BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

EU rapid alert detects PSP toxins in live mussels

* THE EU rapid alert for week 4 has detected :

Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) toxins in live mussels from Spain, notified by Italy,

Listeria monocytogenes were found in herring fillets from Lithuania, notified by Estonia,

Carbon monoxide treatment was detected in frozen yellow tuna steaks from Indonesia via the Netherlands, notified by Belgium.

Oper's on the Roda to recovery

  by Margus Luik

Estonia's most celebrated outfield player Andres Oper seems finally to have found the club to suit him in Dutch side Roda JC.

Sharp upturn
Six months ago, the international striker was struggling to get a game in Russia with FC Torpedo Moskva. Now he is lighting up the Eredivisie with some great performances, having scored eight goals in 17 outings for Roda and picked up his third Estonian Player of the Year award.

'More to give'
"I am enjoying my football here at Roda," the 29-year-old told uefa.com. "It's very challenging to work with a new club and a new coach. At Roda, training is tough but interesting and we have an excellent team spirit. I have scored some great goals, but I still believe I have a lot more to give."

Step up
Roda occupy eleventh place in the Eredivisie, although Oper insists "results and our league position do not really correspond with our potential". Nonetheless, it is a step up in the world considering substitute cameos had been his stock in trade at Torpedo.

'Fresh start'
"Last year kicked off fine, but then I ran into problems in Russia with injuries and losing [Torpedo] coach Sergei Petrenko's trust," said Oper. "At one point I was really frustrated but fortunately the games for Estonia were going well. In August came the move to the Netherlands which gave me a fresh start."

Sweet finish
For Estonia, Oper remained a potent force, scoring five international goals in 2005 when none of his team-mates could manage more than one. His sweet finish in a FIFA World Cup qualifier against Slovakia earned him the Silverball for best Estonian goal of the year.

No aesthete
However, the forward was not getting carried away with the accolade. "I don't rate my goals by beauty - it is much more important that they bring a result for the team," he said. "The goal against Slovakia does not bring back happy memories as we lost a game we could have won."

English scouts
He may not appreciate their aesthetic quality, but Oper has hit some crackers in the Netherlands too, four of them match-winners, and rumours suggest a number of English clubs have sent scouts across the North Sea to take a look at him.

Homesick Estonian
Oper is in no hurry to leave Roda, however. "I am really happy here," he said. "I love the team and the style of the club. The only frustration is being away from my family." Oper's partner Marge - who runs the Andres Oper Football School - and daughter Emma are both back in Tallinn.

National treasure
Discovered by youth side FC LSMK/Pantrid Tallinn, Oper played for FC Flora and Aalborg BK before joining Torpedo in 2003. He has scored 30 goals in 98 internationals since his debut in 1996, and Estonia's Dutch coach Jelle Goes is delighted to see him flourish at Roda.

Goes' assessment
"Andres is a great goalscorer, but even more important is that he always works for the team," said Goes. "With a team like Estonia, if a striker doesn't do his defensive work, we don't stand a chance." With Roda keeping Oper sharp, Estonia can expect to have him in top form for the upcoming UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifiers.

Thousand hunting tourists in Estonian forests in a year

* About a thousand foreign hunters come to Estonia every year to hunt roes, wild boars and elks. Kalev Manniste from the State Forest Management Centre said that they offer hunting opportunities for about 700 tourists a year.

The Director of the Estonian Hunters' Association, Andres Lillemae, said that about 200 foreign hunters in a year come hunting through their organisation. There are many Italian bird hunters and Finnish wild boar hunters. Tourists usually arrive in the middle of the week and leave on Sunday.

Free plane tickets may become available

* According to airline companies, the aviation market is developing towards the direction of free plane tickets ; it is possible that in future passengers only have to pay airport taxes.

This year, low-cost airline Ryanair is planning to give out one third of its tickets for free or to sell them for almost nothing.

Estonian Air’s vice president, Mart Relve, says that company has a vision for the next ten years and Estonian Air is not planning to give out free plane tickets. Estonian Air is using a board conception of two different service classes. According to SAS’ communication manager, Hans Ollongren, airline companies have many unused opportunities concerning additional services.

Nordic poetry collection published in Estonia

* The annual Nordic Poetry Festival organised by the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Tallinn, Estonia, has published 292 poems by 28 different writers, all of whom have taken part in the poetry festival.

The book was launched on 30 January at the Nordic Council of Ministers' Office in Tallinn. The publication is considered a major event. The book features poets who have appeared at the festival over the last two years.

"This is a huge opportunity for Estonian readers to learn about Nordic poetry," said Eha Vain of the the Nordic Council of Ministers' Office who was one of the main movers behind the "Speed Within Silence" project.

The project was facilitated by a grant from the Nordic Literature and Library Committee (NORDBOK) and a NORDBOK representative attended the launch. The Council of Ministers' office stressed that .........

Estonia : Real estate

* Rising employment and higher wages, coupled with low mortgage rates, are fuelling domestic demand for property in Estonia. Foreign investors are also driving demand, particularly the Finns who are buying second homes. Property prices in Tallinn are a third of those in the Finnish capital Helsinki, only 55 miles away, although they are catching up fast.

Central and historic parts of the capital, Tallinn, have seen strong price growth over the past few years having gained up to 20% in the past year, and investors are looking to the suburbs. Most new developments in the city centre sell from plan. A new pied-a-terre in a classy purpose-built block in central Tallinn, within walking distance of the old town, costs from £56,700. A similar price buys an apartment in a historic converted paper mill, near the commercial district, overlooking Lake Ülemiste.

Or, you could buy a small flat in a new scheme, set amid woodland, within walking distance of the city centre, for £46,350. A des-res in affluent, suburban Viimsi, not far from the beach, costs from £38,974 for one bedroom. Agents say the area appeals to young professionals and small families.

VAT is levied at 18% on the purchase of new property in Estonia, but this is generally included in the purchase price. Rental income is taxed as personal income at 23% ; any mortgage interest is tax deductible. Stamp duty is paid on a sliding scale from 0.3% to 0.5%. Land is tax at 0.2% 6o 0.7%. No capital gains tax to pay on resale and no inheritance tax.

Estonia about Russia : 2nd decade of January

* Europe's and post-Soviet countries' dependence on Russian gas, and Russia's attempts to play this card continue to be in the focus of the Estonian press. "The Kiev-Moscow crisis is becoming all the more acute because European leaders know that North Sea deposits are being depleted, a fact which has led some countries to replace gas with atomic energy. There is hope, therefore, that the crisis will compel Europe to work out a common energy policy." (Delfi, January 18.)

The press has published an open letter from the Baltic and Polish former Prime Ministers with an appeal to the European Union to develop a united energy policy. "The gas quarrel shows that Russia will not think twice before using energy as a weapon..." Gazprom has taught a harsh lesson not only to millions of people, but also to the political elite. In several years we will be grateful to Vladimir Putin, who compelled Europe to take a closer look at the use of energy, and increase the variety of its carriers. The EU should find a common language in talking about energy and policy as regards Russia." (Eesti Päevaleht, January 18.)

Tele2 in Estonia goes with Siemens in W-CDMA contract

* Tele2 Eesti AS, Estonia's largest alternative telecommunications provider, has contracted with the Siemens Communications Group to build a complete 3G network in Estonia.

Tele2 Eesti is a subsidiary of Swedish-based Tele2 AB, and within a matter of months has become the second operator in the Baltic to place its trust in Siemens technology in building a W-CDMA network.

"Only a few months ago, we began delivering and installing a complete 3G network for Tele2 in Latvia. We are pleased that Estonia, too, is now traveling the path to 3G together with us, and that with our infrastructure we have again been able to create the foundation for future broadband data services like music downloads to mobile handsets," said Christoph Caselitz, the President of the Mobile Networks Division at Siemens Communications.

In addition to 3G technology, Siemens will also be supplying Tele2 Eesti AS with radio and core equipment for its GSM network and upgrading existing circuit- and packet-switched network elements to ready them for W-CDMA operation.

Estonia : Weather average conditions

 

Tallinn, Estonia

Month	Average Sunlight (hours)	Temperature				Discomfort from heat and humidity	Relative humidity		Average Precipitation (mm)	Wet Days (+0.25 mm)
		Average		Record
		Min	Max	Min	Max		am	pm
Jan	1	-10	-4	-30	5	-	87	86	39	19
Feb	2	-11	-4	-30	3	-	87	83	30	16
March	4	-7	0	-25	12	-	89	77	21	13
April	6	0	7	-13	21	-	84	66	31	11
May	7	5	14	-3	27	-	79	63	44	12
June	11	10	19	0	31	-	72	55	40	10
July	10	12	20	5	29	-	79	59	68	13
Aug	8	11	19	2	31	-	85	64	78	15
Sept	5	9	15	-3	28	-	87	69	71	16
Oct	2	4	10	-7	19	-	89	79	68	17
Nov	1	-1	3	-21	11	-	90	86	56	18
Dec	0	-7	-1	-25	7	-	88	87	39	19

The following bar chart for Tallinn, Estonia shows the years average weather condition readings covering rain, average maximum daily temperature and average minimum temperature.

Estonia : A chronology of events

* 1918 - Independence proclaimed.

1920 - Peace treaty with Russia signed.

1934 - Prime Minister Konstantin Pats leads bloodless coup and establishes authoritarian rule.

1938 - Pats becomes president under new constitution.

1939 - The Soviet Union compels Estonia to accept Soviet military bases.

1940 June - Soviet troops march in.

1940 August - Estonia incorporated into Soviet Union.

1941 - German troops invade.

1944 - Estonia reannexed by the Soviet Union. Tens of thousands of Estonians deported to Siberia and Central Asia.

1988 - Popular Front campaigns for democracy. "Singing revolution" brings a third of the population together in a bid for national unity and self-determination.

Independence

1991 - Communist rule collapses. Soviet government recognizes the independence of the Baltic republics.

1992 - Lennart Meri becomes president.

1994 - Russian troops leave. Estonia joins Partnership for Peace, allowing limited military cooperation with Nato.

1996 - President Meri re-elected.

1997 - Estonia invited to begin European Union membership negotiations.

1999- New centre-right government under Prime Minister Mart Laar, who led a previous government in 1992.

Estonia gets drunk

* Twenty-four per cent of 15-year-olds drink alcohol once at least once a week. Fifty-seven per cent of boys and 22% of girls get drunk at least twice a month !

Not to worry : Other countries are just as good ... !

FRANCE : Twenty-three per cent of 15-year-olds drink alcohol at least once a week. Twenty-two per cent of boys and 15% of girls get drunk at least twice a month. Twelve per cent of teenagers binge drink.

ENGLAND : Fifty-two per cent of 15-year-olds drink alcohol at least once a week. More than 55% of boys and nearly 55% of girls get drunk twice or more in a month. Thirty per cent of teenagers are considered to be binge drinkers.

SCOTLAND : Forty-three per cent of teenagers aged 15 years old drink alcohol at least once a week. Around 56% of boys and 52% of girls get drunk twice or more in a month.

Courses connect with immigrants

Accent reduction among FWCS classes

By Krista J. Stockman

Settling into a new country can be difficult.

There is a new language to learn and new customs to adjust to, such as shopping in a big-box store or cooking with recipes using ounces and cups instead of grams and liters.

Fort Wayne Community Schools’ Neighborhood Connection is hoping to make some of those transitions easier with a series of new courses.

Kim Gerardot, who works with program development for Neighborhood Connection, said the classes are an expansion of the English as a Second Language already offered and are meant to help those new to the United States adjust to the culture.

“Cooking in your New Environment” is offered March 7 and 14 for $23 for the two classes. The instructor will help students learn how to use English recipes and measurements. “Shopping in Your New Environment” is offered March 28 for $19 and focuses on common words and ideas to help an English learner communicate with salespeople as well as using credit and debit cards.

“It is totally different for some of them,” Gerardot said. She said the classes are designed for people who have already been through a beginning English language class and can speak at least some English.

A class on .......

LEEDS have denied any link with defender Andrei Stepanov

* There had been reports that the 26-year-old Estonia international was having a trial but Leeds' chief executive Shaun Harvey said: "It is not a name we are familiar with, there is no player by that name involved with the squad."

Hansapanga X Tallinna suusamaraton

5. veebruar 2006
Kõrvemaa matka- ja suusakeskuses
42 ja 21 km klassikalises stiilis

Hansapanga Tallinna suusamaraton on Põhja-Eesti menukaim suusaüritus. Arvult juba kümnes sõit kuulub ka Eesti pikamaasuusatajate sarja Estoloppet 2006.

Seekordne juubelimaraton on klassikalises stiilis. Vabastiili austajad saavad nädal varem osa võtta Tallinna suusasõidust, mille rada on avatud ka matkamiseks.

Hansapank kutsub tundma rõõmu suusatamisest
Kõrvemaa kaunis looduses

Pühapäev, 29. jaanuar, Tallinna suusasõit

• 21 km vabastiili start kell 11.00
• Suusarada on avatud matkamiseks kell 11.15–16.00

Pühapäev, 5. veebruar, X Tallinna suusamaraton

• 42 km klassikastiili start kell 11.00
• 21 km klassikastiili start kell 11.15

Osavõtutasud	42 km	21 km	21 km M/N 15 ja nooremad
– 28.01.2006	200 kr	150 kr	100 kr
29.01.– 02.02.2006	270 kr	170 kr	120 kr
02.02.–05.02.2006	400 kr	250 kr	200 kr

Üle 60-aastastele kuni 2. veebruarini osavõtumaksu soodustus 50%

Osavõtjatele tagatakse : hooldatud suusarada ; stardinumber ; pakihoid stardis ; arstiabi ; infoleht ; joogipunktid rajal ; toitlustus finišis ; lõpetajatele diplom nime, aja ja kohaga ning tulemus Tallinna suusamaratoni lõpuprotokollis vanuserühmade kaupa. Eraldi tasu eest saab laenutada ja määrida suuski.

Elektrirong suusamaratonile väljub Tallinnast kell 7.03. 11-kroonine sooduspilet kehtib suuskade olemasolu korral. Aegviidu jaamast saab Kõrvemaa matka- ja suusakeskusesse eribussiga.

Info ja registreerimine

• www.esport.ee
• Extreme Spordi kauplused
• A&T Spordi kauplused
• Nõmme Matkapood

Tallinn - 28th Jan 2006 - 08.16 - minus 2 degrees

                                            

Sea dog turns kitchen cat

(Merekoerast köögikiisuks)

The recent, severe cold spell that drew a line down from Finland, through the Baltic States and raged eastwards made for some challenging times. Tallinn’s homeless shelters were at full capacity, commuting and traffic were disrupted and line-ups for car batteries were long, as was the wait to get help to repair frozen pipes or faulty wiring. A total of 7 people in Estonia have succumbed to the cold and at least 16 others have lost their lives this month in house fires, caused mostly by overheating wood-burning stoves in wooden houses.

Since the cold set in as of mid-January, which is traditionally considered the peak of winter, or period when its back is broken so to speak (talihari), I have started having a visitor come round to my kitchen window every day at around 15.00 – 15.30. It’s rather ironic that I continue to feed my favourite chickadees (tihased) as well as this one, very large, beautiful seabird, who arrives each afternoon with a loud kaplunk! (The outer window ledges of my 1980-s, Soviet-built apt. building are covered in a fairly noisy sheet-metal.) Unable to completely forget the idea of bird flu, I carefully slip Tormi manageable strips of dark rye bread through a barely opened window – he/she’s a quick-draw and is not into chewing, to say the least.

On a particularly cold day I slipped him/her some rolled up sliced ham (sink), but the idea of many local people not having the opportunity to enjoy such meat made me regain my senses. I felt better today, seeing how much s/he enjoyed the pasty, starchy Millerighe giganti pasta I had rejected (ruined).

Tormi can be a boy’s or girl’s name, which is great, since my visitor’s sex remains a mystery. Although not very common, it’s an extremely poetic name, befitting a majestic Herring gull who is also commonly known as TORMIKAJAKAS – storm gull and MEREKOER – sea dog.

I don’t want to tease the poor beast, who sometimes seems more like a cat than a sea dog, crouched down on the window ledge, feathers puffed to the max, but s/he has insisted on hanging around, watching me eating heeringas (rollmops with an olive centre no less) and kasukas (like rosolje, beet salad with herring, potatoes and other goodies served in layers).

Project against human trafficking approved in Estonia

* A project to prevent human trafficking between 2006 and 2009 was approved on Thursday in Estonia, a significant source country of women and girls traded for sex exploitation.

    The project defines the strategic goal and the major measures of counter-trafficking of human beings, Estonia's Minister of Justice Rein Lang told the local media.

    According to reports reaching here from Estonian capital of Tallin, Lang expressed his worry that human trafficking, closely related to the smuggling of drugs and AIDS, would turn into the nation's primary social problem unless the government enhances its capability to control it.

    The trafficking speculators are likely to increase their illegal activities if the East European member state of the European Union (EU) joins the Schengen open-borders agreement in 2007, Lang said.

    The Schengen agreement is a system in which travelers arriving at one of the EU's outer borders are checked only once, and thereafter have freedom to cross all the other national borders inthe Schengen states.

    Estonia will strengthen border checks, reinforce the monitor over government departments and respond severely to human trafficking activities.

Estonia: ETV to broadcast tomorrow the previews for the national selection 'Eurolaul'

Sanjay Jiandani reporting from Malaga (Spain)
Fotis Konstantopoulos reporting from Athens (Greece)

* ETV, the Estonian national broadcaster will be airing a special show to-night at 21.35 (EET) on channel 1 ETV  to present the 10 Eurolaul entries. Thus introducing the 10 competing songs along with their singers , composers and authors to the Estonian public. Marko Reikop will be the presenter. Live perfomances of all the acts in competition  have been pre recorded at the ETV studios. These will be shown as previews tomorrow. The national Estonian selection Eurolaul will be held on the 4th of February, where an international jury will select the entry to represent Estonia in the forthcoming Eurovision Song Contest  in Athens, Greece. The Estonian viewers will be able to choose their favourite song via televoting on the 4th of February. But we shall remind you that the public televoting result will have no influence on the selection of the song, as its entirely up to the International jury to deliberate their verdict into choosing the winner.

Estonia will be competing the semi final on the 18th of May due to their poor result last year in the semi final in Kiev. Estonia won the Eurovision Song Contest back in 2001 with Tanel Padar and Dave Benton with "Everybody !". This year Estonia will perform  its 11th entry on the Eurovision stage. Oikotimes wishes Estonia the best of luck at the semi final on the 18th of May ? Will we go back to Tallinn in 2007 ? Well folks you just gotta be patient and wait until May ! Below you can find the list of songs along with the names of the singers, authors and composers and the telephone numbers for televoting (for our Estonian friends).

900 7701 laul nr 1 - It Was You, autorid Priit Pajusaar, Glen Pilvre / Maian Kärmas, esitab Carola
900 7702 laul nr 2 - Open Up Your Heart, autor Mikk Targo, esitab Sofia Rubina
900 7703 laul nr 3 - Everytime I Tell You, autor Reverend B, esitab Reverend B ja Crux
900 7704 laul nr 4 - Iseendale, autorid Eda-Ines Etti, Ivo Etti, esitab Ines
900 7705 laul nr 5 - Sweet Separation, autorid mel, mathura, esitab Aphro Tito
900 7706 laul nr 6 - Through My Window, autorid P.Paulus, I.Laisaar, A.Kotkas / J.Hallas, esitab Sandra
900 7707 laul nr 7 - Higher, autorid Peeter Kaljuste, Elmar Liitmaa / Marta Piigli, esitab Glow
900 7708 laul nr 8 - Be 1st , autorid Ivar Must, Rebecca Kontus / James Werts, esitab Marilin Kongo
900 7709 laul nr 9 - Friends Will Be Friends, autorid Martti Meumers / Rein Kahro, esitab Noorkuu ja s'Poom
900 7710 laul nr 10 - Mr Right, autorid Priit Pajusaar, Glen Pilvre / Maian Kärmas, esitab Meribel Müürsepp

Estonia to face Russia in Euro 2008 qualifiers

Russia, Croatia, Israel, England, Macedonia and Andorra make up the group from which two teams will qualify for the tournament which is to be held in Austria and Switzerland.

Government calls on people to commemorate victims of crimes against humanity

Stenbock House — The Government calls on the Estonian people to commemorate the victims of crimes committed against humanity, tomorrow, on International Holocaust Memorial Day.

We will commemorate the Nazi victims on Holocaust Memorial Day. Our thoughts are with all of the people who suffered in one of the most horrible tragedies in history, and of whom many lost their lives.

The main objective of tomorrow’s memorial day is to acknowledge the horrors of the Holocaust. The Ministry of Education and Research calls on all Estonian schools to explain to their pupils the tragic events of the past century. Knowledge of the past teaches us understanding and helps prevent the crimes of the past century from ever occurring again.

During the Second World War, the Nazi regime systematically eliminated on the occupied Estonian territory both Estonian Jews and those that had been brought here from elsewhere. It is most regrettable that in cooperation with the occupation authorities, some Estonian citizens participated in such crimes committed against humanity. There is no justification for the participation of anyone in these shameful and morally condemnable acts. It is not important what motivated these people to act in this way. Even if they have not directly shed the blood of anyone, they are nevertheless morally responsible.

Holocaust Memorial Day was celebrated in Estonia for the first time on 27 January 2003. The date, 27 January, is the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.


Government Communication Office

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