Russian, Estonian Youth Stage Demonstrations in Helsinki

Dozens of members of the Russian Nashi (“Ours”) youth organisation and the Night Watch, a group seeking to promote interests of Russophones living in Estonia, staged a demonstration on Monday at the head office of the Sanoma Corporation. The groups protested the release of the article compilation "Fear Behind Us All" ("Kaiken takana oli pelko"), compiled by Imbi Paju and Sofi Oksanen.

The articles deal with the Baltic countries' recent Soviet history. The publication of the anthology marks 60 years since the March deportations took place in Estonia and 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain.

“This anthology sheds light on life behind the Iron Curtain from the perspective of occupation-era Estonia and the other Baltics,” states the press release by the compilation’s publisher WSOY, part of the Sanoma conglomerate.

The Russian activists also staged a protest at the screening of the Latvian documentary film “The Soviet Story” – a movie about the ties between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany – at the Orion cinema in downtown Helsinki.
Ten members of the Finnish Islamic party also joined in the demonstration, demanding better treatment for Estonian Muslims.

The beefed-up police presence on downtown streets drew attention to the demonstrations.

A Stunt by the Estonian Security Service

Maksim Reva, a Night Watch spokesman, said the Finnish film screening is a ploy by the Estonian security service.

”Estonia is using this untruthful film to justify its claims of a Soviet occupation and to rationalise its mistreatment of Russophones in Estonia. The US is using Estonia and Latvia to create tension between the EU and Russia,” said Reva.

Protest Traces Roots to Statue Dispute

Johan Bäckman, a docent at the University of Helsinki and elsewhere, helped the activists organise Monday’s protests.

The Night Watch movement surfaced in connection with violent clashes in Tallinn over the relocation of a Soviet war memorial some two years ago. The Nashi organisation is meanwhile a Russian state-sponsored youth movement.
Nashi became active following the 2004 Orange Revolution in Ukraine, which Russian authorities feared could spread to Russia. Nashi summer camps allegedly teach adolescents street fighting techniques to help offset possible revolutions.

Nashi has attracted attention by harassing the Estonian, Swedish and British ambassadors stationed in Moscow. Nashi’s funding and support base are, however, dwindling as its public image is dying down.

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Estonia's e-President hails the Skype effect

The event centred on a debate about innovation with Skype CEO Josh Silverman and was broadcast live on the internet with participants from around the world posing questions.

Skype represents an ideal of what we think Estonia should be - a small group of people come together and come up with a really brilliant idea that becomes known all over,' said Ilves. Skype, the internet telephony service that now has more than 30 million daily users around the world, was created by Swede Niklas Zennstrom and Dane Janus Friis, backed by a team of four Estonian software engineers based in Tallinn.

To this day, more than half of Skype's global workforce is in the Estonian capital. Estonians remain proud of the role they played in developing Skype, which still accounts for around half the private sector research and development money spent in the country. Our entire national mythology is based on the fact that while we are not large in number we have to be large with our ideas and Skype is a realization of that in the 21st century world,' Ilves said.

Not that many people know what Estonia is but a lot of people know what Skype is. In a sense we've got to the point where we promote Estonia by mentioning Skype to people that otherwise have no idea,' he added. It's a situation analogous to how the Nokia brand came to somehow represent Finland, Ilves said. President Ilves is no novice in cyberspace, either. He has previously delivered addresses to the nation via the public video website YouTube.

Ilves' presidential website bore the brunt of a cyber-attack launched from servers in Russia in April 2007. The Russian government denied any involvement, but Konstantin Goloskokov, an activist with Russia's pro-Kremlin 'Nashi' youth movement claimed responsibility for the cyber-assault recently. Skype has a very special relationship with Estonia, as this is where the product initially got started in 2003,' according to Sten Tamkivi, head of Skype's Estonian operation.

We certainly hope we've been able to contribute to Estonian identity and brand through our global success. Even though we are globally very diverse, one should never forget one's heritage and roots,' he told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. As to what the 'new Skype' will actually be, Tamkivi said the key was to create an open and friendly environment for innovation and new talent.

When these things are in place, anyone's new ideas will spawn into new successful businesses,' he said. However, Skype's significance to Estonia may be double-edged. During Thursday's debate, which was watched by an invited audience as well as the online masses, President Ilves pondered a trait in the national character which can make people reticent about talking face to face.

Why is it that we get questions from the computer rather than from people sitting here because they would rather not raise their hand? If that is the national character and there's nothing we can do to change that, we'd might as well just go to outsourcing,' Ilves quipped. Estonia's e-President hails the Skype effect.

Source http://monstersandcritics.com/tech/features/article_1465650.~

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Boarding.no : Estonian Air focuses on developing its core business

The strategy foresees restructuring of the company and discontinuing the uneconomical side activities in order to increase the company"s flexibility and adjust to the changes in the aviation market. Estonian Air Bombardier CRJ 900. According to the strategy and restructuring plan approved by Estonian Air"s Supervisory Board, Estonian Air will close its Ground Handling Division on 4 May 2009.

After this date ground handling services will be provided to Estonian Air by a specialized company. As a result of the decision, nearly 120 employees of the division will be laid off. The company will offer all-round support and assistance to the laid-off employees. Andrus Aljas (estonian air) - The continuing drop in passenger numbers and several airlines leaving Tallinn Airport have considerably reduced the volume of our ground handling services.

In the present economic situation it is therefore reasonable to focus on our core business and to outsource rest of the services," said Andrus Aljas, Estonian Air President and CEO. The aim of the restructuring plan approved by the supervisory board and the shareholders is to bring the company over the profit threshold despite the continuing decline of the market. In late spring Estonian Air will upgrade its fleet with three new 88-seater CRJ900 NextGen aircraft.

Source http://boarding.no/art.asp

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