Russia puts Estonia Prime Minister on wanted list for destroying Soviet monuments
Moscow, Russia/Vilnius, Estonia Reuters Russian police have put Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, Lithuania’s culture minister, and members of the previous Latvian parliament on a wanted list for destroying Soviet-era monuments, according to the Russian interior ministry’s database. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Kallas was wanted for the “desecration of historical memory”. Estonia’s Prime Minister […]
Finland should stay calm amid Trump NATO rhetoric, President-elect says
Helsinki, Finland Reuters Finland’s President-elect Alexander Stubb said on Monday his country should remain calm and focus on its NATO membership despite former US President Donald Trump’s recent critical comments on the military alliance. Trump, the front-runner to become the Republican candidate in November’s US presidential election, said last week he would not want to […]
StrangeSights: Punxsutawney Phil’s forecast; “Ultimate” cruise passengers find minor stardom; and, Estonia’s “sweat marathon”…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Estonia tells its top Russian Orthodox clergyman to leave the country
Reuters Estonia has told the head of its branch of the Russian Orthodox Church to leave the country, calling him a threat to national security, Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported on Thursday. Valeri Reshetnikov, who heads the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate as Metropolitan Eugene, was refused an extension of his residence permit […]
Ukraine’s Zelenskiy says a ceasefire would only benefit Russia
Vilnius, Lithuania Reuters Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday that a ceasefire in Russia’s war against Ukraine would not lead to political dialogue, and would only benefit Moscow. Speaking to reporters in the Estonian capital Tallinn during a wider tour of the Baltic region, Zelenskiy said any pause would risk allowing Russia to re-group […]
StrangeSights: A former President auctions his car for charity; a sauna marathon; and, 85-year-old zips down a line…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Essay: Ukraine war prompts Baltic states to remove Soviet memorials
Russian and East European studies scholar DMITRIJS ANDREJEVS looks – in an article published on The Conversation – at why Baltic states are removing Soviet memorials…
Snapshot: Talinn, Estonia
See LEO ROOMETS’ image…
Lutheran World Federation elects first female general secretary to lead global communion
RNS The Lutheran World Federation has elected the first woman to head its global communion of churches. Rev Anne Burghardt, an Estonian theologian, was chosen on Saturday by the LWF Council as the next general secretary of the federation, which includes 148 denominations in the Lutheran tradition from around the globe. Rev Anne Burghardt. PICTURE: […]
EU countries agree to share ‘solidarity vaccines’ with states in need
Brussels, BelgiumReuters Most European Union member states on Thursday agreed to share part of their upcoming vaccine deliveries with the five EU countries they said need them most. The EU’s vaccine doses are usually distributed between the bloc’s 27 countries based on population size. Vials with Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, and Moderna coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine labels […]