Vilnius  - Defence ministers from the three small Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania met in Birstonas, Lithuania, Thursday to discuss plans to pool their armed forced and create a joint infantry battalion.

Jaak Aaviksoo of Estonia, Vinets Veldre of Latvia and Juozas Olekas of Lithuania met keeping with their schedule of twice-yearly joint meetings.

Tallinn - Parliament and president were locked in a legislative stand-off in Estonia on Tuesday after the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, passed a bill on freezing the wages of deputies for a second time.

President Toomas Hendrik Ilves refused to sign the same piece of legislation last week.

The effort by Estonian parliamentarians to freeze their own salaries as part of a national austerity plan was blocked on November 24 when Ilves refused to sign the relevant bill into law, saying that it was contrary to the constitution.

Tallinn - Tallink Group, an Estonian operator of ferries in the Baltic Sea denied press reports Monday that it is preparing to take to the skies as well as the waves by purchasing national airline Estonian Air.

Newspaper Aripaev reported that Tallink and the Estonian Economy Ministry were working together on a plan to buy out the 49-per-cent stake of Estonian Air which is currently owned by pan-Scandinavian airline SAS.

Last week SAS said if it could not secure a majority share of Estonian Air, it would sell its shares.

Tallinn  - Government ministries in the Baltic nation of Estonia threw their doors open to the public Wednesday as part of the country's celebrations to mark 90 years since it first declared independence.

Estonia prides itself on its open governance, frequently scoring well in international surveys for its low levels of corruption and high transparency of information.

But on Wednesday, designated "Citizens' Day," it took things one step further by inviting the general public through the hallowed portals of government.

Tallinn - Government ministries in the Baltic nation of Estonia threw their doors open to the public Wednesday as part of the country's celebrations to mark 90 years since it first declared independence.

Estonia prides itself on its open governance, frequently scoring well in international surveys for its low levels of corruption and high transparency of information.

But on Wednesday, designated "Citizens' Day," it took things one step further by inviting the general public through the hallowed portals of government.

All state ministries, plus the president's chancellery, were opened so that visitors could listen to lectures, view exhibitions, meet ministers and participate in debates.

Tallinn - Estonia faces a "challenging" couple of years ahead according to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in its semi-annual Economic Outlook, released Tuesday in Paris.

Despite not being a full member of the OECD, Estonia is singled out for examination as a selected non-member country.

After more than a decade of rapid economic growth, the small Baltic nation is now in recession, but the OECD suggests growth will return in around a year's time.