THIS WEEK IT WAS REVEALEDthat the scale of undocumented refugees and asylum seekers in Finland is much greater than anyone anticipated. Recent reports have shown that as many as half of the 30,000 asylum seekers that entered Finland at the height of the refugee crisis may have “slipped underground”, with authorities having little to no details on their whereabouts or wellbeing.

This has been attributed to Finland’s notoriously strict laws on seeking asylum and gaining legal residency in the country.

Onkalo, Finland’s spent fuel repository, made headlines this week when the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency called the project a game-changer for the nuclear industry. 

Onkalo will be the world’s first deep geological repository for spent nuclear fuel. It is currently under construction in Eurajoki, West Finland, and will be situated close to the Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant. 

The international pressrevealed that Finland will soon be home to the largest nuclear reactor in Europe this week. The Olkiluoto 3 (OL3) nuclear power plant unit was granted a charging permit on 26 March.

Located in Eurajoki, Southwest Finland, the unit is expected to produce around 14 per cent of the country’s electricity and will likely begin commercial operations in February 2022.

The Finnish town of Sallamade headlines this week when it launched a bid to host the 2032 Summer Olympics. Located in Lapland, temperatures in what is sometimes called Finland’s coldest town often drop to -50℃.

The bid is actually a humorous attempt to draw attention to the effects of climate change. The video depicts residents playing summer sports such as beach volleyball and swimming in winter conditions. 

A new reporthas revealed that Finland’s female-led government has repeatedly been the target of misogynistic harassment and abuse online.  

The report, which was published bythe NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence based in Latvia, states that the five ministers most frequently attacked were all female.

A new studyput Finland in the spotlight this week when it was unveiled as the most physically active country during the pandemic.

Published in the Journal of Frontiers in Psychology, the study examined cross-cultural health behaviors and the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on perceived wellbeing. It also analysed how different confinement measures in multiple countries led to differences in health outcomes.

FOLLOWING CALLS FROM US PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMPfor European allies to “take back” jihadists who left their countries to join IS, Finland took steps to prepare for such an eventuality.

Unlike countries such as the UK and France, which have already refused to accept former IS fighters back into the country and have even taken steps to revoke their citizenship, Finland has taken a more conciliatory tone.

WITH ELECTORAL CAMPAIGNING HEATING UP, the international media is beginning to focus its attention on Russia’s role in interfering with elections, and the Finnish government’s defensive response. Russia has faced allegations of using an army of “trolls” and bots to spread misinformation about electoral candidates across Europe, as part of an effort to swing public opinion toward more right-wing, pro-Russian parties.

Finland’s Christmas-themed football clubFC Santa Claus was in the spotlight this week, with multiple news outlets covering the popular team’s journey through the national football league. 

The club, which was formed in 1993 and is based in Rovaniemi, enjoys a large fanbase among local as well as global audiences. 

While the team has not met with much success on the field and is currently in the fourth division of the league, it is known for its festive spirit. 

Finland received attentionfrom international news outlets this week when the parliament debated whether to make unsolicited sexting an offense punishable by law. Finnish lawmakers claimed that sending someone explicit photos without their permission constitutes sexual harassment and is comparable to unwanted physical contact. 

Finnish Prime MinisterSanna Marinwas also the subject of speculation this week,

Finnish sports enthusiastshave embraced a new trend—running through snow wearing only socks and no shoes. The latest craze hit headlines across the world this week, with many marvelling at the phenomenon.  

According to those who indulge in the practice, running without footwear—even in snow that reaches depths of half a meter—provides a sense of freedom.

THIS WEEK IN THE WORLD PRESS, the US business magazineForbesran a lengthy editorial about the Finnish concept of‘Sisu’, and how it can be compared to the “American Dream”.

Meanwhile,CBS Newshas been covering Finland’s social security system throughout the week as part of theirWorld of Mothers series. Several articles have been penned covering the lower costs of childcare in Finland, discussing why such a situation does not exist in the United States.

 International news outletsthis week highlighted how Finnish citizens have adapted well to social distancing, attributing their positive attitude towards isolation to a culture that values personal space. 

The Finn’s natural propensity for solitude, coupled with the country’s low population density and remote location has aided in its fight against COVID-19. 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS OUTLETS THIS WEEK began to take notice of the recent surge in support for the far-right Finns Party, which has seen them go from sixth to second place in the polls, closely trailing the Social Democrats by just a few percentage points. One American broadsheet described the development as evidence that ‘Trumpism’ has finally gained a foothold in Finland, whilst also suggesting that Finn’s viewpoints on migration are divorced from reality.  

The Finnish city of Oulugained recognition for its residents’ enduring love for cycling this week. Despite being covered by snow for five months a year, bikers in the Central Finland city brave the weather to keep pedalling even through the coldest and darkest months.

One reason for this is that the ploughing of cycle paths is given antecedence over that of roads during winter. Additionally, Oulu uses a digital map that indicates real-time conditions of bicycle, pedestrian and car routes.

Helsinki’s systematic and efficient methods of dealing with heavy snowfall garnered praise from international news outlets this week.

The city was barely inconvenienced when faced with a blizzard last week, unlike other countries in Europe, which have struggled to cope with the icy weather this month.