maria ⁠Zakharova, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, said on Thursday Britain and France were “playing ⁠with ​fire”. Continue reading...

Allegations Nathan Cofnas was unqualified for Ghent role and would cause ‘negative impact’ made to senior leaders months agoNathan Cofnas, the academic who accused Jason Arday of plagiarism, has been accused of having “very limited expertise” for his academic role by professors also working at Ghent University, who say he has a “far-right agenda”.Cofnas secured a postdoctoral research role “on the future of liberalism” at Belgium’s Ghent University in March. Weeks later, Ghent’s department of philosophy and moral sciences handed a 19-page statement to university officials, setting out why it believed it was “improbable” that Cofnas was the best candidate. Continue reading...

Sweden, the Netherlands and Spain back plan to solve Kyiv’s latest funding crisis

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