EU-DIGEST

Ice Hockey: Finland, Sweden open Ice Hockey Worlds with victories

Finland shook the rust off and the Swedes survived a scare as the favorites managed to prevail at the World Ice Hockey Championships on Saturday. Mikko Koivu scored a shorthanded and a power play goal as reigning silver medallist Finland beat Germany 5-1 in their opening game at the Metro Centre arena.Sweden survived the biggest scare of the day. Patric Hornqvist scored two goals as the Tre Kronor had to rally in the third period to beat underdog Belarus 6-5 at the Colisee in Quebec City. Rickard Wallin scored the winner with just under 10 minutes to go in the third period for Sweden who outshot Belarus 46-24 in the game. Dmitry Meleshko scored to give Belarus a 5-4 lead early in the third period.

Labels: Belarus, EU, Finland, Germany, Ice Hockey, Sweden

Labor shortage threat to Nordic health, economy

At Helsinki's University Hospital, a tenth of the 6,000 job places are unfilled, some wards are closed and the situation is worsening by the month. But a shortage of labour does not merely threaten people's health in the Finnish capital. It is also a menace to economic health across the Nordic region as builders and engineering firms also struggle to find enough employees. Finland, with Europe's fastest-ageing population and a shrinking labour force, faces the heaviest burden. "We have to limit the type of services we provide and queues are getting much longer," Hanna Aschan, Director of Nursing Management at University Hospital, said.

Finland's neighbours are also hungry for skilled workers, and the shortfall is keeping them from producing at full speed. Unemployment in the Nordics has been falling since the mid-1990s and in 2007 hit 15-year lows, leaving vacancies unfilled and an imbalance between labor supply and demand.

Labels: EU, Finland

Most illegal drugs used in Finland pass through Helsinki region

Most of the illegal drugs sold in Finland pass through the Helsinki region en route to other parts of the country. According to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), drugs move in smaller quantities to other parts of Finland from wholesale suppliers in the Helsinki area. "Almost every larger drug case has linkages with the Helsinki region", says special investigator Tuija Hietaniemi of the NBI. Finland is a target country in the international drugs trade. The most common route to Finland for drugs goes through Estonia. Police estimate that at leat 90 per cent of the amphetamine on sale on the Finnish market comes from Estonia or passes through the country.

Labels: Drug Traffic, EU, Finland

Finland's prime minister urges global warming action in Washington visit

Finland's prime minister Matti Vanhanen on Monday urged the United States to step up action in reducing global warming and expressed hopes that the next U.S. president would make the issue a priority. Vanhanen, who plans to meet senior U.S. officials including Vice President Dick Cheney Tuesday, praised the U.S. engagement in recent international negotiations to reach a new climate change agreement. But he implied that he would like to see more commitment from Washington to international cooperation on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Labels: EU, Finland, Global warming, US

More dead as Finnish school shooting ends:Finland is an anomaly in Europe. It falls behind only the U.S. and Yemen in gun ownership

At least seven people have died after a student opened fire at a school in southern Finland, hours after a video was posted on YouTube predicting a school massacre. A teacher at Jokela High School told Reuters the gunman was one of its pupils.

Note EU-Digest: Like the US Finland has an obsession with guns - With 1.6 million firearms in private hands, Finland is an anomaly in Europe. Worldwide, it falls behind only the U.S. and Yemen in civilian gun ownership, studies show. The Finnish government said Friday that it would raise the minimum age for buying guns from 15 to 18, but officials insisted there was no need for sweeping changes to gun laws. Guns are dangerous. They cause death. The European Commission should get Finland in line with the rest of Europe on gun control.

Labels: EU, Finland, Gun Control