Parliament approves Spanish bailout
The legislature approved the Spanish bank bailout and Finland's collateral deal with Spain during a confidence vote on Friday morning, greenlighting Finland's participation in the rescue package alongside other eurozone states.
As expected, Parliament approved the Spanish bailout by a vote of 109 to 73 with 17 MPs abstaining. All government coalition MPs were in favour of the aid to cash-strapped Spanish banks, while opposition MPs voted against the measure.
Finland and Spain have agreed that Finland will receive collateral covering some 40 percent of its contribution, which runs to 1.9 billion euros.
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Siegfrids hopes for Eurovision success
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Lions’ golden dream dies in Stockholm
Finland’s mens ice hockey team lost 3-0 in their World Championship semi final against Sweden on Saturday in Stockholm. The Lions will play in the bronze medal match on Sunday.
Summery, thundery conditions continue over the weekend
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SDP chair rejects calls to appoint new Foreign Minister
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Restaurant Day celebrates Finland’s growing culinary diversity
A group of hard-boiled food enthusiasts has cooked up the ninth Restaurant Day, which takes place Saturday. The idea has been to feed a grass roots movement celebrating food, fellowship and community. Today’s festival of culinary delights involves more than 1,500 so-called pop-up restaurants in Finland and beyond.
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
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Finnish cabinet now running on woman power
The SDP cabinet reshuffle announced Friday has transformed the makeup of Finland’s cabinet, tipping the balance in favour of women. The government’s ministerial lineup now features ten women and nine men. Finland was previously led by a majority female government during Matti Vanhanen’s second term and by his successor Mari Kiviniemi.
Finland’s ”gay” Eurovision entry leaves Georgians cold
Thousands of supporters gathered in the Georgian capital Tblisi for a major gay rights demonstration in support of the Eurovision song contest and in honour of this year’s International Day against Homophobia. The backdrop to the demonstration has been outrage caused in the traditionally conservative country by a girl-on-girl kiss in the climax of the performance of Finnish Eurovision competitor Krista Siegfrids.
SDP Chair Urpilainen: Cabinet changes to continue
SDP chair and Finance Minister Jutta Urpilainen thanked her party’s ministers for their efforts following the announcement of a re-assignment of portfolios Friday. The new ministers are to be confirmed in their posts by the President next week. Urpilainen said that other changes are in the offing for the party's ministerial group.
