GALLERY: October 13-19 in Pictures
It was a Parliament-focused week, with two MPs receiving suspended sentences, one MP outplayed by its party. There was also sad news, as MP (and conductor and comedian) Tarmo Leinatamm (pictured in main photo) died of a long illness.
Perhaps the week's top story was one where nothing happened. The Center Party board decided that current chairman Edgar Savisaar should head the party at the upcoming parliamentary elections, as he has done for the past decade and more, instead of Kadri Simson, whom the liberal minority of the party proposed. Opposition parties said they are disappointed as they were willing to work with Simson, but happy, saying Savisaar will bring down the party's popularity.
Leinatamm, a conductor and comedian, and a serving a Reform Party MP, died on Monday evening at the age of 57. He had been battling cancer. A producer of many iconic children's programs on ETV, Eve Viilup, also died on Monday.
Harju County court stopped ETV's “Pealtnägija” from showing a segment on violations in the military on the 11th hour.
Lauri Laasi and Priit Toobal, both Center Party MPs, were found guilty of instigating unauthorized surveillance. The party was found guilty of forging documents. All parties have appealed. If the decision is finalized, both Laasi and Toobal will have to leave Parliament.
FC Levadia practically guaranteed a second football league title in a row, defeating second place FC Flora 2-1 on Saturday, and is now five points clear with three games to go.
A chase for what experts say is a Russian submarine in Swedish waters, also ringing alarm bells for Estonian officials, as Estonian waters are far less under surveillance.
Former Russian government minister Valery Tishkov was refused entry into Estonia, with officials pointing to a five-year entry ban from 2013, although the reasons have been classified for 75 years. The Internal Security Service has said the event Tishkov was due to speak at, has links with Russian foreign intelligence services.
The Estonian Catholic Church rejected a proposal for wider acceptance for gay people, despite backing by the Pope. Estonian academic Alar Kilp said the Catholic Church is still more open than any church in Estonia.
The state-owned Port of Tallinn was chosen to take over the domestic ferry service from the fall of 2016. Current operator Väinamere Liinid cried foul, as did the Finance Ministry, saying the tender was rushed. The Ministry of Economic Affairs, which is responsible, said the state will save 60 million euros over the course of the 10-year contract.