A 200-kilometre fence being built on Finland's eastern border with Russia will be completed sooner than expected, and months ahead of schedule, reports Maaseudun Tulevaisuus
"The fence will mostly be completed this year, with some sections extending into next year," Border Guard chief Markku Hassinen tells MT.
Hassinen adds that the plans for the fence do not need to be changed, despite global uncertainty and unrest.
The eastern border fence is being constructed at the highest-risk areas along the 1,300-km-long eastern border. The aim is to enhance the Border Guard's situational awareness and response capabilities, with advanced tech surveillance systems in place.
"But it can also be used to manage local situations if, for example, there is a mass illegal attempt to enter Finland."
The fence is not a military defence barrier, Hassinen notes, but is designed to prevent illegal border crossings and counter potential hybrid threats, similar to border security measures in other Baltic regions.
Finland's eastern border-crossing points were closed in November 2023, following a rapid increase in the number of asylum seekers after Russia began allowing people without valid travel documents to cross into Finland.
Border guards are, however, still working, and activities at border guard stations and border crossing points have remained similar to before.
"In practice, the resources at the border remain the same as before, based on the need to manage the increasingly difficult situation at the eastern border and enhance surveillance," he says.
Of Finland's 2,600 border guards, about 1,400 are stationed at the eastern border.
Eliminating Hepatitis-C
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (STM) is launching a program aimed at eliminating hepatitis C in Finland, reports Helsingin Sanomat.
A total of 13.75 million euros has been allocated for the initiative, which is being carried out in collaboration with the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). Of this sum, nine million euros will be directed to welfare regions, while 3.6 million euros will be allocated to THL’s prison healthcare services.
Hepatitis C is a viral liver infection for which there is no vaccine, but which can be treated with medication.
It is often asymptomatic for a long time but can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and increase the risk of liver cancer. According to estimates, there are 10,000 to 15,000 people in Finland who need medication for the disease. Over a thousand new cases are reported each year.
Hepatitis C spreads through blood, mainly affecting people who inject drugs with shared needles. The grants are being funnelled to regions with high drug use and hepatitis C rates, such as Helsinki, South Savo, and North Savo.
Since people who have hepatitis C are largely intravenous drug users, the STM’s project could be seen as one of the largest drug policy investments in recent years, according to Tuukka Tammi, a THL specialist.
However, the program will not fully eliminate hepatitis C from Finland, according to Henrikki Brummer-Korvenkontio, Research Director at THL.
"Since there is no vaccine for hepatitis C, it will never be fully eradicated — that’s for sure."
Cheapest day for fuel?
Aamulehti delved into the weekly ebb and flow of fuel prices in an attempt to uncover the days when drivers can fill up their tanks for the least — and when they’ll pay the most.
A web service called Tankille, which allows consumers to report current fuel prices, played a key role in the analysis.
Kimmo Sivola, the entrepreneur behind Tankille, examined the data and confirmed the pattern — fuel prices rise once a week before gradually dropping. The price can sometimes fluctuate by as much as 20 cents per litre on certain days.
"When we examined last year's fuel price increases, Wednesday was almost always the price hike day. Then, the price increase shifted to Tuesday because people knew that prices would rise on Wednesday. Now, the price increase has occasionally happened on Monday," he said.
Sunday is a good day to fuel up, based on Sivola's analysis.
"Fuel prices have never increased on Sundays, and often Monday mornings are still affordable."
However, he said the more people know that fuel is cheapest on a specific day, the more likely it is to influence consumer purchasing behaviour.
This week, the All Points North podcast explored why an increasing number of foreigners in Finland are engaging with Finnish politics. Listen to the episode via this embedded player, on Yle Areena, via Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
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