🇫🇮 Finland Mentioned

Finnish Ambassador Arto Haapea welcomed the attention the embassy’s Instagram page had received. “As long as it’s positive and good and brings us more visibility to the work we do to bring Australia and Finland closer,” Haapea said. He hoped the attention would encourage people to visit Finland and further strengthen the relationship between Finland and Australia.

Participants gather for the Cultural Fair Day Fun Walk in Jakarta on 8 November, attended by Finnish Ambassador Pirjo Suomela-Chowdhury. Finland’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Pirjo Suomela-Chowdhury, joined the Cultural Fair Day Fun Walk in Jakarta on Sunday, 8 November. According to the Finnish Embassy’s Facebook post, the occasion also gave the ambassador an opportunity to meet Culture Minister Fadli Zon. For the Finnish ambassador, participation provided an informal setting to connect with Indonesia’s cultural community and the minister.

Finland is pouring 100 million gallons of water into a 66-foot-deep basin to create the world’s largest pit heat storage facility; one charge holds 18,000 megawatt-hours of heat and could supply water to around 20,000 people at a time.

Finland’s Ambassador for the Indo-Pacific, Jari Vilén, met ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn in Jakarta on 9 November to discuss potential cooperation. The discussions focused on areas where Finland’s Policy Outline for the Indo-Pacific and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific could support cooperation. Vilén serves as Ambassador for the Indo-Pacific at Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Manoj Arora expressed pride in his daughter's achievements in Helsinki amid Delhi's worsening air quality. He shared pollution level comparisons between Delhi and Helsinki to highlight environmental concerns.

Finland is exploring the possibility of building anti-tank obstacles on its border with Russia, following Ukraine’s example. The country’s army commander, Lieutenant General Pasi Välimäki, told Bloomberg. According to Bloomberg, Finland is better prepared than other European countries for a possible war with Russia. It has much to teach others.

Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs is preparing additional measures to restrict the entry of Russians, including professional athletes, the country’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said.

Denmark is the latest country to buy Finland’s “Blocker” naval mines, a day after Lithuania decided to go ahead with its own contract for the weapon. The forces of Finland, where the mines are made, and Estonia already operate the proximity sea mines. The Danish acquisition will take place as part of a pentalateral joint procurement agreement that includes Finland and Lithuania, as well as Germany and Norway, who have not yet publicly announced a contract to buy the device. The Finnish military signed a contract with manufacturer Forcit Defence in June on behalf of the five countries participating in the NMC’s procurement scheme. The contract was worth “hundreds of millions of Euros,” the Finnish government said. Ten countries signed the pact’s original declaration of intent: Belgium, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Finland and Estonia, all of which are members of NATO. “Selecting Finland as the lead nation of the naval mines cooperation project is a reflection of the Finnish Navy’s long-standing capability in naval mining,” the country’s military wrote in a statement.

Thailand and Finland are exploring new opportunities to strengthen their educational cooperation, with Finnish organisations presenting initiatives in teacher training, digital learning and early childhood education during a meeting at Thailand’s Ministry of Education. The meeting took place on 4 November, when Thailand’s Deputy Permanent Secretary for Education, Surapong Uemuthai, welcomed Finnish Education Ambassador Outi Hakanen and representatives of several Finnish education organisations. Several Finnish organisations presented their ongoing and proposed initiatives in Thailand. Omnia, a Finnish education provider, has signed a cooperation agreement with Thailand’s Office of the Vocational Education Commission to support the professional development of teachers and education personnel. Meanwhile, Finnish digital mathematics platform Eduten is working with Thailand’s Office of the Basic Education Commission to introduce its learning platform in pilot schools. Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences also expressed its willingness to support Thailand’s One District One Scholarship (ODOS) programme. Finnish early childhood education provider HEI Schools presented its approach to play-based learning and discussed how elements of the Finnish early childhood education model could be adapted to the Thai education system. As a next step, Thailand and Finland plan to organise a joint education seminar in 2027 to further develop the proposals and translate the discussions into practical cooperation. The meeting highlights Finland’s continued engagement with Thailand’s education sector, where Finnish expertise in teacher training, digital learning and early childhood education is being explored as part of efforts to improve the country’s education system.

A court in Helsinki sentenced two sailors from the vessel Fitburg, which damaged cables in the Gulf of Finland, Yle and Reuters report.

A Finnish court convicted the captain and boatswain of a cargo ship of aggravated criminal damage in relation to an incident last year in the Gulf of Finland.

A Finnish court on Thursday found a Russian ship captain and an Azerbaijani crew member guilty of aggravated sabotage after their vessel, the cargo ship Fitburg, damaged two underwater telecommunications cables in the Gulf of Finland last year. Finland seized the Fitburg in the Gulf of Finland on Dec. 31 while it was sailing from St. Petersburg, Russia, to Israel. Authorities in the Nordic country suspected it purposefully damaged cables running from Finland to nearby Estonia. A judge at the Helsinki District Court sentenced the Russian ship captain to 3 years and 6 months in prison, while the Azerbaijani crew member received 2 years and 10 months. In a statement, the court said the two men acted intentionally when the ship dragged an anchor chain and shank along the seabed for around 130 kilometers (81 miles). The Helsinki District Court also ordered the two men to jointly pay around 1.9 million euros ($2.1 million) in damages. Both the captain and crew member, who have remained in Finland since the Fitburg's seizure and are subject to travel bans, have denied any wrongdoing. They also challenged Finland's jurisdiction in the case. Finland has stepped up efforts to protect its undersea infrastructure following a string of incidents impacting cables and pipelines in the Baltic Sea in recent years.

A Finnish court on Thursday jailed the Russian captain and an Azerbaijani crew member of the cargo ship Fitburg for aggravated sabotage over damage to two subsea telecommunications cables in the Gulf of Finland last year. Finland on December 31 seized the vessel in the Gulf of Finland while it was en route from Russia to Israel, on suspicion that it had damaged cables running from Helsinki to Estonia. The Helsinki District Court sentenced the captain to three years and six months in prison.

Finland seized the Fitburg freighter last year over the suspected sabotage of cables linking Helsinki and Tallinn. A Finnish court on Thursday convicted the Russian captain and a senior crew member of the cargo ship Fitburg for damaging two undersea telecommunications cables in the Gulf of Finland last year. The Helsinki District Court found the two defendants guilty of “aggravated criminal damage.” The defendants denied any wrongdoing and have questioned Finland’s jurisdiction in the case. Finnish authorities seized the vessel on December 31 on suspicion that it had damaged cables linking Finland’s capital, Helsinki, and Tallinn, Estonia. Finnish police at the time said the ship had been dragging its anchor for hours when it was discovered. Finland has stepped up efforts to protect its undersea infrastructure following a series of incidents involving cables and pipelines in the Baltic Sea since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Finland’s Minister of Economic Affairs Sakari Puisto and Singapore’s minister Tan See Leng witnessed the signing of a five-year nuclear safety cooperation agreement during Puisto’s visit to Singapore. The agreement brings together Finland’s VTT Technical Research Centre and the Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Institute (SNRSI) at the National University of Singapore. The visit also produced a cooperation agreement between Finnish technology company ROTOBOOST and Singapore’s Sembcorp. Puisto visited Singapore with a 16-member Finnish business delegation from the built environment and energy sectors.

A Finnish court said on Thursday it has found the captain and a crew member of the cargo ship Fitburg guilty of damaging two subsea telecommunications cables in the Gulf of Finland last year. Finland seized the vessel in the Gulf of Finland on December 31 while it was en route from Russia to Israel, on suspicion that it had damaged cables running from Helsinki to Estonia. Finland has intensified efforts to protect its undersea infrastructure following a string of incidents affecting cables and pipelines in the Baltic Sea since 2022. The defendants, who are subject to travel bans, denied any wrongdoing and have challenged Finland's jurisdiction in the case.

The satellite that was approached, called X36, is operated by the Finnish company ICEYE and provides radar imagery to Western governments and militaries, including Ukraine.

A handout image shows Russian military satellite Cosmos 2612 making a very close approach in space to Finnish company ICEYE's X36 satellite, as captured by satellite imaging company Vantor. The satellite approached, called X36, is operated by Finnish company ICEYE and provides radar imagery to Western governments and militaries, including Ukraine.

The Thai-Nordic Association will celebrate the Finnish tradition of Pikkujoulu in Bangkok on 20 November 2026. Pikkujoulu, meaning “Little Christmas” in Finnish, is a tradition of celebrating the festive season with friends and colleagues before Christmas itself.