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Sanna Marin was the world's youngest prime minister when she took office in 2019

Sanna Marin concedes defeat in Finland's election

Outgoing Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin has conceded defeat in a tight parliamentary election that handed her centre-right rival Petteri Orpo the right to try and form a coalition.

Politics • 03 Apr 23

National Coalition Party leader, Petteri Orpo

Finland's centre-right leader claims election victory

Finland's centre-right leader claimed victory in Sunday's tight general election that saw the far-right post a record score to come in second, as Prime Minister Sanna Marin's Social Democrats finished third.

Europe • 02 Apr 23

A view of the Turkish parliament in Ankara, as it clears the way for Finland to join the NATO alliance

Turkish parliament ratifies Finland's NATO accession

Turkey's parliament has approved a bill to allow Finland to join NATO, clearing the way for the country to become part of the Western defence alliance as war rages in Ukraine.

World • 31 Mar 23

The court ruled the published information did not 'endanger Finland's external security', the information could not be regarded as 'harmless' (file image)

Finnish journalists guilty of disclosing state secrets

A Helsinki court has found two Finnish newspaper journalists guilty of disclosing national secrets and fined one of them, sparking concern over press freedom.

World • 27 Jan 23

Cars coming from Russia wait in lines at the border checkpoint between Russia and Finland near Vaalimaa

Finland closing border to Russians with tourist visas

Finland has said it will bar Russians with Schengen tourist visas from entering the country at midnight following a surge in arrivals after Moscow's mobilisation order.

World • 29 Sep 22

Siberian businessman Alexander Govor is one of the major corporate winners to emerge from the sanctions-inflicted turmoil that followed Russia's military intervention in Ukraine

Russia's Govor to buy another Western firm

The owner of McDonald's former restaurants in Russia has offered up to €151m to buy Finnish packaging firm Huhtamaki's local business, adding to his burgeoning empire, documents seen by Reuters showed.

Business • 01 Sep 22

Finnish PM Sanna Marin at a press conference last Friday

Finnish PM Sanna Marin tests negative in drug test

Finland's prime minister received a negative result in a drug test which she took to "clear up suspicions" after a video of the 36-year-old partying sparked criticism, her office has said.

World • 22 Aug 22

Sanna Marin said the video was only meant to be seen by friends

Finnish PM takes drug test after leaked party video

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said today she had taken a drugs test in the wake of video footage published earlier this week.

Europe • 19 Aug 22

US President Joe Biden ratifies NATO applications for Karin Olofsdotter, Sweden's US ambassador and Mikko Hautala, Finland's US ambassador, alongside Vice President Kamala Harris

Turkey in extradition warning to Sweden over NATO bid

Turkey's justice minister has said Sweden's pledge to extradite a Turkish convict fell far short of Stockholm's commitments under a deal paving the way for its NATO membership bid.

World • 18 Aug 22

Finland's government under Prime Minister Sanna Marin had promised the new legislation in 2019

Finland's govt cancels plan to tackle gender pay gap

The Finnish government has cancelled plans to overhaul equality legislation aimed at narrowing the pay gap between men and women, the government said in a statement on Monday.

World • 15 Aug 22

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer poses for a photo with an official delegation from Finland and Sweden before the vote

US Senate ratifies Finland, Sweden accession to NATO

The US Senate has ratified the entry of Sweden and Finland into NATO, strongly backing the expansion of the transatlantic alliance in the face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

World • 04 Aug 22

(L-R) Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs Anne Linde

Finland, Sweden sign protocol to join NATO

NATO's 30 allies have signed an accession protocol for Finland and Sweden to allow them to join the military alliance once allied parliaments ratify the decision, the most significant expansion since the mid-1990s.

World • 05 Jul 22

A tourist visits Santa Claus' hometown of Rovaniemi city in Lapland, Finland

In wary Finland, even Santa is ready for anything

The Santa Claus theme park in his "hometown" in the snowy north of Finland is ready to stand down its elves and revert to its original function - an emergency bomb shelter in case of attack.

Ukraine • 01 Jun 22

The US has supported the NATO bids from Sweden and Finland

Nordics in NATO: Momentous strategic decisions taken

Washington Correspondent Sean Whelan examines Sweden and Finland's applications for NATO membership, ending decades of military neutrality.

Analysis and Comment • 20 May 22

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg pictured with Sweden's and Finland's application letters

Finland and Sweden formally apply to join NATO

Finland and Sweden have formally applied to join the NATO alliance, a decision spurred by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but face objections from Turkey to an accession process that is expected to take only a few weeks.

World • 18 May 22

Boris Johnson and Magdalena Andersson signed the deal in Stockholm

UK strikes security agreement with Sweden and Finland

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he had agreed new deals with Sweden and Finland to bolster European security, pledging to support both countries' armed forces should they come under attack.

World • 11 May 22

A ministry spokesman said the violation was caused by Mi-17 helicopter (file pic)

Finland accuses Russia of violating its airspace

A Russian army helicopter has violated Finland's airspace, the Finnish defence ministry said, as the country mulls an increasingly likely NATO membership bid.

World • 04 May 22

Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde made her comments today (file image)

Finland will 'quite surely' apply to join NATO - Sweden

Finland will almost certainly apply for membership in NATO, Sweden's Foreign Minister Ann Linde told Swedish television today.

World • 01 May 22

'We have to be prepared for all kinds of actions from Russia,' said Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin

Finland to make decision on NATO entry in coming weeks

Finland will take a decision about whether to apply to join the US-led NATO alliance in the next few weeks, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said today, underlining a shift in security perspectives since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine • 13 Apr 22

A boy fishes on the Kesanki Lake in Akaslompolo, Kolari in Lapland, Northern Finland

Finland the happiest nation again, Ireland up to 13th

Finland has been named the world's happiest country for the fifth year running, in an annual UN-sponsored index that ranked Afghanistan as the unhappiest, closely followed by Lebanon. Ireland ranked 13th.

World • 18 Mar 22

Sanna Marin was pictured in a nightclub after a fellow minister tested positive for Covid-19

Finnish PM apologises for clubbing after Covid exposure

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin has apologised to the public after a photo surfaced of her in a nightclub following her foreign minister testing positive for Covid-19.

Coronavirus • 09 Dec 21

Candles, flowers and notes at the scene in Helsinki where the victim died

Teens jailed for bullying classmate to death in Finland

A Finnish court today sentenced three boys to between eight and 10 years in prison for torturing and beating a former classmate to death in a crime that horrified the country.

World • 03 Sep 21

A man somersaults into the fjord for an evening swim on Lindoya island in Oslo

Heatwave hits Nordic countries, 34C recorded in Arctic

Meteorologists across the Nordic countries have registered near-record temperatures over the weekend, including highs of 34C in some places, news agencies reported.

Environment • 06 Jul 21

Sanna Marin pledged to pay back more than €14,000 she received in reimbursements for breakfast and cold meals

Finnish PM to pay back €14,000 for meal expenses

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin is pledging to pay back thousands of euro in meal expenses in a bid to contain the fallout from revelations about her family's taxpayer-subsidised breakfasts.

World • 01 Jun 21

Greencoat Renewables recently announced a deal to buy the Kokkoneva wind farm in Finland

Greencoat Renewables' generation levels up 22% in 2020

Renewable energy investor Greencoat Renewables said its net cash generation increased by 36% to €66.4m for the year to the end of December, up from €48.7m in 2019.

Business • 01 Mar 21