Topic: Finland

Featured

5 big losers in press freedom: Mali and ... Japan?

The annual World Press Freedom Index released today shows gains for Myanmar and others. Japan tumbled due to an informal ban placed on independent coverage of the Fukushima Daiichi disaster. Here are five of the notable winners and losers on this year’s list.

All Content

Finnish baby box: Unique gift for British royal couple

Finnish baby box: A Finnish maternity gift that is a cardboard box which doubles as a cot, complete with mattress and sheets, and contains baby items including a sleeping bag, jump suits, socks, pants, hats, bonnets and diapers.
Israel accelerates cybersecurity know-how as early as 10th grade

Israel is strengthening cybersecurity recruitment and cooperation between hi-tech, academia, and the military as threats rise.
Energy Voices Arctic Council: China looks north for oil, gas, and fish

Arctic Council grants China observer status. The eight-member Arctic Council will be key to regulating the anticipated resource rush as warming temperatures further open the Arctic to oil and gas drilling and fishing.
Will Dutch police soon be stalking cybercriminals on your computer?

A minister has proposed empowering Dutch law enforcement to access and control the computers of suspected cybercriminals, even if those computers are outside of the Netherlands.
Chapter & Verse '1Q84' author Haruki Murakami makes his first public appearance in Japan in 18 years

Murakami appeared at Kyoto University to discuss his new novel 'Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage.'
To save more newborns, focus on the poor, report says

Save the Children reports that income inequality in developing and developed countries alike is a key factor in newborn death rates. The US has the highest such rate in the developed world.
'A Nation at Risk': How much of 'apocalyptic' education report still applies?

'A Nation at Risk,' released 30 years ago Friday, was one of a series of reports sounding alarms. Some of the same issues in US schools still resonate today, although progress in certain areas has come through various reforms.
Does Sweden have a racial profiling problem?

A police campaign to catch illegal immigrants in the Stockholm subway has spurred debate over racial profiling, after the stops ensnared nonwhite Swedish citizens.
Tax VOX How should the US pay for corporate tax reform?

Corporate tax reform in the US seems to be inevitable, Harris writes, but questions remain over how to pay for it. Finland may have the answer.
Bank of Cyprus: Big depositors may lose 60 percent

Bank of Cyprus depositors with more than 100,000 euros will get hit with an initial 37.5 percent penalty. Another tax of up to 22.5 percent could be imposed, depending on what the Bank of Cyprus needs to build up its reserves.
Estonian austerity, Paul Krugman, and Twitter: All the elements of an opera?

An American expatriate writer and a Latvian economist-cum-composer have turned an online tiff between Estonia's president and Nobel-winning economist Krugman into high art.
Global News Blog China pushes for Arctic foothold, from a thousand miles away

As global warming pushes back the Arctic Sea ice, uncovering new natural-resource deposits, China is looking to establish its presence in the north.
Deal at Czech nuclear power plant fuels US-Russia economic rivalry

Companies with ties to the US and Russia are battling for a contract to expand a Czech nuclear power plant, which analysts say may be the gateway to kickstarting other nuclear power projects in Eastern Europe.
Global News Blog How many frogs does it take to make a handbag? Tokyo museum has the answer

Tucked away in Tokyo is a little trafficked museum that houses bags from the world over. It is an unexpected reminder of how much more than a bag a piece of luggage can be.
Progress Watch Why juvenile incarceration reached its lowest rate in 38 years

The juvenile incarceration in the US rate has fallen 41 percent in the past 15 years, reaching the lowest level since 1975, a new study finds. What is behind the rapid decline?
Closing education achievement gap: blue-ribbon panel offers blueprint

Better teacher training, accessible early-childhood education, and school-finance reform are key components to closing the achievement gap between minority and white students, says a report.
5 big losers in press freedom: Mali and ... Japan?

The annual World Press Freedom Index released today shows gains for Myanmar and others. Japan tumbled due to an informal ban placed on independent coverage of the Fukushima Daiichi disaster. Here are five of the notable winners and losers on this year’s list.
Cybercrime takedown: Is it game over for Gozi trojan that stole millions?

The three alleged leaders of the Gozi cybercrime gang were indicted in federal court. The Gozi trojan was highly successful, but it may be too hard to operate with the alleged masterminds in jail.
Longer school year: Will extended school day add competitiveness?

Will a longer school year help American students be more competitive with their counterparts in Asia and Europe? Students in five states get ready for a shorter summer vacation in order to find out if an extended school day helps or hurts academic success.
Is this the year that the eurocrisis ends?

The European Central Bank has moved to shore up the euro, investors are more confident, and European leaders are surprisingly upbeat. But critics warn that Europe is not out of the woods.
Opinion As fiscal cliff approaches, don't be fooled by the great Nordic myth

The Nordic countries are some of the happiest and most prosperous, which many attribute to socialist policies. That's a myth. As John Boehner and President Obama's 'fiscal cliff' debate over spending cuts continue, lawmakers should remember that socialism did not spell prosperity.
Global sympathy for Newtown, antipathy for US gun laws (+video)

Even as observers around the world mourned the teachers and children killed in Newtown, many expressed frustration with a US political system that has left guns so easily accessible.
Gun control after school shootings: Lessons from around the globe

Australia enacted tougher gun laws and saw a drop in school shootings to zero. After the 1998 hand gun ban, the United Kingdom saw a rise in gun-related crimes. Do gun controls reduce gun-related crime?
Focus Baltic nations offer ex-Soviet states a Western model

The tiny states of Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia, having shed their Russian-dominated past and joined the EU and NATO, are looking to help their post-Soviet neighbors to do the same.
How does US compare in math, science, reading? Younger students do better.

Two international studies show fourth- and eighth-grade scores in math, science, and reading in 2011. In the US, there’s no cause for alarm, or celebration.