http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/estonia/ en-us Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:57:22 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2407962/posts Lutheran Churches in Eastern Europe have added their voices to those of Lutherans worldwide who are critical of the decisions of the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly to endorse same-sex unions and to allow pastors to be in same-sex sexual relationships. The leaders of the Lutheran Churches in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania met Nov. 3-4. The bishops issued a message noting the crisis of faith and fellowship caused by the actions of the ELCA and the Church of Sweden in endorsing same-sex sexual relationships. These churches are all members of the Lutheran World Federation. “At the present time a common witness... Lutheran CORE Connection http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2407962/posts#comment Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:57:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2334659/posts Recycling posters featuring the picture of US President Barack Obama have reportedly been spotted on garbage cans at the Estonian capital's airport. Obama's photograph is encircled with the three arrows that symbolize recycling and encourages consumers with his campaign slogan "Yes, We Can," Russia Today (RT) reported citing a report at delfi.ee. Eesti Pakendiringlus, an Estonian recycled packaging company, is stressing on the “can” with a pun on the word's other meaning tin. Press TV http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2334659/posts#comment Tue, 8 Sep 2009 16:27:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2318117/posts Baltic economies - a painful downfall after years of prosperity In the first six months of 2009, the Baltic states' GDP shrank by nearly 20%, which was the worst result in Europe. As a consequence of job cuts in private enterprises and the public sector, the unemployment level has tripled in comparison with the preceding year to exceed 15% in all three countries. It is still unclear from the economic data for the past few months whether recession in the Baltic states will continue to worsen. However, it seems that the economic indices will not fall so rapidly in the... CEWeekly http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2318117/posts#comment Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:51:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2060876/posts Energy: While members of Congress take vacations their constituents can no longer afford, a country prepares to end its dependence on foreign oil by extracting supplies from shale rock. It's not the U.S. It's in the Middle East.Jordan imports 95% of its oil. Unlike the U.S., the desert kingdom plans on doing something about it. It does not, however, plan to cover its flat open spaces with solar panels or wind farms. It's going to do something the Democratic Congress has refused to do — get oil from its abundant shale rock. On Sunday, Maher Hjazin, head of the Jordanian... IBD Editorials http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2060876/posts#comment Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:35:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2296190/posts An Open Letter to the Obama Administration from Central and Eastern Europe 2009-07-15 by Valdas Adamkus, Martin Butora, Emil Constantinescu, Pavol Demes, Lubos Dobrovsky, Matyas Eorsi, Istvan Gyarmati, Vaclav Havel, Rastislav Kacer, Sandra Kalniete, Karel Schwarzenberg, Michal Kovac, Ivan Krastev, Alexander Kwasniewski, Mart Laar, Kadri Liik, Janos Martonyi. Janusz Onyszkiewicz, Adam Rotfeld, Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Alexandr Vondra, Lech Walesa. We have written this letter because, as Central and Eastern European (CEE) intellectuals and former policymakers, we care deeply about the future of the transatlantic relationship as well as the future quality of relations between the United States and the countries of... wyborcza.pl http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2296190/posts#comment Sun, 19 Jul 2009 20:35:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2286145/posts HELSINKI (AFP) — Finland put an end to Estonia's 11-year reign and took gold and bronze on Saturday at the annual Wife-Carrying World Championships held in Sonkajaervi, central Finland, organisers said. Taisto Miettinen raced through a 250-metre (273-yard) course with two hurdles and a pool in 62 seconds, carrying Kristiina Haapanen on his back. The winners beat Estonia's Alar Voogla and Kristi Viltrop by 0.1 seconds. Miettinen has been attending the competition for a decade now and said he was pleased to finally win. "A couple of times I have lost by 0.1 seconds and I have stumbled. Our win... AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2286145/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 22:33:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2251598/posts Since Estonia regained independence, the birth rate of Estonians has been negative, but in 2008, nearly 600 Estonians more were born than died, writes EPL Online/LETA. The birth rate of the entire population of Estonia remained negative, however – in 2008, Estonia lost 647 residents. In the year 1992 – the first year after regaining of independence – Estonians' birth rate was minus 755, a year later the birth rate among Estonians had fallen to minus 2,731. The year 1994 was the worst one in terms of birth rate since regaining of independence – 4,323 persons more died than were... The altic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2251598/posts#comment Fri, 15 May 2009 14:55:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2242144/posts Nato and Russia traded accusations yesterday after the alliance accused Moscow of breaking the peace agreement that ended the war with Georgia, a day after it expelled two Russian diplomats in a spying row. At a ceremony in the Kremlin yesterday Russia assumed formal control of the borders of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in agreements signed by President Medvedev with the leaders of Georgia’s two breakaway regions. The signing elicited a sharp response from Nato, which said that the treaties were in “clear contravention” of the ceasefire brokered by President Sarkozy of France to end the war between Russia and... Times Online (U.K.) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2242144/posts#comment Fri, 1 May 2009 17:01:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2221763/posts Riga - The economic gloom afflicting the Baltic states got several shades darker Tuesday with a fresh forecasts revising expectations downwards. Until mid-2007 the so-called 'Baltic Tigers' of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia recorded Europe's fastest growth rates, but their economies have stalled spectacularly in the wake of the global downturn. According to a spring forecast from the Estonian Ministry of Finance, the economy in the smallest of the Baltic states will contract by 8.5 percent in 2009. "Estonia is undoubtedly at a difficult time. At the same time this gives us a real opportunity to use the downturn to create... DPA http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2221763/posts#comment Fri, 3 Apr 2009 20:01:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2182712/posts An Estonian Army Soldier holds his Order of the Spur certificate, a traditional U.S. Army cavalry award, during a farewell ceremony at Camp Taji, northwest of Baghdad, Dec. 12. The Estonian Soldiers completed their six-month tour in Iraq, during which they served as a vital force in eroding the capabilities of enemy forces in the area by exploiting weapons caches. Due to the increased security and stability in Iraq, the Republic of Estonia has transitioned its forces from Coalition operations to the NATO training mission in Iraq. Photo by Spc. Christopher Long. BAGHDAD — Due to the increased security and... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2182712/posts#comment Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:07:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2153575/posts The Georgia Watershed By Leon Aron Posted: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 RUSSIAN OUTLOOK AEI Online   Publication Date: November 12, 2008 Fall 2008On August 8, following Georgia's reckless attack on the Russia-supported separatist enclave of South Ossetia, Russia invaded Georgia. For the first time in post-Soviet history, Russian troops crossed the internationally recognized border of a sovereign neighboring state. Yet there were several other lines that may have been crossed. This short war looks more and more like a culmination and an emblem of the troubling evolution in the Kremlin's values and priorities and, by extension, its vision of the... American Enterprise Institute http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2153575/posts#comment Wed, 24 Dec 2008 04:09:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2135809/posts ECHOES OF the Cold War have returned to Nato headquarters in Brussels after an Estonian general was unmasked as a “sleeper” spy who passed top secret alliance information to Moscow. Herman Simm (61), a retired official in Estonia’s defence ministry, has been arrested along with his wife on suspicion that they were recruited by KGB officers before the collapse of the Soviet Union. After Estonia’s independence in 1991, state prosecutors believe Mr Simm made contact with the KGB’s successor foreign intelligence agency, the SVR. The former police chief was the perfectly placed mole: between 1995 and 2006 he helped set... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2135809/posts#comment Fri, 21 Nov 2008 07:51:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2133271/posts A spy at the heart of Nato may have passed secrets on the US missile shield and cyber-defence to Russian Intelligence, it has emerged. Herman Simm, 61, an Estonian defence ministry official who was arrested in September, was responsible for handling all of his country's classified information at Nato, giving him access to every top-secret graded document from other alliance countries. He was recruited by the Russians in the late 1980s and has been charged in Estonia with supplying information to a foreign power. Several investigation teams from both the EU and Nato, under the supervision of a US officer,... The Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2133271/posts#comment Mon, 17 Nov 2008 01:23:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2132542/posts The upcoming meeting between President-elect Barack Obama and his onetime rival Sen. John McCain was set in motion during a phone call over the weekend between Obama and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), McCain's closest friend. In an interview Friday, Graham said that Obama requested the meeting during a 20-minute phone call that the South Carolina senator described as a "pleasant" discussion about how they could work together effectively. "We just talked about the desire to find something meaningful to work on," Graham said. "He was very nice to me, said that he considered me a serious, reform-minded senator that he... Newsmax.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2132542/posts#comment Sat, 15 Nov 2008 06:49:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2098829/posts Nato's top military commander has demanded the authority to draw up detailed military plans to defend former Soviet bloc members for the first time since the alliance expanded eastward. Russia's offensive in Georgia in August exposed the dangers of the Western alliance's lack of contingency plans against an invasion on its eastern flanks. Political leaders from the Baltics and Eastern Europe have subsequently demanded that Nato fulfil the requirements implied by its "Chapter 5" commitment to defend the territorial integrity of all its members. General James Craddock, Nato's Supreme Commander, has asked for the political authority to draw up contingency... telegraph.co.uk http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2098829/posts#comment Mon, 6 Oct 2008 18:24:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2074986/posts ST. PETERSBURG, September 3 (RIA Novosti) - Two farms in north-east Estonia have joined forces to declare an independent "Soviet republic" and intend to seek Russia's recognition, a Russian communist organization said on Wednesday. "We no longer want to live in bourgeois Estonia, where nobody cares about the common people...with raging unemployment and corruption, and where everything depends on NATO and the Americans," Russian communists from St Petersburg, who are assisting the 'republic,' quoted its founder, Andres Tamm, as saying. Residents and founders of the 'Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic' have already formed a national 'Soviet government,' a police force, and... rian.ru http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2074986/posts#comment Fri, 5 Sep 2008 00:24:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065001/posts Estonia has already sent around 50 army reservists to Georgia (though on a voluntary, non-uniformed basis) to conduct humanitarian work and now it has emerged that Estonia is also lending its cyber-warfare expertise to the Georgian cause. The Estonian Foreign Ministry has confirmed that it is sending two of its leading cyber-defense experts to Tbilisi to help stave off cyber-attacks emanating in Russia. Estonia successfully defended itself against similar attacks during the 'bronze soldier' riots of 2007. The experts are likely to be part of the new NATO cyber-defense center established in Tallinn, and if so, the move would be... Baltic Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065001/posts#comment Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:26:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061023/posts TBILISI, Georgia (CNN) -- The leaders of a former Eastern Bloc nation and four former Soviet republics showed support for Georgia in its conflict with Russia at a massive rally in Georgia's capital Tuesday night. The presidents' appearances came shortly before France's leader announced that Georgia had accepted a Russian-French plan to end the conflict. Thousands cheered as the presidents of Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia stood with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili at a rally in Tbilisi, Georgia, late Tuesday. CNN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061023/posts#comment Wed, 13 Aug 2008 08:58:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2060964/posts Estonia's experience may be of interest in assessing how best Georgia and Moldova should shape their policies vis-à-vis Russia. When Estonia gained independence in 1991 following the break-up of the Soviet Union, Moscow was understandably angry. It sought to create a picture in the western media of a land with huge economic problems, unsuitable for investment. Estonia was indeed poor, and its main exports were scrap metal and timber, but its economy was growing. Russia supported a so-called "autonomy-movement" in north-east Estonia, which is populated mostly by people who settled there during Soviet times. When Estonia stood firm against this,... europe's world http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2060964/posts#comment Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:01:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2060078/posts WARSAW (AFP)--The presidents of five ex-communist countries will travel to Georgia to back Georgia in its war with Russia, a senior aide to Poland's President Lech Kaczynski told AFP Monday. AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2060078/posts#comment Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:17:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2059548/posts Russia's neighbours put on edge by war threat (AFP) 10 August 2008 WARSAW - The conflict between Georgia and Russia has stunned eastern European nations who can still feel the scars of their domination by the former Soviet Union. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland called on the European Union and NATO to oppose Russia's "imperialist" policy towards Georgia. And even countries such as Sweden, which was not part of the Soviet bloc, expressed extreme concern at the conflict, making comparisons to Adolf Hitler's tactics as leader of Nazi Germany. Russia has in turn been vocal in criticising neighbours such as... Khaleej Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2059548/posts#comment Sun, 10 Aug 2008 19:58:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2008161/posts BRUSSELS -- Can communism be compared to Nazism? Does communism's record deserve as unequivocal a condemnation as that of Nazism? And should communism's modern-day adherents and apologists be rejected as firmly by Europe's political mainstream as those of Nazism? The debate over the historical record of communism simmers on in the European Union. Forced onto the bloc's agenda by its new ex-communist member states, the issue was most recently broached at a European Parliament debate in Strasbourg on April 21. Reflecting deep-seated divisions among member states and political camps, the parliament ultimately failed to agree on a common declaration. Some... rferl.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2008161/posts#comment Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:40:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1976745/posts The German government's purchase of data stolen from a Liechtenstein bank has reinvigorated longstanding debates about privacy, law enforcement and international relations. Much of the fallout has followed predictable patterns. Some argue that Germany's richest citizens should be brought to justice for failing to comply with the tax laws, while others point out that it is unseemly for a nation to spy on a peaceful neighbor. The conflict between Germany and Liechtenstein also has triggered a broader debate about tax competition and the role of so-called tax havens. The Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is trying to use... Cato Institute http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1976745/posts#comment Tue, 26 Feb 2008 23:57:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1933549/posts Mart Laar, two-time Prime Minister of Estonia, has been credited with lifting the small Baltic nation out of economic and social collapse under communism to becoming a prosperous, free society. Currently a member of the Estonian Parliament, Laar first became Prime Minister of Estonia at age 32. During his tenure from 1992-1994, he initiated sweeping economic reforms that included unilateral free trade, privatization, and the introduction of the world's first flat tax. Laar was re-elected in 1999 and served until 2002. Known as the Baltic Tiger, in the past two decades Estonia has experienced unprecedented economic growth and has dramatically... The Epoch Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1933549/posts#comment Sun, 2 Dec 2007 15:02:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1926701/posts TALLINN - Estonian and Russian border guards shut down a pipeline through which criminals attempted to pump alcohol from north-eastern Russia into north-western Estonia over the River Narva. A spokesman for the Estonian Border Guard Board told the Baltic News Service (BNS) that the hose from Ivangorod, Russia, to Narva, a mostly Russian enclave in Estonia, was discovered this week after a tip-off and Estonian border guards severed the hose passing over the 300-metre-wide river. On the Russian side of the river, customs officials caught a local man red-handed with an 800-litre drum of alcohol and a hose in the... khaleejtimes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1926701/posts#comment Fri, 16 Nov 2007 14:54:53 GMT