BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

Police apprehend Finnish nationals for farming cannabis

The South Police Prefecture announced that it has apprehended two Finnish nationals suspected of raising 149 cannabis plants in a farmhouse in Viljandi County.

Last Thursday, police received a tip on cannabis cultivation activity at a farm in the Tarvastu municipality and immediately sent out officers to check the property. There they found a number of plant beds and pots containing cannabis, in addition to seeds, leaves and debris inside the house. 

The two men, apprehended the same day, were 28 and 29-years-old. One had already been penalized for cultivating cannabis in Finland, while the other had no criminal record. 

If convicted, the men could receive up to five years' imprisonment.

Ingrid Teesalu

Replica of 300-Year-Old Frigate Arrives in Tallinn

The replica of the 1703-era Shtandart frigate, the first vessel of Russia’s Baltic Sea Fleet, arrived in Tallinn on Sunday for the city's Old Town Days festival. 

The construction of the original Shtandart frigate was ordered by Peter the Great. The historic ship took part in the Great Northern War and a number of sea battles on the Gulf of Finland.

The replica vessel, constructed by a small group of sailing enthusiasts and volunteers in Russia, was launched in 1999 and is one of the most outstanding replica ships on the Baltic Sea. The ship is 34.2 meters long, almost seven meters wide and has three masts.

While records show that in 1703 there were around 120 crewmembers operating on the vessel, the replica is served by a team of 40 volunteers.

The frigate, which is docked at Admiralty Basin, will be open to the public from 10:00 to 21:00 on May 28, 29 and June 2. 

Ingrid Teesalu

Estonia's fake chocolate : born of necessity, reborn in nostalgia

Some of the world's most interesting food products have been born out of the innovation that comes with deprivation. Take chicory, for example. It's a trendy New Orleans coffee blend you can buy anywhere now, but it was first used during the Civil War when those caffeinated beans were scarce.

And when chocolate became scarce in Estonia and other Baltic states during a supply crisis in the 1970s, an enterprising company stepped into the breach with a substitute chocolate bar.

Today, the Kama bar is being revived for its pure nostalgia.

In tough economic times, people may cut out their morning coffee shop latte, but research shows there's one treat which almost never gets banned from the budget – chocolate. In 2009, during the height of the recession, Hershey reported a 20 percent increase in profits. That's because in a recession, there's an even greater need for comfort food. Chocolate is often the ultimate reward.

But sometimes, it just wasn't available. In 1976, a cocoa crisis threatened the world's cocoa supply, causing prices to rise to almost five times current levels. The low supply and high prices made it inaccessible for countries within the Soviet Union, where foreign trade was centralized and states lacked buying power. "The Mideast oil crisis and high inflation rates were significant factors," Michael Segal of the International Cocoa Organization tells The Salt. But also, he says, nations like Ghana who were big producers slowed down, and new markets like the Ivory Coast, were still immature.

Haapsalu gets new family-style foster care homes

Five family-style buildings for children deprived of parental care have been completed in Haapsalu near the site of the tragic foster care facility fire that happened in February 2011.

Close to 40 children will take up residence in the new buildings, which were being planned even before the fire.

"Eight children will live in each family house," said Peeter Alekand, director of the Haapsalu care facility.

Earlier, separate facilities - one for smaller children, another for adolescents -  were in the area of administration of the Lääne County Government, but now a joint city-owned foundation has been established to administer both.

Fourteen children from an orphanage in Palivere will move to Haapsalu, while the rest will relocate from adjacent buildings, which were overcrowded due to post-fire space constraints.

The fire in 2011 killed 10 wards of the foster care facility. 

The new houses cost 2 million euros, 75 percent of which came from the European Regional Development Fund.

Kristopher Rikken

Bugs found at Russian cultural center in Estonia

A wiretapping device has been found in a cultural center for Russian-speaking Estonian citizens in Tallinn. The NGO is run by the mother of the city’s vice mayor, who is suspected of lobbying for Russian interests in the Baltic country.

­The wiretap, discovered Tuesday, is the second such device found in the Lira cultural and sports center, after a thorough inspection carried out by center’s security.

The first eavesdropping device, which was clumsily wired into the facility’s alarm system, was found on May 15. Inspectors believe the bugs were installed between September and December 2011. The police opened an investigation but so far no official statements have been made on the issue.

Lira unites over fifty centers which organize cultural and sporting activities for Estonia's Russian-speaking population.

"We can assume who is behind this, but let the police find out everything," said the head of Lira, Lidiya Kylvart, who happens to be the mother of Tallinn's Vice Mayor Mikhail Kylvart.

Four Estonian construction workers die in Rovaniemi collision

Victims' van hit truck while heading south from Kevitsa mine workplace.

Four Estonian construction workers were killed and a truck-driver slightly injured in a violent head-on collision between a van and a truck in Finnish Lapland on Thursday morning. The four victims, who had apparently been engaged in dismantling scaffolding at the site of the Kevitsa nickel-copper mine in Sodankylä, were travelling south, presumably going home, when the accident occurred on Highway 4, just north of Rovaniemi.
     
According to one eye-witness, the van had overtaken two cars at high speed shortly before the crash. The truck-driver was taken to hospital for examination, but his injuries are not believed to be serious. Andrew Reed, mine manager in Kevitsa for First Quantum Minerals, said that there had been a good many workers from Estonia and the other Baltic States employed on the site through sub-contractors. He also noted the dangers associated with cars, and said that for this reason many of the workers on the site were brought in and out by bus.

46 uncovered manholes spotted in 2 weeks

From the end of April to May 16, people phoned in tips at the behest of the Technical Surveillance Authority and the Rescue Board, identifying 46 manholes all over Estonia that were uncovered or had a broken cover.

Most of the tips came via the rescue service's information service phone number 1524 during the volunteer initiative day Let's Do It 2012 held on May 5, spokeswoman for the Technical Surveillance Authority, Anu Võlma told uudised.err.ee.

15 reports came from the Harju County, 8 from the Valga County, 4 from the Viljandi and Ida-Viru counties, 3 from the Pärnu, Saare, and Tartu counties, and 1 from the Järva, Lääne, Lääne-Viru, Põlva, Rapla, and Võru counties.

The information about dangerous structures that is received via 1524 is forwarded to the Technical Surveillance Authority, the local governments, and the Agricultural Board, which will identify the owner of the structure, and if necessary, issue a precept ordering the owner to implement the necessary measures for ensuring safety. The official body that issued the precept will also monitor its observance and implement its own safety measures.

Seaplane harbor to open with jet plane stunt show

The Maritime Museum will hold festivities all weekend long to mark the opening of its historic Seaplane Harbor.

The ceremony will begin on Friday at 19:10 with a joint flight over the Bay of Tallinn by the Estonian Air Force, Finnish and Swedish seaplanes, and others. The best view will be at the Linnahall convention center, but the show will be visible from the Song Festival Grounds and Pirita as well.

That will be followed with jet plane stunt performances on Saturday and Sunday at 15:30. Five Aero L-39 Albatros jets will be piloted by a Russian team. Entry will be free of charge at the Seaplane Harbor.

The historic seaplane hangars themselves will be opened to visitors on Saturday at 10:00 and will remain open overnight and through the next day until 19:00.

The Maritime Museum has said that changes in the weather could affect the event schedule. Updates can be found on the museum's website.

Mark Lapidus, 16, crowned Estonian chess champion

At only 16 years of age, Mark Lapidus (representing the team T. Truusi MKK) won the men's division of the Estonian National Chess Championship held from May 1 to 7 in Tallinn, having collected 6.5 points in 9 games.

Sander Kukk (SK Reval-Sport) and Roman Jezhov (SK Maletäht) finished second and third, respectively, with 5.5 points each. Fourth place went to International Master Tarvo Seeman (Laagri MAEKK) who also scored 5.5 points, but had a lower Koya coefficient, while former six-time Estonian champion Olav Sepp (Laagri MAEKK) had to content himself with fifth place, according to the website of the Estonian Chess Federation.

Three grandmasters, Kaido Külaots, Meelis Kanep and Aleksandr Volodin, did not participate, citing dissatisfaction with policies of the Chess Federation's acting head Henrik Olde. This means they will also not be representing Estonia at this year's Chess Olympiad in Istanbul.

In the women's division, Tatjana Fomina (Võru MK) won the title for the ninth time, having collected 6 points in 8 games. Second place went to Triin Narva (SK Reval-Sport) with 5.5 points and third place to Tuuli Vahtra (Võru MK) with 5 points.

Sigrid Maasen

North Pole to Svalbard ski and kayak

Norwegian Audun Tholfsen and Estonian Timo Palo started their ski and kayak expedition from the Geographic North Pole to Svalbard on April 23 after the Barneo MI-8 helicopter dropped them near the Pole. They first had to ski north to 90 degrees before they could start skiing south.

The two mates have been out on the ice for 15 days now and reported “better terrain” lately. Some days they even travel 20 km.

But it was not always good weather. They encountered two storms and were tent bounded until they could carry on in better weather. “After the storm days the ice was much better for skiing and pulling kayaks,” they reported. “Seems that ice is younger and bit thinner now. No more such high ice ridges; near the Pole there were many of them, several meters high and it was very time consuming to cross.”

They also encountered some open water leads. In most cases they found bridges to cross them but had kayaked over one lead.

Open water

Trudy Wohlleben from Canadian Ice Service sent over the image showing the current sea ice conditions with open water near Svalbard. The team expects to reach Svalbard within two months after their departure.

Katre Palo from Timo and Audun’s home team told ExplorersWeb that the critical area is near Svalbard. “There is the problem with cooking and sleeping [on large open water]. We hope that the open water area is not very large. We will see what is going to happen with the ice.”

Customs finds illegal smokes in convenience store van

The Tax and Customs officials found 39,200 contraband cigarettes bearing Russian and Belarusian tax stamps in a convenience store van that was making rounds in Pärnu County.

The agency received a tip-off that, in the afternoon of May 5, residents of a small village would be waiting for the store on wheels, which also sells illegal cigarettes.

The person preparing to set up shop was detained on the spot and taken to Pärnu for further investigation after the officials found  three plastic waste bags full of contraband cigarettes in the trunk of the vehicle.

Convenience stores on wheels doing rounds in rural areas are a rather common sight in remote and less populated villages of Estonia lacking their own village store. According to the Tax and Customs Board, this is the first time that the agency has found contraband cigarettes on sale in a store van.

Ingrid Teesalu

Estonian divers explode depth charges off Naissaar

Divers of the Estonian Navy on Tuesday exploded three depth charges off the island of Naissaar near Tallinn.

The BB-1 large depth charges, originally found by hobby divers, presumably date from World War II. A charge of this type weighs 165 kilograms and contains 135 kilograms of explosive substance.

"We exploded the charges in the same place to the west of Naissaar where they were found," the head of the Navy's diving group, Lt. Sven Pipar, was quoted by spokespeople as saying. He said hobby divers had informed the Navy about explosive devices found under the water also earlier and the Navy held information events for hobby divers from time to time to teach them how to identify different devices and what to do when one has spotted a device on the seabed.

According to different sources more than 80,000 naval mines were placed into the Baltic Sea during the world wars. As a result of the low salinity of sea water and constant temperatures on the sea bottom most naval mines found in  Estonian waters are very well preserved.
Many of the mines found are in a good condition and pose a serious danger.

Fire damages Saaremaa school heavily on non-school day

A school on Saaremaa island damaged in a fire over the weekend will be out of service for the rest of the school year.

No one was in the building in the small town of Aste at the time of the fire on April 29, which appeared to start between a ceiling and the roof and destroyed one classroom.

Smoke and water damage were extensive in other parts of the building.

"The children won't go to school on Monday, but on Wednesday as usual," said director Ulvi Valge on ETV, May 1 being a public holiday. "We have talked to the nursery school director to allot space for the elementary grades."

Older pupils from sixth to the ninth grade will study at a local youth center, and some classroom work may move outside if weather permits.

The school building was insured. The municipality's government had recently decided to start building a new school in Aste.

The rescue services received the call after smoke was seen spilling out from under the old-type, asbestos-cement roof - seen on many older buildings - but the local fire alarm's outdoor siren had not been triggered.

Kristopher Rikken

Estonia : Some spring moments

Some spring moments from Siim227 on Vimeo

Toads may take precedence over trees on Saaremaa

Naturalists are backing a plan to chop down trees and allow wind-blown sand to claim a peninsula that was once considered one of the pearls of Saaremaa.

The reason for this contrary-seeming plan is that more than 50 years ago, the Harilaid Peninsula was home to a dune community ideal for natterjack toads, a protected species. The forest of scraggly pines was planted in Soviet times.

"I like Harilaid very much, but it is painful to look at that pine plantation," University of Tartu ecologist Riinu Rannap told the island's daily, Saarte Hääl.

The pines are one reason that the natterjack (Bufo calamita) populations are down. The animal prefers open dunes with wet areas as its spawning grounds. The pines are not considered special from a nature conservation standpoint, although they do harbor wild game populations. But Harilaid was home to one of Estonia's biggest dune areas, which was why the peninsula was placed under protection in the first place in the 1920s

Rannap estimates it would take three to four years to transform Harilaid into a "toad paradise."

A natterjack toad protection plan drafted at the behest of the Environment Ministry for 2010-2015 includes the pine removal initiative. Next, in five to ten years, a small coastal meadow would have to be restored, using mowing and grazing to turn the current thicket of reed into a semi-natural open landscape.

Wooded meadows and seminatural landscapes kept relatively open through management are some of the most biodiverse terrain types in the country and the world, while pine forests tend to be more limited.

Kristopher Rikken

Trial of two Finnish men accused of planning of kidnapping of a businessman to begin in Estonia

Two Finnish men are facing charges for making preparations for taking a hostage for ransom in a trial, which commences today, Monday, in the Harju District Court in the Estonian capital of Tallinn.
 The Estonian police apprehended the men in Tallinn on September 6th. According to the Estonian Prosecutor’s Office, at the time the men were in a process of trying to recruit people to carry out the kidnapping.
 
 The Finnish and the Estonian police worked in close cooperation to catch the men. It was considered essential that they be apprehended in Estonia.
 No criminal charges could have been brought against the men in Finland, where simply planning a kidnapping is not a crime.
 In Estonia it carries a maximum penalty of 12 years of imprisonment.
 
 The trial will be closed to public of the plaintiff’s request. The protection of privacy and the best interest of a minor were used as arguments for the wish, the Harju District Court announced last week.
 Reporters and photographers will not be allowed in the courtroom.
 If the handling of the case is to continue behind closed doors, it will be very difficult to obtain information regarding the goings-on during the trial.

Tallinn to press "Zero Tolerance" of graffiti

Tallinn will clean 4,000 square meters of city property from smears and graffiti by May 15.

The citywide undertaking will take 30,000 euros from Tallinn's budget, according to Raepress.

Currently there are around 80 buildings and objects in downtown alone that need to be cleaned. Those include, for instance, the stairs and walls of Toompea viewing platforms.

District governments will also organize cleaning up of pedestrian tunnels, overpasses and facades of community and youth centers.

"The city will continue its zero-tolerance policy towards graffiti vandals," said deputy mayor of Tallinn Arvo Sarapuu, adding that each year, the cost of cleaning up graffiti reaches tens of thousands of euros.

Scrubbing private property clean will be the sole responsibility of owners. "After this campaign, surveillance in Tallinn will visibly be improved and sanctions will be on owners who do not meet their obligations," Sarapuu warned.

Ingrid Teesalu

“Stalinobus” kills the mood ahead of WWII Victory Day festivities

For many in the former USSR, May 9 - or Victory Day - marks the day that the Soviet Union defeated Nazi Germany’s forces during World War II. Typically feted with fireworks and parades, this year’s Victory Day may also feature a number of commuter buses decorated with portraits of ex-Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.

The concept of the “Stalinobus” ruffled feathers even before it first appeared two years ago. Human rights activists and democracy groups kicked up a fuss in the run-up to the 2010 Victory Day festivities after hearing news of the bus and did everything they could to block it. Only one “Stalinobus” got through. The vehicle made a brief debut in the city of Saint Petersburg, before it was sprayed with white paint. The whole stunt lasted barely a day.

Despite its cold reception, “Stalinobus’” organisers were not to be discouraged. The following year, the vehicle was again spotted at Victory Day celebrations, and multiple buses were seen rolling through a number of Russian cities on November 7, a date that marks both the beginning of the country’s 1917 Bolshevik Revolution and a major show of military force at Moscow’s Red Square in 1941. Although the “Stalinobus” was welcomed by a number of towns in Siberia, Russia's capital Moscow refused to allow the vehicle onto its streets.

Baltic Workboats claims it is victim of extortion

Estonian private shipyard Baltic Workboats that has its production base on the Saaremaa island suspects that it is victim of extortion by owners of nearby Nasva hotel who want to force it to buy the hotel.

The shipyard’s owners say that on April 12 they received a letter from the operator of Nasva Hotel in which it said that starting from April 20, the shipyard will have to pay 43,200 euros for using an access road that leads to the shipyard and belongs to the hotel owner.

The hotel operator said in the letter that if Baltic Workboats refuses  to comply, the owner would close the road.

Nalmond Meri, member of the supervisory board of Baltic Workboats, says that the hotel owner Nasva Jahtklubi and hotel operator Nasva Hotell are actually trying to force the shipyard to buy a half-empty hotel complex.

According to Meri, the company has been interested in the hotel because it could use it to accommodate foreign workers, but the hotel owner is asking a million euros for it, while the shipyard is willing to buy it for a maximum of 500,000 euros.

Toomas Hõbemägi

Estonia’s own resident mint master in Tallinn

When in Tallinn, one of my all-time favorite places to relax and have a cup of hot spiced wine is its most visited observation point. Situated at the end of Kohtu Street in Toompea, it is one of the highest points in the old town and rewards the onlooker with a spectacular view over the many surviving towers which connect and support the city’s impressive medieval wall as well as an unforgettable view of the port of Tallinn. The exceptional location also accords you the opportunity to see the latest additions to the ever-growing skyline of this fast-developing city, literally on the Baltic Sea.

Last year and during my recent visit, I encountered a traditional coin minter who produces copper souvenir tokens made the old fashioned way, with hammer & die and… sheer strength!

Joseph the coin minter can be found at the top end of this premier observation vantage point. The walk up to Kohtu street is well worth it, first for the amazing bird’s eye view of the lower half of the old town but also for those of us who are coin enthusiasts, to visit Joseph, watch him strike a token and collect your newly struck copper souvenir depicting a European capital which has managed to preserve the best of its old-world past and transports you neatly back in time.

Don't be surprised if there is a long line of enthusiasts waiting for their copper souvenir during the height of the spring and summer tourist season. A stone's throw from the Rüütelkonna hoone Museum in Kiriku plats - It takes a little effort to find but luckily, it’s possible to explore and navigate much of the old town on foot with ease!

Michael Alexander