Finnish December industry output drops 6 pct yr/yr
Helsinki, February 9 (STT)
Finland's adjusted industrial output fell by about six per cent year-on-year in December, Statistics Finland (SF) said in a statement Wednesday.
The agency added that seasonally adjusted output had risen by 0.9 per cent month-on-month.
In 2009 as a whole output fell by 21 per cent.
"The drop was the worst since Finland became an independent state," the SF statement added.
Finland's trade deficit up at EUR 50 mln in December
Helsinki, February 9 (STT)
Finland ran a 50-million-euro trade deficit in December, up from 29 million in the year-ago period, the National Board of Customs said in a statement on Tuesday.
Exports fell by about 16 per cent year-on-year to about 3.55 billion euros, with imports declining by about 15 per cent to some 3.60 billion.
Finance Minister Katainen would swap PM in June
Helsinki, February 9 (STT)
Jyrki Katainen, the Finnish finance minister and Conservative party leader, was quoted as saying by regional daily Turun Sanomat on Tuesday that Matti Vanhanen should step down as prime minister after June's Centre party conference.
Mr Vanhanen announced in December last year he would not stand for re-election as party leader at the Lahti conference but left the question of prime ministership open.
Mr Katainen was quoted as saying that Mr Vanhanen's successor as party leader should take over as prime minister as well.
He went on to reject a proposal by Sauli Niinisto (cons), the speaker of Parliament, to broaden the coalition before next year's general election.
"There should be some sort of grounds for it," Mr Katainen was quoted as saying by Turun Sanomat.
"I disagree with him over [his suggestion] that this government is stopping economic adjustment from taking place."
Mr Niinisto had told the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) that Finland should follow Germany's example and welcome the Social Democrats into the government.
"I consider it queer. It would mean that we would have no functioning opposition. In Germany, the brunt of the public's antipathy was directed at the fact that the grand coalition would carry on."
Finnish GDP contracts by 7.4 pct yr/yr in November -SF
Helsinki, February 5 (STT)
Finland's gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by 7.4 per cent year-on-year in November last year, having shrank at a revised rate of 8.6 per cent in October, Statistics Finland said in a statement Friday.
The agency added that seasonally adjusted GDP had fallen by 1.2 per cent month-on-month in November.
Finnish transport union issues port strike notice
Helsinki, February 2 (STT)
The Finnish Transport Workers' Union (AKT) on Monday handed a strike notice to all ports in the country.
The union said the strike was set to begin on 19 February.
The AKT also announced that a stevedore overtime ban would begin on Tuesday.
Talks between the AKT and port operators on a pay and conditions agreement broke down at the weekend over a dispute involving the length of dismissal protection.
"Given that voluntary mediation under the leadership of the state conciliator failed to produce a result and that the negotiations broke down, the AKT handed an industrial action notice and declared an overtime ban," said Timo Raty, the chairman of the union.
"We hope that the negotiations are commenced under the leadership of the state conciliator as soon as possible."
Nokia Q4 pretax jumps to EUR 1.06 bln
Helsinki, January 28 (STT)
Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia on Thursday posted a final-quarter pretax profit of about 1.06 billion euros, up from some 476 million in the year-ago period, sending its share price to a steep rise.
The Espoo-based company's October-to-December sales fell to about 12 billion euros from some 12.6 billion in the same quarter in 2008, with earnings per share falling by a cent to 25 cents.
Nokia put its final-quarter mobile device market share at 39 per cent, up from an estimated 37 per cent in the year-ago quarter and 38 per cent in the penultimate quarter last year.
Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, the managing director of Nokia, said in a statement he was pleased with the company's final-quarter figures.
Nokia's share price jumped by more than 10 per cent on the Helsinki stock exchange by 1.30pm.
Finnish Dec jobless rate up yr/yr at 9 pct
Helsinki, January 26 (STT)
Finland's adjusted unemployment rate rose to 9.0 per cent in December from 6.6 per cent in the year-ago period, Statistics Finland (SF) said in a statement Tuesday.
Month-on-month, the adjusted jobless rate remained unchanged.
Finnish Centre party in disarray after Lehtomaki bows out
Helsinki, January 18 (STT)
Paula Lehtomaki, the Finnish environment minister and a clear favourite in polls to lead the ruling Centre party, cast further doubt over the party's future on Saturday by telling the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) she would not stand at the Lahti party conference in June.
Catching observers as well as old party hands Mauri Pekkarinen and Paavo Vayrynen by surprise, Ms Lehtomaki said she would not be able to carry out the duties of party leader and prime minister while raising two children aged two and four.
Mr Vanhanen announced last month she would step down as party leader at the Lahti conference. None of those considered potential candidates to replace him has stepped forward.
Aktia raises Finnish GDP forecast further
Helsinki, January 14 (STT)
Finnish bancassurer Aktia on Thursday raised its Finnish gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for this year to two per cent, having foreseen 1.3 per cent in September last year and 0.8 per cent in April.
Aktia said it expected the country's economy to grow by two per cent next year as well.
Aktia's economists added that the country's jobless rate would rise to about 10 per cent.
Finnair says takes EUR 12 mln hit from handling strike and weather
Helsinki, January 12 (STT)
Finnish flag carrier Finnair said in a statement Tuesday that last month's four-day ground handling strike at Helsinki-Vantaa airport and adverse weather had cost it about 12 million euros in losses.
"The disruptions have caused many problems for our customers, for which we are truly sorry," Lasse Heinonen, Finnair's deputy managing director, said in the statement.
Finnish October GDP down 10.4 pct yr/yr
Helsinki, January 8 (STT)
Finland's seasonally adjusted gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 10.4 per cent year-on-year and rose by 0.5 per cent month-on-month in October, Statistics Finland (SF) said in a preliminary data statement on Friday.
According to revised data the country's GDP fell by 12.4 per cent year-on-year in September.
Finnish job cuts double last year -SAK
Helsinki, January 7 (STT)
The number of job cuts more than doubled last year to about 20,000, having stood at some 9,500 in 2008, the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) quoted its study as indicating on Thursday.
The total number of people affected by cooperation procedure talks rose to about 195,000 from about 65,000 in 2008, the SAK added.
Penttila named head of Finnish Central Chamber of Commerce
Helsinki, January 5 (STT)
The Finnish Central Chamber of Commerce said in a statement Tuesday its board had named Risto Penttila director-general, effective May.
Kari Jalas is to retire as director-general of the Central Chamber of Commerce in September.
Mr Penttila has been a director at the Business and Policy Forum (Eva), a pro-business thinktank, since 2002, having been an MP in 1995-9 and worked for consulting company Oxford Analytica and the World Economic Forum, a corporate-funded thintank.
Train ploughs into hotel in central Helsinki
Helsinki, January 4 (STT)
A commuter train smashed through a buffer stop and slammed into a hotel at the central railway station in Helsinki Monday morning, rescuers said.
No one was on board the train when the accident happened.
Finnish Railways (VR) said no one had been hurt in the incident, adding services to and from the station would be suspended for at least half an hour.
Peak-hour trains were stopping short of the terminus to allow passengers to alight outside the platforms.
Finland to shut down for Christmas
Helsinki, December 23 (STT)
Most shops in Finland will close their doors for the Christmas holidays at midday on Thursday, with small supermarkets allowed to trade for four hours between 8am and 6pm on Boxing Day.
On Sunday, small supermarkets may trade normally and bigger ones between midday and 6pm.
Alcohol retail outlets run by Alko, the government monopoly, will close at 8pm on Wednesday and reopen the following Monday.
Post offices will be closed from Thursday to Monday with the exception of Helsinki's main post office, which will be open until midday on Thursday.
Trains will grind to a halt by about 6pm on Thursday and restart gradually after midday on Friday. Travellers are asked to check timetables at www.vr.fi or Teletext page 430.
A number of coaches will not run on Friday. Timetables can be accessed at matkahuolto.fi or by calling 0200 4000, a premium-rate number.
Vanhanen to step down as Finnish Centre party leader
Helsinki, December 23 (STT)
Matti Vanhanen (centre), the Finnish prime minister, announced Wednesday he would not pursue another term as party leader at the Finnish Centre party's conference in Lahti next June.
Mr Vanhanen wrote in his blog and that his decision to step down had been influenced by an operation on his leg scheduled for next autumn, adding the recovery time from the surgical procedure would be too long for him to be able to carry on as prime minister and party leader in an effective way.
Mr Vanhanen said he had made the announcement just before the Christmas and New Year break in order for to give potential party leader candidates the time to reflect on the matter unharassed.
Writing in Centre party organ Suomenmaa, Mr Vanhanen said the new party leader to be selected at the Lahti party conference would play a key role in naming a prime minister.
He added he intended to stand for re-election in the 2011 general election.
Ship delivery boosts Finnish October current account surplus
Helsinki, December 15 (STT)
Finland ran a current account surplus of about 1.6 billion in October, the month South Korean shipbuilder STX delivered a 900-million-euro cruiseship (The Oasis of the Seas) from one of its Finnish yards, the Bank of Finland said in a statement Tuesday.
The surplus had stood at some 0.7 billion euros in the year-ago period.
There was a 1.5-billion-euro surplus on goods this October, with the services and incomes accounts posting a slight surpluses and the current transfer account a slight deficit.
Capital inflows exceeded outflows by about six billion euros.
Finnair Nov traffic plunges 21 pct yr/yr
Helsinki, December 8 (STT)
Finnish flag carrier Finnair on Tuesday reported its November scheduled traffic, measured in passenger revenue kilometres, falling by about 21 per cent year-on-year.
Finnair blamed a two-day pilot strike that led to the cancellation of about 400 flights.
Finnair added it had slashed capacity by more than 18 per cent year-on-year in November, yielding a scheduled traffic passenger load factor of 70 per cent, down by 1.5 percentage points from the year-ago period.
Finland's Lomaliitto files for bankruptcy
Helsinki, December 8 (STT)
Finnish holiday resort group Lomaliitto filed for bankruptcy and dismissed all 211 employees on Tuesday.
With hotel-resorts in Espoo, Kalajoki, Keuruu, Punkaharju and Savonlinna, Lomaliitto had long struggled to make ends meet.
Timo Vallittu, the chairman of Lomaliitto, said the group's financial problems had come to a head during the recession.
Finnish third-quarter GDP down 9.1 pct yr/yr but up 0.3 pct sequentially
Helsinki, December 8 (STT)
Finland's third-quarter gross domestic product (GDP), adjusted for the number of working days, contracted by 9.1 per cent year-on-year but rose by 0.3 per cent from the second quarter, Statistics Finland (SF) said in a statement Tuesday.
The country's GDP had fallen at a revised sequential rate of 0.3 per cent in the second quarter.
Nokia sees flat 2010 market share
Helsinki, December 3 (STT)
Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia said in a statement Wednesday it expected its 2010 mobile device market share to remain unchanged from this year's.
The market leader added it saw industry-wide device volumes rising by about 10 per cent next year from this year's level.
"Going into 2010, the overall mobile devices market is stabilising and it is growing more in the areas where Nokia has competitive advantages," Timo Ihamuotila, Nokia's chief financial officer, said in the statement.
EU's Barroso names Rehn economy commissioner
Helsinki, November 27 (STT)
Jose Barroso, the president of the European commission, announced Friday that he had named Finland's Olli Rehn economic and monetary affairs commissioner.
Mr Rehn had served as the EU executive's enlargement commissioner since 2004.
His new portfolio is deemed one of the most high-profile ones in the commission along with the trade, competition and internal market ones.
Joaquin Almunia, a Spaniard who was the economy commissioner in the previous commission, was announced as the competition commissioner-designate, with Karel de Gucht, a Belgian, appointed trade commissioner, and Michel Barnier from France tagged as the internal market commissioner.
Matti Vanhanen (centre), the Finnish prime minister, told reporters at the Finnish Parliament that Mr Rehn's new portfolio met the Finnish government's objective.
"I am extremely pleased," he said.
"This is certainly no consolation prize, but an absolutely top-rate post."
Finnish November manufacturing confidence down mth/mth
Helsinki, November 27 (STT)
The Finnish employer lobby's manufacturing confidence indicator stood at -19 points in November, down from October's -15 points but up from the -33 points seen in the year-ago period, the Confederation of Industries (EK) said in a statement Friday.
The long-term average of the indicator is +2 points.
The EK's construction, retail and services indicators picked up somewhat month-on-month.
Nokia to cut 220 R&D jobs in Japan
Helsinki, November 24 (STT)
Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia said in a statement Tuesday it would cut about 220 research and development jobs in Japan as a part of a global R&D realignment.
Nokia added that Nokia Siemens Networks and Vertu, a luxury handset range, were unaffected by the cuts.
Nokia had announced last week it would shed 330 R&D jobs in Denmark and Finland.
Finnair and pilots reach agreement, ending strike
Helsinki, November 17 (STT)
Finnair and the Finnish Airline Pilots' Association on Tuesday approved a government arbitrator's settlement proposal, bringing an end to a strike that has grounded most of the Finnish flag carrier's fleet since Monday.
Finnair said it would be able to operate just under half of its flights on Wednesday, with full service resumption expected by Friday.
The union accepted the proposal an hour after a deadline set by Esa Lonka, the state conciliator.
The biggest sticking point between Finnair and its pilots involved the carrier's outsourcing plans.
The union said the agreement allowed outsourcing within certain boundaries.
Finnair welcomed the agreement.
Most scheduled flights cancelled during Finnair pilots' strike
Helsinki, November 16 (STT)
Finnair pilots went on strike a minute past midnight on Monday, grounding most of the Finnish flag carrier's fleet.
Finnair said Monday that all scheduled flights bar two return flights from Bangkok were cancelled and added it aimed to operate all charter flights.
A number of flights were cancelled on Sunday.
Scandinavian Airlines subsidiary Blue1 said it would add one to two flights on its Helsinki-Kuopio route, with an aircraft size upgrade considered for the Helsinki-Oulu and Helsinki-Stockholm routes.
Finnish Commuter Airlines (Finncomm) said it would fly to extra destinations - Kajaani, Kittila, Oulu, Rovaniemi and Vilnius - and raise the frequency of its Kuopio and Vaasa services. Finncomm, a Finnair codeshare partner, said it would welcome passengers with Finnair tickets provided there was enough space on its aircraft.
British Airways said it would introduce bigger aeroplanes on its Helsinki-London service.
Finnish Railways said it would add trains and carriages to cope with extra passengers.
Finnair asked passengers to contact their travel agent, check a list of cancelled flights on the internet at finnair.com/info or dial +358 800 9 3466.
Finnair and the Airline Pilots' Association said they were waiting for Esa Lonka, the state conciliator, to invite them to the bargaining table.
The row between the struggling government-controlled carrier and its pilots involves Finnair's outsourcing plans.
Finnish September GDP shrinks 11.6 pct yr/yr
Helsinki, November 13 (STT)
Finland's seasonally adjusted gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 11.6 per cent year-on-year and by 2.1 per cent month-on-month in September, Statistics Finland (SF) said in a statement Friday.
The agency added that while primary production had risen by three per cent year-on-year, secondary production had contracted by 22 per cent and services by eight per cent from the year-ago period.
Finnair's board names Vehvilainen managing director
Helsinki, November 11 (STT)
Finnish flag carrier Finnair said in a statement Wednesday it had named Mika Vehvilainen managing director, effective 1 February next year.
It added Mr Vehvilainen, currently chief operating officer of Nokia Siemens Networks, would join the government-controlled carrier in January.
Mr Vehvilainen joined mobile phone maker Nokia in 1991.
"He has strong experience of sales and marketing and of strategic management and business development in Asia, North America and Europe," Finnair said in the statement.
Jukka Hienonen announced his resignation in August.
Finnish September industry output down 23 pct yr/yr
Helsinki, November 10 (STT)
Finland's working day-adjusted industrial output fell by 23 per cent year-on-year in September, Statistics Finland (SF) said in a statement Tuesday.
Output fell by 21 per cent year-on-year in August.
The manufacturing capacity utilisation rate fell by a good 11 points from the year-ago period to 71.4 per cent in September.
Metso to buy Tamfelt
Helsinki, November 5 (STT)
Finnish engineering group Metso and Finnish technical textile maker Tamfelt have entered into a merger agreement, with the former making an offer to buy all issued and outstanding shares in the latter, the two companies said in a statement.
"The combination will strengthen Metso's services business, especially in the pulp and paper industry," the statement added.
"For Tamfelt, the combination creates new growth opportunities especially outside Europe, where Metso has an extensive installed base and wide sales and services network."
Metso said it would offer Tamfelt shareholders three new Metso shares for every 10 Tamfelt shares and 35 euro cents for each Tamfelt stock option.
Metso expects to finish the transaction by the end of the first quarter of next year at the latest, subject to competition authorities' approval in Finland and abroad.
EK says Finnish firms see no quick recovery
Helsinki, November 5 (STT)
The Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK) on Thursday quoted a business survey as indicating that the country's companies remained in "a very weak" stage of the business cycle albeit with some positive signs.
"Although the market situation is in fact expected to stabilise gradually, there are no expectations of a rapid recovery and return to growth," the business lobby said in a statement.
The EK's manufacturing outlook indicator stood at -6 in October, up from -41 in the year-ago period and from -8 July this year.
The construction and services outlook indicators rose as well.
Finnish tech industry sees sales plummeting 30 pct
Helsinki, October 28 (STT)
The Federation of Finnish Technology Industries said in a statement Wednesday it faced the most difficult turning-point in its history, with this year's sales seen falling by up to 30 per cent.
The industry lobby added that Finland's top revenue earner needed urgent action to improve its competitiveness.
The federation said July-to-September orders had fallen by 40 per cent year-on-year.
It added that member companies would have cut 10 per cent of their jobs by the end of the year.
Finnish shipyard delivers world's biggest cruiseship
Helsinki, October 28 (STT)
South Korean shipbuilder STX on Wednesday delivered MS Oasis of the Seas, the world's biggest cruiseship, to Miami-based line Royal Caribbean from a yard in southwestern Finland.
The 361-metre ship has berthing for about 6,400 passengers and 2,100 crew and towers 72 metres above sea level.
At a cost of some 900 million euros, the vessel is the biggest export product ever manufactured in Finland.
The ship was laid down at STX's Turku yard in November 2007. The same yard is to deliver MS Allure of the Seas, the second Genesis-class ship, next year.
MS Oasis of the Seas is to cruise in the Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale, her home port.
Nokia sues Apple for patent infringement
Helsinki, October 22 (STT)
Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia said in a statement Thursday it had filed a patent infringement complaint against Apple with a US federal district court in Delaware.
Nokia alleges that its US rival's iPhone handset infringes a number of Nokia patents.
"As a leading innovator in wireless communications, Nokia has created one of the strongest and broadest patent portfolios in the industry, investing more than 40 billion euros in research and development during the last two decades," Nokia said in a statement.
Nokia added the ten patents in question "cover wireless data, speech coding, security and encryption and are infringed by all Apple iPhone models shipped since the iPhone was introduced in 2007."
Finnish September unemployment rate up yr/yr at 8.4 pct
Helsinki, October 20 (STT)
Finland's adjusted unemployment rate stood at 8.4 per cent in September, up from 6.5 per cent in the year-ago period, Statistics Finland said in a statement Tuesday.
The adjusted jobless rate had stood at 8.8 per cent in August.
Nokia posts EUR 470 mln Jul-Sep pretax loss
Helsinki, October 15 (STT)
Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia on Thursday reported a July-to-September pretax loss of 469 million euros, having posted a year-ago profit of about 1.4 billion.
Third-quarter sales fell to about 9.8 billion euros from some 12.2 billion in the year-ago period.
Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, the managing director of Nokia, said that while demand for handsets had picked up in the third quarter its networks business had been weighed down by "challenging market conditions".
Half an hour after Nokia released its quarterly report its shares were fetching 9.60 euros on the Helsinki stock exchange, down by about six per cent from Wednesday's close.
Finnish employers crack down on social networking sites
Helsinki, October 14 (STT)
A number of Finnish employers are planning restricting the use of social networking websites in the office, regional daily Keskisuomalainen reported on Wednesday.
The paper added that many employers had blocked access to social networking sites like Facebook.
Kalevi Tiihonen, the head of corporate security at the Confederation of Industries (EK), was quoted as saying that many employers were in the process of drafting groundrules on access to social networking sites during working hours.
According to Keskisuomalainen, based in Jyvaskyla, the local hospital district banned Facebook after a member of staff posted jokes about patients on the website.
Foreign Minister Stubb urges author of Ahtisaari smear letter to come forward
Helsinki, October 6 (STT)
Alexander Stubb (cons), the Finnish foreign minister, on Tuesday urged the person who had felt that Martti Ahtisaari should not have been awarded the Nobel peace prize to come forward.
Pär Stenback, a former minister and Swedish People's party leader, had revealed in a book launched on Monday that Geir Lundestad, the permanent secretary of the Nobel committee, had received a letter from "a prominent Finn" in 2007, adding the letter had contained a number of "false accusations" about Mr Ahtisaari, a former Finnish president who went on to win the 2008 peace prize.
"If there is a person who disagrees, then that is part of the foreign policy discussion," Mr Stubb said at a book launch of his own in Helsinki.
Finnish September car sales down 24 pct yr/yr
Helsinki, October 6 (STT)
Car sales continued to decline in Finland, with September registrations falling by about 24 per cent year-on-year to some 7,500, Statistics Finland (SF) said in a statement Tuesday.
Some 72,600 passenger cars were registered in the January-to-September period, down by about 39 per cent from the same stint last year.
The top three makes were Toyota, Volkswagen and Ford.
Finnish opposition demands PM Vanhanen resign
Helsinki, September 24 (STT)
Finnish opposition parties on Thursday told Matti Vanhanen (centre) to draw his conclusions from the long-running election campaign funding affair and resign as prime minister.
But the parliamentary groups of the Social Democratic party, the Left Alliance, the Christian Democrats and the True Finns added they would not launch an interpellation over the campaign funding irregularities.
Tarja Filatov, the chair of the Social Democrats' Parliament group, said Mr Vanhanen did not enjoy the opposition's confidence.
Annika Lapintie, the Left Alliance group leader, said the prime minister should resign.
Bjarne Kallis of the Christian Democrats accused the prime minister of lying, with Raimo Vistbacka of the True Finns saying the Finnish political system had been driven into the ground under the Centre party's leadership.
The government said in a statement that the leaders of the ruling parties had agreed to submit a statement to Parliament "on questions relating to election funding".
PTT raises Finnish 2010 GDP forecast to +1.5 pct
Helsinki, September 24 (STT)
The Pellervo Economic Research Institute (PTT) said Thursday it expected Finland's gross domestic product (GDP) to contract by six per cent this year before bouncing back to 1.5-per cent growth in 2010.
The thinktank had said in March it saw the Finnish economy shrinking by 3.5 and 0.5 per cent in both 2009 and 2010, respectively.
PTT added that Finland's jobless rate would hit about 11 per cent next year, translating to the loss of some 175,000 jobs in the space of two years.
Fortum and Metsahallitus plan wind farm in Finnish Lapland
Helsinki, September 11 (STT)
Finnish government-controlled utility Fortum and Metsahallitus, the government forest enterprise, said Friday they were planning building a wind farm straddling Kittila and Sodankyla in Lapland.
Fortum said in a statement that initial plans saw the construction of 18 turbines, each generating two to three megawatts of electricity.
The project's environmental impact assessment process is to begin later this year.
"If the project proves to be feasible in further investigations and if the necessary permissions are granted, wind power production could start in Kuolavaara-Keulakkopaa around 2013," Fortum added.
Finnish July manufacturing orders down 31 pct yr/yr
Helsinki, September 11 (STT)
Finland's manufacturing order intake fell by about 31 per cent year-on-year in July, Statistics Finland (SF) said in a statement Friday.
The value of new orders fell by about 40 per cent from the year-ago period in the metal industry and by some 16 per cent in the paper industry.
Beresford-Wylie resigns as head of Nokia Siemens
Helsinki, September 1 (STT)
Finnish-German telecommunications equipment maker Nokia Siemens Networks said in a statement Tuesday that Simon Beresford-Wylie would step down as managing director in November, adding NSN's board had named Rajeev Suri as his replacement, effective 1 October.
"We began a comprehensive succession process when Simon shared his desire to depart at the appropriate time," said in the statement Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, the managing director of Nokia and chairman of NSN.
"That process has made it clear that Rajeev brings the right values, experience and industry expertise to take Nokia Siemens Networks forward."
Mr Beresford-Wylie joined Nokia in 1998 and held a number of positions in Asia and Europe before being named head of Nokia's network business in 2005.
Finnish Audi sales manager's remarks on women spark outrage
Helsinki, September 1 (STT)
A series of abrasive comments on women by Esko Kiesi, the head of Audi car sales at Finnish retail group Kesko, have sparked outrage on the internet and an apology from Mr Kiesi's superior.
Mr Kiesi had compared a woman to a car before remarking that a woman could not cope in a managerial job.
"A woman is physically, psychologically as well as emotionally completely different from a man," he had been quoted as saying by Anna, a women's weekly.
"This is why women do less well [than men] in managerial positions: they use their emotions in the wrong situations, leading them to put feelings ahead of reason."
He also told Anna that if a woman refused to iron or clean a relationship was on its last legs.
Nokia to found new unit
Helsinki, August 27 (STT)
Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia said in a statement Thursday it would found a new unit, named Solutions, in October.
"The new unit will better enable us to deliver not only first-class devices and compelling consumer services, but also complete solutions that integrate the two seamlessly," said in a statement Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, the managing director of Nokia.
The unit is to be headed by Alberto Torres.
Finland to raise standard VAT and lower food rates
Helsinki, August 26 (STT)
Finland's centre-right government agreed in budget talks late on Wednesday to raise the standard VAT rate by one percentage point to 23 per cent and to lower the rate levied on food by several points.
The rate on restaurant meals is to be slashed to 13 per cent from the current standard rate of 22 per cent in July next year. The rate on supermarket food is to go down to 12 per cent from 17 per cent in October this year only to be raised to 13 per cent the following July.
The government also agreed to introduce a sweets tax and to raise the soft drinks tax rate, changes hoped to raise some 100 million euros a year.
The government added it would propose an increase in the basic tax deduction to 2,200 euros from the current 1,480.
Finnish July unemployment rate up at 8.9 pct
Helsinki, August 25 (STT)
Finland's unemployment rate, adjusted for seasonal variation, stood at 8.9 per cent in July, up from 6.4 per cent in the year-ago period and 8.8 per cent in June this year, Statistics Finland said in a statement Tuesday.
The unadjusted jobless rate rose to 7.7 per cent from 5.2 per cent in the year-ago period.
Finnish paper union boss says strike possible due to Stora Enso cuts
Helsinki, August 19 (STT)
Jouko Ahonen, head of the Finnish Paper Workers' Union, said on Wednesday it was considering a strike due to the mill closures and job cuts announced by Finnish wood-processing group Stora Enso earlier the same day.
According to Mr Ahonen the union's leadership will discuss the possibility of a strike at its meeting on Thursday, adding that he thought the situation called for radical measures.
Stora Enso said on Wednesday that it is planning to permanently close down its sawmill in Tolkkinen, Porvoo, by the end of this year and its pulp mill in Sunila, Kotka, during the second quarter of next year.
In addition, the company said it would permanently shut down an uncoated fine paper machine at its Imatra mills at the beginning of 2010 and also close its mills in Varkaus unless the demand and pricing for uncoated fine paper clearly recover.
The plans are to affect approximately 450 to 1,100 employees in Finland.
Passengers flock to ferries between Finland, Estonia
Helsinki, August 18 (STT)
The current economic downturn has not taken a toll on cruises, indicate figures released by ferry companies on Monday. Especially the route between Finland and Estonia has been busy, although currently operated by two companies less than one year ago.
The July passenger traffic between Helsinki and Tallinn of Estonia's Tallink Grupp and Finland's Viking Line were up by 25 per cent and 10 per cent year-on-year, respectively.
Finnish Eckero Line has also experienced an increase of around twenty per cent year-on-year in its Estonian traffic throughout the May-July period.
Finland's June industrial output down 11 pct yr/yr
Helsinki, August 14 (STT)
Finland's economy continued to slow down in June, Statistics Finland reported on Friday.
According to preliminary data, June's workday adjusted output was down 11.1 per cent compared to the year-ago period and down 0.8 per cent from the month before.
However, Statistics Finland estimated that primary production had grown by 2 per cent year-on-year, while secondary production was down by 21 and services by 7 per cent compared to June 2008
Finnair posts Q2 pretax loss of EUR 35.3 mln, CEO Hienonen resigns
Helsinki, August 7 (STT)
Finnish flag carrier Finnair on Friday posted its interim report for the second quarter, showing a pretax loss of 35.3 million euros, down from a profit of 18.5 million euro in the year-ago period.
Jukka Hienonen, Finnair's chief executive, announced he was not satisfied with the result and was stepping down.
"My four years in Finnair's service has included both periods of success as well as the increasingly adverse development of the entire sector, and now a clear change of course is required. I am not satisfied with the results achieved; the rate of change has been insufficient", Mr Hienonen said.
Neste Oil to cut 450 jobs
Helsinki, August 5 (STT)
Finnish refiner Neste Oil said in a statement Wednesday that it was starting statutory cooperation procedure talks for shedding 450 jobs in Finland.
According to the statement the reason for the cuts is the group's weakened profitability. Neste Oil said it is now aiming to achieve 60 million euros in annual savings, half of it through job cuts.
Neste Oil employs a total of around 4,000 people in Finland.
UPM-Kymmene posts EUR 26 mln pretax loss in second quarter
Helsinki, August 4 (STT)
Finnish wood-processing group UPM-Kymmene on Tuesday reported a 26 million euro pretax loss in the second quarter, down from a 115 million euro profit in the year-ago period. However, the second quarter result improved compared to the first quarter pretax loss of 136 million euros.
Jussi Pesonen, UPM's chief executive, said the outlook remained cautious.
"Contraction of economic activity seems to have slowed and demand for our products is stabilising. In Paper, there is also some improvement in order intake. However, recession continues to have an impact on the demand for our products. Therefore, temporary production curtailments will continue", Mr Pesonen said.
Taxes to be raised when economy is healthier -Finland's Katainen
Helsinki, August 3 (STT)
Jyrki Katainen (cons), Finland's finance minister, told commercial broadcaster MTV3's breakfast programme on Monday that taxes would have to be raised in upcoming years due to the increase in public debt.
According to Mr Katainen the time for higher taxation is likely to start in 2011 or 2012. He estimated that Finland's economy would already be on a growth track by then.
Mr Katainen's preference would be to increase indirect taxation rather than the income tax.
Finland's EK reports slight improvement in business confidence
Helsinki, July 27 (STT)
The Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK) said in a statement Monday that while manufacturing confidence had shown slight improvement in July the indicator remained at a very low level.
It added that its manufacturing indicator had scored -27 points in July, up from a revised June figure of -32 points.
The long-term average of the indicator is +3 points.
The EK construction confidence indicator stood at -51 points compared with June's revised -58 points, with the services and retail indicators picking up marginally as well.
Ericsson bests Nokia's Nortel bid -Paper
Helsinki, July 23 (STT)
Swedish telecommunications group Ericsson has bid 730 million US dollars for the networks division of Canada's Nortel, Canadian daily the Globe and Mail reported Thursday.
Finnish-German joint venture Nokia Siemens Networks has bid 650 million dollars for the same Nortel operations, with US private equity firm MatlinPatterson reportedly offering 725 million.
Nortel, having sought protection from creditors in January, is to hold an auction on Friday.
Men earn 800 euros more a month than women in Finland -SF
Helsinki, July 23 (STT)
Statistics Finland (SF) said in a statement Thursday that last year's median monthly wage among men working in the private sector had been about 3,500 euros compared with some 2,700 euros among women.
Men continued to earn more than women across the board, the agency added.
The data are based on about 637,000 wage earners' pay and benefits.
Finnish unemployment rate jumps to 8.8 pct in June
Helsinki, July 21 (STT)
Finland's unemployment rate, adjusted for seasonal variation, rose to 8.8 per cent in June from 6.3 per cent in the year-ago period and 8.6 per cent in May, Statistics Finland (SF) said in a statement on Tuesday.
The unadjusted jobless rate stood at 9.1 per cent in June, up from 6.8 per cent in the same month a year ago.
Finland ranked EU's third most expensive country
Helsinki, July 17 (STT)
Finland was the third dearest country in the European Union last year, with Denmark the most expensive and Ireland just inching to second place, figures released by Eurostat showed Thursday.
According to the EU's statistics agency, Denmark's prices were 141 per cent of the bloc's average, followed by Ireland's 127 per cent and Finland's 125 per cent.
In clothing, one of the product groups exhibiting the smallest variation, Finland was the most expensive place in the union with prices at 123 per cent of the average while Britain, partly thanks to the weak sterling, was the most affordable with 83 per cent.
Metsa-Botnia sells Uruguayan operations to UPM-Kymmene
Helsinki, July 15 (STT)
Finnish pulp maker Metsa-Botnia said in a statement Wednesday it had signed a letter of intent on the divestment of its Uruguayan operations to Finland-based wood-processing group UPM-Kymmene.
Metsa-Botnia added it and UPM-Kymmene had also agreed that the latter would reduce its stake in the former to about 17 per cent.
UPM-Kymmene currently owns about 47 per cent of Metsa-Botnia.
The statement said Metsa-Botnia would receive about 300 million euros in cash as a result of the arrangement.
Finland slips into deflation in June
Helsinki, July 14 (STT)
Statistics Finland's consumer price index fell by 0.1 per cent year-on-year in June, the agency said in a statement on Tuesday.
The deflation is the first since the spring of 2004 when the Finnish government slashed alcohol duties by 33 per cent.
Finnish April GDP down 9.2 pct yr/yr
Helsinki, July 8 (STT)
Finland's gross domestic product (GDP) plummeted by 9.2 per cent year-on-year and 0.6 per cent month-on-month in April, Statistics Finland said in a statement Wednesday.
Secondary production contracted by just under 17 per cent from the year-ago period, the agency added.
Finnish Jan-May bankruptcies up 33 pct yr/yr
Helsinki, June 30 (STT)
About 1,460 companies filed for insolvency in Finland in January-May, up by 33 per cent from the year-ago period, Statistics Finland (SF) said in a statement Tuesday.
The firms that went under employed about 6,440 people between them, compared with some 4,370 a year ago.
OECD sees Finnish GDP shrinking by 4.7 pct
Helsinki, June 24 (STT)
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said in its latest outlook on Wednesday it expected Finland's gross domestic product (GDP) to contract by 4.7 per cent this year and to grow by 0.8 per cent in 2010.
In its previous outlook, made public in December, the OECD had forecast the Nordic country's economy to grow by 0.6 per cent this year and by 1.8 per cent next year.
The Finnish finance ministry said last week it saw the economy shrinking by six per cent this year and growing by 0.3 per cent next year.
Finnish May jobless rate up at 8.6 pct
Helsinki, June 23 (STT)
Finland's unemployment rate, adjusted for seasonal and random variation, rose to 8.6 per cent in May from 6.3 per cent in the year-ago period and 8.2 per cent in April, Statistics Finland said in a statement Tuesday.
The unadjusted jobless rate rose to 10.9 per cent from 8.8 per cent in the year-ago period.
Elcoteq sells Tallinn operations to Ericsson
Helsinki, June 17 (STT)
Finnish electronics maker Elcoteq said in a statement Wednesday that it is selling its manufacturing operations in Tallinn, Estonia, to Sweden's Ericsson.
The deal is worth around 30 million euros.
After the transaction is completed Elcoteq's high-volume production will be concentrated in Pecs, Hungary, the company's only remaining major production plant in Europe.
Elcoteq said in its statement that it would continue small scale operations in Tallinn at a specialised plant.
EK sees 2009 Finnish industrial investment down by one third
Helsinki, June 16 (STT)
The Confederation of Finnish Industries said in a statement Tuesday that it expected fixed industrial investments to contract significantly this year in Finland.
According to EK, investments are only expected to total 2.9 billion euros in 2009, down from 4.2 billion euros the year before.
Penna Urrila, an economist at EK, said investments are to decrease in all fields of manufacturing industry. However, investments in energy production are to remain at a considerably high level, he added.
GDP down 7.6 pct yr/yr in January-March -Statistics Finland
Helsinki, June 9 (STT)
According to preliminary data the Finnish economy contracted by 7.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2009 compared to the gross domestic product in the year-ago period, Statistics Finland said in a statement Tuesday.
The rate of decrease is comparable to that seen during the recession of the early 1990s.
The volume of January-March exports was down by 25.5 per cent year-on-year and imports were down by 19.4 per cent compared to the year-ago period, the statement added.
Metso, UPM to start bio-oil test production
Helsinki, June 8 (STT)
Finnish engineering group Metso and Finnish wood-processing group UPM-Kymmene are starting test production of bio-oil in June, the companies said in a statement Monday.
According to the statement the companies have developed a method of turning wood bio-mass - harvesting residues and sawdust - into bio-oil. The end product could be used to replace fossil fuels in heating and power generation.
Test production is to start in June at Metso's test plant in Tampere, Finland.
Putin affirms Russia will supply energy to Finland
Helsinki, June 3 (STT)
Russia is prepared to supply Finland with all the energy it needs, whether it is oil, natural gas, electricity or coal, affirmed Vladimir Putin, Russia's prime minister, during his visit to Helsinki on Wednesday.
In a meeting with Matti Vanhanen (centre), Finland's prime minister, President Putin also emphasised Russia's decision to give up roundwood export duties.
Finnish March exports down by a third yr/yr
Helsinki, June 2 (STT)
Finland's foreign trade continued on its fast downward trend in March, the National Board of Customs said in a statement Tuesday
According to the statement Finnish exports totalled 3.8 billion euros in March, down by a third from the year-ago period. However, the decline has slowed down somewhat compared to the previous months.
Finland's trade with Russia has contracted very strongly. The customs report indicated that exports to Russia fell to almost half of last year's level.
Finnish Jan-Apr bankruptcies soar 31 pct yr/yr
Helsinki, May 29 (STT)
About 1,160 companies filed for insolvency in the January-to-April period, up by some 31 per cent from the year-ago period, Statistics Finland (SF) said in a statement Friday.
The companies undergoing bankruptcy proceedings employed about 5,000 people, up from some 3,600 in the same period last year.
Finnish first-quarter construction down 48 pct yr/yr
Helsinki, May 29 (STT)
The volume of construction projects launched in Finland in the first quarter of the year plummeted by some 48 per cent year-on-year to about 4.4 million cubic metres, Statistics Finland (SF) said in a statement on Friday.
Office construction fell by about 77 per cent while public-sector construction rose by about 56 per cent, year-on-year.
Finnish forest thinktank casts gloom
Helsinki, May 27 (STT)
The Finnish Forest Research Institute (Metla) said in a statement Wednesday that the contraction of the country's wood-processing industry had only just begun, with paper output projected to shrink by a third by 2020 from the level seen in 2007.
Antro Saila of the Finnish Forest Industries' Federation described the outlook as an "extreme" contingency that could come to pass only if the companies and the government did nothing to secure the future of the industry.
"We are talking about a horror scenario that sets off from very pessimistic premises," Mr Saila said.
Finnish business confidence remains grim in May
Helsinki, May 27 (STT)
The Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK) manufacturing confidence indicator stood at -33 points in May, almost unchanged from April's revised figure, the lobby said in a statement Wednesday.
The year-ago figure is +4 points, with a long-term average of +3 points.
"Orderbooks are extremely low and they still declined a bit in May," the EK added.
"In contrast, production expectations are slightly less pessimistic than one month earlier. Stocks of final goods stayed above average."
The EK's construction and services indicators also remained gloomy in May.
Finland's jobless rate soars to 8.2 pct
Helsinki, May 26 (STT)
Finland's unemployment rate, adjusted for seasonal and random variation, rose to 8.2 per cent in April from a revised 6.2 per cent in the year-ago period, Statistics Finland said in a statement Tuesday.
The country's jobless rate had stood at 7.6 per cent in March.
Finnish ruling parties agree on all-year Sunday trading -YLE
Helsinki, May 22 (STT)
Finland's ruling parties have reached an agreement on 12-month Sunday trading, the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) reported on Wednesday.
The public broadcaster added that under the government's proposal all shops would be allowed to open between midday and 6pm on Sundays except on public holidays.
Shops with less than 400 square metres of retail space could trade 24 hours a day, including on Sundays.
The agreement is similar to the one struck by the Federation of Finnish Commerce and the Service Union United last autumn.
Government sources told the Finnish News Agency (STT) that the parties had yet to reach agreement on certain details.
The 2000 Trading Hours Act restricts Sunday trading in large shops and supermarkets to May through August and November-December and forbids trading in most types of outlets between 9pm and 7am.
Finnish PM urges Nordics to ramp up cooperation
Helsinki, May 14 (STT)
Matti Vanhanen (centre), the Finnish prime minister, said in a speech at a meeting between the Finnish and Swedish governments in Hameenlinna that cooperation between the Nordic countries should be intensified at international fora.
"It is evident that in the future we will not be able to exert sufficient influence at established and new international forums if we act on our own," he said.
"However, our joint economic weight is quite significant on an international scale. Depending on the method of comparison, we would rank at least among the fifteen most prominent actors."
Finland and Sweden pledged to lift unnecessary border obstacles, urged countries surrounding the Baltic Sea to reduce marine pollution, announced an agreement on a new framework for icebreaking operations and unveiled a range of other initiatives.
Finnish first-quarter bankruptcies up 33 pct yr/yr
Helsinki, May 14 (STT)
About 890 companies went under in Finland in the first quarter of the year, representing a year-on-year increase of about 33 per cent, Statistics Finland (SF) said in a statement Thursday.
The companies that went bankrupt in the January-to-March period employed about 4,000 people between them.
Finland confirms two swine flu cases
Helsinki, May 12 (STT)
Finnish officials said in a statement Tuesday that two swine influenza cases had been confirmed in Finland.
The cases are the first confirmed swine flu infections in the country.
The health ministry and the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) said at a news conference that both patients were from the capital region and had recently returned on the same flight from Mexico.
The officials added that both patients were well and urged the public to keep calm as the authorities were well prepared to combat the virus strain.
Petri Ruutu, an infection epidemiologist at the THL, said the strain was less virulent than feared and bore resemblance to normal seasonal influenza, including in the severity of symptoms.
Berlusconi rolls out another Finnish gaffe
Helsinki, May 7 (STT)
Silvio Berlusconi, the prime minister of Italy, on Wednesday came up with another quip about Finland after a four-year breather for the Nordic country.
Following reports that he had cavorted with teenage girls, Mr Berlusconi was quoted as saying by Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata (Ansa), an Italian news agency, that he liked Finland and Finnish women "so long as they are of age".
He went on to garnish the remark about Finnish ladyfolk with a comment on Finnish architecture, casting his mind back to a visit to Finland during which he was driven three hours to an 18th-century wooden church only to judge it as something that would have been demolished in Italy.
Mr Berlusconi drew ire in Finland in 2001 by saying that the EU's food agency could not be based in Helsinki because Finns new nothing about Parma ham. In 2005, he said he had had to "endure" Finnish food when visiting the country and claimed to have deployed "playboy tactics" to woo Tarja Halonen, the Finnish president, amid the food agency row.
The Finnish president retorted in 2005 that Mr Berlusconi might have overestimated his charm.
Finnish PM warns of long recession
Helsinki, April 24 (STT)
Matti Vanhanen (centre), the Finnish prime minister, was quoted as saying by Centre party organ Suomenmaa on Friday that nobody was able to predict the duration of the recession.
"The government is well aware of what kind of crisis Finland is drifting into," he told Suomenmaa.
"The crisis is only beginning."
Mr Vanhanen, facing falling approval ratings, went on to say that his party would show its mettle during the lean years to come.
"Tackling this economic crisis in a vigorous manner so that it does as little damage as possible is an opportunity for the Centre party."
"The Centre party will be able to show that it is able to shoulder the responsibility it was given in the election."
