Hundreds of Immigrants Busted for Sham Marriages

Sham marriages for the sake of residence permits have become a lucrative business in Finland. The daily Turun Sanomat reports that courts rejected 300 residence permit applications last year that were based, say authorities, on marriages of convenience.

All in all last year, 1,930 people applied for residence permits on the basis of marriage to a Finn.
Increasingly, marriages are being arranged for large sums of money. The newspaper interviewed one Moroccan man, who says that the cost of a marriage runs from thousands to tens of thousands of euros.

http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2008/12/hundreds_of_immigrants_busted_for_sham_marriages_435123.html

Nearly Half of Population Queuing for Doctors' Appointments

The findings are the conclusion of the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health. Forty-five percent of the population lives in areas where on a weekly basis, some patients are unable to see a doctor even if their condition has warranted an appointment.

http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2008/12/nearly_half_of_population_queuing_for_doctors_appointments_421330.html

Finnish Police Who Questioned Kauhajoki Shooter Suspected of Offence in Office

A police officer who questioned the man responsible for the Kauhajoki school shooting is suspected of neglecting duties of office. Prosecutor Timo Luosma has decided to move forward with consideration of charges. The Office of the Prosecutor General will determine whether or not to press charges.

http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2008/12/police_who_questioned_kauhajoki_shooter_suspected_of_offence_in_office_422555.html

Senior Physician Criticises Finnish Social Insurance Institution Kela's Evaluation Procedures

Senior physician Risto Pelkonen has criticised the procedure for evaluating the working capacity of some sick leave applicants used by the Finnish Social Insurance Institution Kela. Although a doctor caring for a patient might recommend sick leave, Kela's medical consultants may dismiss the application without even seeing the patient.

http://www.yle.fi/news/id109560.html

A Fifth of Finnish Young Men are Problem Drinkers

Some twenty percent of men below the age of 35 have at some point struggled with alcohol-related problems, such as work absenteeism, relationship woes and addiction, reports Helsingin Sanomat. Young men who drink heavily in their 20s usually tend to lower their consumption as they get older. However some men don't cut back on drinks with age.

http://www.yle.fi/news/id109627.html

Finns Opt Out From Cluster Bomb Ban Treaty

Finland has decided to opt out of the treaty banning cluster weapons, which is being signed in Oslo this week. The Finnish Defence Forces say that cluster weapons are a necessary replacement for the infantry land mines that Finland has agreed to give up, somewhat reluctantly. However, the treaty means that considerably less development and trade in the weapons will be taking place, and that cluster weapons might not be as easily available as the Finnish military would like.

http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Cluster+weapon+ban+treaty+could+end+development+and+trade+in+weapons+sought+by+Finland+/1135241660858

Alcohol Main Cause of Death in Finland

The number of people who die from alcohol-related diseases or alcohol poisoning continues to rise. Alcohol remains the most common cause of death for men and women in Finland.
A total of 2,184 people died of alcohol poisoning or alcohol-related diseases last year. The number is up nearly nine percent from 2006.

Coronary heart disease is the second leading cause of death for Finnish males between the ages of 15 and 64. For women, breast cancer is the second leading cause of death. However the number of people under 65 who die as a result of coronary heart disease has dropped by half over the past 20 years. Meanwhile death from breast cancer has remained unchanged over the past decade.

http://www.yle.fi/news/id109354.html