All Points North

Nearly two years ago, the Blue Reform split from the Finns Party when a new immigration hardliner took over. Now that the dust has settled, the Blues and the Finns Party each have the same number of seats in Parliament, but their voter support figures couldn't be more different. Will the Blues survive the election and how will their time in this government be remembered? 22 February 2019 / All Poi...

Finland's Christian Democratic Party is hoping to win voters over with a general election platform that focuses on safeguarding families and traditional values. Can proposals to throw more money at families with children convince the electorate to give them enough leverage to form part of the next government? This week APN begins a series of pre-election party snaphots with international journalis...

Finland has been positioning itself as an ideal place to live, study and build a career. But for many people that dream runs into a brick wall when they try to find a job. The unemployment rate among foreign-language groups in Helsinki is double that of the local population. At the same time, employers are bemoaning the lack of qualified job applicants. Taina Susiluoto and Eve Kyntäjä join All Poi...

Quality of life, education, stability, safety, freedom. These are just some of qualities that put Finland at the top of a host of global rankings. The country also spends millions promoting these listings. We asked one of Finland's foremost branding gurus, former marketing chief behind Angry Birds Peter Westerbacka and philosophy researcher Frank Martela about Finland's near-obsession with being N...

The clock is ticking for UK citizens across Europe as the date approaches for their country's divorce from the European Union. Some already have a sense of what to expect in their adopted homes after March 29 when Brexit is scheduled to take effect. But Brits living in Finland have been anxious about the relative lack of clarity regading their post-Brexit status. Ilkka Salmi, Permanent Secretary i...

This week APN examines how the media has handled recent reports of alleged sex abuse crimes in which all of the suspects are immigrants. News organisations have covered the story extensively - including opinion pieces and reader views expressing concern and outrage. In the pre-election ramp-up, lawmakers and politicians of all stripes have also joined the sometimes heated debate on the issue, with...

Election fever is building in Finland and a recent poll indictaes that the persistent problem of poverty and inequality is one of the issues voters want politicians to tackle. This week All Points North looks at the roots and growth of poverty and discusses concrete measures for future governments to root out indigence and social exclusion. Guests are Jiri Sironen, chair of European Anti-Poverty N...

2018 was a big year for Finland as the Trump-Putin summit focused the eyes of the world on Helsinki. All Points North revisits the landmark meeting and other major news stories that shaped conversations in Finland throughout an eventful 12 months. 21 December 2018 / All Points North / Yle News

A pre-schooler diagnosed with measles in late November prompted health officials in western Finland cast their net wide to track down everyone the child may have come into contact with -- and since then officials have diagnosed more measles cases. The latest round of infections has prompted a national debate on how to maintain herd immunity so that vulnerable groups of people who cannot be vaccina...

Finland's birth rate has dropped to levels last seen during the 1868 famine. Some say the situation threatens the future of the country. Our guests will help us find out why so many people are delaying having children or choosing not to have them at all. We'll talk with research professor at the Family Federation of Finland Osmo Kontula and Safa Ali, a mother of two kids who wants a third, but say...

Finland's two-year basic income trial, a programme that randomly selected 2,000 unemployed jobseekers and paid them 560 euros tax-free every month, wraps up at the end of the year. The aim was to see if the benefits system could be re-designed to deal with a changing labour market, where full-time permanent jobs appear to be becoming a thing of the past. Kela change director Marjukka Turunen and R...

A long-term study from the National Institute of Health and Welfare found that one-fifth of people born in 1997 have received a psychiatric diagnosis and more likely to have sought mental health care than people born a decade earlier. We'll talk with the study's head researcher Tiina Ristikari - as well as Elina Marjamäki, a specialist at the Finnish Association for Mental Health - about the healt...

Daily Helsingin Sanomat discovered discrimination when the paper rounded up four high-profile Finns and sent out their resumes with Roma-sounding names. Head of the National Advisory Board on Roma Affairs Henna Huttu and journalist Sam Kingsley join All Points North to discuss why these kinds of exposés are problematic and ponder why we still need mainstream voices to tell stories about minority e...

Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipilä called for a multi-party huddle soon after the UN's climate watchdog issued a wake-up call for action to combat climate change. How should Finland meet its climate goals? And what kind of impact will new measures have on our everyday lives? Two guests join us today: Outi Haanperä, a lead climate solutions specialist with the state innovation agency Sitra and Hann...

New legislation underway will make it easier for small firms to fire workers, and unions are pulling no punches to try and stop what they see as the erosion of workers' rights. Meanwhile food courier workers are up in arms over an ultimatum to sign up for reduced pay -- or hit the road. Our guest on All Points North this week is digital economy labour researcher Ville-Veikko Pulkka from Helsinki U...

All Points North considers whether Swedish might be an easier nut to crack when it comes to learning a new language in Finland. We also discuss the likelihood of finding work with Swedish rather than Finnish under your belt and consider whether more programmes should encourage people to integrate into Finland in Swedish. Our guest is Allyana Thomas who has walked the talk and is integrating in Swe...

This week APN examines the impact social media has on people and the media. We'll talk about relationships between big media and regular folks, and how social media is changing everthing from consumer habits to political leanings in Finland. Our special guest is Steve El-Sharawy, the head of insights at EzyInsights, a social media analysis and consulting firm used by thousands of journalists aroun...

This week APN takes a deep dive into migrants and entrepreneurship in Finland. We'll discuss what it takes to get started in business and strategies for staying in the game. Our special guests are Edem Agbekey-Taylor, who single-handedly built up her beauty brand and got it on the shelves of major Finnish chains, and Kaisu Keisala-Kaseja a newly-appointed private sector immigrant entrepreneurship...

This week APN considers empathy and harassment in Finland, the objectification of men and politicians and their rhetoric. We'll also look at how the rich evade taxation, how to connect immigrants with jobs and the art of being bored. Our guest this week is outspoken celebrity media pundit and writer Tuomas Enbuske. 7 September 2018 / All Points North / Yle News

The All Points North podcast throws out a lifeline for people of colour in need of support for their special hair needs. We'll also look at plagiarism claims against a Finns Party politician and ponder how to tackle loneliness among unemployed people. This week's special guest is Michaela Moua, vice-chair of the Anti-Racist Forum and former national basketball player. 31 August 2018 / All Points N...

The All Points North podcast team delves into edgy comedy routines, a Greens party worker under fire for attempting to stop a deportation flight, a survivor of the Turku stabbing attacks admitting to benefits fraud, a debate over the perceived dangers of certain dog breeds and more! This week's special guest is transgender person and comedian James MacDonald. 24 August 2018 / All Points North / Yl...

Our special guest is Teivo Teivainen, Helsinki University Professor of World Politics. Our podcast this week considers presidential powers, what a foreign minister should or shouldn't say, how to get the jobless back to work and whether Helsinki is a liveable city or not? 17 August 2018 / All Points North / Yle News

As Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin meet in Helsinki, Yle News breaks down the issues and fallout from the summit with special guest Charly Salonius-Pasternak.

This week's All Points North welcomes Lauren Stevens to discuss gay marriage, LGBT rights and the importance of Pride events. 15 June 2018 / All Points North / Yle News

This week's All Points North asks Yle Kioski's Toivo Haimi to explain Finnish politics, and ponders whether taxi deregulation will bring better or cheaper services. 9 June 2018 / All Points North / Yle News