Finland

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Internet Access Now a Legal Right in Finland

Telecom companies must bring speedy broadband to all

(Newser) - In Finland, broadband access isn’t a privilege, it’s a right. The Ministry of Transport and Communications has pushed through a law requiring telecom companies to offer speeds of at least 1 megabit per second to all of the country’s 5.3 million citizens. While 96% of Finland’...

At Sauna Championships, 100% Chance of Perspiration

(Newser) - The English entry at the recent World Sauna Championships in Finland didn’t turn in “Britain’s finest hour,” team member Tom Whipple writes for the Times of London. The premise is simple: whoever lasts longest in a brutally hot sauna wins. The Brits were at a disadvantage—...

Ransom Demand Made for Lost Ship

(Newser) - The missing Maltese-flagged ship that was reported off the coast of Africa appears to have been hijacked for a second time, CNN reports. “There has been a demand for ransom,” a Finnish police official said of the Russian-crewed Arctic Sea. “We are now dealing with two separate...

Fox's Kilmeade Sorry for Yank 'Purity' Gaffe

(Newser) - Brian Kilmeade of Fox and Friends has "sincerely apologized" for saying Americans might not be as vigorous as Scandinavians because they're not as "pure." It "was not my intention to offend anyone," Kilmeade said on the air yesterday. Several people demanded an apology after Kilmeade...

Fox's Kilmeade Decries Ethnic Mixing of 'Pure' Yanks

(Newser) - Fox and Friends anchor Brian Kilmeade yesterday lamented the ethnic mixing that has diluted "pure" Americans, Gawker points out. He made his comments as he criticized a study concluding that married people stave off dementia better than singles. Kilmeade insisted the results were skewed because the Scandinavian study used...

Finland, Land of the $200K Speeding Ticket

(Newser) - If you think that pricey speeding ticket is unfair, just look at Finland, where fines are based on income. Mental Floss takes a look at five doozies:
  • In 2002, a Nokia exec on a Harley got hit with a whopping $103,600 fine for cruising at 47mph in a 31mph
...

Coffee Each Day May Keep Alzheimer's Away

3-5 cups per day seen to reduce chance of Alzheimer's by up to 65%: study

(Newser) - Researchers don’t quite know why, but a new study suggests that moderate coffee intake dramatically reduces the likelihood of Alzheimer’s disease, AFP reports. A 20-year Finnish study of 1,409 subjects shows middle-aged people who drink 3-5 cups a day are 60% to 65% less likely to contract...

US, Russian Commanders Hold First Post-Georgia Talks

Secret meeting is first between chiefs since Georgian conflict

(Newser) - Ranking US and Russian military commanders met face to face for the first time since the Georgian crisis, the AFP reports. Few details emerged from the Helsinki meeting, but it appeared to be a first step toward a mending of relations. Michael Mullen, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,...

Kosovo Mediator Wins Nobel

Former Finnish president has supervised peace talks for decades

(Newser) - This year's Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Martti Ahtisaari, the former president of Finland who mediated peace talks in Indonesia and Kosovo. Ahtisaari has also mediated conflicts in Namibia, Northern Ireland, and Iraq, often working on behalf of the United Nations. In its citation the Norwegian committee praised his...

Twisted Pals Conspired in Twin Massacres

Finnish friends urged each other to slaughter classmates

(Newser) - Gunmen who carried out two school massacres in Finland a year apart urged each other to slaughter their classmates, reports the Times of London. Suicidal shooter Pekka-Erik Auvinen, who killed eight near Helsinki last year, left a message of encouragement for Matti Saari to carry out his own school massacre...

Finnish Shooter Also Burned His Victims, Mainly Women

'He really went out with the intention of killing,' official says

(Newser) - Eight of the 10 victims in yesterday's shooting at a Finnish catering and tourism college were women, but it may take investigators weeks to identify the bodies—which Matti Saari charred with gasoline bombs after shooting, the Times of London reports. A college official described Saari as a “silent...

Finnish Shootings Trigger Call for Gun-Law Changes

(Newser) - Responding to a grieving Finland, the country's prime minister called for stricter gun laws in the wake of yesterday's school shooting. Matti Vanhanen questioned the legality of private handgun ownership, calling guns more fit for shooting ranges. It may be a difficult case to make in a country with 1....

Finnish Cops Questioned Shooter Yesterday

YouTube videos show Saari firing at range

(Newser) - Finnish police yesterday arrested—and subsequently released—the 20-year-old they say killed 11 people, including himself, during a school shooting spree this morning, reports the Daily Telegraph. Authorities acted after finding a YouTube video of Matti Juhani Saari firing a handgun at a shooting range, and this posted message: "...

9 Dead In Finland School Shooting

Gunman shot himself after opening fire at vocational college

(Newser) - A shooting spree at a vocational college in Finland has left nine people dead and several others wounded, reports the BBC. The gunman, who is believed to be a 20-year-old student, entered the college wearing a ski mask and carrying an automatic weapon. Police say he finally turned the gun...

What's Your Salary? In Sweden, It's No Secret

In Scandanavia, everyone's pay is made public

(Newser) - In America, tax information is kept private by law. In Sweden, "you can see what your brother-in-law made, your neighbor made," says one Justice Ministry official. Like its Scandinavian counterparts Norway and Finland, Sweden makes all tax returns public every year—and no one seems to care, reports...

Finns May Stop (Working) in the Name of Love

Scandinavian lawmakers consider paid 'erotic' vacation

(Newser) - Finland's citizens will get an extra week of vacation specifically for romance if a proposed bill becomes law, Bloomberg reports. The legislation, which currently has 13 of the 100 required backers, would augment the 25 paid vacation days and 10 public holidays that already put Finns above the EU norm....

Ice Melt Imperils Baby Seals
Ice Melt Imperils Baby Seals
Mar 11, 2008 12:05 PM CDT

Ice Melt Imperils Baby Seals

Climate change does a number on Baltic population

(Newser) - They’re cute, they’re endangered, and they’re some of global warming’s first casualties. Baby seals throughout the Baltic Sea are dying, Der Spiegel reports, as rising temperatures melt the protective dens they rely on to survive. “The situation is dramatic,” said one environmental activist. “...

Not Your Parents' Russian Vodka
Not Your Parents' Russian Vodka
Feb 25, 2008 8:15 PM CST

Not Your Parents' Russian Vodka

Premium imports, in fancy bottles, begin to arrive on US shores

(Newser) - If a shot of Georgi isn’t your style, Russian vodka makers are rushing to sell a new wave of premium bottles, the Los Angeles Times reports. Vodkas from France, Finland, and the US have gained popularity stateside over the past few years, but buyers couldn't find anything Russian other...

US Kids Lag in Math, Science
US Kids Lag in Math, Science
Dec 4, 2007 8:30 PM CST

US Kids Lag in Math, Science

International test puts US teens 17th among 30 countries

(Newser) - American teens are worse at math and science than peers in 16 of 30 countries, according to test results released today. The 5,600 US students who took the test last year scored 24th in math, but almost made average in science. "How are our children going to be...

School Shooters Connect Online
School Shooters Connect Online
Nov 10, 2007 6:40 AM CST

School Shooters Connect Online

Columbine MySpace page links Finnish gunman, US teen who planned massacre

(Newser) - The internet may be a training ground for teenage killers who were previously considered to be desperate loners, suggests the Times of London. Helsinki police believe that Pekka-Eric Auvinen, the Finnish 18-year-old who murdered eight fellow students before shooting himself Wednesday, had spoken in online message boards with Dylan Cossey,...

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