Oh, the enchanting and far away cold continent. Few of us will ever see this place of tremendous extremes, of warm tonal beauty and beguiling cold rigour. Valmar Kurol has, five times now, beginning in 1993. Since that first visit he has very successfully translated and recorded his affection and appreciation for Antarctica through the language of music and art. The latter through photographs and paintings, most recently seen on display at the EKKT, Toronto Estonian artist’s society 2023 fall exhibition. The former through CDs, the latest of which arrived from Montréal recently. Kurol’s sixth such recording and fifth collaboration with Michael Stibor.
Most opinion polls in Russia indicate one thing: Putin’s popularity is high - 80%. This was recently confirmed by the nationwide municipal elections that delivered strong support for Mr. Putin.
Needless to say, international observers claimed the vote was rigged. In regional voting, political competition was limited as strong opposition candidates in some regions were even blocked from running by local authorities.
The Ehatare Grand Parade raised $35,260, reaching 176% of their goal! This was Ehatare’s first walk-a-thon fundraiser and, oh, was it fun. These funds will be used for Ehatare’s building maintenance and to continue to bring quality programs to residents.
Estonia has accused Russia of weaponising immigration on Europe’s eastern borders amid a rise in the number of asylum seekers trying to enter its territory and Finland.
Speaking during a meeting in Stockholm of Nordic and Baltic defence ministers, Hanno Pevkur, Estonia’s defence minister, claimed the hundreds of people who had arrived at the borders of the two countries in recent weeks were a “fully state-orchestrated” operation by Moscow.
Latvia’s defence minister, Andris Sprūds, went a step further, blaming the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, who he described as the “puppet master”.
Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas opened the newly re-renovated Estonian embassy in Washington on November 14th. The embassy's initial renovation was completed in September 2022 after almost 2 years and 8 million euros, but another major renovation was required due to flooding caused by an accidental sprinkler system activation in November last year.
Kallas noted that the embassy building, which Estonia acquired in the early 1990s, was the starting point on Estonia’s pathway to NATO membership. “We are very grateful for strong American presence on NATO’s eastern flank, including Estonia, showing that NATO is ready to defend every inch of its territory,” she said.