BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

Estonia's producer prices rise fastest since 1998

By Ott Ummelas

Estonian producer prices rose in July at their fastest annual pace in 9 1/2 years, led by rising food and timber costs, a sign the Baltic country's competitiveness is under pressure.

Producer prices rose an annual 8.7 percent, up from 8.3 percent in June, the Tallinn-based statistics office said on its Web site today. The monthly increase was 0.5 percent.

"The price rise is especially evident in the food sector, probably because of rising prices for milk,'' Maris Lauri, chief economist with Hansabank Markets in Tallinn, said in e-mailed comment. "Somewhat surprisingly also, the prices for building materials and textiles rose, which possibly points to changes in product portfolio and quality.''

Export prices rose 0.9 percent in July from June and 9.1 percent from a year earlier, the office said. Import prices rose 0.4 percent in the month and 2.8 percent from a year ago.

The Baltic country's export industry has struggled this year to adjust to rising wages, up 20 percent in the first quarter. Boras Waefveri AB, a Swedish textile company, said in April it will cut at least 800 jobs, or a quarter of the staff, at its plant in Narva, Estonia, due to low-cost imports from Asia.

Former Estonian president's cousin charged with genocide

TALLINN - Arnold Meri, a Red Army veteran and cousin of former Estonian president Lennart Meri, faces trial on a genocide charge, being accused of organizing the deportation of Estonians from the Hijumaa island of what was then the Estonian Soviet republic to Siberia by the Stalin regime in 1949.

The State Prosecutor's Office says 251 civilians were detained on Hijumaa on March 25, 1949.

At that time, Arnold Meri was a member of the Central Committee of the Estonian Communist Party and headed the Estonian Young Communist League.

He was the first Estonian to be awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, which he received in 1941 for fighting German forces.

Today he heads the Estonian Anti-Fascist Committee.

Saku Ollethas lines up Strongbow cider for Estonia

Saku Olletehas has begun producing Scottish & Newcastle's Strongbow cider brand in Estonia.

TALLINNA LINNAHALL : Brian Ferry - 02-11-2007

Place : TALLINNA LINNAHALL

Alatine romantikarüütel Bryan Ferry jõuab Eestisse oma Euroopa turnee „Dylanesque European Tour” raames.
Sellel aastal ilmavalgust näinud plaadi „Dylanesque” toetuseks korraldatud turnee algas mais. Kindel on see, et Tallinnas esitab mees kogu oma loomingu paremikku, mitte ainult uue plaadi laule!!!

Rahvusvaheline press on uurinud, milline võiks olla Bryan Ferry tänane publik ? “See oleneb, mis riigis oled,” tõdeb Ferry. “Inglismaal on olnud sama publik alates aastast 1972, see on Roxy Musicu publik, kes on kasvanud koos meiega. Kuid on ka lapsi ja erinevaid generatsioone. Mõnikord tuleb publik seetõttu, et mõni noorte lemmikbänd on meid kiitnud.”

Uus plaat
“Dylanesque”on omalaadne Bryan Ferry kummardus legendaarse laulukirjutaja ja artisti Bob Dylani ees, sest Ferry esitab sellel plaadil vaid Dylani kirjutatud või kuulsaks lauldud laule ja teeb seda stiilselt nagu ikka. Nende laulude hulgas on sellised kuulsad palad nagu «Knocking On Heaven’s Door» ja «All Along The Watchtower». Ferry pole ise Dylaniga kohtunud, kuid loodab, et Dylan tema uue plaadi pärast ei pahanda!
Uudisteagentuur Reuters vahendab Ferry mõtteid uue plaadi kohta. “Dylan on vaikne ja eraklik isik nagu minagi,” jätkab Ferry. “Tegelikult oleks tore teda mõnikord puhkuse ajal näiteks rannas kohata. Dylani laulukirjutamine on tõeline kvaliteet. Sõnad, poeesia, muusika, kõik on paigas. Seetõttu usun, et need lood on avatud ka interpreteerimiseks. Eriti varasemad lood, sest Dylan esitas neid ju ainult akustilise kitarri saatel.”

Only 7800 Tickets for Elton John´s concert in Tallinn : 15-09-2007

SIR ELTON JOHN ANNAB EKSKLUSIIVSE KONTSERDI TALLINNAS !

15. septembril esineb Tallinnas, Saku Suurhallis üks maailma populaarsemaid artiste, inglise laulja ja muusik, rüütel ja Briti impeeriumi ordeni omanik – söör Elton John. Kuuekordne Grammy auhinna võitja ja tänapäeva üks kõige edukamaid heliloojaid tuleb Tallinna koos oma viiest muusikust koosneva rokkansambliga. Kavas on suurimad hitid läbi aegade.
Vaid 7800 piletit Elton Johni kontserdile tuleb müügile esmaspäeval, 27. augusti hommikul kell 10.00.

Esimest korda esines söör Elton John (sündinud Reginald Kenneth Dwaight) Tallinnas oma soolokontserdiga 22. juulil 2001. aastal. Lauluväljakule tuli maestro virtuoosset esinemist kuulama üle 30 tuhande inimese.

«Loomulikult ma mäletan Eltoni soolokontserti hästi,» räägib mõlema kontserdi produtsent Peeter Rebane. «Publik võttis Eltoni väga soojalt vastu, natuke vaid kurvastati et ta esines ilma bändita. Mul on ülihea meel, et söör Elton Johni mänedžment leidis selle aasta tihedas tuurigraafikus vaba kuupäeva ja pakkus BDG’le võimalust korraldada kontsert Tallinnas 15. septembril. Eriti kuna seekord tuleb Elton ju Tallinna koos oma live bändiga. Elton John on kahtlemata kõige suurem staar ajaloos, kes on Saku Suurhalli laval käinud,» kommenteerib Rebane.

Elton Johni ansambli koosseisu kuuluvad viis kuulsat muusikut. Trummar Nigel Olsson osales juba kõige esimese Elton Johni albumi «Empty Sky» salvestusel, samas on aidanud kaasa ka legendaarse bändi Uriah Heep debüütalbumi salvestusel. Davey Johnstone (kitarr, mandoliin) töötab koos Elton Johniga 1971. aastast alates ning on teinud koostööd ka Alice Cooperi ja Meat Loafiga. Basskitarrist Bob Birch (Elton Johniga koos 1991. aastast) on saanud hüüdnime «Mister täiuslikkus» oma võime poolest mängida stuudios veatult kõik partiid esimese korraga. Guy Babylon (klahvpillid) on Elton Johniga esinenud koos rohkem kui 1100. kontserdil ja teda auhinnati Grammy’ga tööpanuse eest albumisse «Aida». Löökpillimängija John Mahon on samal ajal ka professionaalne taustalaulja, ta esines ja töötas koos selliste tuntud nimedega nagu : Billy Joel, Bryan Adams, Anastasia, Sting, Phil Collins, Mary J. Blidge, Ray Charles ja Tina Turner.

Söör Elton John on juba mitu aastakümmet üks kõige populaarsematest esinejatest maailmas ning on läbi aegade üks kõige edukamatest lauljatest - peaaegu 40aastase karjääri

Top Estonian beer set for UK debut

WILLIAM LYONS

ESTONIA'S best selling beer is to go on sale in the UK thanks to a niche beer importer set up by former Scottish & Newcastle executive Roger Crosthwaite.

Crosthwaite, who has spent over two years trawling Europe for small, premium, specialist beers, says he is hoping to replicate the success of Red Stripe, which became a cult symbol in the mid-Eighties.

REC Brands will import the 4.7% strength Estonian beer A.Le Coq to form part of a portfolio including Starobrno from the Czech Republic, Nektar from Bosnia and Presidente from the Dominican Republic.

Crosthwaite said : "I have always been aware of the quality of beer in Estonia. I rate it second only to Czech in terms of quality. The mainstream lager market in the UK is going down markedly. What people are looking for is complexity and unusual discoveries from the continent. We are seeing a huge uptake in these beers from gastro pubs."

Formula women´s windsurfing in Tallinn

* It was a last minute decision for the 25 year old to compete at these world championships after switching from the RS:X Olympic class this month.

Allison Shreeve has won her 3rd Formula windsurfing world title in a row today after winning every race (11 in total) of the regatta held during the week of 13th to 18th August, in very trying and varied conditions ranging from 10 to 27 knots. 

Shreeve fended off a class fleet, stamping yet again her dominance in the sport and maintaining her No.1 world ranking.  French rival Sarah Herbert proved very competitive gaining 2nd place overall, and in 3rd place the current European champion Agnieszka Pietrasik from Poland.

Shreeve travelled to Estonia after switching from the RS:X class due to a disappointing performance in her final qualifying event. Being ranked No.11 in the world in the Olympic class was not enough for Shreeve to gain Olympic selection, so the obvious choice was to return to Formula windsurfing, despite minimal preparation. “I only had two weeks to prepare for the World Championships, and was quite concerned having not been on a Formula board since the world titles last year in Korea”.  Shreeve went in the Baltic Cup as a warm up event to tune in her new F2 board and equipment, and to again get the feel for Formula racing.  A strong performance and first place in the event signalled a warning to the other competitors of what was to come.

Piece of London’s history heads to Estonia after Baltic exchange

David Charter

It was one of Britain’s finest Edwardian buildings until an IRA bomb ripped through its Portland stone and red granite façade in 1992.

The Baltic Exchange, built in 1903 with an opulence befitting the headquarters of global maritime trade, could not be restored on site and its marble columns, teak panelling and plaster sea monsters made way for Sir Norman Foster’s Swiss Re tower – better known as the Gherkin.

After spending nearly a decade in various salvage yards around Britain, the former Grade II* listed building is set to rise again, this time on the shores of the Baltic itself. The dismantled building was bought for £800,000 by two businessmen from Estonia after one of them found an advertisement on the internet for the building while looking for antique flooring.

The last consignment of the 45 shipping crates containing the carefully catalogued remains of the exchange has now arrived in the Baltic seaport of Paldiski where it will be kept before being rebuilt in Tallinn, the Estonian capital.

When it opened at 38 St Mary Axe in the City, the interior was described by The Magazine of Commerce as a “veritable fairy palace . . . every column, every inch of wall space is of marble, carefully chosen to fulfil its purpose in a chromatic scheme . . . The result is rich and magnificent beyond anything else that London can show.”

Poettering about in Estonia

NARVA - President of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Poettering has been touring Estonia on a fact-finding about the attitudes of the Russian-speaking minority.

Between Wednesday 15 and Friday 17 Aug, the German Europarliamentarian held a series of meetings with representative groups and summarised his findings in an interview with the Postimees newspaper.

"Life under the Communist dictatorship has left a very strong mark on Estonians. It is connected with liberty. That understanding, I think, is not very widesperead in Russia," he said.

Poettering said that it was necessary to make a thorough study of history in order to come to mutual understanding through learning and discussions. "It will then be possible to move on. It is important that the two communities should communicate with each other," he said.

Speaking about his visit to Narva, Poettering said that he found it was positive that representatives of all the communities he met with saw Estonia as their homeland. "I didn't get the impression of Russian-speakers wishing to leave Estonia and they see their future in this country," he said.

Poettering said non-Estonian-speakers had raised the language problem at their meetings, saying that it was very difficult for them to speak Estonian as they lived in a Russian-speaking community. Poettering expressed the opinion that Russian-speakers should be helped to learn Estonian.

Estonia makes monumental decision

TALLINN - With the Bronze Soldier controversy still rumbling quietly in the background, Estonia is once again grappling with the rights and wrongs of locating a prominent monument in Tallinn.

A competition to design an Estonian Freedom Monument to serve a similar function as Latvia's famous landmark, has resulted in a 28-meter column topped by a cross winning the approval of the judging jury.

The successful entry also depicts Estonia in outline inside the cross instead of the more traditional - and confrontational - image of a hand brandishing a sword.

The jury gave 889 points to the winning design, titled 'Libertas', 670 points to second-placed 'OurPeople' and 656 points to third-placed 'Illusion'.

Archbishop Andres Poder, chairman of the competition jury, said Aug 15 : “I hope the result meets expectations.”

The jury will reveal the names of the designers of the top three entries in the near future and will publish the justification for its decision August 23.

The monument was commissioned by the Defense Ministry, whose intention is to site the new monument on Harjumägi Hill in Tallinn, providing final government approval is given for the design.

What Russia says about Estonia

* READ the Russian-language internet, and you will find Estonia portrayed as a hell-hole ruled by Nazi sympathisers who organise a grotesque form of apartheid hypocritically endorsed by the European Union.

“Nazi” and “apartheid” are strong words that should be used sparingly - and precisely out of their original context—and probably not at all. (A good rule in most discussions is that the first person to call the other a Nazi automatically loses the argument.)

So it may be worth listing a few of the more grotesque unfairnesses and inaccuracies of the charge. Apartheid was the legally enforced separation of the peoples of South Africa, based on race (or more accurately, skin colour). Mingling of the races, from intermarriage to mixed swimming, was forbidden. Passed laws meant that blacks could not live in white areas. Apartheid was backed up by a ruthless secret police that on occasion murdered people, and had no hesitation in enforcing house arrest and exile.

Nazi sympathisers idolise Hitler, think that Jews invented the Holocaust (or, sometimes, that they deserved what they got), and believe that National Socialism was a glorious ideology destroyed by Judaeo-Bolshevism.

Skype and its troubles !

* Skype, the popular voice over IP (VoIP) client, is not letting users sign in, but the company says it will be back online within 12-24 hours.

"The Skype system has not crashed or been victim of a cyber attack," a statement on the company's website says.

It recommends users to leave their Skype client running, and as soon as the problem is fixed, they'll automatically be logged in.

Planned system maintenance yesterday was completed, but today users have been struggling to sign in.

"This problem occurred because of a deficiency in an algorithm within Skype networking software. This controls the interaction between the users own Skype client and the rest of the Skype network.

"Rest assured that everyone at Skype is working around the clock  from Tallinn to Luxembourg to San Jose - to resume normal service as quickly as possible."

Skype is used by many to make toll-calls without normal Telecom charges, and is available for most operating systems. Downloads are temporarily suspended while present problems with the usually-reliable Skype are fixed.

It’s not always black and white

* A majority of the people living in Estonia believe improvement in the relationship between Russia and Estonia depends on both countries, a recent survey found.

The survey published in the Estonian media on Wednesday found that 58 per cent of ethnic Estonians and 64 per cent of ethnic Russians say improving the relationship between the two countries will take political will in both Moscow and Tallinn.

Ninety per cent of Estonians and 73 per cent of non-Estonians see the relationship between Russia and Estonia as bad.

However, those who blame only Tallinn or Moscow is marginal. Only 9 per cent of Estonians believe it is up to Russia alone to improve the relationship, while 19 per cent of non-Estonians believe it is up to Estonia.

“The political line in Moscow is aimed at aggravating relations,” member of the Estonian parliament Sven Mikser told Estonian daily Postimees.

“There is no good will in Russia and the same applies for Russia‘s relations with other countries. It would be naive to think that Russia would be interested in improving relations right now.”

As ways to improve relations between the two countries, respondents suggested seeking political compromise on both sides.

Old world gives way to new as we make a Baltic exchange

Peking-Paris

Michael Drayton

OUR last experience of Russia was no different from the first. We joined the queue at the Estonian border after a morning of constant harassment by the police and a series of petty fines. It was nine hours before our last car was cleared — sufficient to demonstrate that Russia has some way to go before its old methods are forgotten.

The Baltic states — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — proved a delight. Each has endured years of foreign occupation, notably by the Germans and Russians in the last century. One by one their identities were systematically crushed.

This all changed in August 1991 when the respective capitals — Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius — reclaimed their independence.

Today, barely 16 years later, these proud nations have transformed themselves with modern Western infrastructures overlaying their attractive Hanseatic origins. Accession to EU membership in 2004 added a further boost. Our rally was grateful for the superb EU-financed roads as the miles rolled smoothly under our wheels.

The Baltic Exchange, bombed by the IRA in 1992, is to be reconstructed in Tallinn. In my new position as chairman of the exchange it was important for me to establish the background to this extraordinary development.

37 seconds of terror for Copterline´s victims

By Joel Alas

TALLINN - The victims of the 2005 Copterline helicopter crash endured 37 seconds of terror as the aircraft spun 13 times mid-air before plunging 500 meters into the sea, killing all on board.
New details of the crash were revealed by the Estonian government’s investigating commission, which released an interim report in Tallinn on Aug. 8.
The report outlined the final moments aboard the Sikorsky S-76 aircraft, which crashed into the Bay of Tallinn only three minutes after departing en route to Helsinki.
Members of the commission listened to pilot voice recordings from inside the helicopter that were recovered from the aircraft’s “black box” data recorder.

“There was nothing dramatic, no exclamations,” said Tonis Ader, vice chairman of the public commission set up by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications to identify the cause of the accident.
“Most of their phrases are in the report – there is nothing to hide. It was quite a strange event that covered a short period of time.”
The commission handed down its interim report almost two years to the day since the crash that claimed fourteen lives. The report confirmed previous speculation that a fault in the helicopter’s main rotor servo caused the accident, and rules out earlier theories that either pilot error or freak weather conditions, such as a water spout, were to blame.
Tests conducted on the wreckage found that flakes of plasma coating on an internal piston caused a fluid blockage that led to the failure of the servo. The coating was found to be too thick by a matter of fractions of a millimetre, a minor fault with major implications.

The changing face of the taxi business

By Joel Alas

Taxis – they’re an integral part of the Baltic urban landscape, they can shape a city’s image, and they provide a vital way of getting from here to there. And even if you usually drive, bike or bus around town, chances are they factor into your transportation routine in some way. In this installment of Industry Insider, The Baltic Times takes a look at the taxi industry, how it works and how it’s developing from its shady, 1990s past into a well-regulated industry. We also examine where it is failing to do so, and what roadblocks are faced by those who are trying to make Baltic taxi businesses resemble those of more developed nations.

TALLINN - The taxi business is in the middle of a major overhaul of operation and reputation in the Baltics.
Once the domain of private operators and a regular source of complaints, taxis are now more likely to be owned by large companies and offer a reputable service.

Tallinn, in particular, has led a major campaign to clean up the taxi business and weed out cheats.

Former Hansabank trio in the news

TALLINN - Three well-known fund managers who quit Hansabank recently have confirmed their intention to set up their own business, according to the Aripaev business daily.

Asked if they intended to launch this fall, Paavo Pold, one of the three, went on the record to confirm the rumor. "In principle, this is true," said Pold, whose partners will be fellow Hansabank alumni Alvar Roosimaa and Mihkel Oim.

"It's true : we're making plans, weighing different options, but the cards are still on the table and nothing's been decided yet," Pold said.

Thrill-seekers wage war with paint

TALLINN - I’m running through a forest, a gun in my hand. There’s a man barking at me in guttural Russian. It’s an energy-sapping humid day, and my breath comes heavy and Darth Vader-like through my stifling mask. And somewhere in the back of my head is a voice reminding me I’m supposed to be having fun.
Welcome to paintball, Estonian style. Considered a kids’ birthday party game in other parts of the world, here in the Baltics paintball is serious business.
Estonia’s largest paintball club is SPK (it stands for Sniper Paintball Klubi), a group that runs its regular meets with military-like organization. They gather every Sunday of the year regardless of the weather – rain, snow, or stifling heat.

I joined them on a scorching Sunday afternoon. While the rest of the nation fled to the nearest body of water, I pulled on a thick camouflage jumpsuit and headed for the forest.
I expected a small group of enthusiasts. I found almost 75 hardcore paintball addicts, some with their own specialty-order equipment and walkie-talkies. The size of the gathering surprised me, and this is only one of twenty clubs in Estonia, and many more across the Baltics.

Elcoteq ships in Hungarian workers to complete order

TALLINN - Elcoteq Tallinn, the electronics manufacturer that has been feeling the pinch of the local labor shortage, has brought in 100 Hungarians to help execute a major order at its plant in Tallinn, according to reports.

Jaanus Pauts, public relations director at Elcoteq, told the Eesti Paevaleht daily that the company was constantly faced with the choice of whether to turn down large orders or to entice qualified labor from outside the country.

Alice Cooper in Tallinn

02. December 2007

True legends of rock Alice Cooper and Foreigner on the 2nd of December at Saku Arena with a concert !

Doors open at 18.00
Concert starts at 19.00

Tickets :
Ticket prices: 395 EEK- 1495 EEK

Buy a ticket !

Tickets are available at Piletilevi and Statoil all over Estonia !

Organizer :
Baltic Music Productions OÜ
Phone : 6664000