BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

Exiled activist’s Olympic torch illuminates Sochi’s environmental ruin and Kremlin graft

TALLINN – Every couple of weeks, Suren Gazaryan, a Russian national born in Georgia, shuffles between Estonia and Germany in search of asylum after being accused of attempted murder at home for outing the environmental evisceration and corruption paving the Kremlin’s road to the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.

If anyone is discussing issues of official extortion, ecological ruin, secret slush funds, and the extermination of one of the world’s most treasured landscapes at all, they have Gazaryan’s quiet, methodical, relentless, organized documentation and the work of the Environmental Watch on the North Caucasus (EWNC) to thank – or, in the case of the Kremlin, to blame.

Based in small towns with a headquarters office in Sochi, the group began as a collective of concerned citizens who feared encroachment on the Krasnodar Region’s protected national forests and seashores.

Ever since the Olympic bid ramped for the Sochi Games ramped up, the site has become a kind of ecological Wikileaks in Russian, documenting one governmental abuse, one illegal landfill and one graft scheme after another.

Understandably, the authorities are not happy, and engaged a local and national campaign to tar the organization’s credibility. And though several of the group’s founding members, are in the wind, this has not prevented them, especially Gazaryan, from documenting the frenetic razing of the landscape.

Kraft to step down as head of Nordea

Nordea Estonia announced yesterday that its chief executive Vahur Kraft he will leave the bank at the end of January.

Kraft who has been at the helm since 2005 will be replaced by Nordea's current head of retail and corporate banking, Andreas Laane.

Kraft, former head of the Bank of Estonia, has also been in the news over his connection to the VEB affair.

Toomas Hõbemägi

LG Optimus G Android 4.4 KitKat begins rolling out for some users

Just a few months ago, LG France accidentally confirmed its LG Optimus G would be receiving Android 4.4 KitKat some time in October, although if you’re an owner of the 1-year-old Android smartphone, you’re probably well aware KitKat has yet to come your way. In fact, November came and went and still no Android 4.4 KitKat, but December looks like it’s the sweet month as the latest version of Android has started to roll out for the LG Optimus G.

As usual, there’s a catch. You see – Android 4.4 KitKat has been rolling out to the Optimus G in the lovely country of Estonia. In fact, the news comes from LG Estonia’s Facebook page, which at the time of this writing, has yet to retract their message, which when translated, reads: “Good news for LG Optimus G smartphone users – the Android 4.4 KitKat update is now available.”

We’re sure this leaves many of you LG Optimus G owners in other parts of the world wondering when you’ll be getting in on the Android 4.4 KitKat fun. Well – hopefully its rollout in Estonia is an indication that the software is ready to go primetime on the Optimus G, so let’s all hope it doesn’t take too long.

[Update: We received an email from LG Estonia that confirm the Optimus G received an update this week that allows users to access 4G connections for local carrier Elisa. At this time, LG Estonia doesn't know when Android 4.4 KitKat will be released on the Optimus G.]

Daniel Perez

Rising Estonian house prices "must be stemmed"

Rising Estonian property values must be stemmed to protect the overall economy, according to central bank governor Ardo Hansson. Speaking to Bloomberg, he explained that accelerating house prices and wage growth could threaten the position of the newest euro-zone member. Conditions could fast resemble those that led to the market crash if action is not taken soon.

"We see the trends that are starting now in terms of wage growth and property prices starting to pick up again," Mr Hansson stated to the news portal. "If it were to continue now for several quarters, several years, you could get into a situation where some of the imbalances start reappearing." Currently, Estonia's $22 billion (£13 billion) economy has yet to return to output levels enjoyed before the 20 per cent contraction in 2008. At the time of the crash, conditions were worsened by the end of the property boom, which saw house prices in Tallinn double in three years.

Finns bought Estonia's biggest tugboat company PKL

Finnish tugboat company Alfons Håkans bought on Wednesday Estonia's biggest tugboat company PKL, Äripäev.ee/LETA reports.

So far PKL, which has an over 70% market share in Estonia, belonged to investment fund Amber Trust and PKL's long-term managers Rein Tõntson and Grigori Oništšenko.

Äripäev estimates that the value of PKL is nearly 30 million euros. Amber Trust representative and PKL council member Indrek Kasela confirmed that the transaction took place.

Kauppalehti wrote that Alfons Håkans will thanks to the transaction become the biggest towboat company in Finland and the Baltic states. Alfons Håkans has in Finland, Estonia and Latvia over 40 port towboats. PKL has 14 towboats in Tallinn, Muuga, Sillamäe, Paldiski, Riga and Ventspils ports.

PKL ales revenue was last year 7.1 million euros (in 2011, 8.6 million euros) and the company earned a profit of 0.6 million euros (in 2011, 0.8 million euros).

Estonian and Finnish PMs sign world's first electronic treaty

Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen held talks in Helsinki on Wednesday with his Estonian opposite number Andrus Ansip. A day earlier, the two used new technology to simultaneously sign a pact, each from their own capital city.

The Estonian and Finnish premiers met in Helsinki to talk about bilateral ties, as well as Baltic Sea regional cooperation, energy matters and the agenda of the next European Council meeting. The conference begins on 19 December in Brussels.

They also discussed the neighbouring countries' increasing cooperation on electronic services. A day earlier, the prime ministers signed an agreement on joint development of e-services. Aptly, they signed it electronically -- in Tallinn and Helsinki respectively, using electronic ID cards.

According to the Riga-based Baltic Course website, this is the world’s first digitally signed international agreement. The two held a press conference shortly before midday – and just before Katainen headed to Parliament to unveil details of his cabinet’s structural reform policy.

A new use for orange peels : squeezing oil from the Utah desert

A boom in oil production Utah has increased the state’s output to the highest level in 25 years, but that rising tide also is giving a lift to more exotic plays:  petroleum trapped in sand and hard shale rock.

Eastern Utah has the largest oil sands formation in the U.S. as well as extensive oil shale rock resources—not to be confused with the shale oil extracted from the Bakken formation astride the North Dakota and Saskatchewan border. These have never been economically viable in the U.S., but a combination of advances in technology and higher crude prices has led to several new proposals for open pit mines in and around the sagebrush-covered Uinta Basin.

Among the most aggressive proponents are Calgary–based US Oil Sands Inc. and Enefit American Oil, the U.S. unit of Estonia’s state-run utility. But both companies’ projects have triggered fierce opposition from environmental groups and a healthy dose of skepticism from critics who doubt their viability.

The state's dividend income increases by 21.5 mln euros in Estonia

According to the proposal of the Estonian finance ministry, the state-owned company Eesti Loots will have to pay 1.19 million euros of dividends in 2013 and Eesti Energia's dividend will amount to 55.18 million euros, LETA/Postimees Online reports.

According to the earlier plan, Eesti Loots didn't have to pay dividends and the dividends to be paid to the 2013 state budget by Eesti Energia were to be 34.9 million euros.

With the decree, the state's dividend income will increase by 21.48 million euros and the 2014 state budget's corporate income tax revenue by 5.7 million euros.

The government also obliges Riigimetsa Majandamise Keskus (State Forest Management Centre) to pay 15.84 mln euros of its net profit to the state budget in 2013.

Estonian tax authority cuts workforce by 245 people

Marek Helm, director-general of the tax and customs board, says that in the last 18 months the government agency has made major attempts is making their salaries competitive and motivate its employees, writes Postimees.

“While we had about 1,800 employees in the spring 2012, the number today is 1,500,” said Helm in an interview to Postimees. Helm said that the tax board did not only lay off employees, but also changed its organizational structure.

“The organization’s management was limited to a single layer. Most people who were made redundant were in the management and coordination. We brought the management down to the regional centres. In one area, the number of people working in the centre fell by 40%,” he said. Another major change was to consolidated similar activities to competence centres that are located all over Estonia.

Euro-bound Latvia returns to deflation, with strong growth

Latvia returned to deflation in November as consumer prices fell by 0.4 percent on a 12-month basis, official data showed on Monday, just weeks ahead of the Baltic state's eurozone entry. The national statistics office also released data showing that Latvia remained on track to post the strongest growth in the European Union for a third year running.

The Baltic state of two million people will swap its lats currency for the euro on January 1, becoming the eurozone's 18th member.

Alongside this development, Latvia along with the other Baltic states of Estonia and Lithuania is considered by economists to form part of what they term emerging Europe, a region which they say is now well placed for firm recovery provided that the eurozone continues to climb away from recent recession.

In Latvia, shops and services are already displaying prices in both currencies, while post offices will release the first euro-coin starter packs to the public on Tuesday.The 0.4-percent deflation rate in November on an annual basis followed a zero rate in October.

Women in loving relationships love their bodies

The happier a woman is in her relationship the more she loves her body, a new study found.

Researcher Sabina Vatter, of Tallinn University in Estonia, surveyed 256 women between the ages of 20 and 45, who were either married or living with their boyfriends. The women were asked to answer questions about their level of self-esteem, body image and weight. They were also asked if they were emotionally and sexually satisfied in their relationships, the Daily Mail reported.

The results showed that, whether or not they were married, women in fulfilling relationships were happy with their bodies. The same women also had higher self-esteem even if their weight was not considered "ideal," the Daily Mail reported.

"These findings suggest that our satisfaction with body size, shape and weight has more to do with how happy we are in important areas of our lives, like our romantic relationships, than it does with what the bathroom scales say," said Vatter, the Daily Mail reported.

Finns flock to Estonian private health care

Because of long queues for surgery and expensive private health care at home, more and more Finns are turning to private hospitals in Estonia. However, in cases of malpractice, seeking compensation may prove difficult.

The affordable rates at Estonian dental clinics have long attracted Finns. Now More Finns are also crossing the gulf for outpatient surgery at Estonian private hospitals. New businesses in the Estonian health care sector are increasingly challenging the Finnish private sector. One such business is Medimatkat.

Among services offered by the Estonian company are operations for varicose veins, gall bladders and knee joint keyhole surgery.Konstantin Fleidervis, a General Surgery Specialist with Medimatkat, has worked in Finland, and says that patients here suffer from an inefficient health care system and surgery queues. 

Kela compensates for Estonian services

Over 16% pay gap between men and women in Europe

BRUSSELS - The size of the gender pay gap, or the average difference between women and men's hourly earnings across the EU is 16.2 percent, according to figures released Monday by the European Commission.

The pay gap between women and men is still a reality in all EU countries, ranging from 27.3 percent in Estonia to 2.3 percent in Slovenia, noted the report.

Today's report shows the biggest problem in fighting the EU pay gap is the practical application of equal pay rules and the lack of legal action brought by women to national courts.

"The pay gap is still large and it is not budging. To make things worse: much of the change actually resulted from a decline in men's earnings rather than an increase for women," said EU Commissioner for justice and fundamental rights Viviane Reding.

"The principle of equal pay for equal work is written in the EU Treaties since 1957. It is high time that it becomes a reality in the workplace as well, " she said in press statements.

Karmen Pedaru : Vogue Turkey - 12/2013 - by Cuneyt Akeroglu

Karmen Pedaru has starred an editorial for the latest issue of Vogue Turkey December’13. The shooting has been made by Cuneyt Akeroglu and she was styled by Konca Aykan. The model wears an incredible outfit from Versace, Emilio Pucci, Giambattista Valli among others.

Exit of foreign investors is not a problem : Ansip

Prime Minister Andrus Ansip believes that there is no reason to be concerned about the exit of multinational corporations from Estonia because Estonia is attracting more foreign investments than losing them.

Ansip said that, among Baltic countries, Estonia was attracting more foreign investments as percentage of GDP than Latvia and Lithuania: while direct foreign investments are about 86% of GDP in Estonia, the percentage in Latvia is a little over 40% and in Lithuania a little less than 40%.

“I don’t think we should be worried about this, we are attracting more foreign investments than what are leaving Estonia,” said Ansip.

The PM was commenting the opinion article of Hans H. Luik, owner of Ekspress Grupp that publishes Eesti Ekspress weekly, who wrote last week that a notable number of foreign multinationals including Schibsted, Dalkia, Finnish company Kirjakauppa and German energy giant E.ON have already left Estonia or are in the processs of doing so. Most recently, Scandinavian construction group Skanska said it was pulling out.

Toomas Hõbemägi

Estonia's Y.O.D.A. case puts hand-sewn carbon fiber cases up on kickstarter

Had Luke Skywalker come crashing down on planet earth instead of Dagobah, he might have found something quite different than an green old jedi dwarf when roaming around looking for Yoda. The Estonian-based Y.O.D.A cases now on Kickstarter were probably what he was least expecting. Not that he would've been horribly disappointed though. With a new handmade touchscreen/laptop case equipped with carbon fiber protection in his hands, he would've made a run through the closest smartphone retailer and fly back into outer space with more swag than any millennial old Jedi gnome could have given him.

As mentioned, the new cases for handsets and laptops are handmade in Estonia and are built from carbon fiber weave and woll felt. A slim felt laptop case clocks in at $199, while a full carbon case rings up at $429 with the Kickstarter discount pricing. They hope to hit a $15,000 goal in 44 more days.

Yodacase believes it won't only protect your device, but you as well. Their flagship product, the Y.O.D.A Carbon, features a specially-made carbon fiber tile to protect your from radiation you probably didn't even know your devices were emitting.

Y.O.D.A or Your Only Dependable Accessory launched its Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign today.

Rafael Lemarchand

Estonia to build largest shopping center

Plans to build Estonia's largest shopping center have been given the green light, reports Eesti Päevaleht.

The Tallinn city government approved on Wednesday. Dec. 4 plans that gives owners of the Tallink shipping company rights to build the center in the Lasnamäe city district .

Deputy mayor of Tallinn Taavi Aas said the center has 144,000 m2 of commercial space and 22,500 m2 of space for entertainment planned. The center would have six floors and one underground floor, 2,215 parking spaces, a height of 35 meters while amusement park elements would reach the height of 41 meters.

Original plans for the shopping center date back to 2004. Previous plans included the construction of a ski slope and skiing tunnel. 

The center was estimated to bring a million tourists a year to Estonia. The project was approved by the city district in 2007 but then the economic recession came and the development was suspended.

100 naked people create beautiful stop-motion video to make you proud of your body

If you're disgusted by the nude human body, this video's probably not for you. If you're disgusted by your own nude body, then this video most certainly is for you.

London agency Man+Hatchet spent five days holed up in Estonia with 100 nude people to create the compelling stop-motion clip below. The client is Withings, a creator of digital health products like blood pressure monitors and weight scales. 

It would be easy for a brand like that to guilt you into seeking bodily perfection, so it's nice to see a spot that instead tells you to first take pride in yourself, and self-improvement will follow.

Robotic sea turtle will dive to explore ship wrecks

A new tool in the quest to uncover the secrets contained in sunken shipwrecks takes its cues from an animal that inhabits that same territory. Researchers at the Tallinn University of Technology have developed a biomimetic underwater robot called U-CAT that copies the locomotion of a sea turtle.

The four independently driven flippers make for a super agile robot -- one that can swim forward, backwards, up and down and move in all directions. That maneuverability lets it explore the tight spaces of a shipwreck.

“U-CAT is specifically designed to meet the end-user requirements. Conventional underwater robots use propellers for locomotion. Fin propulsors of U-CAT can drive the robot in all directions without disturbing water and beating up silt from the bottom, which would decrease visibility inside the shipwreck”, says Taavi Salumäe, the designer of the U-CAT concept and researcher in Centre for Biorobotics, Tallinn University of Technology.

The U-CAT is part of an EU-funded initiative called Arrows that supports the development of technologies for underwater archaeology. U-CATs, along with other Arrows technologies, will be tested in the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas. Eventually they will work in cooperation with larger underwater robots and together with image recognition technologies for discovery, identification and reconstruction of underwater sites.

Megan Treacy

Number of accidents in Estonia's most dangerous roundabout down by 40%

While generally traffic re-organisations made by City of Tallinn such as designating special bus lanes have caused motorists much grief, it seems that there is one exception - the notorious Haabersti roundabout in Õismäe which is known as Estonia’s most dangerous intersection, writes Postimees.

According to the Estonian traffic insurance fund ELF, the number of traffic accidents in the roundabout has fallen by 40% since September, after the City installed separations that blocked entry to the roundabout from the Haabersti street.

Since statistics showed that 40% of the accidents took place with cars that were either leaving or entering Haabersti street, it was clear where the main problem was.

According to Erik Ernits, head of ELF, this is a big improvement since compulsory traffic insurance indemnities caused by traffic accidents in the Haabersti roundabout reached 200,000 euros a year, and including casco insurance were probably twice that.

Ernits said that ELF had forecast that the new traffic system should number of reduce traffic accidents by about 20%.”It seems that we were too pessimistic,” he said.