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In an interview with NBC News' Andrea Mitchell, Finnish President Alexander Stubb weighed in on the attempted peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. He likened the possibility of Ukraine ceding land to Russia to the U.S. giving up multiple states.

The top Kremlin-installed official in the oblast, Yevgeny Balitsky, said Russia should also have its eye on the Baltic states, as well as Poland and Finland, all five of which are NATO countries... In the interview shared by Russia watcher Julia Davis, Balitsky seemed ready to take on the alliance as he spoke of how the Russian Empire that ended with the 1917 revolution had "lost its footing" as well as "great numbers of people." "I'm not even talking about territories. I understand that it includes Warsaw, Helsinki, also known as Helsingfors," he said... "I don't believe in any diplomacy...

The Brooklyn Public Library in New York has removed an image of the Moomin character Stinky, known in Finnish as Haisuli, from a Tove Jansson exhibition after a donor found the character potentially racist. The exhibition, titled Tove Jansson and the Moomins: The Door Is Always Open, is the first major showcase of Jansson’s work in the United States. It presents her legacy as a writer, illustrator, pacifist and queer artist, alongside illustrations, archival materials and immersive events. It will remain open until 30 September. Roleff Kråkström, CEO of Moomin Characters, which oversees the use and licensing of the...

Polish President Andrzej Duda has signed into law a bill formally withdrawing the country from the Ottawa Treaty, which bans the use of anti-personnel landmines, citing deteriorating regional security and increasing threats from Russia. The decision aligns Poland with several of its neighbours, including the three Baltic states – Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – and Finland, which have also taken steps to exit the treaty in recent months. Asked about the decision in late June, Duda described it as a “rational step” in light of the “deteriorating security situation” linked in part to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The bill was...

Summary Coast Guard seeks to add as many as nine polar icebreakers for Arctic use Arctic seas are increasingly being considered for trade routes Trump has pushed for shipbuilding revival, dozens of icebreakers LOS ANGELES, July 3 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's massive tax and spending bill earmarks more than $8.6 billion to increase the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker fleet in the Arctic, where Washington hopes to counter rising Russian and Chinese dominance.The funding includes $4.3 billion for up to three new heavy Coast Guard Polar Security Cutters, $3.5 billion for medium Arctic Security Cutters, and $816 million for procurement...

ATLANTA - Former United States President Jimmy Carter released a statement Thursday after the recent comments made back and forth between United States officials and North Korea. Here is the statement: ======================================================= "The harsh rhetoric from Washington and Pyongyang during recent months has exacerbated an already confrontational relationship between our countries, and has probably eliminated any chance of good faith peace talks between the United States and North Korea. In addition to restraining the warlike rhetoric, our leaders need to encourage talks between North Korea and other countries, especially China and Russia. The recent UN Security Council unanimous vote for...

The democratic will of the Hungarian people to clamp down on the proliferation of LGBTQ+ ideology should be punished by the European Commission, a group of 16 EU countries demanded on Wednesday. In response to recent legislation passed by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s conservative government to ban Pride parades in Hungary, over half of fellow European Union member states signed an open letter demanding that Budapest reverse course or face punishment from Brussels. The “declaration” was signed by the countries of Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, and Sweden. […]...

Satellite images have revealed how Moscow is bulking up its military presence on the Finnish border - in a chilling echo of pictures taken of Russian bases before Putin launched his war in Ukraine. Moscow is building troop accommodation, aircraft deployment infrastructure and refurbishing old facilities at key military bases, analysts have said, in a sign it is seeking to reinforce its capabilities in the border region. The pictures, which were obtained by Swedish broadcaster SVT from Planet Labs, suggest there has been activity at four locations inside Russia - Kamenka, Petrozavodsk, Severomorsk-2, and Olenya. In Kamenka, which is around...

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday said he has "no illusions" over a quick end to Russia's war in Ukraine."We may have to prepare for a longer duration," Merz said after talks with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo in the south-western Finnish city of Turku.Throughout history, conflicts have usually ended when one or both sides have reached exhaustion, either militarily or economically, said Merz."We are obviously still a long way from that in this war," he argued.The German chancellor, who took office earlier this month, insisted that support for Ukraine would continue. The war is not just about Ukraine's territorial...

HELSINKI, May 19 (Reuters) - Finland will supply 90 million euros ($101.35 million) of ammunition to Ukraine by using proceeds from Russian financial assets frozen by the European Union after Moscow's full-scale invasion in 2022, the Finnish defence ministry said on Monday.The EU has estimated that 210 billion euros of the roughly $300 billion worth of frozen Russian assets are held in the 27-nation bloc, mainly in the form of government bonds that Russia's central bank had stored as reserves.HELSINKI, May 19 (Reuters) - Finland will supply 90 million euros ($101.35 million) of ammunition to Ukraine by using proceeds from...

TALLINN/ANTALYA, Turkey, May 15 (Reuters) - Estonia said on Thursday that Moscow had briefly sent a fighter jet into NATO airspace over the Baltic Sea during an attempt to stop a Russian-bound oil tanker thought to be part of a "shadow fleet" defying Western sanctions on Moscow. Russia, which regards sanctions as a malign attempt to crush its economy, says all its ships have free passage in the Baltic and any attempt to stop them is dangerous. Estonia's navy said the unflagged Jaguar ship, which went onto a UK sanctions list last week, refused to cooperate when asked to stop...

Numerous world leaders and royals have gathered in Rome for Pope Francis' funeral. Among the most prominent figures at the Vatican's St Peter's Square on Saturday morning were Prince William, US President Donald Trump and his predecessor Joe Biden, Britain's Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron. Their attendance comes at a fragile time for international diplomacy, with Trump meeting Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky before the service. So among the VIP attendees, who sat next to whom? Trump was in a front-row seat near Francis' coffin, alongside his wife Melania Trump, across the aisle from Macron and...

Researchers at the University of Jyväskylä have for the first time isolated a giant virus in Finland, Jyvaskylavirus, revealing that these large amoeba‑infecting viruses are more widespread in northern soils and waters than previously thought. (Artist’s concept.) Credit: SciTechDaily.com ************************************************************************ Finland’s first giant virus, Jyvaskylavirus, shows these viruses are more widespread than thought and play key roles in ecosystems. For the first time in Finland, researchers at the University of Jyväskylä’s Nanoscience Center have isolated a giant virus, which they have named Jyvaskylavirus. This discovery suggests that giant viruses may be more widespread in northern regions than previously believed. It...

People seem to always have beef with vegans — and scientists say they’ve figured out why. A new study published in the journal Food Quality and Preference found that your typical carnivore’s hatred of vegans might simply be due to envy. Researchers from University of Vaasa in Finland wanted to understand why a plant-based diet and the use of meat substitutes are still so frowned upon in Europe. “The consumption of meat and meat substitutes is a highly charged social phenomenon,” Roosa-Maaria Malila, an author of the study, said in a statement. “According to our research, consumers who prefer plant-based...

FOR A COUNTRY known for long winters and high taxes, Finland appears remarkably chipper. On March 20th it came top of the World Happiness Report, an annual UN-backed study, notching its eighth consecutive win ahead of 146 other countries. Not far behind it were Denmark, Iceland and Sweden. What makes the Nordics so happy? The World Happiness Report is more a study of life satisfaction than smiles and laughter. It is based on a survey by Gallup, a pollster, where participants are asked to rate their lives out of ten. Finns are not known to gloat (or, for that matter,...

Donald Trump is losing patience with Vladimir Putin’s stalling tactics over the Ukraine ceasefire, the Finnish president, Alexander Stubb, said after spending nine hours with the US president – including winning a golf competition with him at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Saturday. Stubb, who also spent two days with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, last week in Helsinki suggested in a Guardian interview a plan for a deadline of 20 April, by which time Putin should be required to comply with a full ceasefire. Stubb pointed out that a third golf partner on Saturday, the Republican senator Lindsey...

The secret to happiness? Doing pretty okay, I guess.For the eighth year in a row, Finland tops the “happiness” league tables — but that doesn’t mean its citizens are feeling the joy.Thursday marked 2025’s International Day of Happiness, a celebration established by the United Nations back in 2012 — which, in stark contrast with today, was a time when the organization seemingly had capacity to do stuff like inaugurate special days for “recognizing the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals.”In nearly every year since, Finland has topped the list as the happiest country in the world, and this...

Smiling man in sauna holding Finnish beer, towel wrapped around his waist- Beer fear brewing in Finland: strikes at top breweries spark supply warnings. Credit: Shutterstock, r.classen A bitter row over pay and working hours has left Finland’s top breweries facing industrial action this week – and the nation’s beer lovers sweating over their favourite pints. Nearly 1,000 workers across three of the country’s biggest beer producers – Hartwall, Olvi, and Sinebrychoff – have downed tools in a strike that’s set to last until March 28. And while breweries insist the taps won’t run dry, retailers are sounding the alarm...

Several European countries have updated their travel advisories for transgender travelers seeking to enter the U.S. amid President Donald Trump’s “two-sexes” executive order and the administration’s immigration crackdown. Finland, Denmark, the U.K. and Germany are all urging cautionary planning for transgender people when traveling to the U.S. “When applying for an ESTA or visa to the United States, there are two gender designations to choose from: male or female,” the Danish travel advisory said on its website. The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) is the system that screens passengers before they travel to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver...

The following is an excerpt from pp 682 - 690 of the: National Archives - JFK Assassination Records - Appendix 13: Biography of Lee Harvey Oswald Detailing Lee Harvey Oswald's U.S. Marine Corps activities for the period of 1957 - 1959, prior to his defection to the U.S.S.R.