Ott Tänak Crowned WRC Drivers’ World Champion
Ott Tänak became the WRC World Champion on October 27, making him the first ever Estonian to take the title. Tänak and co-driver Martin Järveoja scored enough points at the penultimate race of the season at RallyRACC Catalunya-Rally España to take the title in their Toyota Yaris over the only other two contenders going into the race weekend, Sébastien Ogier (Citroën) and Thierry Neuville (Hyundai). In the following week, Tänak’s move to Hyundai was made official.
Estonians Heading EU Delegations
The European Union’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini recently appointed two Estonians to head EU delegations: Detroit-born Estonian diplomat Riina Kionka has assumed her new post as the European Union’s ambassador to the Republic of South Africa and Matti Maasikas is now the EU’s ambassador to
Ukraine.
New Foreign Trade and IT Minister Kaimar Karu
Incoming foreign trade and IT minister Kaimar Karu took his oath of office at the Riigikogu Thursday. Karu was appointed by the Conservative People’s Party of Estonia (EKRE) on Friday, replacing Kert Kingo who resigned the previous week, although he is not an EKRE member. “The Foreign Trade and Information Technology Minister’s portfolio is very important for our country and also for the private sector. The Minister’s task is to open export markets and opportunities for cooperation to our entrepreneurs abroad, and further developing our digital success story,” Prime Minister Jüri Ratas said of the appointment.
Alcohol Restrictions Approved by Tallinn City Government
The Tallinn City Government approved new restrictions on the sale of alcohol in bars, nightclubs, pubs and other entertainment establishments effective June 1, 2020. The sale of alcoholic beverages at entertainment establishments will be banned from 2 to 6 a.m. on weeknights and from 3 to 7 am on Saturdays and Sundays. The restrictions do not apply on the nights of January 1, February 25 and June 24.
