Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs of the United List party said on Wednesday that the government could not allow Latvia to be tested or escalated against without using the means available to it. Asked how the expanded powers would work, he said only that authorities would have greater scope to use kinetic measures along the eastern border.

Latvia’s National Armed Forces, the country’s military, stopped the border crossing attempt. The armed escorts threatened soldiers and urged the migrant group towards Latvia.

A group calling itself the Black Russians later claimed responsibility for the incident. Analysts believe it is a cover organisation created by Belarusian and Russian security services for hybrid operations. Latvia’s State Security Service has opened criminal proceedings over the formation of a criminal organisation.

The post Latvia expands powers to counter threats at eastern border appeared first on Daily Baltic.

The album brings together subjects including geopolitics, furry culture and social attitudes, according to its description. Unlike its predecessor Flo Raadio, which was made using artificial intelligence, Rahutuvi was created without AI assistance, Wahl said.

Rapper Raul appears on two tracks. Wahl’s previous albums include Flo Raadio (2024), Intellikõnts (2023), Katarsis garanteeritud (2022), Destiny Waltz (2021) and 14 (2016).

The post Florian Wahl releases 14-track album Rahutuvi appeared first on Daily Baltic.

Of the requested amount, €406 million, or 49%, would go towards improving access to and the quality of services. Another €135 million is sought to improve the system for reimbursed medicines and medical supplies. Raising pay for healthcare workers and other employees would require €236 million, allowing healthcare workers’ wages to rise by 24% and other employees’ pay to increase by €120.

Līga Kozlovska, head of the Latvian Rural Family Doctors’ Association and a parliament member from the Union of Greens and Farmers, said doctors’ average pay, apart from a few highly paid specialities, is below the national average. Her association is seeking a pay rise of at least 25.4%, particularly for doctors, medical assistants and support staff.

Kozlovska said several commitments remain unfulfilled, including plans for border-area status and a hospital reform under which admission departments would operate around the clock with key specialists. Family doctors cannot provide that service, she said, adding that they work eight-hour days with large and growing numbers of patients. In regional areas, doctors must also perform an increasing range of procedures.

Kozlovska said next year’s budget did not look promising for patients. Alise Nicmane-Aišpure, president of the Latvian Family Doctors’ Association, also called on politicians to strengthen the mid-level healthcare workforce, including nurses, medical assistants and midwives.

The post Latvia’s health sector seeks €826 million in extra funding appeared first on Daily Baltic.

Keili Parts, who is looking for work in Pärnu, told ETV’s “Impulss” programme that Estonia’s Unemployment Insurance Fund did not help her after she completed marketing studies, remained unemployed and began looking for a new direction.

While registered as unemployed, Parts found an opportunity through acquaintances to fill in for kindergarten assistants. She enjoyed the work but said the fund did not provide the training she wanted. She was told there were already too many teachers or kindergarten teachers in the Pärnu region.

Fund head Gert Tiivas acknowledged that the agency could do more to support young people and apologised to Parts. He said he was glad she had found work that excited her.

Parts also described confusion over short-term work while registered as unemployed. She said she had been told she could not return to an employer after working there once, a restriction that also concerned employers. They could not build trust, she said, if they saw a worker only once or twice.

Tiivas said the rules around short-term work were unclear and the fund had begun working to clarify them. He added that, since September, people could take a trial day in a real working environment, which is different from a short-term job. The fund also appointed specialist youth advisers this year, who are expected to have more time to support young people.

Economic and Industry Minister Liina Vahtras encouraged young people to consider jobs outside their preferred fields, saying that any first work experience could help with future salary negotiations and strengthen a CV. She proposed better digital tools to connect young people and employers, allowing jobseekers to list their skills and the type of work they want, and employers to indicate whether they hire young people.

Vahtras said the state should intervene when a market problem persists. Hando Sutter, head of the Estonian Employers’ Confederation, said hiring young people requires extra effort from businesses in the short term because inexperienced workers need guidance and may be less productive than experienced colleagues. But, he said, more employers are recognising that bringing young people into the workforce is essential to competitiveness.

The post Young jobseekers face an experience barrier as unemployment rises appeared first on Daily Baltic.

Before the test begins at 3 p.m., people will receive a text message reminding them that there is no real emergency.

Viktor Saaremets, deputy director general of the Rescue Board, said the system is tested three times a year. This time, officials will also measure siren coverage in smaller towns. The tests are intended to check that the entire system works, he said, as development of EE-ALARM is still ongoing.

Sirens are primarily intended to warn people outdoors, as they may not be heard inside buildings. Saaremets said alerts therefore need to reach people through several channels. Previous feedback has indicated that some people did not receive text alerts, sometimes because of poor mobile coverage or because messages were filtered as spam.

Real emergency alerts can be sent to specific areas rather than the whole country. A Cell Broadcast solution, which would send alerts within seconds to phones in a danger zone, is expected to be ready by next spring.

A practical shelter exercise will take place at the same time in Tallinn’s Rotermann Quarter, involving tenants and employees. Deputy Mayor Tiit Terik said the district was chosen because many people move through it and it has underground shelters. Further exercises are planned to check whether people can find the right routes, doors are open, staff are prepared to help and plans work in practice.

Terik said Tallinn does not currently have enough official shelters. In a real emergency, people outdoors should move to the nearest suitable indoor space or underground passage. Finding shelter can be harder in apartment districts where stairwell doors are often locked. The city is planning a mobile shelter programme for next year, which would provide temporary shelter locations in public spaces.

The Rescue Board recommends using the test as an opportunity to decide where to go in a real emergency and to practise the route with family or colleagues.

The post Estonia to test nationwide EE-ALARM warning system on Wednesday appeared first on Daily Baltic.

The woman, born in 1954, contacted police on Tuesday. She said she had communicated with an unknown person through Messenger and WhatsApp while at home in Vilnius on September 24 and 25.

Police have opened a pre-trial investigation into fraud.

The post Scammers swindle Vilnius woman out of €12,500 appeared first on Daily Baltic.

Kõlvart was named by 20% of respondents, while 16% chose Reinsalu. Reinsalu’s support fell from 18% the previous month, when he matched his lowest rating in three years. Kõlvart’s rating is his highest in the poll to date, Delfi said.

Tõnis Stamberg, managing director of Turu-uuringute AS, told Delfi that Kõlvart’s rise was driven by increased support among Estonian voters. He is preferred by 13% of Estonian respondents and 50% of Russian respondents, compared with 18% and 6% respectively for Reinsalu. In August, Kõlvart’s support among Estonians was 11%, while Reinsalu’s was 22%.

Kõlvart gained support among both rural and urban voters. Reinsalu lost support among urban respondents, while his backing among rural voters held at 21% for a second month. Kõlvart’s support also rose among respondents with the lowest and highest levels of education, while Reinsalu lost the most support among those with the least education.

In the October poll, 13% of respondents preferred EKRE leader Martin Helme, 10% chose Parempoolsed leader Lavly Perling, 7% Social Democratic Party leader Lauri Läänemets, 5% Reform Party leader and incumbent Prime Minister Kristen Michal, and 2% Eesti 200 leader Kristina Kallas. A further 27% were undecided.

Turu-uuringute AS conducted the survey online and by phone from October 1 to 3. It received responses from 899 Estonian citizens aged 18 and over.

The post Kõlvart overtakes Reinsalu in prime minister poll appeared first on Daily Baltic.

The rotation began on Tuesday, Kaunas said. Another 10 to 12 arrivals are planned in the coming weeks. The troops will be stationed in Pabradė, where the first arrivals have already been taken. US military equipment is being transported through seaports and by rail, he said.

Lithuania is to receive two battalions: a heavy armoured forces battalion intended to strengthen regional security and provide additional response capabilities if needed, and an engineering battalion that will contribute to the national division and the development of the Baltic Defence Line.

The first troops in the returning US rotation landed in Lithuania on Tuesday evening, BNS reported. Different numbers of US troops have rotated in Lithuania every nine months, with interruptions, since 2014.

After the United States reviewed its presence in Europe, just over 100 US troops remained in Lithuania this summer. In September, it was announced that two US battalions would arrive in October, bringing the number of troops to more than 1,000, similar to recent years.

Last week, US President Donald Trump said the United States would consider establishing a permanent military base in Lithuania. The Lithuanian president welcomed the statement, while Kaunas said he would work to make such a base a reality. Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius has said Lithuania is ready to host US troops permanently and cover the costs of a base if the United States decides to establish one.

The post US begins rotation in Lithuania, with two battalions due by mid-November appeared first on Daily Baltic.

The motion’s sponsors say the Reform Party and Estonia 200 coalition government has been dogged by repeated scandals that have weakened public trust in the state and reinforced the view that Michal has failed as prime minister.

Centre Party parliamentary group leader Lauri Laats cited a recent Government Office public opinion survey, according to which 51 percent of people feel financially insecure and 85 percent worry about rising everyday costs. He said the government was not listening to people’s concerns, including calls to cut fuel and food prices and taxes that weigh on the economy. Laats also said planned tax increases after the 2027 parliamentary election would make matters worse.

Isamaa parliamentary group leader Helir-Valdor Seeder said the government had weakened trust in Estonia both at home and abroad, particularly in national defence. He cited the current shell brokerage crisis and said the government had repeatedly disregarded military advice from the commander of the Defence Forces, including on developing drone defence capabilities. Seeder also pointed to Estonia’s sanctions exemption for the Solikamsk magnesium plant owned by Rosatom, calling it another example of what he described as hypocritical decisions.

EKRE parliamentary group leader Martin Helme said shortcomings in every minister’s work justified censuring the entire government. He criticised the finance minister over the lack of a long-term plan to restore public finances, the climate and economy minister over uncertainty about energy supply and prices, the social affairs minister over the absence of evidence-based family policy, and the education minister over rushed reforms and growing bureaucracy for teachers.

The motion had 33 signatures as of Wednesday morning. Its sponsors have also invited the Social Democrats to join, Centre Party parliamentary group media adviser Andres Kalvik said.

The post Estonian opposition submits no-confidence motion against Michal government appeared first on Daily Baltic.

Police issued €1,256,318 in fines using mobile cameras in September 2025, compared with €199,052 in September 2026. The number of fines dropped from 26,228 to 2,939 nationwide.

Raising the enforcement threshold cut the number of recorded violations by about half, and the warning signs reduced it by roughly half again, according to the figures.

Police spokesperson Taavi Kirss said fine revenue had never been a priority for the police. He said the aim was to make traffic safer and encourage drivers to obey speed limits, adding that higher speeds make hazards harder to spot and increase the severity of injuries in crashes.

Madis Timpson, chairman of the Estonian Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee and an initiator of the warning-sign requirement, said it was too early to draw firm conclusions from one or two months of data. He said a longer period and more detailed analysis would be needed, though he viewed the fall in fines as a positive sign.

Timpson said the goal should be to calm traffic, not raise money for the state budget. He also disagreed with claims that drivers slow down only near warning signs, saying that, based on his regular trips between Tallinn and Viljandi, he believed the overall traffic picture had improved over the years. He said he had once been recorded by a mobile speed camera while driving at 56 kilometres per hour.

The post Warnings and higher threshold cut monthly speed-camera revenue by nearly €1 million appeared first on Daily Baltic.