20.10.26 NEWS ... Women can hold their own across the Estonian Defense Forces, officials say, as demographic shifts make their role in the country's wartime reserve increasingly important.

20.10.26 NEWS ... New Škoda electric trains on Elron's Tallinn-Tartu route will offer onboard cafe service, letting passengers buy food and drinks during their journey.

20.10.26 OPINION ... Estonia faces genuine challenges from irregular migration, but repeated warnings of a potential crisis risk amplifying public fears beyond what the numbers warrant, writes Keidi Jaakson.

20.10.26 NEWS ... Estonia can learn from Israel's decades of experience with war, particularly when it comes to building shelters, warning the public about attacks and preparing people for crises, Israeli civil defense expert Yoram Laredo says.

20.10.26 NEWS ... Although the number of junk cars has declined, more than 150,000 vehicles remain registered in Estonia that are either sitting unused or no longer exist.

20.10.26 NEWS ... Tallinn has backed away from plans to build pedestrian bridges at the Kristiine intersection in the coming years, but still plans to improve the area for pedestrians, public transport and cyclists, Tallinn Deputy Mayor Kristjan Järvan (Isamaa) has said.

20.10.26 NEWS ... Estonia is moving closer to adopting voluntary Nutri-Score food labels, but producers question whether the simplified nutritional ratings really give consumers a fair picture.

20.10.26 NEWS ... As fall cleanups leave urban hedgehogs with fewer places to hibernate, kids and volunteers around Tartu are helping build winter nests for Estonia's 2026 animal of the year.

19.10.26 NEWS ... Police should not be allowed to confiscate noncompliant personal light electric vehicles without court approval, as doing so would seriously infringe on property rights, Sorainen attorney Marcus Niin told ERR.

19.10.26 NEWS ... Customers hoping to buy organic eggs in Estonia's supermarkets may have been left empty-handed in recent weeks due to supply chain issues, as producers are currently replacing their flocks.

19.10.26 NEWS ... Artificial intelligence systems that record conversations between patients and doctors, produce written summaries and help physicians make diagnoses and recommend next steps are already a reality in a number of hospitals.

19.10.26 NEWS ... A mink breeding center at the Calviac Zoo in southern France has been named after Estonian zoologist and MP Tiit Maran.

19.10.26 NEWS ... An exhibition focusing on the period following the restoration of independence and the development of capitalism has opened at the Tartu Art Museum.

19.10.26 NEWS ... Effective measures and border controls in Poland and Lithuania have led to a significant increase in migration flows toward Estonia. Police predict that migration pressure will only grow.

19.10.26 NEWS ... Experts are warning that in the internet age, every connected device is a potential threat, following a cyberattack on a grocery store's refrigerators in France last week.

19.10.26 NEWS ... Police officers will gain additional powers to confiscate electric scooters without going to court under new legislation aiming to increase safety for both drivers and pedestrians.

18.10.26 NEWS ... Since patient visit fees increased last year, more and more people have been falling behind on payments to hospitals. Patients with outstanding debts can no longer see a specialist.

17.10.26 NEWS ... A street-level public civil defense shelter in the heart of downtown Tallinn has been transformed with a mural featuring Estonian trees and wildlife.

17.10.26 NEWS ... Nearly a third of teachers at schools transitioning to Estonian lack the required qualifications, as heavy workloads and limited pay make recruitment and retention harder.

17.10.26 NEWS ... Mäo's upgraded highway junction has reopened with five bus stops, two roundabouts and a 30-space parking lot, improving long-distance bus connections in Central Estonia.

17.10.26 NEWS ... A hybrid wind farm under construction in northern Latvia is stirring tensions across the border, where nearby Estonian villages are facing the greater impact.

17.10.26 NEWS ... Dozens of families in Estonia say they are out thousands of euros for canceled school language-learning trips abroad, with one organizer still owing about €50,000 in refunds.

17.10.26 NEWS ... Estonian researchers are mapping the country's fading garden-cottage heritage — the suvila built across the Soviet era.

17.10.26 NEWS ... Pärnu is switching to curbside pickup for sorted household waste in 2027, eliminating public paper and recycling dumpsters from across the city.

16.10.26 NEWS ... Estonia's justice chancellor has found that requiring bedrooms to have openable windows and natural light is constitutional, even in homes with mechanical ventilation.

16.10.26 NEWS ... A cyberattack on French grocery stores Sunday that resulted in large quantities of food being destroyed is also a warning sign for Estonia, cybersecurity experts say.

16.10.26 NEWS ... Museums are concerned that the loss of research funding will jeopardize their projects and hope the decision will be reversed.

16.10.26 NEWS ... The Interior Ministry plans to redesign Estonian passports and add new security features, with blue covers returning for citizen passports from 2030.

15.10.26 NEWS ... The coalition parties want to allow Estonian citizens by birth to hold dual citizenship. The opposition questions what problem the change is intended to solve.

15.10.26 NEWS ... A former Estonian Defense Forces member is currently in a Russian prison, accused by the FSB of planning to fight for Ukraine — a charge his family says was forced out of him.

15.10.26 NEWS ... Tartu Prison Director Merle Ulst acknowledged that renting out prison space is a new situation for all parties involved, requiring both the Estonian Prison Service and the inmates brought to Estonia to adapt.

15.10.26 NEWS ... Ida-Viru County's only psychiatric hospital specializing in mental health treatment is closing due to a shortage of specialists.

15.10.26 NEWS ... Estonia plans to work with other European Union countries to amend legislation to allow assets obtained through criminal activity to be confiscated even without a criminal conviction.

15.10.26 NEWS ... Minister of Culture Heidy Purga told Kuku Radio that a previously planned cut in state funding for public libraries next year has now been scrapped.

15.10.26 NEWS ... The Riigikogu has passed a law allowing young people to vote in European Parliament elections from the age of 16 and stand as candidates from the age of 18, starting in 2029.

15.10.26 NEWS ... The XXIX Open Society Forum took place October 15 at the Nordic Hotel Forum in Tallinn.

15.10.26 NEWS ... The state handed over more than 43,776 canned wild boar to a food bank this week, to be distributed to those in need, Maaleht reported.

15.10.26 NEWS ... The Rescue Board tested the nationwide EE-ALARM warning system again on Wednesday, setting a delivery record but finding many residents still don't know what the sirens mean.

14.10.26 NEWS ... Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas (Eesti 200) has appointed Martin Eessalu as director general of the Language Board.

14.10.26 NEWS ... The Estonian Publishers' Association has issued an open letter urging the state and local governments to pay greater attention to libraries and literature as pillars of education, culture and mental well-being.

14.10.26 NEWS ... An unannounced inspection of Tartu Prison by the chancellor of justice's advisers has revealed concerns among Swedish inmates over detention conditions.

14.10.26 NEWS ... Estonian rare earth metals producer Silmet plans to end its reliance on Russian raw materials by the end of the year, a move that will involve reduced production and temporary shutdowns at its existing facility.

14.10.26 NEWS ... Center Party Chairman Mihhail Kõlvart has knocked Isamaa leader Urmas Reinsalu off the top spot in the Delfi and Turu-uuringute AS poll on preferred prime minister candidates.

14.10.26 NEWS ... Since warning signs became mandatory for mobile speed cameras, the number of fines issued has fallen by nearly 90 percent, while revenue from fines dropped by almost €1 million in September.

14.10.26 NEWS ... Most young people who break the law during adolescence eventually grow out of such behavior, with support, family relationships and teaching responsibility more effective than harsh punishment, experts say.

14.10.26 NEWS ... Student interest in taking out student loans rose sharply this fall at two banks offering such loans, LHV and Swedbank.

14.10.26 NEWS ... Estonian President Ülle Madise has raised the monthly salary for her chief of staff to €8,000, nearly a third more than his predecessor earned.

13.10.26 NEWS ... Tallinn is pushing back against plans to let motorcycles and e-scooters use bus lanes, warning they could slow public transport and increase crash risks.

13.10.26 NEWS ... Although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it has pressured Silmet to stop using Russian raw materials, the company has yet to do so.

13.10.26 NEWS ... Dozens of Soviet-era aerial bombs, many of them live, have been excavated and safely disposed of in Jõgeva County, Maaleht reported.