BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

Cantina Carramba is arguably the best, but really nothing exceptional .. !

... All tex-mex offer this kind of stuff ... Don´t they ?

Cantina Carramba is arguably the best Tex-Mex restaurant in Tallinn. It’s a cottage-sized place with saddles strapped to ceiling rafters and photos of Mexican bandits nailed to the walls. But what really counts at Cantina Carramba is the service, which defies the sign posted above the bar declaring that, “The Client is Always Wrong.” One thing’s for sure, you’ll always be met with a smile at this Tex-Mex joint.

Location : Weizenbergi 20a
More info : 601-3431

The unknown Arrak

By Joel Alas

TALLINN - Surrealism is the natural art style of Estonians, someone once told me. For decades they knew nothing but the absurd middle world between occupation and freedom, indigence and luxury, modernity and backwardness.

Estonia’s most famous artist, Juri Arrak, popularized surrealism through his instantly-recognizable characters with their angular and wavy dragon-like heads. But long before he turned to surrealism, Arrak experimented with pop art, cubism and realism across a variety of media. Assemblage, jewelry, metalwork and performance art were also vehicles for his expression.
This period of his artistic development is largely unrecognized, and the work is almost irreconcilable with his later style. Yet it is this period in Arrak’s life that will be featured in an exhibition which celebrates the 70th birthday of Estonia’s most popular artist.
Arrak turns 70 on Oct. 24, and three days later the flagship modern art gallery Kumu will open “Man Looking Back : The Early Work of Juri Arrak.“

Tallinn has already been swamped by a flood of Arrak’s images. Over the past few weeks many private galleries around the Old Town have taken part in a city-wide Arrak appreciation drive in the lead-up to his birthday. Some of the exhibitions were also timed to coincide with the visit of Queen Elizabeth II. At Draakoni Gallery, one of Tallinn’s best private galleries, Arrak’s more religious paintings were hung side-by-side with those of British artist PJ Crook, a combination suggested by Margus Laidre, the Estonian ambassador in London, as a means of symbolizing the links between the two nations.

Europe diary : The gas man

* BBC Europe editor Mark Mardell on the EU's awkward relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the power Moscow projects through pipelines.

"You know what happens when they get in the same room as Putin. They all drop their trousers and say 'I love you Vladimir'." This is the gloomy and cynical view from a senior EU insider, of the leaders of the European Union's 25 countries. Perhaps it's intended to chivvy rather than insult. But there is no doubt that the EU summit in Finland is a rather odd event. The 25 prime ministers and presidents talk about their policy towards the Russian president over lunch. And at dinner a few hours later their guest of honour is none other than Mr Putin himself.

The European Commission is worried this will mean that unity goes out the window as they all jostle to be the Russian president's best friend. It's not just that Russia is a powerful country and Europe's big neighbour. The leaders all believe in the European values of fraternal solidarity but Vlad has something they value more. Gas.

Estonian medical workers consider strike

* Four professional unions of medical workers in Estonia announced on Oct. 24 that preparations for a strike may be started if their demands to increase health care finance are ignored and a wage accord is not signed.

The meeting of the extended council of the Estonian Medical Association decided that if health workers' demands for increased funding continue to be ignored and a wage agreement is not concluded, preparations will need to be started for breaking off the accord on refraining from labor action, a press release by the union says.

The medical workers were referring to a meeting held at Tallinn's Mustamae Hospital on Monday, which in their opinion revealed that politicians do not consider Estonian residents worthy of good medical care. So after all, this isn´t what was said a few months ago about Estonia being ranked 4th in Europe for medical care ... !

“Health care is not a priority in the Republic of Estonia and the share of health spending in next year's budget will not increase despite the fact that Estonia has the poorest level of health care finance of EU countries and the shortest average life expectancy,” the associations said.

Some 500 health workers took part in the meeting with coalition politicians. The minister of social affairs meanwhile didn't consider the topic important enough to attend the meeting, the associations said. Low pay of doctors and nurses, insecurity in the face of future and chronic underfinancing have led to the leaving of professional staff to other countries, which is putting additional strain on those who remain, having to work under huge overload.

Children of the revolution

By Paul Sussman

* This year, 2006, marks two significant anniversaries in the history of the former Soviet Union, anniversaries that in a sense bookend the disintegration of the once-formidable communist superpower.

Fifty years ago today, on Monday, October 23 1956, the people of Hungary revolted against Soviet rule, demanding political freedom and an end to the brand of repressive authoritarian communism that had been imposed on their country by Moscow.

The uprising marked one of the first, and certainly the most symbolically important attempts by a nation within the Soviet sphere of influence to break free of that influence and go its own way.

Although it was short-lived and ended in failure and bloodshed -- the suppression of the revolt saw the worst violence in Europe since World War II -- it can nonetheless be viewed as an early faltering step on a road that, three decades later, was to culminate in the domino-like tumble of the Soviet-controlled Warsaw Pact regimes and subsequent dissolution of the USSR itself (a dissolution that was officially rubber stamped by the Belavezha Accords of December 8, 1991, the fifteenth anniversary of which will also be celebrated this year.)

In terms of anniversaries 2006 thus recalls both one of the first great internal challenges to Soviet hegemony, and the final collapse of that hegemony. On which basis it would seem like an appropriate time to ask how those countries that once made up the Soviet world have fared in the post-Soviet era, and whether, over the past decade and a half, independence from Moscow has proved to be a blessing or a curse.

Success in the west

As well as Russia, the overall controlling nation, the Soviet Union consisted of 14 other states, generally divided into four geographical groupings : The Baltic (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) ; Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan) ; the Transcaucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia) ; and Eastern Europe (Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine.)

Four die from drinking homebrew in north Estonia

TALLINN - Four people have died and one is critically ill after drinking illegal alcohol with a high methanol content, authorities in north Estonia said.
“Four people have been found dead at Loksa this week and the emergency services say the deaths could have been caused by methanol poisoning,” a spokesperson from the Social Affairs Ministry said in a statement.
“We urge citizens not to consume illegal alcohol and substances that are not meant for drinking.”
A fifth man was taken to hospital for treatment. A sixth man, aged 44, was found dead at the end of September. Authorities said it was possible he had also fallen victim to methanol poisoning.
The deaths have sparked fears of a widespread alcohol poisoning epidemic. Five years ago, almost 70 people died across southern Estonia after drinking illegal homebrew with a high methanol content.
Police said it was also possible that the Loksa drinkers had consumed lighter fluid, and urged people not to drink any substance not intended for consumption.

Senior Chinese leader leaves on visit to UK, Lithuania, Estonia, Ukraine

* Senior Chinese leader Jia Qinglin left here on Sunday morning on an official goodwill visit to the United Kingdom (UK), Lithuania, Estonia and Ukraine.

Jia is a member of China's Communist party's top decision-making body the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Jia was invited respectively by the British government, Speaker of the Seimas(Parliament)of the Republic of Lithuania Viktoras Muntianas, President of the Parliament of Estonia Toomas Varek,and Chairman of the Supreme Council of Ukraine Olexander Moroz.

"Teeviit 2006" : Estonian Fair Centre in Tallinn, Nov 30th - Dec 2nd, 2006

* The Youth Information Fair TEEVIIT is aimed at providing young people and people who work with them  with as much information as possible on education possibilities, leisure time activities, courses and trainings, material on methods, employment and everything else which concerns young people both in Estonia as well as abroad.

The idea to organize the Youth Information Fair TEEVIIT was born in 1994. The fair is organized by the Estonian Youth Work Centre (ENTK) and the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research (HTM).

The Youth Information Fair TEEVIIT 2005 was visited by over 19 500 people during the three days and 155 exhibitors participated in the fair. Compared to previous years, the number of foreign exhibitors has increased by 50 % in 2005.   

Additional information on the Youth Information Fair TEEVIIT as well as an opportunity to register is available at the Estonian Youth Work Centre and our homepage www.teeviit.ee.

For further information please visit our web-site http://www.teeviit.ee or contact :

Estonian Youth Work Centre

Uuslinna 10, 11415 Tallinn, Estonia

Project manager : Ms DORIS TUPITS

Foreign relations : Ms KATRE MERIMÄE - Tel : + 372 638 0763

e-mail : katre.merimae@entk.ee

Drug-resistant tuberculosis rife in Estonia and St. Petersburg area

* The occurrence of drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis is on the increase in Eastern Europe. Health officials in Finland are particularly concerned because the multi-drug resistant form of tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has already found its way to Estonia and St. Petersburg.
      "Between two and five new cases of MDR-TB, which is resistant to the two most effective first line TB drugs Rifampicin and Isoniazid, are found in Finland per year", explains senior physician, professor Ville Valtonen from the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa.
      The disease is most commonly contracted in the St. Petersburg area or in the Baltic States.
      The number of new cases has stayed the same since 1995.
    
"Fortunately this figure is low", states Sirpa Pajunen, doctor of infectious diseases at the National Public Health Institute. She nevertheless fears that the number of the MDR-TB cases found in Finland may well start to rise.
      An even more dangerous TB strain, the so-called extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), also threatens to spread to Europe, but at least so far it has not been diagnosed in Finland. XDR-TB is not only resistant to Rifampicin and Isoniazid, but also to three or more of the six classes of second-line drugs.
      There are occurrences of the dreaded disease in the former Soviet Union area and further east in Asia.

East Viru county : Explosives found

* Security Police seized a large amount of explosives, guns, grenades and ammunition and arrested five people in a raid last week. Police said surveillance work led to the raid in East Viru County. The five suspects were allegedly found with nearly 22 kilograms of different explosives, 22 detonators, five hand grenades, two grenade detonators and fuses. They were arrested and charged with illegally handling explosives, ammunition and firearms. Four were kept in detention, and one was released on bail conditions.

Tallinn accueille EAVE

* Plus de 50 professionnels en provenance de 17 pays d'Europe sont réunis dans la capitale estonienne cette semaine (du 16 au 23 octobre) pour le troisième et dernier atelier EAVE (European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs) de l'année 2006.

Cet atelier, co-organisé avec l'aide de Baltic Event et d'autres organismes estoniens comme le Patrimoine Culturel Estonien, le ministère de la Culture, la Fondation estonienne pour le cinéma et la Ville de Tallinn, s'attache avant tout à créer des liens directs avec le marché international en organisant des face-à-face avec des leaders des commissions, des financiers, des acheteurs (sociétés de ventes ou de distribution) et autres partenaires stratégiques. Parmi les 40 professionnels les plus importants présents à Tallinn, on peut citer Chris Auty (The Works, Royaume-Uni), Karin Beyens (Diaphana, France), Philippe Bober (The Co-production Office, France/Allemagne), Sally Caplan UK Film Council, Royaume-Uni), Tomas Eskilsson (Film i Väst, Suède), Sonja Heinen (Berlinale Co-production Market/World Cinema Fund, Allemagne), Peter Rommel (Shotgun Pictures , Allemagne), Riina Sildos (Baltic Event, Estonie), Bianca Taal (Cinemart, Pays-Bas) et Judith Toth ( NonStop Sales, Suède).

Le charme de l'Estonie fait des ravages

Près de 10 % de touristes en plus en 2005

L'Estonie connaît une croissance économique fulgurante : + 10 % l'an dernier, une petite Chine d'Europe en quelque sorte. Parmi les activités en plein essor, il y a la finance, le Hi Tech, et le tourisme. Le plus nordique des pays baltes a accueilli 2 millions de visiteurs étrangers en 2005. Le patrimoine est entretenu, le parc hôtelier offre le choix. Tiina Kibus, directrice marketing de l'Office de tourisme de Tallinn, fait le point sur l'évolution du secteur et évoque un marché français prometteur. 

TM.com - A quoi ressemblait le tourisme en Estonie avant 1991, année de l'Indépendance ?

Tiina Kibus - Durant l'occupation soviétique, le tourisme était quasi inexistant en Estonie, tous les déplacements étaient surveillés. C'était vraiment problématique de visiter le pays, mis à part Tallinn, et encore... sans grande liberté de mouvement. Une poignée d'autres villes étaient accessibles, mais seulement pour la journée, il y avait interdiction d'y passer la nuit… Quant aux autres, elles étaient quasiment toutes interdites, pour raisons… secrètes.

TM.com - Quinze ans plus tard, comment caractériser le changement ?

T.K. - Le développement a été très rapide, et s'est amorcé dès le début des années 90. Il y a eu des investissements importants, et les villes et les régions sont devenues ou redevenues très attractives. En matière d'hébergement, de loisirs et de remise en forme, les possibilités sont multiples, et jusqu'à ce jour, tout à fait suffisantes. Le pays possède entre autres une vingtaine de Spa, et Tallinn dispose à elle seule de 11000 lits, toutes catégories.

TM.com - Quels sont les chiffres du secteur ? Nombres de touristes, d'employés ? Quelle part dans le PIB ?

Estonia Adopts Next-Gen Immigration Solution

By Erik Linask

* As a means of facilitating increased international travel, automating identity verification, speeding immigration inspections, and improving border protection and security, many countries are adopting advanced technologies in their immigration and border controls. Specifically, they are contracting advanced chip technology firms to implant biometric chips in new passports and other documents that provided added security while improving border crossing processes.

Gemalto, which provided SIM cards and software to the telecom industry, also has made a name for itself with its digital security solutions for the banking, retail, enterprise, and public sectors. As the company says, it creates solutions so that “only the right people can use them to identify themselves, make a transaction, or communicate.”

Now, Gemalto has been named by the Citizenship and Migration Board of Estonian Republic as provider of choice for future Estonian electronic passports. Gemato’s comprehensive turnkey e-passport solution will include everything from manufacturing and binding of the passports to implanting the microchips containing Gemalto’s Setec biometric identification technology.

At the heart of the solution is a large capacity contactless microchip running a secure operating system is embedded in a damage resistant module in the passport booklet cover.

'Estonia Sings' to end British queen's Baltic visit

* Thousands of people have packed into Tallinn's medieval City Hall Square to give Britain's Queen Elizabeth II a musical send-off from the Baltic states.

When the 80-year-old monarch arrived in the cobbled square at 11:00 am (0800 GMT) on Friday, it was teeming with people eager to meet her during one of her popular walkabouts, where she mingles with ordinary citizens, before an open-air choral concert called "Estonia Sings".

Dozens of people had a chance to hand her flowers or small pictures they had painted for the occasion, including 12-year-old Heidi Tiik.

"I was able to present a small picture of a sunset at the seaside to the queen," Heidi said proudly.

"I like drawing and I'm so happy the queen now has my picture."

The queen, wearing a pale pink coat and matching hat, listened attentively afterwards as the music of the choral concert washed over a sea of several thousand people waving the Union Jack and Estonian tricolour flags.

Kaia Kanepi : St Raphael semi-finals

* Prantsusmaal Saint-Raphael'is jätkuva ITF-i 50 000 dollari suuruse auhinnafondiga turniiri veerandfinaalis võitis Kaia täna rumeenlanna Simona Matei 6-3 7-6 (7-1).

Homses poolfinaalis on Kaia vastaseks Prantsusmaad esindav Youlia Fedossova, kes alistas täna Karin Knapp'i (Itaalia) 2-6 6-2 6-1.

Enne seda mängu peetakse ära teine üksikmängu poolfinaal (algusega kell 15:00 siinse aja järgi), kus on vastamisi Stephanie Foretz (Prantsusmaa) ja Alberta Brianti (Itaalia).

Turniiritabel

Comment l´Estonie voit la Russie : 1ere decade d´octobre 2006

* La presse locale centre son attention sur les rapports russo-géorgiens. La Russie est désignée comme responsable de leur détérioration. "Avec la Géorgie, les autorités russes sont claires : arrêtez ce remue-ménage avec l'OTAN, sinon vous en verrez de toutes les couleurs. Tout simplement, elles ont attendu le moment opportun pour justifier leurs actions ("Postimees", 06.10). "La ligne pro-occidentale de la Géorgie, son désir d'adhérer à la fois à l'OTAN et à l'UE irritent Russie. Moscou considère la Géorgie comme sa basse-cour" ("Pärnu Postimees", 06.10).

Les journalistes estiment que l'un des facteurs agaçant Moscou est la personnalité du président géorgien, Mikhaïl Saakachvili, arrivé au pouvoir avec la "révolution des roses". "Un homme qui parle couramment l'anglais et qui est en mesure de susciter l'intérêt permanent des agences d'information occidentales diffèrerait fortement des leaders classiques des Etats postsoviétiques (�). Formé aux Etats-Unis, Saakachvili est un démocrate. Le président russe Vladimir Poutine dit que la démocratie existe également en Russie. La théorie des relations internationales qui dit que les Etats démocratiques ne se font jamais la guerre, ne risque-t-elle de s'écrouler maintenant ? Ou l'un des participants au conflit n'est pas un démocrate ? " ("Postimees", 07.10).

Certains journaux estiment que l'Estonie est tout simplement obligée de prendre le parti de la Géorgie. "La Géorgie est un Etat clef dans la libération de l'UE de sa dépendance énergétique envers la Russie. La région caspienne pourrait couvrir jusqu'à 25% des besoins de l'UE et la part du lion de cette énergie pourrait être transportée par la Géorgie (...). La Géorgie donne à l'Estonie la possibilité de se réincarner dans la politique UE - Russie" ("Eesti Paevaleht", 10.10).

Tight race continues in Estonian politics

* The Estonian Centre Party (KESK) has become the most popular political organization in the Baltic nation, according to a poll by TNS Emor. 20 per cent of respondents would support the KESK in next year’s parliamentary ballot.

The Estonian Reform Party (ER) is a close second with 19 per cent, followed by the coalition of the Fatherland Union (EI) and the Union for the Republic - Res Publica (RP) with 10 per cent, the Social Democratic Party (SDE) with six per cent, and the Estonian People’s Union (ERL) with five per cent. The next election is scheduled for Mar. 4, 2007.

In March 2005, prime minister Juhan Parts—a member of Res Publica—announced his resignation. In April, a new administration—headed by Reform leader Andrus Ansip—was sworn in. The governing coalition also includes the KESK and the ERL. Since 1991, only one of the Baltic nation’s administrations has lasted more than two years. Estonia joined the European Union (EU) in May 2004.

Earlier this month, Estonian environment minister and ERL leader Villu Reiljan tendered his resignation after a series of corruption allegations pertaining to the land registry office. Railjan said he decided to step down because it would have been "impossible" to continue working during the investigation, and added, "I have nothing to fear and I have not the least plan of going to jail."

Polling Data

What party would you vote for in the next parliamentary election ?

	Sept. 2006	Jul. 2006
Estonian Centre Party (KESK)	20%	19%
Estonian Reform Party (ER)	19%	20%
Fatherland Union (EI) / Union for the Republic - Res Publica (RP)	10%	11%
Social Democratic Party (SDE)	6%	5%
Estonian People’s Union (ERL)	5%	6%

Source : TNS Emor

Semaine Jaan Kirsipuu

* A l'occasion du retrait des pelotons de Jaan Kirsipuu, Cyclismag consacrera les loupes de la semaine autour de la carrière du coureur estonien. Aujourd'hui, le cyclisme dans les Pays Baltes, en Estonie.

Le cyclisme estonien

Comme ses voisins baltes le cyclisme estonien fait parler de lui dès les débuts des Soviétiques dans les pelotons professionnels puisque Tomas Kirsipuu passe pro en 1989 chez Kelme. L'expérience ne durera qu'un an, mais c'est bientôt son frère, Jaan, qui va faire parler de lui.
Passé chez les amateurs en France, il rejoint l'équipe Chazal en 1992 et va faire de la France son terrain de prédilection, particulièrement la Coupe de France (voir Loupe du 09/10/2006) et les courses à étapes (voir Loupe du 14/10/2006). Avec près de 130 victoires au compteur, Jaan Kirsipuu a marqué le cyclisme de la fin des années 1990 et du début des années 2000.
Lauri Aus et Janek Tombak ont suivi la même voie que Kirsipuu en faisant le bonheur de leur employeur français. Les Estonien comptent moins de succès de prestige que leurs voisins baltes, mais la future génération s'avère très prometteuse et compte des coureurs très complet. René Mandri a montré de belles promesses pour sa première année aux côtés des pros chez Auber 93 et va maintenant découvrir le Pro Tour chez AG2R. Pour leur première année chez les espoirs Tanel Kangert et Rein Taaramäe ont réalisé des performances plus qu'encourageantes. Le dernier cité a semé la terreur dans les peloton français remportant notamment deux Coupe de France.
Parallèlement, l'Estonie s'est également investit structurellement dans le cyclisme. L'équipe continentale Kalev existe depuis 2004. Des courses UCI sont organisées à Tartu et Tallinn depuis 2002 et sont maintenant classées en 1re catégorie. Enfin, l'Estonie a organisé les championnats d'Europe espoirs 2004 à Otepää.

Prime Minister will attend unofficial European Council

Tallinn – Prime Minister Andrus Ansip has today participated in the unofficial meeting of the EU member state’s heads of government and state in Lahti.

Finland, which currently holds the EU Presidency, wants to focus during the summit on subjects concerning innovation and energy. In terms of the energy policy, Estonia considers the prevention of energy crises and the connection of main networks to be of the utmost importance. With regard to innovation, the most important issue is the establishment of a common European Technology Institute (ETI) and its financing.

In the framework of the meeting, a dinner with Russian President Vladimir Putin will take place, where the main issue to be discussed is a strategic partnership between the European Union and Russia, as well as energy security.

The meeting will not adopt any final conclusions, as it is a preparation for the European Council meeting to be held in Brussels, in December.

Further information:
Inga Jagomäe
+372 52 81 467
_____________________________________
Valitsuse kommunikatsioonibüroo briifinguruum
http://www.valitsus.ee/brf/
press@riik.ee

Estonia welcomes British queen on historic Baltic visit

TALLINN - Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has visited Estonia on the last leg of a landmark trip to the Baltic states, during which the 80-year-old monarch has been unceasing in her praise of the Baltic people and their determined fight for freedom.

The queen and her husband Prince Philip were formally welcomed to the northernmost of the Baltic states shortly after noon (0900 GMT) on Thursday by newly elected President Toomas Hendrik Ilves in a ceremony at Kadriorg Palace.

The queen, wearing a turquoise coat and matching hat -- a colour not dissimilar to the blue in the Estonian national flag -- and Ilves reviewed a guard of honour in front of the baroque, rose-coloured palace, as the Union Jack fluttered alongside Estonia's blue, black and white banner in the wind.

Only a handful of people had braved the chilly, overcast weather to come to the palace, set in a leafy suburb of Tallinn, and try to catch a glimpse of the queen.

But the main events on the royal visit to Estonia are due Friday, when the queen will mingle with Estonians on one of her popular walkabouts and listen to an open-air choral concert in Tallinn's medieval Old Town.

Later Thursday, the queen was given a tour of the Kumu art museum -- inaugurated in February -- by its Finnish architect, Pekka Vapaavuori.

The arch-shaped museum with its amphitheatre-style yard juts out of a limestone bank next to a park by the presidential palace.