I promised to write about my thoughts, emotions and observations about Estonia. Perhaps it’s an interesting read for my Estonian readers who haven’t had the pleasure to be away from there for almost two years straight, but also maybe for others – expatriates, people who consider moving away from their native countries, and people who have never thought of leaving their countries and never will.
Let it be noted that I was born in Estonia and …

Ryanair are scrapping all of their airport check-in desks from tomorrow – forcing passengers to check in for flights online at a cost of £5, and passengers who forget to check-in online and turn up to the airport face an emergency check in fee of £40 – otherwise they won’t be allowed to board, the Daily Mail reports.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said the measures would save him £50million a year.
The world’s worst and …

Roman Polanski is an excellent film director, there is no question about it. But he is also a criminal who has eluded justice for over 30 years, and that is why he has finally been arrested and waiting for extradition to the United States.
In last days, after Polanski’s arrest, many people have claimed that he’s an old man and he’s being persecuted for an ancient crime which should have been forgotten. But that is so …

Rescue workers said that the death toll after a 7.6-magnitude earthquake that tore through the island of Sumatra would be “very, very big”, one official estimated more than 1,000 people may have lost their lives.
The powerful earthquake reduced hundreds of buildings to rubble and trapped thousands of people in the wreckage of their homes, The Times reports.
Across Padang – the closest major city to the epicentre – mass panic reigned for hours after a power …

The 9,000 British troops in Afghanistan will not have all the armoured vehicles they need for patrols until the end of next year, The Times reports.
The size of the British force was boosted from 8,100 to 9,000 this year following a decision to send a special team of 200 bomb-disposal specialists and 700 extra troops for the election period. Prime Minister Gordon Brown subsequently agreed to keep the reinforcements there permanently to maintain a presence …

An incredibly despicable European Union report says that tiny democratic southern state of Georgia “illegally” started last year’s war with Russia.
The report also says that Moscow then “violated” international law by invading its neighbour in response to the attack, the Daily Telegraph reports.
“Open hostilities began with a large-scale Georgian military operation against the town of Tskhinvali and the surrounding areas, launched in the night of 7 to 8 August 2008,” the report says. ”There is the …

Spaniard Fernando Alonso is joining Ferrari from next year, he has signed a three-year deal, believed to be worth £23million a year, and will partner Felipe Massa, the Daily Mail reports.
Italian Giancarlo Fisichella will be taking up the role of test and reserve driver.
Kimi Räikkönen, who has spent the last three years at Ferrari, is expected to return to McLaren, with BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica moving to Renault to fill the void created by Alonso’s …

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he has decided whether or not he will take part in televised debates at the next General Election, but he refused to announce his decision because it was not the “right time”, the BBC reports.
“There is a time for discussing debates, but we are not in an election. I have decided in my own mind,” Brown said on BBC Radio 4 Today programme. ”I am not going to go into that today …

A suicidal young woman was allowed to die because doctors feared they would have been accused of assault if they had intervened, an inquest has heard, the Daily Mail reports.
Kerrie Wooltorton, 26, signed a document stating she only wanted medical staff to make her comfortable and not attempt to save her life after she drunk antifreeze. Doctors felt legally-bound to follow the wishes of the former charity shop worker after judging that she was mentally rational …

Leonid Nevzlin, chairman of the International Board of Governors of Beth Hatefutsoth, has decided to donate $6 million towards establishing the Museum of the Jewish People in Beth Hatefutsoth – the first museum in the world to tell the story of the Jewish People, Ynet reports.
The gift follows several previous donations Nevzlin awarded Beth Hatefutsoth, which saved the institution during a severe budgetary crisis they faced a few years ago, allowing it to endure and …

Liberal Democrat Lembit Öpik’s great-uncle Oskar Öpik was a senior member of Estonian nazi puppet government during the nazi occupation and was accused of collaborating in crimes against humanity.
The Daily Mail has exclusive photos of Oskar Öpik giving the nazi salute as a senior member of the nazi regime in Estonia, and on another photo Öpik is pictured being sworn in as a member of the nazi directorate in 1943. Oskar Öpik was the politician …

More than one in four adult smokers now use pouch tobacco and roll-up cigarettes, with a particularly sharp rise in the proportion of women users, The Times reports.
Analysis of smoking habits in England suggests a cultural shift in the use of tobacco, with one in five white-collar professionals who smoke now using roll-ups rather than conventional cigarettes.
While roll-ups may once have been the habit of the working man and the spit and sawdust pub, their …

Brawn GP pilot, Brazilian Rubens Barrichello is closing in on a deal with Williams for 2010 in a move that could see him swap places with Nico Rosberg, autosport.com reports.
With Williams expected to sign rookie Nico Hulkenberg, the team have set their sights on an experienced team leader to help guide car development and help bring on a rookie team-mate.
Barrichello has won two races this year and currently lies 15 points behind team-mate Jenson Button …

Britain will have a mild winter, the Met Office have predicted despite the inaccuracy of their “barbecue summer” forecast that drew fierce criticism, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Scientists said that the temperatures and rainfall are “likely to be near or above average”. They said that the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010 were likely to be “milder than last year” and that there was an 85 per cent chance of normal or above-average conditions. However, they …

“Equalities” Minister and Labour’s deputy leader Harriet Harman is banning topless calendars and The Sun’s Page 3 photos from workplaces, as she claims it is harassment to put up saucy pictures at work, The Sun reports.
The small print of the Government’s flagship “Equalities Bill” declares: “An employer who displayed any material of a sexual nature, such as a topless calendar, may be harassing employees where this makes the workplace an offensive place to work.”
Critics fear …

Conservative leader David Cameron has hinted that a Conservative Government would not hold a referendum on the European Union’s Lisbon Treaty if it is ratified by all EU members, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Cameron’s signal could antagonise eurosceptic Tories who want a popular vote on the document whether or not it has taken legal force.
Cameron spoke as Irish voters prepare for their referendum on the Treaty on Friday, with polls pointing to a Yes.
The Lisbon Treaty has …