There were 36,587 unemployed people officially registered in Estonia in June 2004, or 4.5 percent of the population aged 16 to 63, according to the Labor Market Board. Compared with last June, the number of unemployed has decreased by 14 percent. The number of newly registered unemployed has not changed significantly. The northeastern county of Ida-Virumaa maintained the highest level of unemployment, with 9.7 percent of its population officially jobless. The lowest unemployment level was registered in Parnu and Tartu counties at 3 percent and 2.1 percent respectively.
About 1,200 human skeletons were recovered from an archeological excavation site in the center of Tallinn where an old cemetery and church used to be. The biggest find, and the object of the works, was the foundation of the St. Johanne's church building dated 15th century. During the excavation works that ended July 9, a number of coins and jewelry dated 17th to 18th centuries were recovered from the graves. The skeletons will be studied by a St. Petersburg anthropologist and will later be reburied at the Liiva Cemetery in Tallinn.
Unidentified criminals broke into the Maksimarket shopping center in Laagri just outside Tallinn and stole jewelry worth about 64,000 euros on the night of July 7, police officials stated. The thieves entered the complex after smashing a window leading to the center's underground level, a police spokesman said. They then made their way to the Juveeliekspert store through a musical instrument shop. An investigation is under way.
To prevent weather-related problems, the dance performances of the next Song and Dance Festival may be carried out at the A.leCoq Arena soccer stadium in Tallinn, according to the Ministry of Culture. The stadium is about to get its stands covered with a roof, and the field itself has a drainage system that absorbs rain. A dance performance was canceled for the first time ever at the Song and Dance Festival two weeks ago due to heavy rain.
A boat containing five people capsized in the Kolga Bay in the northeastern part of the country. Three bodies have been recovered, and the remaining two are also believed to have drowned. The tragic accident took place in the afternoon of July 10, when the group went to sea from the Tsitre village in a Russian-made Bella-type plastic boat. The group is believed to have headed for the Malusi islands, just about 10 kilometers from Tsitre. Because of the accident the maritime administration said it was planning to ban the use of this type of boat from sailing further than 400 meters from the shore, limiting it only to small inland water bodies.
A commission of experts from various ministries did not find any traces of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or the mad- cow disease, in Estonia. The commission took 22 probes of cows, sheep and goats slaughtered for human consumption from March 15 to early July.
