The national football team hung on to a thin strand of pride during their match against England on Oct. 13. The team lost 3-0 at Wembley Stadium, a disappointing result, but no worse than their last tussle with England in Tallinn in June. Goalkeeper Mart Poom said his team should be proud of their efforts after holding England away from the goalbox for the entire second half.
A redistribution of seats in the European Parliament saw Estonia cling to its six representations while others had their allocations cut. On Oct. 11 lawmakers in Brussels voted to cull the total number of seats in the Parliament from 785 to 750 for the 2009 - 14 legislature, based on the number of inhabitants in each country. Most large EU nations lost several seats, while Estonia and Latvia kept their allocation. Lithuania lost one of its 13 seats.
Estonian conductor Neeme Jarvi has been re-appointed as music director of the New Jersey Symphony until 2009. Jarvi, 70, left Estonia in 1980 to become conductor of Sweden's Gothenburg Symphony. He headed the Detroit Symphony until 2005, when he took up the post at New Jersey. He is one of several Estonians recognized around the world for their conducting and composing skills.
Estonia was named among the worst nations in Europe for integrating immigrants, according to a survey released on Oct. 15. The Migration Integration Policy Index, a yearly study run by the British Council for the European Commission, ranked EU nations according to immigrant rights, and internal racism and prejudice. Estonia ranked 19th, ahead of Lithuania at 20th, and Latvia, which came in last at 28th place.
Only weeks after championing environmental issues at the United Nations, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves has suggested that Estonia and Latvia should jointly operate a coal power plant. Ilves met with Latvian President Valdis Zatlers on Oct. 15 and suggested coal power could be used as an alternative energy source. Coal is widely regarded as one of the dirtiest sources of power, and a major source of greenhouse gas emissions.
