HELSINGIN SANOMAT - International Edition

Daily News
14.9.1999: Nordic troops arrive to take part in peacekeeping exercise; Tax on "duty free" cars against EU directives, argues complaint to EU Commission; Divec consultancy company apparently has hundreds of Finnish clients; Niinistö eating into Rehn's lead in recent Presidential poll; Raisio issues profits warning - share price tumbles 20%; Nokia seeks position as "mobile to the fashion-conscious"
15.9.1999: Merita-Nordbanken merger with Unidanmark under discussion; Aho to step down from Centre Party leadership for presidential election race; Low fitness a more effective killer than smoking; Niinistö trying to bring together European parties of the right; EU heads into WTO Round more or less united; Prodi: Timetable for EU expansion to be discussed at Helsinki European Council summit
16.9.1999: Markets unconvinced by denials of Nordic banking merger; Helsinki comes down hard on public drinking and soliciting; American waste disposal giant to withdraw from Finland; Finnish views on refugees hardened since 1980s; Halonen: Finland wants to see increased international police cooperation
17.9.1999: UPM-Kymmene sets aside planned Indonesian alliance; MP Rainer Erlund avoids sexual abuse charges; Thirty Polish gipsies seek asylum in Finland; EU to create joint policy against offshore tax evasion; Doctors slam males as "lousy patients"; Prices soaring for downtown Helsinki apartments
20.9.1999: Koivisto rejects NATO membership, denies split with Ahtisaari; Not all one-way for rural communities on the migration front; Sea captures Helsinki residents’ hearts; Merita-Nordbanken makes offer for Norway's 2nd largest bank; Finnish artists not starving, but...; Organic farms outperform traditional holdings
21.9.1999: Sonera increases stake in largest U.S. GSM operator; Finnish smoking legislation set to become world's toughest; Oil shipments in the Gulf of Finland to grow sharply - accident risk causes alarm; Niinistö says no to candidacy; New news channels reduce newspaper and magazine readership; SLL activists condemn attacks on fur-farms
22.9.1999: RAY's gambling monopoly wins Court of Justice approval; Turku may have to pump sea water into mains; Police salaries cause worries in Helsinki; Aftershocks from Niinistö announcement; Pizzeria fire destroys half of shopping centre in Lahti; Computer sales up, but margins down
23.9.1999: NCP still looking for candidate for Presidential elections; Police investigation still in progress on Lahti pizzeria fire; Students going to work more to eke out grants; Queues for day-care places shortening in Greater Helsinki area; Virus spreaders to feel the long arm of the law; Gold and silver coins to honour Sibelius
24.9.1999: Police say Vantaa killings part of gangland war; Female minister wins second round of equal opportunity case; Reader's Digest poll says Finland in NATO by 2010; Finnish diplomat up for UN Iraq mission; Formula 1: To help or not to help, that is the question...; NHL stars to play in Salt Lake City in 2002; State to sell off 18% holding in Sonera
27.9.1999: Saturday signals very bad day for Finnish elk; Third man in Vantaa killings surrenders to police; FIM 2 billion in compensation deals for army helicopter purchases; Bit-players and rain steal show at Nürburgring GP - Häkkinen 5th; Garbage dumps provide rich pickings for Russians; Belarus author writes about his home from Finland
28.9.1999: Unions scrap comprehensive incomes deal - markets unmoved; EU membership increases city managers' travel schedules; Award for companies employing foreigners; Housing ministers want to support the elderly living at home; Turku researchers urge us to take D-vitamins; 1.4 million watch Formula 1 TV coverage
29.9.1999: Prodi's Commission meets Finnish leaders for summit agenda discussions; NCP women urge Uosukainen to reconsider candidacy; Finnish 6th-graders: Self esteem OK, attainment not bad; Peacemaker sees threats in Europe; Holy smoke-sauna!; Habitare Fair presents Finnish furniture; Overnight stays in Finland up in first half of 1999
30.9.1999: Police in Espoo expose large ecstasy import ring; Uosukainen to reconsider candidacy; Prodi calls for slimmed-down agenda at Tampere Summit; TV advertising takes a dive in August, profit-warnings issued; Finnish fast-track companies on "wrong" tracks; NHL gets into gear with more Finns (and more teams) than ever
1.10.1999: Lipponen pegs tax breaks to incomes agreement; Owners remanded in shopping centre fire investigations; EU Equality Commissioner calls for tax and social security reforms; Impoverishing effects of long-term illness causing concern; Income distribution gap growing in town and country; Finland arbitrates in dispute over US payments to UN
4.10.1999: Ahtisaari in Damascus to measure temperature for Mid-East peace plans; Farms buying machinery again, but together; Small communities coaxing young families with cash gifts; Where the wild things are; Helsinki's annual Herring Fair gets under way; Minister says visa requirements for Slovaks to be ended
5.10.1999: Defence forces want to hang on to property billions; Finland offers to host Syrian-Israeli peace talks; Election big-spenders to be made public; Lipponen advocates common police academy for EU countries; Kiosk staff live in fear of hold-ups; Regional Policy Ministers call for support for cities; Uosukainen agrees to take NCP into Presidential campaign
6.10.1999: Hydrogen leak at Loviisa nuclear plant - no danger to reactors; Ahtisaari issues cautious criticism of Israeli settlement policy; Nurses claim standard of health care has declined; Arla to merge with Danish MD Foods to create European dairy giant; Powerlifter deaths raise suspicions of doping; It was a very good year for...
7.10.1999: Ahtisaari lashes out at attack on UN emplacement in Lebanon; Christiania Bank invites competitive bids to Merita-Nordbanken offer; Loviisa nuclear plant leak given zero rating; Lipponen: Finland and Britain close on Tampere agenda; More prisoners on rehab programmes - all prisons to arrange drug treament; Police: youth regard ecstasy as less dangerous than alcohol
8.10.1999: Halonen leads EU delegation in urging Russian restraint over Chechnya; Price tag for becoming an MP roughly FIM 130,000; Truckers fear new wave of bankruptcies; Helsingin Sanomat leaves Ludviginkatu home for Sanomatalo; Wrist-nurse keeps an eye on the elderly; Men smoking less - 50% of smokers would like to quit
11.10.1999: Ahtisaari approval rating higher than ever, government gets solid marks; Serious oil spill in Neva estuary; Hospitals relax restrictions on cellphone use; Lapua armed robbers still at large - shopkeepers arrange crisis meeting; When Dad isn't Dad: paternity laws do not recognise home insemination; Dark stormy nights by the thousand, but only a fraction make it
12.10.1999: Liikanen warns EU expansion may cost more than estimated; Fish in the Baltic show alarming bromide levels; Finland prepares for Italian student boom; Sillanpää guilty of three counts of manslaughter; Increased ATC charges threaten domestic flights; Rye puts best foot forward with Finnish know-how and Swedish capital
13.10.1999: Decision today on Leonia's future?; Halonen warns Moscow of isolation and EU of underestimating Russia; Documents indicate Finland and Estonia "had secret military alliance in 1930s"; Drunkenness apparent cause of Neva River oil accident; CAISA multicultural fair expects 10,000 visitors; SanomaWSOY Chairman cites European leadership problems
14.10.1999: Sampo and Leonia merge - new financial services giant buys out Skandia's Pohjola shares; Government to use nearly all Sonera income to shorten debt; Raisio area removes water rationing as autumn rains sweep through; Nokia wins EUR 425 million base station order from Italy; Häjyt goes to Hollywood as Finnish Oscar nominee; Mäkinen wins San Remo Rally, opens 6-point championship lead
15.10.1999: France to put culture on the table in Tampere?; Suspicion nags at Tampere European Council; Halfway there, with the worst to come; Pohjola to join Sampo-Leonia financial services group?; Application procedure for Lahti Championships under investigation; First fine for smoking in the workplace
16.10.1999: EU leaders agree on cooperation for home affairs and justice; The EU and Justice
17.10.1999: EU increases its authority in justice and crime prevention; EU takes the law into its own hands; The EU and Crime
18.10.1999: Formula One roller-coaster leaves Häkkinen and everyone else waiting; ECRE applauds Tampere results; Liberals win in Åland elections; Braziers out for homeless in Helsinki; Lahti Symphony Orchestra are "VERY big in Japan"; Film to be made in Brittany based on Schjerfbeck painting
19.10.1999: Ski-lodges going up at prolific rate - only the wealthy need apply; Municipal landlords complain of "thousands of empty dwellings"; Virtual M.A. soon a reality; Raimo Väyrynen: Finland must stand up for UN; EVA backed Solzhenitsyn's Gulag; Licensing dispute overshadows Data Fellows listing on HSE
20.10.1999: Finland readying itself for GM food production trials; Ahtisaari plays down German-Finnish friction; Unemployment figures down in Helsinki and environs; Lipponen: Economy in danger of overheating; Increased demand for luxury properties; Söderman looks safe for second term as EU Ombudsman
21.10.1999: Pohjola ponders legal action over hostile takeover; Merita-Nordbanken offer gets cautious green light from Christiania board; Bank of Finland Governor gives overheating warning; Schröder: Differences with Finland "all sorted out"; Finnish Navy beset by losses to well-paid civilian jobs; Communities to provide full dental service by 2001
22.10.1999: Nokia breaks records, but faces domestic recruitment problems; Putin calls for help in putting down "terrorists"; Russians open propaganda western front in Finland; Rehn and Uosukainen almost stride for stride in YLE poll; Dentists claim "full service" is utopian dream in Helsinki region; New terminal completed at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport
25.10.1999: Lack of manual workers worries employers; More and more companies entering the customer newspaper business; Use of wood chips in energy production to increase five-fold; Ahtisaari very positive about Presidential term; Kasimir Malevich exhibit in Stockholm - coming to Helsinki next year; No free rides for Sydney Olympics hopefuls
26.10.1999: HS-Euroseminar: Lipponen sees need for major economic reforms in EU; Nearly one in ten Turku MediHeli calls for drug cases; Sundqvist argues hefty spending was business-related; Sonera interim figures better than expected - investors wary; EU grants to restore salmon to Kemijoki River; Helsinki sorts out its recreational and sports areas
27.10.1999: Helsinki Year of Culture to offer 450 events; Cruise lines waiting for Masa-Yards ownership to be settled; 25,000 polluted sites found across Finland; Finland looks to arrange crisis management rules with NATO; National Opera gets new General Director after split vote; Finnish Railways introduce seat-belt experiment
28.10.1999: Helsinki Year of Culture to offer 450 events; Söderman narrowly elected for second term as EU Ombudsman; Police expect further arrests in "Chevy-Gang" case; Lipponen: EU countries increasingly in favour of broad expansion programme; Foreigners in custody under Aliens Act no longer to be kept in prison cells; Dali work set to break Finnish art auction records
29.10.1999: Government to dismantle Åland tax haven; Researchers and Environment Ministry argue over apartment refits; Helsinki planners envisage new housing area for 15,000 on reclaimed land; Alcohol figures heavily in premature male deaths; Fiskars folding spade becomes hit with US marines; Author of Ph.D. thesis faces slander charges
1.11.1999: Formula One: Happy End, Häkkinen a worthy champion, Finns go berserk (again); Finnair offshore lease-back arrangements to be investigated by police; Lipponen attack angers EU correspondents; Halonen talks tough to Moscow on plight of Ingushetia refugees; Taxi-drivers express concern about night-shift violence; Helsinki environment officials to clean up Riga garbage dumps
2.11.1999: Top managers earnings outpace even share prices; Oslo meetings get off to cautious start; Ahtisaari has bilateral talks; Housing prices rose sharply towards the end of summer; Economic recovery brings more permanent jobs in public sector; Iloniemi: Finland should examine pros and cons of NATO membership; Häkkinen voted Sportsman of Year in HS straw poll
3.11.1999: Angry postal workers stage walkout over Leonia closures; Working party says police bugging rights should be expanded; Asylum seekers can re-apply ad infinitum; Ahtisaari gives no promises to Norway on EU CFSP developments; Minister says EU to ratify Kyoto Protocols by 2002; Income gap widening in the wake of the recession
4.11.1999: Banks reluctant to serve financially-challenged at a loss; Bill for bank support estimated close to FIM 50 billion; Euro will be expensive for banks and insurers; Australian Rally could wrap up World Championship for Mäkinen; Ahtisaari seeks improved UN powers on crisis management; One in five communities now without a post office
5.11.1999: Committee wants clarification of Peacekeeping Act; Support for NATO membership at record low; Ahtisaari stresses education and technology - warns of income inequality; Sampo CEO's Orion stock dealings to be examined by police; Erkko: No democracy without freedom of speech; Forensic team to return to Kosovo to study Racak massacre
8.11.1999: Fourth consecutive rally title for Mäkinen; Fireman dies in factory blaze in Eura; Benecol's conquest of world markets slower than expected; Finland investing in profitable space exploration equipment; Transport Minister proposes collaboration between Post & SII; Data Fellows stock goes ballistic on HSE
9.11.1999: Norway wants information and access to EU crisis management cooperation; Five Baltic Rim Presidents remember the Cold War; "Can't buy me land" in Espoo and Vantaa; Finnish-born woman charged with multi-million swindling; Markka to become history sooner than expected; State to sell off occupational health company
10.11.1999: Nordic Council ministers say Balkan peacekeeping brigade too expensive; SITRA cannot find use for FIM 400 million for regional support; Police to crack down on drug trade in Greater Helsinki area; Retail sales remain buoyant in areas of population loss; Rail Administration wants longer stops in stations - timetables in for renewal next year; Foreign drivers reminded of winter-tyre regulations
11.11.1999: Rehn: Finland should take stand on NATO entry by 2002; Uosukainen opens campaign office and repeats own NATO position; KELA to renew controversial pension letter; Amnesty International adopts six Finnish total objectors; Nordic Capital interested in purchasing Starkki hardware chain; Only ring-leaders to face court in baseball fixing scandal
12.11.1999: What if they held a Foreign Ministers' Conference and...?; Long boom brings Finland high rating from Fitch IBCA; OKOBANK Group shows interest in postal services; Lipponen and other ministers assure that post office services will not be cut back; Helsinki living on its savings this year and next; Nearly half of rural employed work in built-up areas
15.11.1999: Nokia top executives realise large part of stock options; EU Northern Dimension remains hazy in Helsinki; Court dismisses aggravated dishonesty charges against Ulf Sundqvist; Left Alliance will not put up own Presidential candidate; Corporate consultants making money on workplace atmosphere and burnout rehab therapy; Finnish Lions win home tournament, top European table
16.11.1999: Decisions on EU crisis management forces on table at Helsinki Summit; Helsingin Sanomat celebrates with housewarming party and fireworks; China moves towards free trade - Finnish industry remains cautiously optimistic; Weird Wacky Finns turn out to be neat sales gimmick; Universities want share of innovations revenues; Ministry wants to see non-political appointments in KELA management
17.11.1999: Training brings rich rewards in Finland; New Sanomatalo building officially opened in downtown Helsinki; Russian power-generating giant seeks Finnish subsidiary; Legal aid to be expanded to middle-income groups?; Town must pay damages to victim of school bullying; Kvaerner says international consortium is now candidate to buy Masa-Yards
18.11.1999: Labour Ministry: Unemployed nurses cost society almost as much as working ones; Parliament unsympathetic to Voutilainen's calls for "new bank support system"; AKAVA disputes figures on rewards of training; Actor wins compensation for unfair dismissal; Häkkinen finally makes first appearance here since his Championship win; HEX Index breaks through 10,000
19.11.1999: Environment Ministry: Paper industry causes annual FIM 4 billion in pollution; Helsinki Stock Exchange CEO resigns; "The Russians are coming!" - shopkeepers rub hands in anticipation; Cuts in local taxation in 15 communities, but 82 will pay more; Pukkila (pop. 1,800) hits the mother-lode; Helsingin Sanomat Literary Award goes to Jyrki Vainonen
22.11.1999: Foundations gather strength on HSE on Nokia ownership; Ahtisaari believes in creation of multicultural Kosovo; Outdoor winter swimmers warm up for the season; Enestam's NATO study remarks receive short shrift; Sasi: WTO negotiations threatened with stalemate before they start; Serious labour shortages affecting Uusimaa Province
23.11.1999: Explosion kills one and causes widespread damage in Pietarsaari; Finland to apply for full membership of WEAG; Finland still low in EU drug figures, but moving up fast; Ahtisaari has no ambitions for UN post after Annan; Gasoline prices could reach FIM 6.80 for a litre of unleaded; SAK alone in involvement in presidential elections
24.11.1999: New insurance grouping in prospect around Suomi and Ilmarinen?; Ahtisaari and Pope John Paul II discuss Balkans; Finns now pay 25% of health expenses; Sharp increase in HIV-positive cases; Lipponen starts European capitals tour in Paris; Pietarsaari blast victim apparently elderly man from Southern Finland, but cause still unclear
25.11.1999: Verheugen: Helsinki Summit should resolve EU relationship with Turkey; Gasoline prices hit all-time high; Suomi now considers insurance cooperation with Fennia; METLA says elk population responsible for increasing forest damage; Police say Pietarsaari bomb motive was revenge; DO look a possible heart-attack victim in the mouth...
26.11.1999: Lipponen: 50,000 men to EU crisis management force; Owners now pushing Sampo and Pohjola together; More than 7, 000 "Nokia millionaires" in Finland; Smokers pay higher insurance premiums; Winter War not much discussed in Karelian schools, but change is on the way; Police round up Ostrobothnian robbery gang
29.11.1999: Investment fraudsters eye up municipalities; Filling stations disappearing from rural areas; OECD report puts Finland high in lists of ICT in education; End of tax-free shopping brings changes to Vaasa - and to shipping lines; Sonera share performance leaves competitors standing; Santa and reindeer arrive to kick Helsinki Xmas trade into gear
30.11.1999: Sirens sound to recall events of 60 years ago; An ill wind; Five short-listed for FDF helicopter purchases; Finns positive over EU crisis management proposals; Construction boom overloads metro area permit offices; Nanna Susi is Young Artist of the Year for 2000
1.12.1999: Legally acquired medicines flowing onto illegal market; Researcher Ries argues NATO just a matter of time; Sonera accuses Telia of industrial espionage; Cleaning up bill for polluted plots costs Helsinki an annual FIM 60-80 million; Postal worker defections promise bad Xmas rush this year; Opera Board wants General Director back as FNO lurches into new crisis
2.12.1999: Sonera managers charged with data privacy invasion over e-mail snooping; EVA survey: NATO support hits new lows; Privacy rules protect also heavy consumers of medication; State fears brain-drain without increased money for public sector salaries; Recycling of tyres on the increase in construction work; Raisio stock price takes dive on downgrade and Benecol marketing problems
3.12.1999: HS poll: Esko Aho into the lead, Halonen goes past Rehn; Lipponen: Turkey to be made candidate for EU membership in Helsinki; Parliamentary Ombudsman wants rules on e-mail secrecy; Insurer Suomi leaves fate of Pohjola shares open; FNO director cites finances and administrative split for resignation; More than 70% of Finns bring alcohol in from abroad
7.12.1999: Five dead in fire at old people's home; NGOs seek increased influence in EU decision-making; Koivisto: 1970s were not "Years of Danger"; Nokia behind the building of half of new office space in Metro area; Independence Day celebrated in style; Helsinki region becoming permanently divided as better educated benefit more from economic growth
8.12.1999: Finland not giving up on tax package; Union agrees on security report; EU threatens to cut off Russian aid packages over Chechnya; Raiskinen returns to National Opera helm; Nokia becomes Europe's biggest by market capitalisation; Finland and EU reach accord on agricultural support
9.12.1999: Fazer's Blue turns blue and yellow under Swedish ownership; Temporary solution to Southern Finland's agricultural support
10.12.1999: Surprise winner of Finlandia Literary Prize; Expensive bill for municipal day-care; Tax benefits for foreign executives temporarily on ice
EU SUMMIT SPECIAL COVERAGE: Two ways of arranging a large international conference (12.12.)
The art of European lightning diplomacy at 585 km/hour (12.12.)
Day One: EU gives a warning to Russia, Turkey accepts candidacy offer, Finnish farmers less conciliatory (11.12.)
Finnish farmers protest angrily in Helsinki at end to support grants (11.12.)
The wait goes on for Turkey, but the lounge is more comfortable (11.12.)
Unresolved disputes and Chechnya shadow EU Summit opening (10.12.)
Twelve countries in the queue (10.12.)
Latvia wants entry in five years (10.12.)
Finns reluctant to pay for EU enlargement but crisis management wins approval in Helsingin Sanomat poll (9.12.)
National interest at the heart of security policy in the EU (9.12.)
Strains in the EU over defence cooperation (9.12.)
13.12.1999: Overturned chemicals truck causes major alert on Highway 1; Chilly weather draws record numbers to Lapland; Wage negotiation round gets under way with metals and construction workers; Record price for Dali at auction in Helsinki; New law immediately reduces income dodges in speeding fines; Police getting more calls over school violence and bullying
14.12.1999: Russia lodges protest over Chechen representative at Summit; Candidates ponder Russian views on West; One in ten toys falls foul of safety tests; John Deere buys Timberjack for EUR 600 million; Fujitsu-Siemens to close PC plant in Espoo; Inequalities spread to new levels
15.12.1999: Ahtisaari: Finland wants to withdraw UNIFIL troops from Lebanon; Lipponen: EU should keep pressure up on Russia; Hemilä lashes out at farmers over demonstration “excesses”; Atria director claims imported meat is sold as Finnish; Nurses suffer hard time from colleagues and patients alike; Saariaho opera to be premiered at Salzburg next year
16.12.1999: Tentacles of Estonian tax fraud case reaching to Finland; MTV3 poll puts Aho and Uosukainen level; Ahtisaari does groundwork on new job during New York visit; Two hamburger restaurants to get alcohol licences?; Month-long stock market rise turns sharply down; HEX off 4.6%; Markka and Euro side by side for two months only
17.12.1999: Cash incentive and profit bonuses not enough for employees; A million Christmas trees, and some on a screen near you; EU and Russia to fight jointly against organised crime; MPs suggest Ahtisaari for Nobel Peace Prize; Finland blamed for role in NATO strikes on Serbia; Finnish Railways taking no chances on New Year's Eve
20.12.1999: Court throws out case of defamation in dissertation; Outokumpu to invest heavily in stainless steel production in Tornio; Asylum seekers to be turned back more easily; Finnair to face hefty bill for fire safety improvements to 30 planes; Report of violent crimes committed by foreigners causes a stir; Brokerage insiders predict investment hints with extraordinary accuracy
21.12.1999: New financial services group likely to emerge from ruins of Pohjola; More than a third of cases in bailiffs' hands derive from cellphone bills; Food-banks feeding 100,000 Finns; Carlsberg buys up the remainder of Sinebrychoff brewery; Christmas excites the gaming population; Customs losing control of imports of pirated goods from Russia and Baltic States
22.12.1999: New owners to sell off Pohjola assets - Ilmarinen, Suomi and OKOBANK Group want control; Police seize more than 200 kg of drugs in Vantaa and across Southern Finland; Membership of skinhead groups can bring hard time; Online banking may be problematic in New Year as Y2K hits home PCs; Lipponen: Russian election results may help in finding solution to Chechnya issue; Helsinki-ites buy their Christmas tree at the last minute
23.12.1999: EU Commission aid ruling will hit pig-farmers hard; Aho and Halonen take up the running; Two-year prison term for Prof. Riekkinen on fraud charges; Don Rosa's Secret of Sampo already in 4th edition; "Presidential Salmon" landed and delivered; Merry Christmas - An Announcement
3.1.2000: German report contradicts Estonia accident commission findings on vessel's sinking; More than two million Finns on the move in the 1990s; Finnish man shot in Florida, brutal double murder in Turku; Y2K a non-event - or is the big test still to come?; Yeltsin resignation surprise to Halonen; Finland hands over EU helm to Portugal
4.1.2000: Lahti supported 30 countries to gain World Championships; One in three 15-year-olds offered drugs in Helsinki; Yeltsin's resignation sends Hartwall shares up by over 25%; Kvaerner Masa-Yards wins yet another FIM 2 billion contract with CCL; UPM-Kymmene cuts ties with Indonesian pulp mill; Häkämies: Visa requirements considered for Slovak asylum-seekers
5.1.2000: HS study: Wife-beating seldom leads to court; Helsinki Stock Exchange gets delayed New Year hangover; Aho shifts responsibility for World Championship mess to Lahti; Metalworkers seek wage agreement by next Tuesday; Asylum application processing to be speeded up?; Advance voting starts today in Round One; Housing production in Helsinki area to fall short of targets
7.1.2000: Aho moves into clear lead; Halonen second; Finnish hacker penetrated more than 100 systems with apparent ease; Nokia and Sonera continue free-fall on Wednesday; Valmet makes offer for part of beleaguered US PM company Beloit; China to supplant Windows 2000 with “Red Flag Linux”?; Ahonen takes second place in Four Hills Tournament
10.1.2000: Former Presidential adviser Alpo Rusi defends NATO strikes in Kosovo; Statistics Finland: 30% of voters will be pensioners by 2030; RAY support misused, according to claims put before Finnish Competition Authority; Shop closures accelerating, according to FFCT; Foreign vessels avoiding Finnish fairway dues; HSE roller-coaster ride continues
11.1.2000: Papilloma virus vaccination may prevent cervical cancer; Baltika brewery director murdered at his home in St Petersburg; Prosecutor demands long sentences for ecstasy league bosses; Ministry recommends six-month visa requirement for Slovaks; More than 1 million already voted in advance; Historic press appointment in Sweden
12.1.2000: Winter flu strikes Western Europe; Finns escaping worst so far; Metalworkers' discussions peter out without progress; New immigrants rush to Finnish for foreigners courses; Unemployed persons will have to look further afield for work; Drive-through X-ray machine reveals hidden contraband goods; Finnyards win government support grant for Greek vessel
13.1.2000: Aho and Halonen out in front and stride for stride; Sonera applies for 3G mobile network licences in Britain and Spain; Quality of life in Helsinki at top international level, say consultants; Finnish band Bomfunk MCs top the Swedish charts; Lipponen promises easing on fiscal front, but less than FIM 1.5 billion; Finland would like to host new EU authority to monitor food safety
14.1.2000: Two days left, and the tension rises a notch; Nokia's Ollila elected to Ford Motor Company Board; Visa requirements on travellers from Slovakia from Saturday; Police arrest four members of “Natural Born Killers” group; Tax burden to be lightened slightly in the summer; Helsinki now has two Lenin statues on offer
17.1.2000: Halonen and Aho go on to round two; First wage agreements struck with metalworkers and construction branch; Grants to examine possible war crimes of Soviet partisans; Statistics Finland looks into bankruptcy profiles; Better late than never for Häkkinen and Mäkinen; Finnish companies withdrawing from Estonia; Foreigners continuing to buy into Finnish stocks
18.1.2000: Urban women to decide second round; Foreign press reports see victory for both sides; Finnish shipping lines flagging out; Swedish firms moving into mail order business; Agreements secured for 10% of wage-earners
19.1.2000: Helsingin Sanomat Poll: Halonen now leads Aho 53-47; Three dead in biker gang shoot-out in Lahti; Ahtisaari to head EastWest Institute after term ends; Many immigrants seeking livelihood from own businesses; Lapsed bankruptcies leave a criminal trail; EU Commission praises Finnish economic management and Stability Programme
20.1.2000: Incentive systems in public sector not working; Government prepared to alter aid programmes to Russia over Chechnya; Execution-style biker killings were revenge; authorities pondering criminalisation of gang membership; Latest poll stretches Halonen lead; UPM-Kymmene buys British timber sales chain; Estonians given prison sentences in Loimaa hashish case
21.1.2000: Rejection rate for conscripts alarmingly high; Megastores put domestic appliance market in a spin; WWF praises Finnish forest management, but with reservations; Sales of DVD movies taking off; A Mediterranen winter comes whirling into Helsinki; Unemployment once again decreasing
24.1.2000: Russian accident figures on Finnish roads turn downwards at last; YLE Friday poll puts Halonen clearly ahead; Candidates differ on Finland's role in the EU; Helsinki prostitutes move to Vantaa; VR has plans for fast Pendolino connection between Helsinki and Oulu; MeritaNordbanken still fighting to win Norwegian bank
25.1.2000: Wage deal in retail trade gives hopes for service sector breakthroughs; Eurajoki approves storage of spent nuclear fuel; Banks to be asked to compete for government cashiership; Finland and Sweden lobbying for location of EU food safety agency in Finland; A new home for the Lenin statue?; NATO prepares role for nuclear accidents
26.1.2000: Aho and Halonen differ on EU enlargement benefits; NATO European chief meets Ahtisaari; Solariums could cause skin cancer in young people; US and Russia in talks on arms control and ABM systems; Finns worried about British ban on fur farming; Driver to be charged over 1998 Jyväskylä rail crash
27.1.2000: HS reporter sees civilian suffering in Chechnya; Ahtisaari to take up several international NGO positions on his retirement; Stiff sentences in ecstasy trial; Speed is NATO's advantage in nuclear accident scenario; Unemployment in the 90s cost Finland FIM 300 billion; Finnish schoolchildren to be informed of the horrors of the Nazi era
28.1.2000: Fortum buys Stora Enso power assets, including nuclear holdings in Sweden; Industry begins to form ranks behind 5th nuclear plant application; Finnish health spending already among the cheapest in Europe; Finland distributes more than FIM 200 million in neighbouring region support; Crimes against foreigners cleared up in Joensuu; Police raid Chinese restaurants in search of illegal labour
31.1.2000: Record number of naturalised Finns in 1999; Aho and Halonen clash politely on Finnish refugee and asylum policy; Labour shortages now more worrisome than unemployment; Jealousy was motive for Friday night shooting that left three dead; Russians believe that Estonian spies are being trained in Finland; Norway to recruit 600 Finnish nurses this year
1.2.2000: Finland toes EU line on Austrian sanctions; Dutch police arrest Finnish drug ring leader; Army and police work together on conscript drug use; Taking sides: the split among conservatives over support for Aho or Halonen; Domestic film boom continues as Restless racks up handsome opening box office; Wage agreements offered already to over one million
2.2.2000: Nokia profits soar on buoyant mobile phone sales; Niinistö surprised at EU intervention in Austrian government situation; Matti Kavetvuo to take over at Pohjola; Finnish rock group HIM at the top of German album charts; Indoor humidity suspected as main cause for rheumatic ailments
3.2.2000: HS-Gallup: Halonen & Aho neck and neck; Candidates bicker over Austrian government moves; Lipponen supports EU line on Austria; Research shows Finnish youth can't tell left from right; Häkämies proposes tightening of net against economic asylum-seekers; Merita: Faster growth in eurozone and at home
4.2.2000: Clear differences on Presidential responsibilities; ECB raises borrowing rate to 3.25% to boost ailing euro; Finland to keep step on sanctions against Austria; protocol headaches already today; Häkkinen takes model from Mäkinen; Organ transplant patients have much higher cancer risk than surrounding population; Young Finns watch more television than before
6.2.2000: 21.30 - Tarja Halonen to lead Finland for the next six years
7.2.2000: Tarja Halonen becomes Finland's first female President; Finland's first female President; Friend to the poor, but don't catch Tarja Halonen on a bad day; Slow devaluation powers export growth; Police take too long to respond to emergency calls; Doctors are all for increasing patients' fees
8.2.2000: Erkki Tuomioja tipped to get Halonen's Foreign Ministry job; Tarja Halonen: no plans as yet to restaff President's Office; visits scheduled; Immediate foreign press reaction concentrates on gender and single-mother aspects; Seamen's Union threatens to halt all foreign traffic; Visa requirements now considered for Poland; Iraqi oil smuggling suspect has Finnish background
9.2.2000: Extreme right has representation already in seven EU countries; "Red Tarja" makes German headlines; Finnish wolf community is feared - and possibly doomed; Young Turku stabber gets nine years; HIV spreads among I-V drug users: Helsinki region fears epidemic; Govt. wants road maintenance competition
10.2.2000: Austria emerges again in Parliamentary debate; KELA removes housing support from substance abusers; Fighting in Southern Lebanon sends Finnish UN troops to shelters; Foreign Ministry seeks location for EU food safety agency; Eight injured in derailment after train hits van; Clampdown on social security frauds proposed through more flexible access to customer information; Finns' confidence in the economy remains firm
11.2.2000: Häkämies: National Coalition and Centre Party should mend fences; Cabinet reshuffle puts Erkki Tuomioja into Foreign Ministry seat; Women outvote men in more ways than one; Small medicine rebates cost millions in red tape; Finnish economic forecasts predict record growth; EU: Finnish complaint over planned British fur farm ban
14.2.2000: EU regional aid to go towards creating 75,000 new jobs; Red tape could dry up humanitarian aid to neighbouring Karelia and Ingria; Defence Forces seek more space for training grounds and firing ranges; Banks stand firm on current account interest to customers; Competition Authority wants to get rid of deposits on cans and bottles; Police conduct weekend drug busts in a Helsinki neighbourhood
15.2.2000: Lipponen: No need for tightening of “Austracism”; Households less burdened by debt; Small investors line up for software stock; Kemira sells US & Dutch titanium dioxide plants; Special funding for child and teen psychiatry getting bogged down in bureaucracy; Imaging device for brain surgery
16.2.2000: Government examines division of responsibility with President under new Constitution; Voutilainen to retire as Merita President; Board names Kari Jordan as successor; Finnish experts study Danube river disaster; Sonera and Finnish State disagree on management stock options; Nokia top managers cash in stock options; Hemilä to continue in cabinet until the end of government term
17.2.2000: Bankruptcy "specialists" cleaned up companies owned by Green League leadership; Valio to compete with Benecol in cholesterol-reducing dairy goods; Sonera employees to get more stock options; Finland's trade with Austria remains unchanged; Controversial proposals in new EU directive threaten Finland's water maintenance; Stoppage threat at Stora Enso; strike warnings for trains and ice-breakers
18.2.2000: UPM-Kymmene buys Champion International; Virpa Puisto turns down Labour Minister position; Downhill skier dies in avalanche; Lipponen: NCP did not want Foreign Ministry portfolio; Paperworkers' Union sets overtime ban as talks break down; Greater Helsinki is one of Europe's fastest developing areas
21.2.2000: Ambush collects seven Jussi Awards; Tarja Filatov to become new Labour Minister; Finnish KFOR troops arrest ethnic Albanians on suspicion of murder of two Serbs; Fertility treatment bill soon before Parliament; Appeals Court overturns arson murder convictions; Parliament to debate bill for new aliens' law in March
22.2.2000: Courts take hard line in drug sentencing; Prices rising faster in Finland than in other euro countries; Ahtisaari to chair International Crisis Group; Nokia is as good as all the others put together; Bank Inspectorate worried over share issue arrangements; Finns angry over proposed new EU waste directive
23.2.2000: Stora Enso makes major corporate purchase; Ski resorts in Finnish Lapland prepare for avalanches; More Finns living alone; EU Commission proposes harmonisation of visa practice; MeritaNordbanken fails in bid to list Aleksia on stock exchange; Finns angry over proposed new EU waste directive
24.2.2000: Nokia unveils new WAP phones; Finnish library-users have similar tastes; Bus strike continues at least through Thursday; EU subsidies increase regional inequalities; MeritaNordbanken fails in bid to list Aleksia on stock exchange; Investment fad causes problems for companies
25.2.2000: Finland getting its way on duty free beer issue; Bus stoppages end in Helsinki region - new bus strike in Tampere; Stora Enso to open office in London; Stalin's Finnish interpreter remembers; Helsinki candidate for the temporary home of WADA; Fear of being labelled impedes patients from complaining about treatment blunders
28.2.2000: Homicides up in Finland in last decade; Promising ore-bearing area causes national park dispute; Pharmaceuticals industry reluctant to divulge research results; Lipponen: housing shortage threatens development of Helsinki; Ahtisaari scores high on his report card; Lines form to see Hugo Simberg exhibition
29.2.2000: Kosovo made Ahtisaari popular; Presidency marked by provincial visits and media friction; New smoking law: most restaurants unprepared; Head of Finnish State Treasury has bad debts; Tuomioja: weeding out corruption precondition for EU membership; BSE scare in Denmark: Finland sees no need for concern; Book prices high despite tax cuts
1.3.2000: Tarja Halonen takes office as new President of the Republic of Finland; Masa-Yards wins big order for two cruise liners; Water Court gives permission for Vuotos reservoir; Bachelor population decreases on Leap Day; Paperworkers' contract talks resume, Stora Enso strikes cancelled; Households increasingly investing in shares
2.3.2000: Public smoking: still more restrictions?; Martti Ahtisaari hands over to Tarja Halonen; Strike by drivers of forest harvesters begins at 6 am; Dale Chihuly glassblowers at Nuutajärvi Glassworks; Measles could spread to Finland from Sweden; Computer thieves in Kuopio steal bank data of over 2,000 rural entrepreneurs
3.3.2000: Three senior officials at Finnish Maritime Administration detained on suspicion of bribery; Further increase in gasoline prices expected for the week-end; Ministry surprised by giant compensation for protection of river Ii; Electricians' and plumbers' wage deal exceeds 3.1% benchmark; Creutzfeldt-Jakob's disease scare over German sausage; Disputes over the management of the Finnish National Gallery
6.3.2000: Rumours of major Nordic bank merger confirmed; Schmitt rises to Ahonen's challenge in Lahti and takes ski-jumping World Cup title; Good and bad soccer news from England; Seamen's strike threatens 17:00 Monday; Chechnya: Russian general concedes loss of 31 soldiers; Finnish health care sector will soon need thousands of Russians
7.3.2000: No quick end to EU Austria boycott; Strike threatens Finnish aviation from March 20; Halonen to Chile for Lagos inauguration; Customs seized nearly a ton of drugs in 1999; Tina Turner stadium concerts in danger of cancellation; Gasoline prices hit new record; Finland Post to wind up 250 post offices
8.3.2000: State sells off 22 million Sonera shares in snap deal; Centre Party launch into Lipponen over Austria decision; Reuters: Former PM Harri Holkeri to preside over UN Millennium Assembly?; Finnish roses travel to Russia on Women's Day; Safety study: Finns satisfied with police work; Several Estonian prostitutes robbed in Helsinki; NATO submarines conducted exercises in Swedish waters
9.3.2000: Bank of Finland governor wants to see major income tax easing; Holkeri downplays personal aspect of UN Assembly Presidency, but he's in good shape for marathon meetings; Sub judice: Sweden's underwater adventures rumble on; Ministry of Social Affairs and Health seeks to ban smoking in areas frequented by minors; A food automat to assist the elderly?; Helsinki area buses back in service after 24-hour stoppage
10.3.2000: Fortum Board to seek dismissal of CEO Heikki Marttinen; Häkkinen quietly confident about his McLaren on eve of Formula One opening; Record figures for Finnish foreign trade; Russia's budding economic growth has yet to trickle down to Finnish exports; Liikanen: Europe has the means to catch up with USA's lead in technology
13.3.2000: Heinonen scotches Sonera sales rumours; Sonera scores in Spain; Max Jakobson: Finland will soon have to recruit immigrants to serve greying population; Money from Karelia's timber industry passes through Finland and ends up in tax havens; Kekkonen's visit still remembered in Tartto; Halonen prepares ground for collaboration in international trade negotiations
14.3.2000: Germany (and Finland, too) wants more technology immigrants; Finland and Estonia exchange military secrets; Mauno Koivisto sees no end to Chechen crisis; Olli Mattila declares his innocence; Veterans and political leaders commemorate the Winter War; Rest for 58 of the Winter War fallen; Exams get under way with watery theme
15.3.2000: Söderman not giving in to Prodi pressure; Helsinki lobbying for EU food agency; Sweden recruits Finnish nurses by the busload; Drug crimes up last year; A mild and rainy winter; Mediation proposal in train drivers' strike threat
16.3.2000: Esko Aho goes to Harvard; Pohjola scrutinises If figures after disappointment with Nordic partners; Gasoline price increase speeds up inflation; Chile's Appeals Court to rule on Pinochet immunity; Elite chef squad takes Finnish cuisine to the world; Chemical industry strike to begin in afternoon
17.3.2000: Chemical industry strike to continue; Institutional investors reducing their techno portfolios; Bellona: Russian Minatom plans massive imports of spent nuclear fuel; Aho's sabbatical leave puzzles Parliament; Sievinen swims to gold in World Championships in Athens
20.3.2000: Airport staff strike cancelled at last minute; Nokia's Ollila wants to keep tax break for foreign experts; Sievinen adds 200 metres to earlier World Championship gold; One-armed WAPs?; Europe's deepest mine is being drilled into Finnish rock
21.3.2000: Foreign money does well on Helsinki Stock Exchange; Fortum and Vattenfall considered merger; Kom Theatre cancels opening night of new Turkka play; Tuomioja criticizes Portuguese handling of EU defence debate; Telephone poles to remain part of Finnish rural landscape; Filatov downplays talk of labour shortage
22.3.2000: Niinistö talks tough on unemployment benefits; About 500 striking chemical workers return to work; Ahtisaari seeks corporate funding for international activities; Mauno Koivisto complains about Austria sanctions; Russian indifference to laws prevents economic rise; No room for employees' representative on Stora Enso Board
23.3.2000: LATE NEWS: Chemical workers reach agreement, strikes to end; Competition Authority accuses forest industry of buying cartel; Lipponen to miss Lisbon EC summit because of stomach virus; 2,000 Finnish rivers and lakes need improvement; Ministry of Labour opposes Niinistö's remarks on cutting unemployment benefits; East Timor hopes to get EU assistance to pressure Indonesia
24.3.2000: Lisbon EC Summit: photo ops and calls for dynamism in “eEurope”; Ahtisaari calls for economic integration to “Europeanise” the Balkans; Vacuum-packed fish suspected in listeria outbreak; Ministers scotched fusion between Vattenfall and Fortum; Sasi sells Finland to Chinese with large trade delegation
27.3.2000: Lipponen: Austria boycott not mandatory rudeness; Majority of Finns want end to Austria boycott; Four Finnish peacekeepers injured in Kosovo; Second Grand Prix washout for Finns; Finnish fortress island receives restoration prize; Finland and the EU differ on Natura; Last year was immensely profitable for large Finnish concerns; Lawyers trust the Finnish courts
28.3.2000: Industrial action threatens road transport, harbours; Halonen, Lipponen congratulate Putin, call for peace in Chechnya; Liikanen: Austria decision easy for Commission; Turkey: Finnish journalists not on "black list"; Child labour hidden behind Kesko's shelves; Finland offers waste area technology to China
29.3.2000: Nuclear waste transport feasible by sea; YLE postpones digital TV; Two Finnish ski instructors among Austrian avalanche victims; Transport strike and lock-out start at midnight - and continue; Helsinki forced to compromise on housing objectives; Ahtisaari to warn of possible pitfalls in role on UPM-Kymmene Board
30.3.2000: Transport strike stops Finnish buses and trucks; Finland and Sweden want more EU money for civilian crisis management; Shortcomings in phone competition could bring Finland before EU court; Sonera & subsidiaries to offer financial services; Sunbathing can lower the system's defence mechanism; Wales 1 Finland 2, but Millennium Stadium more impressive than players
31.3.2000: Helsinki Stock Exchange takes big hit on Thursday; losses continue into Friday morning; Parliament votes on Aho's Harvard trip; Tarja Halonen and supporters celebrate at the Presidential Palace; Swedish submarine in tests with Finnish Navy in 1994; Government had to vote on amendments to Finland's Aliens Act
3.4.2000: Late night settlement to transport strike; Arsenal sells receivables already dealt with; Centre Party tries to find face-saving way out for Esko Aho; Halonen's first provincial trip begins with ”joiking” and discussion of land rights; Finnish becomes an official minority language in Sweden; Poll: too many strikes, say a majority of Finns
4.4.2000: The rollercoaster ride continues: Sonera up on Tuesday after New York pummelling; HYKS planning private hospital; Esko Aho has not withdrawn leave application; Bank of Finland cutting staff; Finland to take part in NATO exercise in Norway; Use of leased employees from abroad is growing quickly in the IT-sector
5.4.2000: Technology stocks give New York jitters; Helsinki market closes down on Tuesday; Parliamentary decision on Aho leave delayed; Campaign against sexual abuse of children begins along eastern border; Jukka-Pekka Saraste to leave the Toronto Symphony Orchestra; Sonera withdraws from British mobile phone network competition; More lorry drivers go bankrupt
6.4.2000: Technology stocks continue to fall in Helsinki; TV 4 Study: Ahtisaari's fundraising plans have not gone down well with public; Turku study examines male menopause; European Commission files a complaint against Finland for spring bird hunting; Health risk of street gravel speeds up city cleaning; Fortum still believes in oil pipeline to Porvoo despite Russian harbour plans
7.4.2000: Kvaerner shelves Masa-Yards sale; Helsinki Stock Exchange: running out of adjectives; Parliament groups weary of creating new rules for Aho; Four helicopter manufacturers respond to joint Nordic invitation to tender; English football hooligans under scrutiny; Forest and Park Services fell high forests in Lapland
10.4.2000: Paper workers threaten strike action; State office expense accounts under scrutiny; Siimes critical of Ahtisaari's undertakings; A sigh of relief, mixed with disappointment; Arsenal's customer register did not get information about hundreds of payments; Biotech business booming in Finland; Lipponen's media company owns FIM 9 million in shares
11.4.2000: Paperworkers to strike; entire branch affected for the first time; Pohjola seeks a way out of If P&C project; Minister Biaudet to leave her position as minister; will return in 2002; Supreme Court revokes sentence on cat owner; Helsinki Balalaika Orchestra celebrates 90th anniversary; Chinese law scholars interested in corruption in Finland
12.4.2000: Management prepares for lengthy paper strike; Nokia, Ericsson and Motorola create a common standard for mobile e-business; Down we go again, as the HEX follows the Nasdaq leader; Parliament debates peace enforcement; Commission President Prodi lashes out at critics; Commission predicts continued strong growth, warns Finland of overheating
13.4.2000: Prodi and Söderman settle their differences; EU membership has increased MPs' absences from Parliament; Neighbourhood associations complain about copter noise; Hreinn Fridfinnsson receives Ars Fennica Award; Russian and Estonian tuberculosis cases worry Finland; JOT Automation & PMJ fusion falls through
14.4.2000: Finland Post publishes list of 250 branches to close down; Finnish aviation industry binds itself closer to Airbus; Espoo building contractor paid city civil servant's salary; Academy of Finland study argues that the recession continues; Nikula demands an explanation for Lipponen's Austria decision; The Finnish National Museum moves back to Mannerheimintie
17.4.2000: MP Rainer Erlund dies in boating accident; Turku team national hockey champions again; Fire on Finnair plane causes no panic; Prime Minister Lipponen: Austria not helped by squabbling in Finland; World's rarest postage stamp could be a forgery
18.4.2000: Drug needles spread deadly tuberculosis strain and HIV; Mummified body 6 years in Helsinki apartment; Large investors preparing for slower growth; Benefits of education in Finland among highest in Europe; Niinistö on EBRD presidency: "I have not been approached"
19.4.2000: Paper strike set to end; New technology boosts Finnish competitiveness; Welfare officials admit to paying dead man's rent; Russian heroin invades Helsinki drug market; "Russia tightening grip on Karelia"
20.4.2000: Internet booze sales worry Finnish officials; Support for euro plummets; Clean needles and methadone part of new Helsinki drug strategy; Lipponen explains Austria boycott procedure; Litmanen to play in Poland; Office of Fair Trade opposes Sonera purchase of Digita shares
25.4.2000: Two Finnish men among hostages in Malaysia; Exceptionally warm Easter weather in Southern Finland; Lions line-up almost complete for World Championships; Two bodies reveal moonshine factory, drugs & stolen property; Spring floods move north
26.4.2000: Aho gets permission for Harvard leave; Competing bid threatens Finnish-US paper company merger; Dave Brubeck opens April Jazz; Cellphone operators competing over quality customers; Finns abducted in Malaysia still missing; Spring heatwave in Southern Finland has not affected skiing conditions in Lapland
27.4.2000: Hostages located on island in Celebes Sea; ransom demands issued; UPM-Kymmene prepares for war of nerves over fate of Champion; Charges against 21 in the wake of baseball match-fixing scandal; Halonen's campaign cost FIM 6.2 million; University students and employees demonstrate before Parliament today; Brothers charged with a colourful series of crimes
28.4.2000: Nokia does it again; first quarter results outstanding - operating profit up 71%; Negotiations get under way for release of hostages in the Philippines; Halonen and Albright discuss Russian situation in Washington; Eura brothers to be psychologically tested; Floods close in on residents of Simo; Finland accused of human rights violations in custody case
2.5.2000: Hostages complain of health problems; Niinistö prepared to give more money to universities; Around 3,000 march in combined May Day parade by the left; Working Finns stand in food lines; Few foreigners interested in Finnish holiday property; Foreign Ministers Tuomioja and Lindh: EU needs more efficient civilian crisis management
3.5.2000: Halonen gets royal welcome in Sweden; Estonian woman caught in Turku with 3 kilos of amphetamines; Sharp rise in Helsinki housing prices accelerates; Plenty of summer jobs available for Finnish students; Enlargement into Baltics theme of this year's Europe Day; Conflicting reports on fate of hostages in Philippines
4.5.2000: President Tarja Halonen satisfied with Sweden visit; Finland to lobby for EU appointments; 121 MPs absent from Parliament on Wednesday; Robertson calls for NATO role in EU security policy planning; Finland does not seek separate solution with guerrillas in hostage case; London - Frankfurt stock exchange merger: Helsinki not worried
5.5.2000: Loveletter virus sweeps across Finland; widespread damage; Niinistö still considering EBRD candidacy; Housing loan interest rates go up; Philippines: Foreign hostages split into five groups; Ministry wants to ban links to foreign Internet gambling sites; UNICEF's Executive Director thanks Finland for financial support
8.5.2000: Ahtisaari to help monitor IRA arms decommissioning; Viagra suspected in seven heart failure deaths in Finland; A longish wait, but Mika wins in Spain; Schjerfbeck's Katkennut kieli sold at top price; Hostages' condition deteriorates in Philippine jungle; Finnish banks attract wealthy Estonians
9.5.2000: Conscientious objectors to serve less; Niinistö will not be new EBRD President; Trial for biker killings begins in Lahti; Pohjola seeks to dilute its involvement in If project; Silja Line ships disembark regardless of strike; Lipponen in Tallinn: Estonia in front in EU membership race
10.5.2000: Half of the Kosovo refugees have left Finland; HIV spreading faster than ever in Finland; Lipponen in Tarto: Northern Dimension #1 project in Baltic Sea region; Animal activist's prison sentence reduced to community service; Finnish households still buying into Nokia; 20,000 new domestic shareholders this year; Sympathy strike against Silja Line threatens to expand today
11.5.2000: Fight for Champion International heats up; IP and UPM-Kymmene raise offers; Ahtisaari to be shown hidden IRA arms; Sampo-Leonia rejects offer for Pohjola shares; Koivisto concerned about state of UN; Strike against Silja Line vessels over; Housing prices levelling off throughout Finland
12.5.2000: Hostages fear new fighting; Lipponen lobbies for EU jobs for Finns; Finland dispose of "Auld Enemy" in Hockey World Championships; MPs to get substantial salary increase; Accused in biker killings to be sent for psychiatric tests; Pohjola owners attempt to resolve differences today
15.5.2000: UPM-Kymmene outbid: gives up planned merger with Champion; Philippine guerrillas demand ransom for hostages; Finland emerge with medal from topsy-turvy Hockey World Championships; Building sites discard materials worth billions; Tuomioja rejects Fischer's calls for European Federation; Horse parade brightens up the city
16.5.2000: Tuomioja rankles at Hägglund proposal for evacuation force; Illegal fireworks' storage areas found in Finland; Increased popularity for part-time retirement; Ahtisaari to inspect three IRA arms caches; 400 local entrepreneurs apply to take over postal outlets; Finland applies to join WEAG; Green Apple Puppet Theatre's loan request rejected
17.5.2000: Pohjola to withdraw from If P&C insurance; Sampo-Leonia sells Pohjola shares; Niinistö wants end to Austria boycott; Halonen visits Estonia, urges patience on EU membership; Prime Minister Stoltenberg on EU: “No new application from Norway”; He came, he sang, he conquered - Dylan in fine form; Elk population causes record traffic and forest damages; Finnish timbermen still without pay
18.5.2000: Support for joining NATO remains low; Ex-President Koivisto warns of consequences of peacekeeping law; President Halonen visits Saaremaa; Foreign Minister Tuomioja: no new measures in Philippine hostage crisis; Gas prices take another great leap forward; No Finns in final of 2nd Sibelius Conducting Competition
19.5.2000: NATO's Robertson wants open relations between EU and NATO; EU enlargement would reduce number of Finnish MEPs; Elts wins the Sibelius Conducting Competition; Commuters annoyed by congested trains in Helsinki; Ex-head of Pohjola Accident Insurance to head If in Finland; Migration leads to empty apartments in Finnish provinces
22.5.2000: Sonera loses half of its value since March; Peat fire rages over one hundred hectares in Ostrobothnia; State loses FIM 750 million in housing loan deal; Methadone programmes for drug addicts extend to health centres; Stockmann's department store bombed in Tallinn, reward offered for information; New information on East German espionage in Finland
23.5.2000: Share prices dive nearly 9% on Helsinki Stock Exchange; President Halonen calls the Philippines over hostage crisis; Tuomioja criticises the preparation strategy of EU's foreign policy; Suhonen breaks new ground and becomes Blackhawks' head coach; Norway rejects Merita offer for Christiania Bank; Consumer morals on borrowing have slackened
24.5.2000: Finland plans to send additional UN peacekeepers to Southern Lebanon; British company seeks to put up leisure centre in Vantaa; Young Herlins purged from Kone holding company; Insurance companies to prepare a new anti-fraud register; Halonen: The Nordic model is Finland's trump card; VATT researcher Parkkinen: "economic growth will defuse pension bomb"
25.5.2000: EU finance ministers' tax discussion: Niinistö contradicts Commission; Austria to be under special EU scruitiny; Speedy decisions in the handling of asylum applications shown to be unconstitutional; Thousands of Finns diagnosed with LQTS cardiac arrhythmia; No room at the inn - Helsinki hotel rooms booked solid; Hostages demand more effective steps for their release; morale very low