Finland

Finland to close entire Russian border for 2 weeks to stop asylum seekers

By Essi Lehto Finland will close its entire border with Russia to travellers for the next two weeks in a bid to halt the unusually large flow of asylum seekers…

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Finland has closed all passenger border crossings with Russia but one

HELSINKI, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Finland has temporarily closed all but one of its eight passenger crossings to Russia in response to an unusually high inflow of migrants for which…

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Finland to close all but northernmost border crossing with Russia

By Essi Lehto HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland will close all but the northernmost crossing point on its border with Russia from midnight on Friday in a bid to halt a…

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Finland’s president says impossible to return asylum seekers

HELSINKI, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Finland's President Sauli Niinisto said on Monday it had become impossible to return asylum seekers who do not meet the criteria for protection, and that…

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EU Commissioner Urpilainen to run for president in Finland

Jutta Urpilainen, the EU commissioner for international partnerships, on Sunday announced she would run for the presidency of her native Finland. “I want that we Finns can continue to commit…

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UPDATED: Finland closes Russia border posts after days of asylum inflows

By Essi Lehto and Anne Kauranen Finland early on Saturday closed four crossings on its border with Russia as Helsinki seeks to halt a flow of asylum seekers it says…

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Finland closes four Russian border crossings to stop asylum seekers

HELSINKI, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Finland will close four of the nine crossing points on its border with Russia to stem a flow of asylum seekers to the Nordic nation,…

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Finland blocks Russian property acquisitions

COPENHAGEN, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Finland's ministry of defence said on Thursday it had blocked three planned property transactions involving Russian buyers on grounds that allowing the acquisitions to take…

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UPDATED: Finland can’t rule out ‘state actor’ involvement in pipeline damage

Oct 12 (Reuters) - Finland can't rule out the possibility that a "state actor" was involved in damaging a Baltic Sea gas pipeline and a parallel telecoms cable, the Finnish…

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Lockheed Martin F-35A fighter jets land on motorway

OSLO, Sept 22 (Reuters) - A pair of F-35A Lockheed Martin fighter jets have landed on a motorway for the first time, footage from the Norwegian military showed, a step that enables…

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Finnish government survives no-confidence vote over racism scandal

HELSINKI, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Finland's government survived on Friday a no-confidence vote in parliament called by the opposition over a racism scandal that has rocked the ruling coalition since…

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Finland’s ex-PM Marin to join Blair think tank, leave parliament

HELSINKI, (Reuters) - Finland's former Prime Minister Sanna Marin, who narrowly lost an election in April and stepped down from the leadership of her party last week, plans to leave…

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Finland’s Marin, once the world’s youngest premier, steps down as party leader

By Essi Lehto HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland's former Prime Minister Sanna Marin, who narrowly lost an election in April, stepped down this weekend as chair of the centre-left Social Democrats,…

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Newest NATO member Finland to spend 2.3% of GDP on defence

NATO's newest member Finland plans to spend 2.3% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on defence next year, its defence ministry said on Monday. In July, NATO's 31 member-nations agreed…

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Finnish academic Mika Aaltola to run for president

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finnish foreign and security policy think-tank chief Mika Aaltola, a political outsider whose profile has been boosted by his role as a TV commentator on the Ukraine…

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Norway, Finland battle rapid spread of bird flu

By Louise Rasmussen COPENHAGEN, July 28 (Reuters) - Norway and Finland face record outbreaks of bird flu this year which have killed thousands of seagulls and other species, put livestock…

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Biden arrives in Helsinki to welcome Russian neighbor Finland to NATO

HELSINKI, July 13 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday closes out a week focused on rallying NATO unity behind Ukraine with a day-long visit to new member and…

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Finnish minister resigns over Nazi references

HELSINKI, June 30 (Reuters) - Finland's economy minister Vilhelm Junnila resigned on Friday after just 10 days in office, the nationalist Finns Party said, over earlier statements he had made…

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New Finnish minister survives no-confidence vote over Nazi references

By Anne Kauranen HELSINKI, June 28 (Reuters) - Finland's economy minister Vilhelm Junnila survived a no-confidence vote in parliament on Wednesday called by the opposition over references he made that…

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Finland’s central bank governor to run for president

HELSINKI, June 21 (Reuters) - Finnish central bank Governor Olli Rehn said on Wednesday he plans to run for president next year when Finland is due to elect a new…

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Finland’s parliament backs Petteri Orpo as PM, replacing Sanna Marin

Finland's newly elected parliament on Tuesday voted in favour of National Coalition Party leader Petteri Orpo to become prime minister, as widely expected, ushering in a right-wing government and ending…

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Finland’s right-wing parties strike deal to form government

HELSINKI, June 15 (Reuters) - Finland's conservative National Coalition (NCP), winner of April's parliamentary election, has reached agreement to form a majority government with the eurosceptic, anti-immigration Finns Party and…

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Finland’s Foreign Minister Haavisto to run for president

HELSINKI, June 8 (Reuters) - Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said on Thursday he will run for president in next year's election, hoping to succeed Sauli Niinisto who is stepping…

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NATO launches Arctic manoeuvres, vowing to protect newest member Finland

By Anne Kauranen ROVAJARVI, Finland, (Reuters) - NATO countries are in the middle of Arctic military manoeuvres, vowing on Tuesday to defend their newest member, Finland, which is hosting its…

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Finland says Russia set to terminate agreement on military visits

OSLO, May 24 (Reuters) - Russia has informed neighbouring Finland that it will terminate a bilateral agreement on mutual visits to military installations, the Finnish defence ministry said late on…

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Around 27 injured in Finland bridge collapse, many of them children

HELSINKI, May 11 (Reuters) - Around 27 people, a majority of them children, were injured on Thursday when a pedestrian bridge collapsed in the Finnish city of Espoo, just outside…

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Finland prime minister divorces husband

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland's outgoing Prime Minister Sanna Marin has filed for divorce jointly with her husband of three years Markus Raikkonen, they said on Instagram. "We are grateful for…

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Finland’s election winner seeks to govern with anti-immigration party

HELSINKI, April 27 (Reuters) - Finland's conservative National Coalition, winner of this year's parliamentary election, said on Thursday it hopes to form a majority government together with the anti-immigration Finns…

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Finland starts fence on Russian border amid migration, security concerns

By Anne Kauranen IMATRA, Finland (Reuters) - Finland is building the first stretch of a fence on its border with Russia, less than two weeks after it joined the NATO…

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After 18 years, Europe’s largest nuclear reactor starts regular output

Construction of Finland's OL3 reactor began in 2005 Work was originally schedule for completion in 2009 Completion boosts Finland's energy security Reactor is expected to produce for 60 years or…

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Far-right Finns Party moves to ECR group in EU Parliament

The far-right Finns Party has decided to leave the nationalist Identity and Democracy (ID) group in the European Parliament to join the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), the party…

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What can Finland’s armed forces and arsenal offer NATO?

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland joined NATO on Tuesday, bringing the Western defence alliance significant military capabilities developed over the years. Finland is one of few European countries to have retained…

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Finland’s Marin steps down as party leader

HELSINKI, April 5 (Reuters) - Finland's outgoing Prime Minister Sanna Marin is stepping down as leader of the Social Democratic party, she said on Wednesday, adding she will serve as…

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Finland joins NATO in historic shift, Russia threatens ‘counter-measures’

Finland ends military non-alignment adhered to since 1945 NATO accession spurred by Russia's invasion of Ukraine Finland has made dangerous historical mistake, Russia says By Anne Kauranen and Andrew Gray…

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Finnish centre-right eyes coalition talks as defeated Marin considers future

Outgoing Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin was left to consider her future after she conceded defeat in a tight parliamentary election on Sunday that handed her centre-right rival Petteri Orpo…

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Petteri Orpo, Finland’s likely next prime minister

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Here is a profile of Finland's conservative National Coalition Party leader Petteri Orpo, who said he would have the first chance of forming a coalition government after…

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UPDATED: Finland to officially join NATO on Tuesday

Finland will officially become a member of NATO on Tuesday, the Finnish president's office has announced. The announcement was also confirmed by NATO's secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, who said the…

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UPDATED: Finnish centre-right eyes coalition talks as defeated Marin considers future

HELSINKI, April 3 (Reuters) - Outgoing Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin was left to consider her future after she conceded defeat in a tight parliamentary election on Sunday that handed…

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Finland’s Marin faces tough re-election bid in national election

By Anne Kauranen and Essi Lehto HELSINKI, April 2 (Reuters) - Finns cast ballots in a closely contested parliamentary election on Sunday that could cost left-wing Prime Minister Sanna Marin…

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Finland’s Marin in battle over state spending to stay in power

Polls show three parties running neck-and-neck Opposition calling for cuts in government spending Early results due when polls close at 1700 GMT on Sunday By Anne Kauranen HELSINKI (Reuters) -…

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Hungary parliament backs Finland’s NATO accession, Swedish bid pending

Hungary's parliament approved a bill on Monday to allow Finland to join NATO once its application has been ratified by all 30 members of the alliance, ending months of foot-dragging…

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Finland should not give Hornet fighter jets to Ukraine, says defence minister

HELSINKI, March 23 (Reuters) - Finland's defence minister on Thursday said he did not want to donate Hornet fighter jets to Ukraine, despite a Ukrainian request for such planes to help with its…

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NATO’s Stoltenberg hails Turkish move on Finland membership, sees Sweden joining soon

BRUSSELS, March 17 (Reuters) - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday hailed Turkey's decision to move ahead with ratifying Finland's bid for membership of the military alliance and said he was confident…

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EPA’s Eye In The Sky: Helsinki, Finland

An aerial photo taken by a drone shows an ice carousel with its center decorated in the national colours of Ukraine on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion in…

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Finland wants to join NATO at the same time as Sweden – PM Marin

MUNICH, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Saturday her country was aiming to join NATO at the same time as neighbouring Sweden. Finland has made this desire…

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Finland to discuss NATO ratification that may leave Sweden behind

HELSINKI, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Finnish parliamentary groups are expected to discuss on Friday when to ratify NATO's founding treaties, in a move that could lead the country to proceed…

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Turkey’s Erdogan signals Finland’s NATO bid may be considered over Sweden

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan signalled on Sunday that Ankara may agree to Finland joining NATO ahead of Sweden, amid growing tensions with Stockholm. "We may deliver Finland…

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Finland says timeout needed in talks with Turkey over NATO bid

Finland's foreign minister said on Tuesday a timeout of a few weeks is needed in the talks between Finland, Sweden and Turkey on the two Nordic nations' plans to join…

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Ukraine war shows Europe too reliant on U.S., Finland PM says

HELSINKI, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Russia's invasion of Ukraine has shown that Europe is too reliant on the United States for its own security, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said…

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Europe is too dependent on China for technologies, Finland’s PM says

HELSINKI, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Europe is currently too reliant on China for technologies and should be wary of this dependency, Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Thursday. "Let's…

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Finland’s Sanna Marin cleared of misconduct over dance video

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin did not neglect her duties as prime minister, an official inquiry found after investigating a leaked party video showing her dancing with friends in August. In the…

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NATO allies would act if Sweden, Finland come under pressure, Stoltenberg says

BRUSSELS, Oct 20 (Reuters) - NATO allies will act if Sweden or Finland come under pressure from Russia or another adversary before they become full members of the alliance, NATO…

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Norway warns could quickly impose ban on Russian tourists if necessary

(Reuters) - Norway may impose a ban on Russian tourists similar to that introduced by Finland this week, Norwegian Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl said on Friday. "We will close…

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Finland will shut border to Russian tourists from midnight

HELSINKI, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Finland will close its border to Russian tourists from midnight local time (2100 GMT), which is expected to lead to a significant drop in cross-border…

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More Russians travelled to Finland during weekend, Resistance to the draft grows

HELSINKI, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Almost 17,000 Russians crossed the border into Finland during the weekend, an 80% rise from a week earlier, Finnish authorities said on Monday, as the…

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Finland mulls barring Russians from entering as border traffic grows

VAALIMAA, Finland (Reuters) - Finland said it was considering barring most Russians from entering the country as traffic across the border from its eastern neighbour "intensified" following President Vladimir Putin's…

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UPDATED: Finland’s border guard says traffic on border with Russia increasing

HELSINKI, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Traffic arriving at Finland's eastern border with Russia has "intensified" during the night, the Finnish Border Guard said early on Thursday, while adding that the…

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