Estonia’s Foreign Ministry has announced that the European Union is already working on a new (19th) package of sanctions against Russia, underscoring the bloc’s determination to keep increasing pressure over the war in Ukraine. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna stressed that the EU will not stop at “halfway measures” – every new sanctions round reinforces the message that “Ukraine is not alone, and Russia will not go unpunished.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU will launch negotiations on a security and defence partnership with Iceland, marking a significant deepening of ties between the Nordic nation and the European Union. Standing alongside Iceland’s new Prime Minister, Kristrún Frostadóttir, at a press conference in Keflavík, von der Leyen outlined plans for closer cooperation on emerging security challenges. “We will cooperate more closely on hybrid threat response, civil protection and secure communications,” she said, emphasizing joint efforts against cyber and other non-traditional threats.

The Nordic region is witnessing a remarkable boom in artificial intelligence startups, with Sweden at the forefront. Stockholm-based Lovable has just become Sweden’s latest tech unicorn, highlighting a wave of innovative AI companies emerging across Sweden and its Nordic neighbors.

At the turn of the 20th century, Riga – now Latvia’s capital – was booming. Railway lines, shipyards and factories had made it one of the Russian Empire’s richest cities, with its population surging by 88% between 1897 and 1913 (to about 530,000). Much of Latvia in this era was an industrial heartland serving the vast empire, and Riga’s harbor and machine works funneled enormous wealth into the city. This prosperity spawned a building boom: from 1910–1913 some 300–500 new buildings per year rose in Riga, mostly in the then-fashionable Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) style.

Estonia’s journey to reclaim independence in 1991 – after half a century under Soviet rule – is often remembered for the courage and unity of the Estonian people. Mass singing demonstrations, human chains across the Baltics, and shrewd political moves defined this “Singing Revolution.” Less known, however, is the covert but crucial support from neighboring Finland. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Finland acted as a supportive “big brother,” quietly funneling financial aid, training, and resources to help Estonia rebuild its state – all while maintaining a delicate balance with the Soviet Union.

Every five years, Estonia’s Laulupidu and Tantsupidu turn Tallinn into a sea of song and swirling folk costumes—but the chorus echoing across the city is only part of a larger Baltic story. From 19th‑century national awakenings through the peaceful “Singing Revolution” that toppled Soviet rule, mass choral and dance festivals in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have kept language, identity, and freedom alive. This richly reported feature dives into that shared heritage, showing how three small nations still unite hundreds of thousands of voices—and remind the world that a people who can sing together can also change their destiny.

Nordic and Baltic leaders have become among the most vocal and active supporters of Ukraine’s fight against Russia. In a February 2025 joint statement, the eight countries (Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland plus Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) vowed to “further increase” support for Ukraine, emphasizing that “Ukraine must be able to prevail against Russia’s war of aggression, to ensure a just and lasting peace”.

From its 1972 exile roots in Toronto to this summer’s tri-city spectacle spanning Stockholm, Narva, and Tallinn, ESTO has been the heartbeat of the global Estonian diaspora. Explore its storied past—and why ESTO 2025 is the ultimate cultural homecoming for North American Estonians.

Beneath the hiss of birch-fed steam, a centuries-old Nordic ritual is suddenly the coolest wellness ticket in town. From smoke-blackened huts in the forests of Finland and Estonia to glass-walled “contrast-therapy” pop-ups on Venice Beach, sauna culture has journeyed across the Atlantic—picking up bio-hackers, Silicon Valley founders, and everyday seekers along the way. In 2025, the searing-heat-then-ice-plunge cycle isn’t just detox; it’s a communal reset that’s rewriting how North America thinks about health, tech, and togetherness.

From secret glances in Nordic fishing villages to defiant dances on New York’s Christopher Street, the journeys of queer Scandinavians and Balts weave a century-long tapestry of exile, love, and liberation. Love Across Latitudes traces these migrations—through war, the AIDS crisis, and today’s Pride diplomacy—to reveal how Viking sailors, Baltic refugees, lesbian caregivers, and trans trailblazers reshaped both America’s queer capital and the homelands they left behind. Dive into an epic story of resilience that spans fjords, iron curtains, and rainbow-draped avenues.

Thelma Sigurhansdóttir, also known as Thelma Gella, has launched her debut solo exhibition: Habitat at the Art Lab Gallery, in Staten Island. An Iceland native, completing her BA in Studio art at CUNY in New York City, Thelma’s work has been exhibited internationally in New York, Iceland, and Denmark. Outside of her studies, Thelma currently works as a sculpture assistant for a Brooklyn-based artist.

On autumn nights in 1944, more than 70,000 Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians slipped into the Baltic’s cold darkness, steering overloaded fishing boats toward neutral Sweden as the Red Army returned. Eighty years later, their descendants gather on Gotland’s beaches and Tallinn Bay to honor the perilous voyage, preserve family stories, and reflect on how that flight still shapes Nordic culture and identity.