BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

Oldest written documents in Estonia uploaded

A project to digitize the oldest parchment documents in the country is now complete.

The State Archives, Tallinn City Archive and History Museum led the effort, which started in 2010.

The documents contain information valuable to studying the history of settlement and agriculture in medieval and post-Renaissance Estonia as well as political, military and cultural history, said the institutions.

The oldest written historical sources are on parchment and date from the 13th century, the oldest one of all from 1237: in it, papal legate William of Modena communicates a decree from Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II regarding donations to the church. The original document is in the the Tallinn City Archive's magistrate's collection.

From the same era is the oldest record in the State Archives, from 1240, and, from the Estonian History Museum, an indulgence from Pope Innocent IV from 1247.

The latest parchment documents are from the mid-19th century, but the majority are from the 14th to the 16th century.

The digitization involved making copies of the recto and verso sides of 4,122 archive pages. The digital copies are life-size.

The work was funded via the Economic Affairs Ministry from EU structural assistance for promoting information society.

The digitized parchment documents are available for public use at : http://www.ra.ee/pargamendid/

Kristopher Rikken

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

140 Tallinn teachers fail language checks

Checks of 237 Tallinn school teachers carried out by the Language Inspectorate during the last academic year found that 140 of them did not have the required Estonian proficiency, according to Deputy Mayor Mihhail Kõlvart.

Kõlvart included the figures in a letter he sent in response to questions by a representative of the Open Republic youth organization.

The letter, the contents of which were made available to rus.err.ee, named 10 Russian-curriculum schools in the capital where teachers were interviewed.

The school with the largest number of teachers that the inspectorate decided to test was the Linnamäe Vene Lütseum, which Kõlvart has advocated turning into a private school to circumvent the state's newly-imposed Estonian-language curriculum requirements. Out of 44 teachers interviewed at the school, only 17 met the proficiency requirements.

The inspectorate ordered the teachers who did not pass muster to take measures to improve their Estonian skills.

According to Kõlvart, the city government organizes free language courses for teachers who have been given such orders, but participation is voluntary. In the February to June period, 101 teachers took part.

Steve Roman

Accused Estonian fraudster extradited to the US appears in federal court

An Estonian man has been extradited to New York to face charges he was part of a hacking gang that infected more than 4 million computers with malware as part of a massive click-fraud scheme.

Anton Ivanov is one of seven Estonian and Russian men charged in November with operating an international conspiracy that generated $14 million in phony revenue. He arrived in New York on Thursday afternoon and appeared in federal court in Manhattan for an arraignment hearing. Five other men charged in the operation are still being held in Estonia. One man accused of participating in the fraud ring remains at large.

The US Department of Justice accused the seven men of orchestrating a far-reaching botnet scam that infected both Windows and Mac computers with malware that replaced the IP addresses of legitimate sites with those controlled by the attackers. DNS Changer, as the malware was dubbed by researchers, caused compromised machines to rely on rogue DNS servers that caused victims to view websites they never would have seen on uninfected systems. The malware also prevented them from reaching antimalware sites, making it hard for them to disinfect their machines.

Estonia back to Division I

REYKJAVIK – Estonia will try once again to establish its team in the Division I Group B next year after getting promoted from the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division II Group A in Iceland.

Estonia won all its five games against Serbia, Croatia, Iceland, New Zealand and Spain. Estonia got relegated from Division I last year and now gets another chance to stay there.

Estonia defeated Serbia, Iceland and New Zealand with pretty comfortable scores: 5-2 against Serbia, 7-2 against Iceland and even 19-2 versus New Zealand, which lost all games and got relegated to the Division II Group B. The Kiwis were missing nine players from the team that surprisingly won Division II silver one year ago.

In the end Estonia had to battle through two tight and difficult games. Against Croatia in the second round Estonia won 3-2 with the game-winning goal from Roman Andrejev with just two minutes left on the clock.

In the last round Estonia faced Spain in a game that decided about the tournament win as both teams went into the last round with a 4-0 record. Estonia controlled the game in the beginning and earned a 4-1 lead, but Spain fought back and the score was cut to 4-3 after 40 minutes. A shot hit the post on the Estonian goal early in the last period, but the only goal was scored on the other side when Maksim Ivanov’s marker after seven minutes sealed the victory for his team.

Language-labeled : Estonia brands inmates "Nazi-style" ?

A scandal is brewing in Estonia, where inmates are reportedly labeled according to how fluent they are in the national language. The practice is reminiscent of how Nazi Germany marked Jews, homosexuals and other categories of people in death camps.

Some Estonian inmates now bear the letters A, B or C on their clothes, representing the level of their language skills, says Director of the Institute of the Estonian Language Urmas Sutrop. Those barely able to communicate are labeled with “A”, “B” is reserved for those with average level, while fluent speakers are tagged with “C”.

Inmates who cannot speak Estonian at all are not marked in any way, Sutrop told the Postimees newspaper, citing a letter he had received from a prisoner.

The tags are an addition to the usual ID badges that inmates in Estonia have to wear.

“The inmate says this is very humiliating. I asked the Justice Ministry if it was true. They said it is. They said the initiative was sponsored by the inmates themselves. I asked the language inspection and they agreed with me that such labeling is wrong. They browsed through legislation and failed to find a law that would justify such actions,” he said.

Sutrop did not specify which Estonian prison labels people in that way. He stressed that the practice “is reminiscent of the Holocaust times, when Jews had a yellow Star of David attached to their chests. They branded Jews in Estonia this way from September 11, 1941.”

Construction price in Estonia increased by 5% in Q1 y-o-y

According to Statistics Estonia, the percentage change of the construction price index was 0.4% in the 1st quarter of 2012 compared to the previous quarter, and 5.0% compared to the 1st quarter of 2011.

In the 1st quarter compared to the same quarter of the previous year, the construction price index was primarily influenced by more expensive building materials and by the increase in the labour costs, which gave correspondingly more than a half and over a third of the total increase of the index.

In the 1st quarter compared to the previous quarter, the labour costs decreased by 3.3%, costs on building machines increased by 2.2% and on building materials by 1.7%.

In the 1st quarter of 2012, the percentage change of the repair and reconstruction work price index was 0.1% compared to the 4th quarter of 2011 and 5.8 % compared to the 1st quarter of 2011.

The calculation of the construction price index covers four groups of buildings – detached houses, blocks of flats, industrial buildings and office buildings, as well as office buildings covered by the repair and reconstruction work price index. The construction price index expresses the change in the expenditures on construction taking into consideration the price changes of basic inputs: labour force, building materials and building machines.

Toomas Hõbemägi

Veerpalu denied champion's stipend

Although support is still strong for him in many quarters in Estonia, disgraced two-time skiing gold medalist Andrus Veerpalu will lose out on state funding for a while - the stipend that the Cultural Endowment pays all living Olympic champions.

Veerpalu, who tested positive for doping last year, is not among this year's recipients of the benefit, which consists of semi-annual payments of 1,150 euros each.

Secretary General of the Olympic Committee Toomas Tõnise said Veerpalu's name could not be proposed this time as it would have gone against international anti-doping rules, which forbid sanctioned athletes from receiving public sector money.

Tõnise said his name would be reinstated once his ban expired.

On January 29, 2011, Veerpalu tested positive for excess level of growth hormone following a training run in Otepää.

FIS, the international ski federation, made its final ruling on Veerpalu's appeal last August, upholding the positive test results and increasing the punishment. It stated that the banned substance could not have been introduced accidentally, but required methodological administration and assistance from medical personnel.

Veerpalu, whose team have claimed he has a genetic mutation that puts his body's production of GH into overdrive, has appealed the FIS decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, which will rule in June.

Kristopher Rikken

Estonian Air tickets sales abroad up 30% in Q1

The Estonian national carrier Estonian Air's ticket sales at foreign markets has increased by 30% within the first quarter of 2012, the company said in a statement.

For the first time in the company's history, more tickets have been purchased from abroad than from Estonia, writes LETA.

Most of the tickets are purchased from Russia, Finland and Scandinavian countries. Tickets are purchased both for visiting Estonia as well as flying further via Tallinn to other destinations in Estonian Air network.

"Transit traffic shows strong growth trend which means that our new business strategy is working," said Enn Lamp, the Head of Sales Department at Estonian Air.

Eco-banker to Estonians : set up more banks

Lars Pehron, head of Danish socially responsible and environmentally friendly bank Merkur, believes that Estonia should set up more banks that would be based on local capital because they think otherwise than the large Scandinavian banks that dominate the Estonian banking market today, writes Äripäev.

Speaking at the Pärnu Financial Conference, Pehrson said: “Our bank is a cooperative bank that is a combination of regular banking and socially sustainable vision. I believe that sustainability and added value must be a basis of all activities, not some by-products or by-services.”

According to Pehrson, banks and other enterprises could be successful when local, but should participate in some larger global initiative or movement to bring in new ideas and increase productivity.

Merkur Cooperative Bank that was founded in 1982 by its current managers and has been growing 25 percent a year.
By now, Merkur has 80 employees and is a full-service banking institution.

It has become famous for its strong links to the local community and responsibility  for the social development and environmental friendliness.

Toomas Hõbemägi

Income of Estonian households rose the fastest

Last year, the purchasing power of Estonian and Latvian workers grew (salary growth exceed the rate of inflation), while the real salary of Lithuanian workers continued to fall for the third year in a row, as indicated by the economic analysis of the Baltic households prepared by SEB (Baltic Household Outlook).

Despite the growth of gross salary, the high level of inflation has had a considerable effect on real salaries. Compared to 2010, real salaries in Latvia have risen by 0.1 per cent per year, whereas growth was 0.6 per cent in the final quarter of 2011. In Estonia, real salaries grew by 2.1 per cent at the same time, which represented an increase for the second consecutive quarter. This halted the decrease of real salaries, which had been a reality for Estonia for about three years. Meanwhile, the real salaries of Lithuanian workers have dropped for 12 consecutive quarters − if the fourth quarter of 2011 is compared to the year before, real salaries decreased by 1.5 per cent.

Is Georgia's homemade drone actually Estonian?

Georgia made a splash last week when it rolled out what it said was its first domestically produced drone aircraft. “No one will share this [pointing to the Georgian-made drone] with others; it’s ours," said President Mikheil Saakashvili, at its unveiling. "We no longer depend on others.”

But now it's emerged that the drone may not be quite as homegrown as was originally presented. A variety of observers have noticed a strong similarity between the Georgian drone and the Swan, a UAV produced by Estonian company ELI. (See here for some more photos of both.) Even the digital camouflage pattern on the ground control system (visible at about 0:41 of the video in the original post) seems to be the same pattern used by Estonian armed forces.

Irakli Aladashvili, the editor of a Georgian military magazine, says the drone does in fact appear to be a close relative of the Estonian. Writing in the newspaper Kviris Palitra (below translation from BBC Monitoring), he says:

The human element is here to stay in the HR business

TALLINN - “As I see it, collecting data for a CV (Curriculum Vitae) will become more automated in the future. Perhaps Google will take a leading role in this. Some companies already use Linkedin and Facebook to find candidates for vacant jobs.”
The person speaking is Heikko Gross, marketing director of CV Online, the Estonian company which since 1997 has been active in online recruitment. The first years saw a major expansion into many neighboring countries. Between 1998 and 1999, turnover multiplied 15 times.  

CV Online offers jobseekers CV posting (for free), CV consultation and courses for successful job applications. A single consultation costs eight euros. If you wish to get a good understanding of how to write a good CV, what the main mistakes are and how an employer reads your CV, you may attend a course for 23 euros. “But it is a problem that many job seekers are not willing to pay the price for a course,” says Gross. “It is a question of whether you wish to spend your money buying a fish, or a fishing rod!” His personal experience says that those who are already working and are in a better financial position are generally more willing to spend money on job seeking advice.

Estonia to host 3 international military exercises in June

In June, Estonia will host three international military exercises focusing on improving cooperation between the participating forces – Saber Strike, BALTOPS, and Baltic Host. In total, the exercises will be attended by about a thousand allied soldiers, mostly from the United States.

Organized by the US Army Europe, Saber Strike will be held from June 11 to 22 in Estonia and Latvia. This year, Estonia will act as the host nation for the exercise, according to the acting head of the Defense Forces Operational Staff, Lt. Col. Rain Jano.

The tactical part of the exercise will be conducted at the Adazi training area in Latvia, while its command post will be located in Tapa and the participating US aircraft A-10 and KC-135 will be based at the Ämari Air Base in Estonia. Saber Strike will be attended by members of the defense forces from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the United States, Canada, Finland, Sweden, Poland, and Norway.

Kuidas valmib Eesti pikim tunnel?

Tallinna Järvevana liiklussõlme tunnelit ehitavad 4 firma ühispakkumusest moodustatud konsortsium, kuhu kuuluvad Merko Ehitus Eesti, Merko Infra, Tallinna Teede AS ja ehitusfirma Rand & Tuulberg.

Estonian police will start using electric cars before summer

Since 75 electric cars earmarked for Estonian social workers were left over during the recent campaign as not all municipalities applied for them, they will be distributed among state institutions and 19 will be channelled to the police for non-operative tasks, LETA/Postimees writes.

"According to current plans, the electric vehicles will be used for non-operating work tasks, since for example in cold winter weather, using an electric car as a patrol car might not be the most optimal choice," said Police and Border Guard logistics bureau head Tauno Tuisk. "At the same time we are on the position that every electric vehicle gives the police a bit more room for action and flexibility."

Interior Ministry legal and administrative department acting head Anu Neemelo said that the Police and Border Guard Board has been allocated 19 vehicles that can go into use before summer.

The Social Ministry received 507 electric cars in the framework of Estonia selling CO2 quota and distributed 432 of them to social workers across Estonia. The 75 cars that were left over will now be distributed among other state institutions that applied for them.

Juhan Tere

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

Swiss reintroduce quotas on 8 European nations

GENEVA - The Swiss government has decided to reimpose quotas on immigrants from Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and five other central and eastern European nations, officials said Wednesday.

The Swiss Cabinet announced that residents from these countries -- which also include Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia -- will be subject to quotas starting in May when they apply for residency permits needed to work more a year in Switzerland.

The decision reflects a longstanding uneasiness about immigration and rising concerns about integrating workers and employers' compliance with wage and labor requirements, along with a desire to hold unemployment to 3 percent even during a time of economic turmoil.

"In weighing its interests, the Federal Council took into account the fact that the free movement of persons provides a good number of advantages to the Swiss economy," the government said.

"Over the past months, however, the Federal Council has noticed that the complexity of the immigration theme necessitates a debate on measures in the domains of the job market (including accompanying measures) and integration, and that such a discussion must unfold taking into full account the considerations of economic policy," it said in a statement.

Tallinn TV tower may have to repay a million euros in EU aid

Choice of wrong type of public procurement tender may prove costly for the Tallinn TV Tower that was re-opened for public two weeks ago and now may have to repay a million euros in EU aid, writes Äripäev.

The finance ministry that audited the use of EU aid in the structure’s renovation works has namely found that the foundation that managed the project has used an inaccurate type of public procurement.

The ministry finds that the company should have held a regular public tender for construction works and not a so-called non-public procurement tender with negotiations. Such form of tender is allowed to be used only in special cases.

According to the finance ministry, the company justified the use of such a tender with the need to complete renovation works by the end of 2011 when Tallinn was the European Capital of Culture.

The foundation has explained that it was forced to use the special tender because the first, regular, tender failed when KMG Ehitus pulled out of the contract in 2010.

This caused a major delay in the original timetable and the company decided to change the terms for the new tender.

Toomas Hõbemägi

Police raid reveals 'worrying' drug use among grade schoolers

Twelve young drug users were apprehended during a two-day police raid at one of Haapsalu's schools this week.

Detection dogs initially sniffed out 23 students. A follow-up investigation revealed signs of drug use in 12, including one minor.

Margus Kaldma, chief of the Haapsalu police constabulary said that what most worries him is that so many young drug abusers were found in a single school.

"Last year, a total of 34 drug users were found in the entire Lääne County," Kaldma added.

"It is clear that the situation cannot be mended only with police checks," said Kaldma, adding that all involved parties must put their heads together and try to find a solution to substance abuse among youth.

Ingrid Teesalu