A proposal to lower the threshold for bringing criminal charges in cases of environmental damage has gained the support of Interior Minister Päivi Räsänen. But there are warnings that the law change needs to be backed up with more training … Read More
Officials have found evidence of E.coli and enterococcal bacteria in waters of the Fäboda tributary near fur farms in Pietarsaari, western Finland. Because of the findings, health officials say they don’t recommend swimming in the popular recreational area. Yle’s A-Studio … Read More
More than half of the fledgling firms involved with EnterpriseHelsinki are started by people with immigrant backgrounds. The agency hopes they will bring more concrete ideas for technologies and inventions with export potential, rather than just adding to the ocean … Read More
The US news channel CNN has estimated that Finland leads the field in terms of countries with Muslims fighting in Syria. The channel compared numbers provided by 25 different countries to rank Finland as the country with the highest percentage … Read More
Over the course of the past week, Russian military aircraft have been spotted three times breaching Finnish airspace, as reported by the Finnish Defence Ministry. Two days ago, Finnish airspace was breached by a Russian military transport aircraft. It happened … Read More
In total a quota of 42 bears are eligible to be hunted this year within reindeer herding areas, of which 30 are in the east. The first weekend of this year’s bear hunting season has seen a total of nine … Read More
Finnish energy company Gasum Oy and Estonian energy company AS Alexela Energia presented yesterday at the European Commission the alternative models of cooperation of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal to be built by the Gulf of Finland, LETA/Public … Read More
In an instance of Western sanctions striking closer to home, European lender Nordea Bank is closing the bank accounts of a Finnish shipyard after a major Russian shipbuilder that owns part of the company was blacklisted by the U.S., a … Read More
Finland is set to be the EU country second-hardest hit by anti-Russian sanctions, says Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Petteri Orpo. He says that entitles Finland to tens of millions of euros in compensation form the European Union. European Union … Read More
The Voice of Russia, the Russian government’s international radio broadcasting service, is looking into securing a broadcast license in Helsinki. However there are no free radio long-term FM broadcasting frequencies available and Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja says he’s not open … Read More
In a country of a hundred thousand lakes, it may surprise you to find out that 32 percent of Finnish adults cannot swim. But one swimming instructor tells Yle that despite the shame some grown-ups feel about taking swimming lessons, … Read More
Finnish experts and politicians are divided over the impact of the latest EU sanctions against Russian individuals and firms. A new list of Russians subject to European Union sanctions over the Ukrainian crisis includes Arkady Rotenberg, co-owner of the Helsinki … Read More
Disposable incomes have fallen for the second year in succession, and the decline is set to continue. That’s the message from Statistics Finland, whose figures show the longest decline in incomes since the severe recession of the 1990s. People have … Read More
A decades-old shipwreck off the coast of Sweden has begun to leak oil into the Baltic Sea. Finnish environmentalists are concerned that changing winds could push the slick towards Finland. The oil-leaking shipwreck lies on the ocean bed some 55 … Read More
Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee has voted against a citizen’s initiative proposing gender-neutral marriage. The measure will now be considered by parliament in the autumn. After a lengthy campaign, the latest bid to legislate for gay marriage has foundered once again … Read More
A report on human trafficking worldwide suggests that Finland is both a destination and transit country for human traffickers. The US State Department report says that victims in Finland come from the Baltic states, Russia, Asia and West Africa. The … Read More
A plan for liquefied natural gas terminals in Estonia and Finland, linked by a pipeline, has suffered a major setback. A plan for paired liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in Finland and Estonia has suffered a setback. The European Commission … Read More
New figures put Germany in the top spot for overseas sales as exports to Russia dropped sharply in the last quarter. Machinery, equipment and the chemical industry suffered the biggest falls. Imports from Finland’s eastern neighbour also fell significantly compared … Read More
With football fever gripping the world, pub patrons and owners are finding it hard to resist placing bets on favourites to win the most-watched sporting event worldwide. However private citizens who organise their own betting pools may be flirting with … Read More
The Finnish Customs Agency is seeing an explosion in the number of crimes related to pharmaceutical imports. This year the agency has already recorded as many crimes as in the whole of 2012. Antibiotics, erectile dysfunction medication, melatonin (the so-called … Read More
