A recent audit has highlighted major problems in the Ministry of Defense's area of responsibility for the second year in a row. Defense agencies acknowledge the problems but do not see them as sufficient grounds for resignations.

The Health Insurance Fund forecasts next year's expenditures at nearly €2.7 billion, and the deficit is expected to shrink to €44 million. The fund aims to reach budget balance gradually by 2030.

Two decades on, Toivo Tootsen, Jaanus Männik and Randel Länts look back at the heated 2006 presidential election and the political maneuvering that ultimately brought Toomas Hendrik Ilves to Kadriorg.

Rain Rosimannus and Tõnis Arro recall some of the key nuances of the 2001 presidential election.

A recent audit has highlighted major problems in the Ministry of Defense's area of responsibility for the second year in a row. Defense agencies acknowledge the problems but do not see them as sufficient grounds for resignations.

The Health Insurance Fund forecasts next year's expenditures at nearly €2.7 billion, and the deficit is expected to shrink to €44 million. The fund aims to reach budget balance gradually by 2030.

Norralane Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility) võitis täna lõputõusul alustatud soolorünnakuga Hispaania velotuuri 150 kilomeetri pikkuse 7. etapi.

Reede õhtul rullus Tallinna vanalinnas Müürivahe tänaval lahti ärev vahejuhtum, millele reageeris politsei suurte jõududega. Pealtnägija sõnul muutus olukord ühel hetkel sedavõrd tõsiseks, et sündmuskohale saabus kiirabi ja üks inimene viidi minema.

Haakon becomes the king at a turbulent time for Norway's monarchy.

The late king, who reigned for 35 years, broke with tradition by marrying a commoner and was widely loved by Norwegians.

Younger generations are thought to be more susceptible to impulse spending. The BBC looks at ways to get it under control.

Kevin Warsh remarks suggest interest rates could be increased if policymakers think inflation is running too high.

Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced Friday he has accepted an offer to advise Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto on defense innovation. “I thanked Guido for his personal support and offer to become his adviser on defense innovations,” Fedorov wrote in a Facebook post after meeting Crosetto. “In this role, I will help Italy develop modern warfare technologies, improve the defense sector and adapt to new security challenges in the world.” A member of Fedorov’s team told POLITICO that the former minister will combine the advisory role with his main focus on setting up a defense investment fund in Ukraine. Fedorov, who called for wartime elections after being pushed out of government in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s latest reshuffle, also stressed that he is not decamping to Rome. “My main focus remains unchanged,” he wrote, adding he will continue working in Ukraine on projects to strengthen the country’s defense and attract international resources. Crosetto first offered the position in July, saying he called Fedorov the day after his dismissal and asked: “When would you like to come to Rome to work with me as an adviser?” He praised Fedorov as an innovator who had “completely changed the rules of the game on the battlefield.” The former minister was dismissed in mid-July after roughly six months at the helm of Ukraine’s defense department amid tensions with the country’s military leadership and policy disputes. His removal triggered rare wartime protests. He has since sharpened his criticism of President Zelenskyy, calling for elections earlier this month despite Russia’s ongoing invasion and warning that Ukrainians “cannot endlessly live” without understanding how major decisions are made. Zelenskyy has rejected the idea, warning that wartime elections could “destroy” the country.

Climate and artificial intelligence are set to feature prominently in Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union address, according to two officials. Bjoern Seibert, the European Commission president’s powerful head of cabinet, discussed the likely themes of the speech with the other 26 commissioners’ chiefs of staff at their traditional post-summer meeting on Friday, held this year in Jodoigne, Wallonia. The gathering included a session dedicated to the Commission president’s Sept. 16 address, which is currently being drafted, where cabinet heads pitched Seibert their departments’ priorities for inclusion in the speech. During Friday’s discussion with the cabinet chiefs, Seibert linked the expected focus on climate to the damage caused by floods and wildfires over the summer, according to the two officials, who were briefed on the gathering. They were granted anonymity to discuss the closed-door talks. The climate focus comes as von der Leyen’s Commission tries to defend its 2040 emissions-cutting target while responding to mounting pressure from industry and national capitals to limit the economic cost of the green transition. The discussion also touched on how to present AI’s impact on jobs. Von der Leyen’s team has asked the Commission’s relevant policy units, in particular DG Connect, to provide fresh statistics for the speech on the number of jobs likely to be lost and created as AI adoption spreads, according to one of the officials. Seibert also raised migration as a likely topic in the address, referring to the crisis in the Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta, according to one of the officials. The Commission is expected to revamp the mandate and operations of EU border agency Frontex, a third official said. The Commission president’s speech is expected to include references to social policy around the 10th anniversary of the European Pillar of Social Rights next year, alongside Ukraine and enlargement, according to one of the officials. But the topics have yet to be finalized. The meeting was the second major opportunity for commissioners to get their priorities name-checked, with their cabinets having already submitted two- to three-page pitches to Seibert. The Commission’s policy units, known as the directorates-general, also submitted documents outlining the topics they want von der Leyen to cover. For commissioners, even a fleeting reference in the State of the Union matters. A line in the speech can propel a policy file up the executive’s political pecking order, giving cabinets every incentive to fight for space. But with limited room in one of Brussels’ most closely watched speeches, not everyone will make the cut. Commissioners will get another opportunity to lobby von der Leyen when they gather for the traditional College seminar in Tervuren next week, marking the start of the new political season. “It will be the last chance for commissioners to catch her eye before the speech,” said one of the officials. The Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Kevin Warsh in speech underscores Fed's commitment to tackling inflation, with rate hikes possibly on horizon.

Healthy domestic demand, led by consumer spending and business investment, shows Canada was brushing off past tariffs.

Moscow recruits an estimated 1,000 people a day but western officials say it cannot keep up with casualty levelRussia is losing about 6,000 more troops in Ukraine each month than it can recruit, western officials have said.While Russia is still acquiring new battlefield recruits at speed, with an estimated rate of 1,000 a day, in the last two months even this has not been sufficient to replace those killed or injured. Continue reading...

Norwegians mourning King Harald V outside the Royal Palace in Oslo on Friday described the late monarch as a beloved grandfather figure who made all citizens feel at home. Mourners gathered to lay floral tributes after news of his death. Norway’s prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, also paid tribute to King Harald, saying the 'entire nation is in mourning'. Harald's 53-year-old son will become Norway's new king, Haakon VIII, while Haakon's 22-year-old daughter, Ingrid Alexandra, becomes crown princessNorway’s King Harald dies aged 89 Continue reading...

Spanish prime minister accused of ‘putting on flip-flops’ while illegal border crossings remain unresolved

Indictment means pro-Palestinian activists could face tougher sentences if convicted of ‘malicious mischief’