BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

Consumers facing a higher power bill

Electricity bills of consumers may soon go up by about 6% if authorities approve a tariff raise application of Eesti Energia's distribution grid operator Jaotusvõrk, writes Äripäev.

Jaotusvõrk has asked an extra 0.39 cents per kWh to be paid by consumers saying that it needs to invest 300 million euros in renovating the power grid from 2011-2014.

Raising tariffs may be easier said than done, however, since Jaotusvõrk also sought to raise its network service fees for 18% last year, but failed to receive an approval of authorities.

The last year’s attempted tariff raise caused Estonian prime minister Andrus Ansip to react with indignation in public, calling the request completely ridiculous.

Toomas Hõbemägi

Estonia industrial output surges in February

Estonia's industrial production climbed 31.4 percent year-on-year in February, Statistics Estonia said Thursday.

The growth of production has been mainly influenced by the increase in external and domestic demand, the statistical office said.

However, on a monthly basis, production fell 0.1 percent. Manufacturing output grew 41.6 percent year-on-year and was 0.7 percent higher than a month ago.

During the month, energy production rose 1.6 percent, but declined 4 percent compared to January. Mining rose 5.8 percent annually, while recording a 1 percent drop on a monthly basis.

Cargo vessel stranded, leaking near Kihnu

The Maritime Operations Bureau reported that a cargo vessel has been stranded and suffered damages around 10:00 on March 31 near the island of Kihnu in the Gulf of Riga.

The vessel with a crew of eight was carrying wood pellets and was on its way from Pärnu to Karlshamn, Sweden, police said.

The starboard side of the ship's hull has been damaged, presumably from hitting the seafloor. Some water leaked into the ballast room, but the situation is stable. No oil pollution has been reported.

The ship's owner is reportedly seeking assistance to free the stranded vessel. The West Prefecture Maritime Operations Bureau is following the situation.

Erkki Sivonen

Lebanon police arrest 4 people involved in abducting Estonians

TALLINN - Lebanon’s secret services have arrested four people involved in kidnapping bicycle tourists from Estonia, according to the Estonian Foreign Ministry.

“Together with our Lebanese colleagues we can confirm information about the arrest of three people who may be involved in the abduction,” Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said late on Wednesday.

He said “the operation continues at the site. The Lebanese security forces have at last found the bus which the bandits used,” the minister said.

According to the press service of the Estonian Foreign Ministry, Lebanon’s police chief Major General Ashraf Rifi urged the leaders of the gang to surrender voluntarily and set free the kidnapped people. The bus used to transport the kidnapped has been found and sent for expertise.

It has been a week since the bicycle tourists were abducted in the Beqaa Valley. The Lebanese authorities have managed to trace the suspects, but the fate of the tourists is still unclear.

Estonia has become a Swedish colony!

A prominent Estonian businessman who prefers to remain anonymous says that the ruling coalition is strengthening Estonia’s position as a colony of Sweden, writes Eesti Ekspress weekly.

He says that the latest sign of Swedish rule in Estonia is the promise of the coalition of Reform Party and IRL to keep zero-rate income tax on reinvested profits.

“This is benefiting the Swedes,” says the businessman, adding that Estonia has become a subcontracting heaven for Swedish companies such as Ericsson.

“But at the same time Swedish banks that own the Estonian economy are not granting loans to Estonian companies. Estonia is no longer a free country, it is a Swedish colony”.

According to him, Swedes have understood that it is cheaper to transfer subcontracting jobs into countries like Estonia and make sure that Swedish companies can take out profits without paying income tax.

Toomas Hõbemägi

Police arrest 72 fans after Estonia - Serbia Euro 2012 qualifier

Conflict between local authorities and fans led to 72 arrests when Estonia hosted Serbia in the Euro 2012 qualifiers...

Clashes between police and fans during the Euro 2012 qualifier between Estonia and Serbia resulted in security forces detaining 72 supporters, according to a report by DzD.ee.

It was estimated that 700 Serbian fans attended the match in Tallinn, a number of which were the Russian-speaking local residents, and the problems began when the Serbian section of the stadium hoisted a banner reading 'Freedom or Death'.

The reaction to the incidents that followed is still being considered, but Serbia's recent record of fan trouble will not help their cause, after the outrage in Italy last year when the national team were forced to forfeit the match.

Estonia levelled the game at 1-1 late on to deny Serbia all three points in Group C, keeping the hosts one point behind their opponents with a game in hand.

Andrew McLean

Estonia tourism off to a flying start in 2011

Estonia attracted 34 per cent more British and Irish visitors in January 2011, marking an auspicious start to a year in which its capital city Tallinn is hosting over 7,000 events as a European Capital of Culture and the country marks 20 years since Soviet independence.

The figures show a steady upwards growth in visitor numbers from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, with January 2010 having already shown an increase of 13% over the previous year, compared with 2008 when tourism plummeted by 30%.

The UK & Ireland was the fifth largest source market for Estonia, after inbound tourism from Estonia’s neighbouring countries Finland, Russia, Latvia and Sweden. The number of British/Irish tourists – 2,300 – was 34% higher than the same period the previous year, with two new RyanAir inaugural routes from London Luton and Edinburgh on 10 January contributing to the growth.

The total number of overseas visitors from all countries staying in accommodation establishments in Estonia during January was almost 88,000, an increase of 22% compared to January 2010 (source: Statistics Estonia). The number of bed nights was 208,000 (a 24% increase), with British guests spending 5,271 nights in Estonian accommodation, 19% higher than January 2010.

Meet the "European Athletics Junior Championships" mascots: Citi, Alti, Forti

The mascots for the European Athletics Junior Championships Tallinn 2011 will be known as Citi, Alti and Forti.

The mascots, three fun and athletic stars, each have their own specific talent: the yellow star Citi is a great runner, the orange star Alti is a talented jumper and the blue star Forti is a throwing champion.

A nationwide search to find names for the mascots was launched by the organisers in cooperation with Estonia’s largest news and entertainment portal Delfi.ee. The contest was open to all, inviting people to propose names for all three mascots.

The five name combinations with most votes went straight to the final, with the other five finalists chosen by athletics sponsors.

The name combination Citi, Alti, Forti was announced as the winner by the five-person jury consisting of Olympic champion Erki Nool, renowned sports journalist Anu Säärits, Estonian Athletics Association President Erich Teigamägi, young artist Helene Vettik and winner of the first Estonian “Pop Idol” Birgit Õigemeel.

The contest winner was Jaak V, the only person to nominate Citi, Alti and Forti. The winning names are derived from the Latin phrase “citius, altius, fortius” ("faster, higher, stronger") which has a strong historical association with athletics.

The 2011 European Athletics Junior Championships will be held in Tallinn, Estonia, on July 21-24.

For more information, visit www.tallinn2011.org/en.

Parent group threatens legal action if Estonian-language curriculum enforced

An organization representing parents of Russian-speaking schoolchildren says it will go to court if the state implements the requirement of 60 percent Estonian-language curriculum in Russian upper secondary schools from September 2011.

The Council of Russian Schools, established in September 2010, is a nonprofit organization uniting Russian-language students' parents and representatives from different institutions.

Aleksandr Tarakanov, a member of the council board, said the decision violates constitutional rights. "We are left with no other choice than to go to court and defend our fundamental rights to learn in our mother tongue," Tarkanov added.

On March 25, the organization sent an appeal to the High Commissioner on National Minorities at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights.

Minister of Education Tõnis Lukas stated that the council's actions are purely political and have been prepared far ahead of time. "If their arguments in Estonia fall short, they turn to the international community, it's just the way it goes; and that has also been the main device used by Russian propaganda. There is nothing surprising here," said the minister.

Deputy Mayor of Tallinn Yana Toom says the changeover is not possible in Tallinn and Narva schools because many teachers do not meet the language requirements and students graduate from ninth grade with a B1-level language proficiency, which is not enough to study compulsory high school subjects in Estonian.

Ingrid Teesalu

Estonian campaigners save winter-hit swans

TALLINN — Around 400 swans which got caught in Estonia's harsh winter after skipping their annual flight south because residents fed them too often have been helped to survive by campaigners.

"While around 150 swans perished last winter on Tallinn Bay, nearly all of the 400 swans who stayed this winter are well," Tania Selart, a board member of Estonia's Society for the Protection of Animals, told AFP on Wednesday.

Selart said that a combination of milder winters in recent years and the actions of wrongheaded bird-lovers had encouraged swans to stick around in the Baltic state instead of migrating south to warmer climes.

"Unlike this winter and the last one, several previous seasons were milder and it wasn't hard for swans to stay in the north and still get food on the sea, which didn't ice over completely," Selart said.

"But the main reason that has been confusing swans is human error. In recent autumns, when swans are supposed to fly south, people have enjoyed coming to the bay to feed them," she added.

That has caused a radical change in the birds' habits, she explained.

"The tradition of Tallinners spoiling swans with food has led to a new tradition among a new swan generation, unlike their parents many of them stay here in the north," she said.

Life expectancy in EU

Scots have one of the lowest life expectancies in Europe, according to new figures.

Figures released by the Scottish Government showed men in Scotland are now expected to live for 76 years and women until the age of 80 - two years less than the rest of the UK.

The figures have risen in the past 30 years - up seven years for men and five years for women.

But the Scottish figures were nearly four years below the European average of 79.7 years for men and 84.8 years for women.

Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia have lower life expectancies for men, while women are expected to lead shorter lives in Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovakia.

Glasgow had the lowest life expectancy at birth for men and women while men are expected to live the longest in the Borders and women in Orkney.

Levels of obesity and being overweight in Scotland are among the highest in Europe, the figures showed.

The percentage of regular daily smokers is slightly over the European median and the second highest in the UK.

A healthy life expectancy - the number of years people were expected to enjoy good health - was also calculated. In Scotland, men are expected to be healthy for 68 years and women for 70 years.

The statisticians offered no comparison with previous years because of a change in the way the data is calculated.

Copyright © 2011 The Press Association

Serbia held by Estonia

Serbia were held to a 1-1 draw in Estonia in their Euro 2012 Group C qualifier on Tuesday after missing two sitters and then gifting the hosts their late equaliser after a blunder by goalkeeper Zeljko Brkic.

The strength-sapping match on a snowy pitch had a dramatic finale as Serbia thought they had won the it with the last kick when the ball trickled over the Estonian goal-line, only for the referee to disallow the goal for offside.

An opportunist first-half goal by striker Marko Pantelic on a barely playable surface had given Serbia the lead before Konstantin Vassiljev equalised in the 84th minute with a low free kick which squeezed under Brkic's body into the net.

Having dominated the opening half in heavy snow, Serbia were on the back foot after the interval and were punished after missing two good chances.

Estonia keeper Sergei Pareiko denied Milan Jovanovic And Zoran Tosic before Vassiljev's free kick from 30 metres somehow found its way past the wall and under Brkic.

Serbia had two goals disallowed for offside, the first in the opening minute and crucially in the dying moments, when the referee at first appeared to let it stand and then changed his decision after consulting his linesman.

Shopping centre boom in Tallinn continues

In the next few years, several large shopping centres with a total of around 100,000 square meters are likely to be built in Tallinn and in its environs, writes ERR.

Some of the largest new stores will be the new Rimi hypermarket in Laagri, the Pro Kapital Shopping Centre in Peterburi tee and Ameerikanurga, an industrial park that is located some 10 km from Tallinn at Tallinn-Tartu highway.

Several experts say that Tallinn may have already reached its limit in terms of shopping centres. Andrija Lilleoja, marketing manager of Rimi Eesti Food, says that figures of retail space per capita shows that it is already above the European average.

Veiko Muruste who develops Ameerikanurga industrial park that is expected to cost 250 million euros says that the company is prepared to start construction in the second half.

“We will have about 50,000 square metres of retail space, logistics and fair centres and 3,000 parking lots. It will be the first location in Estonia where you can buy everything you need in life.”

Toomas Hõbemägi

Sillamäe grows faster than rest of Estonia

The town of Sillamäe in Northeast Estonia has rapidly become one of the fastest-growing regions in Estonia, writes Äripäev.

Namely, one resident of Sillamäe produces 3.9 times more for exports than an average Estonian: Sillamäe accounted for 4.7% of Estonian exports in 2010, while it only has 1.2% of the Estonian population.

The region’s export boom lies mainly on three enterprises: Silmet that produces rare earth metals, Sillamäe Port and its terminals and Ecometal that recycles old car batteries.

“Sillamäe could serve as an example for many other towns in Estonia. We are taking advantage of the benefits that we have and have made smart decisions,” says ex-PM Tiit Vähi who is chairman of Silmet Group and council chairman of Sillamäe Port.

Turnover of Sillamäe Port was 13.3 million euros in 2009, while turnover of Silmet was 24.4 million euros and turnover of Ecometal was 11.4 million euros.

“Sillamäe is the export gateway for Estonia. If trade relations with Russia were slightly better, we could easily triple the volume of goods that we handle every year,” says one local businessman.

Toomas Hõbemägi

41% Estonians don’t plan family

41% of Estonian women and men in fertile age do not plan when to have children and how many children to have, LETA/National Broadcasting cites a Sexual Health Association study.

While 15 years ago, a lot abortions were made in Estonia, now the pendulum is in the other corner: the new generation believes that they decide everything in their life, said gynaecologist Dr Kai Haldre in ETV’s morning programme. “People imagine that they will have children exactly when they have acquitted all that stuff /.../ That it is right not to leave anything for nature to decide and that causes a lot of extra stress that is actually not needed,” said Dr Haldre.

Dr Haldre said that the age for having the first child has shifted considerably in Estonia, being at around 26 years now. “It will certainly shift further, to around 29-30 years,” she said.

Dr Haldre pointed out that in the study, over 80% of both men and women said that preventing a pregnancy is the responsibility of both partners. “The small percentage that thought that this is a women’s thing, were mainly men with low education level, living in rural areas.”

The aim of the study that covered 500 people was to map attitudes towards unwanted pregnancies.

Port of Tallinn interested to ship cargo through Saaremaa Port

State-owned Port of Tallinn plans to turn its cruise passenger port in Saaremaa into a cargo port that would handle up to 300,000 tons of cargo a year, writes Äripäev.

The company has already filed an application to initiate environmental impact assessment and says that initial plans to keep the port serving only cruise vessels have not been fulfilled.

According to Port of Tallinn, the port is unique in comparison with other nearby ports because it is deeper, closer to large shipping routes and navigable all year round.

Also, the expansion of the port into a cargo port would enable to create up to 250 jobs, said the company.

Toomas Hõbemägi

Local government employees detained for embezzlement

Security police have detained two employees of the Tartu city government on suspicion of large-scale theft of city property.

The head of Tartu's Department of Education Boris Goldman and Irina Aab, a finance specialist working in the same department, were detained by KAPO officers on March 28 for offenses that police suspect go as far back as 2008.

The prosecutor will decide shortly whether to request an arrest warrant for the two, uudised.err.ee reported.

Goldman had been in his position since 2006, when he took on the job leaving his post as the head teacher of the Tartu Karlova Gümnaasium.

Aab has been working for the city government in various capacities since 1987.

The preliminary investigation into the case will be led by KAPO and the Southern District Prosecutor’s Office.

Steve Roman

After shock win, Estonia plays crippled Serbia

After Estonian national football team's (ranked 82) 2-0 victory in a friendly against Uruguay - the two-time World Cup winner and two-time Olympic winning team - Estonia is scheduled to face off with Serbia (ranked 20) in Tallinn on March 29. 

Serbia's head coach Vladimir Petrovic said at a press conference in Tallinn on March 28 that the Estonian team is dangerous for its distance shots and counteroffensives.  

"Estonia can score the goal shooting from a distance," said Petrovic, speaking through a translator. "Their best actions are based on situations where they cut opponent actions and move to a fast counterattack." That proved to be true last year, when Estonia defeated Serbia in Belgrade 3-1, as two goals were scored from outside of the penalty box.

Petrovic predicted a tough game ahead, as eight of his players were left in Belgrade because they are either injured or suspended. "Yes we are in a very hard situation [...] Our captain and one of the deputy captains [...] have two yellow cards and cannot play. Also, we have here a few players with some problems. But we will be brave," said Petrovic.

The coach also addressed the tricky field conditions of Estonia's stubborn winter. "I can't say that it is a normal and usual situation for us. We also had a snowy winter, but during that period our players were in places where [the weather] was better. But what can we do, we cannot change anything."

Ott Tammik

NASA computer servers vulnerable to attack

WASHINGTON — NASA's inspector general warned Monday that computer servers used by the US space agency to control spacecraft were vulnerable to cyber attack through the Internet.

"We found that computer servers on NASA's agency-wide mission network had high-risk vulnerabilities that were exploitable from the Internet," NASA inspector general Paul Martin said in an audit of NASA's network security.

"Specifically, six computer servers associated with IT assets that control spacecraft and contain critical data had vulnerabilities that would allow a remote attacker to take control of or render them unavailable," the report said.

It said a cyber attacker who managed to penetrate the network could use compromised computers to exploit other weaknesses and "severely degrade or cripple NASA's operations."

The inspector general's audit of NASA's computer security found "network servers that revealed encryption keys, encrypted passwords, and user account information to potential attackers.

"These data are sensitive and provide attackers additional ways to gain unauthorized access to NASA networks," the report said.

European Council makes euro area rules stronger

Brussels – At a meeting in Brussels, the heads of state and government of the European Union gave their approval to a comprehensive package of economic policy measures aimed at turning the corner on the financial crisis and laying the groundwork for new sustainable economic growth.

“Estonia supports a package of reforms that will bring us closer to financial stability, promote economic growth and create jobs,” said Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip at the European Council. “Without reforms and sustainable economic policy, it will be difficult to achieve new growth.”

The Euro Plus Pact approved by Estonia at the extraordinary session of the Council on 11 March was also joined by Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania and Denmark, which are not members of the euro area. The EU member states that join the pact are committed, on the basis of the indicators and principles contained in the pact, to announce concrete actions to be achieved within the next 12 months.

“It is beneficial to the entire European Union that the Euro Plus Pact is joined by as many member states outside the euro area as possible,” said Ansip. “And, at the same time, it is important that all participants shoulder ambitious national obligations.”

A number of member states have already announced the first actions to be taken. Ansip said that Estonia plans to provide more specific information regarding its actions in the framework of Estonia’s National Reform Programme to be submitted in April.