BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

Ferry trip to Estonia worth every kroon

By John Powers

TALLINN -- If you have half a day to spare, it's well worth zipping across the Gulf of Finland for a stroll around this 13th-century capital, which has been enjoying a post-Soviet renaissance.

Take a high-speed catamaran or hydrofoil from Helsinki's ferry terminal a short walk from Market Square ($43 each way). In roughly 90 minutes you will be in the middle of a medieval fantasy land of twisting cobblestone streets and towers.

Virtually all of what you would want to see in Tallinn is in the walled Old Town. Enter under the archway next to Fat Margaret Tower and stroll up Pikk to Raekoja Plats , the sprawling square where merchants sold their goods and public executions were staged.

The 15th-century Town Hall, with its gargoyles and dragons, is the centerpiece and a natural backdrop for musical performances. All around the square are canopied restaurants with outdoor tables serving hearty Estonian specialties. The Revalia Grill House , for example, offers elk, wild boar, and salmon.

From Raekoja Plats, it's a steep but rewarding hike up Pikk Jalg to the upper town called Toompea , with its 800-year-old castle and imposing Tall Herman tower from where residents defiantly replaced the hammer-and-sickle flag with the blue-black -and-white Estonian banner when the Soviet Union was teetering in 1989 . Estonia regained full independence in 1991, but Russian resentment over the flag-raising lingers .

The medieval lesbians of Tallinn

The author joins up with a stag group in Estonia to imbibe copious amounts of lager and vodka and study the night life

Estonia’s capital has a compact centre with labyrinthine cobbled streets leading up a hill to medieval fortifications and a splendid Russian orthodox church. There is an interesting Occupation Museum, which describes the days of Soviet control, and a wonderful Kumu art gallery displaying modern works as well as older collections.

It is a very pleasant place for a weekend break – lots of cafes, bars and restaurants. There are day trips to the countryside, along the coast, and even across to Helsinki in Finland. But Tallinn is perhaps best known for one thing: its stag and hen parties.

Cheap flights and cheap nightlife have proved a big hit with young crowds. They don’t ruin the city, but a couple of streets are pretty taken over by the raucous crew....

Enough of art, museums and Estonian Institutes? medieval lesbians are waiting. I’m about to attend my “Medieval lesbian strip show”. I’ve joined another stag group at a bar on a cobbled street in the city centre. They’re a bit rougher round the edges than the last lot. They’ve clearly had a lot to drink. And they’re (very) suspicious about my motives.

A Baltic time warp

Estonia juggles its high-tech hub and pre-Soviet roots ;
Wi-Fi on the bus, reeds on the roofs

By STAN SESSER

Muhu Island, Estonia

Estonians like to brag that theirs is the most wired country in the world. They can pay for parking, taxis and many purchases in shops by dialing a number on their mobile phones. Trains and intercity buses are equipped with wireless Internet.

But here on Muhu Island, just two hours from the capital, Tallinn, you could easily think you were in another century. Many of the wood and stone houses, which date as far back as the 17th century, have roofs made from woven reeds harvested at the shoreline. Some elderly residents still have outhouses.

The juxtaposition between Tallinn and Muhu Island illustrates a great advantage of traveling in the Baltics. This trio of tiny countries -- Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia -- achieved independence from the Soviet Union 16 years ago and towns untouched by progress are only now starting to open up. In one day, you can go back centuries in time, from a capital city with international restaurants and the latest technology to villages that reflect another era.

These villages aren't unchanged because they've been preserved as showpieces for tourists. They were left to stagnate for decades under Soviet occupation. The 2,000 inhabitants of Muhu Island, for instance, are mostly fishermen and farmers, just as they've always been.

Russian jet violates Estonia's airspace twice

* The Tu-154 jet, en route to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, first crossed into Estonian airspace in the vicinity of the island of Naissaar, some 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of the capital Tallinn late Monday, military officials said in a statement. The violation lasted four minutes, they added.

The same plane re-entered the Baltic nation's air space a little later this time for about one minute near the western island of Osmussaar, the military said.

Estonian air traffic controllers failed to establish contact with the plane, and officials notified the incident to a NATO air operation center in Germany.

Estonian-Russian relations are at a low after the Baltic state angered Russia by removing a Soviet war statue from downtown Tallinn. The decision triggered a massive cyber-attack, orchestrated in Russia, against Estonian government and commercial Web sites.

Military spokesman Lt. Andres Sang was unable to say whether the plane was on a military or a civilian mission, though he said the Tu-154 was originally built as a passenger aircraft.

The Soviet-made Tu-154 is widely used in Russia and in many former Soviet republics.

The incident was the latest in a series of Russian violations of Estonian airspace since the Baltic country joined NATO in 2004.

The region of Kaliningrad is sandwiched between NATO-members Lithuania and Poland, forcing Russia to provide air service from St. Petersburg through a tight air corridor above the Baltic Sea.

DETECTIVES DES PROFONDEURS - MORT SUR LA BALTIQUE

Première diffusion 17 Juin 2007 a 20h55

En 1994, un ferry transportant plus de 1000 personnes chavira et coula en moins d'une heure. Seulement 137 passagers réussirent a se dégager du ferry car la plupart des 852 victimes n'atteignirent pas le pont et gisent encore aujourd'hui dans l'épave.

La raison officielle d'un probleme de construction est-elle un leurre comme beaucoup le pensent ? Les doutes persistent toujours sur les raisons du naufrage alors que sept pays ont interdit l'acces a l'épave, empechant toute investigation scientifique d'etre entreprise.

Ce documentaire va a la rencontre de survivants et d'une journaliste allemande qui cherche a élucider le mystérieux naufrage de l'Estonia.

New EU rules would force Gazprom out of Baltic pipeline project : Kroes

TALLINN - Russia's Gazprom would have to pull out of a controversial project to lay a pipeline in the Baltic Sea if new rules on energy companies are passed by the European Union, Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said here Friday.

"Gazprom should sell its stake in the Baltic Sea pipeline and this will happen sooner or later," Kroes said in Estonia, which, with its Baltic neighbours and Poland, was bypassed by the project to build a pipeline on the floor of the Baltic Sea, connecting Russia's gas fields with Germany.

"I hope the EU will adopt new regulations that state that companies producing energy and distributing energy should be strictly separated and have different ownership," Kroes said.

"EU regulations should apply to Gazprom as well as any other company from non-EU countries in the same way as they apply to EU companies," she told a news conference held jointly with Estonian Economic Affairs and Communications Minister, Juhan Parts.

Estonia expels Russian painter Alexei Yastrebov

TALLINN - The Estonian authorities have expelled painter Alexei Yastrebov from Estonia. Yastrebov is a citizen of Russia and he was banned from entry to Estonia, where he had lived for more than 20 years, for the following ten years.

The Estonian Department for Citizenshsip and Migration said that Yastrebov arrived in Estonia on June 23, 1998 on a 30- day visa issued by the Estonian embassy in Moscow. After the visa expired Yastrebov had been living in Estonia illegally, the department said.

Yastrebov lived and worked in Pjarnu where a personal exhibition of his pictures was held. Nevertheless, in May, 2005 he was ordered to leave Estonia because his presence in the country was illegal, the Estonian authorities said.

Under the Estonian law on Foreigners Yastrebov attempted to get a residence permit, but failed because his Russian passport expired. The Estonian authorities made no exception for the famous painter and did not let him stay in Estonia on a legal basis.

Seven suspects for murder of Russian citizen in Tallinn in custody

TALLINN - Estonian police detained seven more young men on Tuesday suspected of beating up Russian citizen Dmitry Ganin during mass protest acts in Tallinn on April 27-28. The Russian citizen stabbed during street fighting died during a surgery later.

The suspects aged from 17 to 21 were taken into custody for forty-eight hours. The prosecutor’s office might ask to extend their term in custody because certain things of interest to the investigation had been found during a search at their homes, including several kitchen knives, said a representative of the Estonian Prosecutor's office. Two other suspects aged 23 and 27 had been arrested earlier and remain in custody yet.

Estonia opposes Poland in EU treaty voting dispute

* Estonia opposes fellow EU newcomer Poland's demands for new voting rules in the 27-nation bloc, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip said Monday.

Poland is threatening to sink a crucial EU summit later this week unless it gets its way on member voting rights, and its leaders have said they are "willing to die" rather than sacrifice their country's clout under proposals for a new EU institutional treaty.

"Estonia definitely opposes re-opening the package of the institutional set-up of the EU, which Poland has hinted at in order to increase its weight in the Council of the European Union," Ansip said in a statement released by his office.

"Estonia supports the reform under which the principles which were agreed to in the draft constitution of the EU will be incorporated into the EU basic treaties," he said, after meeting with lawmakers.

At their June 21-22 meeting in Brussels, EU leaders aim to finalise the broad outlines of a treaty to replace the bloc's present moribund draft constitution.

But Poland has threatened to veto talks on a new treaty unless it gets its way on the system for making decisions affecting the entire bloc.

Poland argues that a proposed "double majority" voting system shifts power from small and medium-sized countries to larger ones such as Germany, which has more than twice the population of Poland.

Estonia and Russia to sign bilateral agreements

TALLINN - Estonia is ready to sign a number of intergovernmental  agreements, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said at a meeting  with  Russian  Foreign  Minister  Sergei  Lavrov in Malmo, Sweden,  on  Tuesday, the Estonian foreign ministry's press service told
Interfax.
     The   Estonian  government  has  approved  agreements  on  economic cooperation   with   Russia   and   the   setting   up  of  a  bilateral intergovernmental commission, Paet said.
     "In order to move ahead, agreements must be signed now, and Estonia is ready to do this," he said.
     "We  also  need  to  work  on  other  agreements,  such as a social security agreement," he said.
     The  parties  also  discussed  other  issues  concerning  bilateral agreements,  the development of economic cooperation between Estonia and Russia, the press service said.
     Paet   mentioned  the  Estonian-Russian  border  crossing  and  the construction  of  a  new  bridge  across the Narva river. "The situation surrounding border crossing issues still needs improvement," he said.
     The   Estonian   and  Russian  foreign  ministers  met  during  the ministers' session of the Council of Baltic Sea States.

US Deco for Estonian "G.I.´s"

* Four Estonian soldiers have been decorated with military medals from the United States for their services in Iraq.

On June 11, the soldiers were presented with Bronze Star medals, the fourth highest combat award in the U.S. armed services. Major Jaak Mee, Major Aivar Kokka, Captain Margus Kuul and Sergeant Major Heigo Kaubi were commended for their bravery and capability in dangerous operations last year.

Another 15 soldiers were awarded various other combat badges. Estonian troops have served under U.S. command in Iraq since June 2003.

Summer alcohol in Estonia

Alcohol will continue to be sold from shops until 11 p.m.

After Harju County Governor Varner Lootsmann reversed his decision to impose restrictions during the summer.

Booze sales in Tallinn were briefly banned after 8 p.m. under Lootsmann’s orders, but he backed away from the plan after Regional Affairs Minister Vallo Reimaa challenged his authority to impose restrictions for an entire season. Lootsmann said he still believed that tighter controls on alcohol sales were necessary to control crime and public behavior.

On June 12 the Center Party attempted to push a bill through Parliament to ban alcohol sales after 11 p.m. across Estonia, but was voted down by the governing coalition.

Estonian Air : Aircraft number 6

Estonian Air has introduced a new aircraft to its fleet in an attempt to improve its flight schedule.

The new 118-seat Boeing 737-500 was previously operated by Czech Airlines, and made its maiden flight under its new colors on Monday June 11, traveling from Tallinn to Stockholm. Estonian Air now has a total of six aircraft in its fleet.

FOLK ART FAIR

June 15 - 16

Just when you thought it was safe to wander into Tallinn’s Town Hall Square, yet another folk art fair has reared its head. This one, at least, isn’t medieval.

Organized by the Estonian Handicraft Union, the two-day fair has “Old Town” (not just the square) as its official venue. Now’s your chance to buy that folk-dancing costume you’ve had your heart set on.

Estonians can either rock or jam

By Joel Alas

TALLINN - Estonian music lovers will face a difficult choice on June 15 and 16 – they can either rock it out or dance it up. The summer’s first two music festivals kick off on that weekend, taking place at opposite ends of the map and the music spectrum. For the long-haired rock lovers (known here affectionately as “hairies”), Rabarock will be the festival of choice. Held yearly in the center of Estonia, Rabarock is a guitarist’s dream – two stages of amplified sound of all varieties, from soft radio rock to dark metal.

But there won’t be a guitar in sight over at Haapsalu on the west coast, where dance music fans will congregate on an airstrip hear a collection of DJs and electronic musicians from across Europe at the Airport Jam.
Rabarock’s promoters should be patting themselves on the back. They’ve booked an impressive line-up of alternative music stars – nothing to scoff at for a small regional festival.

The headline band is Electric Six, a Detroit-based garage rock band that incorporates elements of disco, punk, electro and metal. Their music is fun and upbeat, with lyrics that reflect their playful style.
Their most famous songs – “Danger! High Voltage” and “Gay Bar” – were instant hits on alternative radio stations around the world when released in 2003. The songs even managed to make an impact on the UK singles chart, reaching the number 2 and 3 spots respectively. Both songs capture the manic high-pitched voice of singer Dick Valentine.
Electric Six suffer an ongoing misconception – that White Stripes singer Jack White is somehow involved in the band. Although both bands come from the Detroit rock scene, both have dispelled the rumor that Jack White once sang back-up vocals on an Electric Six record.

Terrace terror : Embassies complain about outdoor diners, labeling them a ‘threat’

TALLINN - The Old Town’s outdoor terraces are a delight for tourists and locals alike. But according to several embassies, the wooden decks that adorn the streets each summer have become a security threat.

The embassies of Poland, Italy and Austria have filed complaints to the Foreign Ministry about outdoor dining areas close to their operations.

Historic London building to be reassembled in central Tallinn

By Joel Alas

TALLINN - Like a giant Lego set, a historic London building has been dismantled, packed in crates and shipped to Tallinn for reassembly. The building is known as The Baltic Exchange, a grandiose marble hall that once served as the main center for trade between Baltic Sea ports and England. It was badly damaged during the 1992 IRA bombings and was removed piece-by-piece from its central London location.

Two Estonian businessmen, Heiti Haal and Eerik-Niiles Kross, have now purchased the remains of the building and plan to rebuild it in central Tallinn.
On Saturday June 9 the first of 50 containers arrived at Muuga Port, carrying the over 1,000 tons of granite, marble and interior fixings that make up The Baltic Exchange.
“It’s an architectural gem,” said Sander Pullerits, project manager of the reconstruction.
“The French once brought massive monuments over from Egypt. We’re doing something similar. We are bringing a part of the Baltic Sea history back to Tallinn.”

Kross discovered the building by accident. He stumbled upon a website listing the pieces for sale while researching architectural antiques to find distressed wood for his apartment floor.
It had languished in storage for over ten years after being damaged in the IRA bombing, which also destroyed several office buildings nearby.
Built in 1903, the exquisite marble hall served as a trading floor, ballroom and even a set for the Anthony Hopkins film “Howard’s End.”
Its heritage listing was removed after the bombing. In its place now stands one of the most recognizable icons of London, the Swiss RE tower, better known as “The Gherkin.”

Russia and Estonia disagree over number of exhumed soldiers

MOSCOW/TALLINN - Russia could demand Estonia conduct a further exhumation in central Tallinn to confirm the number of Soviet soldiers buried there, while Estonia said Thursday all the soldiers were exhumed in late April.

Mikhail Kamynin, spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said there could have been more than 12 bodies buried at the site, because one soldier appears to be missing.

DNA tests carried out on all the dead soldiers have revealed that Captain Ivan Sysoyev, who died September 22, 1944 and was buried at the site, was not among the exhumed soldiers, which means that more than 12 soldiers could have been originally buried there.

"The Russian Foreign Ministry has officially requested that Estonian authorities provide all documentation, including video records, related to the exhumation process in [central Tallinn,]" Kamynin said. "After expert analysis we could demand a repeat exhumation to specify the number of bodies buried there."

Government will never interfere with court activities

Tartu — At the Judges’ Forum Courts and Legislation, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip said that the judiciary had to be able to continue its normal activities even in exceptional circumstances and admitted that both the Prosecutor’s Office and the courts had been able to respond to incidents operationally during the riots in April to find solutions suitable for a state based on the rule of law.
At the same time, Andrus Ansip stressed that Estonia was a democratic state based on the rule of law, the judiciary and the executive were independent, and recognition of excellent performance should not be taken as official and institutional assessment but as an overall national and human position. “Neither the Government of Andrus Ansip nor any other Republic of Estonia Government will ever interfere with the activities of the courts,” said Andrus Ansip.

“We are seriously considering the exclusion of the courts of the first and second instance from the area of administration of the Ministry of Justice. We hope that this will contribute to the integrity of the judicial system. And eventually will provide grounds for more judicious court decisions,” added the Prime Minister, according to whom the Government will continue the consolidation of the judicial system into an integral whole.

The Prime Minister acknowledged that a uniform corps of judges had developed in Estonia, and the Estonian people held them in high regard. “You have self-evidently and with all due rights assumed responsibility for the impartial administration of justice. It is not an overstatement to say that the judiciary is undoubtedly the power that has deserved the most respect and acknowledgment from citizens,” he added.
_____________________________________
Valitsuse kommunikatsioonibüroo briifinguruum
http://www.valitsus.ee/brf/ 
press@riik.ee   

Reburial of remains of Soviet soldiers in Tallinn postponed to July

TALLINN - The ceremony of reburying the Soviet soldiers from the fraternal grave at Tonismagi in Tallinn will most likely take place in the first half of July, Estonian Defense Ministry Madis Mikko told Interfax on Monday.

The Defense Ministry is expected to set the specific date this evening, Mikko said.

Initially the ceremony was planned for the end of June but "there will be several major events in Estonia at the end of the month, primarily the song festival," he said.

Earlier the ministry announced that the remains of all 12 persons buried in the fraternal grave had been exhumed and identified.