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Karpak Wins Sixth Race of Finn-Class Event

1 August (ERR)


One of Estonia's Olympic sailing competitors, Deniss Karpak, won the sixth race of the Finn-class event. Finishing with a time of 1:02:03 on Wednesday, Karpak was 49 seconds ahead of his nearest rival in the race, Jonas Hogh-Christensen of Denmark. The result puts Karpak, who had finished in ninth to 14th place in the first five races, in tenth overall.

Each fleet racing event is made up of 10 races. After these are completed, the results of each competitor's worst race are discarded and the top 10 advance to the medals race. The final for Finn class takes place Sunday, 5 August.

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Norway's Simen Ostensen Wins Tartu Marathon

17 February (BNS)

Tartu Marathon

Simen Ostensen of Norway won the Tartu Ski Marathon raced in South Estonia on Sunday with a time of 2.45.02.

The second place in the 63-kilometer classical style race went to Swede Jorgen Brink, the winner of last year, and third to Norway's Borre Nass.

The best Estonians in the 42nd Tartu Marathon were Algo Karp and Raido Rankel in places 11 and 18, respectively. Karp finished six seconds and Rankel 17 seconds behind the winner.

Of women, Sandra Hansson of Sweden finished first while the best Estonian was Tatjana Mannima in place 160 overall and fourth among women.

In all, 8 517 skiers registered for the marathon, with most choosing the longer, 63-kilometer race.

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Embassy in Helsinki to Celebrate 95th Anniversary of Republic of Estonia with Reception and Concert-Performance “Diva”

15 February


On Thursday, 21 February, in honour of the 95th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia, the Estonian Embassy in Helsinki has organised a formal reception in the embassy and the experimental concert-performance “Diva” at the Alexander Theatre. The project is being supported by Enterprise Estonia and the Estonian Institute in Finland.

The concert-performance “Diva” is a moving but also ridiculous duet-duel between an opera diva blinded by the lights of success and her long-suffering piano player, set to famous operatic arias. Playwright and director Paavo Piik of the Tallinn City Theatre wrote and directed this amusing concert performance with the help of singer Annaliisa Pillak’s observations from the music world. The role of the diva is being played by Annaliisa Pillak (Estonia-Finland) and the piano player is played by Marko Hilpo (Finland). 

The anniversary of the Republic of Estonia will also be celebrated formally in Helsinki on 24 February. Wreaths will be placed on the graves of Finnish volunteers that fell during the Estonian War of Independence in Vanhankirkko Park and in the evening there will be a gathering at the Estonian House and a concert in Alppila Church.

In connection with the 95th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia and to celebrate the Estonian Year of Cultural Heritage, the embassy has organised for candles to be brought to the graves of folklorist and the first Estonian ambassador to Finland Oskar Kallas and his wife author Aino Kallas in Hietaniemi Cemetery in Helsinki on 25 February.

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Estonian Rowers Pull Within Sight of Olympic Medal

1 August (ERR)


Estonia's quadruple sculls rowing team finished second in their semifinal group today and thus advance to the medal race on Friday. The crew, consisting of Tõnu Endrekson, Andrei Jämsä, Allar Raja and Kaspar Taimsoo, came in with a time of 6:07.85 in semifinal B, two seconds behind the leader, Germany.

The first three finishing teams in each of the two semifinals will now advance to the medals round, scheduled for Friday morning. In addition to Germany and Estonia, the finalists include Poland, Croatia, Australia and Great Britain.

The same Estonian crew took silver at the 2011 European Rowing Championships in Plovdiv.

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Foreign Ministry Supporting Special Programme During Black Nights Film Festival

13 July


The Foreign Ministry is supporting a special programme within the framework of the 16th Black Night Film Festival in the fall that will include documentary and feature films that address society in Estonia’s development co-operation partner countries Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. 

Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that the countries that will be featured in the special programme are Estonia’s development co-operation partners, whose development has been supported over the years by the Foreign Ministry. “The film festival offers Estonian audiences a good opportunity to become better acquainted with the current issues and societal developments that affect the people and communities in these countries,” Paet said.

The Black Nights Film Festival (Pimedate Ööde Filmifestival, PÖFF) is an international film festival that aims to bring to audiences a selection of films made in the past two years in various countries that boast high artistic value and a notable position in the world’s current film landscape. The film festival’s long-term goal is to continue to introduce foreign films to Estonian audiences, thereby popularising film culture in Estonia.

The Foreign Ministry is supporting the special programme of the Black Nights Film Festival with 15 032 euros allocated from the budget for co-operation development.

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Baruto Continiuing at Grand Sumo Tournament Without a Loss

14 July (BNS)


Estonia's Kaido Höövelson, alias Baruto, is continuing the summer sumo grand tournament without a loss, defeating his opponent on the seventh day. Baruto took just about ten seconds to defeat East maegashira 2nd number Aoiyama using the uwatenage technique. Baruto's Saturday success was no surprise as Aoiyama had received only one win out of seven matches in Nagoya.

On Sunday Baruto will met with East komusubi Myogiryu, whom the Estonian has defeated in his earlier meetings. Myogiryu has four victories and three losses at Nagoyabasho.

In addition to Baruto, Daido and Harumafuji also continue with flying colours.

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Estonia Football Team Reaches All-Time High in FIFA Rankings

19 January (ERR)


The Estonian National Football Team hit 52nd place in this month's FIFA rankings, a new record for the country. The results, announced 18 January, put Estonia five notches up from its December position, which was also a record at the time.

Despite not making it through the Euro 2012 qualifiers in autumn, the team has seen its ranking rise slowly and steadily over the past three months, inching up from 59th to 58th place in November before reaching the 57th spot last month.

In January's list, the top spot continues to be occupied by world football superpower Spain, followed by Holland and Germany.

Prior to last year, the highest Estonia ever climbed on the list was 60th place, which it achieved in December 2002. Its worst showing came in October 2008, when it languished at 137th.
 

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Estonia in 63rd Position on London Medal Tally Scoreboard

13 August (BNS)


Estonia finished in a tie for 63rd place with five other countries on the scoreboard of the 79 countries that won medals at the 2012 London Olympics. Place 63, meaning one silver medal and one bronze, is shared by Estonia, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Malaysia, Puerto Rico, and Taiwan.

Estonia's Baltic neighbours Latvia and Lithuania were both more successful, with Lithuania in place 34 with two golds, one silver and two bronzes, and Latvia in place 49 with one gold and one bronze.

Finland performed only slightly better than Estonia, finishing in 60th place with one silver and two bronze medals.

US athletes left London on top of the medal count, winning 104 medals overall. Of the medals going to US athletes 46 were gold, 29 silver, and 29 bronze. China came in second with 38 golds, 27 silvers and 22 bronzes, while the UK was third with respectively 29, 17 and 19.

Russia's 24 golds, 25 silvers and 33 bronzes put it in fourth place, while South Korea closed the top five of medal-winning nations with 13 golds, 8 silvers and 7 bronzes.

In all 204 nations took part in the London Games that were held from 27 July to 12 August.

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Estonian Cultural Days to Take Place in Poland

20 February


On Sunday, 24 February Estonian cultural days dedicated to the 95th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia will begin in Poland.

The opening events of the cultural days will take place in Warsaw at the National Museum of Ethnography. Within the framework of the event an exhibit of traditional Estonian clothing will be opened, the band Väikeste Lõõtspillide Ühing will perform, and the documentary “Disco and Atomic War” and animated children’s film “Lotte and the Moonstone Secret” will be screened.

The exhibit “Traditional Estonian Clothing” was compiled from the collections of the Estonian National Museum and examines how traditions in folk clothing and handicrafts have changed. In recent years traditional clothing and accessories with traditional elements have grown in popularity and are once again used as everyday garments. The exhibit will remain open until 24 March. The coordinator of the exhibit is Tiit Sibul, the curator is Reet Piir, and the graphic designer is Jane Liiv.

Within the framework of the Estonian cultural days Estonian cinema will be shown, Estonian Mother Tongue Day will be celebrated, lectures on Estonian language and culture will take place, and themed workshops will be held for children.

The Estonian cultural days in Poland are being supported by the Estonian Embassy in Warsaw, Estonian National Museum, and the Polish National Museum of Ethnography.

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Estonian U-19 Team Left Without Points at Home

9 July (BNS)


The Estonian U-19 soccer team lost 0:2 (0:1) to Spain in the first subgroup game on Tallinn's Kadriorg Stadium in its last subgroup game. The winner's goals were kicked by Denis Suarez in the 39th and Paco Alcacer in the 86th minute, the sports portal of the ERR National Broadcasting Company said.

In the second A subgroup game of the third round Greece defeated Portugal 3:2. Spain and Greece, which collected respectively seven and six points in three games, moved on. Portugal followed with four and Estonia with zero points.

The B-subgroup games, France-England and Croatia-Serbia, will start at 20.00. France has full success of six points after two rounds, with England following with four, Croatia with one, and Serbia with zero points.

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Estonian Films to Be Screened in Copenhagen

27 March

The Estonian Embassy in Denmark in co-operation with Husets Biograf, the cinema at Copenhagen’s biggest culture house Huset KBH, has organised the three-night film series “Estonian Film Nights”.

Estonian Ambassador Katrin Kivi stated that the film nights are dedicated to the 95th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia. “Showing Estonian films in the famous Copenhagen culture house will give us a good opportunity to introduce our cinema and Estonia in general,” noted Ambassador Kivi.

The opening night of the film series will be Wednesday, 17 April. The series will be introduced by Tristan Priimägi of the Estonian Film Institute.

On the first film night, 17 April, guests can watch Grigor Kromanov’s film “Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel”. On the next night, to be held on 8 May, Rasmus Merivoo’s “Buratino” will be shown, and on 5 June audiences will be able to view Mati Kütt’s “Sky Song”, Ülo Pikkov’s “Body Memory”, Rao Heidmets’s “Instinct”, and Riho Unt’s film “Brothers Bearheart”.

For more information on the opening event on 17 April: http://www.huset-kbh.dk/#event-3698.

The culture house Huset KBH is Denmark’s first and biggest culture house, where a multitude of music, theatre, film, and spoken word events take place. More information on Husets KHB and Husets Biograf: http://www.huset-kbh.dk/.
 

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Kaia Kanepi Defeats Hantuchova in Brisbane Final

7 January (BNS)


Estonia's top tennis player Kaia Kanepi defeated Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, the world’s No. 24, in the women's singles final at the 2012 Brisbane International. It was the second Women's Tennis Association tournament of her career.

Kanepi (WTA No. 34) won the opening set 6-2 and the second 6-1. The match lasted 1 hour and 14 minutes. The Estonian hit four aces and made two double faults.

They had previously met three times, with the Slovakian holding a 3-0 advantage.
 

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National Male Choir Performing in Turin Festival

1 August (ERR)


The Estonian National Male Choir (RAM) will be taking part in the five-day Festival Europa Cantat XVIII which begins today in Turin, Italy. The group is to perform four a capella concerts in addition to attending a workshop by choir maestro Veljo Tormis.

Besides Tormis' work, RAM will perform the works of Cyrillus Kreek, Pärt Uusberg, Andres Lemba, Arvo Pärt, Märt-Matis Lille and Galina Grigorjeva, said the state concert institute Eesti Kontsert. Conductor Mikk Üleoja will handle the choirmaster and art direction duties.

On 2 August, the Best European Choir Conductor award for 2012 will be given to Belgian musician Maarten van Ingelgem, whose winning work will be performed by RAM. The choir will also perform Fabio Vacchi's “È questo il mare" and another Tormis piece during the festival's closing ceremony.

The Europa Cantat festival takes place every three years and is organised by the European Choral Association. More than 3 000 choir singers from across Europe are expected to attend the event, which comprises concerts, workshops, presentations and conferences for singers, conductors and composers.

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World Rally Champion Ari Vatanen Running for President of Estonian Autosport Union

22 January (BNS)


Ari Vatanen, the World Rally Championship drivers' title holder from 1981, is running for the position of president of the Estonian Autosport Union.

The Finnish former World Rally Championship driver and four times winner of the Paris Dakar Rally announced his decision at a press conference in Tallinn on Tuesday. "I'm fascinated by the open-heartedness of Estonians, I'm fascinated by how much Estonia has developed," Vatanen said.

The board of the Estonian Autosport Union unanimously supported Vatanen's candidacy, the chairman of the board, Erik Lepikson, said. Oleg Gross, board member of the Estonian Autosport Union, said the idea to invite Vatanen was his. He told reporters that Vatanen is ready to head the Estonian association almost for free. "Vatanen is a big fan of Estonia," Gross, owner of a retail chain, said. Another member of the board, Toivo Asmer, highlighted Vatanen's very large circle of contacts.

Vatanen said in his remarks that problems were the same everywhere. "In order for a new Marko Märtin to emerge there has to be a broad base," he said, adding that tickets to auto sports events should be more affordable too.

The prospective new president of the Estonian Autosport Union said one of his goals would be to make the rules of the FIA, the world's governing body of motorsport, more favourable for Estonia. Vatanen also supports the FIA campaign to boost safety at auto sports events.

Vatanen, who lost in the FIA presidential elections in 2009, said he doesn't intend to try the same again.

When asked about his relationship with the Finnish auto sports national association and the feedback he had received concerning his candidacy in Estonia, Vatanen said he had never won the Finnish rally championship.

The president of the Estonian Autosport Union is to be chosen on 7 March.

In 1999-2009 Ari Vatanen was member of the European Parliament.

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'Mushrooming' Tops Estonian Box Office Chart in 2012

4 February (BNS)

Still from the film Mushrooming

"Mushrooming" ("Seenelkäik"), a political satire from Estonian director Toomas Hussar, secured a place at the top of the box office rankings for Estonian films in 2012 with more than twice as many viewers as the next popular production, figures published by the Estonian Film Institute show.

"Mushrooming" was the most popular Estonian film this year."Mushrooming" was watched by an audience of 73 712 by the end of the year, with runner-up "A Lady in Paris" ("Eestlanna Pariisis," "Une Estonienne a Paris") second with 36 621 viewers and "Bad Hair Friday" ("Vasaku jala reede") third with 32 990.

"Purge" ("Puhastus"), a film based on a novel of the same name by Finnish-Estonian writer Sofi Oksanen, came fourth with an audience of 18 137 and "Demons" ("Deemonid") fifth with 17 494.

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European Athletics Junior Championships Taking Place in Tallinn

20 July


No less than 954 athletes from a record 47 countries have entered the 2011 European Athletics Junior Championships taking place from 21-24 July in Tallinn, Estonia.

The entries include a number of winners from the 2010 IAAF World Junior Championships and 2010 Youth Olympic Games as well as two world junior record holders, Latvian javelin thrower Zigismunds Sirmais and Swedish pole vaulter Angelica Bengtsson, who both achieved their marks earlier this year.

The largest team will be Germany with 85 athletes, followed by France with 65 athletes, Great Britain with 57 athletes, Spain with 55 athletes, Italy with 53 athletes and Russia with 50 athletes.

The hosting nation Estonia will be represented by a team of 27 athletes. A total of 678 officials are also accompanying the various teams. Many of the top stars in Estonian athletics history will be attending the Championships as guests.

The local sporting celebrities include four Olympic champions: 1972 high jump winner Jüri Tarmak, 1980 triple jump winner Jaak Uudmäe, 2000 decathlon winner Erki Nool, and 2008 discus gold medallist Gerd Kanter.

Illustrious visitors from overseas include Russia’s Yuri Sedykh and his wife Natalya Lisovskaya, the men’s hammer world record holder and women’s shot put world record holder, and also British middle distance legend Lord Sebastian Coe, winner of the 1980 and 1984 Olympic Games 1500m titles as well as a multiple world record setter.

“I am sure that many of the rising stars of European Athletics will be inspired by their presence to set new personal bests,” said Estonian Athletics Federation President Erich Teigamägi.
 

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Ewert and the Two Dragons Make Waves in France

20 April 2012 (ERR)

On April 18, the Estonian indie folk band Ewert and the Two Dragons kicked off their French tour with a gig in Paris.

A performance on France 3, which is the second largest public television channel in France, two-page articles in the daily newspaper Libération, several write-ups in Le Monde and various webzines, appearances on French radio - these are just a few examples of the kind of attention that the band has been getting in France, reported ERR.

"There are surely several reasons for this interest. First of all, there's the quality of the album itself. Secondly, the fact that we are dealing with an Estonian band might have some bearing here. I think that through Ewert and the Two Dragons, the French media has discovered that there might be Estonians who are making the kind of music that we are already familiar with, for instance, music with British influences,' explained the representative of the record label Talitres, Sean Bouchard, who manages the band in France.

Ewert and the Two Dragons got their big break in France when the album "Good Man Down" was released by the record label Talitres, which focuses on indie music. Sean Bouchard, for instance, has also had a hand in the success of the US band The National.

Requests for interviews were still coming in during the rehearsal that preceded the band's Paris concert. Julien Courbe from the webzine blogotheque.net considers this to be a sign of the band's breakthrough in France. 'It is amazing that a small band that is represented by a small record label has received so much attention in the media,' he noted.

'Of course, it does not mean that they are selling a lot of records. In today's market, it is very difficult to sell a lot of records. But they have had a great start and it will be interesting to follow the concerts that they will be giving in France to see how many people attend and how they manage to persuade the audiences to listen to their music and to follow their career,' added the music critic for Le Monde Stephane Davet.

In the next few months, Ewert and the two Dragons will be giving over ten concerts in France.

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Hurdler Sets Estonian Record at European Athletics Championships

28 June (ERR)


Runner Rasmus Mägi flew through his European Athletics Championships 400-meter hurdles semi-final, setting a new Estonian record and securing a spot in the final eight. Since 1985 the Estonian record - 49.86 seconds – was held by Marek Helinurm. Mägi managed to break it, setting the mark at 49.54.

Mägi participated in the first semi-final heat, in which he placed third after Serbia's Emir Bekric (49.37) and Germany's Georg Fleischhauer (49.52). None of the runners in the second and third semi-final heat bested Mägi's time, making him the third-fastest to enter the finals.

The winner will be determined on 29 June, with the final eight including Ukraine's Stanislav Melnikov (49.72), Periklis Iakovakis (49.83), Rhys Williams (49.63) representing Great Britain, Adrien Clemenceau (49.80) from France, and Britain's Nathan Woodward (49.68).

Estonian hurdler set new record

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Kanepi Advanced to Second Round in Australian Open

17 January (BNS)


Kaia Kanepi (WTA 27) has advanced into the second round of the women's singles event at the Australian Open, taking one hour and 11 minutes to defeat Swede Johanna Larsson.

In the first set the 25th seeded Kanepi broke her opponent's serve twice, winning 6-2. In the second set the Estonian was down 1-4 but then took five games in a row and the set 6-4, the sports portal of the public broadcaster ERR said.

Kanepi hit three aces and made four double faults against the 60th ranked Swede's two and one.

In the second round the Estonian will face Russian Ekaterina Makarova (WTA 56) who is ahead 2-1 in head to head matches. Kanepi won their first encounter in Rimini in 2005 but was defeated in the two subsequent matches including at the French Open last year.
 

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Kontaveit Tops Out at Girls' Semifinals at Wimbledon

6 July (ERR)


After achieving the unprecedented victory of reaching the girls' semifinals at Wimbledon, 11-seeded Estonian junior tennis player Anett Kontaveit lost to Canadian rival Eugenie Bouchard on Friday.

In a match plagued by rain delays, the 16-year-old Tallinn native was bested by the more experienced,  fifth-seeded Bouchard with a score of 7-6(1), 6-2.

Though knocked out of the singles competition, Kontaveit will continue in the doubles quarterfinal, where she and Indy De Vroome of Holland are set to face Russian Daria Gavrilova and Ukrainian Elina Svitolina.

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Over 46 000 Turn Out to See Matches of UEFA U-19 Finals in Estonia

16 July (BNS)


The 11th Football European Under-19 Championship finals held in Estonia from 3-15 July were extremely popular with the public, attracting 46 412 spectators or on average 3 094 spectators per match, organisers said. The 15 matches of the finals were played in the capital Tallinn and in the regional capitals Rakvere and Haapsalu.

Compared with the spectator numbers of the earlier UEFA U-19 championship finals, Estonia beat Finland, which had 29 700 spectators, Norway with 28 091, Switzerland with 43 170, the Czech Republic with 45 484, Northern Ireland with 19 464, Romania with 22 000, and Liechtenstein with 20 510 spectators, the Estonian Football Association told BNS.

The director of the competition, Anne Rei, said she had received personal thanks from all teams along with expressions of satisfaction with the quality of the pitches, hotels, organisation of transport, level of volunteers, and the number of spectators.

The tournament ended with Spain defending their title, which resulted in a 1-0 (0-0) victory over Greece at Tallinn's Lilleküla stadium on Sunday night. It took Spain 80 minutes to break down Greece but their victory in Estonia was their sixth in just 11 editions of the competition. The late goal to make Spain champions again was scored by Jese Rodriguez.

Spain was also victorious 2-1 when the two sides met previously in group A of the Tallinn tournament.

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President Ilves Recognised Estonian Olympic Team

10 August

 

President Ilves recognised the Estonian Olympians

At today's appreciation ceremony in the Estonian Embassy in London, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves acknowledged our Olympic team for their successful preparations for and participation in the games. "I am extremely pleased that Estonian athletes have ranked among the best in a range of disciplines at these Olympic games. A tremendous amount of work has been done to achieve these results. This work has been done by both the athletes and their background teams. I thank you for all these efforts and achievements," said President Ilves.

According to the president, such major events are emotionally important for the Estonian people and even though medals won do not demonstrate the superiority of any country or people, results as good as these please the population.

The head of state also acknowledged Estonian businessmen and companies that, despite the complicated times, still found it possible to support the top Estonian athletes.

President Ilves will today become acquainted with the living arrangements of athletes in the Olympic village and visit the international press centre. In the evening, the president will cheer on the athletes participating in the track-and-field events.

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Swedish Are Big Winners in Tartu Ski Marathon

20 February (ERR)

Tartu Marathon Swedes swept the podium at the windy 41st instalment of the Tartu ski marathon.

About 5 800 skiers braved the blustery conditions to compete in the full, 63 km distance in the marathon, the premier long-distance Estonian sporting event. A total of 1 800 skied the shorter 31 km distance. The total fell short of the 10 000 person capacity.

Jörgen Brink finished first with a time of 2:43:21, followed by Daniel Richardsson and Jimmie Johnsson. For almost three whole minutes, it was Sweden vs. Norway, with one Czech and Italian, before Estonian Algo Kärp crossed the line 24th. Kärp stated that he felt well but began to run out of energy after 47 kilometers or so.

On the women's side, compatriot Susanne Nyström crossed the line first. Swede Jenny Hansson was second. Only Seraina Boner of Switzerland slipped in third, breaking the potential Swedish double sweep.
 

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Tallinn Seaplane Harbor Among Winners of EU Cultural Heritage Prize

26 March (BNS)

Interior of the Seaplane Harbour building

The European Commission and Europa Nostra, a citizens' movement for safeguarding Europe's cultural and natural heritage, unveiled on Tuesday winners of the 2013 European Union prize for cultural heritage/Europa Nostra awards, which include the restored WWI-era seaplane hangars in Tallinn's Seaplane Harbour that now house the new flagship venue of the Estonian Maritime Museum.

The 30 winners were selected from nearly 200 nominated projects.

The award ceremony will take place on 16 June in Athens. Of the 30 winning projects, six will be named as grand prix laureates in Athens and one of the winners will receive the public choice award, based on an online poll conducted by Europa Nostra.

In Estonia's neighbourhood, wooden housing in the old town of Kuldiga, Latvia also won recognition.

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Estonian School to Open in Luxembourg

21 January (ERR)


Estonians in Luxembourg have decided to open a monthly Sunday-school-style outfit to teach children about the Estonian language and culture.

"The need to establish an Estonian school emerged from the fact that around 30 children currently living in Luxembourg and the surrounding area attend local schools or cannot participate in the Estonian language lessons at the European School," Mari-Liis Kivioja, a parent who is one of the founders and who will direct the new school, told Postimees.

"The majority of these children are from multilingual families, and for that reason their Estonian tends to be passive due to living in another environment and speaking in Estonian with only one parent at home,“ she said.

The aim of the school is to teach the Estonian language, as well as literature, history, nature and holidays and traditional dance. There will be two age groups: those aged four to five, and those aged six to seven. In addition to the new school, Luxembourg has also had a local choir for Estonian children since 2009.

Funding for the school will come from participation fees and the Estonian Institute, an NGO.

There are many similar Sunday schools around the world, usually based out of the respective local Estonian House.

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Estonian-Latvian Film Wins Prize at Rome Film Festival

22 November (ERR)


A Latvian-Estonian joint production called "Pizzas" grabbed a slice of the honors at a film festival in Italy last weekend. The madcap tragicomedy was awarded a special prize by the jury of the seventh international Cinema XXI Rome Film Festival, which is considered an up and comer on the cinematic circuit.

A still from Pizzas. Eesti Film 100.

“Pizzas" was co-produced by the Latvian Hargla Company and the Estonian Digital Sputnik. The director and script-writer is Laila Pakalnina, perhaps Latvia's internationally best-known film-maker. Digital Sputnik and Pakalnina have been collaborating for a long time already. Editing was done by Estonia's Kaspar Kallas, whose work has drawn acclaim at previous film festivals.

Pakalnina's work has been seen often at prestigious film festivals such as Cannes, La Biennale di Venezia, Berlinale, Karlovy Vary and Locarno.

"Pizzas", a fusion of different genres ranging from road movie, absurdism, comedy and urbanism, is probably the most visually spectacular of Pakalnina's films. The script was inspired by a piece in the Latvian morning news on pizza boys drinking on the job who end up robbing the cash register. In the movie, the protagonists are two 18-year-old friends who work at a pizza bar.

The movie will have its Estonian premiere at the Artis cinema on 14 December.

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Foreign Ministry Cultural Stipends Awarded to Ewert and The Two Dragons, Ilmar Raag, Riina Sildos, Laine Mägi, and Kalle Kaasmaa

7 January

2013 recipients of Foreign Ministry cultural stipends

Today Foreign Minister Urmas Paet presented the Foreign Ministry cultural stipends to this year’s recipients. The stipends are given in recognition of people who have helped to increase international recognition of Estonia through culture.

“We recognise the members of the band Ewert and The Two Dragons Ewert Sundja, Erki Pärnoja, Kristjan Kallas, and Ivo Etti for their successful breakthrough on the international music scene, which also helped introduce Estonian music to the world,” said Foreign Minister Paet. The foreign minister stated that Estonia as a musical country and our representatives of classical music are already well-known abroad. “I am pleased that other genres of music are now joining classical music. Ewert and The Two Dragons is one of the biggest success stories in Estonian music in 2012,” Paet noted. The band gave over 110 concerts abroad in 2012, and their success in Europe is also confirmed by the European Union’s European Border Breakers Award, which the band will receive in January 2013.

Other recipients of this year’s Foreign Ministry cultural stipends are Ilmar Raag, Riina Sildos, and Laine Mägi. The feature film “A Lady in Paris”, which was created through the co-operation of Estonia, France and Belgium, boasts the most international co-operation of any feature film based on an original screenplay this year. “The creation of this film vividly illustrates the great results that can be achieved through this kind of international co-operation in film-making. Therefore we are recognising the creators and actors of the film,” Paet stated.

Paet stated that also deserving of great recognition is professor emeritus Kalle Kasemaa, who has translated over 60 books into Estonian from primarily Hebrew and Greek, but also from Arabic, Yiddish, Latin, German, French, Albanian, and Cymric. “Through translating world literature, Kasemaa has opened doors for us to see different cultures and helped us better understand those that seem far-away and foreign,” said the foreign minister. For example, in 2012 Kasemaa’s translation of the book “Yacoubian Building” by Egyptian author Alaa al-Aswany was published.

While presenting the cultural stipends, the foreign minister also emphasised that the Foreign Ministry very highly values the contribution of today’s recipients and all Estonian cultural figures to introducing Estonia abroad. “I am very pleased that the diverse and high-quality works of our artists and cultural figures provide a wonderful opportunity to introduce Estonia to the world,” stated the foreign minister.

Last year the stipends were presented to Aivar Mäe and the members of the creative team of the 2011 Youth Song and Dance Festival Aet Maatee, Veronika Portsmuth, Märt Agu, and Raul Talmar.  In 2010 the Foreign Ministry cultural stipends were received by Arvo Pärt, Tõnu Kaljuste and Tiina Lokk, and in  2009 they were given to Imbi Paju and Tiit Ojasoo.

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Foreign Ministry Cultural Stipends Given to Aivar Mäe, Aet Maatee, Veronika Portsmuth, Märt Agu, and Raul Talmar

6 January


Today Foreign Minister Urmas Paet presented the Foreign Ministry cultural stipends to this year’s recipients. The stipends are given in recognition of people who have helped to introduce Estonia abroad through culture.

“We are recognising Aivar Mäe for leading the restoration of St. John’s Church in St. Petersburg as well as members of the creative team for the XI Youth Song and Dance Celebration held in 2011 for maintaining and developing Estonia’s cultural heritage as well as sharing it with the world,” said Paet.

The foreign minister said that Aivar Mäe made a vital contribution to the restoration of St. John’s Church in St. Petersburg. “The St. Petersburg St. John’s Church played an important role in Estonian cultural life back in the 19th century. Through the year-long group effort to restore the church, Estonia has shown how much it cares about its cultural history,” said Paet.

The foreign minister stated that the members of the creative team for the XI Youth Song and Dance Celebration – Aet Maatee, Veronika Portsmuth, Märt Agu, and Raul Talmar – also deserve a tremendous thank-you. “Song celebrations are central to who we are as a nation. The Youth Song and Dance Celebration held in 2011 received a lot of wonderful feedback from many countries,” he said.

Over 22 000 young people performed at the festival and guest choirs from China, Canada, Latvia, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Switzerland also participated. “In addition to the fun experience of participating in the festival, the youths from other countries also had the opportunity to become acquainted with our language and culture,” said Paet.

When presenting the stipends Paet also emphasised that the Foreign Ministry highly values the contribution that today’s recipients and all Estonian cultural figures make in terms of introducing Estonia abroad. “The works and intellectual activity of artistic and cultural people is a wonderful way to introduce Estonia, our culture, our society and our history to people in other countries,” stated the foreign minister.

Last year the Foreign Ministry’s cultural stipends were awarded to Arvo Pärt, Tõnu Kaljuste, and Tiina Lokk, and in 2009 they went to Imbi Paju and Tiit Ojasoo.
 

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Men's Choir Festival Held in Estonia

15 June (ERR)


From 15-17 June, venues in many parts of the country will host concerts by Nordic and Baltic choirs in part of what may be the largest men's choral festival in the world. The Nordic-Baltic Male Choir Festival will see a total of 4 500 singers in men's and boys' choirs assembling in Tartu, the city where Estonia's legendary tradition of national song festivals every five years got started.

The idea to hold an all-male festival in an interim year harks back to independence movement figure J. V. Jannsen's original vision for the main festival. It actually wasn't until the fourth festival in 1891 that mixed choirs were invited.

The numbers for the weekend's event are impressive: of the participants, 1 800 singers will be from choirs from the Nordic region, 1 000 from Estonian choirs, and 1 700 from boys' choirs. The singers represent 89 men's choirs and 50 boys' choirs.

The headline event will take place at 18:00 Saturday at the Song Festival Grounds in Tartu's Tähtvere district. The massed choir will be composed of men's choirs from Sweden, Finland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the Faroe Islands, with a number of elite performing organisations represented, including Estonia's own National Male Choir. Highlights will include unprecedented renditions of the "Slave Chorus" from Verdi's "Nabucco" and Sibelius's "Finlandia," by the 3 000-strong combined group.

The Vanemuine Theater Symphony Orchestra will provide musical backing, along with the Defence Forces Orchestra and the Police and Border Guard Orchestra. Closing numbers will include seminal choral songs by Gustav Ernesaks and Raimund Kull.

Three of the top choirs - Sweden's Orphei Drängar, Finland's Ylioppilaskunnan Laulajat, and the Estonian National Male Choir - will perform Friday evening at the Vanemuine Concert Hall in Tartu and on Sunday at the Estonia Theater in Tallinn. The National Male Choir will also perform late Friday night at the St. John's Church in Tartu. The festival also includes 15 free concerts in regional venues in south and central Estonia as well as in Tallinn.
 

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Baruto Defeats Harumafuji and Takes the Lead in Tokyo

19 January


At the professional sumo tournament currently taking place in Tokyo Baruto set a personal record for wins, for the first time starting in the Makuuchi division of the tournament with 11 straight wins.

Baruto, also known as Kaido Höövelson, defeated ozeki Harumafuji with the oshitaoshi technique yesterday. Yokozuna Hakuho was also victorious and currently lags behind Baruto by one win.

Today the Estonian goes up against ozeki Kisenosato, who yesterday suffered his second defeat by a yokozuna. Kisenosato is currently tied for 3rd-4th place in the tournament with Tochiozan.
 

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Estonia Ballet Company Starts China Tour

6 July (BNS)


The ballet company of the National Opera and Ballet House Estonia today started a two-week tour of guest performances in China.

Starting from Friday the Estonia troupe will perform on the great stage of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and starting from next Friday on the great stage of the Macao Cultural Centre. The Estonia is scheduled to give nine performances of the ballet "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and attract an audience of up to 13 000, spokespeople for Estonia said.

In Hong Kong the performances of the Estonian National Ballet will kick off the 15th International Arts Carnival. Parallel with the performances, the Estonian National Ballet will organise workshops for children, teach the basics of ballet to students, and give pre-performance info sessions to introduce Estonia.

The leading roles will be performed by Luana Georg, Heidi Kopti, Sergei Upkin, Aleksandr Kanapljov, Anatoli Arhangelski, Aleksandr Prigorovski, Jonathan Hanks and Michele Pellegrini. Risto Joost will be conducting the local orchestra in Macao.

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Estonia Defeats Andorra 2-0 in World Cup Qualifier

26 March (BNS)


Estonia's national team defeated Andorra 2-0 in the football World Cup qualifier on Tuesday. Henri Anier gave Estonia the lead in the 45th minute and Joel Lindpere made it 2-0 in the 61st minute.

The two teams met for the 11th time. Estonia took a win in the previous ten games as well.

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Estonian Film App Released

7 February

The Estonian Film Institute completed its free app for iPad and Android called Estonian Film just in time for the start of the European Film Market in Berlin on 7 February.

Cover of the first issue of Estonian Film

The cover of the first issue of the new digital magazine Estonian Film. Estonian Film is an English-language digital magazine meant first and foremost for film professionals, but any film fans in Estonia or abroad can download and enjoy the magazine. The digital magazine can be found in the iTunes store or be downloaded from the Estonian Film Institute's website www.efsa.ee/apps.

The cover story of the first issue of the magazine is about the world's first full-length 3D puppet opera, "Lisa Limone and Maroc Orange: An Odd Love Story", which hits Estonian cinemas on 8 March, and its director Mait Laas. The issue also includes interviews with directors Ilmar Raag, Hardi Volmer, and Kadri Kõusaar and producer Anneli Ahven, all of whose newest films will be shown during the European Film Market taking place in Berlin from 7-15 February.

In addition, the issue includes news about Estonian films that are currently in the works, an overview of the Estonian film music website www.filmmusic.ee, and a look at the past year in film, including the events of Estonian film's 100th anniversary and various film-related statistics. All stories in the issue are illustrated with various supplementary materials, film trailers, and a colour photo gallery.

The distributor of the Estonian Film app is the Estonian Film Institute. The magazine was designed by Profimeedia and the technical side was handled by Digira.

The second issue of the magazine will appear in May of this year prior to the Cannes Film Festival and Film Market.

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Estonian Theatre Agency Opened New Arts Export Site

26 June (ERR)


Following close on the heels of initiatives in film and other disciplines, the Estonian Theatre Agency has opened an English-language performing arts "export portal."  The hub site draamamaa.ee - part of a two-year performing arts export project - is aimed at performing arts professionals in other countries, most importantly festival curators, dramatists, producers and directors, ERR radio reported.

As of startup, the page has profiles on 57 productions, 53 actors, 34 plays, 21 playwrights, 10 dance artists and 10 sound, light and stage designers, plus a page on Estonians' performances abroad and export-related events. It is continually updated. There are also video trailers, excerpts from plays and images galore.

Last month the Estonian Film Commission was launched, intended to promote Estonia as a film destination country.

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Ewert and The Two Dragons Wins European Border Breaker Award

19 October


The winners of the 2013 European Border Breakers Awards (EBBA), were announced today by Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, and the European music festival Eurosonic Noorderslag. The Estonian indie-rock band Ewert and The Two Dragons are among the winners of the 2013 awards.

Ewert and The Two Dragons

Ewert and The Two Dragons with a fan at the Positivus Festival in Latvia. Delfi.The EBBA Awards celebrate the top new talents in European pop music and all the award-winners have achieved success beyond their home country with their first international release. Other winners include French Films (Finland) and Of Monsters and Men (Iceland).

To be eligible for the awards, the artists must have enjoyed border-breaking success with their first international release in Europe between 1 August 2011 and 31 July 2012. The winners are selected by music market analyst Nielsen Music Control on the basis of record sales and broadcast frequency and according to votes by European Broadcasting Union (EBU) radio stations and festivals participating in the European Talent Exchange Program (ETEP). The winners will receive their awards in a televised ceremony hosted by TV personality and musician Jools Holland at the Eurosonic Noorderslag festival in Groningen, Netherlands, on 9 January 2013.

Former winners of the EBBA Awards include Adele, The Baseballs, The Dø, KT Tunstall, Tokio Hotel, The Ting Tings, Lykke Li, The Scripts, Milow, Katie Melua, Mumford and Sons, Selah Sue, Swedish House Mafia and Caro Emerald.

Ewert and The Two Dragons released its album "Good Man Down" in 2011. The album received critical acclaim in Estonia, Latvia, Finland, France and Sweden and the band has toured all over Europe as well as in the United States and Canada.

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Lotte Film Earns Grand Prize at Children's Film Festival

2 May (ERR)

Lotte won a grand prize award

Heiki Ernits and Janno Põldma's animated film "Lotte and the Moonstone Secret" won the grand prize in the animation category at the 5th International Children's Film festival (ICFF) held in India from 19-27 April.

The film about puppy-girl detective Lotte has won many awards at film festivals. The festival jury appreciated the film's originality, humour, beautiful animation, lyricism, and the importance placed on the tiniest details, Eesti Joonisfilm Studio said. It was also noted that the directors avoided clichés, did not underestimate their audience, and take viewers on an enjoyable adventure.

To date, "Lotte and the Moonstone Secret" has won 10 awards from international film festivals. The full-length animated film was released in 2011 by Eesti Joonisfilm Studio.

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Skier Andrus Veerpalu Ends Athletic Career

23 February (BNS)


The double world champion and double Olympic winner Andrus Veerpalu is not going to take part in the Holmenkollen world championship competitions that will open on Wednesday and will simultaneously end his long athletic career.

The Estonian Ski Association said that Veerpalu's (40) medical condition did not permit him to come to the start in Holmenkollen and to fight for the best place on the podium. The physician of the team, Tarvo Kiudma, said Veerpalu had been fighting back an acute upper respiratory infection for the past week.

"Preparation and will are big, and the whole team and background forces have been doing a lot of work, but health and apparently also age are giving a signal that even the most ambitious sportsman must heed. We have spoken about possible retirement in a narrower circle, both of us wanted to put a beautiful full stop on the World Championships, but real life is something else, the Ski Association reported Veerpalu as saying.

Veerpalu said that his feelings after making the decision to leave competitive sports were contradictory. "I hope that a step back from competitive sports means a step ahead in life."

Veerpalu is a two-time Olympic winner and double world champion.
 

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Triin and Martti Aljand Win Silver Medals at European Swimming Championships

26 November (ERR)

Martti Aljand won two medals

It was another good day and year for the Aljand family at the European Short Course Swimming Championships. Triin Aljand, 27, won a silver medal today in the 50m freestyle final in Chartres, France, seeing her younger brother Martti Aljand's silver medal in the 100-metre breaststroke from Friday. The 25-year-old had finished his event with a time of 57.75, a half second behind Italy's Fabio Scozzoli, who won the gold at the Friday evening final.

That brought the national team's medal tally to three, as Martti Aljand had also picked up a bronze a short time earlier on Sunday with a new national record in the 100m medley - his time was 52.92.

Triin Aljand's time in her event today was 24.24. Belarusian swimmer Aleksandra Herasimenia won gold.

Last year the siblings also won three medals at the event, held in Szeczin - a silver and bronze for Triin and a bronze for Martti.

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Arvo Pärt Most-Performed Living Composer

17 January (ERR)

Arvo Part

A London-based classical music review website has, for the second year running, named Arvo Pärt the year's most-performed living composer. Arvo Pärt's music is performed more than that of any other living composer.Bachtrack.com put the 77-year-old Estonian in 54th place overall in its "Concert and Opera League Tables 2012," a list created from a sampling of 12 597 concerts and 4 451 opera performances.

"[The] table contains the composers who featured in the greatest number of concerts during the year: a composer gets an entry if at least one work was performed in a given concert," the article accompanying the rankings said.

Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Brahms and Schubert occupied the top spots on the list, followed by Tchaikovsky, Handel, Haydn, Debussy and Schumann.

The only two other living composers who found their way into the list's top 100 were Eric Whitacre (78th) and John Adams (89th).

Pärt is known for his minimalist style as well as for the compositional technique he invented, tintinnabuli, which takes its influence from spiritual chant.

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Arvo Pärt to Receive Highest French State Decoration

1 November (ERR)

Arvo Pärt received highest French State Decoration Composer Arvo Pärt will this week be decorated with the insignia of France's highest order, the Legion of Honour. Pärt, who is in France for the ongoing Estonian culture festival, will be awarded the distinction on 2 November by French Minister of Culture Frédéric Mitterrand.

"Just as it is hard to put the music created by Arvo Pärt into words, it is also hard to sum up how much honour and fame he has brought Estonia," said Estonian Minister of Culture Rein Lang. "Many people in the world have learned of Estonia's existence and our culture due to Pärt's work."

The Legion of Honour was established by Napoleon in 1802. Other Estonians who have won the order include former President Lennart Meri, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, EC commissioner Siim Kallas, writers Jaan Kross and Jaan Kaplinski, Tallinn French Lyceum director Lauri Leesi, and art historian Jüri Kuuskemaa.

The ceremony coincides with the “Estonie tonique” cultural festival. On 2 November Paul Hillier will direct the Tallinn Philharmonic Chamber Choir in a performance of Pärt's work at the Oratoire du Louvre church in Paris. On Friday evening the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris and the Chamber Choir of the Estonian Philharmonic, conducted by Olari Elts, will perform Pärt's “Adam's Lament” at the at the 104 Creativity Centre.

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Estonia Wins Men's Quadruple Sculls at Rowing European Championships

17 September (BNS)


The London Olympic fourth-place finishers, Estonians Kaspar Taimsoo, Tõnu Endrekson, Allar Raja and Andrei Jamsa, won gold in men's quadruple sculls at the rowing European championships in Varese,  Italy on Sunday. The Estonians scored the fastest qualifying time in Saturday's semifinals and had the early lead in Sunday's race.

Through the middle of the race Estonia cleared a boat length's lead over Slovenia, who remained second with Russia pressing hard to catch up. By the time of the final sprint, Estonia had worked to an open-water lead with Slovenia still clinging on to second over Russia. At the finish line, Ukraine came storming through to snatch the silver, leaving Slovenia with bronze, the portal www.worldrowing.com said.

Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces Brig. Gen. Riho Terras called to offer his congratulations to the gold-winning Estonian men's quadruple sculls team, as three of its members are Defence Forces personnel and one a member of the police force.

Estonia finished their 2012 season with a European Championship gold medal with a time 5.47.91, a sound lead of more than three seconds over Ukraine, whose finishing time was 5.51.18.

Kaisa Pajusalu of Estonia won bronze in women's single sculls, behind Serbia's Iva Obradovic for silver and Lithuania's Donata Vistartaite for gold.

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Estonian Designers to Participate in London Fashion Week

11 January (ERR)


Three young Estonian designers will be showcasing their works at the London Fashion Week from 16-22 February with the joint installation project ÖÖ: London Edition.

The installation by Marit Ilison, Magnus Lõppe and Kaspar Paas will be part of an international project initiated by the British Fashion Council and the British Council. Designers from 20 nations will be participating in the event.

“London is a place where people come to discover talent,” said Merilyn Kesküla, curator of the installation. “For Estonian designers it is a great opportunity to be discovered by renowned fashion and culture experts,” she said.

Fashion designer Illison has so far showcased her personal installations in New York, Berlin and the Netherlands. Menswear designer Lõppe's works have been featured at Copenhagen Fashion Week and won the prestigious Designers' Nest Award. Paas, who is working in London as a shoemaker for the renowned shoe manufacturers John Lobb, is currently developing his personal collection.
 

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Estonian Swimmers Bring Home Medals from European Short Course Swimming Championships

12 December (ERR)


Estonian swimmers Triin Aljand and Martti Aljand both took home medals from the European Short Course Swimming Championships held in Szczecin, Poland, from 8-11 December.

Triin Aljand, photo: sport.err.eeTriin Aljand won a silver medal in the 50-meter butterfly and a bronze in the women's 50-meter freestyle at this year's championships. In the 50-meter butterfly, first place went to Danish competitor Jeanette Ottesen with 24.92 – a new championship record. Ottesen was followed by Aljand (25.51) and Sviatlana Hahlova from Belarus (25.96), sport.err.ee reported. In the women's 50-meter freestyle Aljand had a time of 24.23. Aljand was outperformed by Ottesen (24.11) and Steffen Britta from Germany (24.01).

In the men's 100-meter individual medley swimmer Martti Aljand won bronze with 53.37, with which he set a new Estonian record. First place went to Peter Mankoc from Slovenia (52.70), followed by German Markus Deibler (53.04).
 

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Kontaveit Makes Juniors' Semi-finals at Australian Open

24 January (BNS)


Estonian tennis player Anett Kontaveit advanced to the semi-finals in the girls' tournament of the Australian Open by beating Germany's Antonia Lottner 6-1, 6-3 Thursday.

It took 17-year-old Kontaveit (WTA 399) 50 minutes to defeat the 4th seed German (WTA 796).

Kontaveit, seeded 10th in the tournament, will play in the semi-finals the Czech Republic's Katerina Siniakova (WTA 1062), who defeated Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-2, 6-2.

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Tickets to Estonia-Ireland Playoff Snatched Up Within Half-Hour

17 October (BNS)

Tickets to Estonia-Ireland Playoff sold out within Half-HourTickets to the first match of the Estonia-Ireland playoff for Euro 2012, to be played in Tallinn on 11 November, were sold out in less than 30 minutes on Monday morning.

According to the information system of the online seller Piletilevi, all tickets to the game were sold before 10.30 a.m. Selling started at 10.00.

The Estonian Football Association said that approximately 3 500 tickets to the game were sold via the Piletilevi system during the 25 minutes. Prior to that fans' associations and clubs had booked 4 500 tickets and the Irish national association 1 400 tickets. "As usual, fans' associations and football clubs had the opportunity to book tickets earlier -- on the one hand so that the people who are supporters of the national team on a permanent basis won't be left behind the gates and on the other hand to reduce the volume of the black market," the president of the Estonian association, Aivar Pohlak, said.

On Monday, more than 2 000 tickets were sold over the internet and 1 222 at Piletilevi sales outlets. Tickets could not be bought from abroad via the internet and the number of tickets that could be bought on any one occasion was limited to four.

The Estonian Football Association said it was checking on reports that some individuals had bought a significantly bigger number of tickets. "Considering that a larger-scale speculation of this kind could only take place with tickets bought at Piletilevi, the total number of which was 1 222, we find that the number of tickets ending up on the so-called black market is not very big and the Estonian Football Association continues to be of the opinion that the low price of the ticket was not only a fair decision but also the right decision," Pohlak said.

The secretary general of the Estonian association, Tõnu Sirel, issued a warning to Irish supporters tempted to buy a black market ticket in Estonia. "The Estonian Football Association holds exclusive rights to selling tickets to the Estonia-Ireland match. The ticket is property of the Estonian Football Association, and if the person who bought it violates the rules, including by re-selling the ticket at a higher price, we have the right to declare the ticket invalid," Sirel said.

Estonia, who beat Northern Ireland twice in their qualifying group, will take on Ireland at home at the Lilleküla stadium in Tallinn in a match starting at 21.45 local time (19.45 GMT) on 11 November. The return leg will take place at the Aviva stadium in Dublin on 15 November.

The other playoffs see Turkey up against Croatia, the Czech Republic playing Montenegro, and Portugal facing Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Estonia finished 10 points behind their qualifying group winners Italy and a point clear of Serbia, whose 1-0 defeat in Slovenia ended their hopes of taking the runners-up spot.

In the latest FIFA rankings Ireland is tied with South Korea in place 29 while Estonia is ranked 58th.
 

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Annual Martinmas Fair Held in Helsinki

24 November (BNS)


A two-day Martinmas Fair (Mardilaat in Estonian, Martin markkinat in Finnish) organised by the Tuglas Society started in Helsinki on Saturday. The fair is being held for the 29th time; last year it drew 19 000 visitors. The Martinmas Fair is the biggest event outside Estonia that features things Estonian: tourism, food, handicraft, art and culture. The fair has about a hundred performers and more than 150 exhibitors.

This year the focus of the fair is on Lääne County and Haapsalu. A Finnish-Estonian cultural organisation, the Tuglas Society, has organised the event since 1983. The major partner of the event is the Tourism Development Centre of Enterprise Estonia.

On Saturday Evelin Ilves, wife of Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, took part in the Martinmas Fair event, speaking with Estophile Marika Tammeaid at the Kaapelitehdas Cultural Centre in Helsinki before the public about cultural relations between Estonia and Finland, healthy food, and about Estonia as an attractive tourism destination, the president's
office said.

"I am very proud that the Tuglas Society has organised the Martinmas Fair for as many as 29 years, and it has developed into  one of the biggest Estonian event outside Estonia. The Tuglas Society is doing wonderful work in promoting Estonia and this deserves recognition and respect," Evelin Ilves said.

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Closing Ceremony Held for Tallinn Capital of Culture 2011

23 December


Tallinn’s year as the European Capital of Culture is drawing to a close. On 22 December the closing ceremony of the European Capital of Culture 2011 took place in various parts of Tallinn. At Freedom Square, people gathered to listen to a unique church bell concert, while the cruise ship dock of the Old Town Harbour accommodated a screening of 60 one-minute films made by directors from all over the world. The ceremony ended with a fire show on Harjumägi.

Tallinn and the city of Turku in neighbouring Finland shared the title of European Capital of Culture for the year 2011. Throughout the year a total of about 7 000 cultural events took place in Tallinn, which were visited by two million guests.

The theme of the Capital of Culture year was Stories of the Seashore, and many events were held in and highlighted Tallinn’s waterfront areas. Tallinn's grassroots-oriented programme also encouraged the creation of homegrown cultural startups. Among the largest events were the Tallinn Maritime Days (visited by 100 000 people) and the Song and Dance Festival (which drew 48 000 spectators). Some other highlights of the Capital of Culture programme included the NO99 Straw Theatre, where productions were staged throughout the summer, the Song of Freedom concert that celebrated 20 years of restored independence, and 60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero, an open-air cinema event. The European Capital of Culture programme also included co-operation with many other European countries.
 

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Conductor Eri Klas Receives Baltic Star Prize

10 October (ERR)

Conductor Eri Klas

The renowned conductor Eri Klas is being presented with the reputable Baltic Star prize in St. Petersburg's Hermitage Theatre today.

The award was first given out in 2004 by the Baltic International Festival Centre to develop and strengthen cultural ties in the Baltic Sea region. It is awarded to recognised personalities from culture and the arts, creative intellectuals, and representatives of the official circles and business groups. Along with Klas, Polish actress Barbara Brylska and Russian singer and actress Edita Piekha will receive the award. Two posthumous awards were also presented for cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich and singer Eduard Khil.

The only other Estonian to receive the award is composer Arvo Pärt.

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Estonia Celebrates 100 Years of Filmmaking

30 April 2012 (ERR)

It was 100 years ago today that the country's first filmmaker, Johannes Pääsuke, premiered his first short in Tartu, a chronicle of Russian aviator Sergei Utoshkin's stunt flight.

To mark the occasion, movie enthusiasts are holding major events in the city today, ETV reported. Among them is an awards ceremony that will honor top Estonian filmmakers in nine categories. ETV will begin broadcasting the event tonight at 20:00.

Other events celebrating the 100th anniversary of Estonian movie-making are being held throughout the year. Readers can keep up to date on the festival's English-language website.

The first moving pictures shot in Estonia were made by foreign cameramen in 1908, when the King of England met with the Russian tsar.

A still from the film Bear Hunt in Pärnu County

In 1912, Pääsuke shot the first-ever Estonian documentary, which unfortunately has not been preserved. Although the stunt pilot Utoshkin did fly in Tartu, it has been ascertained that the first film itself was not made in Tartu. Evidence shows, though, that the film was in fact made by Pääsuke (little information about the man, other than his creations, remains).

Two years later, Pääsuke's feature film "Karujaht Pärnumaal" (The Pärnu County Bear Hunt) was completed. Also a photographer, Pääsuke took thousands of photos of towns across the nation, depicting the diversity of the various regions of Estonia.

Read more about the anniversary of the Estonian film

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Estonia to Host European Under-19 Football Championship in 2012

1 January (BNS)

UEFA European Under-19 Football ChampionshipThis year from 3-15 July the UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship will take place in Tallinn, Rakvere and Haapsalu; it promises to be the highlight of the sports year in Estonia. The U-19 Championship is a historical event for Estonia, since this will be the first European Championship tournament to be held in Estonia as well as the first time Estonia will participate in a European Championship tournament. The European champion will be determined on 15 July at A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn.

The tournament will consist of 15 games, nine of which will be broadcast live on Eurosport and images of which will reach the biggest sports channels in Asia, Africa, North America and South America. The initial group matches will take place on 3, 6 and 9 July in A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn as well as in Kadriorg, Rakvere, and Haapsalu. The semifinals will be on 12 July in A. Le Coq Arena and the final game will be played on 15 July, also in A. Le Coq Arena.

In addition to the host country’s team, eight other teams will qualify for the final tournament. Qualifiers will be determined through elite level games at the end of May, and they will be randomly divided in groups on 6 June in Tallinn.
 

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Estonia's Youthful Cycling Hope Finishes 12th in Tour de France

25 July (ERR)


Rein Taaramäe finished 12th overall in the Tour de France, the best-ever result for an Estonian rider. The 24-year-old came in second in the youth standings, 46 seconds behind Pierre Rolland from France.

Taarmaäe, who was on the Cofidis team, was 11 minutes, 29 seconds off the pace of the winner of the grueling two-week bicycle race, Australian Cadel Evans.

"Rolland and Taaramäe, amongst others, are the great hopes of cycling," Cofidis team manager Eric Boyer was quoted as saying on cyclingnews.com.

Postimees reported that after the finish on Sunday 24 July, Rolland credited Taaramäe. Rolland said that the team's sports director had told him, "[The race] would be very hard as powerful contenders such Robert Gesink and Rein Taaramäe were on the course."

Veteran cyclist Jaan Kirsipuu, probably the best known Estonian cyclist internationally, has ridden in 10 Tours but has never finished. He has worn the yellow jersey four times, however.

The late Jaanus Kuum, who was active mainly during the Soviet era, finished 24th one year, which was previously the best finish by an Estonian.

 

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Estonians Win 2nd and 4th Place at Sailing World Cup Stage in Miami

5 February (ERR)


Karl-Martin Rammo collected silver while Lauri Väinsalu placed fourth in Miami at the second stage of the ISAF Sailing World Cup on Saturday.

Rammo (pictured here at the 2012 Olympics) won 2nd place in Miami.Rammo, sailing in the Laser class, had a great last day, winning two races and finishing second in the final race to move to second place overall, reported sport.err.ee. Sweden's Jesper Stalheim won gold and Charlie Buckingham from the US finished third.

Sailing in the Finn class, Väinsalu also excelled on the last day, claiming a second place in the last race to move from seventh to fourth overall.

Neither of the two competed in the first stage last December in Melbourne, Australia. The next stage will take place in Spain at the end of March.
 

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Ewert and The Two Dragons Wins EBBA Award

10 January (BNS)

Ewert and the Two Dragons won the EBBA award

The Estonian indie rock band Ewert and The Two Dragons was one of the 10 winners of the 2013 European Border Breakers Awards (EBBA), given to artists and collectives who have achieved success beyond their home country with their first international release.

The winners of the 2013 European Border Breakers Awards, which highlight the best new music acts in Europe that have achieved cross-border chart success, were honoured at the Eurosonic Noorderslag festival at Groningen in the Netherlands on Wednesday night.

The biggest winners of the night were the French DJ collective C2C, who scooped the public choice award, which was announced live during the ceremony following an online vote to select the “best of the best”. A four-time winner of the World DJ Championships, the DJ collective originating from Nantes mix jazz, soul, blues, electro and hip-hop. Their debut album, Tetra, achieved platinum (100 000) sales in France and also charted in Belgium and Switzerland.

The award ceremony featured performances by C2C and six of the other ten winners of the 2013 EBBA: Nabiha from Denmark, Ewert and The Two Dragons from Estonia, French Films from Finland, Dope D.O.D. from the Netherlands, Amor Electro from Portugal, and Juan Zelada from Spain.

Hosted by British TV presenter-bandleader Jools Holland and Dutch singer-actress Birgit Schuurman, the event will be broadcast throughout Europe in the coming weeks, organisers said.

The award for Ewert and the Two Dragons was announced at the 10th jubilee gala of EBBA by Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves in a video message.

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Kanepi Reaches Highest Position Yet in Rankings

21 August (ERR)


Despite a rough season, Estonia's top tennis player Kaia Kanepi rose to 15th in the Women's Tennis Association rankings, achieving her career's best position, reported sport.err.ee. Having skipped Wimbledon to prepare for the women's singles at the 2012 Olympic Games, Kanepi's lingering heel injury forced her to cancel that event as well. Kanepi began experiencing heel pain during the Estoril tournament in spring.

The season has brought mixed results for the 27-year-old, who has managed surprise victories but has dropped out of major tournaments. Kanepi also broke up with her coach Silver Karjus earlier in the year.

At the top of the WTA rankings is still Viktoria Azarenka of Belarus, followed by Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska, who pushed Maria Sharapova to third.

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Kanepi to Take on Navarro in Portugal Open Semis

2 May (ERR)

Kanepi

Estonia's top tennis player, Kaia Kanepi (WTA 40), has earned her way into tomorrow’s semifinals at the Portugal Open where she will face fourth-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro (WTA 23) of Spain.

The match is slated to take place in the center court and will likely start at approximately 14:00 Estonian time.

The 27-year-old Kanepi moved into semifinal position on Thursday by beating Japan's Ayumi Morita (WTA 43) 6-4, 6-3.

Kanepi is the defending champion in Oeiras, having made the third tournament win of her career there last May.

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Mountaineers From Estonia to Rise to University of Tartu, Parrot Peaks

9 July (BNS)


To mark the 380th anniversary of the University of Tartu, Estonian mountain climbers want to once again climb the University of Tartu and the J. F. Parrot peaks in the Central Pamir Chain that were first climbed thirty years ago.

The group to climb the two peaks will be ten people from Tartu and Tallinn headed by Andrus Hiiemäe, who finds that the venture is complicated and relatively dangerous, as the expedition will take place far from settlements and it is almost impossible to rely on outside assistance, a press officer for Tartu University told BNS. The climb requires crossing a glacier, rises on snowy slopes, and movement along a sharp ridge. In addition, most of the activity will take place at higher then 5 000 meters and the peaks are one kilometer higher still. “To those who climb on sea level the height factor will certainly exert its influence. Weather conditions are always unpredictable in mountainous areas," Hiiemäe said, adding that even in case of extreme need the arrival of assistance by means of a Tajik military helicopter could take days.

The University of Tartu and J. F. Parrot peaks are located in Central Pamir, in the High Wall Chain of respectively 6 350 and 6 277 meters above sea level. Central Pamir is located in Tajikistan, in the territory of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province (Viloyati Muhktori Kuhistoni Badakhshon). This year thirty years will pass from the first climb to the University of Tartu and of Parrot peaks. The climbs were made to mark the 350th anniversary of the University of Tartu, and in the interim no Estonians have climbed these peaks.

Hiiemäe found that for climbers the need to act without any support services made the expedition special. The existing description of the climb and the available information about circumstances are, at best, of historical value. As a result the tactical nuances and the choice of the route for the climb will have to be decided at the location.

The expedition will last 37 days and all their food and drink as well as communication equipment will have to be carried on the men's backs. They will also bring to the peak the University of Tartu flag, cap and ring. When the peak was conquered for the first time thirty years ago the university cap of the era and a peak slab were left there.

The expedition will leave on their venture from Tallinn Airport on Thursday and they are planning to return home on 17 August.

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Prime Minister Finishes in 903rd Place in Tartu Ski Marathon

21 February (BNS)


Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip finished the 40th Tartu Maraton ski marathon, which took place on Sunday, in 903rd place, while Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi came in 568th.

Ansip finished the 63-kilometer main race in four hours, four minutes and 13 seconds. Ligi's time was three hours, 47 minutes and 47 seconds. The prime minister's bodyguard Alar Ridamäe finished in 904th place, after the prime minister.

The marathon, which is part of the Worldloppet series since 1994, was won by 21-year-old Swede Jerry Ahrlin with a time of 2:41:23. In places two and three followed Anders Aukland and Simen Oestensen, both from Norway.

The competition was held in cold but sunny weather. The pace of the race was quite fast, especially in the last third. In the end Jerry Ahrlin, who was also victorious here in 2007, showed his strength and took the first place. The fastest woman on the track was 21-year-old Sandra Hansson from Norway, who took her third victory in a row in Estonia.

In all 4 610 skiers finished the 63 kilometer race on Sunday.
 

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Straw Bale Theatre Honoured at World Architecture Festival

9 January (ERR)


The Straw Bale Theatre was dubbed “highly commended” in a World Architecture Festival publication, published on 1 January. Shortlisted along with 16 other projects for final consideration in the cultural buildings category at November's festival in Spain, Tallinn's Straw Bale Theatre was the only one other than the winner to have the honour of being named in the Winners Catalogue.

Tallinn's European Capital of Culture project lost out to Shima Kitchen, an old house in Japan that was rebuilt into a venue for arts and dinning. The 270-seat Straw Bale Theatre, a temporary home for the NO99 company, was located on the northern edge of Old Town before it was deconstructed and partly relocated in October.

Erected only for six months, the theatre was built from a wooden frame packed with straw bales that were painted black. The structure was designed by Salto Architects, who envisioned an eco-friendly and temporary way of reclaiming abandoned public space. It was later transported 25 kilometers to the Lilleoru spiritual community in Harju County, where it will serve as part of a yoga centre.

Another Estonian undertaking to be shortlisted was the design for Tallinn's future town hall and adjacent square, by Bjarke Ingels Group from Denmark and Allianss Architects from Estonia.
 

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Third Finnish-Estonian Dance Festival Taking Place in Tampere, Finland

16 June (BNS)


The third Finnish-Estonian folk dance festival will take place in Tampere on 17 June. There will be 5 000 dancers, musicians and singers taking part in the third joint Finnish-Estonian dance festival, half of them from Estonia. The dance festival is entitled Velisinfonia (Brotherhood Symphony) and its artistic conductors are Petri Kauppinen from Finland and Kalev Järvela from Estonia,

The third Finnish-Estonian dance festival was organised by Folklore Suomi Finland RY and Eesti Rahvatantsu ja Rahvamuusika Selts (Estonian Folk Dance and Folk Music Society). The Eesti Rahvatantsukeskus (Estonian Fold Dance Center), Eesti Laulu- ja Tantsupeo Sihtasutus (Estonian Song and Dance Festival Foundation), and Suomen Nuorisoseurojen Liitto (Finnish Youth Societies' Association) are also co-operating.

The first joint Finnish-Estonian dance festival took place in 2000 in Helsinki and the second in Tartu in 2005. The third Finnish Estonian dance festival will open at 13.00 at the Ratina Stadium in Tampere.

Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Evelin Ilves will take part in the Finnish-Estonian dance festival Sunday. The Finnish president's office said that Finnish President Sauli Niinistö with his wife Jenni Haukio would also take part in the dance festival.

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Works of Arvo Pärt Performed at Mexico’s Most Important Concert Hall

21 October

Last night the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Tõnu Kaljuste, performed the works of Arvo Pärt in Mexico City, including the new work “Virgencita”.

FM Paet and Arvo Part

At the reception that followed the Arvo Pärt concert in Mexico City’s most important concert hall the Palacio de Bellas Artes, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that the performances of Pärt’s works over the past few days in various Mexican cities is a historical event in Estonia-Mexico relations. “The fact that Arvo Pärt himself is here makes it even more significant,” he noted.

“The great interest in Arvo Pärt’s works and Estonian musicians has helped to intensify the ties between Estonia and Mexico,” Paet added.

Arvo Pärt’s compositions were performed in Mexico’s capital city yesterday by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Tõnu Kaljuste (additional information: http://www.epcc.ee/concerts/concert201239/). The concert was played to a full house of 1 650 listeners.

A concert of Arvo Pärt’s works also took place in León on 18 October (additional information: http://www.epcc.ee/concerts/concert201237/). On 19 October works by Pärt were performed within the framework of the International Cervantino Festival in Guanajuatos (additional information: http://www.epcc.ee/concerts/concert201238/).

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Aljand, Nabi Chosen Athletes of the Year

28 December (BNS)


Wrestler Heiki Nabi has been voted sportsman of the year and Triin Aljand sportswoman of the year 2012.

Nabi won silver at the London Olympic Games in Greco-Roman wrestling and Aljand took home silver from the swimming world championships.

The men's double sculls team consisting of Kaspar Taimsoo, Allar Raja, Andrei Jamsa and Tonu Endrekson, who placed 4th at the Olympics and won the European championships, were chosen Estonia's best team. The best trainer award went to Nabi's coach Henn Polluste. Tennis player Anett Kontaveit was voted the young athlete of the year.

The athletes of the year are picked by members of the public, sports organisations, and sports reporters.
 

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Andres Kasekamp’s Book “A History of the Baltic States” Unveiled in Poland

10 April


Yesterday, 9 April, the unveiling of the Polish-language translation (“Historia państw Bałtycki”) of the book “A History of the Baltic States” by professor of Baltic politics in the political science department at Tartu University  Andres Kasekamp took place at the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM).

Kasekamp at book launch in Poland

At the book launch, Estonian Ambassador to Poland Taavi Toom said that this book being published in Polish is a significant event. “This is the first book in Polish that addresses the history of the Baltic states as a whole,” said Ambassador Toom.

After the presentation of the book, Andres Kasekamp gave a public lecture at the University of Warsaw entitled “The history of the Baltic states – differences and similarities”.

Andres Kasekamp’s book “A History of the Baltic States” was initially published in 2010 in England and by today has also been published in Estonian, Latvian and Polish. Kasekamp’s monograph has earned him the research prize of the Baltic Assembly and the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies book award.

The publication of the book in Polish was supported by the Polish Institute of International Affairs, the Estonian Embassy in Warsaw, and the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute.

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Arvo Pärt Appointed Member of Pontifical Council for Culture

12 December (BNS)


The Estonian composer Arvo Pärt has became a member of the Pontifical Council for Culture, the internet issue of the German daily Die Welt reported.

Pope Benedict XVI has asked Wolf Joachim Singer, director of the German Max Planck Institute, and Arvo Pärt to become members of the Pontifical Council for Culture. The aim of the Pontifical Council for Culture is to maintain dialogue between the Catholic Church and culture.

Last Wednesday Pärt was also elected an Academician of the Estonian Academy of Science in music.
 

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Athletes of the Estonian Defence Forces Travelling to Olympic Games

25 June


Minister of Defence Urmas Reinsalu extended his good wishes to the members of the Defences Forces who will be travelling to the London Olympic Games. “I consider it important that members of our Defence Forces participating in the Olympic Games are doing their part to promote voluntary defence activities, meet with young people and, by their personal example, inspire them to get involved in national defence,” Reinsalu said.

The minister of defence met with judoka Corporal Martin Padar and the rowers Corporals Kaspar Taimsoo, Tõnu Endrekson and Andrei Jämsa. Furthermore, decathlete Corporal Mikk Pahapill and shooter Corporal Anzela Voronova will also be travelling to the Olympic Games. In addition to the rowers from the Defence Forces, the crew of four will include rower Allar Oja from the Police. The Defence Forces athletes will be travelling to the Olympic Games on 25 July.

Active since 1 February 2006, the Defence Forces sports group is part of the Headquarters Support and Signal Battalion. The sports group aims to promote sports in the Defence Forces and in society overall. Currently, the sports group includes 19 competitive athletes. Service in the sports group also provides promising conscripts who are young athletes with the opportunity to participate in training events and competitions.

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Baruto Secures First-Ever Grand Tournament Win

20 January (ERR)


Estonian professional sumo wrestler Kaido Höövelson, better known as Baruto, locked in the first top division tournament victory of his career on Friday by scoring his 13th consecutive win at the Hatsu-basho in Tokyo.

The 27-year-old Baruto took the decisive bout by knocking fellow ozeki Kotoshogiku out of the ring using the shitatenage move, an underarm throw. Though two more match days remain in the tournament, no other competitor has enough wins to catch up.

Baruto is next scheduled to battle Bulgarian ozeki Kotooshuga, with whom he has a record of eight wins and 12 losses, reported sport.err.ee. He will go on to face yokozuna Hakuho on the last day of the tournament.

Until now, Baruto's best performance in a Makuuchi-level tournament was the 14-1 score he achieved at the Haru-basho in Oksaka in March 2010. The result, however, wasn't enough to win him that tournament.
 

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Black Nights Film Festival Main Program Gets Under Way

18 November 2011 (ERR)

15th Tallinn Black Nights Film FestivaThe main program of the 15th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival opens today, bringing a vast selection of world cinema to the Estonian audience until November 30.

Within the main program, international feature film competition Eurasia and the Baltic feature film competition Tridens are held.

Besides the main program, the event also has three sub-festivals: the animated film program Animated Dreams which started on November 16 and the children and youth film festival Just Film, which opened a day later. Student and short film festival Sleepwalkers will take place in spring 2012.

For the sixth consecutive year, the festival features a program dedicated to human rights, titled "Difference Enriches". Within the program, 12 feature-length documentaries and fiction films on the topics of sexual minorities, people living with disabilities and other issues related to equal treatment will be screened.

Special screenings for the visually impaired will also be held during the festival.

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Chef Heidy Pinnak Places 14th in Bocuse d'Or Final

31 January (ERR)

Heidy Pinnak

Representing Estonia in Lyon, Pinnak's team came in 14th out of the 24 nations competing in the final round of one of the world's most prestigious chef championships.

As the Bocuse d'Or's only female contestant, Pinnak outperformed chefs from leading culinary powerhouses Italy and Holland, improving her position by one place since her last performance in 2009, reported the competition's website.

Chefs from across the globe went head-to-head in yesterday's final round of the event, frequently referred to as the culinary equivalent of the Olympic Games. In the 20-year history of the competition, the number of female finalists can be counted on one hand, ETV reported.

Pinnak's team used Estonia's local ingredients including Vana Tallinn liquor, quail eggs, rye bread, juniper berries and pine shoots. 

“I want to show that Estonia has a lot to offer to the world in terms of local chefs and local cuisine inspired by local ingredients. I hope that this will encourage young Estonian chefs to aspire high, value local traditions and recreate them,” said Pinnak.

Pinnak was spurred on at the event by Evelin Ilves, the spouse of Estonia's President, and Minister of Agriculture Helir-Valdor Seeder, among other dignitaries.
  
France claimed the top spot, followed by Denmark and Japan.

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Conductor Paavo Järvi Receives French Order of Arts and Letters

9 November (BNS)

Paavo Jarvi

French Minister of Culture and Communications Aurelie Filippetti awarded the rank of Commander in the Order of Arts and Letters (Commandeur de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres) to Estonian conductor Paavo Järvi. The order was bestowed on Järvi during a ceremony at the French Ministry of Culture on Thursday, the Estonian Ministry of Culture said.

Paavo Järvi was decorated in connection with the Estonian cultural festival "Estonie Tonique" that took place in Paris and the Paris region in October and November 2011 and marks a recognition of Järvi's contribution to the development of cultural relations between France and Estonia.

In her speech, the French minister highlighted Järvi's numerous recordings, which have won him a Grammy, among other awards. She also brought out Paavo Järvi's successful performances with Orchestre de Paris in various places all over the world. Paavo Jarvi has been the chief conductor and musical director of Orchestre de Paris since 2010.

Following the "Estonie Tonique" festival, the French Order of Arts and Letters has also been awarded to Estonian composer Helena Tulve, artistic director of the singing group Vox Clamantis Jaan-Eik Tulve, film director Ilmar Raag, director Lembit Peterson, cultural counsellor of the Estonian Embassy Kersti Kirs, and the festival's Estonian co-ordinator, secretary general of the Ministry of Culture Ragnar Siil.

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Crowds Head to Viljandi Folk Festival

27 July (ERR)


The 19th Viljandi Folk Music Festival, held from 28-31 July, promises a rhythmically explosive program, attracting thousands of music lovers from Estonia and abroad.

According to Ando Kiviberg, head organiser of the event, the ticket sales have given a reason to believe that interest toward Estonia's biggest folk festival remains high.

The main program of the four-day festival has 70 concerts, yet additional performances will be given both on the open stage and on the street corners of Viljandi.

Besides Estonian folk artists, the stage will also feature those from India, Senegal, the Dominican Republic, UK, Denmark and elsewhere.

Visitors can also attend instrument fairs, handicraft workshops and film sessions.
 

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Eesti Fest Event Took Place in London

27 February


From 21-26 February the original cultural event Eesti Fest celebrating Estonian music and European Capital of Culture Tallinn 2011 successfully took place in London.

Besides the five various concerts, the programme of Eesti Fest included a discussion about Skype, which was invented in Estonia, and Estonian IT with Sten Tamkivi, the General Manager of Skype Estonia and one of the leading figures in IT; a guitar workshop with the Weekend Guitar Trio; and an Estonian folk music workshop with the ensemble Suurõ Pilvõ. All these events were held at King’s Place, a venue that brings together under one roof a creative hub, a dining venue, a conference and events centre, and an office complex.

The concerts during the festival featured one of the Estonia’s most sought-after vocal groups Vox Clamantis; the Estonian Piano Orchestra, staffed by eight pianists playing together, along with Ain Varts (guitar) and Hele-Riin Uib (percussion); folk group Suurõ Pilvõ (Big Clouds); the Weekend Guitar Trio, which produces composed and improvised music for 3 electric guitars and electronics; and finally Estonian jazz pianist Kristjan Randalu, who divides his time between Estonia, Germany and New York. The programmes of the various concerts introduced music by Arvo Pärt, Peeter Vähi, Urmas Sisask, Ülo Krigul, and many others. All of the concerts were warmly received by London audiences.

Eesti Fest was organised by the Estonian Embassy in London. The curator of the Eesti Fest events was Fiona Talkington, the UK radio broadcaster on BBC Radio 3.
 

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Estonia Beats Andorra in World Cup Qualifier

17 October (ERR)


Estonia picked up its first victory in football's 2014 World Championships qualifiers, scoring in the 59th minute of its Group D match against Andorra and protecting the lead to the end. Andres Oper scored the game's only goal.

Estonia beat Andorra 1-0. The national team didn't lack for opportunities early, as Joel Lindpere centred from the right flank in the seventh minute, and Tarmo Neemelo just missed a header into the net. Three minutes later, it was Ats Purje and Andres Oper on the attack, but this time Oper's header went just wide.

There were two additional good scoring opportunities in the first half.

Andorra had its best chance of the game three minutes into the second half, as a long lob eluded goalkeeper Sergei Pareiko and went just over the crossbar.

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Estonia is Main Theme at Helsinki Book Fair

27 October (ERR)


During the 11th annual Helsinki Book Fair, which kicked off today, the literary spotlight will shine on Estonian writers, thinkers and artists. In the coming year, a record number of Estonian authors will see their works translated and published in Finnish - 20 in all.

"Estonia's presence at the fair is truly striking, both in terms of the proposed works, the authors present at the fair, and the striking design of the [exhibition] stand," said Asta Trummel, a literary adviser to the Ministry of Culture. "The number of Estonian works translated into Finnish has increased, as has the number of Estonia-themed works published in Finland."

Estonia's "Black Cube" booth – nine meters high, 200 square meters of floor space, and minimalist in design - will be the centrepiece of the fair. It will serve as both exhibition space and bookstore for Estonian events. The "Black Cube" was created by graphic designer and poet Asko Künnap. The book fair will take place at the Helsinki Exhibition and Convention Centre.

For the first time, works by Estonian award-winning authors Ene Mihkelson and Mari Saat will be published in Finnish. Renowned Estonian writer Viivi Luik, already well-known in Finnish literary circles, will see her autobiographical novel, "Varjuteater" (The Shadow Theater), appear in Finnish.

The book fair, which runs until 30 October, will feature talks and seminars by a veritable who's who of Estonian letters. Poets Asko Künnap, Karl Martin Sinijärv, and Jürgen Rooste will deliver Estonian haikus to book fair-goers. Siim Aimla and his band, together with a clutch of poets, will perform poetry and prose to music. Seminars on themes of pan-European social movements and Estonian history will feature such discussants as Marju Lauristin, Toomas Hiio and Mart Laar.

President Toomas Hendrik Ilves also attended to give an opening address and unveil the Finnish translation of a compilation of his essays, articles and interviews. In his speech, Ilves emphasised how the rule of thumb in Anglo-American academic circles to “publish or perish” also applies to small nations, since if they do not develop their literary cultures and have works translated they face the danger of dying out.
 

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Estonia Sends Three Athletes to London Paralympics

28 August (BNS)


Estonia is sending three athletes to the 2012 Paralympic Games that will start in London on Wednesday, two of whom will compete in shot put and one in swimming.

The 24-year-old swimmer, Kardo Ploomipuu, will enter the contest in 50 meters freestyle on 31 August and 100 meters backstroke on 4 September. Ploomipuu won bronze in 100 meters backstroke in Beijing four years ago.

Sirly Tiik, 37, will compete in women's shot put on 5 September and Jüri Bergmann, 23, in men's shot put on 7 September, the Estonian Paralympics team said.

The opening ceremony of the London Paralympics will take place Wednesday and the games will continue until 9 September.

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Estonia's Strongest Medal Hopefuls in the London Olympics

25 July (ERR)


At the London Olympics, Estonia will be represented by 32 athletes competing in disciplines ranging from badminton to judo. Which are the most likely to bring home a medal and have crowds spontaneously dancing in the streets? To find out, ERR News spoke to two insiders – leading sports journalist Marko Kaljuveer, who is head of Estonian Public Broadcasting's sports division, and Martti Raju, sports director for the nation's Olympic Committee.

For Kaljuveer, who is in charge of ERR's television and radio coverage of the games, the answer came with no hesitation.  “Our main hope for a medal is Gerd Kanter, no doubt about it, and the second one is Nikolai Novosjolov. These two guys are really strong contenders and our main medal hopes,” he said.

Indeed, Kanter's name is on everyone's lips in the run-up to this summer's big event. The discus thrower brought home gold from Beijing in 2008 and now, at the age of 33, is still at the top of his sport. Novosjolov became the world champion in men's épée fencing in 2010, a feat that earned him an Order of the White Star.

Raju, for his part, echoed Kaljuveer's picks, citing recent performance levels.  “The results speak for themselves,” he said. “Gerd has already shown good form here in London, and showed that he can win in London,” he added, noting Kanter's second place in the IAAF Diamond League in early July. As for Novosjolov, Raju was also optimistic, though he pointed out the inherently chancy nature of the sport.  “In principle, of course in fencing anything can happen, but he has shown that he can compete well and win competitions,” Raju said.

A third sport both men mentioned as a medal possibility was rowing, specifically the quadruple sculls team of Tõnu Endrekson, Andrei Jämsä, Allar Raja and Kaspar Taimsoo. “These four guys [...] are quite strong, and the way they took the qualifying regatta and qualified for the games was impressive,” said Raju.

The same team won silver at the European championship in Plovdiv last year, and each has a bevy of medals to his name. And as Kaljuveer pointed out, Endrekson was one of the pair who earned Estonia a silver medal in double sculls in the Beijing games.

Speaking about the less obvious medal contenders, the potential surprises, is obviously far more difficult and something that both experts were reluctant to do.

Kaljuveer did, however, bring up a name in sailing. “We are a seaside country and sailing used to be very strong in Estonia. Right now we have five sailors. One of them is Deniss Karpak who is [competing in] the Finn class. Maybe he is also a medal hope,” he said.

When pressed specifically about other contenders who have been making headlines of late, Kaljuveer was less hopeful given the competition. For swimmer Triin Aljand, he said a place in the semifinals would be an excellent result. “If she would be in the final, it would be a positive surprise, but the semifinal is something good,” Kaljuveer said.

Heptathlete Grit Šadeiko, he said, is still on the young side and would likely do better in Rio in four years. But, as Kaljuveer stressed, Olympic results are hard to predict because there is such a strong element of luck involved.

The nation will have to watch and wait, and the fact that Estonians will be watching and waiting, following the results at every turn, is probably the easiest Olympics prediction to make.

“Everyone in Estonia says that if we win one medal, we will be satisfied. Of course two is better and three is best,” Kaljuveer said. “Because we are a small nation, sport is very important for the Estonian people. You can be a big nation through your achievements.”

A roundup of all the Estonian athletes participating in the Olympics can be found on the website of Estonian Public Broadcasting.

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Estonian and Latvian Foreign Ministers Announce Winner of Estonian-Latvian Translation Prize

19 April


Today in Tallinn Foreign Minister Urmas Paet and Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs announced the winner of the Estonian-Latvian/Latvian-Estonian translation prize. The winner of the prize was Latvian translator Maima Grīnberga. The masterful translation that earned her the award was of Jaan Kross’s great historical novel “Between Three Plagues”. Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that it is noteworthy that Maima Grīnberga has already won the translation prize once before, in 2009.

The annual translation prize was awarded

Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that the translation contest proves that Estonian literature is in good standing. “It is brought to Latvian readers by very good professional translators that are enthusiastic about their work. Thanks to them, Estonian literature reaches readers in Latvia and also speaks to them,” Paet stated. He also expressed hope that a new generation of Latvian-Estonian translators is growing so that Latvian authors can be sure that the translations of their works in Estonian will play a role in Estonia’s literary scene.

Foreign ministers Paet and Rinkēvičs expressed their satisfaction that the translation prize initiative has become a tradition of the Estonian and Latvian cultural space – it was given out for the fourth time this year. “We are pleased that the translation prize is well-known in literary circles and it serves as motivation for translators, the cultural mediators of our countries,” added Foreign Minister Paet.

Maima Grīnberga is a dedicated, professional, productive translator with a command of many styles and who is unmatched in her own genre. She has translated the works of many important Estonian authors into Latvian, including those of Jaan Kross and Enn Vetemaa, but also youth and children’s authors Aidi Vallik, Sass Henno, and Andrus Kivirähk.

With the translation prize, the Estonian and Latvian foreign ministers hope to inspire the translation of Estonian-language literature into Latvian and vice versa. The Estonian-Latvian and Latvian-Estonian translation award emphasises the importance of the Estonian and Latvian languages as well as cultural exchange in order to advance the professionalism of translators of literature as well as political, popular science, historical, sociological, memoirs and other texts.

The jury will contain representatives from the foreign ministries of the two countries and the director of each nation’s literature information centre. The monetary value of the award is 3 000 euros, to which both sides are contributing equally.

The agreement that established the Estonian-Latvian and Latvian-Estonian translation award was signed by Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet and Latvian Foreign Minister Māris Riekstiņš on 18 February 2009. The idea for the creation of the award came from Estonian Ambassador to Latvia Jaak Jõerüüt and Latvian Ambassador to Estonia Kārlis Eihenbaums, who presented a joint letter proposing the implementation of the idea to the foreign ministries of both countries at the end of 2008.

In previous years the prize has been awarded to translators Maima Grīnberga (2009), Guntars Godinš (2010), and Kalev Kalkun (2011).
 

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Estonian and Latvian Foreign Ministers Announce Winner of Translation Award

16 February


Today in Riga Foreign Minister Urmas Paet and Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs announced the winner of the Estonian-Latvian/Latvian-Estonian translation award. The prize was awarded to Kalev Kalkun for translating Nora Ikstena’s novel “The Virgin’s Lesson” into Estonian.

Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that this is the third time it has been possible to recognise and thank the translators that help to introduce Estonian and Latvian literature to their neighbouring country. “While Latvian translators won the past two years, this year we are pleased to recognise Kalev Kalkun for translating Latvian literature into the Estonian language,” he said.

The opportunity to read a neighbouring country’s literature in your own language helps Estonians and Latvians better understand one another and facilitates the creation of a more emotional bond among people.

In the meeting that preceded the announcement of the prize winner, the foreign ministers discussed Estonian and Latvian bilateral relations and regional co-operation.

Foreign Minister Paet stated that Estonia-Latvia relations are close and productive on all levels. Co-operation between Estonia and Latvia also flows smoothly. “Our embassies in Cairo share the same space,” he stated. “We also have close co-operation in the consular realm. Latvia represents us for the issuing of visas in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and the Vitebsk region. Estonia in turn represents Latvia in Bulgaria,” he added.

In terms of regional development, the Estonia-Latvia Future Co-operation Report plays an important role. “The conference dedicated to the last Future Co-operation Report took place at the end of last year in Tartu. We hope that the initiatives and co-operation opportunities that were under discussion there will soon become a reality,” Paet said.

During their meeting the foreign ministers also discussed matters related to the European Union, including recent developments in the euro zone and the EU’s new financial framework. They also addressed Eastern Partnership and relations with Russia.
 

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Estonian Cultural Counsellor in Paris Receives French Order of Arts and Letters

24 October


On Tuesday, 23 October, General Inspector of the French Ministry of Culture and Communication and French curator of the cultural festival “Estonie Tonique” Benoît Paumier presented the French Order of Arts and Letters (Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) to cultural counsellor of the Estonian Embassy Kersti Kirs in a ceremony at the Estonian Embassy in Paris.

Kersti Kirs, who has worked at the embassy in Paris as a cultural counsellor since 2007 and served as Estonia's representative to UNESCO, earned the high honour from the state of France for her involvement in the Estonian cultural festival “Estonie Tonique” that took place in Paris and the surrounding areas in October and November 2011.

The order is recognition for Kersti Kirs's contribution to developing France-Estonia cultural ties. In his speech after presenting the medal, Benoît Paumier thanked Kersti Kirs for her dedication and work in organising and carrying out the Estonian festival as well as for her earlier efforts to introduce French culture, especially music, in Estonia.

Following the Estonian cultural festival “Estonie Tonique”, French Orders of Arts and Letters have also been awarded to composer Helena Tulve, artistic director of the singing group Vox Clamantis Jaan-Eik Tulve, film director Ilmar Raag, director Lembit Peterson, and the festival's Estonian co-ordinator, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture Ragnar Siil.

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Estonian Epic Poem Published in Hindi

5 March (BNS)


The presentation of a Hindi-language publication of the Estonian epic poem “Kalevipoeg” (“Kalevputra”) took place in Delhi Saturday evening. The translator of the epic poem is Vishnu Khare and it was published by Udbhavana Publications, a spokesman for the Ministry of Culture said.

The Cultural Endowment of Estonia foundation supported the translation and publication of the Hindi-language “Kalevipoeg”.

“Kalevipoeg” has been translated into German, Russian, Hungarian, Latvian, Finnish, Lithuanian, Romanian, Ukrainian, English, Swedish and French. There are abbreviated translations in Danish, Czech, Yiddish, Italian, and Esperanto.

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Estonian Short Film Included in Montreal Film Festival Programme

16 July (BNS)


The Montreal World Film Festival in Canada has picked the short film by Estonia filmmaker Anu Aun entitled “Shift” into its programme.

The Montreal World Film Festival, which takes place for the 35th time this year, is one of Canada's oldest film festivals and the only A Category film festival in North America with the accreditation of global producers' associations and accredited by the international federation.

“Shift” will be screened in the Focus on World Cinema programme at the festival, which takes place from 18-28 August this year. The short film has been chosen for the programme of 32 international film festivals and has won seven prizes, Luxfilm informed BNS.

The main characters of Shift are Mari Abel and Katariina Lauk. The director and screenwriter is Anu Aun.
 

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Estonian Skier Veerpalu Cleared of Doping Charges

26 March (BNS)


The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Tuesday published its ruling in the case of Estonian skier Andrus Veerpalu, clearing the two-time Olympic gold medallist of doping charges.

The sports court satisfied the appeal in the case of Veerpalu vs. International Ski Federation (FIS) and overturned the FIS decision of 22 August 2011 that found the skier guilty of doping and banned him from competing, the Aivar Pilv law office representing Veerpalu said.

The publication of the decision was delayed because the rule is that decisions have to be first released by the CAS itself, but the court's website suffered from an overload due to huge public interest, Veerpalu's representatives said.

The doping saga goes back to the end of January 2011 when officials from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) took a post-training sample from Veerpalu, who was preparing at the time for the Oslo World Championship at Otepää, Estonia. The positive result of the test for human growth hormone was initially kept secret from the public, with Veerpalu announcing that he would not take part in the championship and would end his career.

That both the A and B sample from Veerpalu had tested positive was announced at a press conference convened by the Estonian Ski Association in April 2011.

FIS slapped a three-year competition ban on Veerpalu in summer 2011. The skier who has firmly denied wrongdoing appealed the decision with CAS.

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Eurochannel's April Movie Programme Devoted to Estonia

27 March (BNS)


The April movie programme of Eurochannel, which is distributed outside Europe, is this year dedicated to Estonia. Among other things, the movies “Shop of Dreams” and the series “Class: Life After” will be shown.

The programme that focuses on a different country each month started on Eurochannel six years ago, Gustavo Veinstein, President of Eurochannel, told BNS. Three years ago representatives of Eurochannel visited the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) and discovered the Estonian programme for themselves.

The idea of having an Estonian month on Eurochannel was born a year ago. Vainstein said that it took a little time to put together the programme, but it was not difficult as the quality of Estonian movies is high.

In addition to “Shop of Dreams” and “Class: Life After”, other works to be shown are “Night of the Carrots”, “Karl and Marilyn”, and “Still Alive” will be shown. In addition, Eurochannel will show Estonian Movie 100 advertisement clips.

Eurochannel is a television channel presenting European culture and lifestyle that is distributed in South America, the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Angola, Mozambique, Portugal, and South Korea. The programme of European origin alone is shown in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish and Korean.

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European U-19 Football Championship Played in Estonia Attracted 14 Million TV Viewers

11 January (BNS)


Broadcasts of the matches of the 2012 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship finals held in Tallinn and two other Estonian cities last summer attracted 14 046 962 television viewers worldwide.

Matches played in the championship finals were broadcast altogether by nine channels, including Eurosport and Estonian Television. Matches of the Estonian team were watched by 1.74 million viewers.

"UEFA forecast the tournament's television audience number to be 11 million. That the number actually crossed the 14 million mark was a positive surprise," secretary general of the Estonian Football Association Anne Rei said. "The tournament fulfilled its objectives, as it allowed to gain broad-based publicity for Estonia and the towns that hosted the games -- as we remember there were 30 second clips about Tallinn, Haapsalu and Rakvere at the beginning of the broadcasts," said Rei.

The finals of the 2012 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship, played in the three Estonian towns from 3-15 July 2012, were watched the stadiums by 46 412 people.  

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Exhibit of Traditional Estonian Clothing to be Opened in Ukraine

22 March


Today an exhibit introducing traditional Estonian clothing entitled “Estonians’ Traditional Clothing” will be opened in the State Museum of Ukrainian Decorative Folk Art in Kiev.

The exhibit was created using the collections of the Estonian National Museum and provides an overview of how clothing and handicraft traditions have changed in Estonia, where in recent years using elements of traditional clothing or traditional accessories has become very popular and such elements are once again used every day.

The exhibit introduces the traditions of creating and wearing traditional clothing. Through the exhibit one sees how traditional clothing became a national symbol and the meaning of these clothes for Estonians both at home and abroad. Also highlighted are some modern-day items that were inspired by elements of traditional clothing.

The Estonian National Museum’s exhibit “Estonians’ Traditional Clothing” will be on display in the State Museum of Ukrainian Decorative Folk Art from 22 March to 24 April 2012.

The exhibit was co-ordinated by Kristjan Raba, the curators are Reet Piiri and Jane Liiv, and the graphic designer in Jane Liiv.

The exhibit is being supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia and the Estonian Embassy in Ukraine.
 

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Friendly Ends in 1-0 Defeat by Scotland

6 February (ERR)


The Estonian national football team lost its first game of the year against old foe Scotland in Aberdeen.

The first half saw nervous moments on both sides and until the 39th minute, it looked as though Estonia could withstand the pressure from the Scottish team.

But it was not to be, as Charlie Mulgrew opened the scoring with a fine strike following a well played free-kick.

The second 45 minutes saw the two sides more equally matched. Estonia pressed for an equaliser in the last ten minutes with Gert Kams going close, but in the end it was the home team who celebrated a deserved win.

On a more positive note, 21-year-old Estonian striker Henrik Ojamaa, who plays in the Scottish league with Motherwell, completed his first full game for the national team. He is considered one of Estonia's brightest young talents.

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Kanepi Beats Navarro in Second Round of Madrid Open

8 May (BNS)


Estonia's Kaia Kanepi (WTA 51) has advanced to the third round of the Madrid Open, defeating Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro (WTA 23) 6-3, 6-1 on Wednesday, public broadcaster ERR reports.

Kanepi fell behind 0-2 in the first set but dominated the rest of the match.

On Friday Kanepi played Navarro in the semifinal of the Portugal Open and lost 6-4, 6-1.

The Estonian will meet either Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic or Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia in the third round.  

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Kanter Takes Silver at European Championships

2 July (ERR)


Discus thrower and Olympic gold medalist Gerd Kanter won a silver medal at the European Athletics Championships in Helsinki, Finland on Saturday with his 66.53-meter throw.  Kanter was bested by 27-year-old Robert Harting of Germany, who managed 68.30 meters, sport.err.ee reported. Close on Kanter's tail stood Zoltan Kövago, whose furthest throw was 66.42 meters, losing to the 33-year-old Estonian athlete by only 11 centimeters. He was followed by Netherlands' Rutger Smith (64.02 meters) and Mario Pestano (63.87 meters).

"It is clear that I came here for a medal, but I still had the desire to give [Harting] a tougher battle and fight for the gold medal," Kanter told ETV after the competition.

Kanter remains positive with the Olympics only a week away. "The Estonian people do not have to be too worried about me. I am an experienced athlete and together with my coach we are moving in the right direction. Keep your fingers crossed and everything will go well," he said.

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Lindpere To Play in Euro 2012 Playoffs Against Ireland

7 November (ERR)

Joel LindpereTop Estonian footballer Joel Lindpere will be reunited with his national team this week, though exactly in what capacity he'll be helping battle Ireland in the Euro 2012 playoffs is not yet clear.

The 30-year-old had earlier looked unlikely to participate in the critical matches on 11 and 15 November, having declared that his duty to his home club, the New York Red Bulls, took precedence. However, that factor was eliminated on 3 November, when a 2-1 loss to Los Angeles Galaxy knocked the Bulls out of the Major League Soccer playoffs.

The Estonian team announced the next day that Lindpere had agreed to return after a two-year absence from the club.

In an interview with ETV, assistant coach Janno Kivisild said that it was too early to say what role the attacking midfielder would have in the matches, and that a decision would be made after the first practice on 8 November.

The first leg of the playoffs, which will determine whether Ireland or Estonia will be headed to the UEFA Euro 2012 championships next summer, will be held in Tallinn on 11 November.
 

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National Geographic: Coming to Estonian Market Went as Planned

19 January (BNS)


Erkki Peetsalu, editor-in-chief of the Estonian version of National Geographic Magazine, said that arrival of the magazine on the market went as planned and the results so far have been good. "The readers received the Estonian version of the magazine well, and feedback is warm and positive. Sales have also been going well," Peetsalu told BNS.

The monthly circulation of the magazine has been 15 000 copies. The print of the opening issue was first 12 000 and an additional print 3 500 copies. In December the sale of copies over the counter was more than 8 000 copies. In addition, there were more than 3 000 subscribers, which put the total sale above 11 000 copies.

By now, Peetsalu said, the number of subscribers had risen to above 5 000.

Publication of the Estonian version of National Geographic started last October. Estonian is the 33rd local language in which the magazine is being published in addition to English.

The Estonian version of the magazine is published on the basis of the National Geographic Society license and it is brought out by AlmaliEst, a subsidiary of the leading Lithuanian publishing house, Alma Littera.
 

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President Notes Need for Latvian-Estonian Dictionary

14 September (BNS)


Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves noted the need to publish a Latvian-Estonian dictionary during his meeting with Latvian colleague Andris Berzins in Riga on Friday.

The dictionary project was proposed following the release of a Latvian-Estonian co-operation report that was drawn up in 2010 at the initiative of the two countries' prime ministers, the Latvian president's press service told BNS.

Livonian-Estonian-Latvian dictionaries

Ilves pointed out that no fundamental Latvian-Estonian and Estonian-Latvian dictionary has been published in the history of independent Latvia and Estonia. Berzins, for his part, affirmed that as far as Latvia is concerned there would be no financial obstacles to the publication of such a dictionary.

On Friday a Livonian-Estonian-Latvian dictionary was presented in Riga which was created with the support of the Estonian and Latvian governments.

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Rein Raud Decorated With Japanese Order

3 November (BNS)


Rein Raud, professor of Tallinn University, has been awarded with the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, for his contribution to heading Japanese studies and developing the study of Japanese in Estonia.

Raud, former rector of Tallinn University, was awarded the order for his contribution to heading Japanese studies and development of learning Japanese in Estonia.

The embassy said that in addition to Rein Raud's activity in the sphere of Japanese studies and the learning of Japanese, he had also taken active part in the European Association for Japanese Studies and helped carry out the 13th congress of the Association in Tallinn. At the conclusion of congress Professor Raud was elected president of the association.

This August, Raud was awarded the Japan Foreign Minister's Award for his contribution into the development of good relations between Estonia and Japan.
 

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Seaplane Harbour Reaches Final of World Architecture Festival

4 October (BNS)


The Seaplane Harbour of the Estonian Maritime Museum has been short-listed for the World Architecture Festival (WAF) in two subcategories.

The Seaplane Harbour of the Estonian Maritime Museum was opened on 12 May this year.The Seaplane Harbour will be represented at the festival by KOKO architects Andrus Koresaar and Raivo Kotov, who will present the reconstruction of the unique seaplane harbour and the design of the brand-new museum to the best architects of the world. This year the World of Architecture festival is taking place in Singapore.

The new maritime museum was built into the unique seaplane harbour hangars that were built on the coast of Estonia's capital Tallinn in 1916-1917; the powerful reinforced concrete domes of the hangars were the world's biggest at the time. One main component of the maritime museum's exposition, which contains nearly two hundred large exhibits, is the legendary submarine Lembit. The museum opened on 12 May this year and received 30 000 visitors within the first three weeks of being open.

The World of Architecture Festival is one of the world's biggest architecture festivals. It is taking place for the fifth time this year and 500 projects took part in the first round.

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Symphonic Barge Designed by Louis Kahn Expected to Find New Home in Estonia

15 June (BNS)


Point Counterpoint II, the floating arts centre designed by the Estonian-born American architect Louis Kahn in 1961, will hopefully reach Estonia in the course of 2012. The initiator of bringing the vessel to Estonia, developer of Tallinn's Noblessner port Jaanus Tamme, said in his remarks to BNS that as of now the ship is still in the United States and sailing her to Estonia depends on money.

"She probably won't reach Estonia in 2011, but I imagine that 2012 is a realistic time by which the money will be together," Tamme said. He added that while nobody had made any commitments yet in terms of financing, the city of Tallinn has made its refusal known. "Right now the feeling is that the most realistic thing is to find someone with interest in the project in the private sector," Tamme said.

Point Counterpoint II, built by Robert Boudreau and designed by Louis Kahn in 1961, is the second boat used by the American Wind Symphony Orchestra (AWSO), the first having been a converted coal barge named Point Counterpoint. Aboard Point Counterpoint II, which measures 59 meters long and 38 meters wide, there are rooms for up to 13 crew members, staff, and the orchestra's conductor Robert Boudreau and his wife to live, an art gallery below deck, and a small theatre where most of the patrons' concerts take place.

Kahn died in 1974, two years before the vessel was completed. Boudreau, 83, has offered to sell the ship to Estonia for 1.1 million US dollars. If the ship was acquired by Estonia it would be the only work of Louis Kahn’s in Europe, the Pealtnägija (Eyewitness) program on Estonia's ETV public television has said.

Louis Kahn was born in 1901 into the family of Leib Schmuilowsky, financial official of the Estonian island capital Kuressaare, then Arensburg. His parents emigrated to America in 1906 when their son was five. His father changed their name in 1915.

Kahn's teaching career began at Yale University in 1947, and he was eventually named Albert F. Bemis Professor of Architecture and Planning at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1962 and Paul Philippe Cret Professor of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania in 1966. He was also a visiting lecturer at Princeton University from 1961 to 1967.
 

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Tartu Ski Marathon Features Team Event for First Time

8 February (ERR)


Those not up for skiing 63 km solo through possibly Arctic conditions can now team up with three other skiers and split up the distance in what Tartu Marathon organisers hope will become a new tradition a week before the race – the marathon relay.

The course for the 12 February event will be the same as the one to be contested on 19 February from Otepää to Elva. The four legs will vary in difficulty and length, between 12 and 20 km.

“The relay is a great opportunity for all colleagues, friends and families to don skis and take part in a team marathon event," said Inderk Kelk, marathon director.

As of 7 February, 60 teams had been registered for the relay. Online registration runs until the close of business on 10 February, in person until 11 February.
 

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Triin Aljand Wins Silver at European Swimming Championships

22 May (BNS)


Triin Aljand won the silver medal in the women’s 50 m butterfly at the European Long Course Swimming Championships in Debrecen with an Estonian record-breaking time of 25.92 seconds.

The European title went to Swede Sarah Sjöström (25.64) and the bronze went to Ingvild Snildal of Norway (26.16).

In Monday’s preliminary race Aljand came in fourth place with a time of 26.72 and in the semifinals she managed a faster time of 26.20 seconds.

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Vessels of Tall Ships Race 2013 to Stop in Saaremaa

17 April (BNS)


About 40 out of the one hundred or so vessels to take part in Tall Ships Race 2013 this summer are expected to call at the ports of Saaremaa Island, the regional newspaper Saarte Hääl said.

The vessels will be in Saaremaa from 22-23 July. The Tall Ships Race 2013 will consist of two legs. In Leg 1, the ships will sail from Arhus in Denmark to Helsinki in Finland, while in Leg 2 they will sail from Riga, Latvia to Szczecin in Poland. Between the two legs there will be a Cruise in Company from Helsinki to Riga, as part of which some of the vessels will visit Saaremaa, the paper said.

Arhus will serve as host port for the vessels from 4-7 July, Helsinki from 17-20 July , Riga from 25-28 July, and Szczecin from 3-6 August.

Madis Rallmann, board member of STA Estonia who co-ordinates the visit ofthe tall ships to Saaremaa, said 45 ships calling at Saaremaa ports would be a satisfying outcome. "Everything on top of that will be a bonus. With that number of yachts we can speak of approximately one thousand sailing enthusiasts visiting the Roomassaare harbour and Saaremaa harbour," Rallmann said.

The biggest of the vessels to take part in Tall Ships Race 2013 are too big to berth at Roomassaare, the port situated near Saaremaa's main city Kuressaare. The biggest of the vessels will approach Saaremaa from the West while for the smaller ones organisers have recommended to sail in procession via the Big Strait, the passage between the mainland and the Muhu/Saaremaa islands.

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Youth Prepare to Perform for Nation, the World

28 June (ERR)


"The wide world begins in a small land. The big becomes big only when seen side by side with the small. A small child's perception of the world may be much wider than that of a grown-up. And a small nation can be big in the eyes of the world if it is great in spirit and mind."

Thus wrote the organisers of the three-day Youth Song and Dance Celebration, to which 35 000 schoolchildren will flock to from all over the country this weekend. The festival, which takes place once every two to three years, comprises two days of folk dancing and a day of choir music. It will be held at Tallinn's Song Festival Grounds.

The celebration begins on Friday 1 July at 19:00 with an opening ceremony, continues at 20:00 on Saturday, and finishes up on Sunday, starting with a parade at 9:00 and continuing the programme at the Song Festival Grounds at 13:00. The first two days of the festival will comprise two-hour performances by thousands of dancers, who will form beautiful patterns in front of the Song Stage. The event concludes with a six-hour concert by choirs and orchestras from throughout the nation.

Beginning at 9:00 on 3 July, the parade going through downtown Tallinn is an important part of the tradition and will be hard to miss. During the parade, a symbolic torch will be carried to the fire tower at the Song Festival Grounds. One of Tallinn's largest roads, Narva maantee, will be closed to most traffic between 07:00 and 23:00 during all three days of the event. However, public transportation will be operating, with a special city bus service operating during the festival.

Most of the city's schools will be turned into temporary shelters for the performers, who can easily be identified by their green bracelets when they are not already dressed for the show.

The tradition of Estonian song and dance celebrations dates back to the year 1869.

Tickets range from four to 40 euros. Details can be found on the English-language website.
 

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95th Anniversary of Republic of Estonia Celebrated in Moscow With Opening of Exhibit of Eduard Wiiralt’s Graphic Art

27 February


Today, 27 February, Estonian Ambassador to Russia Jüri Luik opened an exhibit of Eduard Wiiralt’s graphic art in the Estonian Embassy in Moscow on the occasion of the 95th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia.

Wiiralt's Estonian Girl

Ambassador Jüri Luik acknowledged that Wiiralt, who is one of the most cosmopolitan Estonian artists in terms of both his work and his life, represents the European spirit for which Estonians have always been known in Moscow.

The colourful graphic pieces from the series entitled “Absinthe Drinkers” and “Estonian Girl” are on display in the exhibit. Each of the “Absinthe Drinkers” proofs are printed by the artist in different tones, and the “Estonian Girl” etchings also differ from one another in colour. The rich use of colour, particularly in “Absinthe Drinkers”, will surely come as a surprise to many viewers. By examining the details of various proofs, one can also follow the process of how the works were done.

The embassy is grateful to Toomas Sildmäe, whose collection the works belong to, for the opportunity to display the works of one of Estonia’s most beloved artists on the occasion of the anniversary of the republic. The exhibit is also symbolic because Wiiralt himself played a role in the birth of the Republic of Estonia, having volunteered to serve in the War of Independence.

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Estonia, Serbia Draw 1:1 in 2012 Euro Qualifiers in Tallinn

29 March (BNS)


At the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn on 29 March, the Estonian soccer team drew 1:1 with Serbia in the Euro qualifiers.

The first half was played in sticky snow at zero degrees. After an unfortunate pass by Raio Piiroja was picked up by Serbian players, a skirmish in Estonia's penalty box ensued with Marko Pantelic running into the box at full speed and scoring 1-0 for Serbia from six meters on 39 minutes.

In the second half, Estonia gained momentum, applying tough midfield pressure and creating one dangerous situation after another in Serbia's end zone. On 84 minutes, Konstantin Vassiljev finally scored 1-1 on a free kick from 35 meters around the Serbian wall.

On 93 minutes the ball crossed the score line behind Pareiko, giving Serbia premature cause to rejoice, only to be annulled by the linesman for a scrimmage violation.
 

 

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Estonian Film Admitted to Competition Programme of Locarno Film Festival

12 July (BNS)


A feature film by the Estonian director Ilmar Raag, “Une estonienne a Paris”, has been picked for the main competition program of the Locarno Film Festival. Raag's film will have its world premier in the festival, which marks its 65th anniversary this year. The film will arrive on screens in Estonia on 12 October, the Estonian Film Foundation told BNS.

The films in the competition program will arrive before 8 000 viewers at the Piazza Grande in Locarno, where one of the biggest open-air screens has been installed.

Ilmar Raag's “Une estonienne a Paris” is a drama about two women in Paris, shot in Estonian small towns and in Paris. The producers of the film, completed in co-operation between with Estonia, France and Belgium, are Riina Sildos of Estonia, Milena Poylo and Gilles Sacuto of France, and Philippe Kauffmann of Belgium. In 2008 “Une estonienne a Paris” was picked as the first Estonian project to the Cannes film festival Cinefondation project market L'Atelier.

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Estonian Margus Hunt Selected by Cincinnati Bengals in NFL Draft

27 April (BNS)


Estonian Margus Hunt was taken by the Cincinnati Bengals with the Number 53 overall pick in the second/third round of the NFL Draft on Friday, CBS Sports said.

The former Southern Methodist University (SMU) defensive end didn't start playing football until 2009.

Born in the southern Estonian small town of Karksi-Nuia 1987, Hunt went to the United States hoping SMU would revive its track and field programme. When that didn't happen, Hunt tried football and became an instant smash by blocking seven kicks his first season, one shy of the NCAA record. He ended his career with 17 blocked kicks -- 10 on field goals, seven on extra points – two short of the NCAA record.

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Kanter, Aljand Voted Athletes of the Year

28 December (ERR)


After an eventful sporting year, the efforts of Estonia’s best athletes were recognised in an awards ceremony on 27 December.

Best male athlete went to discus thrower Gerd Kanter, who in 2011 took silver at the World Championships in Daegu. Kanter beat road bicycle racer Rein Taaramäe and midfielder Konstantin Vassiljev of the national football team for the number one spot.

Swimmer Triin Aljand, who won a silver and bronze medal from the European Short Course Championships, was awarded best female athlete. Estonia’s star tennis player Kaia Kanepi ranked second.

Youth European Championship winner heptathlete Grit Sadeiko was named best young athlete, ousting Junior European Champion in javelin Liina Laasmaa and Orange Bowl International Tennis Championship winner Anett Kontaveit. The national football team, which ended its most successful ever European Football Championship preliminaries this year, was named team of the year, with the best coach title going to Tarmo Rüütli.

Swimmer Kardo Ploomipuu was awarded Paralympic athlete of the year. In 2011, he took European Championship gold in the 100-meter backstroke.

The winners were picked by a combined vote of the public, sports associations and journalists.
 

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National Opera Estonia Drew Record Audiences in 2011

2 January (BNS)


The year 2011 was the most successful among the past decades for the National Opera Estonia as it achieved record high number of visitors since the beginning of this century, writes LETA/Postimees Online. Estonia’s performances and concerts were visited by a total of nearly 160 000 persons in the past year.

There were a total of 395 performances and concerts given (in 2009 the number was 353, in 2010 369, and during the previous 9 years an average of 319 per year). The average occupancy rate of audience seats in the theatre rose to 83% (in 2009 it was 71%, and in 2010 72%).

“I am very glad that during this complicated economic time – or perhaps despite it – the public has not abandoned its habit of going to the theatre,” said the head of the National Opera Estonia Aivar Mäe. “We have not raised prices during the past three years,” he noted, thanking the audiences and the employees of the theatre for the successful year spent together.

The most popular shows in terms of audience numbers during the past year were the operas “Parsifal”, “La boheme”, “Carmen” and “Manon Lescaut”, ballet performances “Nutcracker”, “Swan Lake”, “Othello. Who Cares?”, “Manon” and “Snow White and 7 Dwarfs”, the operetta “Silva”, and the children’s performances “Pipi Longstocking” and “Bear’s Christmas Alphabet”.

The cast of the Estonia also gave performances in Finland, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the United States.
 

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Nature Photographer Wins Second Place in International Competition

24 October (ERR)


Estonian nature photographer Remo Savisaar's photo of a deer was deemed worthy of second place in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year black and white nature photography category last week.

Over 48 000 photos from 98 countries were submitted for all categories of the Veolia-sponsored competition, regarded as a prestigious international nature photography competition, reported Delfi.

The deer in the chiaroscuro setting was photographed on a winter's day in the Vooremaa area of east central Estonia. The photo and the story behind it can be viewed on the Wildlife Photographer of the Year website.

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Nordic Skiing World Cup Leg to Be Held in Full

11 January (BNS)


The organising committee of the Nordic skiing World Cup stage in Otepää, Estonia reaffirmed its readiness to the international skiing association FIS to stage the competition as scheduled, with a full list of events.

"The competition will take place in full scale, in accordance with the programme set out earlier. The exact programme of side events will be laid down by the beginning of next week," chief organiser of the Otepää stage Jaak Mae told the Delfi news portal.

Mae pointed out that the weather forecast was positive, promising subzero temperatures from Saturday onwards until the competition weekend of 21-22 January.

According to the timetable of the competition, sprint events will be held on Saturday, 21 January and the men's 15-kilometer classical style and women's 10-kilometer classical style races on the following day.
 

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Pärt's Symphony Nominated for Grammy

8 February (ERR)


Arvo Pärt's Fourth Symphony, "Los Angeles," which is dedicated to the Russian political prisoner Mikhail Khodorkovsky, has been nominated for a Grammy for best classical contemporary composition. The Symphony was recorded by the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen.

The composer has asked Mikhail Khodorkovsky's son Pavel to represent his father at the award ceremony on 13 February in Los Angeles, the Khodorkovsky and Lebedev Communications Center homepage reports.

On 31 January, the citizen initiative Friends of Russian Democrats organised a demonstration in front of the Russian Embassy in Tallinn to support Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Platon Lebedev and other Russian political prisoners. Arvo Pärt expressed his support to Khodorkovsky by making an on-camera statement pleading with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev to release the prisoners.
 

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Record Number of Cinema Visits in 2011

29 May (BNS)
As many as 2.3 million movie visits were made in Estonia in 2011, marking a new record for the last 19 years, Statistics Estonia said.  The last time attendance was higher than that was in 1992, when 3.4 million visits to see a movie were made. Compared to 2010, the number of visits increased by more than 200 000.

A total of 301 movies were shown in the movie theatres of Estonia in 2011. Most of them were US and European imports, numbering 143 and 110, respectively. During the last years the share of the US productions has decreased and the share of European productions has increased.

Forty Estonian movies were shown in theatres during the year, which also marks a record for the last two decades. The attendance of Estonian movies was over 236 000, accounting for one-tenth of the total attendance number.

The average price of a movie ticket, which had fallen slightly to 3.6 euros in 2010 in connection with the opening of several new venues, rose somewhat last year and the average ticket cost 4.1 euros in 2011.

Thirteen Estonian-made full length movies were released during 2011, of which some were co-productions with foreign partners. Eight of them were feature films, four long documentaries, and after several years one full-length animation was released in Estonia.

During the year a total of 187 movies were released in Estonia, of which 154 were short movies and 33 full length movies. The majority of them had their premiere in television.

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Tallinn to Host European Athletics Gala 2013

28 November (BNS)


The European Athletics Awards ceremony will be held in the Estonian capital Tallinn next year, sports news of the public broadcaster ERR reported on Tuesday.

"It has been agreed with the European Athletic Association that we and they will both do all we can to bring Europe's best athletes here," the president of the Estonian Athletic Association, Erich Teigamägi, told ERR news, adding that he gave the head of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Lamine Diack, a personal invitation to visit Tallinn for the first time.

The IAAF acknowledged the achievements of Estonian athletics with its Spirit of the World Plan award, which was given to one country on each continent. Teigamagi said the award is recognition not only of the association but of the 103-year-old Estonian athletics organisation as a whole. Estonia won the award for organising successful competitions at the national, regional and European level, as well as for the overall level of sports of the small country, he said.

Tallinn hosted the European athletics junior championships last year and the association is bidding for European U-23 championships 2015.

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UEFA Under 19 Football Championship Begins in Estonia

3 July (ERR)


This year's UEFA European Under 19 Football Championship, which Estonia is hosting, kicks off in four locations today, 3 July. The matches are to be held in the nation's capital Tallinn, the seaside town of Haapsalu, and the town of Rakvere in northern Estonia.

The Under 19 Football Championships are taking place in Estonia

The eight countries to go head-to-head in the competition, which lasts through 15 July, are Estonia, Croatia, England, France, Greece, Portugal, Serbia and Spain.

In order to be made suitable for the event, the Haapsalu stadium, mostly used for track and field, had to undergo renovation to meet UEFA standards for its wardrobe, washing- and massage rooms. "The UEFA committee was pleased with our stadium, the grass cover was very good," said Veiko Pärnaste, senior specialist of the Haapsalu sports and youth work division. According to Pärnaste, organisers are expecting a full house – 1 500 spectators per game.

The first match held today at the Haapsalu Stadium will be between Greece and Spain. Also today the English and Croatian teams will take the pitch at the Kadrioru Stadium in Tallinn, Estonia will play Portugal in Tallinn's Lilleküla Stadium, and the Rakvere Stadium will host a game between Serbia and France.
 

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"Mushrooming" Tops Estonian Box Office Chart in 2012

26 January (BNS)

A still from the film Mushrooming

"Mushrooming" ("Seenelkäik"), a political satire from Estonian director Toomas Hussar, secured a place at the top of the box office rankings for Estonian films in 2012 with more than twice as many viewers as the next popular production, figures published by the Estonian Film Institute show.

"Mushrooming" was watched by an audience of 73 712 by the end of the year, with runner-up "A Lady in Paris" ("Eestlanna Pariisis,"  "Une Estonienne a Paris") second with 36 621 viewers and "Bad Hair Friday" ("Vasaku jala reede") third with 32 990.

"Purge" ("Puhastus"), a film based on a novel of the same name by Finnish-Estonian writer Sofi Oksanen, came fourth with an audience of 18 137 and "Demons" ("Deemonid") fifth with 17 494.

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11 138 Visit European U-19 Football Championship on Opening Day

4 July (BNS)


The first day of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship that opened in Estonia on Tuesday attracted an attendance of 11 138, the Estonian Football Association said.

On the first day matches were played at all four venues, with Portugal enjoying a relatively straightforward 3-0 win against hosts Estonia in Tallinn. That match, played in Lilleküla Stadium, saw an audience of 6 691. The England-Serbia clash at the second Tallinn venue, Kadriorg, was watched by an audience of 1 270, the Greece-Spain clash in the north-western resort town of Haapsalu by 1 350, and the Serbia-France clash in the eastern town Rakvere by 1 827.

The director of the tournament, Anne Rei, expressed thanks on behalf of organisers to all viewers who attended the opening day, saying the participating teams and UEFA alike were very glad that the Estonian public came along in such way and voiced hope that there will be even more people at the stadiums on Friday.

On the second day of the U-19 European finals on Friday, Estonia will be play against Greece at Kadriorg starting at 17.00. Lillekula Stadium in Tallinn will host Portugal and Spain at 20.00, France and Croatia will play in Haapsalu starting at 16.30, and Serbia and England in Rakvere starting 17.30.

The UEFA European Under-19 Championship finals are played in Tallinn, Haapsalu and Rakvere from 3-15 July. It marks the first time that Euro championship finals are being held in Estonia and the first time for the Estonian side to play in Euro championship finals, having won the slot as hosts.

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20th Anniversary of Restoration of Estonia’s Independence to Be Celebrated with Several Major Events

10 August


On 20 August 2011 Estonia will be celebrating 20 years since the independence of its country was restored with a number of fascinating events.

The Foreign Ministry and the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute have organised a conference on 20 August entitled “20.08.1991 – Twenty Years On”. At the conference the former and current government leaders and foreign ministers of the Nordic countries, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Russia will focus on the experiences gained over the last 20 years as well as new challenges. Participants in the conference will include Icelandic Foreign Minister Össur Skarphéðinsson, Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, Latvian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, and Lithuanian Foreign Minister Ģirts Valdis Kristovskis.

On the evening of 20 August the massive free music event “Song of Freedom” will be held at the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds. The concert will include performances by Estonian artists as well as Finnish, Norwegian, Latvian, and Irish performers. Midnight will officially mark the beginning of Iceland Day, a special day of Icelandic culture that is Estonia’s way of thanking Iceland and celebrating the special relationship between Estonia and Iceland. “For Estonia, Iceland’s decision to be the first country to recognise the restoration of Estonia’s independence is and will remain a historical turning point,” said Paet. “Iceland’s bold step made the decision easier for a lot of other countries, who then followed its example.” Icelandic President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson will be there to kick off the Iceland Day event.

Throughout the day on Sunday, 21 August, over ten musical acts from the island nation will appear in Tallinn’s courtyards, venues, and on Iceland Square, Iceland-themed exhibits will be unveiled, and a Nordic-inspired food market will take place. Many of the scheduled events are free of charge. “The fact that Estonia has decided to dedicate the 20th anniversary of the restoration of its independence to another country, calling it Iceland Day, is a great honour for our country. I am certain that this day full of music, design, literature and photography will strengthen the cultural ties between our countries even more,” commented Icelandic Ambassador to Estonia Elín Flygenring.

A few of the major events of Iceland Day include the “Inspired by Iceland” food market at Iceland Square, the Icelandic Contemporary Design exhibition being opened at the Museum of Applied Art and Design, and the huge wrap-up Iceland Day Party that will take over the Von Krahl Theatre building from 21:00-03:00.

“Iceland Day is a unique and extraordinary event. The possibility to see and hear so much world-class Icelandic art and music over the course of a single day here in Tallinn is truly a great gift to us from both the Estonian and Icelandic states,” noted the organiser of Iceland Day, Helen Sildna.
 

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Arvo Pärt Becomes First Composer Among Academy Members

7 December (ERR)

Arvo PärtOn 7 December Arvo Pärt became the first composer ever to receive membership of the Estonian Academy of Science. The decision to include representatives of fine arts in the association of scientists and scholars was made two years ago, ETV reported.

In addition to Pärt, the candidacy of composer Erkki-Sven Tüür was set up. In total, seven experts from different walks of life were awarded academy fellowship on 7 December.

"I believe that the academy made the right choice," said Jaan Ross, music scholar. “Pärt is currently the most internationally visible Estonian composer and speaking from the scientific aspect, he has created a new paradigm in contemporary classical music," Ross said.

The Estonian Academy of Sciences was founded in 1938 to advance scientific research. It currently has 73 full members and 17 foreign members.
 

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Baltic Countries to Renew Commitments to Kremerata Baltica Chamber Orchestra

10 February (BNS)


Representatives of the ministries of culture of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will sign an agreement in Riga on Monday on the joint Baltic chamber orchestra Kremerata Baltica for the next three years.

The agreement will be signed on Estonia's behalf by Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture Ragnar Siil, spokespeople for the ministry told BNS.

Also to be discussed at the meeting are matters of cultural co-operation between Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In the evening a festive anniversary concert of Kremerata Baltica and a meeting with Latvian Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis will take place at the Great Guild Hall in Riga.

The Kremerata Baltica chamber orchestra was founded by the renowned violinist Gideon Kremer in 1997. Kremer is also the director of the orchestra now and the activities of the orchestra are supported by the ministries of culture of the three Baltic countries.

The orchestra brings together talented young musicians from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, the average age of its members being 27 years. Kremerata Baltica was awarded a Grammy Award in 2002 in the category Classical Music: Best Small Ensemble Recording for its recording "After Mozart".

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Baltic Cultural Days and Charity Christmas Party to be Held in Gardens of Villa Giulia in Rome

12 December


From 13-16 December, cultural days dedicated to the Baltic countries will take place in the gardens of Villa Giulia in Rome. The Etruscan museum and gardens of the Villa Giulia will be open free of charge to all visitors for the duration of the event.

During the four-day event, Estonia. Latvia and Lithuania will be able to introduce their cultures and Christmas traditions to the Italian public. This is the first time Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian cultural days are being held in Rome.

From Friday to Sunday, 14-16 December, a Christmas market with handicrafts and natural products will take place and performances and concerts introducing the culture of Baltic countries will take place. Christmas poems and stories from the Baltic countries will also be read. The money brought in by the charity Christmas market will go to the organisation that supports children with cancer in Rome “Casa Peter Pan” as well as Siiri Sisask’s charity fund “Saagu valgus”.

On Friday, 14 December an amber exhibit entitled “Amber. From the Shores of the Baltic to Etruria” will be opened in Villa Giulia. The exhibit will stay up until March 2013. Villa Giulia’s rare collection of Etruscan-era Baltic amber jewellery will be on display, which will be juxtaposed with the work of contemporary Baltic jewellery artists.

The four-day event will also included an academic seminar on the culture of the indigenous people of the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, art exhibits, performances by Estonian musicians including Siiri Sisask, the presentation of the translation of Lennart Meri’s book “Silver White”, and degustation of Estonian foods.

The Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian cultural days are taking place through the co-operation of the Italian Ministry of Culture, Italian National Etruscan Museum Villa Giulia, Italian Estonian Society, Estonian Embassy in Rome, and the Latvian and Lithuanian embassies in Rome.

The patrons of the event on the Italian side are the president of Italy, the Italian government, Italian Foreign Ministry, Italian Ministry of Culture, Rome city government, mayor of Rome, and the provincial government of Lazio. The idea for a Baltic cultural days event was initiated by the Italian Estonian Society together with the Estonian Embassy in Rome.

The Estonian supporters of the event are Enterprise Estonia, the Estonian Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Culture, Italian Estonian Society, Estonian Embassy in Rome, Estonian Foreign Ministry, Estonian Language Institute, Lennart Meri Foundation, Estonian Culinary Institute, the restaurant Olde Hansa, the gallery Siidilabor, OÜ Zajez, OÜ Rocco, Estonian Handicraft Society, Epp Maria Kokamäe Gallery, and DHL.
 

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Competition for Estonian-Latvian and Latvian-Estonian Translation Prize Begins

21 December


Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet and Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics announced the start of the competition for recognising the best Latvian and Estonian-language translators. The winner of the competition will be announced in February 2013.

Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that through awarding a translation prize, we hope to inspire more translations of Estonian literature into Latvian and vice versa. “We call on all translators who translate from Estonian to Latvian of from Latvian to Estonian to participate in the competition,” said Paet. The Estonian-Latvian and Latvian-Estonian translation prize emphasises the importance of the Estonian and Latvian languages as well as cultural exchange in order to advance the professionalism of translators of literature as well as political, popular science, historical, sociological, and other texts.

The monetary value of the award is 3 000 euros, to which both sides are contributing equally. The jury will contain representatives from the foreign ministries of the two countries and the director of each nation’s literature information centre.

The agreement that established the Estonian-Latvian and Latvian-Estonian translation award was signed by Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet and Latvian Foreign Minister Māris Riekstiņš on 18 February 2009. The idea for the creation of the award came from Estonian Ambassador to Latvia Jaak Jõerüüt and Latvian Ambassador to Estonia Kārlis Eihenbaums, who presented a joint letter proposing the implementation of the idea to the foreign ministries of both countries at the end of 2008.

In previous years the prize has been awarded to translators Maima Grīnberga (2009), Guntars Godinš (2010), and Kalev Kalkun (2011).

Nominees for the translation competition can be submitted through the application form found on the Foreign Ministry’s website: www.vm.ee/sites/default/files/Eesti_lati_tolkeauhinna_vorm.doc. The deadline for nominations is 1 February 2013.
 

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Epp Maria Kokamägi’s Exhibit Tour Begins Today in Italy

28 February


On 28 February the exhibit of Epp Maria Kokamägi’s paintings entitled “Time of Angels” will open in Genoa, Italy. At the opening, Kokamägi’s works will be introduced by well-known Italian art critic Anna Orlando.

For her exhibit tour in Italy, Epp Maria Kokamägi has chosen 28 pieces that represent an overview of her work from 2009-2012. The eight newest works were painted by Kokamägi in January of this year specifically for the Italy tour.

Epp Maria Kokamägi herself says that organising an exhibit in Italy has been her dream since she was young, and she is very happy that the dream is now coming true.

The opening of Kokamägi’s exhibit in Genoa on 28 February is one part of the Estonian Independence Day events organised by Estonia’s honorary consulate there. The exhibit was organised by the Estonian Embassy in Rome together with the honorary consulate in Genoa, and the event is taking place in the Genoa Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

During the year the exhibit will move from Genoa to Milan, Florence, Cagliari, Bari, and Venice.

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Estonia Climbs One Notch in FIFA Rankings

14 February (BNS)


The Estonian national football team improved its position by one place to a tied 82nd in the FIFA rankings for February published on Thursday.

Estonia was 83rd in January, 86th in December 2012, 84th in November, 69th in October, 55th in September, 49th in August, 56th in July, 57th in June, 54th in May and 53rd in April. In March 2012 Estonia was in its all-time highest place, 47th.

Estonia is tied for 82nd place in the fresh table with Senegal. Ahead of it comes El Salvador as 81st and next down is Uganda in 84.

Spain remains at the top of the list, followed by Germany, Argentina, England, Italy, Colombia, Portugal, the Netherlands, Croatia and Russia.

Of the nations playing in the same Group D with Estonia in qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the Netherlands is placed 8th, Romania 31st, Hungary 33rd, Turkey 41st and Andorra 204th.

Of Estonia's closest neighbours Russia is 10th, Finland 85th, Latvia 109th and Lithuania 117th in the table ranking 207 national sides.

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Estonia Counts Down to Euro 2012 Playoff

10 November (ERR)


Fans have donned their colours, flags are flying, and police are out in force as Tallinn counts down the hours to the all-important Euro 2012 playoff match against the Republic of Ireland on 11 November. The first leg of what is arguably the most crucial tie in Estonian football's history kicks off in Tallinn's A. Le Coq Arena at 21:45 local time (19:45 GMT).

As many as 300 journalists from 14 countries will be on hand for the game, joining the 9 600 spectators at the stadium, which will be filled to capacity.

Estonia has never before been this close to entering a European championship, and the result of tonight's match, as well as the second leg in Dublin on 15 November, will determine whether they will indeed be heading to Euro 2012 next summer. It's no wonder then that interest in the match has been unprecedented. Home-side tickets sold out in half an hour after they went on sale on 17 October.

The 1 400 seats reserved for Irish fans have also sold out, though more than twice that number are thought to be in Tallinn for the big event. They began arriving in large numbers on Thursday, making a noticeable presence in the capital's historic Old Town district. Fans who weren't lucky enough to secure tickets or seats in sports pubs will be able to watch the action on a large screen in the city's Freedom Square. A local cinema, Sõprus, has said it will also be showing the match free of charge.

Police will be out in force for the event, keeping a close eye on fans. Senior police official Einar Lillo said earlier in the week that patrols are being stepped up and that local authorities have been in contact with their Irish colleagues.

Going strictly by FIFA rankings, Ireland are clearly the stronger team, coming in at 25th compared to 59th-placed Estonia. What's unclear, however, is how much impact the absence of Irish striker Shane Long, midfielder Liam Lawrence and now defender John O'Shea - all sidelined with injuries - will have on the Boys in Green.

Estonia, meanwhile, could benefit from the surprise inclusion of New York Red Bulls midfielder Joel Lindpere to its roster.

For his part, Estonia's head coach Tarmo Rüütli has not been overly confident about his team's prospects. At a press conference the day before the match, he gave them a 50/50 chance for victory, rus.err.ee reported. Bookmakers have put the odds in the Irish side's favour. Both Baltic-based online betting firm TrioBet and Ireland's largest sports betting house Paddy Power are offering slightly better than 3-1 on an Estonian win, about the same for a draw and roughly 2-1 for an Irish win.
 

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Estonian Actors to Perform 'Antigone' in Iran Again

22 August (BNS)


An Estonian company led by Iranian director Homayun Ghanizadeh will perform 'Antigone' at Tehran's Iranshahr Theatre from 22 August – 10 September, the Tehran Times said. "The idea to stage 'Antigone' dates back three years ago. I selected members of the cast during a short workshop I held in Estonia," Ghanizadeh said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Citing differences in the way Iranian and Estonian acting companies perform, the director said staging 'Antigone' was a good experience for him. "In Iran, a director should give many ideas during rehearsals and the cast chooses the best, but in Estonia, cast members create great thoughts from small ideas," he explained.

Estonian actress Elina Reinold described working with Ghanizadeh as interesting. "He gives outstanding ideas and he knows how he can influence the audience," she said the press conference.

'Antigone' is a production of the project theatre R.A.A.A.M and was also performed during the 29th Fajr (Dawn) international theatre festival in Iran in February 2011. Reinold won the best actress award for her portrayal of Antigone at the festival.

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Estonian Ambassador to France Presents Two Estonian Decorations

13 April


During the past week, Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia to France Sven Jürgenson presented two Estonian decorations at the Estonian Embassy in Paris. The decorations were bestowed upon the recipients by President of the Republic Toomas Hendrik Ilves in February of this year.

On Friday, 8 April, Ambassador Jürgenson presented Vladimir-Georg Karassev-Orgusaar with the Order of the White Star IV Class. Vladimir Georg Karassev-Orgussaar was born in Tallinn in 1931. After studying literature and history at Tomsk University in Russia, he studied cinematography at the State Institute of Cinematography in Moscow. After returning to Estonia, Karassev-Orgussaar made primarily non-fiction films for Tallinnfilm and Eesti Telefilm in the 1960s. From 1968 he belonged to the editorial board of Eesti Telefilm. He also worked part-time in the film criticism department of the weekly paper “Sirp ja Vasar”. After his fictional 1971 film “Lindpriid” was banned, which was followed by a ban on cinema work for him, Karassev-Orgusaar pursued political refuge in France during a trip to the Cannes Film festival in 1976. He has lived in Paris ever since.

In 1981 Karassev-Orgussaar began working with the editors of the Estonian- and Russian-language programmes on Radio Free Europe. One year later, with the help of Free Europe, he initiated the idea of observing Fallen Freedom Fighters’ Day on 27 March. In 1990 Vladimir Georg Karassev-Orgussaar was chosen as a member of the Estonian Congress, and for the next two years he was the representative of the Estonian Committee in France. As the founder and co-president of the Association France–Estonie — Pont de la Démocratie, which was created in 1991, Vladimir Georg Karassev-Orgussaar has actively helped to introduce Estonia in France over the years.

On Wednesday, 13 April, Ambassador Sven Jürgenson presented philosopher André Glucksmann with the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana III Class. André Glucksmann, who has thoroughly addressed totalitarian regimes in his works, was recognised with a decoration of the Estonian Republic by President Toomas Hendrik Ilves in February of this year.

Ambassador Sven Jürgenson thanked André Glucksmann for his active and long-term dedication to the pursuit of freedom. The ambassador said that André Glucksmann’s activities have been significant for Estonia over the years. “By being a constant supporter of those suffering under communist regimes, be it Vietnam or the Soviet Union, and for always demanding freedom, André Glucksmann has earned this high recognition from the Republic of Estonia,” said Ambassador Sven Jürgenson in his speech after presenting the decoration.

The French philosopher, political scientist, essayist and representative of the “New Philosophers” earned considerable public attention in 2008 when he expressed support for Georgia during the August war with Russia.
 

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Estonian Animated Film Wins Prize in Argentina

11 September (BNS)


The full-length animated cartoon “Lotte and the Moonstone Secret” completed at the Eesti Joonisfilm studios last year, won the first prize in the full-length animated cartoons category in the prestigious International Film Festival Nueva Mirada for Children and Youth.

The festival, which took place from 30 August to 4 September and is one of the biggest film festivals for children and youth, was taking place for the 11th time, Eesti Joonisfilm informed BNS. Janno Põldma, one of the authors of the film, took part in the festival.

The film “Lotte and the Moonstone Secret” was supported by the Estonian Film Foundation, the National Film Centre of Latvia, and the Estonian National Broadcasting Company.

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Estonian Days Taking Place in Strasbourg, France

27 March


Estonian Days will be taking place in Strasbourg from 28-29 March. The two-day event will include a lecture on modern Estonian architecture at Strasbourg’s National School of Architecture, the opening of the exhibit “50 Houses”, a performance by Julia Boman with distinguished jazz musicians, and a lecture about Estonia by Estonian Ambassador Sven Jürgenson at the Political Science Institute.

On Wednesday, 28 March, the exhibit “50 Houses”, which introduces the modern architecture of Estonian homes, will be opened at the CAUE Bas-Rhin architectural gallery in Strasbourg, France. The houses on display have been built over the past 15 years as part of a unique project. The exhibit is being brought to France by the Estonian Centre of Architecture and its authors are architect Kalle Vellevoog, interior decorator Tiiu Truus, graphical designer Martin Pedanik, and architectural researcher Karen Jagodin. “50 Houses” was also displayed in Paris during the cultural festival “Estonie tonique” in the fall of 2011.

The exhibit opening will be preceded by an architectural seminar at the INSA School of Architecture, where architectural researcher Karem Jagodin and architect Toivo Tammik will talked about modern architecture in Estonian homes.

The evening will be concluded with a concert in the well-known Strasbourg concert venue Au Camionneur, where distinguished jazz musicians from Strasbourg will perform together with jazz singer Julia Boman, who is originally from Estonia.

On Thursday, 29 March Estonian Ambassador to France Sven Jürgenson will participate in a conference at the Political Science Institute focusing on the euro crisis, further European Union integration, and Euro-Atlantic security.

The Estonian Days in Strasbourg were organised by the Estonian Embassy in Paris in co-operation with the Estonian Centre of Architecture, the Estonian Representation to the Council of Europe, the Political Science Institute, the CAUE Bas-Rhin architectural gallery, and the INSA School of Architecture.
 

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Estonian Embassy in Helsinki to Present Seppo Zetterberg’s New Work “Kulttuuria ja kumouspuuhia”

9 April


On Thursday, 11 April, Finnish historian and acclaimed researcher of Estonian history Seppo Zetterberg’s new book “Kulttuuria ja kumouspuuhia” will be presented at the Estonian Embassy in Helsinki.

The book is about Estonians that were active in Helsinki in the beginning of the 20th century, several of whom were later part of independent Estonia’s cultural elite or political leadership. Those who studied in Helsinki include Oskar Kallas, who became Estonia’s first ambassador to Finland, Hella Murrik (Wuolijoki), who was later an author and Finnish social figure, and the poet Gustav Suits. Working in Helsinki from time to time were also writer Friedebert Tuglas, journalist and author Eduard Vilde, future heads of state of Estonia Otto Strandman, Konstantin Päts and Jaan Teemant, the founder of social democracy in Estonia Mihkel Martna, violinist Eduard Sõrmus, and painter Konrad Mägi. The book paints an interesting picture of the activities and the various stages of development of the Estonian community in Helsinki at the start of the 20th century.

Seppo Zetterberg is a historian, professor emeritus of general history at Jyväskylä University, and member of the Academy of Finland. From 1994-1996 he was the director of the Finnish Institute in Estonia. Seppo Zetterberg’s 2007 work “Viron histooria” is an anthology on the history of Estonia from the Ice Age until the present day. The Finnish Friends of History Association selected it the history book of the year and it was a candidate for one of the most recognised non-fiction literature prizes in Finland, Tieto-Finlandia. The work was published in Estonian in September of 2009.

Seppo Zetterberg’s new work “Kulttuuria ja kumousouuhia” will be published in Estonian at the end of this year by the publisher Tänapäev.

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Estonian-Finnish Culture Month to Begin in Slovenia

13 January


Today an Estonian-Finnish Culture Month will begin in the city of Maribor in Slovenia. Maribor is one of the European Capitals of Culture for 2012 and the cultural month will, among other things, mark the passing of the title from Tallinn and Turku over to the city of Maribor.

The heart of the Capital of Culture is the renovated Vetrinjski Manor located in the centre of Maribor, where displays of Estonian and Finnish comics as well as a jewellery and textile exhibit will be on display from 13 January until 4 February. The Estonian comic artists whose works are being presented are Anni Mäger, Elina Sildre, Elisabeth Salmin, Joonas Sildre, Kristel Maamägi, Lilli-Krõõt Repnau, Peeter Krosmann, Triinu Lill, Veiko Tammjärv, Ülo Pikkov, and Madis Ots. Estonian jewellery is being represented by the Kärt Summatavet’s silver jewellery inspired by tradition Seto ornaments. The highlight of the opening ceremony will the fire sculpture set up in the heart of Maribor by Light Festival artists Kalev Järvik, Henry Timusk, Lauri Tamm, and Reino Altrov.

Karl Saks’ modern dance production “The Drone of Monk Nestor” will be presented on 21 January, also within the framework of the culture month.

The culture month will end on 4 February, when the culture month baton will be handed over to Hungary. A joint event featuring a jazz quartet that brings together musicians from Estonia, Finland and Hungary will take place – Estonia will be represented by clarinet virtuoso Meelis Vind.
 

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Estonie Tonique Celebrates Nation's 100th Filmmaking Anniversary

22 November 2011 (ERR)

Estonian film will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2012The Estonie Tonique culture festival in France will run a special program to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Estonian movie making.

During the program, running from November 23 through December 5, nine feature-length Estonian fiction films will be screened, six of which have been named by the Film Critics Association as the nation's top feature films of the past 100 years.

All movies will be screened at the Cinematheque Fracaise in Paris, the largest film archive in the world.

The program, titled Les 100 ans du cinema estonien, will be opened by an Estonian silent movie classic, the War-of-Independence-themed "Young Eagles" by Theodor Luts, which dates back to 1927.

In addition to full features, movie buffs will be treated to a number of short fiction and documentary films produced in Estonia and can get acquainted with the works of the country's animation filmmakers.

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FIFA Ranking Unchanged in July

27 July (BNS)


The International Football Association (FIFA) rankings for July, released on Wednesday, show Estonia in position 79, unchanged from its ranking in June.

In May Estonia was in 75th position in the FIFA list and in April it was 74th. In March it was 82nd and in January in 86th.

The top three of FIFA rankings did not change in July, with Spain first, the Netherlands second and Germany third. Brazil rose one notch from place five to place four, whereas the fifth place belonged to Uruguay, which shot up 13 notches. England dropped two places to sixth.

The other nations in the top ten were Portugal, Italy, Croatia and Argentina. Lithuania was in place 58 and Latvia in place 83.
 

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Fifth Tallinn Music Week to Present Record Number of Artists

5 March

Tallinn Music Week

This year’s Tallinn Music Week (TMW) will take place from 4-6 April, during which time 30 music venues in the city will fill up with music fans and 233 artists from 20 countries. To bring attention not only to good music but also to the good food offered in Tallinn, this year's festival has hand-picked a selection of town's best restaurants and eateries, which are offering special menus and discounts to festival guests.

Tallinn Music Week that has grown into one of the biggest indoor festivals in the Baltic region and spans diverse musical styles and genres, having developed dedicated programmes for classical music, contemporary composition, folk and jazz and the whole spectrum that popular music has to offer.

International highlights this year include the dream pop sensation Me and My Drummer from Berlin, playful electronic visionaries Rangleklods from Denmark, and the all-girl electro punk attack LCMDF from Finland. As international interest for the festival has grown significantly, so has the number of countries represented in the programme. The artist line-up is proud of the Iberi choir from Georgia, graffiti artists and dub step stars 3421 from Israel, Belarus’ art rock trio Folkmashina, and the Spanish trumpeter Adan Delgado Illada. And last but not least, Namgar will bring over the mysteries of Mongolian and Buryatian traditional music.

Finland is big at this year’s TMW with 26 artists in the programme; Russia and Lithuania have strong line-ups with 6 artists from each country. Denmark and UK follow with 5. Estonia is represented by 165 versatile acts from all genres and subgenres.

As part of the culinary aspect of this year’s TMW, festival-goers can try the best culinary achievements Tallinn has to offer from high-end fine dining like Gloria to the hip and bohemian F-hoone or Von Krahl’s Aed. Special menus are available from 15.00-18.00, so guests can plan for a 3-day tasting journey through 16 restaurants before the festival concerts in music venues start.

Last year 11 200 music fans and 589 music industry delegates participated in TMW. The hub for TMW’s conference and music industry professionals will once again be the Nordic Hotel Forum.

More information: http://www.tallinnmusicweek.ee/index.php

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Foreign Minister Urmas Paet: Estonian Spirit Made Stronger By More People Knowing About Our Language and Literature

27 October


At a reception at the Estonian Embassy in Helsinki, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet emphasised that being the theme country for the Helsinki Book Fair is a great honour for Estonia. “This Estonian book festival, complete with music, is one of the biggest Estonian cultural events in Finland and will further deepen our cultural ties and mutual understanding,” he stated.

The foreign minister stated that the Estonian printed word plays an invaluable role in the story of our development.

Estonian literature is familiar and well-known in Finland, since the Estonian printed word has given substance to cultural ties since the Age of Awakening and has helped the cultures become better acquainted with one another. “In recent years the interest that Estonians and Finns feel towards each other’s literature has significantly increased,” said Paet. “The year 2011 could even be considered the year of Estonian literature in Finland, since this year over 20 translations of Estonian books or books about Estonia have been published,” he added.

Foreign Minister Paet thanked everyone who helped to bring Estonia’s literary and music culture over the gulf to Helsinki. “First and foremost I must thank Estonian authors. The fact that we are represented at the book fair by 259 works is a great accomplishment. The translators also deserve tremendous thanks. And thank you also to the musicians, whose works help to bring Estonian melodies to the fair,” he said.
 

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Global Estonian Festival to Take Place in Toronto in 2018

11 October (BNS)

ESTO 2009 in Germany

The Estonian Central Council in Canada (EKN) has decided to organise the world-wide Estonian festival ESTO in Toronto in 2018. “Based on our previously stated position that it is not necessary or rational to end ESTO festivals, the EKN will carry on the tradition started in 1972 - these festivals presented our national aspirations and unique culture to the world and boosted solidarity among Estonians living abroad,” notified the board of the Estonian Central Council.

The board of the EKN appointed Peeter Nielander as the head of a team whose assignment is to research possibilities for carrying out the ESTO 2018 festival and present a timetable for the event to the full council during this fall.

The last ESTO festival was held in Münster, Germany in 2009.

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Kadri Tali Chosen as Director of ERSO Orchestra

15 March (BNS)


The Estonian minister of culture has endorsed a proposal from the appointments committee to name music manager and producer Kadri Tali director of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (ERSO). The appointment takes effect from 21 March.

Kadri Tali graduated from the Tallinn Music Upper Secondary School and the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. The creator the Nordic Symphony Orchestra, she has been manager and producer of that orchestra since 1996 and has worked as manager of the Kremerata Baltica chamber music orchestra. Tali has worked as project manager with the national concert agency Eesti Kontsert for eight years.

The Ministry of Culture announced a public competition to fill the post of director of ERSO in January. The deadline of the competition was extended to February and six candidates made it to the final round.

The director of ERSO is responsible for the daily and strategic management of the orchestra as a performance institution of the state, bearing in mind the artistic and economic goals set for ERSO. An important duty is short- and long-term planning of ERSO's creative and economic activity and implementation of the activities planned.

 

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Kaia Kanepi Advances to Semifinals in Brussels

24 May (BNS)


The highest-ranking Estonian tennis player, Kaia Kanepi (WTA 25), advanced to the semifinals at the Brussels Open by knocking out Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova with a score of 6-3 6-1 in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

The eighth-seeded Kanepi and Pironkova(WTA 46) had met four times before, scoring two victories each.
 

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Kaia Kanepi Wins Estoril Tennis Tournament

5 May (BNS)


On 4 May Estonia's top tennis player Kaia Kanepi advanced to the women's singles final at the Estoril Open. Kanepi (WTA 34) beat first seed Roberta Vinci of Italy in straight sets 6-2 7-5.

The Estonian took the first set fairly comfortably but in the second Vinci (WTA 23) got ahead 4-1 and then 5-2. Kanepi then won five games in a row and took the set 7-5.

On Saturday Kaia Kanepi defeated Carla Suarez-Navarro (WTA 58) at the Estoril Open tennis event with 3:6, 7:6(6); 6:4). The game lasted two hours and 37 minutes.

Kanepi, who took home $37 000 with Saturday’s triumph, improved to 2-1 lifetime against Suarez Navarro.
 

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Kanepi Beats Schiavone, Moves to Quarterfinals

19 October (ERR)


Kaia Kanepi (WTA 43) defeated Italian Francesca Schiavone (WTA 12) in Moscow today, landing the Estonian tennis heroine in the quarterfinals. The game, ending 6-4, 5-7, 7-6, lasted 2 hours and 43 minutes.

Schiavone was at her career's best game earlier this year, ranking fourth on the WTA's list.

In 2010, she won the French Open and made it into the quarterfinals at the US Open. This year, her best results have been second place in the French Open and reaching the quarterfinals in the Australian Open.

Having played against Schiavone on five occasions, Kanepi's only victory was in 2006. They met earlier this year at the Eastbourne tournament.
 

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Kanepi Finishes Second in Seoul, Climbs in WTA Rankings

24 September (ERR)

Kaia Kanepi

Estonia's top tennis player, Kaia Kanepi, reached the finals in the KDB Korea Open over the weekend when she lost to top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki 6-1, 6-0.

Despite being roundly defeated in the Seoul tournament's last match, the overall result was a positive one for the 27-year-old and helped push her WTA ranking from 16th to 15th in this week's list.

The ranking position, which she first achieved in August, is Kanepi's career high.

Kanepi is now Tokyo for this week's Toray Pan Pacific Open, where she has already defeated Sílvia Soler-Espinosa of Spain in the first round with a score of 6-1, 6-4. She will next face 22-year-old American Jamie Hampton (WTA 91).

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Kanepi Wins Second Round in Copenhagen

11 April (ERR)


Kaia Kanepi claimed victory over Australia's Anastasia Rodionova in her first WTA tournament singles match since she broke up with her coach, Silver Karjus, last month.

In the first round of the e-Boks Open in Copenhagen on Monday, Kanepi outplayed Rodionova with a score of 6-3, 6-4. It was the first time that the Estonian, ranked 34th in the world, played 29-year-old Rodionova, ranked 94th. Kanepi also claimed victory over Timea Babos of Hungary with a score of 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 in the second round of the e-Boks Open.

Kanepi was also successful in doubles held on 9 April, teaming up with Swede Sofia Arvidsson to beat a Croatian-Australian duo, Maria Abramovic and Daniella Jeflea.

Despite a surprise start in January – winning the second WTA tournament of her career – Kanepi has had a tough season, cancelling on three major events due to injuries and quick eliminations in several other tournaments. To complicate matters, Kanepi announced a break-up with her coach in March.

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Mass to Be Held in Estonian at St. Peter's for First Time

18 March (BNS)


A mass will be held in Estonian at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome in May, marking the first time ever that a mass is held in Estonian language at the shrine that is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic sites.

The Catholic bishop for Estonia, Philippe Jourdan, told BNS that in May a group of Estonian Catholics will make a pilgrimage to Rome and on 20 May he will officiate a mass at St. Peter's in Estonian.

The bishop said the mass at St. Peter's, which he described as "the heart of the Catholic faith," is expected to be attended by 30-50. Jourdan added that the mass will be held at one of the Basilica's altars, not the papal altar.

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More Than 166 000 People Visit Estonia Opera House During Past Year

15 January (BNS)


The Estonia Opera house received a total of 166 021 visitors last year, 11 920 people more than in 2011. The Estonia Opera House gave 356 performances last year, nine more compared with the year before, the press officer for the National Opera told BNS.

The performance with the biggest number of viewers was the ballet Nutcracker, which 18 804 people saw, followed by the children's performance Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the musical Man of La Mancha.

This year the Estonia Opera House is planning to welcome 170 000 visitors.

Last year the budget of the National Opera was of 10 152 990 euros and the revenue was about 3 325 000 euros.  

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More Than 6 000 Registered for Tartu Marathon Ski Race

24 January (BNS)


More than 6 000 people have registered to participate in the annual Tartu Marathon ski race. The organisers plan to allow 10 000 skiers to participate in the race this year.

By today 4 859 skiers have registered themselves for the 63 kilometer track and 1 249 people have put down their names for the short track of 31 kilometers. The race will take place on 19 February. The organisers are prepared to service 8 000 participants on the long track and up to 2 000 people on the short track, the organising committee of the race told BNS.

Currently those registered in the Tartu Marathon ski race hail from 27 countries from Australia to Canada. The total number of foreign participants is more than 1 000.

The 41st Tartu Marathon ski race is organised by the MTÜ Klubi Tartu Maraton. The marathon belongs to the Wordloppet series, one of the biggest ski marathon series in the world.
 

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More Than 72 Thousand People Visited Museums During Museum Night

18 May (BNS)


The Museum Night held last Saturday drew 72 012 visitors to the 139 museums and monuments in Estonia. "Museums were open in all the counties and there were visitors in all the museums," one of the co-ordinators of the Museum Night, Epp Alatalu, told BNS.

"In small museums, such as the Jüri-Mardi Farm Museum in Järva County, visitors from farther away arrived before the museum night even started in order to be able to visit more museums," Alatalu said.
The highest visitor numbers were in big museums such as KUMU(art), Maarjamäe Hall (history), and Fat Margaret (maritime).

This year the museums were open one hour later, until 11 p.m. Despite rain and the Eurovision song contest taking place on the same evening, the number of museum visitors was higher than expected.
 

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Mushrooming, Purge Win Awards at Film Festival in California

24 April (ERR)


Two Estonian-made movies merited awards at the Tiburon International Film Festival in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The festival's organisers awarded Raivo E. Tamm the title of best actor for his lead role in Toomas Hussar's "Mushrooming," a press release from the Estonian Film Institute said.

"Mushrooming," a black comedy about a trip to the woods gone wrong, tied for first place as Film of the Year in Estonia last year and was submitted along with one other film for consideration for the Oscars last year.

The Estonian-Finnish project "Purge," based on Finnish author Sofi Oksanen's bestselling novel of the same name, won two prizes at the Tiburon festival - best director went to Antti Jokinen and best cinematography went to Rauno Ronkainen.The movie draws from Oksanen's pre-WWII family history in Estonia.

The Tiburon International Film Festival was held from 11-19 April.

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National Foorball Team Rises to Highest Position Ever on FIFA List

7 March (BNS)


The Estonian football team climbed to its highest place in its history, 47th, on the FIFA ranking list released on Wednesday. Spain, followed by the Netherlands, Germany, Uruguay, Brazil, England, Portugal, Argentina, Italy and Croatia, still lead the list, a spokesman for the Football Association told BNS.

Of Estonia's neighbors Russia is 12th, Latvia 78th (its all-time best was 45th), Finland 84th (all-time best 33rd), and Lithuania 91st (all-time best 37th). The organisers of the final tournament of the European championships, Ukraine and Poland, are respectively in the 49th and 75th position.
 

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Online Estonian Language Course for English Speakers Launched

14 March (BNS)


On Thursday the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research opened an online Estonian language course for English-speaking learners.

A new online Estonian course has been launched

The course, called Keeleklikk, is a modern online Estonian course for beginners that is suitable for individual study and also for classroom use. Keeleklikk targets adult learners who want to learn how to communicate in everyday situations, spokespeople for the Ministry of Education and Research said. The e-course can be accessed at www.keeleklikk.ee .

The course consists of 16 comprehensive language learning units that include a total of 200 animations, over 100 videos that explain grammar, and roughly 1 200 exercises. Keeleklikk also features a real Estonian teacher with whom students can exchange letters via e-mail.

Keeleklikk is free of charge for anyone who wishes to use it. The launch of the English-language version was timed to coincide with Estonian Language Day, 14 March.

In 2010-2012 the Keeleklikk version for Russian-speaking learners was developed. The Russian version already has more than 12 000 active users and 4 300 pieces of homework have been handed in via it.

More than 50 different experts have contributed to the development of Keeleklikk. The project has been financed by the European Social Fund and the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research.

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Restored St. John's Church Opened in St. Petersburg

20 February


Foreign Minister Paet stated that the renovated St. John’s Church in St. Petersburg, which was re-opened today, demonstrates Estonia’s concern for its culture and history. “St. John’s Church in St. Petersburg is tied to many important Estonian cultural figures, and the church itself played an essential role in Estonia’s national cultural history,” he noted.

Paet said that prior to renovation, St. John’s Church in St. Petersburg was on the brink of destruction and nobody was certain whether the church building would remain in the hands of Estonians and Estonian culture. “The restoration of St. John’s church started at the last moment—it was only a matter of time before Estonia and the Estonian people would have lost this church that is so important to our cultural history. We simply had to act, and take action as a people and state that value and cherish our past,” he stated. “As of today it is once again possible to hold church services and concerts in the church’s 400-seat hall. In addition to preserving a part of our culture, it is also a good opportunity for us to introduce Estonian music in St. Petersburg.”

The foreign minister said that the establishment of St. John’s Church in St. Petersburg was an Estonia-wide project that all Estonians participated in and that Russia was also interested in supporting. “It was an example of co-operation that extended across state borders,” he added. Paet stated that co-operation with the authorities in St. Petersburg also went well during the restoration of St. John’s Church.

In order to build the church, an Estonia-wide collection was organised at the end of 1850. The Russian state also made a contribution—Csar Alexander II allocated 55 000 roubles for the construction of the building.
 

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Smartphone App Wins Language Initiative Award

15 March (ERR)


A speech recognition application for smartphones was chosen as the best Estonian language initiative of 2011. The Ministry of Education and Research held an awards ceremony at a Haapsalu grade school on Wednesday, which was Mother Tongue Day. Eight other initiatives were also honoured.

Created by students from the Institute of Cybernetics at the Tallinn University of Technology, the Estonian speech recognition tool can be used to write messages, locate addresses, and solve math problems. The free software has been downloaded 10 000 times.

Other initiatives to win prizes or receive honourable mention included an Estonian translation from German of Ferdinand Johann Wiedemann's Estonian Grammar, which includes an important analysis of 19th century Estonian (translated by Heli Laanekask); an otherwise Russian-language choir from Narva that acquired an Estonian-language repertoire and participated in the Song Festival; a kindergarten where children are encouraged to speak the endangered Võro dialect; and the Estonian version of National Geographic magazine.

Another noteworthy contribution came from the Estonian expat community. Tiiu-Ann Salasoo, who lives in Australia, was concerned about the decline of the Estonian language in the Estonian community in Australia. In 2011, she hunted down Estonians who were willing to teach in seven cities across the country and started a Skype-based language course. She also started a toddlers club for Estonian mothers and their children.
 

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Tallinn to Host World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2015

9 October (BNS)


The Estonian Skating Union received the formal decision of the International Skating Union (ISU) awarding it the right to host the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships in 2015.

The Estonian Skating Union plans to hold the event at the Tondiraba ice arena that is scheduled to be completed by that time. The junior world championships will be the highest title event in figure skating held in Estonia after the European Figure Skating Championships hosted by Tallinn in 2010.

The Estonian Skating Union said that a push in favour of choosing Tallinn as the venue of the 2015 event was given by the meeting of Edgar Savisaar, mayor of Tallinn and president of the Estonian Skating Union, with ISU President Ottavio Cinquanta during the ISU congress early this summer, at which the mayor presented Tallinn's plans related to the new ice arena and the city's readiness to host international sports events.

Competitors from more than 50 countries are expected to attend the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships to take place from 2-8 March 2015.

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Viljandi Dance Festival Brings Out a Thousand People on Saturday

4 February (BNS)


The 14th Winter Dance Festival that opened in Viljandi on Thursday brought about a thousand dancers out into the main square of the city, despite the bitter cold.

The initiators of the winter dance festival, which took place for the 14th time this year, have wanted to prove from the very start that is possible to get joy and good health from dancing in any kind of circumstances. Vaike Rajaste, the main organiser of the festival, said that there is actually no big difference whether you dance in a warm room in a cold city square. "The main thing is that your heart is warm," she said.

As 110 years passed this year from the birth of veteran dance instructor Ullo Toomi, the repertoire for Saturday was picked from his 1953 publication, “Eesti rahvatantsud” (Estonian Folk Dances).

The festival was opened by a dance club at the Heritage Music Storehouse at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
 

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Young Estonian Wins Prestigious F1 Talent Competition

25 November (ERR)


The 15-year-old Estonian formula one driver Tristan Viidas won the Formula BMW Talent Cup held in Valencia from 21-22 November. First place also earned him the chance to participate in the 100 000-euro BMW motor sport education programme next year, wrote the Estonian daily Postimees.

In total, 26 young driving talents from all over the world competed in the two-day event. The judges of the competition assessed the contestants’ driving potential and their ability to implement advice from the coaches on the track.

"Formula BMW is a great platform from which to evolve," said Viidas after receiving the award. Sebastian Vettel, the German Formula One racer and two-time world champion, started off the same way, Viidas added.
 

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2013 Festival of Estonian Composers to be Dedicated to Arvo Pärt

8 March (BNS)


This year's festival of Estonian composers, to be held in Tartu in June, will be dedicated to Arvo Pärt. Pärt's works will feature in all concerts of the event's main programme.

In addition the festival, being held from 6-9 June, will offer a Pärt-themed workshop and film programme, the artistic director said.

Headline acts will be the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Curious Chamber Players of Sweden, and Estonia's Küberstuudio and Vox Clamantis with a joint programme.

The concerts held in St. John's Church of Tartu will present a wide range of contemporary Estonian music including eight premieres, among them new works by Helena Tulve, Andrus Kallastu, Tonu Korvits, and Timo Steiner.

Besides the main programme, the 12th edition of the festival Will feature daytime music recitals, composers' workshops, and a night university.

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Collection of Estonian President's Writings Published in Estonian

7 February (BNS)


A collection of Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves' essays, articles and speeches that appeared last September in Finnish translation under the title “Omalla äänellä” (By the Force of the Word) has now been published in Estonian with the title “Omal häälel”.

The book portrays Ilves as a statesman and thinker, as well as a person and an Estonian with an interesting background, Tänapäev publishers said, which is why the topics covered in the volume range from the years Ilves lived in Sweden and the United States, his work at Radio Free Europe, and his return to Estonia to key problems and future prospects of this country.

Even if the president's life and views are among the topics discussed in the book, it is not a biography nor a volume of memoirs, the publishing house said.

The Finnish version of the collection came out last September, making in the first post-publication weeks lists of best-selling books of the largest Finnish bookstore Akateeminen Kirjakauppa. The speeches, articles and essays were selected by the Helsinki-based Estonian political scientist and columnist Iivi Anna Masso who also conducted the long interview with Ilves contained in the book.
 

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Electric Car Rally to Take Place from Tallinn to Monte Carlo

9 February (ERR)


The Tallinn city government and Jüri Tamm, the Honorary Consul of Monaco in Estonia, have signed an agreement establishing an electric car rally between Tallinn and Monte Carlo. The route of the Tallinn - Monte Carlo Electric Race 2011, which will run from 2 -11 June, will cross Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland and Italy before reaching Monaco.

Tamm, who is himself the project's organiser, told ERR News that the race is meant to both promote the use of environmentally-friendly vehicles and establish better links between northern and southern Europe.

He said he expects about 10 to 20 entrants to participate in the whole route, with others joining for only a portion of the stages. The number of entrants is limited by the number of electric charging points available at the end of each stage.

Racers will have to adhere to the rules of the public road, so drivers will be given points for finishing of each stage precisely at an appointed time, with points deducted for each minute they arrive early or late, Tamm explained.

The event is expected to be an opportunity for electric car producers to both test and showcase their latest models, and for private owners to simply take up the challenge of a European auto tour.

The rally harkens back to similar Tallinn - Monte Carlo races that took place in the 1930s, Tamm said.

 

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