French urban climbers Alain Robert (L), popularly known as the "French Spiderman", and Leo Urban climb up the 153,8-meter high SKYPER Tower building in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany on November 23, 2021. LEHTIKUVA / AFP

Here are the most interesting new images of this week, from all around the world.

An aerial view taken on November 15, 2021 shows the city's main Christmas market 'Christmas in Winterland' in Spikersuppa in the centre of Oslo, near the Norwegian Parliament Stortinget (top C). LEHTIKUVA / AFP

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

French balloonist Remi Ouvrard attempts to set a world record by standing on the top of a hot air balloon for the Telethon at an altitude of over 3637 meters on November 10, 2021 in Chatellerault, western France. - The altitude should be the same of the phone number of the Telethon campaign 36-37. LEHTIKUVA / AFP

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

Julia and Andrea in their student days

FOR MANY FOREIGN-BORN ARRIVALS who choose to build a life in Finland, one of the biggest obstacles to citizenship is the Finnish language, which has been ranked by the US State Department as one of the most difficult languages on Earth to master.

Farmers winnow rice during harvesting in Bhaktapur, some 12 km south-east of Kathmandu, on November 1, 2021. LEHTIKUVA / AFP

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

October 2021, Berlin: A lemur plays with a carved pumpkins filled with treats at the zoo in Berlin.

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

Finland's Minister of Justice Anna-Maja Henriksson said the anti-racism programme would aid the development of society as a whole/Lehtikuva

On Thursday, the Finnish government approved a new programme aimed at tackling institutional racism and discrimination in the country, Helsingin Sanomat reports. 

The programme, named Yhdenvertainen Suomi or “Equal Finland,” includes a 52-point action plan and eight key objectives to be implemented from 2021 to 2023. It is based on existing research on racism in Finland.  

American fast food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) has sparked heated discussions on social media after revealing that it plans to import chicken from Poland for its restaurants in Finland. 

Earlier this week, the popular brand announced that it would open its first, long-awaited outlet in Finland at the Itis Shopping Centre in Itäkeskus, Helsinki on 11 November. The company also plans to set up restaurants in Turku and Espoo by the end of the year.

The Linguatula serrata parasite or tongue worm/Lehtikuva

Researchers at Helsinki University have reported the first case of Linguatula serrata, a worm-like parasite found in dogs, in Finland. Commonly known as “tongue worm,” the zoonotic parasite can grow up to 8 percent within the host’s body and can also infect humans. 

According to a press release by the university, the parasite was found in a dog that had been brought to Finland from Spain about a year ago. The owner spotted the three-centimetre-long worm-like organism after the dog had coughed it up onto the floor. 

The Town Hall Square in Tallinn, Estonia in June 2021

STT reports that Baltic countries are facing record levels of hospitalisations and deaths due to the COVID-19 virus. In an interview with television channel TV3, Latvia’s Minister for Health Daniels Pavluts revealed that the number of COVID-19 hospital patients in the country jumped to over 1,400 on Monday—the highest recorded so far.

Pavluts stated that if the burden on Latvia’s health system continues to grow, the country will require foreign aid, which would include bringing in healthcare staff from abroad and transporting intensive care patients to other countries if necessary.