According to Siim Kallas, the Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of transport, the State should support the opening of new routes in order to improve aviation, rather than give money to Estonian Air only.

Kallas, answering to the journalists during the questions time at the European Union House, said that in Brussels they are quite disappointed about the Tallinn-Brussels route.

“After the opening of the direct flights, the connection has become worse. There are fewer flights and they are cancelled very often,” commented the EC Vice-President.

Kallas added that border areas do not have any other opportunity besides having the State supporting the opening of new routes; at the same time he cannot imagine where the government should take that money.

According to Kallas, Tallinn cannot function the same way as the Latvian airport of Riga, where Air Baltic is supported by having to pay lower airport fees. One solution could be a competition for opening a new specific route, so that the money would not be given only to Estonian Air,” he said.

According to the Deputy Secretary General to the Estonian Ministry of the Interior Erkki Koort, obtaining citizenship in Estonia has continuously been simplified and regarding naturalization, it is a long-term process.

A new report from the committee of the Council of Europe pointed out that even though the number of stateless persons in Estonia is decreasing constantly, it is still as high as eight per cent of the population which is still too high.

However, Erkki Koort says that he cannot completely agree with that statement, because, for example in 1992 the percentage of stateless persons was 32% of the population.

Koort confirms that several changes have been made for simplifying the process of obtaining citizenship, for example, the waiting period has been shortened from one year to one month, the expenses for learning Estonian are being compensated, matching exams, and handicapped persons’ partly or full dismissal from the exams.

According to him the problem lies in the opportunity offered to the non-citizens to travel to Russia without visa, which does not motivate them to apply for citizenship.

“The state is working actively in order to promote citizenship, and great attention has been turned to informing the people about the opportunities for obtaining citizenship,” confirmed the Deputy SG. “It is clear that the opportunities for people not speaking Estonian are narrower,” he added.

What concerns discrimination cases, then these are being taken very seriously, Koort said. “The Ministry of Interior does not have any data about crimes of discrimination that would be left unpunished,” he stated.

Last month an online shop Kingakaubamaja, selling shoes for women, started to offer the possibility of buying boots and shoes via after-payment.

The representative of Kingakaubamaja Kersti Meri said to Tarbija24 that it is the first shoe shop in Estonia who offers customers the possibility of paying via after-payment.

Kingakaubamaja would probably not have thought about it if clients hadn’t mentioned it. “Quite many people said that they liked the products and would have liked to buy them, but as the economic situation is what it is then there is not that much money to give out at once,” said Meri.

Interest toward buying boots via after-payment has been big. More than half of the Kingakaubamaja’s clients have applied in the beginning of the year on buying via after-payment. Most of them would like to divide the sum on five to six months, so that the monthly payment would be 300-400 EEK.

At the same time there are also clients who would like to divide the sum on as many months as possible, and in the case of Liisi, who is a partner of Kingakaubamaja, it is 49 months.

Meri also mentioned that usually high-cost purchases are not made via after-payment, but it is still one pair at a time.

Blood, charcoal, paper, and a little bit of fabric are the materials that the 24-year-old artist Nadezhda Tshernobai has used for her exhibition named “MÄ”. The exhibition with her tremendous works can be seen in the gallery Noorus in Tartu (Riia 11).

“These are the kind of genuine truths as blood and charcoal…Mortal and at the same time eternal…Blood and charcoals have so many meanings…” she said to Postimees explaining the meaning of the exhibition and her controversial choice. “I get the charcoal by myself by burning wood, I smear the blood with my abraded hands on white paper made from living tree… I paint myself, I paint with charcoal and blood…”

Two videos about the course of making these paintings are being shown in the gallery as well. It appears that Tshernobai has been painting naked, with her own body, and with many litres of blood in the bowl. With four years of experience in being a blood donor the artist confessed calmingly that the blood is of animal origin, bought from a slaughterhouse.

“MÄ” is also her Tartu University Department of Arts MA Thesis exhibition that has been supervised by the professor Jaan Elken, and been graded with A by the committee. The thesis defence took place on 15^th January in the gallery ArtDepo.

Last year the State Agency of Medicines gave out 50 precepts to drug companies for violating the medicinal advertising rules. Even though the majority of them concerned reports on medicinal advertising not filed in, there are violations also in advertisements’ texts.

According to the deputy of the director general in the State Agency of Medicines Alar Irs, the most common cases are drugs that in advertisement have been given the effects which are not proved to be present in reality. “This is misleading the consumers and might create expectations to the doctors prescribing the medicine which will not be fulfilled,” explained Irs.

According to him the summary on the qualities describing the medicine’s indication, dose, proved effects and possible threats is approved with the marketing authorization. This must be followed when advertising the medicinal product.

“If the producer thinks to have found new qualities in the drug, these must first be presented to the State Agency of Medicines to be evaluated, and the changes – if they are reasoned based on scientific data – to be made in the text. Only after that the new information may be used in the advertisement as well,” added Irs.

Majority of the violations concern advertisements published in the magazines as Eesti Arst and Perearst, targeted to health-care workers.

The advertisements containing false information arrived were broadcasted last November on Channel 2, where company Pharmaswiss gave misleading information about the effects of the painkilling medicine Dicloflex.

In addition to that, there were misleading advertisements published in November in magazines Kodutohter and Tervispluss where false information was given about Nycomed’s drug Controloc Control for treating heartburn.

The State Agency of Medicines gave a precept to companies, obliging them to stop showing aforementioned advertisements and publish texts with the correction notice given by the Agency.

Dicloflex advertisement claimed that thanks to the unique technologies utilized in the production of the medicine, it helped to reach twenty times higher painkiller effect in the pain centre. According to the evaluation by the State Agency of Medicines, this comparison is not based on proved signs and by the given information it is not possible to understand to which medicine compared is Dicloflex more efficient. No comments have yet been received from the Pharmaswiss Estonia offices.

Nicomed’s heartburn medicine advertisements contained superlative evaluations on the qualities of the medicine that, according to the State Agency of Medicine, weren’t clearly distinguishable as advertisement. The information given might have left the impression that if the medicine wasn’t being used, then health would worsen. Neither did the advertisements include enough information of how to safely use the medicine.

The executive director of Nycomed SEFA AS Ants Nurga said that the problem was in different interpretations of the Medicinal Products Act and advertisement statements. “That who is right is difficult to say yet,” he admitted.

The Medicinal Products Act doesn’t allow the usage of superlative in the advertisement. We say that this superlative applies to the inhibitors of the proton pump, which is a pharmaceutical class, while the State Agency of Medicines claims that this is applies to our product,” said Nurk.

About the pharmaceutical class the company’s executive director can say that it is the best as there are scientific references to that in medicine. “There is not a better one today, which means that this one is the best“he explained.

The director general of the State Agency of Medicines Kristin Raudsepp confirmed that the precepts given last year have been fulfilled.

During the last couple of months 296 people have added themselves to a new self ban list from the casino created by the Tax and Customs Board.

“By today already 296 people have filed in an application to be restricted from gambling,” reported the representative of the Tax and Customs Board Annely Erm to BNS.

Last year on the 31 December there were about thousand people on the currently invalid ban list of casino addicted, created by the Estonian Association of Gambling Operators (EGOA).

Since the New Year, managing of the list was given to the Tax and Customs Board, and the old one lost its validity. The Ministry of Finance said that the new list was created following the fact that all of the gambling operators are not members of EGOA.

The list by EGOA did not guarantee either the data being updated and reached easily, the confidentiality request for sensitive personal data was not fulfilled, possibility for effective controlling of persons was missing, as well as the data for guaranteeing supervisory on implementing the list at the gambling operators.

According to Erm the gambling operators now must check the list before letting anyone enter a casino, to see if the person has been banned or not. “Tax and Customs Board has the right to be guided by the supervisory measures stated in the Gambling Act that is, to do on-the-spot check in a casino and ask for video surveillance tapes from the gambling operators,” stated Erm.

There are two ways of filing in an application to be added to the list, it is either in the office of the Tax and Customs Board or in a casino; the person applying for the ban list will be added there based to his written application for 6 months to three years.

Studies have shown that the risk group for gambling addiction is about 1 percent of the adult (15-74 years) population

The TV tower in Tallinn will go through renovation that will cost 100 millions of kroons. The aim is to make it become an eye-catching tourist magnet.

This year the TV tower will celebrate its 30 years since the first opening and even if the people living in the capital may take the tower for granted, there are not many that kind of buildings in the world.

“Tourist attractions in high towers are very popular in the world,” confirms the chairman of the council of the SA Tallinna Teletorn Aare Siimon. “All over the world there are more than 50 TV towers opened for the visitors and the amount of visitors often reaches several million per year.”

Next spring the TV tower in Tallinn will also be added to the list of dignified buildings opened to the public. “We hope to receive over 100 000 visitors during the first year. During the third and fourth year we would try to keep the amount around 90 000-100 000 visitors, which would make three to five percent of the foreign tourists visiting Tallinn every year,” said Siimon.

Big Changes

There are plenty of things in the tower to use for catching the attention of tourists. Even though the external appearance remains the same, the entrance area will go through thorough changes – the current entrance building, a pool remaining between that and the tower, and overhead roofs will be pulled down.

The view to the TV tower opens already from the Kloostrimetsa road and visitors could go directly from the inclined plane to the second floor of the tower. The territory surrounding the tower will be redesigned as well.

On internal works much of attention will be turned to guaranteeing (fire) safety to visitors: a great part of the electrical system will be replaced, new ventilation, cooling, smoke removal, and control engineering systems will be constructed.

A panic room will be created under the tower’s viewing platform, where visitors could stay in case of a fire until the threat has passed.

The elevators will be made fireproof to be used in case of a fire in order to evacuate visitors from the tower. The viewing platform on 170 meters will certainly be reconstructed and with that also the 22^nd floor that has so far been closed to the visitors and will then be turned into an exhibition room.

“The panorama on 170 meters will remain the main attraction, complemented with different thematic exhibitions,” added Siimon.

Visitors could so try their tolerance to height standing on the glass floor on 170 metres and looking straight down, or on the outdoor platform. A small cafe will be opened on the viewing platform floor, while there are no plans for a restaurant.

Praising opinions

According to Siimon, one of the most interesting exhibition will introduce the achievements of Estonian scientists in different areas: biotechnology and medicine, energy and climate, IT and e-government, cosmos, society and culture, nature, architecture and design. “The keywords are innovation and science fiction, which are supported by the internal design,” he added.

Tallinn’s main architect Endrik Mänd remarked that the changes planned for the entrance area have made him a pleasant impression. He thought that the renovation of the TV tower was a very good solution for the city as it is a unique building.

Purge, a book written by a Finnish-Estonian writer Sofi Oksanen was presented on Sunday at the International Festival of Play Reading in New York, USA.

Staged reading of Oksanen’s book took place on Sunday evening as a part of the hotINK, an International Festival of Play Reading at Tisch School of The Arts in New York, reported the Free Estonian Word.

Oksanen’s book has been translated into English by Ewa Buchwald.

Her third novel Purge tells about Estonian recent past through the tragic experiences of the women of one family. The writer wanted to show the Estonian resistance movement during the Soviet occupation and that “Through the front line that crossed homes”.

In 2008 the novel won the most prestigious literary award Finlandia, and this year also the Runeberg award. Last spring Purge was also published in Estonian.

Purge was initially a play and was premiered in 2007 with great success at the Finnish National Theatre.

Oksanen other books have also been accompanied by success, including the novels Stalin’s Cows (2003) and Baby Jane (2005) which have already earlier been translated into Estonian.

Oksanen was born in 1977 in Jyväskylä, her mother is Estonian and father Finnish.

Up to 40 percent of the registered unemployed, ca. 35 000 people will not receive benefits neither services from the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund.

The 17 000 unemployed who have not registered themselves in the unemployment insurance fund will not benefit, and neither do those who have given up looking for job.

57 percent of the registered unemployed received direct partial monetary benefits in the end of the year (expenses like monetary support for scholarship or transportation are excluded). 34 percent received unemployment insurance benefits and 23 percent got an unemployment benefit in the amount of thousand kroons.

About one third received counseling, salary compensation, training, and other services from the Unemployment Insurance Fund.

Unfortunately the monetary means of the Unemployment Insurance Fund are limited and therefore it is not possible to offer services to everyone who have requested. There is no such service of which the offer would exceed request, said Pille Liimal, a member of the management board of the Unemployment Insurance Fund.

“Interest differs through services. There is certainly interest about training and of course the need for that is higher, than we could offer,” she stated.

Last year 18 110 unemployed, that is about 13 percent of the registered unemployed received training. Career counseling was given to 23 785, that is 17 percent of the registered unemployed.

There were more than 1000 to 2000 participants, which is 1 percent, both at public works as well as work practice and training. The request for other services was smaller.

This year the amount of those receiving training is reducing, because the money directed for that is about two times less than it was last year. Which increases however, is using salary compensation. There are several times more means planned for that. If last year the salary compensation was received for 198 times only, then this year on account of this it is possible to employ thousands of people.

At present it is possible to receive salary compensation in every case if the necessary conditions have been fulfilled. As the employers interest on salary compensation has grown, then according to Liimal it is not excluded that toward the end of the year money meant for that will not be enough and the salary compensation will not be given even if all the conditions for that have been fulfilled.

According to prognosis the importance of those unemployed who do not receive any benefits or services from the unemployment insurance fund will grow. The ones receiving the services will remain more or less the same, but, for example, those receiving unemployment insurance benefits will fall until fifth as the period of receiving it will end for many of them.

Two years ago the healthcare system in Estonia spent 11 487 kroons per person.

More than half of that sum was given to active treatment services and a fourth went away for medical products. A year earlier, in 2007 the amount spent per person was almost 2000 kroons smaller, therefore 9664 kroons.

Total expenses of the Estonian healthcare system, therefore all the expenses on healthcare services, medicines, health products and investments, which were all paid by Estonian Health Insurance Fund, the State, local governments, employers, and people themselves in 2008 were 15,4 milliards of kroons.

Its percentage in GDP terms grew as well and exceeded the six percent limit. It was mostly due to the fall of the GDP and the continuous growth of healthcare expenses.

The data about the healthcare expenses of the previous year will be given in the end of this year.