Read the latest news from regional and global sources, presenting different voices and perspectives.
Estonia's police hand out postcards from Death to celebrate good drivers
ERR
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July 11, 2025
Road deaths and accidents in Estonia have been on an upward trend for the last five years, pushing authorities to find innovative ways to combat the problem. Experts say there is little demand in society for road safety measures. The campaign was...
Estonia's Mulgi center seeks urine to revive traditional dyeing method
ERR
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July 10, 2025
The Mulgi Experience Center in Southern Estonia is collecting urine to produce a traditional dye known as "pot blue," once commonly used in local folk dress in the Mulgimaa region, Lõuna-Eesti Postimees writes. Those who want to contribute to the...
Building a stronger community: How Estonia continues to help rebuild Ukraine
ERR
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July 11, 2025
Estonia has been actively contributing to Ukraine's recovery since 2022 and is helping to rebuild the Zhytomyr region, in the north of the country, bordering Belarus. Several projects have already been completed, including reconstructing a...
Think big, build smart: The Estonian unicorn playbook for success
EU Startups
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July 11, 2025
1.37 million people, 10 unicorns. That’s one unicorn per 137,000 citizens. The number sounds abstract until you put it in context: Germany would need around 600 unicorns to match this ratio. It has 46. Estonia doesn’t just produce...
Estonia adds identity verification to new digital government app
Biometric Update
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July 9, 2025
Estonia has launched an identity verification feature for the country’s digital government app to make it easier to access services. The EEsti.ee app, sometimes referred to as the Estonian app, was launched in December, and connects to more than...
Tartu open-air film festival to show classic movies about love this August
ERR
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July 9, 2025
This August sees the 20th edition of Tartu's open-air film festival "Tartuff." Over the course of 6 days, 10 movies will be shown in Tartu Town Hall Square (Raekoja Plats) all about love. From August 4 to 9, Tartu's Town Hall Square will once...
100 moments: ERR photographers' top shots from Estonia's Song and Dance Festival
ERR
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July 10, 2025
Celebrating Estonia's iconic Song and Dance Festival, ERR photographers Siim Lõvi and Ken Mürk present their photographers' cut — a selection of the top 100 moments capturing the spirit, color and energy of this unique heritage event. For four...
Estonia launches state app to bring government to your phone
Estonian World
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July 9, 2025
In its latest push to stay ahead as a global digital leader, Estonia has launched a state-backed mobile app that lets citizens access services, verify their identity and track their personal data – all from their smartphone. Estonia, long hailed...
Tallinn mayor brushes off Reform criticism to continue cooperation
ERR
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July 9, 2025
Mayor of Tallinn Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE) said there are two possible outcomes of the upcoming local elections: either he will continue as mayor, or Mihhail Kõlvart (Center) will return to lead the council. This week, Reform agreed to rejoin the...
Minister: airBaltic will fly from Tallinn even without Estonian stake
ERR
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July 10, 2025
Latvian carrier airBaltic must, due to its size, fly from Tallinn regardless of whether Estonia held a stake in the company or not, Minister of Infrastructure Kuldar Leis (Reform) said. The Estonian state on July 3 declined an offer from Latvia to...
Other Tartu mayoral candidates oppose Center's free public transport pitch
ERR
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July 9, 2025
The Center Party has proposed making public transport free for all residents in Tartu, following Tallinn's example. Mayoral candidates from other parties in this fall's local elections disagree. In the City of Tartu, public transport is currently...
OpenAI’s Education Head Says Real Learning Takes Struggle—Not Just ChatGPT Help
The New York Observer
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July 9, 2025
About 40 percent of ChatGPT users are under the age of 24. Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post With ChatGPT now widely available to students around the globe, concerns about cheating and the erosion of critical thinking skills are growing. OpenAI is well...
Israeli-Armenian activist sees hope after years of mistrust
The California Courier
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The Times of Israel It didn’t make international headlines, but yesterday, the capital of a nation whose people were devastated by genocide during World War II memorialized victims of a nation ravaged by genocide during World War I. On July 7, the...
More international students choosing Estonia for university
ERR
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July 9, 2025
This fall, more international students are expected to begin studies at Estonian universities than in recent years, with the largest numbers coming from Azerbaijan and Ukraine and strong interest in business, the humanities, the arts and ICT,...
Gallery: Belarusian community in Estonia celebrates midsummer
ERR
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July 9, 2025
Belarusians in Estonia celebrated midsummer, known as Kupalle, on Sunday (July 6) with a concert at Paavli Culture Factory in Tallinn. Participants celebrated Belarusian culture and traditions by making traditional flower wreaths, and with dancing...
Initiative to reduce VAT on food gains broad support in Estonia
Baltic News Network
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July 9, 2025
More than 50,000 citizens have already signed a public initiative calling for a reduction in value-added tax on food products to 10 percent, writes ERR News. From the 1st of July, the VAT rate in Estonia for all goods, including food, was...
Tallinn deputy mayor: Eesti 200 won't OK scrapping kindergarten fees
ERR
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July 7, 2025
Amid practical concerns, Tallinn Deputy Mayor Aleksei Jašin (Eesti 200) said the city government will need opposition support to eliminate kindergarten fees in the capital, as his party won't be backing the proposal. "We still don't support...
Tallinn's reunited coalition to abolish kindergarten fees from September
ERR
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July 7, 2025
According to Mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski, during its meeting on Monday, Tallinn City Government decided to send a draft decree to the city council for approval, which would abolish attendance fees at Tallinn's municipal kindergartens from September...
50,000 people sign petition to lower Estonia's VAT rate on food to 10%
ERR
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July 9, 2025
By midday Wednesday, more than 50,000 people had signed a citizens' initiative calling on the Riigikogu to lower the value-added tax on food products to 10 percent. As of July 1, VAT in Estonia — including on all foodstuffs — was raised to 24...
More children seeking help but services are overloaded
ERR
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July 9, 2025
Newly released data from Statistics Estonia shows that the number of children in need — those whose safety, development, or well-being is at risk — is growing. In 2020, a total of 3,052 children required support; by 2024, that number had risen to...