FINLAND

Toivo Sukari’s second heart procedure within a week: A Businessman’s struggle with Coronary Artery Disease

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Finnish businessman Toivo Sukari, the founder and largest shareholder of Maskun Kalustetalo and Ideapark, recently opened up about his health struggles after a heart operation. Sukari, who is 68 years old and also owns the shopping mall chain stores Masku Koti and Sukarin Lomarakennus, was diagnosed with sepelvaltimotauti (coronary artery disease) last December during a routine health checkup.

Businessman Toivo Sukari, 68, recently opened up to Helsingin Sanomat about his health struggles after a heart operation. Sukari had a heart procedure called pallolaajennus (balloon angioplasty) on January 11th, which went well and he was able to return home to recover the same evening. However, just two days later, Sukari felt well enough to go for an eight-kilometer walk. Despite feeling good after the walk, the next morning he woke up feeling dizzy and with high blood pressure. He took a couple of sprays of nitroglycerin and soon lost consciousness. His wife Nadja Eerola called an ambulance and he was rushed to the hospital.

“My values changed instantly. My businesses vanished into the horizon as soon as I realized this was serious,” Sukari said.

A week later, on Monday, Sukari had to undergo a second pallolaajennus. “As far as I understand, it’s quite exceptional for someone to have two balloon angioplasties within a week,” he said.

Sukari has sepelvaltimotauti, which was diagnosed during a routine checkup in December. According to Helsingin Sanomat, the disease did not show any symptoms. Sukari requested to have an angiogram to check his coronary arteries.

However, Sukari’s struggles did not end with the second pallolaajennus. He experienced pain and discoloration in his hand, which was a side effect of the operation. He also received counseling while in the hospital.

“But I have someone at home with whom I can talk,” Sukari said. He also reflects on what could have happened if the disease had not been detected in December. “Would I have died on a walking trail? Or would I have lived happily thinking I was healthy and fit? Did I bring this on myself?”

Sukari, who comes from a Laestadian family and has seven siblings, is the founder and largest shareholder of Maskun Kalustetalo and Ideapark, as well as the owner of the shopping mall chain stores Masku Koti and Sukarin Lomarakennus.

Featured image: Toivo Sukari (NordenBladet)

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More info about balloon angioplasty:
Angioplasty is a procedure to open narrowed or blocked arteries caused by deposits of plaque. If the blockage is not major, the problem may be corrected by inflating the balloon several times to compact the plaque against the arterial wall, widening the passage for the blood to flow through. Typically, a device called a stent is placed within the coronary artery to keep the vessel open.

Unusual Calm in Finland: ONLY two storm days measured in November and December

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – The winter season in Finland is typically known for its storms, but this year, the weather has been unusually calm. According to the Finnish Meteorological Institute, there were only two storm days measured during the months of November and December, which is significantly fewer than the average.

The winter season in Finland is typically known for its storms, but this year, the weather has been unusually calm. According to the Finnish Meteorological Institute (ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/tuulitilastot), there were only two storm days measured during the months of November and December, which is significantly fewer than the average.

The number of storm days in November and December has not been recorded so low between 2006 and 2021. The reason for the lack of storms is due to the high pressure or weak low pressure systems that have not caused the winds to increase to storm levels. There have also been no named storms or severe weather in Finland since the Aatu storm in June 2021.

Naming a storm is based on the potential for damage and any unusual factors. The last time a full calendar year went without named storms or severe weather was in 2018 and prior to that in 2012. Storms are most common during the early winter and December typically sees an average of 5.8 storm days between 2006 and 2022.

Read Iltalehti’s interview “What happened? There have been no storms in Finland” (with the original title: Mitä tapahtui? Suomessa ei ole ollut myrskyjä) with meteorologist Ville Siiskonen from the Finnish Meteorological Institute HERE (article is in Finnish).

Foto: Pexels

Finland: Lidl’s new electronic price tags cause controversy – company remains silent

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Lidl* customers in Finland have been left scratching their heads in recent times as the company has made a significant change to its price tags. The prices of products are now printed on the tags in such small font that it is difficult to read them.

The new tags have caused confusion and frustration on social media. Leading consultant Jussi Eronen, for example, has expressed his concerns on Twitter, stating that “for senior citizens, it’s just bullying.”

Lidl has refused to give an interview, and instead responded to a comment request from Iltalehti via email. The Director of Sales and Inventory Management, Akseli Mäkisalo, stated that “the price tag in the image circulating on Twitter is electronic. It’s not immediately visible because the visual appearance of our electronic price tags is very similar to that of paper tags.”

Mäkisalo defended the move to electronic tags by stating that it saves paper and minimizes the risk of human errors when changing tags.

Prices for food and groceries in the country have risen to record highs last year and Lidl, known for its low prices, is no exception. For example, a liter of Lidl’s instant-heat light milk cost 0.95 euros in January but by December the price had risen to 1.49 euros.

There are speculations on social media that the change is intended to make it more difficult for customers to compare prices. Mäkisalo did not respond to questions about whether this is true or how senior citizens or those with visual impairments will be able to read the tags. According to Mäkisalo, the details of the tags are being developed based on customer feedback.

The Competition and Consumer Authority’s, in Finnish Kilpailu- ja kuluttajaviraston, (KKV) specialist Saija Kivimäki states that the Consumer Protection Act regulates the way prices are displayed. KKV guidelines state that “prices must be clearly and individually displayed, so that the consumer does not make a mistake about the product or package. The display must be large enough and easily visible to the consumer.”

Currently, electronic price tags can be found in 16 Lidl stores, but by the end of the year, they will be in use in all stores. So far, there has been very little feedback on the new tags.

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* Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG is a German international discount retailer chain that operates over 11,000 stores across Europe and the United States. Headquartered in Neckarsulm, Baden-Württemberg, the company belongs to the Schwarz Group, which also operates the hypermarket chain Kaufland.

Lidl is the chief competitor of the similar German discount chain Aldi in several markets. There are Lidl stores in every member state of the European Union as well as in Serbia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Featured image: Pexels

Finnish Customs’ export statistics: Food exports in Finland exceeds 2 billion Euros 

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — For the first time ever, Finland’s food exports have exceeded 2 billion Euros states according to Finnish Customs’ export statistics. Food exports in Finland have increased by around 20% between January and October 2022. Director of the Food from Finland program at Business Finland, Esa Wrang, comments, “The growth seen in exports will increase the resilience of the food sector to crises.”

“In Finland, the opportunities for growth in the food industry are limited. With increased exports, the capacity of the food sector can be increased, which will also strengthen the domestic market and make it better resilient to crises,” explains Wrang,

Food exports in Finland are strategic importance for the country’s national self-sufficiency and food security.

The largest export figures have been achieved in France with 60%.

 

Finland sees increase of romance scams online

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — It has been estimated that roughly 3.8 million Euros have been lost in total due to online romance scams in Finland in the first half of 2022.

Finland has seen a sharp rise in romance-related scams, which professional criminals and large syndicates typically run. According to the Finnish Police, these criminals are skillful at taking advantage of their victims’ vulnerability and feelings of loneliness.

Speaking about the scams, Detective Inspector Gunnar Golnick of the Häme Police Department notes that in most cases, the victim is lured into becoming infatuated, even falling in love with the scammer. These victims then fall for stories about financial troubles, resulting in the victim sending the person money.

Victims of these scams are usually helpful yet naive people that are overcome by strong romantic emotions.

The financial sector grouping Finance Finland (FFI) has noted that romance scams are the most common type of fraud online.

 

 

Netflix launches game studio in Helsinki Finland

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —The global streaming service Netflix recently announced that it will open a studio in Finland’s capital Helsinki to build and develop video games. According to Netflix, “This is another step in our vision to build a world-class games studio that will bring a variety of delightful and deeply engaging original games — with no ads and no in-app purchases — to our hundreds of millions of members around the world.”

Netflix chose Helsinki as the city has some of the best gaming talent in the world, with this studio being the first studio that Netflix is building from the ground up. Besides this, Netflix also owns the Helsinki-based studio, Next Games.

“It’s still early days, and we have much more work to do to deliver a great games experience on Netflix,” the company explains. “Creating a game can take years, so I’m proud to see how we’re steadily building the foundation of our games studios in our first year, and look forward to sharing what we produce in the coming years.”

The studio will be led by Marko Lastikka, Zynga’s Vice President.

 

 

Finland: First batch of monkeypox vaccine to arrive in Finland

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — The first batch of the monkeypox vaccine is set to arrive in Finland, with the vaccine first being offered to individuals exposed to the virus. The total amount of the vaccine is initially around 1,000 doses.

Head of Diagnostic Services at Helsinki University Hospital (HUS), Lasse Lehtonen, has pointed out that the news of the recent monkeypox deaths in Spain is a reason to start administering vaccines for specific segments of the population.

Lehtonen commented that people with HIV are vulnerable to developing more severe complications from Monkeypox.

“Monkeypox can be a serious disease for people with compromised immunity. Generally, it’s only dangerous for children under the age of eight,” explained Lehtonen.

Monkeypox has been declared a public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO). So far, Finland has reported 21 cases of Monkeypox.

 

Climate Policy Roundtable: Climate plan for land use sector must take into account many dimensions of just transition

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — On Tuesday 22 March, the Climate Policy Roundtable discussed the climate plan for the land use sector. The discussions focused on the impacts of climate measures in the land use sector on biodiversity and the need to take into account just transition in a comprehensive way. The Roundtable also highlighted the global impact chains of wood production, security of supply in food production and the transition to sustainability through more plant-based production and consumption.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

Kauppapolitiikka magazine discusses roadmaps towards the green transition

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — In its first issue in 2022, Kauppapolitiikka magazine focuses on industries’ roadmaps towards meeting the climate objectives.Finland is the first country in the world where different sectors of industry have prepared roadmaps for the transition to low-carbon economy. Sustainable development is one means to support competitiveness. Kauppapolitiikka deals with the relationship between economic growth and climate actions, too, debating which of the two is accelerating the other.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

265,600 unemployed jobseekers in February

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — The number of unemployed jobseekers decreased by 61,500. The number of new vacancies reported in February totalled 122,400. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies amounted to 242,400, which is 81,800 more than a year ago.At the end of February, a total of 265,600 unemployed jobseekers were registered at the Employment and Economic Development Offices and municipalities participating in the local government pilots on employment. This is 61,500 less than a year earlier, but 17,400 more than in February two years ago. The number of unemployed jobseekers was down by 8,100 from the previous month. Of the unemployed jobseekers, 140,800 were customers of municipalities participating in the local government pilots on employment. The number of unemployed jobseekers also includes those fully laid off. These figures are from the Employment Bulletin of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.At the end of February, the number of people laid off was 35,300 in the whole country, which was 37,300 fewer than at the same time the year before. The number of people fully laid off totalled 26,800, representing a decrease of 28,800 from February the year before. The number of people fully laid off decreased by 2,300 from January.103,800 unemployed in the long termThe number of long-term unemployed — that is those who had been unemployed without interruption for at least a year — amounted to 103,800, up 7,700 on the previous year. The number of unemployed jobseekers aged over 50 was 103,300, or 16,700 fewer than at the same time a year earlier.The number of unemployed jobseekers aged under 25 totalled 28,200, representing a decrease of 10,700 from February last year. Of the unemployment periods of youths, 57.6 per cent ended before reaching three months between January and February. This is 5.9 percentage points less than the year before.Increase in new vacanciesThe number of new vacancies reported during February totalled 122,400, or 43,800 more than in February the previous year. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies in February amounted to 242,400, which is 81,800 more than a year ago.At the end of February, the number of persons covered by services included in the activation rate amounted to 111,400, down 3,800 on the previous year. These services include pay subsidies, labour market training, work trials and self-motivated studies.Statistics Finland: The trend of the unemployment rate 6.8%According to the Labour Force Survey issued by Statistics Finland, in February the number of people in employment was 89,000 more than on the previous year. The trend of the employment rate was 74.0%, which was 3.3 percentage points higher than in February the year before. According to the Survey, the unemployment total was 185,000, which is 40,000 less than a year ago. The trend of the unemployment rate was 6.8%, or 1.2 percentage points lower than the previous year.Key differences between Employment Service Statistics and the Labour Force Survey This information is based on the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment’s Employment Service Statistics and the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland. The Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry are compiled on the basis of the information in the Employment and Economic Development Offices’ customer register, while the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland is based on sampling. In the employment service statistics of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment persons that are not in employment relationship or employed in business are listed as unemployed. Persons fully laid-off but not full-time students are also categorised as unemployed in the Employment Service Statistics. The Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland has a stricter definition of being unemployed: a person is unemployed if he or she has actively sought employment during the preceding four weeks and is available for work over the coming two weeks. The figures of the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland are internationally comparable and thus they are the official Finnish unemployment statistics. Further information on the differences in the statistics https://tilastokeskus.fi/til/tyti/tyti_2019-09-13_men_001_en.html

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

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