Riga/Tallinn - Estonia's consumer price index (CPI) rose 1.6 per cent in the third quarter of 2008, according to statistics released Monday.

Prices in the Baltic nation rose by 10.9 per cent compared to the previous third quarter.

The latest figures were mainly influenced by price increases of alcoholic beverages and tobacco, but were mollified by decreases in the price of fresh vegetables.

Estonia's annual inflation currently stands at 10.5 per cent, but appears to be on a downward trend after peaking earlier this year.

Tallinn - A young Russian-born girl abandoned in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, remains in the care of local social services nearly a week after she was found.

The two-year-old was found alone near a shopping centre in Tallinn last Saturday, sparking a widespread media campaign in an effort to identify her.

That paid dividends on Tuesday when a relative contacted police and revealed the girl was born to Russian parents but sent to Estonia to live with an uncle. Estonia has a sizeable ethnic Russian minority, accounting for around a quarter of the population.

Riga/Tallinn - The most valuable company in Estonia is the local subsidiary of Swedish bank Swedbank, according to a new list of the Baltic nation's top 100 businesses issued October 17.

Hansapank, recently rebranded to match the Swedbank name of its parent company, is worth 71.7 billion Estonian kroons (5.6 billion euros) according to the annual GILD100 rankings produced by Tallinn- based investment house GILD Bankers.

Second place was taken by electricity generator Eesti Energia, worth 1.6 billion euros, with another Scandinavian-owned bank, SEB, in third place with a market value of 1.2 billion euros.

Riga/Tallinn - Estonian president Toomas Hendrik Ilves gave his full backing to Turkish membership of the European Union on Friday during a state visit by his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul.

Speaking in the elegant surroundings of Kadriorg Palace in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, Ilves described Turkey as "a firm ally of Europe" and affirmed that Estonia continues to support Turkey's ongoing bid for full EU membership.

Riga- The long-term prospects for the economies of the three Baltic states were called into question Friday when London-based ratings agency Fitch downgraded its opinions on Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Fitch revised downward its foreign and local currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) and its Country Ceilings for all three countries by one notch, while its overall Outlooks remain "Negative" for each country.

Riga - Estonia's economy continues to stagnate after a decade of spectacular growth, according to official figures released Thursday.

In August 2008, industrial production decreased by 3 per cent year-on-year Statistics Estonia said.

Manufacturing production fell by 2 per cent owing to dwindling orders in domestic and external markets driven by a sharp drop in consumer demand as the effects of the global "credit crunch" make themselves felt.

One of the most telling figures was a 20 per cent reduction in beer production, while Statistics Estonia also noted that wood manufacturing, which is an important industry and major employer in Estonia "is endangered by a serious shortage of materials."