Kuidas valitakse Eestile president?
(Postimees video)
“Eesti presidendivalimised võivad esmalt tunduda äärmiselt keerulised. Tegelikult saadab süsteemi lihtne loogika. Ajakirjanik Sander Punamäe selgitab.”
https://www.postimees.ee/7310052/kuidas-valitakse-eestile-president
Arvamus: Praegune presidendi valimise süsteem vajab muutmist
(Novaator)
“Eesti praeguse presidendivalimiste süsteemiga kaasnevad ebakindlus ja määramatus, mis võivad vähendada valimiste legitiimsust, kahandada sobivate isikute soovi kandideerida ning võõrandada kodanikke poliitikast. Kokkuvõttes tähendab see, et Eesti praegune presidendivalimiste süsteem vajab muutmist, kirjutab Tartu Ülikooli võrdleva poliitika kaasprofessor Piret Ehin.”
https://novaator.err.ee/1608294033/piret-ehin-praegune-presidendi-valimise-susteem-vajab-muutmist
“Presidentivalimised 2021.”
https://www.postimees.ee/section/5438
COVID in the Baltics
- 258 in Estonia ⬆️ (222 last week)
- 70 in Latvia ⬆️ (67 last week)
- 218 in Lithuania ⬇️ (380 last week)
(BNN)
“Koroonaviiruse andmestik.” - Eesti Terviseamet
“What’s the true COVID death toll in Europe?” - Euronews
“Estonia tightens Covid entry rules for arrivals from Finland.” - Yle
“Survey: People of Estonia not in favor of vaccination being mandatory at workplaces.” - Baltic Times
“Neljas paigas Eestis on vaktsineeritud vaevu kolmandik elanikest.” - Delfi
“Half of Tartu’s teenagers 12 to 17 have already received their first vaccine shot.” - AP
— Friday 6. August —
Jaapanlased tervitasid president Kaljulaidi Eesti hümniga
(Postimees)
“Jaapanis Saku linna külastades sai president tõelise üllatuse osaliseks - kohalik koor laulis kaunis eesti keeles Eesti hümni.”
Expelled Estonian consul vilified via a FSB-produced propaganda video
(The Barents Observer)
“A well-orchestrated video, given by FSB to Russian media, allegedly shows Consul Lätte entering the building of St. Petersburg State Polytechnic Institute where he meets a Russian citizen to discuss Arctic materials. Upon leaving the building, several FSB officers approach the diplomat and detained him under suspicion of violating Russia’s national security.”
—
The Foreign Ministry in Tallinn said in a statement to Estonian media that: “The film depicting Mart Lätte is a masterful production that clearly does not present the diplomat’s work in an objective manner.”
Video shows Belarusian border guards clad in riot gear pushing migrants toward Lithuania
(LRT)
“Why are we standing? Go on, that way,” says an uniformed Belarusian officer …”
“Belarus (reportedly) use gunshots to force migrants over the border.” - LRT
Valgevene takistab migrantide naasmist Leedu piirilt
(Postimees)
“Valgevene teatel patrullivad Leedu piiri nüüd taktikalised üksused, et takistada migrantidel tagasi Valgevenesse pääseda.”
Estonia is prepared for possible migration pressure on it’s borders
(ERR)
“Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) has prepared three separate action plans that will be implemented based on the level of crisis on the border.”
—
"We today have the opportunity to prepare for possible scenarios thanks to what has happened on the border of Lithuania and Belarus for a long time. The PPA, along with multiple partners, has drawn up an emergency plan, which concerns a possible mass influx of people illegally entering Estonia's borders.” - Interior Minister Kristian Jaani
—
“The border line of southeast Estonia is mostly cleaned of bushes, Estonian border poles have been placed and construction has been ongoing for about a year. A surveillance system will also be implemented on the new border, border guards will also be on guard to react to any possible situations.”
https://news.err.ee/1608297624/ministers-estonia-prepared-for-possible-migration-pressure-on-borders
“Use of force is authorized when defending Estonian border.” - ERR
“Baltic PMs: Protection of Schengen border Europe's shared responsibility.” - Baltic Times
“28 Iraqi nationals detained crossing Latvia-Belarus border in past few days.” - Latvian Broadcasting
“Isamaa MP to premier: Rapid action needed on Lithuania migrant crisis.” - ERR
“Baltic Prime Ministers condemn Lukashenko's ‘hybrid attack on the EU’.” - Latvian Broadcasting
Nation in Chains: Belarus One Year On
(CEPA)
“Although the streets of Minsk are quiet today and people appear to behave in a usual way, it is the peace of the prison cell. Life is far from normal. The persecution of Belarusians who flooded the streets to protest against the stolen presidential election of August 9, 2020, and the brutality of the security services continues. …”
https://cepa.org/a-nation-in-chains-belarus-one-year-on/
Russian and Belarusian Forces Prep for Major Military Exercise Zapad-2021
(ISW)
“The Kremlin will likely leverage Zapad-2021 to further integrate the Belarusian military into Russian-dominated command structures. The Kremlin may take advantage of Zapad-2021 to permanently deploy Russian forces in Belarus by claiming they are in Belarus for exercises and not withdrawing them. The Kremlin has nonetheless deployed forces to Belarus on a rotating basis since September 2020 and will likely pressure Lukashenko to accept further Russian deployments.”
http://www.iswresearch.org/2021/08/russia-in-review-july-21-august-3-2021.html
“Belarus to Gather 12,800 Troops for Zapad-2021 War Games With Russia.” - Bloomberg
“Zapad 2021: Implications for Defense & Military Mobility in Europe.” - CEPA video; panel discussion
“As Russian Military Prepares for Zapad 2021, Heavy Armed Forces Stay Close to Ukraine.” - Jamestown Org.
— Thursday 5. August —
Riho Terras: NATO’s Article 4 should be invoked against Belarus’ hybrid war
(Baltic Times)
“Estonian MEP and former commander of the Estonian defense forces Riho Terras said that the best way for Lithuania to cope with the current crisis would be to invoke Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, and that such a proposal should definitely also be supported by Estonia.”
—
"There is a hybrid war underway on the Lithuanian border. It is a consistent attack through which the pressure on the Lithuanian state is gradually growing with each refugee flown in by Belarus from the Middle East and sent over the border. Involving NATO is the only right course of action here," Terras said.”
https://www.baltictimes.com/estonian_mep__nato_article_4_should_be_invoked_against_belarus/
—
https://www.baltictimes.com/estonian_mep_to_govt__time_to_sound_the_alarm/
“Lithuania says Afghan refugees have begun arriving into the country via Belarus.” - Euronews
“Poland says Belarus lets migrants cross border in 'hybrid war' with EU.” - Reuters
“EU summons Belarus envoy over 'instrumentalization' of migrants.” - DW
“Why are so many migrants coming to one of Europe’s smallest countries? Blame Belarus.” - Washington Post
“Belarus migrant arrivals could reach 10,000 in weeks, warns Lithuania.” - Politico-Europe
Belarusian Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya decided to defect on way to airport over safety fears
(Reuters | Meduza)
“… her grandmother told her that it was not safe to return home to Belarus. … her family feared she would be sent to a psychiatric ward if she went back to Belarus.”
—
”Grandmother called me when they were already driving me to the airport," the athlete said. "Literally, I had some 10 seconds. She called me, all that she told me was: 'Please do not come back to Belarus, it's not safe'."
—
“Poland, which has long been critical of Lukashenko's authoritarian rule and harboured many activists from Belarus, has granted Tsimanouskaya and her husband humanitarian visas. Her grandmother remains back home.”
—
“Belarusian sprinter to be reunited with husband in Poland.” - Reuters
“IOC strips two Belarus Olympic coaches of accreditation over Tsimanouskaya scandal.” - The Guardian
“In Belarus, sport is now a battleground for reprisals by Lukashenko.” - Amnesty International
“Nothing in Belarus is outside politics.” - The Guardian
Vitaly Shishov, head of Belarusian exile group, found dead in Ukrainian capital
(CNN)
“Vitaly Shishov, the head of the Kiev-based Belarusian House in Ukraine (BDU) organization, was reported missing by his partner on Monday after going for a run, police said. By Tuesday morning, the activist was found hanged in a forested area of a park near his Kiev home. … [Reportedly Vitaly was under surveillance.] The BDU helps fleeing and exiled Belarusians find accommodation, jobs and legal advice in Ukraine.”
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/08/03/europe/belarus-house-leader-dead-ukraine-intl-hnk/index.html
“Ukraine investigating Belarusian activist's death as possible murder.” - DW
“Ukraine boosts security for Belarus dissidents after Kyiv death.” - DW
The Belarusian Diaspora Is Terrified as Lukashenko’s Killings Spiral
By Natalia Antonova, Foreign Policy
“The message being received by members of the Belarusian diaspora in the United States is that it doesn’t matter where they are—the state can find them. Not a single one of them whom I contacted wanted to go on the record about how these messages are spreading. What I do know is that people have been hastily deleting their social media profiles. A few have switched to using P.O. boxes for mail in the hope that it will keep them safe. Others are no longer using their obviously Belarusian last names online.”
https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/08/04/belarus-diaspora-lukashenko-killings/
— Wednesday 4. August —
Rail Baltica faces uncertain future as Polish, Estonian concerns persist
(Emerging Europe)
“Rail Baltica is as controversial in Estonia as High Speed Two (HS2) in the UK,” Priit Humal, board member of the civil movement Avalikult Rail Balticust (Publicly About Rail Baltica), tells Emerging Europe. “The major difference is the GDP differential between the two countries. Rail Baltica is three times more expensive for Estonia than HS2 is for the UK.”
—
“… some of the concerns include opposition to plans to build new railroad tracks rather than updating existing ones, as well as the chosen route. “Rail Baltica’s planned route is parallel to an existing railway and located in the most sparsely populated area of the country,” says Humal.”
The Top U.S. Olympic Decathlete’s Training Aid? Estonians
(Wall Street Journal)
“That Estonian-American decathlon group we have in Athens (Ga.), it definitely has helped me become a better athlete, a better person and just, it’s boosted my work ethic,” (Garrett) Scantling said. “And I think that’s what I needed to get over the hump.”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/olympics-decathletes-training-aid-estonians-11627902293
“Minu Setomaa” autor Annela Laaneots räägib salakeelest
(Postimees)
“Laaneots on just see õige inimene meile seto keelest kõnelema.”
“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 —
Kremlin Propaganda: “Glorification of Nazi collaborators is routine in Estonia”
(Kremlin-friendly TASS)
“… deputy director of the Russian foreign ministry’s information and press department, Alexander Bikantov, said in a statement on Tuesday.”
https://tass.com/politics/1322323
Putin Likely to Target Historians Next
By Paul Goble
“Vladimir Putin’s decision to put former culture minister Vladimir Medinsky in charge of a commission consisting of security service officers to enforce a common view of Russian history strongly suggests that the Kremlin will be expanding its repressive moves from activists and journalists to professional historians, Kirill Martynov (political editor of Novaya gazeta) says.”
http://windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2021/08/medinsky-appointment-signals-putin.html
“Kremlin Could Use Belarus as Bridge to Europe but Fears Taking the Risk.” - Window on Eurasia
Climate Change Creates New Challenges for Russian Firefighters
(Spiegel)
“Russia's president once declared that climate change is caused by "invisible changes in the galaxy." Now, large parts of Yakutia in Siberia are on fire. The permafrost is threatened and the government response has been inadequate.”
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