The ruling Reform Party expects the speaker of the Riigikogu to take the lead in organizing discussions on the presidential election and believes the initiative in putting forward candidates should come primarily from the opposition.

A new survey on religion shows that traditional church‑based religiosity in Estonia is continuing to decline, and most Estonian residents do not consider themselves followers of any religion. The study also found that attitudes toward religion differ sharply between Estonians and Russian‑speaking residents.

The ruling Reform Party expects the speaker of the Riigikogu to take the lead in organizing discussions on the presidential election and believes the initiative in putting forward candidates should come primarily from the opposition.

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.

A new survey on religion shows that traditional church‑based religiosity in Estonia is continuing to decline, and most Estonian residents do not consider themselves followers of any religion. The study also found that attitudes toward religion differ sharply between Estonians and Russian‑speaking residents.

Many women avoid traveling alone after dark and adjust their daily routines because of safety concerns. A recent master's thesis suggests that people's sense of safety is also shaped by whether others are present in public spaces and whether help is available if needed.

Eesti Panga andmetel oli uute kodulaenude keskmine intressimäär mais neli protsenti, mis on ligi kümnendiku enam kui mullu mais. SEB eraklientide panganduse divisjoni juhi Sille Hallangu sõnul on laenuturg samas endiselt väga atraktiivne ja aina enam on laenuvõtjate seas teisese kodu soetajaid.

Venezuela pealinna elanikud ärkasid esmaspäeval varahommikul maavärina järeltõuke peale. USA geoloogiateenistuse (USGS) andmetel oli tõugete magnituud 4,6 ja epitsenter asus Caracasest põhjas, 10 kilomeetri sügavusel.

Two people have been arrested, one of whom is the suspected shooter, local police say.

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

The decision, seen as a win for central bank independence, sends the fight over removal back to the lower courts.

The company had said earlier this year it was planning savings to make it "more digital and AI-focused".

The EU on Monday defended its commitment to international law after the Vatican accused Brussels last week of applying a double standard when it comes to war. Speaking at Pope Leo XIV’s closed-door conference on war last Friday, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the Vatican’s doctrinal chief, argued that governments have increasingly been invoking international law based on political convenience rather than universal principles. He accused the bloc of inconsistency in its foreign policy, imposing sanctions on some countries and providing military and financial support to others, even when faced with what he described as “more serious invasions with even more brutal consequences” elsewhere. The contradiction, Fernández argued, reflected political and economic interests instead of a stable commitment to international law. Brussels, in response, stopped short of engaging directly with the criticism. “We do not usually comment on comments,” Paula Pinho, chief Commission spokesperson, told POLITICO on Monday. European External Action Service spokesperson Anouar El Anouni reiterated the bloc’s standard position, saying the EU “calls for respect for international law, and this at all times and under all circumstances,” while condemning “violations of human rights, killing of journalists, targeting of civilians, including civilian infrastructure” wherever they occur. But not everyone in Brussels was so cautious, with the criticism quickly finding support among some members of the European Parliament. “The Vatican is voicing what much of the Global South feels: The EU does not stand for universal values. It stands for corporate interests,” Belgian MEP Marc Botenga told POLITICO. “EU foreign policy can be summed up as: Do as I say, not as I do.” Botenga, a member of the Left group in the European Parliament, questioned why the bloc had responded so forcefully to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine while, in his view, failing to take similar action over Israel’s actions in Palestine, Lebanon and Syria, or the war on Iran. Irish MEP and member of Sinn Féin Lynn Boylan likewise said Fernández was “correct to call out this double standard.” She argued the EU had adopted 20 sanctions packages against Russia while allowing Israel to act “with impunity.” She went on to point to Europe’s continued arms exports to Israel, trade with Israeli settlements and the EU-Israel Association Agreement despite the country’s actions in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon. “You cannot claim to champion human rights and international law if you selectively apply their core pillars,” Boylan told POLITICO.

BRUSSELS — The EU is drafting plans to reward Serbia for dialing back controversial laws, in order to incentivize the country to stop backsliding on democracy. Last week, Serbia’s parliament backed relaxing controversial rules that international legal experts had warned would undermine the independence of the judiciary and weaken the fight against organized crime. The European Commission is now looking for ways to incentivize Belgrade to continue reforms and avoid it reneging on commitments to the bloc, four officials working on the plans told POLITICO. They were granted anonymity to speak frankly about the initiative. Those EU plans will, however, be delayed after Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced at the weekend that he planned to resign and call parliamentary and presidential elections, making the timing a sensitive political issue. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen — along with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz — met Vučić during a summit in Montenegro earlier this month. They discussed the possibility of Belgrade being “rewarded” if it made a U-turn on laws incompatible with membership of the EU, two of the officials said. The EU and the Venice Commission — the Council of Europe’s top legal body — had warned that the laws would have a chilling effect on the country’s democracy and institutions. They said the laws could have seen organized crime prosecutors lose their posts and investigations into corruption stifled. Those laws were scaled back as a result of votes in the parliament in Belgrade on Thursday. “There is a general feeling we shouldn’t ‘lose’ Serbia completely,” said one of the officials, adding that while the Western Balkan country will not join the EU any time soon, it is important to keep it engaged in the accession process and encourage it to make reforms. Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos spoke to Serbia’s parliamentary speaker on Friday following the rule change, and they discussed “the next steps for Serbia to move forward on its EU path.” However, on Saturday, Vučić announced that he will resign and the country will head to the ballot box. “These are my last days and weeks as the republic’s president. After that, I will resign,” Vučić told supporters of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) at a rally in Belgrade, according to media reports. His second and final mandate was due to expire in 2027. Despite facing long-running protests and public discontent over corruption allegations, Vučić is expected to run to be prime minister. “From what we hear it is not clear who will be … the candidates for the future elections,” Commission chief spokesperson Paula Pinho told journalists on Monday. EU warns that cash could be withheld Serbia has officially been an EU candidate country since 2012, but has been warned it could lose more than a billion euros in funding as a result of democratic backsliding and its close relations with Russia. The EU is the largest provider of financial support to Serbia and allocated more than €586 million in non-repayable grants from 2021-2024. It has made as much as €1.5 billion more available conditional on reforms. According to the Serbian government, the country has received more than €7 billion in funds and investments from the EU since 2000. Now, Serbia is pushing to open the third of six negotiating “clusters” in the coming weeks. “Serbia has just adopted a set of judicial laws fully aligned with the recommendations of the Venice Commission,” said Danijel Apostolović, Serbia’s ambassador to the EU and chief negotiator. “Opening of Cluster three would be important both for Serbia and the EU. It would mark a turning point in Serbia’s accession process and finally allow us to break the vicious circle in which we have been trapped for years.” Cluster three, which covers competitiveness, economic growth, industrial policy and alignment with the EU’s Customs Union, is seen as a “less sensitive” area that could be advanced despite the big differences between the two sides, said one of the officials. The Commission has recommended that Serbia begin accession talks for the past five years, but has faced opposition from member countries — which need to give unanimous consent. Diplomats from two capitals skeptical of Serbia’s progress, however, warned the opening of a new cluster remains unlikely. “Going back to square one by undoing the damage you’ve done is the bare minimum; it can’t be enough to merit a reward,” said one.

The vice president’s decision to criticise Israel and distance himself from rival Rubio means he is reading the base.

Five people were killed in a shooting at a youth welfare centre in Stade, northern Germany.

German police say two people were apprehended after ‘numerous’ shots were fired at a youth care facility in StadeMeanwhile, 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...

Red warnings issued as record-breaking heatwave pushes east, with authorities urging people to stay indoorsParts of central, eastern and southern Europe sweltered on Monday as the “heat dome” behind last week’s record-breaking temperatures shifted east, bringing dangerous conditions to a new swathe of the continent.Budapest is forecast to exceed 40C on Tuesday, according to models from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Belgrade and Bucharest reached 38C and 37C respectively on Monday as the heatwave, which has been linked to hundreds of deaths in western Europe, moved east. Continue reading...

Péter Magyar says his predecessor ‘lied’ about 2026 shortfall of 8% of GDP

UK’s likely next prime minister gave the clearest indication yet of his policy priorities — but left many questions unanswered