The average vacation of Estonian residents this year will last two-and-a-half weeks, according to a recent survey by TNS Emor pollster. Over 40 percent of the people living in Estonia plan their vacation between May and September, and most of the respondents said they prefer traveling and activities rather than spending their vacation at home or at their summer home.
Following pressure from Russia, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe plans to discuss the current situation with national minorities in Estonia and in Latvia at the Parliamentary Assembly. Russia, referring to the significant groups of noncitizens residing in Estonia and in Latvia, has suggested the two republics pass laws clearly restricting discrimination on racial, ethnic, gender, religious or other basis.
Starting July 7, shops in Tallinn will not sell alcohol from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m., according to a decree of the City Council. The restrictions were imposed after a poll carried out earlier this year among Tallinn residents showed that 64 percent of the voters supported the idea. Experts claim that the streets of Tallinn will become safer judging by the experience of other Estonian towns that have banned late-night retail alcohol sale.
A train carrying about 70 passengers derailed at the Tallinn railway station on July 5. No one was injured, but train traffic was stopped for several hours, and the carrier company had to take people to their destination by taxi. The railway inspectorate stated that the investigation would take up to 15 days.
Three children drowned over the last seven days in Estonia. Rescue department workers failed to save a 7-year-old boy who fell off a boat into a 2-meter deep river vortex near Tallinn. Two girls, aged five and eight, were found dead in the sea at a beach in Parnu on July 5. The girls were reportedly left unattended by their parents and went to swim in an area that was not secured by lifeguards.
Police are looking for 18-year-old Kaupo Saarva (photo) in connection with a July 5 shooting in southern Estonia. The suspect used a handgun that seriously wounded two men and one woman during an alleged robbery attempt.
