News
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Hopes dashed on the Finnish-Russian border
“Parikkala is a municipality people usually drive right past,” says Mayor Vesa Huuskonen, with only a hint of humour. Parikkala is an agricultural municipality with an ageing population in South-Western Finland, right on the border with Russia. Plans for an international border crossing have been scrapped because of the changed international situation.
7 minutes
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Border trade crisis: Zsar’s luxury fashion tempts neither Russians nor Finns in Vaalimaa
Some of the shops in Zsar Outlet Village are having closing down sales. Most offer 30 to 70% discounts on well-known brands meant to tempt Russian tourists to shop right next to the border crossing with Finland.
5 minutes
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Parikkala goes for maids, whitefish and an unusual sculpture park
There is an old saying that “the maids from Parikkala and the whitefish from Simpeljärvi are better than anywhere else”. The maid is now a sculpture in the city centre while the whitefish is swimming in the lake. But a sculpture park with 255 concrete statues doing yoga is by far the biggest draw.
5 minutes
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Nordics split as EU minimum wage proposal delayed
Is time almost up for the proposed European minimum wage? Much is pointing in that direction. The war in Ukraine and the French presidential election has put breaks on the issue. And there is still great disagreement within the EU.
7 minutes
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Siri starts speaking Icelandic “in 12-18 months”
It is hard making small languages part of a digital environment dominated by a few IT giants. Icelandic authorities have fought to make Icelandic a part of the IT environment, which is increasingly important as more and more things are operated with our voices. Just ask Alexa, Siri and Bixby. Not in Icelandic though, they…
5 minutes -
The Nordic Council of Ministers’ Secretary General steps down in 2023
Finnish Paula Lehtomäki, who became Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2019, has decided to step down in March next year at the end of her contract.
2 minutes
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Another yellow card from Sweden – against platform work proposal
The European Commission has yet again presented a proposal that puts the Swedish labour market model at risk. That is the view of the Swedish parliament, which has decided to hand out a so-called yellow card against the proposed directive for better working conditions in platform work, presented in December. The strains from Denmark and…
3 minutes -
Nordics showed resilience during the pandemic
The Nordic countries managed well economically during the pandemic in light of the massive changes that were undertaken. In four of the five countries, life expectancy rose. Denmark spent the most money while Norway did best overall while also experiencing a baby boom.
3 minutes
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Will the ILO elect its first female Director-General?
On 25 March, the International Labour Organisation, ILO, will elect a new Director-General. There are five candidates, two of whom are women – Kang Kyung-wha from South Korea and Muriel Pénicaud from France. Both are former government ministers.
4 minutes
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Hadia Tajik: Norway’s Minister of Labour goes after tax scandal
Hadia Tajik, deputy leader of Norway’s governing Labour Party, stepped down as the country’s Minister of Labour on Wednesday after revelations she failed to pay tax for a commuter flat 15 years ago while working as a political advisor at the Ministry for Labour and Social Inclusion.
4 minutes