Finland

The Swedish People's Party in Espoo announced the formation of a multicultural committee with the aim of involving immigrants and non-native Finnish or Swedish speakers in local and national politics

With the intensification of wildlife movements in October and November, a seasonal peak in accidents with wildlife has been recorded; collisions with wild animals, particularly deer and roe deer, remain a concern, with around 13.000 accidents per year

Hurricane-force winds were recorded for the first time in the Finnish sea areas last week; the Finnish Meteorological Institute reported sustained winds of 33,5 metres per second

The Ministry of the Environment covered up a report discussing the negative effects of wind farms on the golden eagle, which showed some of the wind farms built on golden eagle home areas should not have been built

A recent poll commissioned by Fingo revealed that over 60% of Finns want Israeli leaders to be prosecuted for war crimes committed during the Gaza conflict and 55% support the imposition of economic sanctions on Israel

The financial difficulties faced by higher education students have increased over the past three years, with 19% of students now reporting that their income is severely limited and uncertain, up from 13% in previous years

Almost all Finnish companies have successfully exited the Russian market: only 0,9% are still in the process of withdrawing, but none of them is actively doing business, a recent survey by the Finnish Chambers of Commerce reveals

Millions of euros have been invested to increase the reimbursements to private medical practices by Social Security Institute raising them from 8 to €30 in an attempt to encourage the use of private services and reduce waiting times in the public sector

An estimated 20.000 stray cats are to be found on the streets of the country; uncontrolled breeding of unneutered free-roaming cats has led to large colonies of feral cats throughout the country, even hundreds of them

An increasing number of Finns are living without the necessary financial safety net, according to a recent survey revealing that 11% of respondents would find themselves in trouble when faced with an unexpected expense of €100

Forest owners flooded the Centres for Economic Development, Transport and Environment with applications for permanent protection under Metso, a state-funded programme for voluntary conservation in Southern Finland