Good morning readers. The news digest today covers Finland and is via Google search.
Finland has announced its 24th military aid package to Ukraine, valued at EUR 159 million, approved by President Alexander Stubb. Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen emphasized Finland’s commitment to supporting Ukraine against Russia’s aggression, highlighting the importance of defending the rights of free people. For security reasons, the specifics of the aid package remain undisclosed. Including this package, Finland’s total military aid to Ukraine amounts to EUR 2.2 billion, and the country is also participating in European initiatives to jointly procure ammunition and support Ukraine through various coalitions. Additionally, Finnish instructors have trained thousands of Ukrainian soldiers both domestically and internationally – Finland sending new military aid package to Ukraine (Ukrinform ~ War)
Ideally, Marianne Korkalainen’s high school in Rautavaara, a tiny town in eastern Finland, would enrol at least 20 new pupils each year. This autumn, her shrinking municipality will send her only about 12. But Ms Korkalainen, the head teacher, has a plan: she intends to invite half a dozen youngsters from poorer countries to help fill her empty seats. Eager adolescents from places such as Myanmar, Vietnam and Tanzania will swap their tropical cities for her snowy bolthole. They will receive a Finnish education, at Finnish taxpayers’ expense – Finland’s shrinking high schools are importing pupils from abroad (The Economist ~ Europe)
The Finnish Publication Forum (JUFO) has downgraded 60 academic journals from level 1 to level 0 in their quality rating system, effective January 2025, following a thorough review process and feedback from researchers. This decision was influenced by collected experiences from academics, highlighting issues like poor peer review processes and editorial misconduct, particularly with journals from publishers like MDPI, Wiley, and Frontiers. The downgrading affects Finland’s university funding model, which relies on JUFO’s publication quality metrics. While JUFO did not communicate specific concerns to affected publishers beforehand, it encourages continuous feedback from the scientific community. The initiative led by researchers James Heathers and Veli-Matti Karhulahti underscores the importance of researcher-driven quality assessments over publisher-generated metrics – Finland group downgrades 60 journals (Retraction Watch)
The Finnish Border Guards’ MVX program has reached a significant milestone with the acquisition of two new Bombardier Challenger 650 aircraft, modified by Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) to meet the MVX specifications. These aircraft will replace the aging Dornier Do 228s, which have struggled with availability issues despite a mid-life upgrade in 2012. The MVX program, initially delayed and budgeted at 60 million Euros, was revived and expanded to 163 million Euros due to the conflict in Ukraine. The new aircraft will enhance Finland’s maritime and border surveillance capabilities with advanced technical sensors, encrypted data links, and a multirole ISR platform, expected to be operational by 2026 and 2027. The aircraft will remain unarmed and registered for civilian use to facilitate international operations – Finland Orders New Maritime Surveillance Aircraft (Naval News ~ News)
The World Cup of Darts is underway in Frankfurt with 40 nations competing. England, Wales, the Netherlands, and Scotland, as seeded nations, progress directly to the knockout rounds. The group stages began today and will conclude on Friday, with the second round starting on Saturday. England, represented by Luke Humphries and Michael Smith, are strong favorites and begin their campaign against France tonight. The schedule features afternoon and evening sessions for the second round, with highlights including matches like Scotland vs. Poland and Netherlands vs. Belgium – BULLSEYE World Cup of Darts 2024 LIVE RESULTS: Latest updates Germany beat Finland with ease, Ireland and USA lose – live stream (The Sun UK Edition ~ Sport/Darts)