Families across Estonia will start applying for first-grade school places for their children this month, but data from Estonia's two biggest cities show that the number of new starters will be considerably smaller this year.

Three coalition MPs in the Riigikogu are pushing for drivers to be notified with warning signs about the presence of mobile speed cameras. The opposition is split over the idea.

The Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) approved a statement Saturday outlining priorities of economic growth, the nation-state and migration changes.

President Alar Karis' all-day reading marathon is back for Native Language Day, with the public welcome to stop by Kadriorg and enjoy readings by dozens of guests.

The icebreaker Tarmo is back at work after years of mild winters, and its captain warns shifting ice in the Gulf of Riga could worsen already difficult conditions near Pärnu.

Russia is expending air defense missiles faster than it can produce them and so needs to choose which strategic targets to protect, said Gert Kaju, head of the Defense Readiness Department at the Estonian Ministry of Defense.

March 14 is Native Language Day in Estonia, and thousands tuned in Friday for Vikerraadio's 19th live e-dictation contest, putting their writing skills to the test.

A municipality in western Estonia has opted to bring a local school which had long been the center of a dispute back under municipal control.

Information about a "Narva People's Republic" has been spread on a small number of Russian-language online accounts in recent weeks, and the Internal Security Service (ISS) said it is a "cheap" way to provoke society.

Recent critically-received statements by the foreign minister and the prime minister suggest a foreign policy shift that has not been universally discussed, Raimond Kaljulaid finds.

Tallinn may halt train traffic on the Endla tänav rail embankment to build EU-funded bike and pedestrian tunnels, though Elron says it may not be strictly necessary.

Maaleht caught up with Estonia's only full-time funeral photographer, Joanna Raudhein.

The board of Eesti 200 decided to bring forward the elections for the party board and a new chair by several months.

The Estonian government has confirmed the indexation of state pensions from April 1 this year, which will see the average old-age pension rise by 5.3 percent, or €43, to €860 per month.

The Ministry of Justice has proposed legislative changes that would make it harder for prosecutors to automatically appeal circuit court rulings to the Supreme Court.

Director Sergei Zjuganov's debut documentary "Lost Dream" premiered in Tallinn, tracing Estonia's car culture in the 1990s amid the social upheavals following reindepdendence.

If Estonians already think highly of their language, nation and land, the rest of the world still needs convincing — and to achieve that, estocentrism must come to the rescue: the declaration of Estonia as the center of the world. Replacing the United Nations Charter with Valdur Mikita's "The Art of Listening to a Chanterelle" would then only be a matter of time, Kaupo Meiel muses.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has rejected claims from opposition politicians of a rift between Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna's (Eesti 200) stance on Iran and that of the Riigikogu's Foreign Affairs Committee.

Estonia has announced a procurement to find a single operator for four island ferry routes including Saaremaa–Hiiumaa and between the mainland and Vormsi, Kihnu and Manilaid.

A bill drafted by Riigikogu members to make it mandatory for mobile speed cameras to be marked with warning signs hundreds of meters ahead of the zone where speed readings will be taken is based on emotion, the police say.

A support group for restoring the Haapsalu railway wants the government to designate the Turba–Haapsalu–Rohuküla railway as a nationally important infrastructure project so it can access EU funding.

Bolt is set to introduce several new changes, including monitoring driving behavior and a discount for customers wearing a helmet.

Several solar parks in Western Estonia have been hit by theft and vandalism, prompting police to open multiple investigations, regional paper Lääne Elu writes.

The Iran conflict has sparked an unprecedented fuel market crisis, with gasoline prices unlikely to drop for three to four months, Terminal board member Alan Vaht said.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said the cost to the Estonian state of the seven special flights organized by the ministry totaled around €800,000, which was less than initially planned.

Reports regarding the meeting between Estonian and U.S. lawmakers have been misleading and disrespectful to U.S. soldiers stationed in Estonia, said Roman Pipko, the U.S. Ambassador to Estonia, in a written statement.

From April 1, Estonia's top public servants will see their salaries rise, pushing the president, Riigikogu speaker and Supreme Court chief justice above €10,000 a month.

Bank of Estonia economist Kaspar Oja said that while energy prices are soaring, Estonia has seen higher prices before and he does not approve of the decision to slash excise duties.

The final plane leased to Nordica will be delivered to its buyer in the coming weeks, marking the end of the Estonian state's involvement with the airline's fleet.

Even the recent sun and springlike temperatures aren't stopping die-hard skiers from making the most of lighter crowds and artificial snow on Tallinn's trails.

Starting this spring, students will be able to graduate from basic school even if they score just one point on a mandatory final exam, as the current 50-percent threshold will be scrapped.

Even the Reform Party's own parliamentary faction has not discussed the idea of slashing mothers' income tax by 3.7% per child and says it is more a topic for the upcoming elections.

Pärnu Airport's future is still up in the air. Finnish company Redstone is interested in running the airport but wants the Estonian government and City of Pärnu to continue paying subsidies for its maintenance.

Retired generals Martin Herem and Veiko-Vello Palm defended two former top Estonian Center for Defense Investments (ECDI) executives for joining the private defense sector.

This spring, many gardeners have noticed more molehills than usual in their yards. According to a zoologist, it may not mean moles have increased sharply, but rather that this winter played a role.

Ott Tänak may have retired from World Rally Championship (WRC) racing at the end of the 2025 season, but there are two Estonians competing in the WRC's second tier, at the ongoing Safari Rally, in Kenya.

Volunteer rescuers in Võru County are hoping to make their rescue unit crisis-ready with state support.

On March 11, a court declared AS E-Piim Tootmine bankrupt and appointed Indrek Lepsoo and Olev Kuklase as the company's bankruptcy trustees.

Tartu is testing new electric bikes from two companies to replace aging models in its bike-share system as the city plans further purchases and upgrades this season.

March 14 is Native Language Day in Estonia, and Vikerraadio is celebrating again this year with its 19th nationwide live e-dictation contest on Friday morning.

A 28-year-old Azerbaijani man and his 27-year-old Estonian partner, who were suspected of terrorism over alleged espionage in Cyprus, were released after police found no evidence of illegal activity, Postimees reported.

At Saturday's party council meeting, Parempoolsed elected Andrus Kaarelson as chair and outlined priorities including economic growth, AI and less state control.

At its council meeting Saturday, Estonia's Center Party called for a fuel VAT cut and said it will begin talks to join the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR).

Spring mass limit signs are cropping up along rural roads, and officials warn this past winter's cold may have done more damage to Estonia's gravel roads than usual.

The Russian Ministry of Justice has designated Vadim Shtepa, a journalist who has been living in Estonia since 2015, as a "foreign agent."

Narva is often portrayed as a city stuck in the past — but Zlata Karuke of the Narva Youth Parliament sees things differently. She told ERR News how young people are reshaping her hometown and why Narva is not just "for grandparents."

"Lihtsad uudised," meaning easy or simple news, is for anyone who wants to improve their Estonian language skills. Listen and read a selection of this week's news stories below.

The outgoing 6th Squadron of the United States' 9th Cavalry Regiment were recognized this week after their deployment to Estonia came to an end.

A counter-propaganda site in Estonia staffed by volunteers has, far from curbing misinformation, served as a megaphone for obscure pro-Kremlin social media accounts, ERR's Indrek Kiisler writes.

Otepää's Biathlon World Cup opened Thursday, with events to run to Sunday.

Despite being far away, Australia is a key ally of Estonia's, demonstrated by its stance on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said.

Former Tallinn deputy mayor Pärtel-Peeter Pere has left the coalition Reform Party, accusing party leader and Prime Minister Kristen Michal of indecision and micromanagement.

The semi-final draw for this year's Evald Tipner Trophy was made at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn on Thursday.

The Goethe-Institut is set to reopen its "Ministry of Curiousness" in Tallinn from March to mid-May, providing a space where creativity, knowledge and the joy of discovery intertwine.

Inspections by the Chancellor of Justice's Office of Estonia's open prisons towards the end of 2025 found conditions had improved, particularly in helping inmates reintegrate post-release.

An Estonian citizen has been detained on suspicion of breaking international sanctions by helping to export vehicles worth €25 million to Russia and Belarus over a period of several years.

The Riigikogu may soon begin considering two draft amendments to the Traffic Act that would regulate the use of light personal mobility vehicles in the interest of safety.

Estonia is scrapping energy excise hikes planned for May to shield households and businesses from rising fuel prices caused by the U.S.–Israeli war with Iran.

Despite a recent €37 million investment in making sure engineer training keeps up with labor market needs, the National Audit Office finds weak STEM education in basic schools spells future problems.

Meteorite pieces from the Kaali crater on Saaremaa are being picked up from an online auction site after the Polish finders placed them for sale there, Eesti Ekspress reported.