Every year in December makeshift cabins are placed in the Senate square in Helsinki to form a Christmas market. Everything on sale must be Finnish and handmade. Here are a few images taken on Dec. 8th. 2019.
You may not have ever been to Lithuania or have heard much about it, but this small baltic country of 2.9 million is going to surprise you in the near future.
Lithuania, is probably the most courageous and progressive of the Baltic states at the moment. With a young workforce and vibrant startup atmosphere the country is railing towards a fast modernisation and economic development.
A tweet form the youth wing of the Finns Party has caused uproar on the internet for scaremongering with racist content. The tweet uses a picture of a black couple holding a newborn baby.

Jorge Arreaza, Minister of the People’s Power for Foreign Affairs of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, addresses the Security Council meeting on the situation in Venezuela. 26 February 2019 Photon: UN
April 25: Foreign Minister Arreaza Describes Excruciating Suffering of the Venezuelan People Resulting From US Sanctions;
April 26: US Violates its Obligation as UN Host Country and Sanctions the Foreign Minister for Speaking Truth to Power
“We are not only on the wrong side, we are the wrong side.” Pentagon Papers Expert Daniel Elllsberg
On April 11, the ongoing saga of journalist and transparency activist Julian Assange took a dangerous turn. Ecuador's president, Lenin Moreno, revoked his asylum in that country's London embassy.
Sara Khameis's mother is Finnish, and her father is a Jordanian. Sara has grown up in Amman, the capital of Jordan. She received a bachelor degree in biotechnology in Jordan and then applied for a Master's degree in Finland.
This year Slush came back bigger and better than ever with 20 000 attendees, 2 600 startups, 1 600 investors and 600 journalists. Slush was held dec 4-5 in Messukeskus, the Helsinki Exhibition Center. The trends of this year included artificial intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality, machine learning, blockchain and sustainability. There were lots of inspirational speakers including Werner Vogels, Julia Hartz, Katarina Berg and Casey Winters.
Startup Refugees is one of the leading NGOs in Finland that helps asylum seekers and refugees by assisting them with starting a business or finding employment. I met with Maiju Mitrunen, the Head of Business & Employment Programs, in their office in Helsinki and we talked a little bit about the work they do.
A group of around 20 members of the far-right group, who call themselves “Soldiers of Odin” arranged a show off in the Puhos shopping mall in eastern Helsinki on Monday evening, frightening and intimidating immigrants. Puhos is a small shopping mall adjacent to Itis. The outdated mall has been rented out to mainly ethnic shops and restaurants. Visitors of the mall are almost all from Somali, Kurdish, Arab and other immigrant groups.
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.
Helsinki Fashion Week brought sustainable style to the city for the third time

Therapy recycle + exorcise presented their collection on the first day of HFW. Vegan sneakers by Heluna shop. Photo credit: Julia Rahikka
This year Helsinki Fashion Week took place from 19th to 22nd of July, in four locations in Helsinki. The fashion shows took place in the Palace of Nobility, Wanha Satama and Clarion hotel Helsinki. Talk panels were also held in these places and keynotes were held at Elisa Kulma, witch is an official partner of HFW.
Is Espoo the Las Vegas of Finland?
Kallio Block Party 2017

At the Kallio Block Party afterparty artists like DJ Orkidea turn the night into day at Kulttuuritalo until 4am.
The Kallio Block Party will be held for the seventh time this year on August 5 in the areas surrounding Sturenkatu, bringing a full day of music, art, performances and culinary delights to the streets of Kallio from 2-10 pm. But the party doesn’t stop there. The evening is just getting started as the streets become quiet again, with an afterparty at Kulttuuritalo that goes on until 4 am.
A metal celebration

For its 20th anniversary celebration, Tuska Open Air Metal Festival attracted 37,000 visitors over three days.
This year’s Tuska Open Air Metal was something special as the festival celebrated its 20-year anniversary from June 30 to July 2 at Suvilahti in Helsinki. With headliners like Sabaton and Mastodon, Finnish favourites such as Amorphis, Sonata Arctica and Apocalyptica, as well as international bands that included Soilwork, Mayhem, Suicidal Tendencies and Devin Townsend Project, the lineup was packed with heavy hitters.