Finland

Inside the world’s biggest cruise ship: Our graphic tells you all you need to know about the incredible 1,200ft-long Icon Of The Seas as it undergoes final tests ahead of maiden voyage

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Measuring a whopping 1,198ft long and weighing in at a staggering 250,800 tonnes, the Icon Of The Seas is the world’s largest cruise ship. The undisputed king of its domain, this mind-blowing vessel cost cruise-line company Royal Caribbean $2billion (£1.58billion) to build and stretches further than 30 double-decker buses parked end to end.  The 20-deck … Read more

World’s biggest cruise ship prepares for service: 1,198 foot-long, 20-DECK Icon Of The Seas with a 55ft waterfall and rooms for 7,600 guests arrives in Puerto Rico during trials

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The world’s largest cruise ship has made its way to Puerto Rico as it prepares to accept its first paying passengers. Locals and tourists in Ponce, Puerto Rico, were given a sneak peak at the 1,198 foot-long, 250,800-tonne pleasure cruiser, named the Icon Of The Seas, as it took a break in port as part … Read more

Sweden will join NATO by July – POLITICO

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NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is confident Sweden will join the military alliance by July at the latest, he told German news agency DPA this week. The next NATO summit will be held in Washington from July 9-11 and the Nordic country will be a fully-fledged member by then, he said. Sweden and Finland abandoned decades … Read more

Asian cities, off the beaten path in Europe

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Tokyo, Japan. Matteo Colombo | DigitalVision | Getty Images When it comes to travel abroad, popular destinations like London, Paris and Rome always seem to top the wish list for Americans. But many travelers are looking beyond those mainstay cities for trips in 2024. Interest in major Asian hubs, off-the-beaten-path locales in Europe and other … Read more

Moscow warns Finland will ‘suffer,’ in latest round of saber rattling – POLITICO

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Finland would be “the first to suffer” if war broke out between NATO and Russia, one of Moscow’s top diplomats said. “Since they are our neighbors, if, God forbid there is some escalation, they will be the first to suffer,” Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, told Russian state-owned news agency … Read more

Tesla hiring Nordic policy expert as ‘WWE-like standoff’ with unions intensifies

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C.E.O. of Tesla, Chief Engineer of SpaceX and C.T.O. of X Elon Musk takes the stage during the New York Times annual DealBook summit on November 29, 2023 in New York City.  Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images Tesla is hiring a Nordic public policy expert as the U.S. electric vehicle giant’s bitter dispute with … Read more

Sleigh, what? From carving radishes to building giant goats – 10 weird and wonderful Christmas traditions around the world

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year.  And what better way to welcome it than with giant straw goats, deep-fried caterpillars, radish carving and decorated horse skulls. These are just some of the strange Christmas sights that feature in our list of 10 weird and wonderful festive traditions around the world. Scroll down for more … Read more

Wish you weren’t here? World’s most dangerous countries to visit in 2024 – including South Sudan, Libya and Afghanistan – are revealed in new interactive global security map

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South Sudan, Libya and Afghanistan are among the most dangerous countries on earth to visit in 2024, it has been revealed. That’s according to an annual interactive map that shows where travellers are most likely to face security threats based on the risk of political violence, social unrest, violent and petty crimes and, this year, … Read more

Finland shuts Russia border again hours after reopening – POLITICO

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Finland’s government decided on Thursday to once again close the country’s entire eastern border with Russia — from Friday night until January 14 — due to another influx of asylum seekers mere hours after it had reopened two crossing points. Interior Minister Mari Rantanen told a press conference that “entry started faster than expected when the … Read more