23.04.19 ... Mart Helme, chair of the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE), has said that recent revelations about one of his party's proposed ministerial candidates being apprehended by the police for speeding, and with trace alcohol in his system, need not jeopardise his position.

23.04.19 ... 4 March, the morning after the 2019 Riigikogu election, Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) politician and now candidate for Minister of Foreign Trade and Information Technology Marti Kuusik was apprehended by the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) in the town of Rakvere, east of Tallinn, for speeding, BNS reports. Mr Kuusik was at the same time found to have traces of alcohol in his system, as already reported by ERR News.

23.04.19 ... British Army Air Corps (AAC) Apache and Wildcat helicopters are due to perform a fly-past at the Veterans' Rock Concert (Veteranirock) in central Tallinn on Tuesday evening, the Estonian Defence Forces (EDF) has announced.

23.04.19 ... President Kersti Kaljulaid gave the go ahead for the tripartite coalition government to take place on Wednesday, according to BNS.

23.04.19 ... Speaking in an interview with host Tarmo Maiberg on ETV foreign policy programme Välisilm on Monday night, President Kersti Kaljulaid said that Estonia's job is to join those EU member states whose leaders have visited Moscow and not leave discussions on difficult topics up to other countries.

23.04.19 ... President Kersti Kaljulaid emphasised in strident terms the twin importance of responsibilities and freedoms, in her speech marking the 100th anniversary of the Riigikogu on Tuesday morning, ERR's online Estonian news reports.

23.04.19 ... NATO jets engaged in Baltic air policing duties were scrambled once during the week commencing 15 April, escorting a Russian Federation military aircraft.

23.04.19 ... President Kersti Kaljulaid on Tuesday continued to meet one-on-one in turn with candidates for minister in Prime Minister Jüri Ratas' (Centre) second government. The Estonian head of state first met with candidate for Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa), then candidate for Minister of the Interior Mart Helme (EKRE) at Kadriorg on Tuesday morning.

23.04.19 ... The Riigikogu is on Tuesday holding a special sitting, to begin at 12:00 EEST, in celebration of its 100th anniversary. The sitting will be opened with an address by President of the Riigikogu Henn Põlluaas (EKRE).

23.04.19 ... A total of 2,900 homes in the Kärdla network area of electricity distribution system operator Elektrilevi were left without power at around 17:00 EEST on Monday evening following a medium voltage line failure. Power was restored to all customers of the Hiiumaa town by later that evening.

22.04.19 ... As reported on ERR News, Monday marks the start of exam season for Estonian school leavers, with the Estonian language state exam taking place that day, followed on Tuesday by the Estonian language exam for those students who speak it as a second language.

22.04.19 ... The Lennart Meri Conference (LMC), named the flagship of Estonia's foreign and security policy, has been forced to warn invited guests about a survey with obscure motives sent to them, daily Postimees reports.

22.04.19 ... Prime Minister Jüri Ratas (Centre) on Monday congratulated Volodymyr Zelensky on winning the presidential elections in the second round in Ukraine on Sunday.

22.04.19 ... Tallinn University (TLÜ) Rector Tiit Land on Monday decided to strip former MP Rainer Vakra (SDE) of his bachelor's degree. Mr Vakra will be allowed to keep his master's degree, however, if he writes a new bachelor's thesis within two years.

22.04.19 ... Incumbent Prime Minister and Centre Party chairman Jüri Ratas has formally submitted his list of ministerial candidates to President Kersti Kaljulaid.

22.04.19 ... The Police and Border Guard Board (PPA), in conjunction with public broadcaster ERR, is to announce the locations of its traffic patrols on a daily basis, starting from Monday.

22.04.19 ... Renowned political analysts David Patrikarakos (UK) and Anton Shekhovtsov (Ukraine) are set to join the roster of international authors appearing at the HeadRead literary festival in late May.

22.04.19 ... Prime Minister Jüri Ratas (Centre) and outgoing foreign minister Sven Mikser (SDE) have been among those expressing their condolences to the Sri Lankan nation, following the wave of bombings over the weekend.

22.04.19 ... The state exam period begins on Monday, starting with the Estonian language exam.

22.04.19 ... The Riigikogu is marking its 100th anniversary in the week commencing 22 April, with, amongst other events, an exhibition, a special sitting, and the minting of a commemorative stamp.

21.04.19 ... 32% of Estonian voters have promised to vote for a Reform Party candidate in next month's European Parliament elections, according to the results of a survey commissioned by ERR and conducted by Turu-uuringute AS. Should Estonia continue with six seats, this would mean at least two mandates.

21.04.19 ... Cleric, historian, writer and translator Vello Salo died late Saturday night; he was 94 years old.

20.04.19 ... Estonia's incoming three-party coalition government is lacking a common set of ideas regarding the Estonian-Russian border, Reform Party MP Marko Mihkelson, former chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu, said in his comments regarding this week's meeting between President Kersti Kaljulaid and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

20.04.19 ... Speaking the day after President Kersti Kaljulaid met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius called on Estonia to coordinate its actions and exercise caution in dialogue with Moscow.

20.04.19 ... Estonia 200 on Friday introduced its programme for the upcoming European Parliament elections, titled "Estonia IS Special!" The programme highlights Estonia's opportunities to make Europe more innovative and digital and less bureaucratic.

19.04.19 ... The Blue Hepatica Run, a charity run organised in honour of veterans of the Estonian Defence Forces (EDF) and the Estonian Defence League (Kaitseliit), was held in Narva for the first time this year, and hundreds of adults and children turned out for the 3.2km event along the Narva River.

19.04.19 ... Tallinn City Council on Thursday approved Mayor Mihhail Kõlvart's proposed changes to the city government. The number of deputy mayors will be reduced from seven to six, and lineup thereof is changing as well, as Tõnis Mölder (Cente), who was elected to the Riigikogu, will be replaced as deputy mayor by Betina Beškina (Centre), and Estonian Greens chairwoman Züleyxa Izmailova has resigned as deputy mayor.

19.04.19 ... Estonian state-owned postal and logistics company Eesti Post, which operates under the Omniva brand and currently offers Estonia's universal post service, will begin automatically forwarding international parcels to parcel terminals rather than post offices. Eesti Post will begin testing out the solution this month, and intends to roll it out nationwide by this summer.

19.04.19 ... Secretary General of the Ministry of Defence Kristjan Prikk and Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces (EDF) Maj. Gen. Martin Herem on Thursday evening gave NATO mission medals to nearly 300 Belgian troops who will soon be concluding their rotation as part of NATO Battle Group Estonia.

19.04.19 ... Former commander of the Estonian Defence Forces (EDF) and current EU parliament candidate for Isamaa, Riho Terras, said on Thursday evening that with Russia, enthusiasm tends to quickly turn into disappointment. Mr Terras criticised President Kersti Kaljulaid for her meeting with her Russian counterpart, saying that it went against the principle of unity in NATO.

19.04.19 ... ERR's Aktuaalne kaamera newscast talked to political scientist and commentator Karmo Tüür on Thursday evening. While Mr Tüür did say that the two presidents' meeting will be of some importance for bilateral relations, it altogether "adds another line" to the existing relationship, rather than turning the page.

19.04.19 ... In an appearance on ETV's Esimene stuudio political talk show, political analyst and Russia expert Kadri Liik said that the length of the meeting of President Kersti Kaljulaid and President Vladimir Putin surprised her, and that although it certainly wasn't a great breakthrough, it has potential in the longer term.

19.04.19 ... President Kersti Kaljulaid met with her Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, in Moscow on Thursday. The two heads of state discussed bilateral and economic relations, Estonia's UN Security Council candidacy and the current international situation. Difficult topics also came up.

18.04.19 ... The prime minister is prime minister for all people of Estonia, not just those who have supported or elected them. The government must likewise work in the name of the best possible future for all of our people. For me there is not, nor will there be, our Estonia and your Estonia. There is only one — our Estonia, said candidate for prime minister Jüri Ratas (Centre) in a speech delivered to the Riigikogu on Wednesday afternoon.

18.04.19 ... At her meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, President Kersti Kaljulaid proposed to her counterpart that the "EU-Russia cooperation program" should be updated. "It is necessary to talk to neighbours, even if we have certain differences," the president said.

18.04.19 ... The absence of contacts between officials of two neighbouring countries is "not normal", Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with President Kersti Kaljulaid in Moscow on Thursday.

18.04.19 ... The Kremlin recognises the importance of Thursday's meeting of presidents Kaljulaid and Putin, at which they will discuss the good sides as well as the problems of the relations between the countries, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

18.04.19 ... President Kersti Kaljulaid met with her Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Moscow on Thursday. In a short address before the meeting, President Kaljulaid said that Estonia is ready for a dialogue with Russia.

18.04.19 ... In the annual ranking by Reporters Without Borders, Estonia was assigned 11th place this year. The organisation describes the Estonian environment for journalists as "broadly favourable" despite the fact that the private media are mostly in the hands of just a very small number of individuals.

18.04.19 ... By noon on Thursday, the fully renovated Estonian Embassy in Moscow was ready to be formally reopened, on the occasion of which President Kersti Kaljulaid had arrived as well.

18.04.19 ... In connection with the previous producer of Estonian documents ceasing operations, the remote updating service of digi-IDs valid for a period of three years may be jeopardised. Police in Estonia are recommending holders of three-year digi-IDs extend the validity thereof before 30 April.

18.04.19 ... President Kersti Kaljulaid will on Thursday formally reopen the newly renovated Estonian Embassy building in Moscow.

18.04.19 ... Support for the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) fell the most, while support for the Reform Party and Estonia 200 grew the most in April, according to the results of a survey commissioned by ERR and conducted by Turu-uuringute AS. The three coalition parties have the combined support of 49% of voters, while the opposition is supported by 38%.

17.04.19 ... The Riigikogu voted 55 to 44 in favour of giving Centre Party chairman Jüri Ratas the authority to form Estonia's next government. The new coalition, with Centre's 25, EKRE's 19 and Isamaa's 12 votes, has 56 of the Riigikogu's total 101 mandates.

17.04.19 ... Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with President Kersti Kaljulaid, who will be on a working visit to Moscow, on Thursday, the press service of the Kremlin confirmed in a statement on Wednesday.

17.04.19 ... Following the filing of an application by Narva City Council member Jana Kondrašova, the Viru District Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation to determine whether or not documents were counterfeited in the process of the conducting of a no-confidence vote that led to the removal of Mayor Tarmo Tammiste (Centre) from office last month, regional paper Põhajrannik reports.

17.04.19 ... The two men, charged by the prosecutor with aggravated breach of the public order for their treatment of MEP Indrek Tarand (independent/Greens-EFA), are to appear before court in May. They are accused of having attacked Mr Tarand during an EKRE rally against the UN Migration Compact outside the Riigikogu in November 2018.

17.04.19 ... Including the Estonian Defence Forces' own resources as well as allied equipment currently in the area, there are currently some 300 tanks and armoured vehicles in Estonia, the Ministry of Defence told ERR.

17.04.19 ... A poll published by daily Postimees on Wednesday has Centre-EKRE-Isamaa at 47.9% support and the Reform-SDE proposal voted down on Monday at 42.2%. Meanwhile the Reform Party remains the most popular single party, well ahead of Centre and the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE).

16.04.19 ... President Kersti Kaljulaid, who is currently on a state visit to Portugal, digitally signed an order early on Tuesday evening tasking Centre Party chairman and acting Prime Minister Jüri Ratas with forming a government.