Mohammed received two negative decisions to his request for asylum and exhausted from the process, he returned voluntarily to Iraq. He now lives in Baghdad. In a phone call, Mohammed talks about why he left Iraq, the case and how he’s getting on back at home.
Taha fled Iraq for love. Unfortunately that’s not a reason good enough to stay in his adopted home in Finland. He went underground and now lives in Kirkkonummi with a Finnish family who wanted to help. Taha is one of thousands of undocumented immigrants in Finland.
THE31st HELSINKI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, also referred to as Rakkautta & Anarkiaa (Love & Anarchy), came to a close on Sunday, having drawn in record breaking numbers. This year’s film festival attracted more than 60,000 visitors and featured almost 500 screenings.
It has now been three years since the biggest migration wave flowed into Europe in 2015, when hundreds of thousands of people headed towards the European continent. Although news coming from the Middle East showed a dramatic escalation in migration after the extensive uprisings and revolutions, none of the governments or politicians in the European Union were expecting what is known today as the European migrant crisis.
Helsinki fashion week is the first fashion event focusing on 100% sustainable production and brands. This year the event was held in an exciting old oil tank, transformed into exhibition centre, located in Laajasalo, Helsinki. While the shows were held inside the oil tank, and an eco village was set up outside.
Like much of Europe, Finland is cultivating a flourishing casino industry. As of writing, there are a total of eight cities throughout Finland that are home to at least one casino, with 16 gambling facilities situated amongst these territories.
The Baltic Sea is one of the key things that makes Helsinki the city it is. In addition to beauty and diverse possibilities for relaxing it provides us with a gateway to the world and its oceans.
Unfortunately, the Baltic is not doing great. Eutrophication remains a big problem that hampers achieving a good status of the sea.
THE FORECAST for the weekend of the 21st Tuska Open Air Metal Festival was not looking too good the week before. Torrential rains were promised for Friday and Saturday with temperatures around 10 degrees Celsius - Finnish summer at its best. Metalheads from all around the world were praying to the weather gods and stocking up on raincoats, rubber boots and gloves in preparation for yet another wet festival.
The frequent occurrence of extreme climate conditions is threatening the life of urban dwellers. Currently, more than 50 percent of the world’s population lives in urban areas. By 2050 this will increase to 70 percent. With rapid growth of urbanization comes rapid changes in the landscape that affect the climate and air quality in urban areas, leading to higher temperatures – or “heat islands” – higher emissions, and more ambient pollutions. During the summer, the higher urban temperatures may lead to more frequent health problems, and actually increase the mortality rate among the most vulnerable urban dwellers including elders and less economically fortunate, for example.
It has been suggested that author J.R.R Tolkien was greatly affected by Finnish mythologies. It was claimed that the “Kalevala”, a 19th-century work of epic poetry, which is regarded as one of the most significant works of Finnish literature, heavily influenced Tolkien. And so he wrote:
“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost…”
The author of this piece was born and raised in Helsinki, the capital of Finland. The city, both ethereal and nonchalant, is fairly seldom ventured into.
Italians will vote on a controversial constitutional reform that may determine the fate of Matteo Renzi’s government. Yet neither Italy’s membership of the EU and the common currency, nor its financial stability are at stake.
On 4 December 2016, Italians will vote on a constitutional reform proposed by the current government of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. If accepted, the reform will change the institutional setup of the country. Most significantly, it would end Italy’s ‘perfect bicameralism’, in which the two legislative houses have nearly identical powers.
CAP's driving simulator is taken for a spin by Regional Manager Markus Vanhala.
Getting a driving licence in Finland requires attending an officially recognised school, but the problem for immigrants is that almost all driving schools teach in Finnish. CAP is a welcome exception.
CAP is Finland’s largest driving school. Providing five-star training to companies, individuals and the Finnish Defence Forces since 2005, the company’s wide range of courses cater to international students and learners of all abilities. Whether pupils are getting to grips with a scooter, a heavy truck or something in between, CAP is sure to have the ideal course for you in one of its 70+ nationwide locations.
Richard Caplan, Professor of International Relations at Oxford University.
The recent inauguration of a new U.N. Secretary-General, António Guterres, is an appropriate moment to reflect on how well the United Nations is performing its primary responsibility — ”to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,” in the words of the U.N. Charter — and how it might up its game.
Peacekeeping is at the centre of U.N. efforts to maintain international peace and security.
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Robert Hathaway, Director Emeritus of the Asia Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center, Washington, D.C.
THE31st HELSINKI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, also referred to as Rakkautta & Anarkiaa (Love & Anarchy), came to a close on Sunday, having drawn in record breaking numbers. This year’s film festival attracted more than 60,000 visitors and featured almost 500 screenings.
The numbers reveal how the festival’s popularity continues to grow, this year one out of every four screenings was sold out.
The festival brings together films and filmmakers from all over the world. This year’s honorary guest was none other than Spike Lee, who came to present his latest film, BlacKkKlansman. In addition to the screening of his Cannes Grand Prix-winning film, his 1989 film Do the Right Thing was presented in combination with a Masterclass on September 22 at the newly renovated Korjaamo Kino Bio Rex theatre.
Other guests included Australian director Stephan Elliott, known for his film Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, who returned to HIFF to present his latest film Swinging Safari, a satire of Australian suburbia set in the 1970s. Actor Shia La Beouf also featured on this year’s list of guests presenting #TakeMeAnywhere, a documentary produced by art collective La Beouf, Rönkkö and Turner. The film documents the trio’s digital road trip where strangers were invited to pick up the artists from coordinates posted on the project’s website and take them to a location of their choosing. German-French-Iranian director Emily Atef also visited the festival to present her film, 3 Days in Quiberon, a depiction of actress Romy Scheider’s final interview.
Local talent was also celebrated during the festival. Finnish films that were featured at the festival included Selma Vilhunen’sStupid Young Heart (2018), Anna Eriksson’sM (2018), and Teemu Nikki’sEuthanizer (2017). Finnish actress, Laura Birn, won this year’s Nordic Flair Award, an award granted to those who have helped draw international attention to Nordic talent.
The festival also features an industry sidebar, Finnish Film Affair, which presents Finnish films to international buyers and journalists. This year’s winner of the Best Pitch Award, given to works in progress, was Tuffi Films’ One-Off Incident, a project directed by 15 female writers and directors.
To those who missed out on the festival – you still have a chance to catch some of the films featured. Yle will feature a selection of the festival’s films on its channels. In addition to this, the Love & Anarchy Tour will present the festival’s most popular films to selected locations including Turku, Kuopio, Joensuu and Vaasa.
MARIA TIMKO
Source: HIFF
Photo: Director Spike Lee included a masterclass in his visit to this year’s Love & Anarchy film festival
