Finland

Sweden’s Handelsbanken to sell Finnish businesses for $1.4 bln

OSLO, May 31 (Reuters) - Sweden's Handelsbanken said on Wednesday it has agreed to sell parts of its Finnish operation to three local companies for about 1.3 billion euros ($1.43…

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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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Russia plans air defence reform, to bolster defences near Finland – commander

MOSCOW, April 10 (Reuters) - Russia plans to overhaul its air defence forces after gaining new experience in the war in Ukraine and will also bolster its air defences to…

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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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Russia says it will beef up military in northwest as Finland joins NATO

Russia will strengthen its military capacity in its western and northwestern regions in response to Finland's expected accession to NATO on Tuesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said, state-owned…

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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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Turkish parliament ratifies Finland’s NATO accession as Sweden kept waiting

ANKARA, (Reuters) - Turkey's parliament approved a bill on Thursday to allow Finland to join NATO, clearing the way for the country to become part of the Western defence alliance…

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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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Nordic countries plan joint air defence to counter Russian threat

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Air force commanders from Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark said on Friday they have signed a letter of intent to create a unified Nordic air defence aimed…

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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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Turkey plans to ratify Finland’s NATO bid ahead of May polls

By Orhan Coskun ANKARA, March 15 (Reuters) - Turkey's parliament will "highly likely" ratify Finland's NATO accession bid before it closes in mid-April, two Turkish officials told Reuters on Wednesday,…

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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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Hungary PM says more talks needed on Finland, Sweden NATO bids

Hungary lawmakers to start NATO expansion debate next Weds Final vote on ratification due on week of March 6 -agenda Orban says Turkey's concerns over Sweden must he heard Lawmakers…

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Blinken, in Turkey, urges speedy Nordics accession to NATO

Turkey has blocked Swedish, Finnish NATO bids Blinken says Sweden and Finland have taken needed steps Cavusoglu says Sweden needs to take more action By Humeyra Pamuk and Huseyin Hayatsever…

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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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UPDATED: Turkey looks positively on Finland’s NATO bid but not on Sweden’s -Erdogan

ANKARA, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Turkey looks positively on Finland's application for NATO membership, but does not support Sweden's bid, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday. "Our position on Finland is…

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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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Explainer-Why is Turkey blocking Sweden and Finland NATO membership?

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -Swedish and Finnish hopes of quickly joining NATO have run into an obstacle in the form of objections by Turkey, which holds veto powers over accession to the…

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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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New Swedish PM says open to nuclear weapons under NATO

Sweden’s new prime minister said he was open to allowing nuclear weapons on Swedish soil once the country becomes a Nato member, a turnaround from the previous government’s stance. Prime…

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Swedish foreign minister says NATO accession top priority

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Accession to NATO is a top priority for Sweden's newly-appointed government, Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said in Helsinki on Friday after a meeting with his Finnish counterpart,…

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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 and Kazakhstan see more Russians at border wanting ‘to be safe’

Traffic into Finland across its southeastern border with Russia was heavy on Friday, border guards told Reuters, adding that the number of Russians who entered the previous day was more…

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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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Finland cuts 2023 GDP growth forecast, sees risk of recession

HELSINKI, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Finland's finance ministry on Monday cut its economic growth forecast for 2023 and said the country was at risk of a recession. The ministry now…

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Europe needs strategic autonomy in energy, food, defence and technology – Finnish PM

Addressing MEPs in Strasbourg as part of the “This is Europe” debate series, Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin said that Ukrainians have proven their bravery and endurance and they…

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Sweden, Finland step in to avert Lehman-like situation for power companies

STOCKHOLM/HELSINKI, (Reuters) - Finland and Sweden announced plans to offer billions of dollars in liquidity guarantees to power companies in their countries after Russia's Gazprom shut the Nord Stream 1…

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Finland detects small amount of radioactivity

OSLO, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Small amounts of radioactive isotopes have been detected in air samples collected in Kotka in south-east Finland, but there is no risk to humans and…

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Finland to close main highway for fighter jet landing drill

HELSINKI, (Reuters) - Finland will close down a stretch of one of its main highways for a week in September to allow its Air Force to practise takeoffs and landings…

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Turkey, Finland and Sweden officials meet to discuss Turkish concerns

HELSINKI, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Officials from Turkey, Finland and Sweden were expected to meet at an undisclosed location in Finland on Friday to discuss security concerns which Turkey raised…

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Finnish PM takes drugs test after party video causes stir

HELSINKI (Reuters) -Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Friday she had taken a drugs test following the publication of video footage this week that showed her partying with friends,…

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UPDATED: Second video of Finnish PM Sanna Marin partying emerges

A new video has emerged in Finland that portrays Prime Minister Sanna Marin dancing in the private room of a Helsinki club. The episode should date back to August 6,…

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Russian jets suspected of violating Finnish airspace

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Two Russian MiG-31 fighter jets are suspected of violating Finnish airspace on Thursday near the coastal city of Porvoo on the Gulf of Finland, the Finnish defence…

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Finland limits visas to Russians

HELSINKI, (Reuters) - Finland will slash the number of visas issued to Russians from Sept. 1, the Finnish foreign ministry said in a statement, amid a rush of Russian tourists…

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U.S. Senate to vote on Finland, Sweden NATO accession, French parliament gives approval

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate will hold votes on Wednesday on approving Finland's and Sweden's accession into NATO, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced. The debate, Schumer said, will begin at 1:30…

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