Finland

Anti-Covid Protests in Finland, Norway and Denmark

Twenty people were arrested in Finland on Saturday as they protesters against measures to fight COVID-19, with similar demonstrations also held in neighbouring Norway and Denmark. About 300 people took…

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Finnish nurse squeezes extra vaccine doses with air-bubble technique

Finnish nurse Sari Roos is teaching her colleagues a vaccination technique that enables her to squeeze more doses out of COVID-19 vaccine vials, helping to stretch scarce supplies and ensure…

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Finland postpones municipal elections as coronavirus cases surge

Finland will postpone municipal elections due next month until mid-June as a surge in coronavirus cases raises concerns about low turnout and a possible spike in infections after polling day,…

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Belarusian opposition leader expects new wave of protests

HELSINKI, March 3 (Reuters) - Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya expects mass protests against veteran President Alexander Lukashenko to start up again in the spring and to be more organised than…

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UPDATED: Finland declares state of emergency as COVID-19 cases rise

The Finnish government declared a state of emergency on Monday due to rising COVID-19 infections, a step that would allow the Nordic country to shutter restaurants and to impose other…

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UPDATED: Finland will have 3-week lockdown starting March 8

Finland will go into a three-week lockdown starting on March 8 and is prepared to declare a state of emergency, the prime minister said on Thursday, to try to stem…

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Photo Story: The traditional snow lanterns in Finland

A woman puts a candle inside a lantern built of snowballs in Lahti, Finland. A traditional Finnish snow decoration is used as an outdoor lantern all over the country. Via…

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Finland’s economic slump among the mildest of OECD countries, says OECD

The Finnish economy will shrink by 3.3% this year and recover only gradually, but swift government support has cushioned the shock, making for a smaller output drop than in many…

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Finland to vaccinate its population for free against COVID-19

Finland's government said on Thursday it had agreed a national strategy for COVID-19 vaccinations, planning to give them to everyone and to begin with vaccinating selected healthcare staff from January…

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Finland’s COVID-19 situation worsening rapidly, Norway to keep virus restrictions until mid-December

Finland's COVID-19 situation has worsened rapidly in recent days, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Thursday, though she added that the government had decided it did not yet have the…

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Photo Story: Santa Claus Village in Arctic Circle almost deserted due to Coronavirus Pandemic

Only a few visitors stroll the snow covered but almost empty streets in the Santa Claus village at the Arctic Circle, near Rovaniemi, Finland. Santa Claus village on the Arctic…

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Finnish PM COVID-19 test comes back negative after EU summit

The Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin (photo) has tested negative for coronavirus, her office said on Monday, after she had left the European Union summit prematurely on Friday due to…

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Finnair to start selling plane food in supermarkets

Finnair, Finland's national airline, will start selling ready-to-eat business class airplane food in supermarkets in the hopes of keeping kitchen staff employed during the global coronavirus crisis and cater to…

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Finland PM leaves EU summit as COVID-19 precaution

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin became another European Union leader to leave their two-day summit in Brussels, saying on Friday she left the face-to-face talks as a precautionary coronavirus measure.…

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Finnish finance ministry expects GDP to contract 4.5% in 2020

Finland's gross domestic product will contract 4.5% this year, the country's finance ministry estimated on Monday, adding that the Finnish economy would grow 2.6% in 2021 and 1.7% in 2022.…

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Finland orders bars, restaurants to shut at 1 a.m. to help contain COVID

Finland’s government ordered all bars and restaurants to close at 1 a.m. and to stop alcohol sales at midnight starting Oct. 8 to help contain the spread of COVID-19. “The…

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Coronavirus sniffing dogs start their work at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport in Finland

Coronavirus sniffing dogs have been deployed for a four-month test phase at Helsinki-Vantaa airport near Helsinki, Finland. The dogs are operated by Finnish Wise Nose association that has also taken…

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Finland warns of pandemic’s escalation

Finland warned on Thursday the COVID-19 pandemic was expanding again more rapidly in the country, after several months of relative calm, and was heading in an "alarming" direction. Finland's 14-day…

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Photo Story: Viking Line’s ferry Amorella runs aground in Finland

A handout photo made available by the Finnish Coast Guard shows Vinking Line's ferry Amorella after running aground in the Aland archipelago in Aland, Finland, 20 Septemper 2020 (issued 21…

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Finland to ease travel restrictions, allowing entry from Sweden

Finland will ease tight restrictions on entry as it tries to attract back business travellers and tourists ahead of winter, allowing arrivals from countries with higher rates of coronavirus infection…

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Finland’s PM to work from home as she may have been exposed to virus

Finland’s prime minister Sanna Marin (photo) will work remotely until further notice, officials announced on, after the country’s new coronavirus tracing app warned that she may have been exposed to…

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Finnair cuts more than half of planned flights in October

Finnair will cut back its October flight program and fly around 70 to 80 flights daily instead of the approximately 200 flights it had planned due to weak demand, the…

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Finland to tighten restrictions on public gatherings

Finland will tighten restrictions on public gatherings from September, limiting them to 50 people unless further measures are in place, due to a recent rise in COVID-19 cases, authorities said…

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Malta: Finland is latest country to impose Malta travel restrictions

Finland has become the latest country to announce restrictions on arrivals from Malta as coronavirus cases continue to surge. Source: Times of Malta Updated 16:15pm

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Finland returns travel restrictions for several countries including Malta

Finland said on Wednesday it will bring back travel restrictions for several countries which it had for months considered safe destinations, including Germany and its Nordic neighbours, to stop the…

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Finland recommends use of facemasks on public transport

Finland's government backs public health authorities' new recommendation to use facemasks on public transport and in other situations where social distancing is not possible, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on…

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Photo Story: Helsinki adapts to the new times

People sit on the Super Terrace that has been opened at Senate Square in Helsinki, Finland. The terrace provides seating for 480 people and a number of pop-up restaurants to…

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Finland scraps coronavirus quarantine for certain European tourists

The Finnish government announced plans on Tuesday to scrap a 14-day quarantine period for leisure travellers arriving from some other European countries from July 13, provided COVID-19 infection rates do…

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Nokia to cut 1,233 jobs at French subsidiary Alcatel-Lucent

Finland's Nokia Oyj plans to cut 1,233 jobs at its French subsidiary Alcatel-Lucent International, equivalent to a third of the local workforce, two union officials said on Monday. The maker…

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Finland lifts travel restrictions from neighbours except Sweden

Finland's government said on Thursday it will lift coronavirus-related restrictions on leisure travelling to and from neighbouring Baltic and Nordic countries, excluding Sweden. "Unfortunately, the epidemic situation in Sweden does…

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Angry Birds maker Rovio targets women to grow

Rovio Entertainment launched "Small Town Murders", a new puzzle game aimed at women over 35, on Wednesday in its latest attempt to reduce its reliance on "Angry Birds". The Finnish…

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Coronavirus infections slow down in Finland despite schools opening

Coronavirus infections have slowed in Finland over the last two weeks despite the reopening of schools in mid-May, the health ministry said on Thursday. Schools closed for summer holidays at…

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Finland officially in recession

Finland is now officially in recession after gross domestic product contracted for two consecutive quarters, Statistics Finland said on Friday. First-quarter economic output fell by 0.9% from the previous quarter,…

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‘No evidence’ reopening of Finland schools has spread virus faster

Finland has seen no evidence of the coronavirus spreading faster since schools started to reopen in the middle of May, the top health official said on Thursday. "The time has…

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Finnair says it will open key Asia routes in July

Finnish flag carrier Finnair said on Monday it would start to operate flights to its key Asian destinations in China, Japan and elsewhere from July as it starts to reopen…

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Finland to grant almost one billion euros in support to companies

Finland's government will grant crisis support worth nearly a billion euros to companies hit by the economic blow from the coronavirus outbreak, Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintila said…

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Malta’s non-resident Ambassador to Finland resigns after comparing Angela Merkel to Hitler

Malta's Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs confirmed the resignation of Mr Michael Zammit Tabona, who served as Malta’s politically appointed Ambassador (non-resident) to Finland over the past six years. Zammit…

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Finland to look for coronavirus in waste water

The Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare THL stated on Tuesday, April 21, that similar testing has been conducted in parts of the US and Australia. Research had indicated…

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Finland’s PM in virus isolation

Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin is self-isolating after a person working at her official residence came into close contact with a confirmed coronavirus case. An official statement from her office…

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“This is not what we had ordered” – Finland complains on Chinese-produced masks

Stories related to theft or abuse in the international distribution of medical supplies have been been fairly frequent in the recent rush to secure the necessary provision. Finland was the…

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Photo Story: Moral support in Finland

A banner at the Three Smiths Statue reads 'Stay Strong' in Helsinki, Finland. Finland has registered over 1,000 COVID-19 cases, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Via…

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Joint statement on the principles of the rule of law in times of Covid-19

Thirteen EU countries on Wednesday issued a joint statement calling for coronavirus emergency measures to be temporary and in line with rule of law principles. The move comes after Hungary’s…

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Finland to extend containment measures until May

Finland will extend most of its measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak by one month until May 13 from April 13, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Monday. In recent weeks,…

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Finland blocks roads to Helsinki to curb coronavirus spread

Police and the Finnish army set up roadblocks on all routes that connect Helsinki with the rest of the country, while Finland’s parliament approved the plan at the last moment…

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Finland to offer new fathers as much paid leave as mothers

Finland’s woman-led centre-left government plans to give new fathers the same amount of paid time off work as new mothers, nearly doubling paternity leave, it announced. Paid paternity leave will…

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Coronavirus case confirmed in Finland, cases in France increase to five

A new case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Finland, according to local media — the first in the Nordic region. France also confirmed Wednesday evening its fifth case of the virus.…

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Finland offers Artificial Intelligence course as ‘Christmas gift’ to all EU citizens

Finland is offering a hi-tech Christmas gift to all European Union citizens - a free-of-charge online course in artificial intelligence, in their own language, officials said on Tuesday. The tech-savvy…

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Sanna Marin – Finland’s 34 year old new Prime Minister

When Sanna Marin, 34, was sworn into office on Tuesday, she became the world’s youngest prime minister, a fact that drew international attention this week when her party elected her…

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Finland’s Social Democrats name Marin to be youngest ever prime minister

Finland’s Social Democrats, who lead the five-party coalition government, picked 34-year-old transportation minister Sanna Marin to become the country’s youngest ever prime minister next week, taking over after the resignation…

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Finland’s Prime Minister resigns after strike brings country to standstill

Finland’s Prime Minister Antti Rinne stepped down Tuesday following a postal strike that brought parts of Finland to a standstill. POLITICO reports that his resignation comes as Finland wraps up…

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Finnair cancels flights due to industrial action

Finland’s flag-carrier airline, Finnair, said it has been forced to cancel almost 300 flights amid a nationwide solidarity strike for postal workers. The carrier, whose home airport at Helsinki acts…

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Photo Story: President-elect of European Commission Ursula van der Leyen visits Finland

President-elect of European Commission Ursula van der Leyen (R) talks to Finland's Prime Minister Antti Rinne at the Prime Minister's Official Residence Kesaeranta in Helsinki, Finland, 24 October 2019. Van…

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Ten EU member states declare readiness to block arms export to Turkey

Italy is ready to block arms exports to Turkey because of its Syrian intervention, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Monday. NewEurope reports that Italy is the biggest EU…

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Finland’s PM Rinne expects another Brexit delay

Top EU leaders are set to discuss Brexit at a summit scheduled for October 17 to 18, with the current Brexit deadline set to expire by the end of the…

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One dead, nine injured after ‘violent incident’ at a vocational school in Finland

At least one person has died after a ‘violent incident’ at a school in a shopping mall in Finland, according to police. Officers confirmed they had used firearms and one…

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Finland aims to use EU presidency to push for budget cuts for states breaching rule of law

Finland will use its EU presidency to push for the adoption of contentious Brussels plans to cut budget payments to states that breach the rule of law, setting up a…

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EU Foreign Affairs Council to address topical issues, Iran, Iraq and the Central African Republic

The Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) of the European Union will meet in Brussels on 15 July 2019. The meeting will be chaired by the High Representative of the Union for…

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