British act Henge, who perform as extraterrestrials spreading peace through a genre they call Cosmic Dross, are to appear in Estonia next year.

Estonia's centuries-old mardipäev and kadripäev customs were nominated for inclusion on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list. A decision is expected in early December.

The founder of a new political party representing older people in Estonia wants to give that demographic a voice, and to fund a rise in pensions by boosting the economy and industry.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said on Monday that former state secretary Taimar Peterkop will become the ministry's new secretary general.

Estonia's centuries-old mardipäev and kadripäev customs were nominated for inclusion on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list. A decision is expected in early December.

While many students go abroad on exchange, one young Rapla student chose a different adventure: two weeks at a tiny island school in Kihnu.

Euroliiga klubi Istanbuli Besiktas jääb pikemaks ajaks ilma tagamängijast Jaylen Nowellist.

Ott Lepland on viimastel aastatel rõõmustanud kuulajaid uute laulude ja menukate kontsertidega, kuid särava lavataguse elu juurde on kuulunud ka hetki, millest avalikkus kuigi palju ei tea. Teisipäeva hommikul raadio Elmar stuudios külas käinud muusik avas oma elu valusamat poolt ning tunnistas, et mõned läbielamised on jätnud temasse sedavõrd sügava jälje, et need on leidnud tee ka tema lauludesse.

Delegations from Kyiv, Washington and Moscow are in the United Arab Emirates for the first trilateral talks since February.

About 50 other people were injured in the pile-ups along a section of the Trakia motorway, officials have said.

The AI company behind the Claude chatbot will offer its shares at between $70 and $78.

Sales of essential goods such as hand sanitiser soar after the government called on households to be prepared for emergencies.

BERLIN — Germany’s electric vehicle subsidy scheme is running out of money far faster than the government anticipated. The program was supposed to last until 2029, but at the current rate of spending its entire €2.7 billion budget could be gone by the end of 2027, according to a document prepared for final negotiations on Germany’s 2027 federal budget and seen by WELT, a sister publication of POLITICO in the Axel Springer Group. “The EV subsidy scheme is developing far more dynamically than anticipated when it was designed and its funding requirements were originally calculated,” the document states. The budget allocation is being adjusted, but “without changing the overall size of the program.” According to government estimates, the funding is enough to subsidize around 800,000 vehicles. Buyers can receive government grants of up to €6,000 per vehicle. In early October, Germany’s BAFA export control agency, which administers the scheme, said it had already approved 100,000 applications and paid out more than €430 million. If applications continue at the same pace, spending could reach €1 billion in 2026. The federal budget originally earmarked just €803 million for the scheme in 2027, but the government now expects to pay out €1.7 billion — draining the fund. So far, the government has given no indication of whether it intends to put more cash into the program. Environment Minister Carsten Schneider said in October that demand had exceeded all expectations. At the same time, he sought to reassure prospective buyers that there is enough money in the program to continue funding through 2027. “Anyone who decides to buy a battery-electric vehicle now and meets the eligibility criteria need not worry about next year either,” Schneider told Auto Motor Sport magazine. However, the application process does pose risks for car buyers facing long delivery times. Government subsidies are not reserved when customers place an order at a dealership, but are only granted once the vehicle has been registered for the first time. Electric vehicle sales are soaring in Germany. More than 94,000 new EVs were registered in October for a record market share of 37%, according to the Federal Motor Transport Authority. “The market is booming — but it is booming primarily because of the subsidy,” Constantin Gall, an automotive expert at the EY consultancy, told the AFP news agency. The real test, he said, would come when the money runs out. “I expect electric vehicle registrations to fall sharply again, just as they did in 2024 after the subsidy was discontinued in December 2023.”

The EU’s watchdog is investigating whether the European Commission managed to “identify, assess and address” actual or potential conflicts of interest when it appointed the chairman of Siemens as Ursula von der Leyen’s AI envoy. A group of NGOs complained in June to the European Ombudsman about the choice of Jim Hagemann Snabe. Among his responsibilities in the role is to produce a report on issues including AI infrastructure, frontier AI technologies and industrial AI adoption.  The NGOs, which include Transparency International and Corporate Europe Observatory, warned that Snabe’s ongoing role at Siemens “may compromise the envoy’s independence and impartiality.” The European Ombudsman in September launched a probe into the Commission over its failure to respond to the NGO concerns. Now, it has gone one step further. “You argue that the Commission did not properly identify, assess, and address actual or potential conflicts of interest,” Ombudsman Teresa Anjinho wrote in a letter to Corporate Europe Observatory. “Therefore you would like the Commission to revoke the appointment.” “I have decided to open an inquiry into this complaint,” she wrote, adding that it was necessary for the watchdog to inspect Commission documents, and possibly meet with “relevant Commission staff members.” Bram Vranken, Corporate Europe Observatory researcher and campaigner, said “it is clearly impossible for Mr Hagemann Snabe to navigate the potential conflicts of interest. He has direct financial interests in the data centre build-out and watering down rules on AI.” Snabe will serve in the unpaid role until the end of March 2027. His appointment in June drew criticism from NGOs because of Siemens’ recent role in lobbying to loosen the AI rules now shaping Europe’s industrial strategy.  Siemens was one of the main proponents of exempting products covered by the EU’s machinery rules from the bloc’s flagship AI law — a tweak EU legislators agreed to in the summer and which is now part of the law.  Siemens is also part of European Tech Creators, a new lobbying force in Brussels that also includes SAP, ASML, Mistral, Airbus, Ericsson, Nokia and BMW. The group has met with von der Leyen and plans to seek meetings with the Commission president once a quarter.  The Commission did not reply to a request for comment by the time of publication. The EU executive has previously defended Snabe’s appointment by saying that his report will be publicly available and “subject to public scrutiny,” and that his advice will be “visible and accessible to all.”  The Commission denied access to a series of documents around Snabe’s appointment — both to European Parliament lawmakers and to POLITICO. Additional reporting by Pieter Haeck

Israel has killed more than 1,600 people in Gaza since last year's 'ceasefire', the enclave's Health Ministry says.

Suspect in deadly November 7 Krakow shooting looked up the white supremacist who killed dozens in 2011, a minister says.

US-led talks in Abu Dhabi break up after four hours but are expected to resume tomorrow as Zelenskyy says humanitarian issues were discussedUS officials seek ‘final end’ to Russia-Ukraine war as talks beginThe EU has said it stands ready “to come with a swift and united response” after France blamed Iran for a spate of cyber-attacks on supermarket freezers and chillers that caused millions of euros of damage.Speaking to journalists on Monday, French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said “Europe-wide sanctions” would be imposed against those responsible as he announced France believed that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were “responsible for this attack”.We acknowledge that France has attributed these (cyber-attacks) to Iran. Pending discussions with member states, we as (the) European Union, we stand ready to come with a swift and united response.We as the EU, we have consistently called on all states to refrain from malicious behaviour in the cyberspace. And we will continue to address such malicious behavior, making use of all the tools that we have also under the EU cyber diplomacy toolbox, including sanctions. Continue reading...

First substantive peace talks since February to include US proposal for ‘long-term security architecture’ between Moscow and EuropeEurope live – latest updatesUS officials have said they are seeking a “final end” to the war between Russia and Ukraine, beginning with trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, the first substantive negotiations between the two countries since February.The talks are the first since the US launched joint strikes with Israel against Iran, and they follow bruising midterm elections that have weakened Donald Trump at home. The first day of talks ended early Tuesday afternoon local time with a second day set for Wednesday. Continue reading...

Expectations of a breakthrough are low because Vladimir Putin shows no sign of wanting to halt the conflict

Trying to get stuff done without these new powers and funding streams has been too difficult for elected mayors