Audiobooks of Estonian Literary Classics on Smartphones Soon

With 2020 being the Year of Digital Culture in Estonia, the Ministry of Culture is launching the Estonian audiobook market. As a first step, the texts of 50 literary classics, from Oskar Luts' "Kevade" ("Spring") to Indrek Hargla's "Apteeker (Apothecary) Melchior" will be recorded in Estonian, as read by well-known actors.

The first audiobooks will be available to listeners by Midsummer (jaanipäev).

Estonia has also announced that stemming from the COVID-19 crisis, it is offering all of its digital education tools for free to support other countries’ education systems.

Interest in Estonian Bonds Likely to be High

On May 26, the Estonian government announced the issuance of long-term bonds worth one billion euros with a maturity of ten years to be listed on the Irish Stock Exchange.

Estonian long-term bonds are primarily bought by large international investors.

Since Estonia's national debt is low and its credit rating is high, interest in bonds will probably become significant, according to investment manager Peter Priisalm.

Full Version of Communist Crimes Portal Unveiled

The Estonian Institute of Historical Memory (Eesti Mälu Instituut) has unveiled the full version of the online portal communistcrimes.org, which publishes information regarding communist regimes and the history of their crimes in Estonian, English and Russian.

The aim of the portal is to raise awareness internationally about the crimes against humanity committed by communist regimes worldwide.

The experiences of 45 modern countries are included in one database.

The portal is continuously publishing new material, cooperates with independent historians and researchers, and now includes interactive online exhibitions.