BONJOUR L'ESTONIE
Sun Apr 24 04:44:29 EDT 2011
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Estonia to begin IEA accession - On April 21, the cabinet approved a proposal to begin accession talks with the International Energy Agency (IEA). The primary goal for Estonia in becoming a member, according to Economics Minister Juhan Parts, is bolstering the nation's energy security. "Estonia's geographical position obliges us to use any means within our reach to guarantee our security," said Parts. Another bonus would be access to the agency's competence in the field of alternative energy and statistical analysis of energy policies. "Estonia has set ambitious goals to increase the share of renewable energy. Accession will enable us to rely on the IEA's knowledge," Parts said. During the accession process, the IEA will give an assessment of the Estonian energy sector and the local fuel market's preparedness for emergencies. The accession treaty and membership fee - 1 percent of the organization's annual budget, or approximately 21,000 euros - will need to be ratified by...

Estonia does not have high prices, but low wages - Chairman of the Estonian food association Sirje Potisepp says that Estonia’s problem is not high food prices, but low wages. Speaking on TV, Potisepp said that food prices in Estonia are 30% lower than in average in Europe. According to Potisepp, it is not possible to produce cheaply if everything is getting more expensive. “Rise of electricity tariffs by a few percentages means millions in additional costs for producers and any price rises are included in final prices,” she said. “We are prepared to sell also cheaper food, but who would cover the price difference and guarantee that the producers are not bankrupted?” she asked. Toomas Hõbemägi

Estonian Air to buy Copterline - Estonian Air plans to buy Finnish carrier Copterline, which declared bankruptcy last year and was marked by a fatal crash in 2005. "This continues to be an interest for us," an Estonian Air press representative told Eesti Ekspress. Allegedly some Finnish shareholders have yet to make up their minds. Copterline management member T�nis Lepp declined to comment. On August 2005, a Sikorsky S-76C+ helicopter en route to Helsinki crashed into the sea near Tallinn, killing six Finnish, four Estonian and two US passengers, and two Finnish crew members. Flying 75,000 passengers in 2004, Copterline no longer owns a single helicopter, but it still holds heliports in Tallinn and Helsinki. Ott Tammik

First infoshop in Tallinn opening in May - An infoshop in Tallinn is soon opening it's doors and needs help! The first antiauthorian social center in Tallinn, Estonia is starting work later this spring. The center; where activists can organize different public events, gatherings and meetings, will also host an alternative political library/infoshop. An infoshop in Tallinn is soon opening it's doors and needs help! The first antiauthorian social center in Tallinn, Estonia is starting work later this spring. The center; where activists can organize different public events, gatherings and meetings, will also host an alternative political library/infoshop. We aim to give local people, including ourselves, a chance to read and educate themselves on issues and political ideologies often marginalized and overlooked by mainstream libraries and bookstores. These issues and ideologies include, but are not limited to: anarchism, anti-authoritarianism, autonomism, the fight against social discrimination, feminism, workers rights, queer movement, different social struggles across the world, animal rights...

“Good Vibrations” Tiiu Kuik by Kevin Sinclair for Vestal April 2011 -

Tallinn looks outside for ideas - TALLINN - Tallinn will host the second international conference ‘Cities for All - Tallinn for All’ on May 27, 2011, where participants will discuss mobility-related issues, review reasons behind the success or failure of mobility projects in various countries, and discuss the social, economic and environmental impact connected with it, reports news agency LETA. Speakers are expected from England, Finland, Austria, and France. The keynote speaker will be Rama Gheerawo from the Helen Hamlyn Center for Design at the Royal College of Art; Hanna-Leena Rissanen will present research carried out by the Aalto University in Helsinki, which is entitled ‘Future Public Transport for All’; Veolia’s example, presented by Claude Arnaud from France, attempts to demonstrate that involving designers in creating new solutions has proven to be appropriate; Eric Rhinn speaks about the design process for public transport in Saint-Etienne. Veronia Egger will provide examples about the generation of efficient mobility...

Elisa to offer LTE in major cities in April - Elisa is planning to launch LTE services in major cities by the end of April. The services will start in Tallinn, Tartu, Viljandi, P�rnu and Haapsalu. The operator currently offers LTE in some quarters of Tallinn and in downtown P�rnu. The operator offers up to 100Mbps download and up to 50Mbps upload for subscribers under the LTE technology.

FIFA annuls result of Bulgaria-Estonia rigged friendly - has annulled the result of the notorious friendly FIFAbetween the national football teams of Bulgaria and Estonia played in February 2011, which led to an international sports scandal. After in March FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against six match officials in relation to the international A friendly matches Bolivia v Latvia and Estonia v Bulgaria played in Antalya (Turkey) on 9 February 2011, on Thursday, April 21, FIFA announced that the 2:2 end score is considered void. The Bulgarian and Estonian football federations approached the European and world governing bodies after the match ended 2-2 with all four goals coming from the penalty spot. The game was organized by the Thailand-based agency "Footy Sport International", while Russian Sergey Protsenko acted as an intermediary despite not holding a license by a FIFA manager. Hungarian referee Krisztian Selmeczi, who was in charge of both matches, has been suspended in the wake of the...

Expats reluctant to return - Recently launched by the government in Tallinn, an initiative that aims to bring home some of the 200,000 Estonians who have recently left the country to work abroad has been greeted with scepticism by expatriates from the Baltic state. In 2011, the “Talents, come home” programme aims to bring back at least 25 of the 200,000 Estonians living abroad. But is the 125,000 euro campaign placed under the patronage of Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves a triumph or a farce? Each of the returning”talents” will cost the state 5,000 euros, which is about six times the average Estonian monthly salary. In Finland, when I brought up “Talents, come home,” the subject prompted a disgusted reaction from the Estonians who live there — not because they never dreamed of going back to the old country, but because they find the “talents” word in the name of the programme offensive. For cleaning...

Estonia : Young county with old traditions - The ACE World Language program is delighted to expand its class offerings this summer with Estonian Culture. Tallinn was named "European Capital" for the year 2011, so what better time to bring you this class? Instructor K�lli Pytsal is a native Estonian and multi-talented in the arts and crafts of Estonia including the intricate multi-coloured knitting for which the country is especially famous. See K�lli's article below for a sneak peek at this one-of-a-kind class. Get a taste of the culture and traditions of Estonia this summer, then expand your experience with Estonian language and Estonian knitting classes coming in fall. The cultural capital of Europe for 2011 What and where is Estonia? Do polar bears live in Estonia? Why is Estonian called a "singing nation?" Why do Estonians like to light a big bonfire once a year, and what is k�lakiik? And who or what is actually an Estonian?...

Estonian cyclist stops in Quesnel - It’s an odd way to recover from a fourth knee surgery, but for Raimo Laosma it makes perfect sense. Laosma, a 39-year-old bicycle salesman from Tallinn, Estonia, was in Quesnel last Thursday, 19,600 km into his year-long trek, finally on the last leg of his journey to Anchorage, Alaska. The idea to cycle close to 23,000km to Alaska came to Laosma as he lay in bed convalescing from a third surgery on his left knee as he listened to the story of a Russian cyclist who had twice peddled around the world. Laosma thought it might be something he would be interested in doing. The decision to make Alaska his destination came following a television nature show. “It’s so beautiful, it’s pure nature,” he said. When the surgeon told him to stop playing soccer, after the fourth surgery on his left knee, Laosma decided to commit to the trip to...

Estonia confirms men in YouTube video are kidnap victims - Estonia's foreign ministry confirmed Wednesday that seven men seen begging for help in a video posted on YouTube were the tourists from the Baltic state abducted last month in Lebanon. "The men in the video are the seven Estonians kidnapped in Lebanon," ministry spokeswoman Minna-Liina Lind told AFP. The video, uploaded to YouTube late Tuesday, showed the men begging Lebanese, Saudi, Jordanian and French leaders to help them. The men did not give their names. Lind confirmed that the video had also been sent to the ministry on Tuesday night. "Several institutions are dealing now with the question of finding out from where the video was posted onto the Internet. We do not wish to comment from which email address we got the video," she said. The seven men, who were on a cycling holiday, went missing on March 23 in the eastern Bekaa Valley after entering Lebanon from Syria....

Belarus dealers empty Estonia from second-hand cars - Second-hand car dealers from Belarus have become the main buyers of cars in Estonia, mostly interested in cars that cost between EUR 5,000 and 15,000, writes Eesti P�evaleht daily. The reason why Belarus businessmen are interested in Estonian second-hand cars is the customs union between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan that will enter into force in July and increase the tax on imported cars from 30 eurocents a cubic centimeter to one euro. Because of the Belarus business, it is now difficult to hire a car trailer in Estonia. According to statistics kept by the Estonian road administration, 542 cars were taken out of Estonia in January, but 1,013 cars in March alone. Toomas H�bem�gi

Man escapes angry mother bear - A H�rjanurme fisherman escaped narrowly with deep bites through the leg from a ferocious mother bear who was protecting her cubs. The man received 17 stitches, and local hunter Kaimo Karu said it was a miracle that he had survived at all, reported Maaleht. The man's wife, Signe Truusa, said her husband was going fishing and went looking for beetles in the forest when he came across the bear. He was taken to the Tartu University clinic. The last such incident was in 2008, when a moose hunter was attacked by a 300-kilo male bear. He shot and killed the bear, but only after receiving deep wounds to the neck and one leg. Although there are some 700 bears in Estonia, and Estonians are fond of venturing out into forests, people only come across them very rarely, according to environmental expert Hendrik Relve. And usually, when man meets bear, then...

Former flagship of Estonian food industry declared bankrupt - Luterma, the holding company of businessman Oliver Kruuda that only a year ago owned Kalev confectionery industry and Estonia’s largest dairy Tere, was ruled bankrupt by Harju county court yesterday, writes Äripäev. Kalev no longer belongs to Luterma after Kruuda sold it to Norway’s Orkla last year that paid EUR 33 million for the company. There is also a big questionmark above Tere since its shares have been moved into a bank account of Nordea Pank. Kruuda himself claims it was a move to protect the company from creditors. The court found that Luterma owed 37.5 million euros and although its books show that it has EUR 53 million in assets, most of it is dubious such as 40 million euros that it is claiming from Alta Food. Luterma’s bankruptcy application was filed by Swedbank and Tartu Vesi. Toomas Hõbemägi