Minority Advisory Board begins operations
The Advisory Board for Minority Affairs began operations with effect from Sunday. The board’s primary mandate is to prevent racial discrimination in Finland.
The government-appointed Advisory Board for Minority Affairs will initially operate for a six-year term beginning in July.
The board’s mission is to advise on and monitor discrimination issues and to advance and protect the rights of immigrants and ethnic minorities. It will also work with officials and civic organizations to prevent ethnic inequity in Finland.
Minority Ombudsman Eva Biaudet will assume chairmanship of the board, which can have a maximum of 18 other members. Each member will have a personal substitute. Board members will be drawn from ethnic and religious groups in Finland.
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Unknown soldiers laid to rest on Memorial Day
Flags fly in Finland on Sunday in memory of those killed in the nation’s wars.
Soini and SDP contest workers’ support
The Social Democratic Party’s recent ministerial changes, which tipped the gender balance and created a female-majority cabinet, brought strong criticism from Finns party leader Timo Soini. He claimed the party had abandoned working-class men. Soini's comments provoked a strong response from the SDP.
Finnish Eurovision contestant: Kiss may have cost points
The ESC title remains in the Nordic region, but the Finnish entrant failed to attract much support.
Siegfrids hopes for Eurovision success
The Danish pre-contest favourite believes that this could be Scandinavia’s year, while Finnish contestant Krista Siegfrids promises to celebrate whether she wins or not.
Lions’ golden dream dies in Stockholm
Finland’s men's ice hockey team lost 3-0 in their World Championship semi-final against arch-rivals Sweden on Saturday in Stockholm. The Lions will play in the bronze medal match on Sunday.
Summery, thundery conditions continue over the weekend
Summer has finally arrived in Finland, with warmer than average temperatures and some lively bursts of thunder expected. That means the south and east of Finland are set for warm weather—and rain—this weekend.
SDP chair rejects calls to appoint new Foreign Minister
Social Democratic Party chair and Finance Minister Jutta Urpilainen has rejected calls to appoint a new Foreign Minister, saying that incumbent Erkki Tuomioja is “the right man” for the job. The demands followed Urpilainen’s decision Friday to shake up the party's cabinet line-up.
Restaurant Day celebrates Finland’s growing culinary diversity
A group of hard-boiled food enthusiasts cooked up the ninth Restaurant Day, which took place Saturday. The originally Finnish idea has been to feed a grassroots movement celebrating food, fellowship and community.
Bus drivers’ strike continues through the weekend
Bus drivers who shut down their engines and walked off the job at a Vantaa bus depot last Tuesday will continue their work stoppage through the weekend. The drivers are protesting plans to introduce a new shift system, which they say provides inadequate rest periods. Employer and employee representatives have had no success resolving the impasse.
"Russian Google” Yandex sets up in Mäntsälä
One of the world’s largest search engine providers has announced plans to fast track construction of a server centre in Mäntsälä, in southern Finland. Yandex, also known as the “Russian Google” says Finland is an ideal location for a server hub, partly due to competitive energy prices.
