Domestic news outlets speculate that Russia may deploy forces to Finland’s eastern border as America’s new foreign policy sends shockwaves across Europe.
Open image viewer
After emerging from their winter den, the bears proceeded to scratch their backs. Image: Annika Sorjonen / Korkeasaari
The Finnish media continues to cover European leaders’ outrage at US President Donald Trump‘s insults about Ukraine.
Several outlets, including Iltalehti, carry news of Finnish President Alexander Stubb‘s Thursday phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to Stubb’s office, the two discussed Finland’s support to Ukraine and steps for finding a sustainable and just conclusion to Russia’s war of aggression.
In an interview with the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA), Ilta-Sanomat meanwhile reports that Finland is likely to see an increased presence of Russian troops on its eastern border if Russia withdraws military forces from Ukraine.
For a weekly roundup of the top stories from Finland, as well as an Yle Areena tip, sign up for Yle’s newsletter service with your Yle ID.
Pent-up demand
Finland’s realtor federation says the housing market is perking up, according to Helsingin Sanomat.
The sale of used homes rose by 25 percent in January compared to the same period last year, according to the January housing market report by the Central Federation of Finnish Real Estate Agencies.
The federation’s data indicated that sales of detached houses and row houses saw a notable increase.
Buyers are looking for homes that don’t need work, which is why they’re especially interested in detached and row houses built in the 2000s. Realtors told the paper that there is pent-up demand for small single-family houses in the greater Helsinki area.
The bears are back
The two brown bears at Korkeasaari Zoo, Julia and Sofia, have awakened from their winter slumber. On Thursday, the bears ventured out of their winter den to explore their snow-covered surroundings, according to Hufvudstadsbladet.
The bears rolled around in the snow and spent a good amount of time scratching their backs against a tree, the zoo said in a press release.
The bears went into hibernation in mid-November but already stirred at the beginning of the year when the weather was exceptionally mild, according to the zoo. The pair went back to sleep earlier this month when temperatures plunged.
In the far north of Finland, brown bears are known to hibernate for more than six months.
The All Points North podcast went ice swimming and nature walking to find the best ways to stay active during the long Finnish winter.
Listen to the episode via this embedded player, on Yle Areena, via Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Are winter sports the secret hack to surviving Finnish winters?
Users with an Yle ID can leave comments on our news stories. You can create your Yle ID via this link. Our guidelines on commenting and moderation are explained here.
Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.