The Estonian Education Personnel Union (EHL) will demand during teachers' salary negotiations that the government fulfill its pre-election promises by raising teachers' minimum salary to 120 percent of the national average.

Varro Vooglaid's recent exit from the EKRE group means that the Riigikogu now has more unaffiliated or independent MPs than at any time before in the 21st century.

Varro Vooglaid's recent exit from the EKRE group means that the Riigikogu now has more unaffiliated or independent MPs than at any time before in the 21st century.

EKRE MP Rene Kokk refuted claims according to which whether he will run for the party again in 2027 is somehow connected to the fate of Varro Vooglaid.

The Estonian Education Personnel Union (EHL) will demand during teachers' salary negotiations that the government fulfill its pre-election promises by raising teachers' minimum salary to 120 percent of the national average.

The government has approved new pet identification rules requiring dogs and cats to be microchipped and recorded in a nationwide registry.

Tartus peetavatel Eesti ujumismeistrivõistlustel kaunistas avapäeva riigi rekord meeste 100 m vabaltujumises, selle püstitas Ralf Tribuntsov ajaga 49,37.

Pärnu turul on värske kevad- ja suvekraam kohale jõudnud ning lettidelt leiab nii esimesi kohalikke saadusi kui ka imporditud köögi- ja puuvilju. Sealjuures kõiguvad hinnad aga märkimisväärselt. Postimees Tarbija viskas pakutavale ja hinnatasemele pilgu peale koos Pärnu turu juhataja Sigve Varikuga.

Among the victims in Kyiv was 12-year-old Lyubava Yakovleva, whose father was killed during the war.

Prosecutors in Nantes say the shooting was drug-related, but the victim's aunt says he was not involved.

Analysts say the moves have been fuelled by concerns a Burnham-led government would increase government borrowing.

The regulator say the energy supplier breached licence conditions aimed at protecting customers in vulnerable situations.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Friday he would no longer advise young people to move to the U.S. for work or study, citing what he described as the worsening “social climate” in America. Speaking at a gathering of German Catholics in the southwestern city of Würzburg, Merz said: “I would not recommend to my children today that they go to the U.S. to get an education and to work” — a remark that drew applause from the audience. The chancellor explained that “the social climate that has suddenly developed” in the U.S. had become deeply concerning and argued that “even the best educated in America have great difficulty in finding a job.” Merz, who is Catholic, has three children and seven grandchildren. “I am a great admirer of America,” Merz added, drawing laughter from the crowd, “but right now my admiration is not increasing.” The comments emphasize the growing rift between Berlin and Washington after weeks of public clashes between Merz and President Donald Trump. The German leader — who previously headed the Atlantik-Brücke, an influential network that promotes U.S.-German ties — told schoolchildren on April 28 that the American president had been “humiliated” by Iran and lacked a coherent strategy for the war that broke out in late February following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian targets. Three days later, on May 1, the Pentagon, following through on an earlier threat by Trump, announced it would withdraw 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany.Despite the tensions, Merz wrote on X on Friday that he had “a good phone call” with Trump — the first since the two had publicly clashed — stressing afterward that “the U.S. and Germany are strong partners in a strong NATO.” Berlin has also turned down U.S. pleas for NATO to become directly involved in the Iran war, insisting “it is not NATO’s war” while leaving open only a limited role for German minesweepers in the Strait of Hormuz once fighting ends. The Trump administration, however, has its own view of Europe’s political climate. In its National Security Strategy published in December last year, Washington warned that Europe faced potential “civilizational erasure” driven by migration, weakening national identities and EU policies that allegedly undermine sovereignty.

BERLIN — Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has picked a French AI firm over the U.S. security giant Palantir, in a push to make Europe less reliant on American tech, according to German media reports.  The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, known as the BfV, plans to use ChapsVision’s ArgonOS software to sift through structured and unstructured data and prepare it for human analysts, according to a report by the media outlets WDR, NDR, and SZ. BfV President Sinan Selen said in December that his agency wanted to rely on European alternatives to Palantir. Several agencies in France are already using the software — including the domestic intelligence service DGSI. “By choosing ArgonOS, the BfV is sending a clear signal for European digital sovereignty,” Marc Henrichmann, chair of the parliamentary oversight committee for the German intelligence services, told POLITICO. “Whether ArgonOS can keep up in the long run will have to be demonstrated by its operational use. Performance must remain the primary criterion, not just the origin.” The decision comes amid a broader German debate over Palantir’s role in the country’s security infrastructure. Some German police forces already use the company’s software, and the German interior ministry is considering using it for federal forces. Critics have warned of risks to data protection, fundamental rights and dependence on a U.S. provider. Palantir CEO Alex Karp recently pushed back against German skepticism, arguing in an interview with BILD — which, like POLITICO, is part of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network — that his company’s software is already used on “every serious battlefield in the world.” He said he understood countries’ desire for independent systems, but questioned whether Germany could afford to reject Palantir’s technology. ArgonOS cannot be fully rolled out until Germany passes a planned intelligence-law reform that would expand the BfV’s digital powers, ease data sharing with police and revise rules on how long personal data can be kept.

US President Donald Trump said he discussed US arms sales to Taiwan with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Manchester City face Chelsea in the FA Cup final looking to add to their League Cup success and with eye on EPL title.

Zelenskyy accused Russia of committing war crimes after latest strikes on Ukraine killed at least 24Meanwhile, the Latvian president, Edgars Rinkēvičs, has begun political consultations aimed at finding a parliamentary majority capable of forming a new government after the collapse of prime minister Evika Siliņa’s administration.Rinkēvičs’s office posted a short video from the meeting on its social media. Continue reading...

Man arrested after admitting to taking relic from church and planning to throw it in river, say policeAn 800-year-old relic believed to be the skull of Saint Zdislava, stolen this week from a Czech church, has been recovered encased in concrete as experts work to extract it, police have said.A suspect has been arrested, who allegedly confessed to taking the skull of Saint Zdislava of Lemberk from a glass shrine in the basilica of St Lawrence and St Zdislava in the town of Jablonné v Podještědí on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Chancellor wary about the ‘social climate developing there’ as relations with Donald Trump hit new low

Images of debris from attack on Kyiv apartment block that killed at least 24 suggest Kh-101 missile was used