Tallinn is raising back-to-school benefits for city schoolchildren this fall, with payments for first graders starting school nearly doubling.

A draft Family Law Act would require adoptive families to inform children of their adoption and would grant children the right to obtain information about their biological parents without the latter's consent.

Several new Estonian ambassadors to European nations have been appointed, including to Ukraine.

The chances of Estonia's next president being elected in the Riigikogu are slim, as the level of trust between political parties is extremely low, finds Social Democratic Party deputy chair Jevgeni Ossinovski.

Tallinn is raising back-to-school benefits for city schoolchildren this fall, with payments for first graders starting school nearly doubling.

A draft Family Law Act would require adoptive families to inform children of their adoption and would grant children the right to obtain information about their biological parents without the latter's consent.

Eurovisiooni esimene poolfinaal Viinis tõi Eestile seekord pettumuse, kui Vanilla Ninja ei pääsenud finaali, kuigi bändi sõnul anti laval endast maksimum: «Loomulikult soovisime finaali pääseda, sel korral kahjuks nii ei läinud.»

«Ta suutis murda läbi minu paksudest kaitsekihtidest ja ma julgesin talle näidata oma haavatavat poolt,» kirjeldas tänavu Soomet Eurovisioonil esindav Linda Lampenius, viiuldaja, kelle aastakümneid kestnud karjäär on naise viinud nii lavale kui ka Playboy esikaanele.

Andriy Yermak was named by Ukraine's two anti-corruption agencies as a suspect in a money-laundering scheme.

She told an EU summit that an expert panel was due to come up with steps on how to protect minors online by July.

Sam Altman said Elon Musk tried many times for total control of OpenAI, which he's now suing.

The possibility of a change of leadership in the UK has unsettled some investors and sent bond yields higher.

Israel has qualified to compete in Saturday’s Eurovision Song Contest final amid ongoing controversy surrounding the country’s participation. Israel’s contestant is Noam Bettan, performing the song “Michelle.” He was one of 10 acts to qualify in Tuesday’s semifinal. Greece, Finland, Belgium, Sweden, Moldova, Serbia, Croatia, Lithuania and Poland also made it through to the final. A second semifinal will take place on Thursday. The top 10 acts from each semifinal will compete on Saturday alongside last year’s winner Austria, and “Big Four” countries France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, which automatically qualify for the final round. Five countries chose not to participate in this year’s Eurovision contest if Israel competed, saying their decision was based on Israel’s war in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis it triggered. Russia was kicked out of the contest in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine. Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people in Israel, a large majority of whom were civilians, and taking 251 hostages. The attack prompted a major Israeli military offensive in Gaza, which killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, many of them civilians and children, displaced 90 percent of Gaza’s population and destroyed buildings in wide areas. Despite a ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump in October 2025, Israel continues to strike Gaza, and settler violence in the occupied West Bank continues. The unprecedented boycott of Eurovision by five countries has been described as an existential moment in the song contest’s 70-year history.

LONDON — The opening of a new U.K. parliamentary session is steeped in decades of pageantry and tradition. But few have taken place in these circumstances. On Wednesday morning, King Charles III will enter parliament to deliver a speech setting out Keir Starmer’s legislative agenda for the second parliamentary session of his premiership. Over 35 bills will be listed, according to the government. But after last week’s disastrous local and devolved elections for Starmer’s Labour Party, the question on Westminster’s mind is how much of it will actually be delivered — and by whom. “The British people expect the Government to get on with the job of changing our country for the better,” a defiant Starmer said on Tuesday. He said the laws will “deliver on the promise of change for the British people” that ushered Labour into power less than two years ago — and cautioned colleagues weighing up a challenge to his leadership that they face a choice over whether to “press ahead with a plan to build a stronger, fairer country or turn back to the chaos and instability of the past.” The government said the package of bills will focus on “strengthening the U.K.’s foundations through measures to bolster economic, energy, national security” in a world that is “more volatile and dangerous than at any point in recent history.” The speech is expected to include a number of bills designed to tackle the cost of living, boost economic growth, modernize the British state and restore ties with the European Union. Legislation will be introduced to allow the government to pursue “dynamic alignment” with EU laws as part of the PM’s commitment to improve trade and investment ties with the bloc. An “Energy Independence Bill” will also be introduced. The government said the bill will allow it to “tackle the affordability crisis and speed up the delivery of clean energy technologies and vital grid infrastructure.” It will also introduce “reforms to regulation to drive growth and innovation, and changes to give businesses the confidence to invest and grow,” it said. That’s expected to include a bill to reduce red tape in the financial services sector, including by folding the payments regulator into the City watchdog, and a separate bill to set regulators firmer growth expectations and allow ministers to create sandboxes for novel AI applications. Other bills aligned to the government’s Industrial Strategy include legislation to formally create the National Wealth Fund, reform procurement and nationalize British Steel. “Landmark public service reforms in the NHS, police and special education needs will also strengthen our country,” the government said. Following a series of consultations and white papers over the last year, the government will introduce legislation to bring forward a controversial new digital identity system, overhaul the U.K.’s police forces and modernize the NHS through better use of data sharing. No. 10 said its agenda will “meet the evolving threats facing the U.K. head on, strengthening our defences and keeping pace with modern technologies from cyber-attacks to new powers to counter state threats so we can better disrupt the sharing of extreme content online.” It will include legislation to “deliver a firm but fair immigration system that restores control and earns public trust.” Seven bills have been carried over from the previous parliamentary session after running out of time. They include reforms to the jury system, updates to the U.K.’s cybersecurity regime, and the government’s electoral reform law, which will extend the vote to over-16s. Charles will read out the speech from a throne in the House of Lords, and will be followed by several days of debate in both houses of parliament.

Author Oliver Eagleton explains why British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is fighting for his job.

Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed 2,883 people and injured 8,787 since March 2, Lebanon's Health Ministry says.

Health officials in Paris say French woman who contracted disease on MV Hondius is on ventilator in intensive careThe head of the World Health Organization has told countries to prepare for more hantavirus cases as authorities in Paris said a French woman who contracted the virus onboard the MV Hondius had the most severe form of the disease and had been put on a ventilator.Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus thanked Spain for the “compassion and solidarity” it had shown by taking in the stricken cruise ship and urged authorities to follow the WHO’s advice and recommendations, which include a 42-day quarantine and constant monitoring of high-risk contacts. Continue reading...

Albrecht Weinberg spent years teaching students about Nazi atrocities after being imprisoned at Auschwitz and BelsenThree Auschwitz survivors tell their storiesAlbrecht Weinberg, who survived a series of Nazi concentration and death camps and lost most of his family in the Holocaust before returning to Germany in his 80s, has died.Weinberg died in Leer, north-western Germany, weeks after his 101st birthday and the premiere of a film about his life, Es Ist Immer in Meinem Kopf (It Is Always in My Head). Continue reading...

PM due to hold crunch meeting with health secretary Wes Streeting after challenging rivals to launch leadership bids

Carmakers seek tie-ups with Chinese groups and traditional rivals to secure scale and technology