Olümpiavõitjad. Inimesed meie elust
Johannes Vedru, ERR
“Nad on erilised. Kõik meie olümpiavõitjad on erilised. Ja samas on nad inimesed meie eludest. Võib-olla isegi "tüdrukud naabermajast". Meist mõnegi jaoks. Äkki isegi paljude jaoks?”
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"Loodame jätkata normaalset elu," ütleb Julia Beljajeva. Sümpaatne.”
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"Eesti naised on kõvad." Nii ütleb Vabariigi President. Ja ta ei eksi. …”
https://sport.err.ee/1608291966/johannes-vedru-olumpiavoitjad-inimesed-meie-elust
“Olümpiamängude veebilehelt.” - Postimees
“Olümpiamängude veebilehelt.” - ERR
“Olümpiamängude veebilehelt.” - Delfi
“Võidukas epeenaiskond saabus Tallinna.” - ERR
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| Getty Images | NBC Olympics |
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COVID in the Baltics
- 222 in Estonia ⬆️ (84 last week)
- 67 in Latvia ⬆️ (38 last week)
- 380 in Lithuania ⬆️ (233 last week)
(BNN)
“Koroonaviiruse andmestik.” - Eesti Terviseamet
“Wearing masks on public transport to be mandatory from August 2.” - ERR
“Eesmärgi saavutamiseks tuleks igal nädalal vaktsineerida 20,000 inimest.” - ERR
“Estonia donates over 50,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to Ukraine.” - Ukrinform
“Finland’s latest: 748 cases of Covid on Friday.” - Yle
“Huge disappointment in EU over Biden’s continuing travel ban.” - Politico-Europe
“Poland’s health care system is now facing extreme staff shortages.” - Politico-Europe
— Friday 30. July —
Iisraeli relvafirma korraldas Eestis laevatõrjeraketi näidislaskmise
(ERR)
“Iisraeli väljaande teatel tulistati 22. juulil Eesti rannikul välja kaks raketti, mis mõlemad tabasid silmapiiri taga olevaid ning erinevate karakteristikutega sihtmärke ja hävitasid need. "Näidislaskmisega demonstreeriti rakettide võimekust tegelda kaasaegsete rannakaitse küsimustega nii maal kui merel ning erinevate sihtmärkide kontekstis," edastase väljaanne relvaettevõtte teacdet.
Israel Defense lisas, et eelmisel aastal korraldas Eesti kaitsevägi kahe lühimaaraketi Spike SR tulistamise ning 2019. aastal sõlmis raamlepingu ühisettevõttega Eurospike, mille raames ostetakse 40 miljoni euro eest Spike'i pikamaa tankitõrjerakette.”
https://www.err.ee/1608293169/iisraeli-relvafirma-korraldas-eestis-laevatorjeraketi-naidislaskmise
Israeli company demonstrated firing of “non-line-of-sight” missiles at targets floating on the Baltic Sea
(Israeli Defense)
“The demonstration hosted by the Estonian Navy was attended by representatives from 14 countries, including NATO countries that have deployed the missile, as well as senior Estonian Defense Ministry officials and members of the Estonian Armed Forces. … The missiles were fired at two targets with different characteristics in the sea, beyond the line of sight, and both targets were destroyed. The demonstration displayed the missile's capability to address modern coastal protection challenges including a variety of targets, either at sea or on land, and dense marine traffic
https://www.israeldefense.co.il/en/node/51125
Soome võitleb viimase 50 aasta rängimate metsapõlengutega
(ERR)
“Juba viis päeva möllavad leegid 300 hektaril riigi loodeosas.
Põleng süttis esmaspäeval umbes 25 kilomeetrit lõuna pool Botnia lahe ääres asuvat väikest Kalajoki sadamalinna.”
https://www.err.ee/1608293694/soome-voitleb-viimase-50-aasta-rangimate-metsapolengutega
“Minu Setomaa” autor Annela Laaneots räägib salakeelest
(Postimees)
“Laaneots on just see õige inimene meile seto keelest kõnelema.”
“Seto Kuningriigi päevale pääseb koroonatõendiga.” - ERR
“The Glass Wall” by Max Egremont
Book review, by The Financial Times
“A restlessly enquiring guide, Egremont interviews Latvian and Estonian businessmen, academics and editors, as well as elderly survivors of Hitler’s war against Riga’s Jewry. He travels to Russian Old Believer territory on the shores of Lake Peipsi near the Estonian university town of Tartu. And he considers the life of the American abstract expressionist Mark Rothko, who was born in 1903 as Marcus Rothkowitz in the Tsarist back-of-beyond of Dvinsk (today Daugavpils in Latvia). With rare narrative, Egremont offers an elegy for a forgotten land, where east meets west and the winters never end.”
https://www.ft.com/content/3e77631e-af66-4ce8-92a5-691a71b39621
On Amazon:
Russia’s Zapad 2021: Exercises, Signaling, War Scares, and Military Confrontations
(CSIS)
“In September, Russia and Belarus will hold their quadrennial “Zapad” or Western operational-strategic exercise. Last held in 2017, this exercise comes at a time when Russia’s relations with the West are at their lowest point following Russia’s annexation of Crimea and combat troop deployment to Eastern Ukraine in 2014. Russian force and equipment prepositioning near Ukraine in April 2021, as well as the Russian government’s announcement that it will deploy 20 additional military units to its Western Military District (WMD), indicate that the exercise will be particularly large. This will be an important exercise to better understand Russian-Belarusian military integration and the potential future use of Belarusian territory by Russia.”
“Zapad 2021 and the Future of Russia's Force Presence in Belarus.” - CSIS
Eastern Europe’s Nuclear Energy Landscape, 35 years after Chernobyl
(Warsaw Institute)
“Chernobyl. It is often described as the worst nuclear accident known to humanity, with its fatality rates reaching the five-digit numbers. Despite being badly affected by the accident, Russia is now notorious for dominating the nuclear energy market in Eastern Europe. Three and a half decades after the fallout seems an opportune time to critically reflect on the current state of the nuclear energy landscape in Eastern Europe and Russia’s central role within it. …”
https://warsawinstitute.org/35-years-chernobyl-eastern-europes-nuclear-energy-landscape/
Tech: Postimees using ‘GeoGuard’ to protect Olympics broadcast in Estonia
(Advanced Television)
“Postimees Grupp, the largest media group in the Baltics, has signed a new contract to use the GeoGuard VPN and proxy detention solution on an on-going basis in order to protect against geo-piracy across its live and on-demand content. As Postimees begins broadcasting more high value content such as the Tokyo Olympics, it has expanded its use of GeoGuard in order to continuously block illegal, out of territory, viewers across its free-to-air portfolio.”
U.S. Passports: How to navigate the massive State Department delays
(Washington Post - 23. July)
“Instead of the standard wait time of 6 to 8 weeks to get a passport, the time is now closer to 12 to 18 weeks, the State Department has said, thanks to a backlog of 1.5 million to 2 million passport requests caused by pandemic delays. Worse yet, on Wednesday evening (21. July), the State Department shut down its online appointment system after scammers were found exploiting emergency assistance bookings. …”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/passport-delays-expedite-renewal-status/
“Routine service can take up to 18 weeks from the day an application is submitted to the day a new passport is received.” - U.S. State Department
— Thursday 29. July —
Estonian golden Olympic team to receive 200,000 Euros
(Baltic News Network)
“Coach Kaido Kaaberma is expected to receive 50% of the prize money. Fencer Katrina Lehis will additionally receive an additional EUR 45,000 for her individual bronze achievement.”
https://bnn-news.com/estonian-golden-olympic-team-to-receive-200-000-with-half-going-to-coach-226902
Estonia arrests hacker who stole 286K ID scans from govt database
(Bleeping Computer)
“The suspect downloaded the government document photos using the targets' names and personal ID codes (available from various public databases). RIA added that the stolen information could not be used to perform notarial or financial transactions or gain access to state digital services by impersonating the impacted individuals.”
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"It is not possible to gain access to e-services, give a digital signature, or to perform different financial transactions (incl. bank transfers, purchase and sales transactions, notarial transactions, etc.) using a document photo, personal identification code, or name," RIA Director General Margus Noormaa said.”
“Fotode lekkimise eest hüvitise saamine on vähetõenäoline.” - ERR
Hundreds of thousands of ID photos illegally downloaded in Estonia
(Baltic Times | Postimees)
“SK ID Solutions notified RIA on July 16 of an increase in the number of queries. On July 21, through additional monitoring, RIA detected a massive download of data from the identity document database KMAIS and closed the service. … The suspect downloaded the photographs of 286,438 people from the identity documents database using forged digital certificates. The suspect did not gain access to the database, but abused a security vulnerability in a service managed by RIA, which made it possible to obtain a person's ID photo using queries.”
https://www.baltictimes.com/hundreds_of_thousands_of_id_photos_illegally_downloaded_in_estonia/
—
https://news.postimees.ee/7303667/hacker-gains-access-to-hundreds-of-thousands-of-document-photos
Lithuanian Court Sends Politician To Six Years In Prison For Spying For Russia
(RFERL)
“The Lithuanian Prosecutor-General's Office had sought nine years in prison for Algirdas Paleckis, a politician who has been known for his pro-Russian views and questioned Lithuania's membership in NATO and the European Union. According to the Prosecutor-General's Office, Paleckis and an unspecified number of other Lithuanian citizens allegedly collected information for Russian intelligence for money between February 2017 and October 2018.”
https://www.rferl.org/a/lithuania-spying-russia-paleckis/31379678.html
Germany: Catastrophic Flooding Spotlights Poor Disaster Preparedness
(Spiegel)
“A shift has occurred in Germany when it comes to people’s feelings of safety and their belief that the state is protecting them and ensuring their safety in potentially deadly situations. For a long time, people felt safe here. Many believed that Germany was a highly functioning country. Germans were proud that most things here ran better than elsewhere, that they were safer and more reliable. When a bridge collapsed in Italy, Germans often took note with a mixture of pity and arrogance, believing that it could never happen here. But it can. That feeling is gone …”
“Climate change is forcing Germany to learn.” - Spiegel
“The Bavaria floods: 'This will happen again’.” - Deutsche Welle
— Tuesday 27. July —
Lithuania to receive 100 km of barbed wire from Estonia
(Baltic Times)
“… to be able to continue building a barrier along the most vulnerable sections of its border with Belarus. … Representatives for the Lithuanian army said last Friday barbed wire had been installed only in a 1.5 km border section so far as there's a lack of barbed wire itself.”
https://www.baltictimes.com/lithuania_set_to_receive_100_km_of_barbed_wire_from_estonia___minister/
EU’s Forest Strategy ignited a political battle in Sweden
(Politico-Europe)
“More than two-thirds of Sweden is covered by trees, and that's turning the country into a battleground between loggers and climate activists. … On one side are environmentalists and Swedish Green Party lawmakers who say the industry must move away from intensive harvesting of forests and let trees stand to maximize the positive impact they can have on CO2 levels, flood risk and soil quality.”
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“Sweden is the world’s third-largest exporter of pulp, paper and sawn timber, according to forestry lobby group Swedish Forest Industries. Timber employs 70,000 people and a further 50,000 single-person businesses are active in the sector — making it a political heavyweight.”
https://www.politico.eu/article/sweden-forests-europe-strategy-climate-change/
Opinion: Ukraine Won’t Stop Fighting the Nord Stream Deal
(Foreign Policy)
“Kyiv feels let down by supposed allies in Berlin and Washington.”
https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/07/27/ukraine-wont-stop-fighting-nord-stream-deal-germany-us/
“Belarus's Beleaguered Opposition Seeks U.S. Support.” - RFERL
“Seven Years of Deadlock: Why Ukraine’s Military Reforms Have Gone Nowhere.” - Jamestown Org.
“Russia Makes More Aggressive Moves In Donbas.” - Warsaw Institute
Europeans increasingly frustrated as White House maintains Trump-era covid travel restrictions
(Washington Post)
“European lawmakers and business groups voiced mounting criticism of the Biden administration on Tuesday, after the White House said its restrictions on international travel would remain in place for the time being. Whereas vaccinated U.S. tourists have been allowed to return to much of Europe for weeks, most Europeans continue to be unable to travel to the United States under a ban that was first imposed by President Donald Trump in March 2020.”
A wade through the swamp of Europe’s conspiracy culture
(Vox Europe)
“White Masks, antivax, covidosceptics, anti-5G… Europe’s conspiracy-seekers took to the streets several times during the recent lockdowns in France and Belgium. Photographers Nicolas Liponne and Nicolas Landemard followed them.”
https://voxeurop.eu/en/covid-a-wade-through-the-swamp-of-europes-conspiracy-culture/
— Russia —
Intense wildfires burn in Siberia
(PRI)
“… and carbon emissions are near an all-time high from Russian fires.”
https://www.pri.org/programs/world/intense-wildfires-burn-siberia
Russia’s Forest Fires Not Just Result of Global Warming but of Putin Policies
By Paul Goble
“But these devastating fires, which have been on the increase every year for the past decade, are not just the result of these natural disasters. They reflect Vladimir Putin’s dismantling of the monitoring and fire-fighting capability that existed earlier as part of his optimization campaign to save money for other purposes.”
http://windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2021/07/russias-forest-fires-not-just-result-of.html
“Bridge Collapse from Flooding Highlights How Fragile Russia’s Transportation Network Is.” - Window on Eurasia
Russian regulator blocks Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny's website before election
(CBC | Meduza)
“The action came amid mounting government pressure on opposition supporters, independent journalists and human rights activists in Russia ahead of the country's parliamentary election. The September vote is widely seen as an important part of President Putin's efforts to cement his rule before a 2024 presidential election.”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/navalny-websites-blocked-1.6118130
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https://meduza.io/en/news/2021/07/26/russia-s-censorship-agency-blocks-alexey-navalny-s-website
—
Alexei Navalny's website: https://navalny.com/p/6512/
“Заблокированы 49 сайтов, ассоциированных Алексеем Навальным и его сторонниками.” - COBA
FSB Plans to Restrict Coverage of Russian Military by Journalists
By Paul Goble
“Among the topics that the FSB rule would block would be discussions of dedovshchina and other conflicts among soldiers, attitudes of soldiers about various programs and policies, personal data about soldiers and officers and any information concerning Roskosmos, the Russian space agency.”
http://windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2021/07/fsb-plan-to-restrict-coverage-of.html
COVID-19: Stalled Russian vaccines cause global anger
(BBC)
“Scores of countries enlisted Russia's help through deals to buy millions of doses of Sputnik V, unveiled last year as the world's first Covid jab. … Yet as of July, many countries, including developing nations, have reported receiving only a fraction of the doses for which they've paid.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58003893
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