The tabloid daily Ilta-Sanomat reports Russian calls to consider the recognition of an independent state in southeastern Ukraine, “Novorossiya”, with a sidebar piece from former Soviet Union President Mikhael Gorbachev warning of “terrible carnage” in eastern Ukraine and calling on the Kiev government to end its “anti-terrorism operation” in the region.
IS also looked behind the political rhetoric to speak with a representative of the cranes and lifting company Konecranes, who disclosed that orders at the company’s Ukrainian plant had contracted by one-third. One of Konecranes’ largest factories is located in Zaporizhia in southeast Ukraine -- potentially part of "Novorossiya" -- and has employed around 300 locals since it was set up in 2005.
Plant quality control manager Fedor Teroshyn said that although work at the plant has fallen off, the company hasn’t so far resorted to temporary layoffs or payroll cuts. He added optimistically that the company expected business to return to normal once the crisis ends. Similarly, the 800,000 residents of the industrial city have so far seen little evidence of the political and military conflict in their region.
Finnish-Russian oligarch Timchenko feeling sanctions squeeze
Finland’s other main tabloid daily Iltalehti devotes a page 2 spread to an interview with Russian-Finnish business magnate Gennady Timchenko, a mover and shaker in Finland as well as his native country. The interview piece outlines the "discomfort" that Timchenko has had to endure since being placed on a US sanctions list because of Russia’s role in the Ukrainian crisis.
In the interview with the Russian state-owned news agency Itar-Tass, Timchenko said that the sanctions have effectively grounded him – and his private Gulfstream jet -- in Russia. There has been some financial discomfort too, the oligarch said: his engineering construction company Stroytransgaz was forced to surrender a lucrative Black Sea gasline project as a result of the restrictions.
A known Putin insider, Timchenko has also had to give up his Visa and MasterCard credit cards and become a customer of the Chinese bank card issuer UnionPay. Additionally the business mogul has had to physically dip into his estimated 11.6 billion-euro fortune to complete transactions in cash.
Concerns about America’s long reach and influence in Europe have also prompted Timchenko to give up European travel and to take on board the advice of US whistleblower Edward Snowden and switch off his computer and mobile phone to avoid data security breaches.
Timchenko said defiantly that the sanctions will not affect Russia’s policies towards Ukraine, adding that his friend "Vladimir Vladimirovich leads the country on the basis of Russia’s interests. Full stop."
Over-the-counter drugs move behind pharmacists' counters
Printed further afield in Turku, southwestern Finland, widely-read daily Turun Sanomat leads with a preview of plans to make certain over-the-counter medications a bit more difficult to obtain. Behind the move is the Finnish Medicines Agency Fimea, which wants to see certain self-treatment drugs dispensed only after consultation with a pharmacist.
One such drug would be the morning-after pill, according to Fimea unit chief Marjo-Riitta Helle. The reform is part of a national programme to manage the distribution of over-the-counter drugs, and is also the first such programme in Europe.
HS: College choices, ethnic restaurant raids and pesky bed bugs
Mainstream daily Helsingin Sanomat leads off domestic news coverage with a review of 2013 data showing that college students in Finland tend to stay close to home when pursuing higher education. According to Statistics Finland’s Anna Loukkola the trend is most evident in the Uusimaa region, but is also evident in regions such as northern Ostrobothnia and the Tampere region. The datakeeper said the reason for the phenomenon is the increasing availability of institutes of higher education in prospective students’ home towns.
Elsewhere in HS are reports of a police sting operation last weekend in 50-odd so-called ethnic restaurants in western Uusimaa. The operation resulted in 26 fines imposed for working hour infringements, while one establishment was found to have an undocumented immigrant.
Finally, HS’s city section looks at the creepy case of spreading bedbug infestations in city hotels, particularly in Turku and Tampere. Fortunately rigorous cleaning and maintenance routines tend to expose the pests quickly, resulting in more work for pest control providers.
“Ten years ago we had 10 or 15 gigs a year. Last year we had 1,250 jobs,” said pest control entrepreneur Taisto Eronen, as he put the problem into perspective.
Bedbugs are particularly persistent pests: they can survive for months without feeding and three to four months can elapse before nymphs appear. And because mature bugs can lay eggs several times in one day, several treatments are required to effectively clear up infestations. Experts typically use high heat or freezing temperatures to dispose of the uninvited guests.