Page 2 - Finland

Heavy force damaged Baltic Sea gas pipeline, says Estonia's Hanno Pevkur

The Balticconnector subsea gas pipeline and a telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Estonia were damaged on Sunday

HCLTech, Business Finland sign agreement for technology collaboration

Partnership will enable Finnish firms to use Indian company's innovation network

Finland's govt survives no-confidence vote over 2 right-wing ministers

Finland's centre-right government that includes nationalist and anti-immigration lawmakers survived a no-confidence motion from three opposition parties on Friday over two ministers from the right-wing populist Finns Party at the center of a racism scandal that has rocked the Nordic country. Lawmakers voted 106-65 in favour of the Cabinet of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. Debate ahead of the vote focused on writings from 2008 and 2016 by Finance Minister Riikka Purra, leader of the Finns Party, and Economic Affairs Minister Wille Rydman, a member of the same party, which were deemed racist. The opposition, particularly the Social Democratic Party, criticized Orpo's government for not distancing itself enough from Purra's and Rydman's writings and not doing enough to tackle discrimination and racism in Finland, a country of 5.5 million that became NATO's 31st member in April. The issue has crippled the government, which took office less than three months ago after Orpo's conservative

Finland's Ex-Prime Minister Alexander Stubb will run for president in 2024

Finland's former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb said on Tuesday he will run as a candidate in the presidential election early next year, in a race that also includes a popular former Finnish foreign minister who was a key negotiator of the Nordic country's recent membership in NATO. Stubb, 55, who headed the Finnish government in 2014-2015 and later served as foreign minister, said he was both honoured and thankful for the trust bestowed upon me". Prime Minister Petteri Opo and Finland's conservative National Coalition Party had asked him to run. The Finnish head of state is elected by a popular vote every six years. Finland's president has substantial powers, particularly in matters related to foreign and security policy, which the president decides together with the government. The president also signs bills into law, can veto legislative proposals and acts as Finland's supreme military commander. The two-leg Finnish presidential elections will be held in January and February ..

Biden is closing out his Europe trip by showcasing new Nato member Finland

President Joe Biden will close out his five-day trip to Europe on Thursday standing alongside Nordic leaders in an effort to show NATO's expanding power and influence against a burgeoning Russia. The brief stop in the shoreline Finnish capital is the coda to a Biden tour that was carefully sketched to highlight the growth of the military alliance that the president says has fortified itself since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Finland joined as NATO's newest member earlier this year, an entry that effectively doubled the alliance's border with Russia. Biden arrived in Helsinki after what he deemed a successful annual NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where allies agreed to language that would further pave the way for Ukraine to join the military alliance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the summit's outcome a significant security victory" for his country but nonetheless expressed disappointment Kyiv did not get an outright invitation to join NATO. Biden and other .

Explained: Why Turkey has not yet approved Sweden's bid of joining Nato

Despite Sweden implementing new anti-terror legislation in June, Turkey still claims Sweden has not taken sufficient "concrete steps"

Sports Ministry approves Neeraj Chopra's proposal to train in Finland

The Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) of Sports Ministry on Thursday approved Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra's proposal to train in Kuortane, Finland

Finland's birth rate drops to lowest on record since 1776: Official data

Statistics Finland said the main reason for the drop was that families chose not to have a second or third child

NATO member Finland breaks ground on Russia border fence near Imatra

The construction of barbed-wired fence along Finland's long border with Russia - primarily meant to curb illegal migration - has broken ground near the southeastern town of Imatra less than two weeks after the Nordic country joined NATO as the 31st member of the military alliance. The Finnish Border Guard on Friday showcased the building of the initial three kilometer (1.8 mile) stretch of the fence to be erected in Pelkola near a crossing point off Imatra, a quiet lakeside town of some 25,000 people. Finland's 1,340 kilometer (832 mile) border with Russia is the longest of any European Union member. Construction of the border fence is an initiative by the border guard that was approved by Prime Minister Sanna Marin's government amid wide political support last year. The main purpose of the three-meter (10-foot) high steel fence with a barbed-wire extension on top is to prevent illegal immigration from Russia and give reaction time to authorities, Finnish border officials say. In .

Finnish president: Joining NATO won't solve all our problems

Finland's President Sauli Niinist on Thursday warned that the country's new status as a NATO member doesn't solve every problem, and said Helsinki should not let down its guard on security issues. We still bear the main responsibility for our own security. Wherever we detect any gaps or vulnerabilities, they must be fixed, Niinist said, in a speech to lawmakers as they gathered for the first time since the April 2 elections. He added that Finland, which shares a 1,340 kilometer (832 mile) border with Russia, has been focused on regional security in the past year, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We must not let this level of alertness drop in the future, either, the president said as he formally opened the 200-member Eduskunta legislature. We should better understand how organically the dangers and tensions we are witnessing here are linked with the increasing geopolitical pressures." Finland's main conservative party came first in this month's elections, after a tight three-

Finland unlikely to get NATO battle group given its defence capabilities

NATO has established 8 multinational battle groups in Poland and the Baltic nations, and more recently in Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania, to serve as a "tripwire" in case of Russian attack

Finland becomes NATO member as Russia warns of 'counter-measures'

In Russia's opinion, the expansion of NATO infringes on its security and national interests

Finland becomes member of Nato, Russia threatens 'counter-measures'

NATO's blue and white flags fluttered against the backdrop of Helsinki's deep blue sky as Finland was on the cusp of its historic entry into NATO on Tuesday, a step that doubles the Western alliance's border with Russia and ends decades of non-alignment for the Nordic nation. The country's foreign minister travelled the night before to Brussels carrying papers in a suitcase that when handed over to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will seal Finland's entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. It's a moment that most Finns had never even sought as they balanced friendly ties with both the West and Russia. But all that changed with Russia's full-scale and brutal invasion of its neighbour Ukraine last year, creating a sudden and strong sense of insecurity that pushed the nation toward membership to the security alliance. Newspapers showed Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto with a smile on his face as he travelled to Brussels late Monday for the raising of Finland's flag at NAT

Finland's Nato moment

A snub for Putin, a risk for Europe

Finland's parliamentary website targeted ahead of NATO entry: Report

Finland's parliamentary website was paralysed by a denial-of-service attack on Tuesday, just before the country made its historic entry into NATO, a move that more than doubles NATO's border with Russia and has angered Russian President Vladimir Putin. The attacks in which participants flood targets with junk data made the parliament's site hard to use, with many pages not loading and some functions not available for a time. A pro-Russian hacker group known as NoName057 (16) claimed responsibility, saying the attack was retaliation for Finland joining NATO. The hacker group, which has reportedly acted on Moscow's orders, has taken part in a slew of cyberattacks on the US and its allies in the past. The claim could not be immediately verified. For the most part, Finns went about their business as usual on the bright cold day, belying the historic nature of Finland becoming the 31st member of NATO. Its membership was formalised with a series of steps in Brussels. It's a moment that

In setback to Putin, Finland set to officially become NATO member

Finland is set to officially become a member of NATO later on Tuesday and take its place among the ranks of the world's biggest security alliance. Neighboring Russia has already warned that it will bolster its defences near their joint border if NATO deploys any additional troops or equipment to what will be its 31st member country. Finland's blue and white flag is scheduled to be raised among those of its partners outside NATO's Brussels headquarters. Finland's president, foreign and defense ministers will take part. The ceremony falls on NATO's very own birthday, the 74th anniversary of the signing of its founding Washington Treaty on April 4, 1949. It also coincides with a meeting of the alliance's foreign ministers. Turkey became the last NATO member country to ratify Finland's membership protocol on Thursday. It will hand over the document officially enshrining that decision to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken before the ceremony. Finland will then give Blinken its own fi

Finland to join NATO military alliance this week, says chief Stoltenberg

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Finland will become the 31st member of the military alliance on Tuesday. From tomorrow, Finland will be a full member of the alliance, Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels. Stoltenberg said that Turkey, the last country to have ratified Finland's membership, will hand its official texts to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday as NATO foreign ministers gather in Brussels. Stoltenberg said he would then invite Finland to do the same. A flag raising ceremony to add the Finnish flag to those of the other members will take place at NATO headquarters at on Tuesday afternoon.

Fincham appoints Nokia's Sanjay Malik as new chairperson for FY24

Finland Chamber of Commerce in India on Monday announced the appointment of Sanjay Malik, Nokia Senior VP and Head of India Market, as its new Chairperson for the financial year 2023-24. He will succeed Sanjay Aggarwal, President of Fortum India Pvt Ltd, who held the position in the previous fiscal year ended March. Trade between India and Finland surpassed USD 1 billion for the first time in 2022, marking a significant milestone in the growing relationship between the two countries. In his acceptance letter addressed to members of the chamber, Malik said, "India's ambitious growth agenda under a dynamic leadership affords a wide avenue for Finnish companies to use their technologically advanced products and solutions to accelerate economic development in the country." "Finland will emerge as a strong, reliable partner country as India seeks to leapfrog several generations of standards and leverage the potential of Industry 4.0," Malik added.

Finland PM Sanna Marin ousted, conservatives claim victory in tight vote

Finland's main conservative party claimed victory in a parliamentary election Sunday in an extremely tight three-way race in which right-wing populists took second place, leaving Prime Minister Sanna Marin's Social Democratic Party in third, dashing her hopes for reelection. The center-right National Coalition Party (NCP) claimed victory Sunday evening with all of the votes counted, coming out on top at 20.8%. They were followed by right-wing populist party The Finns with 20.1%, while the Social Democrats garnered 19.9%. With the top three parties each getting around 20% of the vote, no party is in position to form a government alone. Over 2,400 candidates from 22 parties were vying for the 200 seats in the Nordic country's parliament. Based on this result, talks over forming a new government to Finland will be initiated under the leadership of the National Coalition Party, said the party's elated leader Petteri Orpo, as he claimed victory surrounded by supporters gathered in a ...

Finnish happiness versus Bhutanese happiness

Bhutan has slipped to No 97 in the World Happiness Report. To all appearances, though, both the Finnish and the Bhutanese are equally happy