BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

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As Joey, Robert DUNLOP dies on the track

Former Isle of Man TT winner Robert Dunlop died on Thursday night after a horrific crash during a practice race in Northern Ireland.

The Co Antrim rider, brother of the legendary Joey Dunlop, who was killed in a similar accident in Estonia in 2000, was injured in the North West 200 in Portrush.

His bike appeared to seize at the Mathers Cross section of the course.

He was rushed to the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine, Co Londonderry, where he died from his injuries shortly after 10pm.

A spokeswoman for the Causeway hospital said the Dunlop family had asked for privacy as they tried to come to terms with the tragedy.

Mervyn Whyte, clerk of the course at the North West 200, said the racing community was stunned.

"Coleraine & District Motor Club members and myself as clerk of course are devastated by the news that Robert Dunlop has died following a fatal incident during the second practice night of this year's North West 200," he said.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Robert's family and we extend our deepest sympathies to his wife Louise, children William, Daniel and Michael and wider family circle.

The MCUI (UC) - Motor Cycling Union of Ireland and PSNI are in the process of fully investigating the incident which happened during the 125, 250, 400 practice session on the first lap.

The other rider involved in the incident is in a stable condition in hospital.

Finns, Swedes and Estonians concerned over Baltic Sea

Helsinki - People living in Finland, Sweden and Estonia share a concern about pollution in the Baltic Sea, according to a survey published Friday in Finland. A Gallup poll commissioned by the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper suggested that 94 per cent of the Finns, 91 per cent of the Swedes and 83 per cent of the Estonians agreed that action was necessary to tackle pollution in the Baltic Sea.

About 40 per cent of Finns and Swedes wanted immediate action while a third of the Estonians shared that stance. About half of those polled in the three Baltic Sea countries said they favoured long-term action and immediate action was not needed.

According to the survey, about one in three of those polled said they were changing their habits due to environmental concerns.

For instance, about one in four Swedes said they ate less fish.

Environmental challenges in the shallow, almost land-locked Baltic Sea include algae blooming linked to the run-off of nutrients used in farming and also generated by industries and households.

Roughly 1,000 people were polled in each country.

Estonian bear caught trying to enter Russia

TALLINN - A brown bear was caught by an Estonian environmental inspector in the Narva River swimming toward the Russian border, the Eesti Paevaleht daily reported on Friday.

The bear had swum almost 100 meters until it was noticed by the official, who was on a barge. Frightened by the barge horn, the bear swam back to Estonia.

However, when the barge moved away, the bear reentered Russian territory, swimming to Ivangorod, some 160 kilometers west of Russia's St. Petersburg, before later swimming back to Estonia.

Still the best curry in town

Anton Dwyer

TALLINN - As a Brit, I know quite a lot of my countrymen are xenophobic. One of them said to me once, without a hint of irony, that when he went abroad he didn’t want to eat  the local cuisine, “foreign muck” as he called it, he wanted a good British curry. There is one place in Tallinn where you go to get what has now become traditional British food, Cafe VS. The decor in Cafe VS is not what one would expect in a curry house. ...

Surprise visit reveals abuse at school

By Vincent Freeman

TALLINN - A surprise visit to a correctional facility for children has unveiled widespread malpractice and child abuse. The discovery prompted Chancellor of Justice Indrek Teder to label the facility a “hotbed of criminal activity.” “That an educational institution is managed in such a manner is a disgrace to our entire country. An institution like this can be described not as offering education and social rehabilitation but as a hotbed of criminal activity,” the chancellor said.

Nato builds cyber-security bunker

Several nations to staff 'Centre of Excellence' in Estonia

Iain Thomson

Nato is to build a dedicated cyber-warfare centre to cope with online attacks against member states and their allies.

The Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence will be built in Estonia, which was the first country to suffer a coordinated national online attack.

The Centre will be staffed by experts from Estonia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Spain.

"The need for a cyber-defence centre is compelling," said General James Mattis, Nato's Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, at the signing ceremony. "It will help Nato defy and successfully counter the threats in this area."

The attacks on Estonia sparked interest in online warfare when the country, which has pioneered electronic government, came under sustained attack from computers around the world.

The attack is thought to have been the work of a flash mob of predominantly Russian computer users protesting against the removal of a memorial in Estonia.

Ansip met with the International Monetary Fund delegation

Stenbock House – Prime Minister Ansip discussed the economic policy situation of Estonia with the delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is on its annual visit to Estonia.

At the beginning of the meeting, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip described the plans of the government for balancing the state budget. According to Franciszek Rozwadowski, head of the delegation, the slowing down of the economic growth of Estonia has been expected for a while now, and there is definitely no economic crisis in Estonia. “As it is the first cyclical slowing down of Estonian economic growth, it is a test of the ability of both the labour market and budget policy to react competently,” Rozwadowski said. The IMF delegation expressed their support for the plan to freeze wage costs in the state budget.

The new draft of the Employment Contracts Act was also discussed. The IMF supported updating the Act and suggested the Act be implemented quickly so that it would support the current adjustment phase of the economy as well. Inflation, which is a problem all over the world, was also discussed. This due to the rise in the prices of energy and food, and the liquidity shots made for stabilising the financial markets. The opinion was also expressed that the high rate of inflation will decrease in the foreseeable future.

In the course of the visit, which lasts for almost two weeks, the representatives of the monetary fund will meet with the members of the government and the Riigikogu, executives and analysts of the Bank of Estonia and the Financial Supervisory Authority, executives and economic analysts from commercial banks and private companies, and representatives of several boards, to obtain an overview of the development and prospects of the Estonian economy, as well as the situation of the financial sector and development of budget policy.

A summary of the visit will be presented by Franciszek Rozwadowski, head of the six-member IMF delegation, on Monday, 19 May, at the press conference to be held at the Bank of Estonia, where Minister of Finance Ivari Padar and President of the Bank of Estonia Andres Lipstok will also be participating.

The International Monetary Fund discusses important economic policy matters with all member states every year. The annual main mission of the IMF in Estonia is held in the spring, after which the report by the IMF on Estonia, together with economic policy assessments, will be completed in the summer.
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Valitsuse kommunikatsioonibüroo briifinguruum
http://www.valitsus.ee/brf/ 
press@riik.ee 

3 fishermen found dead off Estonia's south west coast

TALLINN - Estonian news agency BNS says three fishermen have been found drowned near their capsized boat off the southwestern coast of Estonia.
The agency says border guards found the men and their boat between the islands of Abruka and Vahase late Saturday.
BNS says the guards started searching for the fishermen after they failed to arrive at their destination at the island of Osel.

The cause of the accident was unknown.

Estonian inflation jumps to 10-year high in April

TALLINN - Consumer price inflation jumped to a 10-year high in April of 11.4 %, the national statistics office said on Thursday.

Compared with March, prices in the Baltic state increased 1.0 percent, it said.

Inflation in April was driven primarily by increases in costs of food, notably dairy, cereal and meat products, as well as heating energy and transport.

Estonia, which regained its independence from the crumbling Soviet Union in 1991, has enjoyed robust economic growth for more than a decade, notably since joining the European Union in 2004.

But inflation has been climbing progressively in recent months, despite a slight dip in pace in March.

In December, the 12-month rate was 9.6 percent, in January 11 percent, in February 11.3 percent and in March 10.9 percent.

The latest figures are the highest recorded since April 1998, when 12-month inflation was 12.6 percent, according to statistics office data.

tf.TFN-Europe_newsdesk@thomsonreuters.com

Hungary and Poland to adopt Euro in 2013 !

By Elizabeth Konstantinova

Euro-adoption targets for most central and eastern European nations have been pushed back as far as 2013 and 2014 because of accelerating inflation, said UniCredit Group SpA, Italy's largest bank.

Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic, which joined the European Union in 2004 will be able to adopt the single currency by 2013, UniCredit said in an e-mailed statement today. Bulgaria and Romania, which joined the 27-nation bloc in 2007, will meet terms for euro adoption by 2014, the bank forecast.

"The prospect of euro adoption is an important anchor for most countries that joined the EU in 2004 and 2007,'' Unicredit said. "Meeting the inflation criterion poses a special challenge, because of the price pressure observed almost all over central and eastern Europe.''

Estonia mulls buying 122mm artillery from Finland

Estonian daily Eesti Päevaleht reported Monday that the country's military was considering buying Soviet-made 122mm gun-howitzers from Finland.

Earlier this year, Finland offered the towed artillery pieces to Estonia for a keen price.

Baltic News Service (BNS) quoted the Estonian defence ministry as saying that the procurement was meant specifically for the purchase of the howitzers from Finland and excluded offers from Nato countries.

"It is about money. Of course every member of the artillery forces dreams of modern self-propelled devices, but Estonia's limited resources do not allow to buy them. Even the modern and light 105mm units are very expensive," BNS quoted an unnamed spokesman as saying.

The guns in question were built for East Germany in the 1960s and 1970s and later sold to Finland.

The remains of Prime Minister Jüri Uluots to arrive in Estonia

Stenbock House – Today at 10, the remains of the former Prime Minister acting as President of the Republic, Jüri Uluots (1890-1945), and his family will arrive in Estonia.

At the D-terminal of the Port of Tallinn, a military honours ceremony will be held, which will be attended by the relatives of J. Uluots, representatives of the Estonian state and members of the fraternity Rotalia. The keeper of the consistency of the Republic of Estonia will arrive back home.

President Konstantin Päts appointed Jüri Uluots as Prime Minister in 1939. In relation to the deportation of President Päts, Uluots as the last official Prime Minister became acting head of the state – Prime Minister acting as President of the Republic. In September 1944, he assigned the Government of the Republic to office, led by Otto Tief. On 19 September 1944, J. Uluots escaped to Sweden with his family, where he died on 9 January 1945. The Government of the Republic operated in exile until 7 October 1992 and was one of the main pillars that allowed to restore the independence of Estonia, relying on legal continuity.

The remains of Jüri Uluots, his wife Anette (d. 1995) and son Erik (d. 2006) will be reburied to Kirbla cemetery in Lääne County on 31 August. The remains were exhumed on Monday, 12 May, at Stockholm Forest Cemetery. The consul of the Republic of Estonia, the representative of the State Chancellery and the representative of the Estonian community in Sweden were present at the exhumation. The event was documented on video and photos for the National Archives.

Up to now, the Estonian heads of state who have been reburied into the homeland soil from abroad are Konstantin Päts (1990), Aleksander Warma (2002) and August Rei (2006).

See more about Jüri Uluots at the website of the President of the Republic :
http://www.president.ee/en/estonia/heads.php?gid=81975

Valitsuse kommunikatsioonibüroo briifinguruum
http://www.valitsus.ee/brf/
press@riik.ee

Estonia hopes for early EU-Russia talks on new ties pact

Estonia and Latvia on Monday expressed hopes for early talks between the European Union and Russia on signing a new partnership accord, according to Baltic News Service (BNS) reports reaching here from Tallinn.

Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet told BNS that he hopes the EU and Russia will launch their planned talks on forging a new strategic "Partnership and Cooperation Agreement" as soon as possible, and suggested that the talks be initiated during the EU-Russia summit in Siberia from June 26-27.

Referring to fellow EU member Lithuania's objections over the issue, Paet said all problems should be addressed via talks, while acknowledging that the negotiations will not be easy.

Paet's Latvian counterpart Maris Riekstins echoed his view, saying that direct talks were the best solution to problems blocking EU-Russia relations.

While saying that Lithuania's objections and demands are crucial to the 27 EU states, Riekstins expressed hope the bloc will find a way to allay Lithuania's doubts on the matter.

Source : Xinhua

Pro-Russian parties unite in Estonia

TALLINN - The Russian Constitutional Party of Estonia   and  the  Left-wing  Party  of  Estonia  signed  a  treaty  of association on Monday.

     Sergei  Jurgens,  chairman  of  the Russian Constitutional Party of Estonia, said the new party will be called the United Left-Wing Party of Estonia.

     "After  the treaty is signed, it will be approved at the congresses of both  political organizations and at the association congress on June 28," Jurgens said.

     Among the objectives of the new party will be the protection of the rights of  ethnic  minorities and representation of the interests of the Russian-speaking population.

     "Because  the  Left-wing  Party  of  Estonia is a co-founder of the European  Left-wing  Party, all documents were developed with regard for the program of the European Left-wing Party," Jurgens said.

     "The United Left-wing Party intends to expand its representation of the local self-government bodies in the municipal elections scheduled to take place next year," Jurgens said.

     The Constitutional Party of Estonia (formerly United People's party of Estonia)  was  represented in the parliament before the most recently parliamentary elections, but failed to make the 5% barrier, getting just a little  more  than  11%  of  the  votes. The Left-wing Party, which is composed of mainly Estonian-speaking people, received 0.1% of the votes.

Newspaper’s founder recalls the early days

The St. Petersburg Times celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. Lloyd Donaldson was one of the founders of The St. Petersburg Press, which was later renamed The St. Petersburg Times. Here he writes about the early days of the newspaper.

Incidents and memorable moments were never far apart for the journalists who staffed The St. Petersburg Times in its early days. The mafia sometimes visited, businessmen threatened to sue, officials occasionally pressured us — none were humored. Everything was new, things were changing fast, and our initially inexperienced journalists rode the hurricane of events with relish.

The first journalist taken on was Alistair Crighton from Scotland. At one point he disappeared for three days — to my annoyance, given our looming deadline. He emerged, unshaven and stinking of drink, having nailed the rumors of bandits fleecing alcoholics of the ownership deeds to their apartments through a combination of vodka and violence — complete with first-hand quotes and photos of the armed gang he spent those days with. He later worked with The Times of London and now edits a magazine in Dubai.

The second man on, Yevgeny Pogorelov, reported on an American whom the traffice police (GAI) had shot at 17 times in a high-speed chase, but initially followed the GAI line that this was because the man had run a red light! These were the early days — training was a work in progress. Yevgeny carved out a career in PR in Brussels.