Austrian police detained two Estonians who had robbed a jewelry store in Salzburg. The value of the watches they stole, which have not yet been recovered, is an estimated 1.4 million euros, the newspaper Salzburger Nachrichten reported. The two young men, aged 20 and 21, robbed the Koppenwall-ner jewelry store shortly after noon on Jan. 31. While one thief held a salesperson at gunpoint, the other smashed the store's showcases with a hammer and grabbed the watches inside. After escaping, the two criminals managed to cross the German border but were detained by police near the town of Piding. Neither the weapon used in the robbery nor the valuable watches were found. Hundreds of policemen combed the highway between Salzburg and Piding on the assumption that the robbers had thrown the loot out the car. But the search brought no results.
Police detained a man in the northeastern city of Kohtla-Jarve after finding him in possession of about 20 kilograms of ammonite, an explosive. Officers launched a criminal proceeding and detained the 38-year-old for illegally handling explosive substances. Prosecutor Antti Aitsen asked that the convict, who has a criminal record, be taken into custody immediately. Under the Penal Code, the unlawful handling of large quantities of explosives carries a prison sentence of three to 12 years.
Estonia ranks as a "high crime country" in the EU, with crime rates at least 30 percent higher than the EU average, a recent survey shows. The European Crime and Safety Survey polled the residents of 18 EU countries about their experience with crime. After Ireland and the U.K., Estonia, the Netherlands and Denmark have the highest levels of crime of those countries polled. Crime levels are the lowest in Spain, Hungary, Portugal and Finland. The number of burglaries, thefts, muggings and assaults declined in the EU between 1995 and 2005, the survey indicates, with Estonia, Poland and countries of southern Europe posting the steepest decline.
Parliament's culture committee decided to back a bill that would make the study of religion mandatory in all high schools. Parliament will start the bill's first reading on Feb. 13, Committee Chairman Olav Aarna (Pro Patria and Res Publica) said. The committee okayed the bill with six votes for and one against. Aarna said he hopes the bill will be adopted by this month. If the legislation is passed, the study of religion would become mandatory in high schools, and in primary schools it would remain voluntary, though schools will have to add it to curriculum if five pupils express a wish to study religion. Currently religious courses are offered if at least 15 pupils request a desire to study the subject.
Defense Force Commander Maj. Gen. Ants Laaneots left to visit troops in Iraq on Feb. 5. Laaneots is scheduled to meet with the chief of the coalition in Iraq, Gen. George Casey, and the commanders of the division, the brigade and the battalion ESTPLA-14. "I consider it extremely important to become personally familiar with all difficult areas of operation abroad," Laaneots was quoted as saying.
