Finnish sailors in the running for medals
Finns turned in promising performances in steeplechase and sailing on Friday -- and in rally driving at home.
As the athletics events began at the Summer Olympics on Friday, Finland's Jukka Keskisalo placed fourth in the men's 3,000 metres steeplechase, earning a berth in Sunday's final.
Finnish athletes also participated in hammer throw and 1500-metre track events as well as equestrian dressage. The Finnish swimmers wrapped up their competitions on Friday without making it into a single semi-final.
Full speed ahead for sailors
The brightest sport in the Games for the Finns so far is sailing After a rough start in the men's 49er class sailing, Kalle Bask and Lauri Lehtinen have surged up to third place in the standings between pairs from Australia and New Zealand. In the men's Finn class standings, Tapio Nirkko is in seventh place.
In women's Laser Radial opening series, Sari Multala came in second and third in Friday's races, putting her in sixth place overall so far.
Finns challenge Loeb at Rally of Finland
Meanwhile back in Jyväskylä, French Citroën driver Sebastien Loeb narrowly led the way at the Rally of Finland.
Close on the eight-time world champion's heels on Friday evening were Finns in second and third place. Loeb's Citroën teammate Mikko Hirvonen was five seconds behind him, while Ford racer Jari-Matti Latvala was 20 seconds behind Loeb.
Latest in: News
Finnish traffic cops set to miss out on Gumball speeding fine jackpot
Several contestants in the Gumball rally were stopped for speeding on Monday, on the Turku-Helsinki leg of their unorthodox race. Police say that despite their concerns, the drivers are likely to escape Finland’s hefty income-based fines.
Yle News building its freelance database
Yle News is building up a database of freelance journalists for occasional work in radio, television and online news production.
Jolla to sell new phone this year
A mobile firm founded by former Nokia employees is set to put a new smartphone on sale by the end of the year. The company, Jolla, was set up to continue working on an open source Linux-based smartphone when Nokia announced it was switching to the Windows Phone operating system.
Decline in church membership will cost jobs
In order to cope with decreasing membership, the Evangelical Lutheran Church will be forced to reduce its staff significantly in coming years. Many congregations are facing dire financial circumstances due to the reduction in the tax revenue that flows as a result of membership.
Finns Party women: Party is neither racist nor chauvinist
Both male and female representatives of the Finns Party claim that both their party and its leader are in favour of gender equality.
Vantaa bus drivers’ strike continues
Bus engines at the Veolia depot in Vantaa have been quiet for nearly one week, as bus drivers continue their work stoppage on Monday.
Rooftop blaze in Helsinki's Punavuori
A fire on Kankurinkatu in central Helsinki's Punavuori district attracted more than a dozen emergency rescue units. Residents were evacuated due to the rooftop blaze, which broke out around 5:00 am Monday.
The U.S. snatches bronze from Finland
Finland’s men’s ice hockey team lost the World Championship bronze match to the U.S. in a thriller that went into overtime and a shootout.
Son drowns, father missing after fishing trip
A son and father went fishing on Näsijärvi Lake in the Pirkanmaa region on Friday. The son was later found drowned, while the father is still missing.
Finland to toughen rape legislation
At present, Finnish legislation on rape is more lenient than in neighbouring countries such as Sweden and Norway.
