The Supreme Court has ruled that the Environmental Board's 2020 order authorizing the hunting of wolves was unlawful because the agency failed to take into account the Bern Convention, under which wolves were still subject to strict protection at the time.

"Soft diplomacy is part of our security — if people know us, they won't abandon us," says Estonia's long-time cultural attaché in Germany, Merit Kopli.

Isamaa and the Center Party remained Estonia's two most popular parties in June, with ratings separated by less than the latest poll's margin of error, Emor said Friday.

The most popular choice for Estonia's next prime minister is Urmas Reinsalu, the latest poll by NGO Ühiskonnauuringute Instituut and the research firm Norstat has found.

The Supreme Court has ruled that the Environmental Board's 2020 order authorizing the hunting of wolves was unlawful because the agency failed to take into account the Bern Convention, under which wolves were still subject to strict protection at the time.

Two people were killed Friday afternoon when a truck collided with a car at an intersection in Järva County.

Neljapäeva hilisõhtul lõppes üks silmapaistev kabrioletisõit Tallinna kesklinnas ootamatult ja kurvalt, kui F. R. Kreutzwaldi ja Raua tänava ristmikul põrkasid kokku kaks sõiduautot. Pealtnägija sõnul oli löök sedavõrd tugev, et lähedal asuv maja värises.

Brasiilia jalgpallikoondis kogub MM-finaalturniiril vaikselt hoogu.

The highly public exchange is an indication that their earlier close ties have frayed since Trump's decision to go to war with Iran.

Ukraine has denounced the move, calling it a "strategic mistake" and "disrespectful".

Sales agreements will be legally binding sooner and making sellers provide more home information up front are part of the planned changes.

The Ryanair boss extends his contract to 2032, in a deal featuring a bonus scheme that could earn him more than €150m (£130m).

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has given Belarus a one-week ultimatum to remove relay equipment on its territory that he says is helping Russia attack Ukraine, warning that Kyiv will otherwise intervene itself to halt the transmissions. In a social media post on Friday night, Zelenskyy directly urged his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, to “remove that equipment.” “I think a week is enough for him to do that. … If he doesn’t do it, we will,” Zelenskyy said. Zelenskyy added that “Russia will keep pushing him further into this war,” but that the Belarusian president now “understands that Ukraine will respond.” Kyiv’s pressure on Minsk is not limited to the relay equipment that, according to Zelenskyy, “adjusts fire on our people.” Ukraine’s leader also criticized Lukashenko over his country’s oil-refining sector, arguing that “today, Belarus is one of the key suppliers for the Russian army.” This is not the first time Kyiv has denounced Russia’s use of Belarusian territory to launch attacks against Ukraine or countries supporting it. Zelenskyy warned in mid-May that Moscow was “considering plans for operations to the south and north of Belarusian territory” either against Ukraine “or against one of the NATO countries.” Belarus’ support for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has been documented since the early stages of the war, when Moscow’s forces used Belarusian territory to launch missile and drone attacks against Ukraine. But Belarus stopped short of deploying its own troops, a move that would have made it a direct participant in the conflict. Russia’s most recent alleged plans to attack Ukraine from Belarusian territory prompted Kyiv to strengthen defenses along its northern border, including concrete barriers to stop armored vehicles and anti-tank ditches, according to the Guardian. Lukashenko said in an interview with Al Arabiya on June 15 that Belarus does not pose a threat to Ukraine. He also apologized to Zelenskyy for previous remarks. “But when I started to be threatened, I had to answer,” Lukashenko said.

UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, Ukraine — At a secret warehouse, in the darkness of night, masked specialists from Ukraine’s military intelligence service GUR drill and hammer as they assemble a line of 15-foot-long aircraft. These are Ukrainian Liutyi long-range kamikaze drones, carrying explosive payloads of up to 150 pounds and capable of traveling nearly 1,300 miles. Later that night, they will be launched toward targets inside Russia. “They are now our most important card in this war,” says a Ukrainian commander using the call sign “Vector,” as he taps the wing of one of the drones. He leads a unit specializing in so-called deep strikes — attacks conducted far behind Russian lines. A drone campaign that began in early 2024 with only a few dozen aircraft per month has evolved into a large-scale operation. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s forces are now launching an average of 200 to 300 drones against targets in Russian territory every night. On Thursday, Ukraine unleashed its largest attack yet deep inside Russia, targeting an oil refinery near Moscow. The explosions sent plumes of black smoke billowing above the capital’s suburbs and shut down flights at four airports for hours. Russian officials reported downing hundreds of drones in the skies above Moscow and other cities. A reporting team from the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, which includes POLITICO, was granted permission to observe one night of mission preparations earlier this month under restrictions aimed at protecting the unit’s security: Mobile phones were prohibited, the faces of intelligence personnel could not be filmed, and their voices must be altered in any video. The intelligence officials explained that the attacks rely on a difficult-to-counter combination of explosive-laden long-range kamikaze drones, decoy drones designed to confuse air defenses and missile-type drones. Their primary targets are military installations and oil facilities — sites crucial to both the conduct and financing of Russia’s war effort. “At the beginning, Russians believed they were conducting a special military operation. Now they understand that this is a war,” Commander “Vector” said. The message to Russia, he adds: “‘This war has now reached your homes as well.’ We hope that message helps Russia bring this war to an end.” Zelenskyy is counting on the drone campaign shifting the war in Ukraine’s favor. He recently published an open letter addressed to Putin, urging him to engage in direct peace negotiations. He repeatedly referenced Ukraine’s drone strikes, including a similar attack on St. Petersburg on June 3 that embarrassed the Russian leader as he convened an economic summit beneath plumes of black smoke. “As you know very well, that distance is not the limit of our capabilities,” Zelenskyy wrote, highlighting the consequences of the attacks for ordinary Russians: fuel shortages, rising prices and, not least, fear. “They do not like our drones and missiles,” Zelenskyy said in the letter. The Ukrainian leader has spent recent weeks cheekily describing the attacks as “long-range sanctions.” Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign is already producing measurable economic consequences inside Russia. During the St. Petersburg summit, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak acknowledged publicly for the first time that Russian oil production has declined since the beginning of the year. He attributed the slowdown to unscheduled maintenance work at refineries — a bureaucratic euphemism for facilities damaged by Ukrainian drone strikes. Several major refineries in central Russia have been forced to reduce output or suspend operations altogether after coming under attack. Ben Hodges, former commanding general of the U.S. Army Europe, argues that Russia’s greatest strength through the centuries is now its disadvantage: its vastness. “Now, because of what Ukraine has accomplished in terms of long-range precision strike, what once was Russia’s strength is now a major vulnerability,” he says in an interview. “They cannot protect everything. Every refinery, every shipyard, every factory — everything — is now reachable, including targets [in Siberia].” Military analyst Franz-Stefan Gady, who regularly visits Ukrainian units near the front, argues that Russia faces a structural disadvantage in a drone war because of its continental scale. “The cost asymmetry is turning against the defender,” Gady says. To be sure, Russia’s economy remains a long way from collapse. Yet attacks on refineries are no longer producing only dramatic images of towering fireballs and black smoke. They are beginning to create tangible disruptions across parts of the Russian energy sector. Industry data and market assessments suggest that repeated strikes have periodically sidelined a significant share of Russia’s oil-product export infrastructure this year, forcing operators to adjust production schedules and redirect supplies. The effects are increasingly visible beyond industrial facilities themselves. “We know from history that war is a test of will, but it’s also a test of logistics. The Ukrainians are hammering Russian logistics,” Hodges says. Still, Russia has recently benefited from geopolitical developments. The war between the United States, Israel and Iran has pushed global oil prices higher, providing Moscow with an unexpected financial boost. Russia’s increased state oil and gas revenues — which account for roughly one-fifth of total budget income — have helped offset at least part of the economic pressure generated by sanctions and Ukrainian strikes. It is just before midnight inside the warehouse when technicians from Ukraine’s military intelligence service fasten the final bolts onto the long-range drones. Depending on the model, some can now travel as far as 2,000 miles and carry payloads of more than 500 pounds, according to Commander “Vector.” “Be assured that we can reach any location up to the Urals,” he says, naming the mountain range that marks the eastern edge of European Russia and the beginning of Siberia. “And with a bit of luck, perhaps even beyond.” The cost of each drone is estimated at roughly $230,000, although the price varies depending on the configuration. Russia has struggled to stop the attacks because Ukraine has continuously adapted its operational methods. Night after night, under cover of darkness, multiple small teams disperse across the country — often in eastern Ukraine — to launch drones from different locations. “If the Russians destroy some launch sites or a few individual drones, we still have 10 or 20 others. That is very important for us,” Commander “Vector” says. The approach resembles a form of guerrilla warfare that fits Ukraine’s broader strategy of asymmetric conflict and is difficult to counter. A few meters away from the larger aircraft lie smaller decoy drones that carry no explosives. During attack missions, they are often launched first to occupy and confuse Russian air defenses. Ukraine also says it employs so-called missile drones as part of its combined strike packages. These weapons are several times faster than the Liutyi drones. Technicians from the GUR are preparing several of them for launch alongside the larger aircraft. They call the jet-powered model “Peklo” — Ukrainian for “Hell.” “It is extremely precise and extremely fast… Thanks to a special navigation system and a specially developed antenna, it can strike even very small targets with high accuracy,” explains a Ukrainian technician using the call sign “Logist.” Markus Reisner, an Austrian colonel and military analyst, believes Russia’s air defenses are increasingly overwhelmed by the scale and complexity of the attack waves. Drones guided by artificial intelligence are also resistant to electronic jamming, he notes, neutralizing what has so far been one of Russia’s most effective defensive capabilities. How data-driven Ukraine’s drone campaign has become is evident in a side room of the warehouse. There, military intelligence pilots are planning the routes for the drones scheduled to strike targets inside Russia later that night. Their screens display a constant stream of real-time information: weather conditions, Russian positions and flight data. “For every day and every hour, we know how they move their air-defense systems and electronic warfare assets. Every night we use different flight routes. We never repeat them,” says “Vector.” At the heart of the operation is an AI-assisted software platform called Prisma, which integrates battlefield data into a continuously updated operational picture. The experience and data collected during countless missions have become one of Ukraine’s most valuable assets, the commander says. “We can compare routes and operations from different years. We know which corridors work best.” Ukrainian long-range drones have now penetrated even the heavily protected Moscow region. When was the last time he personally planned an attack on Moscow, we ask “Vector.” Unfortunately, he says, he cannot discuss that publicly. For the first time all night, he bursts out laughing.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage format, criteria and rules for qualification. Find out who's in and who's out.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Exclusive: Tourism minister says another likely record year of visitor growth is not a worry amid move to welcome tourists out of season and market less frequented areasSpain is redoubling its efforts to push its tourist appeal beyond the familiar “sun and sand and coast” model as it prepares for another record-breaking year in which the number of foreign visitors could reach 100 million for the first time, the country’s tourism minister has said.Speaking to the Guardian, Jordi Hereu rejected suggestions that Spain was now saturated with tourists but said it had become clear that the “old formulas no longer work”, especially amid growing concerns about overtourism and the effects of the climate emergency. Continue reading...

Officials expand safety measures as French capital prepares for huge annual street celebrationParis is preparing for a street party of unprecedented scale on Sunday, as more than 2 million people are expected to gather for the Fête de la Musique amid a huge influx of music fans from the UK and warnings of record temperatures.France’s annual free street music festival, which has been running for more than 40 years, has grown into the country’s largest cultural event. What was previously a nationwide showcase for local and amateur talent – from village choirs to classical ensembles and techno acts in the capital – has evolved into a vast international open-air celebration. Continue reading...

Collision on the Midland Main Line is the first fatal rail incident in nearly two years

European companies have more to gain by way of recovery if energy shortages caused by the Iran conflict ease