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News from Finland www.SuomiPost.com |
The Finnish Foreign Ministry urges Finns visiting St Petersburg, Russia, to exercise caution. A statement issued on Friday reminds travellers of the risk of random terrorism and recommends taking particular precautions in traffic, on the metro, at railway stations and airports.
The ministry bluntly tells Finns to stay away from demonstrations that have been held since last week’s parliamentary elections. Continue reading
Strong winds and heavy snowfall snarled traffic in south-western Finland on Friday as a winter storm hit the coast. The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) issued a storm warning as thousands of households lost power.
More than 25,000 Fortum customers suffered blackouts in southern and south-western Finland. About another 1,000 customers of the energy company Vattenfall were without electricity in the provinces of Häme and Pirkanmaa. Continue reading
An attempt to reduce the powers of the President in military affairs is likely to be delayed until at least after next year’s presidential election. The original intent was that a new definition of constitutional powers would come into effect just before the inauguration of a new office-holder. The Minister of Defense in the last coalition government, Jyri Häkämies, set in motion a change in the law intended to reduce the President’s powers in the military chain of command. Continue reading
The National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira) says it is checking the suspicious credentials of another individual working as a physician in Finland — in addition to those of Esa Antero Laiho, who was detained on Wednesday. Valvira says it received an anonymous tip that this second person’s diploma from a Russian medical school may also be bogus, as Laiho’s is believed to be. Continue reading
(Reuters) – Israel on Wednesday called on the world to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, after the U.N. nuclear watchdog said Tehran appeared to have worked on designing an atomic bomb and may still be conducting secret research. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report, obtained by Reuters on Tuesday, confirmed long-standing concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Continue reading
According to a public opinion survey published on Tuesday, Finland’s next president is likely to be a right-of-centre male politician — following 12 years with a left-leaning woman in the post. Former Speaker of Parliament Sauli Niinistö of the conservative National Coalition Party remains by far the most popular presidential candidate, according to a poll carried out for commercial broadcaster MTV3. It suggests that if the election was held now, Niinistö would collect 47 percent of the vote — nearly enough to win outright in the first round. However, nearly one in five eligible voters remains undecided. Continue reading
Finnish high school boys are pulling down better grades in English nowadays than girls. A new study suggests that computer gaming is giving boys’ language skills a boost, with time spent gaming directly translating into high marks in English. High school seniors Samuli Kytömäki and Lauri Salminen spend several hours a day playing video games. The ones packing action and strategy are a clear favourite. The boys say everyday exposure to English helps the language stick. “If you hear English every day, it’s just a matter of time before you learn it Continue reading
In what is an unusual trial in Finland, convicted serial killer Aino Nykopp-Koski on Monday asked the Helsinki Court of Appeals to strike down her sentence on five counts of murder and five of attempted murder. This is the largest murder case in modern Finnish history. Despite her conviction, she denies any involvement in the deaths. Nykopp-Koski, a nurse from Helsinki, was convicted and handed a life sentence for the murders of five people and the attempted murders of another five between 2004 and 2009. All of the victims were elderly bed-ridden patients in facilities where she was employed. Most had been given high doses of sedatives. Continue reading
On Sunday, flags are hoisted around the country to mark Swedish heritage day, which draws attention to the right of Swedish-speaking Finns to speak their mother tongue in Finland. Swedish-speaking groups and organisations mark the day with various celebrations. The Swedish Assembly of Finland (Folktinget) is staging a main event at the Turku Concert Continue reading
Efforts to reach agreement in a strike by white-collar tech industry employees continue on Sunday under the guidance of national conciliator Esa Lonka. If no solution is found, the job action will on Monday expand to include new companies and 25,000 senior salaried employees. The Federation of Professional and Managerial Staff (YTN) has also issued a strike warning for IT sector employees, which could hit IT service companies Tieto and Fujitsu, among others. Continue reading