Finland Times

Finland Times, which entered the digital world of information as a practicum under a new media project run by the University of Lapland and sponsored by the European Union, has stepped into its third year.

I thank our readers, patrons, contributors and well-wishers who have been here with us since the launch of this online newspaper on December 10, 2012. Their feedback and positive response have inspired us to keep going.

The hit count on the Finland Times website has increased significantly over time. Along with readers from Finland, residents of more than 201 countries and regions have visited finlandtimes.fi, the first ever daily English online newspaper in Finland which proves that more and more people are reading it. We find it most encouraging, indeed.

Every venture has a mission. We, at Finland Times, are trying to present absolutely unbiased news and information and, in the process, build up trust among our readers at home and abroad.

On this special occasion, we renew our pledge to uphold ethical norms of journalism and keep our readers up to date. We know we have a long way to go and so are navigating carefully to remain on track in this age of digital technology. But we still need and expect unflinching support from our readers and well-wishers.

I take this opportunity to thank once again our sponsors, staff and friends who are with us in this journey. I hope that all who have supported this newspaper in achieving today’s feat will continue to help us reach further heights.

Thank you for your support and keeping our hopes alive.

Finland Times has become a major source of English news in Finland, creating a new era of English journalism in the country, in addition to opening a global window for people to learn the latest happenings.

I have been very close to this new and promising venture from the very beginning and have become involved with this online news daily from the middle of this year. I believe the future of English newspapers is a very bright one here in Finland in this age of globalization, when online media has started to lead the news industry as a whole.

I have found that Finland Times maintains objectivity and the ethical norms of journalism in presenting news that has earned it credibility among its readers over the last two years. More than 460 different national and international organisations, including the Finnish government website, are now using the link of Finland Times, which proves its positive impact on Finnish and European as well as global news media.

However, commercial viability is also of high importance for smooth functioning of this news outlet which is proactive in introducing the Finnish culture across the globe. The newspaper also carries a high level of potential to help the business community introduce their products outside Finland and attract foreign investors. It also has created a platform for learning practical journalism for students. Indeed, a number of university students have successfully completed internship here.

Finland Times was the media partner of the World NGO Day organised by the World NGO Forum in Helsinki and of the Arctic Business Forum hosted by the Lapland Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Rovaniemi in 2014.

I think it is the responsibility of all of us to help Finland Times survive for the greater interest of our society. I urge government, non-government, business and other organisations to extend all-out cooperation to Finland Times in earning commercial viability.

I am very pleased to see that also English speaking media is thriving in our country. I congratulate warmly Finland Times for already two successful years complementing the Finnish media sphere and proving information also to those interested in the Finnish society who do not speak our national languages.

All the best for the future and a joyous Christmas season.

As the Chair of the Finnish Green party I would like to congratulate the Finland Times Daily on its’ second anniversary.

Finland is an international and extroverted country. We have a growing international and English speaking population. One cannot stress enough the importance of being able to follow current affairs for anyone who wishes to settle in Finland. An independent and high quality English media also ensures that Finland is attractive to migrants that want to live and work in Finland.

To us free education is a fundamental principle as well as equality between people and preserving this planet for future generations. Equally important is that Finland becomes more and more attainable and unobstructed when it comes to internationalization.

The Finland Times plays a very important part in the lives of the English speaking community in Finland. We wish that the magazine will continue its important work for years to come!

The Ministry of Employment and Economy works actively with all relevant stakeholders on issues related to integration. According to forecasts, the number of foreign inhabitants in Finland will rise to half a million by 2030 as Finland and labour markets are becoming more multicultural.

Access to information is a prerequisite for successful integration. Our aim is to foster a sense of solidarity and belongingness to the society among the immigrants. Integration is a two-way process: Immigrants need support and guidance to be able to integrate into the Finnish society; and, concurrently, the Finnish society needs to adapt itself to meet immigrants’ needs. This requires comprehensive commitment to equality, non-discrimination and prevention of racism as well as promotion of positive attitudes and tolerance. A quality English language media has an important role in supporting this approach.

I want to congratulate Finland Times on the occasion of its second founding anniversary and wish Finland Times more anniversaries to come.

On the occasion of Finland Times’ second founding anniversary please accept the warmest greetings from National Coalition Party (Kokoomus).

Kokoomus values highly the active role of the founders of the English newspaper Finland Times. In a globalized world it is essential that Finnish news can be delivered online and in English.

Kokoomus wishes you a great celebration and all the best for the future years.

Congratulations Finland Times on your second anniversary!

Having access to information and being informed is important for us both as individuals and as a society. The key part in everyday decision making, however big or small, is making informed decisions. It is important that there is an opportunity for the non-Finnish speaking community in Finland to follow current affairs through newspapers like Finland Times.

Independent and objective media is one of the corner stones of a functioning democracy and an equal society. Equality, along with wellbeing and health are important Finnish values. Wellbeing and health is an entirety which is made up from the circumstances where a person is born, grows up, lives, works and where they grow old. Therefore enabling people to make informed decisions concerning all aspects of life and society is of great importance.

I wish Finland Times and its readers all the best, and many more anniversaries to come!

The Centre Party of Finland congratulates Finland Times on the occasion of its second anniversary. Finland Times has already for two years widened the journalist scope of information on Finland given in English. The fact that this happens from the polar circle is even more respectable.

The diversity and accuracy of journalism are keys not only to get information, but also to understand the deep streams of the society - its culture and politics.

The Centre Party of Finland wishes Finland Times further curiosity and all the best for the years to come.

It is nice to see Finland Times stepping into the third year of its publication. I am happy that besides providing current news and information for the public, Finland Times, the country’s first daily online English newspaper, also continues to contribute in the development of Rovaniemi.

I know that Finland Times has been successfully catering news and information of public interest which has made it popular in a very short time.Rovaniemicity corporationwill always be beside Finland Times in its journey forward.

I hope the newspaper will continue to provide its readers with up-to-date news and interesting information.I wish it all the best and all success.

In a globalised world Finland constantly needs new instruments to communicate with the international community. Finland Times, the first online newspaper solely in English in Finland has successfully fulfilled this task for two years now. As the editor-in-chief of a Finnish newspaper in Lapland, I am proud and happy that Finland Times is published in Rovaniemi, in the heart of Lapland and the arctic region.

On behalf of the whole staff of Lapin Kansa I congratulate Finland Times celebrating its second anniversary.

I would also like to take the opportunity to wish you a joyful Christmas season.

I want to congratulate Finland Times for second anniversary. I was very surprised about one and a half year ago when I heard first time about Finland Times and that it is published here in Rovaniemi.

Lapland Chamber of Commerce has already had very fruitful cooperation with Finland Times during 5th Arctic Business Forum in March 2014.

Importance of Circumpolar Arctic Business cooperation is increasing all the time. Lapland Chamber of Commerce is organizing 6th Arctic Business Forum in Rovaniemi on 10.-12.3.2015 with theme ” Global SustainableArctic Business”. I am very happy to announce that we continue our cooperation with Finland Times also next year.

Rovaniemi City Corporation is optimistic about the future of Finland Times, the country’s first online English newspaper, which is celebrating its second founding anniversary.

The newspaper, with many constraints to my knowledge, has not only provided updated national and international news and information for the public but has also highlighted various socio-cultural events of public interest in Rovaniemi.

We, at the Rovaniemi City Corporation, hope that the relationship with the Finland Times will continue to grow stronger.

I wish all success to Finland Times.

Rovaniemi City congratulates the country’s first online English newspaper Finland Times, which has two incredible years behind and hopefully many good years ahead. Our cooperation with Finland Times has been very good and we are happy to be a part of the development of this this high-standard newspaper.

International visitors are important for us and we believe Finland Times will continue to uphold the journalism that reaches foreign visitors as well as the interested local people.

Happy anniversary, Finland Times!

I have been impressed how Finland Times has grown from an unlikely idea into a real, functioning and important source of news and information. Nobody in Rovaniemi would have had this kind of a vision of establishing an English language news portal until somebody came from Bangladesh and just did it. I wish that this kind of spirit would spread in the Finnish society which needs brave ideas.

At the Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland we see clearly the importance of reliable cross-border information and communication and in our work we feel the need of international cooperation and understanding. Finland Times is opening an important window and answering to a real need. Personally and on behalf of the Arctic Centre, I congratulate you and wish you many successful years!

Several Finnish quality photo books were exhibited this year in the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany. As the Guest of Honour 2014 in the expo, Finland’s motto was Finnland. Cool.

But what makes Finnish photography so cool?

Finnish photography is well-known as the Helsinki School. But there are a great number of talented photographers across the country. One of them is Marja Pirilä, who lives in Tampere. Her photo book “Carried by Light” is a cross-section of Pirilä’s extensive production. It is beautifully designed by Petri Nuutinen. Pirilä has gained world-wide fame for her pinhole camera pictures combined with modern technique. You can see a person being photographed while the outside world from the window is reflected on the person and his/her background. It merges the interior world with the exterior.

Another photographer, Juha Metso, lives in the harbour town of Kotka. He has been very productive in 2014. Two of his books on Finnish actor Ville Haapasalo, who works mainly in Russia, are now as popular as Hannu Hautala’s books on Finnish nature. Metso has travelled with rock musician and writer Kauko Röyhkä, whose strong text goes straightforward with Metso’s . Metso and his other writer friend, Juha Vakkuri, have depicted the rhapsody of Guinea bay. The book “Voodoo – ordinary life of Africa” goes deep into the myths of African rituals.

Pekka Elomaa, who lives and works in Helsinki, has created pictures of disabled people. The portraits are composed in a renaissance style. The photographs are touching and timeless in their deep details and beautiful lights. Elomaa has worked many years on different projects with the same group, Lyhty association. That’s why you can feel the intimacy of the photographs in the book “Nice to Meet You Mr. Holbein”. Elomaa has edited a powerful book with Olli Jaatinen from Mikkeli.

I extend my warmest congratulations to you and the staff of Finland Times on the occasion of the second anniversary of the founding of your on-line newspaper. I think you are performing a valuable service to all who are interested in Finland and who are interested in reading news about this country in English. I hope your newspaper will continue to flourish and we will see more interesting and timely articles from you in the coming years.

I came to Finland from India about 30 years ago, and I am a Finnish citizen. My family consists of wife, a son and mother.

I'm involved in the City corporation since 2009, and nominated for parliament the 2015 elections.

I wish the Finland Times on its second founding anniversary and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to its readers!

I am happy to know that the Finland Times, the first-ever online English daily published from Finland, is going to mark its second founding anniversary on December 10. The newspaper has already become a source of credible news and a way of getting publicity of our business. I believe it has created a new window of opportunity for business houses to introduce and promote their products and services at home and abroad. I have received a significant level of positive response after publishing advertisement of my business in the Finland Times and hope that the business community will extend cooperation to this newly established newspaper. It will help it earn commercial viability.

I wish every success to the Finland Times.

I have followed the stages of the Finland Times from its beginnings and seen its tremendous growth and development. Keep up in the same way.

Happy 2nd Founding Anniversary, Finland Times!

Congratulations Finland Times and all the staff working on the anniversary!

You are a wonderful internet news Projects. Especially important is the work Finland Times for the English-speaking population in Finland.

I wish you grow and prosper!

At this celebration and happy moment, it is my honor to extend my heartfelt congratulations for the second anniversary of Finland Times.

For the past one year, I am so grateful to have Finland Times as an accompany for it has becoming a kind of a mentor and friend to me. As a media education student, it is indispensable to be informed by the media everyday; however, being incapable of reading in Finnish makes the existence of an online English press become valuable to me. The inclusive news in Finland Times not only helps me being updated with the outside changing world, but also helps getting closer to the local people. Moreover, working as an intern with Finland Times makes me profoundly to feel its earnest and serious attitudes towards news.

Therefore, I sincerely wish Finland Times all the best and continuing its success.

I really feel happy to be with the Finland Times in its journey during the last two years. I take the opportunity to congratulate the country’s first English online newspaper in celebration of its second birthday.

It is great to see Finland Times keep its English readers updated and informed with news from around the world.

New Bombay is happy to stand beside the Finland Times in its journey to new heights. We wish the online newspaper all success.

The recent government decision not to introduce tuition fees for students coming outside the European Economic Area (EEA) will help scholars across the world continue with their studies in Finland.

I believe it will ensure their rights to education. It will also sustain the ongoing exchange of knowledge between Finnish and foreign scholars to enrich the Nordic country with cultural diversity.

The controversy centring earnings from the education sector and the future of Finnish education came to an end, at least for the time being, with the government deciding in early December to not to go forward with the proposal, following disagreements among the cabinet parties under the pressure of massive criticism by some political parties, university teachers, researchers and student unions.

The issue has been sent back to a ministerial working committee for reconsideration.

A ministerial working committee formed in this regard initially proposed that the tuition fee would be at least 4,000 euros per academic year for studies towards a degree in programmes conducted in languages other than Finnish and Swedish, which posed a threat to the ongoing tuition-free education in Finland.

Earlier, on October 29, the government’s proposal to charge tuition fees from students coming from outside EEA was forwarded for consultation.

On November 4, 2013, a committee formed to assess the possibility of exporting education had proposed that tuition fees should be imposed on some specific portions of higher studies for the students from non-Euro economic zone.

The proposal was supported mainly by the Kansallinen Kokoomus (National Coalition Party), the main component of the four-party alliance government, while the Suomen Sosialidemokraattinen Puolue (Social Democratic Party of Finland), the second biggest component of the government, opposed the plan.

Opposition Left Alliance and Green Party lawmakers also opposed the move, with the Left Alliance terming it pure racism.

Although the committee set a target of having 60,000 foreign students by the year 2025, with the current number standing at 20,000, it was clear that there was a possibility of failure in achieving the target, if the tuition fees were imposed.

Sensing the possible negative impact, leaders of student unions had been strongly criticised the proposal from the very beginning.

The Union of Students in Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences (SAMOK) and the National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL) termed the move “suicidal,” saying it would close the door to international expertise.

Experts in the sector, however, pointed out both the negative and positive aspects of the issue, saying it is a positive move, as it would mean more money for the institutions, but, on the other hand, in terms of national economy, it could be a trickier issue, depending on how many students will come to Finland from outside.

The number of foreign students at higher education levels studying in Sweden and Denmark decreased considerably after introduction of tuition fees. So it is not unlikely that the fate of Finland would be the same, if tuition fees were introduced.

As a foreign student, I know students like me would be deprived of free education and would not be interested to come to Finland, if tuition fees are introduced.

I appreciate the government for taking such a pragmatic decision and I also hope that the proposal will not be revived in the future.