An internal audit of the Finnish Immigration Service Migri found there were procedural errors and quality problems detected in nine percent of negative decisions about extended residence permits made by the agency last year. In a press release on Tuesday, Migri said “we are taking these findings seriously,” adding thatContinue Reading
Ilta-Sanomat has a survey on attitudes to immigration, which is at the top of the agenda for some in Finland. They found that 52 percent of respondents would like to increase work-based immigration, with 28 percent wanting to keep it at the same level it is now. The issue isContinue Reading
The Åland islands occupy a special position in Finland, with a demilitarised status that means no armed forces can be stationed there and, unlike male citizens from elsewhere in Finland, Ålanders cannot be conscripted. Finland does, however, have the obligation to defend Åland if necessary. There are MPs in theContinue Reading
Viron asevoimien komentaja, kenraali Martin Herem tekee työvierailun Suomeen 11. huhtikuuta. Vierailua isännöi Puolustusvoimain komentaja, kenraali Timo Kivinen. Vierailun aikana keskustellaan muun muassa Suomen ja Viron välisestä puolustusyhteistyöstä, ja Suomen Nato-jäsenyyden sotilaallisen yhteensovittamisen etenemisestä. Vierailuohjelmaan sisältyy tutustuminen Merivoimien toimintaan Rannikkoprikaatissa. Vierailunsa aikana kenraali Herem tapaa myös puolustusministeri Antti Kaikkosen.Continue Reading
The Blue-and-Black Movement got 0.1 percent of the vote, with 2,307 people choosing the party in the parliamentary elections last Sunday. The leader of the openly racist and fascist Blue-and-Black Movement, Tuukka Kuru, has been charged over an anti-semitic tweet. The charges were filed at Satakunta District Court in southwestContinue Reading
Some 10,000 troops from around the world serve in UNIFIL. No Finnish UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) peacekeepers have been harmed following Israeli strikes on Lebanon early on Friday, the Finnish Army Command told news agency STT. The Israeli military carried out air strikes on Lebanon and GazaContinue Reading
Finland’s outgoing Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) formally submitted a resignation letter on behalf of her administration to President Sauli Niinistö on Thursday morning. “Dear President of the Republic, I am asking you to release me and the rest of the government from our duties,” Marin said at Mäntyniemi, theContinue Reading
The final Yle poll before election day on Sunday suggests the Finns Party may have seen an increase in support, while the Social Democrats (SDP) and National Coalition (NCP) saw their numbers reduced. The results suggest that the fight to become the largest party in the next parliament — andContinue Reading
The Finnish Armed Forces pre-announced the U.S. flight and made a statement saying “There have been no changes in Finland’s military security situation or environment in the recent past. Flight operations with international partners are art of normal bilateral and multilateral cooperation.” However, Thursday’s flight was all but normal. ThisContinue Reading
Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organisation, warns that Finland’s target of reaching carbon neutrality by 2035 may be slipping out of reach due to the declining ability of the nation’s forests to soak up carbon from the air. The former head of the Finnish Meteorological Institute was interviewedContinue Reading