A hot-air balloon flies over Chambley-Bussieres airbase, northeastern France, on July 23, 2021, during the 17th international hot air balloon meeting "Grand-Est Mondial Air Ballons" in Hageville. LEHTIKUVA / AFP

Here are the most eye-catching news images of this week, from all around the world.

Ministers Mika Lintilä (left), Tytti Tuppurainen and Krista Mikkonen in a press conference on 14 July 2021. The Finnish government is expected to convene to re-examine its so-called hybrid strategy for managing the coronavirus epidemic in early August, writes Helsingin Sanomat. (Mikko Stig – Lehtikuva)

THE FINNISH INSTITUTE for Health and Welfare (THL) on Thursday reported that the weekly number of coronavirus infections has quadrupled in the past month, with a total of 2,210 infections detected in Finland between 12 and 18 July.

The number of laboratory-confirmed infections increased by 453 on Thursday.

American bi-weekly Time has named Helsinki as one of the 100 greatest places in the world. (Emmi Korhonen – Lehtikuva)

THE FINNISH CAPITAL of Helsinki is one of the greatest places on Earth, according to a list compiled by Time.

The American bi-weekly magazine pointed out that the city has long been recognised as an environmental leader, but it could blossom into an art hotspot courtesy of projects such as Helsinki Biennial, a biennial international art event hosted this year on the uninhabited Vallisaari Island.

Kalle Rovanperä (C R) and co-driver Jonne Halttunen (C L) celebrate their victory during the podium ceremony of the WRC Rally Estonia/Lehtikuva

Finnish rally driver Kalle Rovanperä made history this week when he became the youngest-ever winner of a World Rally Championship (WRC) event.

The 20-year-old, who drives for Toyota, beat Hyundai’s Irish driver Craig Breen by 59.9 seconds at the rally, which was held in Estonia on Sunday. Rovanperä’s father is also a former WRC rally winner.

People on a terrace in Helsinki on the 21st of July 2021.

Food and drink businesses in Finnish regions with fast spread of the coronavirus will be required to observe new restrictions on liquor sale and opening hours beginning from July 24, the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health said on Thursday.

"The Government has amended the decree restricting the activities of food and beverage service businesses due to the COVID-19 epidemic.

Passengers arriving at Helsinki Airport on 15 July 2021. (Heikki Saukkomaa – Lehtikuva)

PEOPLE ARRIVING in Finland will be able to forgo coronavirus testing by presenting a certificate for receiving both doses of a coronavirus vaccine authorised for use by Finnish authorities as of Monday, 26 July, reports Helsingin Sanomat.

A total of seven vaccines have received the authorisation in Finland, not including the Russian-developed Sputnik V.

An Algerian medic helps an elderly man get a COVID-19 vaccine dose at an inoculation site in front of the El-Kebir mosque in the capital Algiers, on July 9, 2021. LEHTIKUVA / AFP

A new laboratory study from Oregon Health and Science University suggests that older people appear to have fewer antibodies against the novel coronavirus.

The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Antibodies are blood proteins that are made by the immune system to protect against infection. They are known to be key players in protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Reduced mobility induced by the COVID-19 restrictions had only minor influence on particulate pollution levels according to atmosphere studies in the Po Valley region of northern Italy. Eventually computer simulations indicated that the change in air quality led to an increase in secondary aerosol formation.

A petrol station displaying prices in Mäntsälä earlier this month (Image: Lehtikuva)

A RECENT ANALYSIS OF PETROL PRICES across Europe has revealed that Finland has the second-highest fuel prices on the entire continent, averaging at around €1,70 per litre of petrol. 

The Parliament House in Helsinki/Lehtikuva

According to a report by MTV, the National Coalition Party is proposing several changes to Finland’s current immigration policy. The party has a list of nine items that it will present to the parliament in a bid to reform the country’s integration programme. 

These include making language training mandatory and reducing social security benefits for immigrants. The changes are reportedly modelled on immigration policies followed by other European countries. 

More Finnish companies than expected have been able to keep their lights on amid the challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic, suggests data on bankruptcy filings from the first half of 2021. (Antti Aimo-Koivisto – Lehtikuva)

STATISTICS on bankruptcy filings made in the first half of the year suggest that the dreaded coronavirus-induced wave of bankruptcies may have been avoided in Finland.

Statistics Finland on Wednesday reported that the number of bankruptcy proceedings initiated decreased by 4.2 per cent year-on-year to 1,298 between January and June. The bankruptcies also led to fewer job losses, with the number of person-years lost falling by 963 from the previous year to 6,583.

Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines at Messukeskus Helsinki/Lehtikuva

Helsinki residents will be able to get the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine from all vaccination points without an appointment from Wednesday onwards, according to multiple news sources. After a successful trial on Saturday, city authorities have decided to allow walk-in vaccinations for every day of the week barring Sunday.  

Local papers also reported that The Finnish Hospitality Association MaRa plans to file an official complaint against Social and Health Services in Kymenlaakso (Kymsote) for their alleged negligence in June, when hundreds of football fans from Russia were allowed to cross the border into Finland without health checks.

Instagram’s logo on a smartphone screen in Toulouse, France, on 28 September 2020. (Lionel Bonaventure – AFP/Lehtikuva)

TAMPERE UNIVERSITY of Applied Sciences (TAMK) has announced the launch a degree programme offering professional training for social media influencers and content producers under the brand Influencers Academy.

The English-language programme is scheduled to launch in January 2022.

Mars Finland is withdrawing several batches of Snickers, Twix and Bounty ice cream from supermarkets due to the presence of ethylene oxide. Finnish ice cream manufacturer SIA Jäätelö and sugar company Suomen Sokeri Oy will also recall products containing the substance. 

The Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes) classifies ethylene oxide, an organic compound commonly used as disinfectant in hospitals, as a cancer-causing substance or carcinogen. 

The Assistance System for Victims of Human Trafficking (NAS) today has more clients than ever before. Out of its 992 clients, 770 are presumed or identified victims of human trafficking and 222 are their minor children.

The number of clients has more than tripled during the recent years.