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Others took evening walks in the city and shared the bright orange scenes on social media. A low-pressure system over northern Africa swept dust over Cyprus several times in mid-April, “darkening skies and reducing air quality,” NASA said Tuesday. Dust was expected to continue to cross the Mediterranean, impacting both Cyprus and Greece over the next several days, NASA said. People cross a snow covered railway in Helsinki, Finland, on April 23, 2024, as an unusual weather system brought trams in the city to a halt. Photos showed Helsinki residents walking through thick snow and ice, carrying umbrellas under heavy snowfall, and tall clusters of snow piled up on sidewalks, cars and scooters.

Persons: Alessandro Rampazzo, Johannes Laitila, Finavia, ” Finavia, ”, Antti Vigelius Organizations: CNN, NASA, Anadolu Agency, Getty, YLE, Helsinki Airport, Johannes Locations: Greece, Africa, Athens, Cyprus, Helsinki, Finland, Europe

☆ Finland school shooting: Three children injured as 12-year-old suspect arrested
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Eve Brennan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

CNN —Three 12-year-old children have been wounded in a school shooting near Finland’s capital Helsinki, Finnish police reported Tuesday. The suspect, also aged 12, has been apprehended and is in custody, police said. The incident took place at Viertola primary school in the city of Vantaa, about 18 kilometers (11 miles) north of Helsinki. The school has about 800 students between 1st and 9th grade, Finnish public broadcaster YLE said. This is a developing story and will be updated.

Organizations: CNN, YLE Locations: Finland’s, Helsinki, Vantaa

☆ Finland, which shares a border with Russia, plans to build 300 new shooting ranges as interest in national defense surge
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Finland plans to open new shooting ranges due to a surge in interest following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Finnish government aims to increase the number of civilian shooting ranges from 670 to about 1,000 by 2030. Since existing shooting ranges also cater to other users like hunters and the police, more facilities are required due to heavy usage. AdvertisementThere are about 670 shooting ranges for civilians in Finland — down from over 2,000 before the year 2000. Meanwhile, the Finnish defense ministry plans to "safeguard the activities of Finland's shooting ranges and promote the establishment of new shooting ranges," a spokesperson told the Guardian.

Persons: —, Russia —, People shouldn't, Jukka Kopra Organizations: Nordic, NATO, Service, Yle, Finns, People, National Coalition, Guardian, Helsinki, US, Kremlin Locations: Finland, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Finnish

☆ Former PM Alexander Stubb wins Finnish presidency, narrowly defeating ex-top diplomat Pekka Haavisto
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Haavisto conceded defeat after a projection by the Finnish public broadcaster YLE showing a win for Stubb was released Sunday night. "This has been a fair, great race," Stubb told Haavisto after the result was clear. Several polls indicated Stubb, who has also served as Finland's foreign, finance and European affairs minister, was the favorite to win the presidency. During the election campaign, Stubb and Haavisto largely agreed on Finland's foreign policy and security priorities. Haavisto was Finland's top diplomat in 2019-2023 and the main negotiator of its entry into NATO.

Persons: Alexander Stubb, Pekka Haavisto, Haavisto, Stubb, Sauli Niinistö, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy Organizations: Nordic, NATO, National Coalition Party, YLE, Helsinki City Hall, Union, Washington, Kyiv, United Nations Locations: Ukraine, Finland, United States, Russia, China, Moscow, Europe

HELSINKI (AP) — Ex-Prime Minister Alexander Stubb was projected to win the first round of Finland's presidential election on Sunday and face runner-up Pekka Haavisto in a runoff next month. Finnish public broadcaster YLE projected that Stubb won the first round of the presidential election with 27.3% of the votes, while Haavisto, an ex-foreign minister, took second place with 25.8%. Recent polls suggest that former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, 55, and ex-Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, 65, are the leading contenders. The president also acts as the supreme commander of the Finnish military, a particularly important duty in Europe's current security environment. About 4.5 million citizens were eligible to vote for Finland’s new head of state from an array of nine candidates — six men and three women.

Persons: —, Alexander Stubb, Pekka Haavisto, Stubb, Jussi Halla, aho, Sauli Niinistö, “, ”, Eve Kinnunen, Haavisto, Olli Rehn, Niinistö, Vladimir Putin of, ___ Kostya Manenkov, Sergei Grits Organizations: HELSINKI, YLE, Legal, Nordic, NATO, Union, National Coalition Party, Finns, Bank of Finland, Halla, Associated Press, Helsinki, Green League Locations: Finnish, Stubb, Finland, HELSINKI, Russia, United States, China, Helsinki, Sunday’s, Europe, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin of Russia, Nordic, Finland’s, Sweden, Hungary

Unlike in most European countries, the president of Finland holds executive power in formulating foreign and security policy, particularly when dealing with countries outside the European Union like the United States, Russia and China. “Clearly, the main task of the president is to steer foreign policy,” said Teivo Teivainen, professor of world politics at the University of Helsinki. Finland became the Western military alliance’s 31st member in April last year, much to the annoyance of Russia and President Vladimir Putin. Under the Finnish Constitution, the president decides on foreign and security policy issues together with the government. Late last year, Finland closed its border with Russia after some 1,300 migrants without proper documentation or visas arrived across the frontier just months after Finland joined NATO.

Persons: ”, Teivo Teivainen, —, Sauli Niinistö, Alexander Stubb, Pekka Haavisto, Haavisto, Jussi Halla, Olli Rehn, Niinistö, Vladimir Putin, Teivainen, Petteri, Putin, Washington —, ” Niinistö Organizations: HELSINKI, NATO, Union, University of Helsinki, Bank of Finland, Kyiv —, Hamas, Helsinki, Washington, YLE, Nordic, Kremlin Locations: Nordic, Ukraine, Russia, United States, China, Sunday’s, Finland, Ukraine —, Moscow, Sweden, Finland’s, Finnish, Moscow , Washington, Beijing, Baltic, Vainikkala

☆ Dozens of migrants wait at Finland-Russia border after Helsinki blocks crossings
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Anne Kauranen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HELSINKI, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Dozens of migrants stood behind barriers at two crossings on Finland's border with Russia on Saturday, the Finnish Border Guard said, after Helsinki erected barricades to halt a flow of asylum seekers it says was instigated by Moscow. Despite the closure, dozens of migrants arrived on Saturday afternoon at the Nuijamaa and Vaalimaa crossings, and lit a campfire in sub-zero temperatures behind razor-wire barriers mounted by border guards, Finnish Border Guard told reporters. Four regular border crossings remain open for the time being, but asylum can now only be sought at two of those, in Salla and Vartius, further north, the Border Guard said. On Saturday, 67 people arrived to seek asylum at the Vartius post, the local border guard unit said on X, formerly known as Twitter. The Kremlin on Friday said Finland was making a "big mistake" by closing down border crossings and that Helsinki's move was destroying bilateral relations.

Persons: Mika Rytkonen, Jouko Kinnunen, Moscow's, Riikka Purra, Anne Kauranen, Attila Cser, Kevin Liffey, Terje Solsvik, Ros Russell Organizations: Finnish Border Guard, Kremlin, YLE, Finland, Border Guard, Twitter, MTV, Union, Frontex, Friday, Reuters, Finance, Finns Party, Thomson Locations: HELSINKI, Russia, Helsinki, Moscow, United States, Finland, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Syria, Salla, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus, East, Africa, Nuijamaa, London

☆ Russia condemns Finland's plan to speed confiscation of Russian real estate
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Anne Kauranen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Ints Kalnins Acquire Licensing RightsHELSINKI, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Russia's foreign ministry on Thursday criticised a Finnish government plan to speed the confiscation of Russian-owned real estate in Finland, warning the Nordic country of countermeasures. Ousting Russian owners over unpaid bills is not currently legal if an official notification threatening confiscation cannot be delivered to them, Meri said. Meri said electronic notification would be sufficient once the rules change, but did not provide other details on Finland plans. "We will not leave without a proper response such actions of the so-called civilized Finnish state," Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a statement. Finland is also looking at ways to take control of Helsinki's biggest sports and events arena which has been shut since last year because of sanctions against its billionaire Russian owners.

Persons: Ints, Leena Meri, Meri, Maria Zakharova, Anne Kauranen, Rod Nickel Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, YLE, Thomson Locations: Helsinki, Finland, Rights HELSINKI, Finnish, Russia, Ukraine

HELSINKI (AP) — Finnish police said Wednesday they have launched a criminal investigation into possible sabotage of an undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia that was shut down over the weekend following a leak. It is bi-directional, transferring natural gas between Finland and Estonia depending on demand and supply. The company said a liquified natural gas terminal in Inkoo has the capacity to deliver the gas Finland needs. Europe saw natural gas prices hit record highs last year after Russia’s cutoff of most gas supplies during the war in Ukraine. Europe currently has filled 97% of its gas storage capacity for the winter, but security of supply depends on deliveries of pipeline gas and LNG.

Persons: NBI, ”, Risto Lohi, Jens Stoltenberg, Sauli Niinistö, Kaja Kallas, ” Stoltenberg, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, “ Organizations: HELSINKI, National Bureau of, NATO, YLE, “, European Union, Estonian Locations: Finland, Estonia, Gulf, Finnish, Inkoo, Estonian, Paldiski, Germany, Russia, Baltic, Brussels, Baltics, Europe, Ukraine

☆ Finnish government to hold news conference on suspected pipeline leak -media
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OSLO, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Finland's government plans to hold a news conference later on Tuesday regarding the sudden outage of a gas pipeline connecting Finland and Estonia, public broadcaster YLE and daily Helsingin Sanomat reported on Tuesday. The Finnish prime minister's office was not immediately available for comment when contacted by Reuters. The Balticconnector link was shut early on Sunday on concerns that gas was leaking from a hole in the 77-km (48 miles) pipeline. Finnish operator Gasgrid said it could take months or more to repair if a leak is confirmed. Reporting by Terje Solsvik in Oslo and Anna Ringstrom in Stockholm; editing by Gwladys FoucheOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gasgrid, Elering, Terje Solsvik, Anna Ringstrom, Gwladys Organizations: YLE, Helsingin Sanomat, Reuters, Thomson Locations: OSLO, Finland, Estonia, Estonian, Inkoo, Paldiski, of Finland, Baltic, St Petersburg, Oslo, Stockholm

☆ European electricity prices tumble into negative territory amid glut of green energy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Electricity prices in Europe fell into negative territory over the weekend. In the Netherlands, prices for Sunday afternoon were as low as minus 73.76 euros per megawatt hour. Earlier this year, the European Union saw monthly solar power generation exceed electricity from coal for the first time. This isn't the first time Europe's energy prices turned negative, and the occurrences have become more frequent. But the negative prices signal an imbalance in the market and could discourage future investment in more energy infrastructure.

Organizations: Service, Bloomberg, European Union, Yle, International Energy Agency Locations: Europe, Netherlands, Wall, Silicon, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Russia, Moscow, Finland, Finnish

☆ Electricity prices in Finland flipped negative — a huge oversupply of clean, hydroelectric power meant suppliers were almost giving it away
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A new nuclear reactor, as well as unexpected floods, are leading to a glut of clean energy. While much of Europe was facing an energy crisis, the Nordic country reported that its spot energy prices dropped below zero before noon. "Now there is enough electricity, and it is almost emission-free," Ruusunen told Yle, adding that Finns could "feel good about using electricity." Ruusunen told the National that Finland wanted wind to become its primary power source by 2027. Finland is now dealing with energy prices being too lowAn offshore windfarm near the Aland Islands, an autonomous archipelago that is a region of Finland in the Baltic sea.

☆ Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin and husband file for divorce
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin and her husband, Markus Räikkönen, are to divorce after 19 years together, Marin announced on Instagram on Wednesday. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin and Markus Räikkönen in an official wedding photo Minttu Saarni/Lehtikuva/Reuters“We are still best friends, cool to each other and loving parents. Marin and Räikkönen, a businessman and former professional footballer, were married in 2020, according to Finland’s public broadcaster, YLE. She is currently serving as caretaker prime minister until a new coalition government can be formed. She then became the world’s youngest prime minister when she took office in 2019 at the age 34.

☆ Russian navy vessels seen near Nord Stream before blasts - Nordic broadcasters report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Russian navy ships were traced using satellite images and intercepted radio communication from the Russian fleet, the four broadcasters, Denmark's DR, Norway's NRK, Sweden's SVT and Finland's Yle, said. Authorities in Denmark, Sweden and Germany have said the explosions that ruptured the Nord Stream 1 and newly-built Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines that link Russia and Germany across the Baltic Sea were deliberate. The Kremlin on Tuesday denied Russian ships had any involvement in the sabotage and called for results of the investigations to be published. The Russian ships traced by the four broadcasters had all switched off their AIS signal, an automatic tracking system used on ship, they said. One of the ships in the area was Russian navy research vessel Sibiryakov, satellite images indicated.

☆ Russia has a plan to sabotage European wind farms, gas pipelines, and internet cables, report say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia has been using ships to spy in Nordic waters, a joint investigation by four countries' public broadcasters found. They are collecting intel on wind farms, gas pipelines, and power and internet cables, report said. Norway's NRK reported at least 50 Russian ships gathered intelligence there in the last ten years. DR reported that intercepted Russian navy communications showed Russian ships who had turned off their transmitters sailing in Nordic waters. One of the ships, Russian marine research vessel "Admiral Vladimirsky," sailed near current and future offshore wind farms, and stayed there for a few days, the outlets found.

☆ Russian spy ships suspected of gathering intelligence in Nordic waters, investigation finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Li-Lian Ahlskog Hou Allegra Goodwin Anna Chernova Vasco Cotovio | Li-Lian Ahlskog Hou | Allegra Goodwin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Russia has a fleet of suspected spy ships operating in Nordic waters as part of a program for the potential sabotage of underwater cables and wind farms in the region, according to a joint investigation by the public broadcasters of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. The investigation also said Russian ships appear suddenly following NATO exercises. One ship at the center of the investigation, the Admiral Vladimirsky, is officially used for underwater research expeditions, but is, according to the report, a Russian spy ship. A masked man emerged on the deck of the Admiral Vladimirsky, the ship at the center of an investigation that found a Russian fleet of suspected spy ships in Nordic waters. The investigation comes after Dutch intelligence officials warned Russia had tried to gain intelligence to prepare for the potential sabotage of critical infrastructure in their patch of the North sea.

☆ Fact Check-Finnish government letter accusing Biafran separatist of international terrorism is fabricated
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A letter accusing a Finnish-Nigerian lawyer of “an act of international terrorism” which appears to be signed by Finland’s prime minister is a fake, according to a government spokesperson and the addressee himself. The fabricated letter, dated Feb. 15 and topped with the Finnish government emblem, is addressed to Simon Ekpa (yle.fi/a/74-20018695), a Biafran separatist based in Finland (here), (here), (here). Signed off by “Sanna Mirella Marin”, the name of Finland’s prime minister, the note says Ekpa has committed “an act of international terrorism” for encouraging people to boycott the Feb. 25 presidential election in Nigeria (read more about the election (here), (here)). But a Finnish government spokesperson told Reuters via email: “The image being circulated does NOT show an authentic letter from Finland’s prime minister.”Ekpa also reacted to the letter on Twitter (here). The letter in not authentic, according to the Finnish government and Simon Ekpa.

☆ Finland’s top diplomat hints at joining NATO without Sweden
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Finland’s top diplomat appeared to suggest Tuesday that the country may have to consider joining NATO without Sweden after Turkey’s president cast serious doubt on the expansion of the military alliance. Haavisto later backpedaled, telling reporters in Parliament that his comment earlier Tuesday had been “imprecise” and that Finland’s ambition to join NATO jointly with Sweden remained unchanged. “But of course there have been raised concerns within NATO on how the (recent) incidents in Sweden will affect the schedule,” Haavisto said. Until now, Sweden and Finland have been committed to joining the alliance together, but Haavisto’s comment to YLE raised concerns that Finland was considering proceeding without its Nordic neighbor. “Sweden respects the agreement between Sweden, Finland and Turkey regarding our NATO membership.

☆ Sweden, Finland must send up to 130 "terrorists" to Turkey for NATO bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ANKARA, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Sweden and Finland must deport or extradite up to 130 "terrorists" to Turkey before the Turkish parliament will approve their bids to join NATO, President Tayyip Erdogan said. The two Nordic states applied last year to join NATO following Russia's invasion of Ukraine but their bids must be approved by all 30 NATO member states. Turkey has said Sweden in particular must first take a clearer stance against what it sees as terrorists, mainly Kurdish militants and a group it blames for a 2016 coup attempt. "For this to pass the parliament, first of all you have to hand more than 100, around 130 of these terrorists to us," Erdogan said. Separately on Monday Swedish Prime Minister Kristersson said that his country was in a "good position" to secure Turkey's ratification of its NATO bid.

☆ Fact Check-No evidence 40% of COVID-19 deaths in Finland were fabricated
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Data on COVID-19 deaths in Finland is being misinterpreted by users online who claim that 40% of reported pandemic deaths have been fraudulent or fabricated. As Finland reports deaths within 30 days of a positive COVID-19 test result, 40% of cases are deaths with COVID-19 but not directly due to COVID-19. Deaths within these 30 days include up to 40% of cases with COVID-19, though not primarily due to COVID-19. There is no evidence that Finland fabricated or exaggerated 40% of COVID-19 deaths. To avoid underreporting of COVID-related deaths, the national health institute reports deaths due directly to COVID-19 and deaths that occurred with COVID-19 to which the disease might have contributed.

☆ Two Finnish guys 'annexed' a Russian diplomat's parking spot by painting it with the Ukrainian flag
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Two Finnish men painted a Russian consul's parking spot with Ukrainian flag colors on Wednesday. The idea first came from Virtala, who told Insider he showed up in a hi-vis jacket to appear more like a maintenance worker. Mattson, whose partner is Ukrainian, wrote on social media: "We held a two-man referendum on annexing the parking spot to Ukraine." Virtala, a self-employed property manager, told Insider that after the paint dried, the diplomat's car returned. "If Ukrainians ask me to, I'd be happy to do my part in washing off the colors," Mattson told Insider.

☆ Brad Pitt makes surprise sculptor debut at Finland art gallery
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Chantal Da Silva | Chantal Da Silva Is A Breaking News Editor For Nbc News Digital Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Brad Pitt has made a surprise debut as a sculptor, unveiling a set of hand-crafted works at an art museum in Finland in what appears to be his first-ever public art exhibition. Pitt, 58, unveiled the sculptures on Saturday at an exhibition at the Sara Hildén Art Museum in Tampere, Finland. The surprise debut was part of a larger exhibition by British artist Thomas Houseago, with Australian musician Nick Cave also displaying his own artwork at the show. The Sara Hildén Art Museum said in a news release that it was "exciting to get to experience a new and different artistic side" of Pitt and Cave, frontman of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. "It’s about where I have gotten it wrong in my relationships, where have I misstepped, where am I complicit,” Pitt was quoted as saying.

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