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☆ Angry Birds creator Rovio: Sega makes takeover bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Japan’s Sega, the company behind Sonic the Hedgehog, is buying Rovio Entertainment in a cash deal that values the creator of Angry Birds at €706 million ($774 million). The company’s prime asset, Angry Birds, which launched in 2009, became the first mobile game series to reach 1 billion downloads, according to Guinness World Records. People tour an Angry Birds theme park at its opening on July 9, 2016 in Tianjin, China. Feature China/Future Publishing/Getty ImagesThe story-based puzzle video game has players launching “Angry Birds” from a slingshot at a fortress containing pigs who stole their eggs. The company’s share price closed 4.2% down in Tokyo on Monday.

☆ Factbox: Who is Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 17 (Reuters) - Russian opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza was convicted of treason by a Moscow court on Monday and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Kara-Murza, 41, is a historian, journalist and opposition politician who holds Russian and British passports and studied in England at Cambridge University. He was a close associate of Boris Nemtsov, a leading opposition figure who was assassinated near the Kremlin in 2015, and continued to speak out against President Vladimir Putin despite the mounting risks. Twice, in 2015 and 2017, Kara-Murza suddenly fell ill in what he said were poisonings by the Russian security services, on both occasions falling into a coma before eventually recovering. Kara-Murza was arrested in April 2022, hours after CNN broadcast an interview in which he said Russia was being run by a "regime of murderers".

☆ After 18 years, Europe's largest nuclear reactor to start regular output on Sunday
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Essi Lehto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HELSINKI, April 15 (Reuters) - Finland's much-delayed Olkiluoto 3 (OL3) nuclear reactor, Europe's largest, will begin regular output on Sunday, its operator said on Saturday, boosting energy security in a region to which Russia has cut gas and power supplies. Construction of the 1.6 gigawatt (GW) reactor, Finland's first new nuclear plant in more than four decades and Europe's first in 16 years, began in 2005. The plant was originally due to open four years later, but was plagued by technical issues. As a result of the startup, analysts have said Finland, the only Nordic country with a large power deficit, can expect lower electricity costs. Reporting by Essi Lehto; Editing by Terje Solsvik and Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ After 18 years, Europe's largest nuclear reactor starts regular output
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Essi Lehto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The new reactor is expected to produce for at least 60 years, TVO said in a statement on Sunday after completing the transition from testing to regular output. "The production of Olkiluoto 3 stabilises the price of electricity and plays an important role in the Finnish green transition," TVO Chief Executive Jarmo Tanhua said in the statement. Construction of the 1.6 gigawatt (GW) reactor, Finland's first new nuclear plant in more than four decades and Europe's first in 16 years, began in 2005. Russian state export monopoly Gazprom shortly after ended shipments of natural gas to the Nordic nation. Reporting by Essi Lehto; Editing by Terje Solsvik and Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Finnish embassy in Moscow receives letter containing unknown powder
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 14 (Reuters) - Finland's embassy in Moscow has received a letter containing an unknown powder and has reported the matter to the Russian authorities, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday. Relations between Moscow and Helsinki have deteriorated sharply since Finland formally joined NATO on April 4, becoming the 31st member of the U.S.-led military alliance. The embassy informed Russia's foreign ministry that it had received three letters on Thursday, at least one of which contained a powder, Zakharova said. "The embassy of Finland will be informed of the results of the inquiry." Finland's decision to join NATO ended seven decades of strategic non-alignment which began after the country repelled an attempted Soviet invasion during World War Two.

BARONE The book could not be staged as-is now, just as much of opera makes you cringe the closer you look. VINCENTELLI The “Phantom” legacy is most visible in business terms, with a generation of blockbusters that run for years, decades even. The current “Sweeney Todd” revival has luscious orchestrations but the staging and most of the performances are so timid. A couple of years ago I saw “Phantom” at the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki. “Phantom” is similar to Puccini not only in its music, but also in its specificity; you can’t really stretch Puccini, conceptually, and with “Phantom,” you have to either go big or go home.

☆ Finland starts fence on Russian border amid migration, security concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Anne Kauranen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Project manager Ismo Kurki said on Friday that, while it is not intended to stop any invasion attempt, the fence will have surveillance equipment. Meanwhile, there has so far been little human activity along the border, which stretches to 1,300 km in all. Last year, Finland detected only 30 illegal crossings there, while Russian border guards stopped some 800 attempts to enter Finland, the Finnish Border Guard said. "But in this totally changed (security) situation, Finland must have more credible and more independent border control. And Finland needs to be less dependent on the Russian border control," he added.

☆ Moscow is trying to play it cool, but its military moves hint at growing concern over NATO's newest member
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Finland's admission this month doubles the length of NATO's border with Russia and does so in a region with important Russian military outposts. But Putin's invasion of Ukraine scared not only Finland into joining NATO but also Sweden, which hasn't fought a war since Napoleon was alive. This boosts the alliance's military, political, and economic power considerably and confronts Russia with the prospect of even more NATO forces on its border. There is the possibility of NATO forces and infrastructure being deployed to those countries. Russia's Arctic forces also field an array of powerful weapons, including submarine- and land-based cruise missiles and air-launched hypersonic weapons.

☆ Finland's Marin steps down as party leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/6] Social Democratic Party SDP Chair and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin meets media at the Parliament in Helsinki, Finland on April 5, 2023. Lehtikuva/Heikki Saukkomaa via REUTERSHELSINKI, 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 a regular lawmaker in the newly elected parliament from next week. "I will start my work as member of parliament next week and I hope I can also lead a calmer life," Marin told a news conference, adding she would not run for president. Marin sought another term as Finland's leader in last Sunday's election but her party came third behind the right-wing National Coalition and the Finns parties. Reporting by Essi Lehto, editing by Louise Rasmussen and John StonestreetOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russia and Belarus set for talks on strategy as NATO expands; Zelenskyy makes another rare visit abroad
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ukraine heartily congratulated Finland on its accession to NATO on Tuesday, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying Helsinki now has a "reliable guarantee of safety – a collective guarantee." Ukraine yearns for NATO membership, having long aspired to join the alliance and to benefit from the collective defense that membership demands of — and confers on — its members. It knows that its own journey toward that "guarantee of safety" faces far more barriers to entry, however. Russia warned yesterday that it would take "countermeasures" to protect its own security. On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to hold talks with his Belarusian counterpart, with a deepening of defense cooperation and strategy likely top of the agenda.

☆ An emboldened NATO provides a bittersweet moment for war-torn Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Congratulating Finland, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Finland now has a "reliable guarantee of safety – a collective guarantee." At the heart of NATO is the tenet that an attack on one member is an attack on all members. Finland and Sweden both applied to join NATO last May, prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and their membership bids were fast-tracked. To do so would have triggered NATO members' commitment to protect one another and Moscow would have faced the collective might of the alliance's armed forces. That's not to say that NATO didn't see the war coming in Ukraine in the run up to the invasion.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Finland set to formally join NATO; Russian blogger bombing suspect has been 'framed,' husband says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Finnish reservists of the Guard Jaeger Regiment take part in a military exercise at the Santahamina military base in Helsinki, Finland on March 7, 2023. -Finland is set to formally become a member of the NATO defense alliance on Tuesday, ending years of "military non-alignment." On Tuesday, the country's President Sauli Niinisto will travel to the NATO headquarters in Brussels for the accession. Turkey, the last holdout on Helsinki's accession to the military coalition, gave its approval on Finland's membership bid on March 30. Sweden's membership bid, made at the same time as Finland's, is still awaiting approval.

HELSINKI/BRUSSELS, April 4 (Reuters) - Finland will become a member of NATO on Tuesday, completing a historic security policy shift triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, while neighbour Sweden is kept in the waiting room. "It will be a good day for Finland's security, for Nordic security and for NATO as a whole," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Monday. Sweden underwent a similar transformation in defence thinking and Stockholm and Helsinki applied together last year to join NATO. Moscow said on Monday it would strengthen its military capacity in its western and northwestern regions in response to Finland joining NATO. Stoltenberg said he was "absolutely confident" that Sweden will become a NATO member.

☆ Explainer: After Finland joins NATO, why is Turkey making Sweden wait?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BACKGROUNDRussia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year convinced Sweden and Finland to ditch long-held policies of military non-alignment. WHY DOES TURKEY OBJECT TO SWEDISH NATO MEMBERSHIP? Unlike Turkey, Hungary does not have a list of demands, but says grievances need to be addressed before it can ratify Sweden's accession to NATO. WHEN WILL TURKEY AGREE TO SWEDISH NATO MEMBERSHIP? NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said it would be inconceivable that the alliance would not support Sweden if it were threatened.

☆ Finland officially becomes a member of NATO, doubling the military alliance's border with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Finland's Foreign Affairs Minister Pekka Haavisto is concerned that his country's application to join NATO will be delayed. Finland on Tuesday became an official member of the military alliance NATO, prompted by Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine last year. Nor does it change the foundations or objectives of Finland's foreign and security policy," Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said in a written statement Tuesday. Finland shares an 832-mile border with Russia, the longest of any European Union member. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that Russia would closely follow any NATO deployments in Finland and that his country would take "counter-measures" to this accession, according to Reuters.

☆ Factbox: What can Finland's armed forces and arsenal offer NATO?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Anne Kauranen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HELSINKI, April 4 (Reuters) - Finland joined NATO on Tuesday, bringing the Western defence alliance significant military capabilities developed over the years. Finland's ground, naval and air forces are all trained and equipped with one primary aim - to repel any Russian invasion. Its most important anti-aircraft system is the NATO-compatible Norwegian-American NASAMS 2. AIR FORCEThe Finnish Air Force has a fleet of 61 McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets, which are being replaced by 64 Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II jets, the delivery of which will begin in 2026. In addition to the jet fleet, the Air Force has dozens of training aircraft and surveillance radars, including ones that have a range of almost 500 km (300 miles).

☆ Putin said Finland joining NATO didn't pose a threat, but now that it's a done deal, Russia is warning it will have to take action
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Finland joining NATO is one of the most significant consequences of Russia invading Ukraine. Putin said at that time that Finland joining NATO didn't pose an "immediate threat" to Russia. Less than a year ago, however, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested that Finland joining NATO wouldn't make "much difference." Finland joining NATO marks one of the most significant geopolitical consequences of Russia's invasion of Ukraine to date and represents a dramatic realignment of Europe's security framework. But now, as a result of invading Ukraine, Russia has seen its land border with NATO double in size.

☆ In Russia's St Petersburg, locals say Finland 'making problems' with NATO accession
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ST PETERSBURG, April 4 (Reuters) - Citizens of St Petersburg, the Russian city closest to Finland, on Tuesday accused their neighbour of turning its back on them by joining the Western military alliance NATO, following their government's line that the accession was a hostile act. "I don't think anything will change for us," said St. Petersburg resident Yevgeny, who like others declined to give his surname. Another resident, Nikolai, said Finland was "making problems for itself". "We have always had good neighbourly relations with Finland." Another citizen, Alexei, had a recommendation for Finland: "If they wanted to unite with Russia against NATO, then I would be glad."

"I feel it's a good thing that Finland is joining NATO. In Virolahti, near the Russian border due east of Helsinki, retired Finnish combat engineer Ilkka Lansivaara had hung his own NATO flag from the side of his house. Memories of Finland's close relations with Moscow to preserve independence - a tactic known as "Finlandisation" - run deep for many Finns. Finland brings a sizable, well-trained military into NATO and Russia has said it will have to take "counter-measures" to ensure Russian security in response. Meanwhile, Finland's close partner Sweden continues to wait for ratification of its NATO membership bid in the face of opposition from Turkey and Hungary.

☆ The NATO military alliance has its own song, as well as a jingle specially recorded over 60 years ago
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

It has its own official "NATO Hymn," as well as a decades-old jingle called "The NATO Song." Among the more interesting tributes, however, was "The NATO Song." And "The NATO Song" is far from the only musical celebration of the alliance's existence. A separate NATO informational page refers to a piece called the "NATO hymn song sheet" and links to the lyrics and notes to something titled "NATO — Song." Like Helsinki, Stockholm would provide the military alliance with a meaningful firepower boost as it faces threats from Russia.

"Tomorrow we will welcome Finland as the 31st member of NATO making Finland safer and our alliance stronger," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels, hailing the move as "historic". Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year pushed Finland and its neighbour Sweden to apply for NATO membership, abandoning decades of military non-alignment. [1/2] NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg attends a news conference before a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, Belgium April 3, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna Geron 1 2"President Putin went to war against Ukraine with the clear aim to get less NATO," Stoltenberg said. Stoltenberg pledged to work hard to get Sweden into NATO as soon as possible.

☆ Finland's Sanna Marin, a global progressive icon, loses out on second term after right-wing surge
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Marin entered office as the world's youngest serving prime minister in 2019 at the age of 34. Marin entered office as the world's youngest serving prime minister in 2019 at the age of 34. However, after just one term as prime minister, Marin was pushed into third place by her right-wing political rivals. "Congratulations also to the other winners of the elections, congratulations to the Coalition Party and congratulations to the Finns Party. However, Finland's main conservative National Coalition Party, led by Petteri Orpo, came out on top with 20.8% of the vote, while the right-wing Finns Party received a record 20.1% share of the vote.

☆ Finnish centre-right eyes coalition talks as defeated Marin considers future
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Anne Kauranen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Finland's Prime Minister and Social Democrats leader Sanna Marin speaks during a news conference at the parliament on the day of the parliamentary elections, in Helsinki, Finland April 2, 2023. REUTERS/Essi LehtoHELSINKI, 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 her centre-right rival Petteri Orpo the right to try and form a coalition. Despite gaining three seats, Marin's left wing Social Democratic Party (SDP) came third with 43 of parliament's 200 seats behind Orpo's centre-right National Coalition Party with 48 seats and the nationalist Finns on 46. In turn, Marin's Social Democrats rallied voters to support them in their defence of the Nordic welfare model of cradle-to-grave services from free education and affordable healthcare to decent pensions, against Orpo's spending cuts. During Marin's time as prime minister, Finland faced coronavirus lockdowns, the energy crisis and soaring consumer price inflation, and the country is expected to undergo a mild recession this year.

☆ Finland's right-wing National Coalition Party claims election victory
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

HELSINKI, April 2 (Reuters) - Finland's right-wing opposition National Coalition Party leader Petteri Orpo on Sunday claimed victory in the Nordic country's tightly-fought parliamentary election. "We got the biggest mandate," Orpo said in a speech to followers. With 93.4% of the votes counted, his party looked set to get the most seats in parliament, 48 out of 200 in total, and with 20.5% support among votes cast, justice ministry election data showed. Reporting by Anne Kauranen, editing by Terje SolsvikOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: Finland's outgoing Prime Minister Sanna Marin
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Finland's Prime Minister and Social Democrats leader Sanna Marin speaks at the party's parliamentary election event in Helsinki, Finland April 2, 2023. Lehtikuva/Emmi Korhonen via REUTERSHELSINKI, April 2 (Reuters) - Here is a profile of Finland's outgoing Prime Minister Sanna Marin, whose left-wing Social Democrats lost a parliamentary election on Sunday, although they might still join the next coalition with election winner the National Coalition Party. Born in 1985 in Helsinki, she grew up near Finland's south-western industrial hub of Tampere with her mother and her mother's girlfriend. Only six months in, then-party chair Antti Rinne was forced to resign over his handling of labour strikes, and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) chose Marin to replace him as prime minister. Marin soon found herself managing Finland's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and then Europe's energy crunch caused by neighbouring Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

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