Serbia led 20-19 after the first quarter and extended its advantage to 40-31 at halftime. Italy narrowed the gap in the third quarter, but Serbia pulled away again in the final period.

The result lifted Serbia to second place in Group J with six wins. Italy are third, while Lithuania are fourth.

Aleksa Avramovic led Serbia with 20 points in 34 minutes, along with three rebounds and three assists. Marko Guduric added 19 points, while Nikola Jokic scored eight points and collected eight rebounds.

Nico Mannion was Italy’s top scorer with 23 points, two rebounds and four assists.

The teams will play their next qualifying games on November 26. Serbia will travel to Lithuania, while Italy will face Turkey.

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Russia has carried out extended combined air attacks on Kyiv and the surrounding area over the past several nights and days. Liias said Ukraine had withstood the attacks surprisingly well.

He said the attacks had tested the country’s entire air defence capability, from machine guns to Patriot missiles and fighter jets. The Russian forces used conventional drones, jet-powered drones, ballistic missiles and anti-ship missiles.

Because about 80 percent of the attack weapons were shot down, it remains unclear exactly what Russia was attempting to strike, Liias said. Based on the weapons that reached their targets, he said Russia was still trying to damage or destroy heat production plants, power stations and water infrastructure. Logistics companies and retail businesses had also been added to the targets, while schools and hospitals had also been hit.

Jet-powered Russian drones are causing particular problems for Ukraine. Liias said the Geran-4 and Geran-5 drones remained in use, while the newest model, the Banderol S8000, was classified not as a drone but as a drone missile.

These weapons travel considerably faster, at up to 600 kilometres per hour, and can reach speeds of up to 700 kilometres per hour when diving towards their targets. As a result, Ukraine’s mobile defence teams cannot shoot them down with machine guns and anti-aircraft guns in most circumstances.

Ukraine must therefore use air defence missiles or hope that the weapons can be hit by cheaper guns and machine guns during the brief period when they dive towards the ground, Liias said. He added that the problem could eventually be solved, as every new measure in warfare produces a countermeasure.

For now, air defence missiles and fighter jets are used to bring down the drone missiles. Liias said Ukraine was again able to use Patriot missiles, although it had not disclosed how many were available.

He called the additional Patriots extremely important because they are one of the few, and almost the only, systems Ukraine has that can intercept ballistic missiles. He said Iskander missiles fly into the upper atmosphere before diving directly towards the ground, making electronic warfare ineffective against them. Liias said it was therefore crucial for the United States to continue supplying Ukraine with Patriot missiles.

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Asked about the course of the war, Butkevych said the situation was complex. He noted that Ukraine had resisted Russia’s aggression for five years, despite early predictions that Russian forces would gain the upper hand within days or weeks.

“They still have not managed to establish control even over the territories from which they began their invasion, such as in the eastern part of the country,” he said.

In Ukraine, some people therefore regard Russia’s failure to achieve its objectives as a victory, he said. Those objectives included erasing Ukraine from the map or installing a puppet government.

At the same time, Butkevych described the conflict as a war of attrition that has left Ukraine exhausted. He said the country could not have continued resisting for so many years without international solidarity and support, and expressed gratitude to Estonia, which he called one of Ukraine’s friends and allies.

He said the resources available to Ukraine and Russia were incomparable, including in terms of manpower. “I do not like talking about people as resources, but in wartime there is a shortage of manpower, and that is difficult,” he said.

Butkevych said Ukraine had learned to respond asymmetrically to the shortage of troops by relying on technology. The war had become a drone war and the situation was “almost a stalemate”, he said.

Russian forces were advancing in some parts of the front, including strategically important areas, but Ukraine had also made gains and regained control over a significant amount of territory, he said. The result was a prolonged war with no end in sight in the near future.

Butkevych said Ukraine’s most urgent needs from its partners were military and financial support, as well as equipment. With more funding, Ukraine could produce more weapons, including drones, he said.

He also called for continued pressure on Russia, including coordinated military action at the front and political, diplomatic and economic measures such as sanctions. Russia’s leadership was showing no willingness to end the war soon, he said, adding that continuing the war had to be made too costly for Moscow.

Butkevych said he agreed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s statement that Ukrainians were holding Europe’s frontline, while stressing that Ukrainians were people, not “terminators”, and could not be expected to sustain such a role indefinitely.

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Tourism professionals on the island said the number of foreign visitors had risen, while acknowledging that the sector still had room to develop because Saaremaa Municipality has not invested heavily in tourism in recent years.

Ferry statistics also show a noticeable increase in cyclists on Saaremaa’s roads, both from nearby countries and farther afield.

“We started two days ago in Tallinn. Yesterday we were on Hiiumaa. Next we will go to Lithuania and Latvia, and finish in Suwalki,” said Eva and Thomas, cyclists from Poland.

Veiko, who came from Tallinn, said he made a similar trip every summer. He said he had cycled more than 100 kilometres on Hiiumaa and expected to cover more than 100 kilometres on Saaremaa as well.

Anu Lomp, head of Saaremaa Municipality’s tourism service, said the Finnair air route had also changed the island’s tourism season. Tourism businesses had given very positive feedback, she said, particularly about the increase in visitors from Finland.

At the same time, Lomp said the municipality had not done enough in recent years to attract tourists or create new attractions. “New and interesting things are constantly being sought, and the tourism sector really needs something new and interesting to be added,” she said.

Saaremaa entrepreneur and politician Mart Maastik said the municipality could have done more to develop businesses, including tourism. He said distinctive attractions were needed to bring people to the island.

Kristi Kuuse, owner of the Söstar café in Kuressaare, said queues had formed to enter the outdoor café for the first time. She said the season had started early, with noticeably more foreign tourists than in the previous two years.

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The comments came during an LRT television programme featuring Veryga and Virginijus Sinkevičius, leader of the Democratic Union For Lithuania. The discussion followed Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius’s announcement of a family support package, which is due to be presented by Social Security and Labour Minister Inga Ruginienė on Tuesday.

Veryga said that demography, like defence, should be treated as a matter of national survival. He also said that he and the prime minister had discussed maintaining defence funding at 5% of GDP, as well as strengthening internal security, including services responsible for border protection and the police.

Lithuania’s leaders have agreed to allocate at least 5% of GDP to defence until 2030. Sinkevičius said the coalition had agreed to maintain that level, while noting that the monetary value of 5% would increase if the economy and GDP grew. He said funding levels after 2030 would depend on the country’s needs at that time.

Veryga said it was not always easy to plan and use defence funding because spending depended on what could actually be purchased. The military should identify its requirements, he said, after which political leaders could decide how much funding was necessary.

“It is difficult for me to say today whether it should be more or less than 5%,” Veryga said, adding that the current position was to maintain defence funding at 5% of GDP.

Discussing security concerns related to Russia, Sinkevičius said the threat level in the region had not changed and that Lithuania had received no information suggesting a specific new threat to the country or the region. He said Lithuania should remain vigilant and consistently implement its deterrence plans.

Veryga said the war in Ukraine had already provided sufficient warning and that Lithuania should continue preparing, regardless of additional alerts. He also said that much would depend on the course of the war in Ukraine.

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A law passed by parliament in December lowered the gambling tax rate for online casinos from 6% to 4% over two years. The aim was to encourage more online casinos to register in Estonia and increase tax revenue.

Instead, gambling tax revenue has fallen short of expectations by several million euros. In the first seven months of 2026, the state collected 3.36 million euros in gambling tax, 9.7% less than during the same period last year.

Prime Minister Kristen Michal said last week that the government would debate the tax benefit for online casinos. He said cultural funding must not suffer because of the measure and that the government had already covered the missing revenue.

Michal said it was still difficult to assess whether the tax cut had attracted more online casinos to Estonia because it had been in effect for only a short time. The reasons for the decline in gambling tax revenue were also not yet clear, he said.

“If tax revenue does not increase, there is no point in continuing with further tax cuts,” Michal said. He added that gambling activity in Estonia may have declined, affecting gambling tax revenue overall, and that the government needed to determine how much of the shortfall was linked to the remote gambling tax cut.

Tein wants to continue with the tax cut

Tein said his position had not changed and that he did not support reversing the agreed strategy for lowering remote gambling tax.

“The 9.7% decline in total gambling tax revenue is not the damage caused by the reduction in remote gambling tax,” Tein said. He noted that total gambling tax revenue also includes Eesti Loto and traditional gambling, whose tax rates were not reduced by the reform. He also said a legislative error affected the first two months of 2026.

Tein said figures from the Cultural Endowment of Estonia showed that the shortfall had several sources. According to figures published by its director, Margus Allikmaa, alcohol and tobacco excise revenue was about 818,000 euros below forecast, the Eesti Loto shortfall was approximately 700,000 euros, traditional gambling was about 150,000 euros below forecast, and the shortfall specifically linked to remote gambling was about 956,000 euros.

Tein said it was therefore inaccurate to suggest that all of the Cultural Endowment’s lower revenue this year had resulted from the remote gambling tax cut. He said the differences between budget forecasts and actual collections should first be separated from the question of what caused them.

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Overnight, skies will be partly cloudy and showers will be scattered. Fog may form in places as winds ease. Southwesterly and southerly winds will blow at 2 to 7 metres per second, with gusts of up to 11 metres per second on the coast. Temperatures will range from 11 to 15 degrees, reaching up to 17 degrees on the coast.

Cloud bands will reach western mainland Estonia in the morning, bringing occasional showers and a possibility of thunderstorms. Winds will be southerly and southwesterly at 1 to 5 metres per second, with speeds of up to 9 metres per second on the coast. Temperatures will be between 13 and 17 degrees.

During the day, skies will remain partly cloudy. Showers will be more scattered in the morning but become widespread in the afternoon, when there will also be a risk of thunderstorms. Southwesterly and southerly winds will blow at 2 to 8 metres per second before easing in the afternoon. Temperatures will range from 17 to 22 degrees.

The centre of the nearest low-pressure system will move to the northern coast of the Gulf of Bothnia on Tuesday, while its southern flank covers the Baltic Sea region.

More low-pressure systems will follow in the coming days, bringing additional moisture from the west. Showers will be less frequent at night and more frequent and widespread during the day. Night-time temperatures will initially remain near 10 degrees, while daytime temperatures will gradually fall below 20 degrees.

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The Lääne-Nigula municipal government voted in favour of the plan, but many Piirsalu residents say decisions are being made without their involvement.

Piirsalu has a defence forces tactical area and a Defence League shooting range. The location was once a Soviet missile base. The planned plant would produce up to 1,200 tonnes of hexogen a year and create at least 75 jobs.

“In regions with a declining population, the arrival of jobs has some impact. Since a sufficient number of better-paid jobs are expected there, this is quite an important argument,” Lääne-Nigula municipal mayor Janno Randmaa said.

Sven Köster, chairman of the Lääne-Nigula municipal council, who lives a few kilometres from the planned plant, said he did not consider it a threat.

“It is a proper chemical plant that meets European standards. During the Soviet period, Soviet military personnel were there. With their missile forces, they certainly caused more pollution,” Köster said.

Piirsalu is a village away from the main highway, with no shop or school. Salmon live in the local river, making the area a nature conservation area. Many residents are concerned about the plant’s impact on the natural environment and quality of life.

“The Piirsalu River is here. The tactical area, as it is now called, is here. In their view, a chemical industry facility will be built here,” Piirsalu village elder Lea Lai said.

Lai questioned what would happen if local boreholes ran dry. She recalled the case of Salajõe village in Lääne County, where a peat producer built a drinking water system after lengthy disputes.

“It is assumed that either the developer or the municipality will dig us a new well. We know that Salajõe village did not get a well for 10 years. They had to prove it, prove it and prove it,” Lai said.

Indrek Sirp, a special adviser on defence industry development at the Ministry of Defence, said a groundwater study had been carried out as part of the environmental assessment.

“It shows that there should in fact be no impact on local wells. The plant would draw its water from deeper groundwater layers than the local wells,” Sirp said.

Rein Kruusmaa, a member of the Risti sub-municipal council, said local people prepared development plans but that development often arrived without their involvement.

“The local government operates on the basis of its development plan. Unfortunately, none of the measures in the development plan are implemented. What is implemented is what developers bring here under pressure, whether it is a wind farm, large solar parks or a defence industry park,” Kruusmaa said.

Sirp said Europe needs explosives for ammunition production. The plant would also create conditions for producing ammunition in Estonia.

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The series, titled Partija fokusā, is intended to help voters make a critical and informed choice by providing an overview of the parties’ programmes and proposals.

The participating political forces were selected based on SKDS public opinion research and had reached at least 2% support in early August.

Each programme invites five leaders from the party’s electoral district lists, ranked first, second or third. The episodes also include an analysis of the party’s actual work over the previous four years, where applicable, and voters’ views of the party.

The series will examine whether campaign promises are merely a way to attract voters’ attention or a real basis for holding politicians accountable. It will be hosted by LTV journalists Guntis Bojārs, Dāvids Freidenfelds, Gusts Kikusts and Sigurds Siliņš.

The 15th Saeima elections will take place on Saturday, October 3. Polling stations will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and voters will be able to cast their ballots at any polling station. Fourteen candidate lists have been submitted.

Early voting will be available at all polling stations in Latvia from September 28 until election day. The newly elected 15th Saeima is scheduled to meet for its first sitting on November 3, when the current parliament’s mandate will end.

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Thirteen years will have passed since the tragedy in November. Dozens of people were also seriously injured in the collapse.

Victims, relatives of those killed and emergency service workers attended the opening ceremony. The idea for the garden was developed in cooperation with the Zolitūde 21.11 association.

Viktorija Ulanova lost her mother, Natālija Igumnova. “We searched for her for a long time. On the third day, we went to the identification, and that was the end of it,” Ulanova said.

She said the past 13 years had been difficult because her children had never seen their grandmother, nor had her sisters’ children. Her youngest nephew was three months old at the time.

“I believe today is another day of mourning. But at least now we have a proper place where we can remember those who died. This will also be a place for the injured, where they can stand, be silent and perhaps find peace,” Ulanova said.

Emergency service workers also attended the ceremony. Roland Lejiņš was driving an ambulance operated by the Emergency Medical Service at the opening, as he had been in 2013. He was the first to arrive at the scene.

“We received a call saying that there had been an explosion at Maxima. As we approached, it felt as if something like this could not really happen in real life. It seemed as if we were on a film set or in a completely different dimension,” Lejiņš recalled.

Sarmīte Leitāne, head of the Imanta Brigade Support Centre of the Emergency Medical Service, said it took several days for workers to fully understand what had happened.

“We allowed ourselves to deal with the emotions after the event. Only after a couple of days did we truly understand what had happened here,” she said.

The garden contains trees and 54 metal spheres with mirrored surfaces, each symbolically commemorating one of the people who died.

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