By Zena Iovino
Copyright yle
Finnish skies are showing signs of European security tensions, reports Helsingin Sanomat.
Over the past week, reconnaissance planes from several countries have been seen observed over Finland and nearby regions. They’re linked to Russia and Belarus’s Zapad exercise, as well as to Russian drones that crossed into Poland last week.
On Sunday, a Swedish Gulfstream, nicknamed ‘Raven’, hugged Finland’s eastern border, while another circled earlier in the week. Other Swedish and Nato surveillance planes were busy over the Baltics and Arctic, and a Romanian Bombardier jet monitored Kaliningrad.
Such flights have become routine, drawing considerable attention from plane spotters who track them online.
Over the weekend, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) told Yle that while Russia’s actions in Polish airspace are not a direct threat to Finland, Moscow still represents a permanent threat to Finland.
Rush-hour traffic in capital drops
Traffic into central Helsinki fell sharply during the pandemic. Today, several years later, it still hasn’t recovered, according to Hufvudstadsbladet.
Passenger traffic into downtown Helsinki has dropped from 700,000 per day before the pandemic to just under 500,000 today. The decline is mainly in public transport, reports Hufvudstadsbladet.
Within central Helsinki, the number of daily passenger journeys last year was 29 percent lower than in 2019.
Morning rush-hour trips into the city centre have fallen even more, by 39 percent.
“The main reason is remote work. This is evident from the sharp drop in morning traffic into the city,” Eeva Kostiainen, a traffic researcher at the City of Helsinki, told HBL.
Studies show people in Finland work remotely more than in other countries, with about one in five employees doing so regularly, second only to Ireland.
16-Year-old saves the day
Iltalehti’s top story on Monday is about an elk hunter potentially saved by his 16-year-old godson. The hunter stumbled upon a bear taking a nap, according to IL.
The hunter decided to shoot the bear, but his weapon jammed. Subduing the bear fell to the teenager.
Finland’s bear population has grown steadily in recent years due to the gradual tightening of hunting quotas, with the Natural Resources Institute Finland, Luke, estimating they currently number around 2,300.
The latest episode of the All Points North podcast asks what it’s like to grow up in Finland. Listen to the episode via this embedded player, on Yle Areena, via Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
