Varro Vooglaid announced that due to a loss of confidence in him, he is leaving the Estonian Conservative People's Party's Riigikogu group, though not parliament itself.

Estonia's border crossing points on the eastern border with Russia will remain closed overnight for another three months and have been further restricted in Narva, the government said on Thursday.

Varro Vooglaid announced that due to a loss of confidence in him, he is leaving the Estonian Conservative People's Party's Riigikogu group, though not parliament itself.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas is not a suitable choice as the bloc's negotiator with Russia, former European Commissioner Kadri Simson said.

Sel nädalal Tartus toimuval UNESCO kirjanduslinnade aastakohtumisel külastati kolmapäeval, 13. mail Tartu linnaraamatukogu, kus direktor Kristina Pai tutvustas raamatukogu tegevust ning tulevast Siuru keskust. Iga kohtumisel osaleva linna esindaja kinkis raamatukogu lasteosakonnale ühe pildiraamatu mõnelt oma linna autorilt.

Euroopa lennufirmad, lennujaamad ja reisikorraldajad suhtuvad lennukikütuse varustusse jätkuvalt optimistlikult, hoolimata ühest viimaste aastakümnete tõsisemast energiakriisist, kirjutab Reuters.

Children are among the injured after Russia launched drones and missiles across Ukraine, officials say.

Passengers on the ship showing no symptoms are allowed to leave, authorities say, after 49 people fell ill from gastrointestinal sickness.

The economy grew by 0.3% in the month, official figures show, confounding analysts' forecasts of a small contraction.

Flying by air will get more expensive as oil prices remain high, says international industry body boss.

Latvia’s center-right Prime Minister Evika Siliņa said Thursday she would resign, after her left-wing coalition partner withdrew its support for her in response to the firing of one of its ministers. “I am stepping down, but I am not giving up,” she said on X. The government will continue its duties until a new Cabinet of Ministers is approved. Siliņa had been serving as Prime Minister since September 2023. The left-wing Progressives party said Wednesday it would no longer support the coalition after Siliņa dismissed Progressives Defense Minister Andris Sprūds on Sunday, over an incident in which two stray Ukrainian drones hit the Baltic state’s oil facilities. Siliņa then appointed Latvian army Col. Raivis Melnis as a replacement, but the Progressives’ withdrawal left Siliņa’s New Unity alliance without a parliamentary majority. Latvia, like its Baltic neighbors Estonia and Lithuania, has been on high alert since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, warning that spillovers from the war could test NATO’s eastern flank. “At this moment, political jealousy and narrow party interests have taken precedence over responsibility,” Silina said Thursday, adding that “political windbags chose not a solution, but a crisis.” Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs previously said he would meet with all parliamentary parties on Friday, “given the political situation of the country.”

KYIV — Andriy Yermak once mingled with world leaders; now he’s languishing in a Kyiv cell over money-laundering charges. Ukraine’s top anti-corruption court on Thursday locked up President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s former adviser for two months in a pre-trial detention center with bail set at $3 million. Earlier this week, state investigators charged Yermak with corruption. Yermak — who, until his spectacular fall in November last year, was the second most powerful person in Ukraine — firmly denied all accusations in court. “I don’t have such funds. Now my lawyer will work with my friends for help [to collect the bail funds],” Yermak told Ukrainian journalists after the decision was announced Thursday. “I think my attorney, the group of lawyers, will file an appeal. I have nothing to hide, I will continue fighting, and I will stay in Ukraine,” Yermak added. In his role as Zelenskyy’s powerful chief of staff, Yermak helped shape Ukraine’s wartime diplomacy and was rarely absent from high-stakes meetings with world leaders, in summit venues from Washington to Brussels. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office charged Yermak with corruption earlier this week. Investigators said he was a member of an organized crime group, involved in laundering $10.4 million on a luxury construction project near Kyiv. The watchdogs did not name Yermak, but said the latest charges relate to the so-called Midas operation, a $100 million corruption scandal at Ukraine’s state energy company that blew a hole in Zelenskyy’s inner circle. The probe has touched other Zelenskyy associates — entrepreneur Timur Mindich and Oleksiy Chernyshov, Ukraine’s former deputy prime minister. Both were also charged with corruption but denied the allegations last year. Mindich fled to Israel the day before he was supposed to be arrested. As the probe snowballed, Zelenskyy fired Yermak, his longtime friend and aide, on the same day corruption-busters searched the adviser’s office. According to NABU, the members of the alleged crime group laundered state funds, including from Energoatom, through luxury real estate investments. If Yermak posts bail, he must regularly present himself for questioning at NABU, inform detectives about his whereabouts, not leave Kyiv without the investigators’ permission, submit his passports to the authorities and wear an electronic bracelet, the anti-corruption court ruled Thursday. Zelenskyy’s office said this week it would not issue any comments on the Yermak trial, as the investigation is still ongoing.

Round-trip train tickets brought down to $98 from $150, and bus fares to cost $20 instead of $80, state officials say.

The UN warns disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz could drive up food and fertiliser costs, and worsen global hunger.

Evika Siliņa said she was frustrated by the response to the incident and late alerts for the populationSlovakia has joined Hungary in condemning the Russian air attacks on the neighbouring region.Slovak foreign minister Juraj Blanár said in a post on Facebook that the strikes undermine prospects for ending the Russian aggression on Ukraine and “limit the space for peace dialogue.” Continue reading...

Brand owner Mondelēz was accused of reducing weight of Alpine Milk bar from 100g to 90g without significantly altering the packagingMany chocolate lovers consider shrinkflation a serious crime – and they have been vindicated after a German court ruled that the makers of Milka cheated consumers by cutting the bar’s size, while keeping the wrapper the same.The three-week case in a regional court was brought by Hamburg’s consumer protection office. It accused the chocolate brand’s US owner Mondelēz of deceiving shoppers by cutting the weight of Milka’s classic Alpine Milk bar from 100g to 90g without significantly altering the distinctive purple packaging. Continue reading...

Companies ‘scrambling for information’ after ban on trading with key supplier

Prime Minister Evika Siliņa resigns after several incidents of drones crashing in the Baltic state near the Russian border