Thursday—November 25, 2004
Estonian police officer killed by suicide bomber
At 3 a.m. this morning, police were alerted to a man wandering around Tallinn’s Õismäe neighborhood with explosive materials strapped to his body. Shortly before 3:30 a.m., they intercepted the man, who climbed into officer Julia Gorbatsjova’s police car and blew himself up. Officer Gorbatsjova and her dog were killed. Three officers were injured in the blast.

Kuchma ratifies Ukraine election, West protests
Ukraine ignored reports of election fraud in Sunday’s election and President Kuchma certified the prime minister as president-elect. US Secretary of State Colin L. Powell condemned the move stating, “If the Ukrainian government does not act immediately and responsibly, there will be consequences for our relationship, for Ukraine’s hopes for a Euro-Atlantic integration and for individuals responsible for perpetrating fraud. We cannot accept this result as legitimate.” The loser of the election called for a general strike and a new election.

(Some) Swedes defend Latvians
Swedish labor rights experts believe that if the dispute between the Latvian construction company Laval un Partneri and Swedish labor unions were reviewed by an EU court, the Swedish government would lose. The move of the Swedish government violates EU principles pertaining to free movement of goods and services, and discriminates against foreign enterprises, LETA reported.

Hands in the cookie jar: Latvian meat packers and double-entry accounting
Latvian state revenue inspectors investigated 81% of meat companies and discovered double-entry accounting as well as other violations. Entries lacked proper documentation, and purchase volumes were unclear.

Wednesday—November 24, 2004
From the Neighboring States Department:

We just disagree…
United States Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who led an American delegation to Ukraine, called the elections “a concerted and forceful program of election-day fraud and abuse.”
The speaker of the Russian Parliament, Boris Gryzlov, also present in Ukraine, declared “the election was as democratic as they come.”

And the award for stating the obvious goes to…
The New York Times quoted Masha Lipman, an analyst with the Carnegie Moscow Center, after the recent election: “The fact that Russia does not think of itself as part of the West has become very explicit.” (In the interest of equal time: some highly paid analysts have also pointed out that the behavior of the United States makes it clear that it has no desire to be part of Europe.)

Tuesday—November 23, 2004
Cheap Latvian labor irks Swedes
The Latvian Association of Construction Companies says it will take steps against Swedish construction companies in Latvia if a job in Sweden is disrupted by unions. The Latvian company, Laval un Partneri, is remodeling a Swedish school building, and local unions are protesting the low wages Latvians are working for.

Election fraud in Ukraine?
With more than 99 percent of ballots counted, the government tally gave Prime Minster Viktor F. Yanukovich 49.42 percent of the vote. 46.7 percent of the votes went for Viktor A. Yushchenko, whose supporters turned out in the tens of thousands in Independence Square here, vowing not to move until results were reversed. An international election observer mission - from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the European Parliament, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and the Council of Europe - released a preliminary report which declared that the election did not meet democratic standards.
Prime Minister Yanukovich is the handpicked successor of the incumbent, Leonid Kuchma, and it is believed he would draw Ukraine closer to Russia over the 5-year presidential term. Mr. Yushchenko, also a former prime minister, has vowed to maintain a relationship with Russia but pull Ukraine closer to the west.

Boys will be boys: Russia denies it violated Estonia airspace
The Estonian government claims two Russian military planes violated Estonian air space without permission on Friday near Vaindloo island. Russia claims one of the planes in question did not fly at all on Friday and that the other plane flew on its intended course.

Monday—November 22, 2004
Brazauskas for Prime Minister
Lithuania’s president Valdas Adamkus nominated Algirdas Brazauskas for the office of prime minister.

Jaak Jõerüüt Estonia’s Minister of Defense
President Arnold Rüütel nominated former diplomat Jaak Jõerüüt as the new Minister of Defense. Margus Hanson, previous Minister was released because of theft of briefcase with state secrets (read below).

Estonian with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
An elderly woman in a hospital in Central Estonia, is suspected of suffering from the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease or the so-called “mad cow disease”. The 73-year-old woman was brought to the hospital over a week ago.

Friday—November 19, 2004
European Commission approved
Yesterday, the EU’s executive body, the European Commission, was approved by the European parliament approved the EU’s new executive. Each of the 25 member states has one commissioner. Find your favorites below. (Baltic representatives in italic type.)

President: Jose Manuel Barroso (Portugal)
Vice-president, institutional relations, communications: Margot Wallstrom (Sweden)
Vice-president, enterprise and industry: Guenter Verheugen (Germany)
Vice-president, transport: Jacques Barrot (France)
Vice-president, administration, audit and anti-fraud: Siim Kallas (Estonia)
Vice-president, justice, freedom and security: Franco Frattini (Italy)
Information society and media: Viviane Reding (Luxembourg)
Environment: Stavros Dimas (Greece)
Economic and monetary affairs: Joaquin Almunia (Spain)
Regional policy: Danuta Huebner (Poland)
Fisheries, Maritime affairs: Joe Borg (Malta)
Financial programming, budget: Dalia Grybauskaite (Lithuania)
Science and research: Janez Potocnik (Slovenia)
Education, training, culture: Jan Figel (Slovakia)
Health, consumer protection: Markos Kyprianou (Cyprus)
Enlargement: Olli Rehn (Finland)
Development, humanitarian aid: Louis Michel (Belgium)
Energy: Andris Piebalgs (Latvia)
Competition: Neelie Kroes (Netherlands)
Agriculture, rural development: Mariann Fischer Boel (Denmark)
External Relations: Benita Ferrero-Waldner (Austria)
Internal Market, services: Charlie McCreevy (Ireland)
Employment, social policy: Vladimir Spidla (Czech Rep.)
Trade: Peter Mandelson (Britain)
Taxation and customs: Laszlo Kovacs (Hungary)

Nice (public service) work if you can get it…
The International Herald Tribune and The New York Times have reported that a member of the EU parliament can earn 240,000 EUR per year when perks are factored into the analysis.

Thursday—November 18, 2004
Estonia loses to Russia in soccer: 4-0
Needless to say, it’s a sad day for Estonian soccer fans.

Estonia loses snow contest
Some places in Latvia received 13 centimeters of snow last night. Estonia received less, approximately 2 centimeters in the Tallinn area.

Russian ambassador to Latvia displays knowledge of geography
According to Russia’s ambassador to Latvia, Viktor Kalyuzhny, Latvia and Russia “have always been and will remain neighbors.” (To be fair, the ambassador was making a case why both countries benefit from mutually-favorable and good relations. But, as the saying goes, “a diplomat is someone who thinks twice before saying nothing.”)

Wednesday—November 17, 2004
Russia to Latvia: Why can’t we be friends?
The new Russian Ambassador to Latvia, Viktor Kalyuzhny, said Latvia should not take offense at what has been done in the past and think more about the future. (The ambassador also said he would like the discussion of the Ventspils oil pipeline to be resolved quickly.)

Latvian banks closing Russian correspondent accounts
According to the Russian news agency Interfax, Latvian banks have followed the lead of U.S. banks and begun closing Russian banks’ correspondent accounts. According to the U.S. Embassy in Riga, there are grounds for concern that the Latvian financial system is being used for money laundering.

Estonian official convicted of selling information to Russian businessmen
Yesterday, an Estonian court convicted an unnamed civil servant for selling official information to foreigners, Estonian dailies write. The official, described only as a 28-year old, admitted guilt and received a two-year conditional jail sentence. He will not serve any time unless he commits other crimes.
Apparently, the Russian oil company, Surgutgasprom, promised 6,000 euros to the man, who worked as a chief tax fraud inspector, for collecting information about the transit firm, Noil Group.

Monday—November 15, 2004
Murdered missionary identified
Latvian police have detained two people in connection with the murder of missionary Drew Rush, age 50, who had been living and working in Latvia with Campus Crusade for Christ. The suspects are identified only as Karlis and Ingus, aged 19- and 22-years respectively.

Are all the addicts rich?
25,000 Estonians are gambling addicts, according to a recent survey ordered by the Ministry of Social Affairs. 80% of these are men aged 21 to 44 and they spend an average of 65 EUR per person per day.
According to last year’s figures, the average net income per member of household in Tallinn is 210 EUR per month, or approximately 7 EUR per day.

Opening soon, a Parex branch near you
Latvia’s Parex Bank has announced plans to open branches in Stockholm and Berlin. Parex operates one foreign branch in Tallinn, Estonia.

Friday—November 12, 2004
Lithuania ratifies EU Constitution
On Thursday the outgoing Lithuanian parliament voted to ratify the Constitution of the European Union. Lithuania is the first member state of the organization that has endorsed the document. The ratification procedures at the Lithuanian parliament took hardly one week. The Treaty was signed in Rome on October 29.

Thursday—November 11, 2004
Estonian defense minister resigns
Estonian defense minister Margus Hanson informed of his decision to resign his post.
Estonian Security Police launched a criminal case against Hanson in connection with the theft of a briefcase containing documents with state secrets from the minister’s home on October 31. The criminal case is based on the paragraph on making state secrets public due to negligence and if convicted, Hanson may face a financial punishment or a prison sentence of up to one year.

Fifth assault on NATO officers in Siauliai
Two engineers of Great Britain’s Air Forces were robbed and battered in the northern Lithuanian city of Siauliai on Wednesday night. The incident was the fifth assault of such kind recorded in Lithuania since end-March 2004, when NATO brought its troops to the Zokniai airfield to protect the Baltic air space. All eight NATO servicemen who fell victims of hooligans in Siauliai were intoxicated during the incidents.
The law enforcement agencies of Siauliai have disclosed three out of five incidents involving NATO troops in the city, and detained the suspects. According to police, all hooligans are local residents who committed the crimes being intoxicated.

Outgoing Seimas holds last session today
The present Lithuanian parliament is scheduled to convene for its last sitting. On Wednesday, Speaker Arturas Paulauskas expressed gratitude to the heads of parliamentary committees, factions and commissions for performed jobs.
Lithuania elected a new parliament of 141 seats during general election in October and it is expected to be convoked on November 15.

Wednesday—November 10, 2004
Russia criticizes Latvia and Estonia
The position of Russian-speaking non-citizens in Estonia and Latvia does not meet European standards, said Russian presidential envoy for relations with the European Union Sergei Yastrzhembsky. Yastrzhembsky said that the aim of the booklet “Of Rights Of Minorities In Latvia and Estonia”, which was presented at the press conference, is to draw attention to rude violations of personal and human rights.

Tuesday—November 9, 2004
Lithuanians still need a visa to travel to U.S.
The United States of America has envisioned no lifting of entry visas in the nearest future for the nationals of Lithuania traveling to that country, said US Ambassador to Vilnius, Stephen Mull, on Saturday. The American envoy stated that Lithuanians were themselves to blame for not being allowed to travel without visas to the U.S.A., since, as he put it, many nationals of the Baltic state ignored visa expiry term. The US diplomat added that Lithuania’s being a European Union member did not mean an automatic revision of the current visa regime applied by the U.S.A.

Estonian defense minister’s stolen briefcase contained state secrets
Estonian defense minister Margus Hanson admitted in a statement made on Monday that the briefcase that a burglar stole from his home over a week ago, contained documents containing state secrets.
Hanson said in the statement that he had informed the interior minister, defense ministry security department head, Security Police Department director general and, via the government’s coordination bureau also the prime minister of the burglary that took place on October 31 in his home in Tartu, in the course of which, his briefcase was also stolen.
“As a rule, I don’t carry work information home with me, but the busy work schedule of recent times didn’t enable me to stick to that principle unfortunately,” the minister said.
“Since I wasn’t available to the ministry press spokesman due to the Iraqi visit, I apologize that the ministry issued misleading information,” Hanson said.

Finns take housing loans from Estonia
The competition for market shares between banks has pushed housing loan interest rates in Estonia to a record low level that makes even Finns take loans from Estonian banks, Äripäev Online reports.
While at the start of the autumn, one could get a housing loan with 3.1-3.6% interest rate, last week Ãœhispank lowered the rate to 2.8%, Kauppalehti writes.
The margins of banks are already too thin, says Hansapank’s head Indrek Neivelt. He says that people come already from Finland at the current interest rate level, to ask for a loan in Estonian banks.
Ãœhispank has also received Finnish people interested in the loans. In principle the bank doesn’t object giving a loan to a Finn, if the loan guarantees are good.
The Estonian financial inspection sets no obstacles for investing money, borrowed in Estonia, to Finland.

Friday—November 5, 2004
Latvian surgeons’ soap opera continues
Yesterday, the Latvian Surgeons’ Association demanded monthly wages of LVL 700 before taxes beginning January 1, 2005. They also demand the government work out a schedule for salaries to reach LVL 1,200.
“We understand that we cannot ask for wages at the level they are in Germany, France or other European countries, but steps must be taken to come closer to the level of these countries,” Surgeons’ Association President Janis Gordovskis said. Dr. Gordovskis said he felt LVL 700 (LVL 500 after taxes) would be a fair salary under present economic conditions.
Under a resolution passed yesterday, the associations’ surgeons agreed to terminate their work contracts if their requirements are not met. According to Dr. Gordovskis, if 250 of 300 surgeons stop work, no scheduled or emergency medical assistance will be provided.
Surgeons and anesthetists have reduced working hours since November 1 and are providing only emergency medical assistance.

Marriage is “out” in Estonia
Over the last decade, registered marriages in Estonia have fallen sharply. Soon the divorce rate will pass the marriage rate. This demonstrates, according to Social Minister, Marko Pomerants, that the majority of Estonians prefer common law marriages.
Psychologist Voldemar Kolga says common law marriage does not make for weaker morals but the complete opposite: partners must work harder to keep the other from leaving.

Thursday—November 4, 2004
Latvian hockey star Zoltoks dies
21-year old Sergejs Zoltoks, Latvian national hockey team and Nashville Predators forward, collapsed on the ice during a game in Minsk last night and was pronounced dead in an ambulance on the way to the hospital.
In October, when Minnesota Wild (Zoltoks’ former team) played the Calgary Flames, Zoltoks left the ice complaining of dizziness. At the time, doctors attributed the dizziness to dehydration.

Estonian cows attack car
While Estonians are known for being hard to provoke, their cows are not. In southern Estonia’s Sangaste Parish, a herd of cows damaged the car of land surveyors who had parked it at the side of the road. The cows damaged the hood, windshield, and fender. The surveyors escaped unharmed.

Wednesday—November 3, 2004
Lithuanians not opposed to offering bribes
In a survey conducted by Baltijos Tyrimai, two thirds of Lithuanian residents say they believe bribes may help solve problems and said they would agree to offer “unofficial payment.” When asked to name corrupt institutions, Lithuanians named customs, police, courts, land survey units, and privatization agencies.

Tallinn apartment prices rise faster than wages
The real estate company Kinnisvaraekspert reported that between 1999 and 2003, the prices of block apartments in Tallinn grew an average of 20% per year while incomes grew by around 10% a year. Causes are identified as greater availability of loans and the fall of interest rates.

Smoking banned except where permitted (?)
Yesterday, the Riga City Council approved a smoking ban on beaches, except in areas where smoking is permitted. Firms or individuals running beaches will be required to designate special smoking sections which will be equipped with large metal ashtrays.
According to the council, the goal is to protect people, especially children, from tobacco smoke.

Tuesday—November 2, 2004
Missionary murdered in Latvia
A U.S. missionary was found dead in the apartment he rented on Tallinas Street in Riga yesterday. It is possible that the man was tortured, Riga Criminal Police Chief Ints Kuzis acknowledged. The victim was killed by a stab wound to the chest, and experts believe he was strangled before being stabbed. Investigators are currently considering motives of robbery and personal conflict. Police said the department was in disarray. The 49-year old man had been living in Latvia over two years. As of Tuesday morning, the victim’s name had not been released.

Latvian soldiers return from Iraq
130 Latvian soldiers who have participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom return home today.
Latvia’s Minister of Defense Atis Slakteris is to award the soldiers medals for participation in international operations.
New Latvian soldiers will be rotated into service in Iraq. 98 soldiers of the National Armed Forces Infantry Company left for the peacekeeping mission in Iraq on Saturday, October 30.

Airlines come, airlines go
As of yesterday, the low-fare Irish airline Ryanair offers service from Riga to London, Frankfurt and Tampere. Ryanair is estimating 300,000 passengers in its first year of operations.
Ryanair plans flights to Stockholm at the beginning of next year.
Low-cost Italian carrier Volare Airlines will suspend winter flights on the Tallinn-Milan route beginning this month. Some passengers have been left holding tickets, and the carrier’s management promised to remedy the situation.
Volare flew the Tallinn-Milan route on Mondays and Fridays.

Monday—November 1, 2004
US Citizens asked to be extra vigilant in Nordic, Baltic states
The United States has warned its citizens in the Nordic and Baltic states to be extra vigilant, especially when using public transportation. The United States received “threat information,” Reuters reports.
The State Department did not offer further details or say if the warning was linked to Tuesday’s U.S. presidential election.
Such warnings are rare in the Nordic region, REUTERS reported.

Latvian anesthetists to work only in emergency situations
Anesthetists have reduced work hours and are providing only emergency assistance in Latvia. Liepaja Hospital and the Naval Medical Center are the only hospitals not participating in the protest action. Major hospitals claim to have created work schedules so patients are not affected by the protest.

Carmen Kass can’t swing chess vote
The 2008 chess Olympics will be held in the German city of Dresden. Tallinn, represented by supermodel Carmen Kass, who is also president of the Estonian Chess Association, and culture minister Urmas Paet, lobbied to be the venue for the 2008 games. Dresden received 69 votes, Tallinn 29.

Preatoni trial begins this week
The largest tax fraud court case in Estonia opens this week, which could send real estate businessman Ernesto Preatoni to jail from 1-5 years. Preatoni, an Italian real estate, tourism and banking businessman, is accused of a 50 million kroons tax fraud, dating back to 1997-2000. According to the Estonian tax police director, this is the largest case to ever reach court.