To see sponsored ads, please enable JavaScript. HAPARANDA, Sweden - 2024 U20 World silver medalist Otto Black (Parker, Colo./ Colorado Top Team) won a silver medal and former University of Iowa star Austin DeSanto (Iowa City, Iowa/Hawkeye WC) captured a bronze medal at 63 kg at the respected Haparanda Cup on Saturday. Black won his first three matches, including 8-0 technical fall victories over Ruslan Stamat of Sweden and Jonatan Jedell of Sweden. In the championship finals, Black fell to William Eckroth of Sweden, who was seventh in the 2024 U20 World Championships. In addition to his U20 World medal, Black was fifth at the 2021 U17 World Championships. He was also a 2024 U20 Pan American champion. He has won Junior and U20 national titles in Greco-Roman, as well. DeSanto’s only loss came in his first match in Pool B to Eckroth, 6-2. He responded with a pair of technical falls, beating Algot Garnelius of Sweden, 11-3 in pool competition, then Ruslan Stamat of Sweden, 10-2 in the bronze-medal match. DeSanto won a medal in his first major Senior-level Greco-Roman event.  He has won medals at international Senior freestyle events in France, Poland, Egypt and the United States. DeSanto was a four-time All-American for Iowa in college. Black and DeSanto will also compete in the Haavisto Cup in Ilmajoki, Finland on December 7. On this tour, they are coached by 2006 World champion Joe Warren. 63 kg – Austin DeSanto, Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye WC), bronze medal WIN Algot Garnelius (Sweden), tech fall 11-3 WIN Ruslan Stamat (Sweden), tech fall 10-2 63 kg – Otto Black, Parker, Colo. (Colorado Top Team), silver medal WIN Jonatan Jedell (Sweden), tech fall 8-0 [data-focus]){outline-width:var(--focus-ring-width 2px);outline-offset:var(--focus-ring-offset solid);outline-color:var(--focus-ring-color);outline:none;}.css-puhhl:is(:focus-visible [data-focus-visible]){box-shadow:none;outline-width:3px;outline-style:solid;outline-color:var(--semantics-focus-light);outline-offset:3px;}.css-puhhl:visited{color:var(--components-rte-light-link-color);}.css-puhhl:visited.css-puhhl:visited:is(:active [data-state=open]){color:var(--components-rte-light-link-color-active);}@media (hover: hover){.css-puhhl:visited:is(:hover [data-disabled]){color:var(--components-rte-light-link-color-hover);}}.css-puhhl.css-puhhl:is(:active [data-state=open]){color:var(--components-rte-light-link-color-active);}@media (hover: hover){.css-puhhl:is(:hover Planning for a rail connection from Kemi to the port of Narvik in northern Norway will begin this year the government decided in mid-term budget framework talks on Wednesday It sees the train connection to Narvik as important for security of supply in times of crisis a standard European-gauge railway will be built between Kemi and the neighbouring Swedish town of Haparanda seamless cross-border rail traffic is not possible because Finnish tracks are nine centimetres wider than European standard tracks it still uses a width commonly used in the nineteenth century the government of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) earmarked 20 million euros for an initial track gauge study Minister of Transport Lulu Ranne (Finns) described the transition to a new track gauge between Haparanda and Kemi as the first step in a long-term project Ranne said that the European Commission has pressured Finland to move toward changing its track gauge which would be a hugely expensive long-term project Nato and the Finnish Defence Forces have made assessments of the most urgent major European military mobility project includes requirements for the study and planning of the transition to the standard 1,435 mm track gauge in countries with different track gauges which dates back to the nineteenth century Narrower-gauge tracks planned to Oulu and Rovaniemi The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency (FTIA) is planning a narrower-gauge rail line first to Kemi and in the future also to the major northern city of Oulu and the village of Misi in Rovaniemi near a Defence Forces depot and shooting range existing tracks already connect Haparanda with Narvik via the Swedish mining towns of Kiruna and Gällivare According to a preliminary Transport Ministry estimate modifying the track as far as Oulu would cost more than 1.5 billion euros more specific details will be revealed once the planning process gets underway I would say that there are plenty of gauge-switching plans for the whole of Northern Finland into the 2030s,” Ranne said Finland has been working on the issue in partnership with authorities in Nato ally countries Sweden and Norway A uniform track gauge would be decisive for national defence Nato could transport equipment to Finland by rail Ranne noted that track plans are not just a security issue accessibility and operating conditions for business is also a strong growth measure,” she argued Ranne predicted that rail overhaul projects would have a significant employment impact in Lapland and Northern Finland Lapland Regional Governor Hannu Takkula hopes that the track work will begin promptly “The Narvik rail connection is part of our regional plan The connection is important for security of supply,” said Takkula deputy commander of the Lapland Jaeger Brigade of the Finnish Defence Forces said that the northern rail connection is currently a real bottleneck “Now nothing can cross the border without special arrangements,” he told Yle Mure pointed out that compatible rail connections are crucial in transporting heavy military equipment This story is posted on the Barents Observer as part of Eye on the Arctic a collaborative partnership between public and private circumpolar media organisations Published by: The Independent Barents Observer AS About us The Barents Observer follows the Code of Ethics of the Norwegian Press and the document Right and Duties of the Editor We report under full editorial independence and have no external interference Donate to our independent journalism Støtt oss via Vipps: 105 792 - Det betyr mye newstips@thebarentsobserver.com atle@thebarentsobserver.com thomas@thebarentsobserver.com☏ +47-905 73 143 denis@thebarentsobserver.com georgii@thebarentsobserver.com liza.vereykina@thebarentsobserver.com olesia@thebarentsobserver.com Privacy policy With two more competitive endeavors available before 2025 arrives Lithuania’s Mantas Knystautas (130 kg) is maintaining quite the active profile has signed up for the last two European tournaments of the year: the Haparanda Cup (Sweden) and the Haavisto Cup (Finland) Knystautas’ entries into both events comes on the heels of what was a busy but challenging campaign in ’24 It began last January when Knystautas placed 3rd at the Grand Prix Zagreb Open in Croatia the 6’7 heavyweight defeated countryman Roman Fridrikas and German Franz Richter before falling to Fardin Hedayati (IRI) in the semifinal Knystautas then received a forfeit from Laszlo Darabos (HUN) in the bronze match An opening round loss to ’18 World champ/two-time Olympic bronze Sergey Semenov (RUS) at the European Championships came next — but Knystautas bounced right back two weeks later to win his second-straight Thor Masters gold and despite having demonstrated consistent results throughout the season Knystautas was not selected to compete in the European Olympic Qualifier That distinction instead went to Fridrikas who was edged in the quarterfinal by Jello Krahmer (GER) and therefore did not qualify 130 kg for Lithuania at the Paris Games Knystautas’ number was indeed called for the World OG Qualifier in May which represented the last chance for all national federations to earn Olympic berths and Knystautas started off strong by coming up with wins over Moises Perez Hellburg (VEN) and ’21 U23 World runner-up David Ovasapyan (ARM) though a criteria loss to ’16 Olympic bronze Sabah Shariati (AZE) meant a trip to the repechage Knystautas easily disposed of Nikolaos Ntounias (GRE) to advance to the bronze round; but because the World Qualifier also included a “true 3rd” match in each weight category two more wins were necessary for LTU to qualify; and after Knystautas downed Ntounias he was clipped by Pavel Hlinchuk (BLR) 6-5 Dejection turned to celebration just weeks later when the International Olympic Committee in conjunction with United World Wrestling reallocated 16 Paris Olympic berths earned by Russian and Belarusian wrestlers (all of whom bearing AIN distinctions or “Individual Neutral Athlete”) these spots were re-assigned to a variety of national federations according to the order of placings at qualifying events; plus both BLR and RUS decided to “soft boycott” the proceedings in the light of the IOC’s findings; and at the end of it all Lithuania was awarded Hlinchuk’s berth at 130 which in turn meant that Knystatas would appear in his second straight Olympiad Knystautas blitzed an overmatched Oussama Assad (MAR) in the qualification round of the Paris Olympics but lost a 1-1 passive decision to Lingzhe Meng of China in his subsequent bout who has steadily improved over the past five years was defeated in similar fashion by eventual runner-up Yasmani Acosta Fernandez (CHI) thus signaling an end to Knystautas’ second Olympic run It is not uncommon for wrestlers coming off of World or Olympic starts to go on brief hiatuses upon the dawn of each new competitive season And it especially would have come as no surprise if Knystautas had decided to take a break considering the amount of activity in which he engaged in the months leading up to the Paris Games and along the way endured the pressure of attempting to qualify his weight class only to have dealt with the disappointment of falling just short before the news came down that he would It was enough to warrant a respite for any high-level athlete nevermind a top heavyweight who has eclipsed 30 years of age Knystautas hardly allowed for any downtime In late September — a mere seven weeks following the Olympics — he entered the Valamar Cup in Croatia The 130 kg bracket at Valamar was broken up into a round-robin which delivered to Knystautas four matches He won three of them to end up with silver with his lone loss coming at the hands of Ukrainian Vladyslav Kovalenko And now he has two more tournaments on the horizon to close out the year The level of competition at both the Haparanda and Haavisto cups can be a mixed bag depending on the year the degree of difficulty is quite high and brackets include a healthy number of accomplished entrants There are also iterations of Haparanda and Haavisto which — for competitors and fans alike — can be underwhelming Whether due to scheduling conflicts relative to other events unfolding around the same time-frame or simply because many national federations prefer to use the last month of the year to rest and re-charge in order to prepare for continental championships in the spring Haparanda and Haavisto tend to be inconsistent when it comes to participation at press time the 130 kg bracket in Haparanda presents six registrants (including Knystautas and Fridrikas) and four of those six are likewise registered for Haavisto — which currently displays only five names at 130 who is one of the best in the world in his weight division is entering Haparanda or Haavisto for only one primary reason which is to increase match time in an effort to stay sharp 130 kilograms is a snug and tight environment and the margin for error is exceedingly slim The lines of demarcation separating World medalists from journeyman contenders is practically indiscernible to the casual eye Those who are willing to sustain their focus and make adequate adjustments can find suitable value in any type of competitive environment but the only way for that approach to prove effective is by routinely showing up to do the work.In that light it does not matter if the brackets at Haparanda What matters is the consistency of the very athletes who populate said brackets Knystautas has demonstrated this attribute perhaps as well than the vast majority of European heavyweights his presence in these last two Nordic events of ’24 is about ending the year in a positive manner whilst remaining passionately dedicated to his short and long-term goals In a weight class where outcomes are often decided by the faintest of margins Knystautas knows that one lesson learned in one moment from one match in one tournament can aid his cause in becoming a World or Olympic Champion in the future So while it might have been initially surprising to spot an established name like his in the brackets of these two year-end tournaments it is equally unsurprising when taking into account the value Knystautas sees in every opportunity and how each opportunity might lead him to achieving his overall objective And it all starts with showing up to do the work Listen to “5PM57: Kamal Bey and David Stepanyan” on Spreaker. Listen to “5PM56: Rich Carlson and Spencer Woods” on Spreaker. Listen to “5PM55: Recapping Final X with Dennis Hall with words from Koontz, Braunagel and Hafizov” on Spreaker. Passenger train traffic from Finland via Tornio to Haparanda would open up the possibility of traveling to Sweden and the rest of Europe by land The rail connection between Finland to Sweden has been electrified Electrification of the last section of the line from southern Finnish Lapland to northern Sweden Now all that is missing is passenger traffic Minister of Transport and Communications Lulu Ranne (Finns) says that her ministry is completing a study on how to implement a passenger train connection from Tornio to its neighbouring Swedish town of Haparanda Ranne joined Swedish Infrastructure Minister Andreas Carlson for ceremonies marking the completion of the electrification of the Laurila-Haparanda line in Tornio and Haparanda there is so far no agreement on funding for the long-delayed cross-border rail project it would be possible to start operations at the turn of 2025–26,” she said it would be possible to travel by train from Helsinki to Stockholm “The goal is to have passenger trains running between Finland and Sweden as soon as possible [now that] the electrification has been completed next year at the latest,” Tornio Mayor Jukka Kujala told Yle a ministerial adviser at the Transport Ministry says that it could take less than a year to make the arrangements – but possibly up to two years Funding remains open – and that is a political decision as public financing is essential Studies by the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom) indicate that passenger rail traffic based solely on ticket revenue is not financially viable anywhere in the country Kujala hopes that the government will earmark the necessary funding in its spring budget framework talks the annual support needed would be a maximum of 1.4–2.1 million euros Another major issue to be resolved is the choice of operator and the related legal issues Nykänen says the ministry is currently considering whether the operation should be put out to tender whether the operation of the section can be included in the current contract with state rail operator VR or whether a new contract should be signed have both expressed interest in starting passenger services linking Oulu Four years ago – after a hiatus of over 30 years – a passenger train connection opened linking Haparanda to southbound and northbound long-distance train routes via Luleå and Boden it takes about seven hours across another border to Narvik on the Norwegian Sea Last autumn, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre discussed the need to improve Nordic cross-border rail connections for potential military use or other crises Finland’s National Emergency Supply Agency (Nesa) is among the financial backers of the Finnish-Swedish border rail project The train connection between Finland and Sweden is part of the Bothnian Arc transport plan bankrolled by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and other bodies in 2023 The connection would also enable the expansion of the EU’s Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) there is no regular commercial freight traffic between Tornio and Haparanda according to Traficom railway director Jukka Ronni VR says it could increase transport on this route if need be Finland and Estonia still use “Russian gauge” One long-running problem has been that Finland’s track gauge is wider than the standard gauge used in Sweden and most of the rest of Europe which at that point included present-day Finland and Estonia The European standard gauge is 1435 millimetres used virtually everywhere except in Ireland and the Iberian peninsula a bogie change track was installed at the Tornio railway yard which allows for changing of the track gauge the switching track method is mainly suitable for individual transfers from one rail network to another it is now usually simpler to transfer loads using a ramp in Tornio longer adjacent transfer loading tracks would be needed for efficient transfer loading An bogie exchange station has long been in use at Turku harbour to accommodate freight cars coming from or heading to Germany and Sweden by ship Laurila-Tornio-Haparanda line finally electrified Approximately 22 kilometres of track was electrified from the village of Laurila in the Finnish Lapland municipality of Keminmaa to the Swedish border The safety of the level crossings on the track section has been improved The River Tornio marks the border between the two countries Necessary modifications have been made to the Tornio and Haparanda railyards The cost estimate is approximately 37 million euros with Sweden chipping in about seven million euros The Finnish share is being paid by Traficom and Nesa – with EU support – as well as Tornio and Keminmaa Canada: Limited transportation infrastructure facing threats in northern Canada Finland: Regional Council launches Lapland east-west railway study Russia: Transportation crisis looms in Arctic Russia For more news from Finland visit Yle News and website in this browser for the next time I comment Gustaf Håkansson was a real person who participated in the 1951 Sverigeloppet race in Sweden which took place between the cities of Haparanda and Ystad aligns closely with the commonly reported distance of 1,800 kilometers (1,118 miles) as he was not recognized as a competitor by the event organizers Reports suggest that the maximum age limit for the race was 40 but we could not independently verify this detail some sources claimed that only 50 men were allowed to participate but the exact criteria for selection remain unclear For years, a story has circulated on social media about a 66-year-old man who allegedly won an 1,800-kilometer (1,118-mile) bike race despite being too old to compete The story is often accompanied by a black-and-white photograph of an elderly man riding a bicycle In 1951, a 66 year old man wasn't allowed to enter a 1800km (1118 miles) long bicycle race because of being "too old". He showed up anyways and won the race by biking for days without sleep. He got the nickname "Grandpa Steel".byu/Green____cat ininteresting "In 1951, a 66 year old man wasn't allowed to enter a 1800km (1118 miles) long bicycle race because of being 'too old'. He showed up anyways and won the race by biking for days without sleep. He got the nickname 'Grandpa Steel,'" one Reddit post claimed (archived) as well as other memorabilia from the Sverigeloppet race Håkansson was also mentioned in several 1951 issues of a Swedish daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter but some of its details remain unsubstantiated or false indicated he was "almost 66 years old" — i.e. In fact, Håkansson was born on Oct. 15, 1885, which means that on the race date An online archive containing thousands of digitized Swedish newspapers and magazines from 1645 to the present day revealed that Håkansson has been alternately described as either 65 or 66 over the years This discrepancy likely stems from disregarding his birth month and simply subtracting his birth year The Sverigeloppet race, organized by the Stockholms-Tidningen newspaper and the Husqvarna factory was reportedly held 10 times between 1951 and 1964 to "highlight the usefulness of the bicycle as a means of transportation." Reportedly, the maximum age for participants was 40, which would indeed have disqualified Håkansson, who was over 60 at the time. Additionally, some sources claimed that "only 50 men were allowed to participate," suggesting that age was not the sole limiting factor While we were unable to independently verify these details news reports from the 1950s consistently stated that Håkansson was not officially permitted to compete in the race the distance between the two cities is 1,760 kilometers (1,094 miles) closely matching the reported race length of 1,800 kilometers According to The Guardian who were required to stop at checkpoints overnight Håkansson rested only for an hour before continuing through the night "The time allowed him to make up for the 10 miles he was behind to put a 20-mile gap between him and the rest of the pack," the article claimed since he wasn't an official competitor he couldn't officially win the race The race was reportedly "revived" in 2017 through the initiative of Swedish Olympic cyclist Bernt Johansson We have reached out to the Sundsvalls Museum and several local entities and newspapers for more information regarding the race This article will be updated if we receive any responses "1951: Stålfarfar blir cykelhjälte." Sveriges Radio https://www.nsd.se/sport/cykel/artikel/os-hjaltens-dromprojekt-i-haparanda/l7xyogwr Åtkomst till upphovsrättsskyddade dagstidningar utanför KB:s lokaler – Svenska tidningar – Frågor och svar https://feedback.blogg.kb.se/forums/topic/atkomst-till-upphovsrattsskyddade-dagstidningar-utanfor-kbs-lokaler/ "Gustav Håkansson 'Steelfarfar' - Vintage Photograph." IMS Vintage Photos https://imsvintagephotos.com/products/gustav-haakansson-steelfarfar-vintage-photograph-2131877 https://web.archive.org/web/20161108220432/https://sverigeloppet.bike/historia.html "Historiskt succélopp återvänder." Cykla.se https://cykla.se/artiklar/historiskt-succelopp-atervander/ https://olympics.com/en/athletes/bernt-johansson https://kulturiskovde.se/skovdekulturfabrik/stadsmuseet/parlor-fran-utstallningarna/ur-vart-fotoarkiv/stalfarfar/ http://www.kulturgravar.se/6_01_215_stalfarfar.html "37 cyklister på väg från Haparanda till Ystad." SVT Nyheter https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/ost/50-cyklister-pa-vag-fran-haparanda-till-ystad På 1950-Talet Kördes under Många År Sverigeloppet På Cykel Loppet Kördes På Brukscyklar Och Betraktades Som Något Av Ett "Vasalopp På Cykel" Största Attraktionen i Det Första Loppet 1951 Var 66-Årige Gustaf Håkansson Han Nekades Att Delta i Loppet Som Hade En Övre Åldersgräns På 40 År Men Körde Med Eget Följe På Andra Tider Än de Tävlande Och Gick i Mål i Ystad Ett Dygn Före de Egentliga Tävlande Gustaf Håkansson Drev Ett Åkeri i Gantofta Utanför Helsingborg Och Han Blev 102 År https://digitaltmuseum.se/021015809982/pa-1950-talet-kordes-under-manga-ar-sverigeloppet-pa-cykel-fran-haparanda https://digitaltmuseum.se/search/?q=Gustaf+H%C3%A5kansson Stålfarfar Gustaf Håkansson Är Med Och Skriver Autografer https://digitaltmuseum.se/021015810085/stalfadernas-sverigelopp-stalfarfar-gustaf-hakansson-ar-med-och-skriver ""Stålfarfar" snabbast genom Sverige." DN.se https://www.dn.se/dn-150-ar/stalfarfar-snabbast-genom-sverige/ https://sigedal.se/index.php/sverigeloppet/ Aleksandra Wrona is a reporting fellow for Snopes This material may not be reproduced without permission Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com “The border area between Finland and Sweden is an exceptional state border region where the community structure does not follow state borders (the Tornio-Haparanda area) and where cross-border interaction and cooperation are intensive in various areas of life,” Hannele Taavila the Police Director in Finland told Eye on the Arctic “Finland and Sweden wanted to further enhance police cooperation the northern municipalities were chosen as cooperation areas.” police from both countries will be allowed to cross the border under certain conditions to respond quickly to serious incidents or emergencies The cooperation will primarily affect the border areas of Finland and Sweden it will apply to the municipalities of Enontekiö it will impact the municipalities of Haparanda The agreement was approved by Finland’s President on May 17 both countries gave their official approvals and a government decree has now put the agreement into effect Northern policing unions have long called for stronger cooperation to address the rising threat of organized crime where criminal groups can take advantage of the area’s unique vulnerabilities This agreement is just one of the building blocks toward better collaboration so we need to work together more efficiently,” Jonne Rinne told Eye on the Arctic in an interview before Helsinki approved the agreement “We need to benchmark and share information with our colleagues across the Nordic region and Europe,” Rinne who is also President of the European Confederation of Police “We don’t need to reinvent the wheel—we need to learn from each other and Sweden issued an explicit joint statement urging closer collaboration They emphasized the need for a unified response especially in the face of increasing violence linked to gang crime in Sweden which is now spilling over into neighboring countries “Today’s organized crime is capturing new markets for its drug and arms trade as well as serious economic and professional crimes,” the joint statement said it is no longer possible for us to do our jobs in the old way.” The agreement is set to be implemented in 2026 after authorities complete the training for the participating police officers during which Finnish and Swedish police will familiarize themselves with each other’s legislation and use-of-force rules while the language issue may seem like an obstacle on the outside Finland’s unique linguistic makeup presents a solution “Finnish and Swedish are both national languages in Finland and we’ve all been taught Swedish in school and at the police academy,” Rinne said “But what happens when you’re in a high-risk high-stress situation and need to use a language that’s not your mother tongue Rinne noted that the issue can be addressed where bilingual officers who speak Swedish as their mother tongue and are fluent in Finnish are already in place police from neighboring countries will be allowed to cross the border to prevent or interrupt serious crimes This is particularly important in the Arctic where the nearest police station may be located in the neighboring country rather than within the country where the crime is occuring the host country’s police will take over and conduct the investigation “Cooperation will always follow the laws of the country where the operation is taking place,” Taavila explained “It’s important to remember that a police patrol from the other country arriving at the crime scene under the agreement will only take initial steps to prevent the crime The host country’s police must always arrive at the scene to complete the operation.” The precise implementation date for the agreement in 2026 will be announced in the coming months a collaborative partnership between public and private circumpolar media organizations This work, The United States Army Conducts Rail Gauge Operations in the High North, by MAJ Ashley Bain, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright Sweden’s and Finland‘s railways could be connected in the near future according to authorities in northern Finland the Laurila (FI) – Tornio (FI) – Haparanda (SE) railway project was launched on the Finnish-Swedish border after funding was secured The project is meant to electrify the line and carry out civil engineering works to enable cross-border passenger train services The estimated cost of the project is EUR 24 million of which the Finnish Railway Board’s is expected to cover EUR 10 million The share of the Swedish office of social security (försörjningstryggheten) is EUR 10 million and the Swedish government’s contribution is EUR 4 million Train travel is something that is more and more in demand The aim of the Laurila-Tornio-Haparanda railway project is to improve the cost-effectiveness of rail transport and the competitiveness of the industry, as well as to enable passenger train traffic between Finland and Sweden as part of the core trans-European TEN-T network in the form of joint projects of the railways. Several important international transport corridors in northern Finland and Sweden pass through the area. These corridors connect the Barents region with the Central European transport corridor and further to the Far East. The route through Sweden is one of the options for Finland’s foreign trade transport. Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper function of the website. Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us to understand how our visitors use our website. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Open image viewerTourism is now making big strides in southern Lapland's border areas, particularly in Tornio at the top of the Gulf of Bothnia. Photo shows the border between Finland and Sweden at Tornio-Haparanda. Image: Antti Ullakko / YleYle News3.2. 11:41Weekend traffic is normally brisk between the twin cities of Tornio, on the Finnish side of the border and Haparanda, Sweden, with a steady flow in both directions. Sweden has benefited most from cross-border shopping in recent years. The kingdom's currency has been relatively weak against the euro, which has attracted both locals looking for bargains, as well as shoppers from further afield. The cheaper alcohol and tobacco products are particularly appealing, and the opportunity for savings at the furniture giant Ikea also attracts customers from all over northern Finland to Haparanda. Locals in border areas are also accustomed to buying groceries and fuel from their western neighbours. According to Eija-Sinikka Juho, contact manager of Tornio's Rajalla shopping centre, located right on the border of Finland and Sweden, this trade benefits both cities, regardless of exchange rates. "Last year, the shopping centre attracted 2.1 million visitors and generated sales of 50.3 million euros. It's been this high for the last few years," says Juho, and points out that being along the busy main route between Finland and Sweden is a major advantage. In terms of tourism numbers, the southwest region of Lapland, known in Finnish as "Meri-Lappi" (Sea Lapland), trails far behind Rovaniemi and the region's ski resorts, but recent growth has been strong. Eija-Sinikka Juho says that last year number of registered overnight stays in Tornio jumped by 25 percent. Haparanda, just across the bridge is also attracting more tourists. The Cape East Spa Hotel in Haparanda says on its website that French visitors arriving on charter flights have booked the hotel to capacity until the end of March. According to Eija-Sinikka Juho, French tourists have crossed over to Tornio shop in Finland. Open image viewerPark Hotel Tornio sales manager Minna Takanen believes that the southwest region of Lapland is an attractive alternative considering the tourism congestion in Rovaniemi. Image: Park-hotelli TornioMinna Takanen, sales manager of Park Hotel Tornio, is also pleased with the significant rise in tourist numbers. In January, the volume of the hotel's international trade increased by 50 percent over figures for January 2024. "Tornio- Haparanda is attractive to Asian visitors, for example. The start of the new year in a border region, where the year changes twice is a unique experience. We have already sold out we have already sold out new year's bookings up to 2028," Minna Takanen explains. Takanen believes that Sea Lapland has already become a viable alternative to the rest of Lapland, and particularly to Rovaniemi, for tour operators, because of overcrowding. "We offer the same hotel and programme services, but, at least for the time being, at a lower price. We also have a quieter environment, which is obviously appreciated by a tourist coming from a city of a million or more inhabitants, for example. We're hoping the upward trend continues," says Takanen. Sweden is to reinstate train services to Haparanda I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Even though coronavirus infection levels are rising in many European nations the authors of a newly updated guide to rail travel say that train services are rapidly reviving – and adapting to the age of coronavirus In the latest reprint of Europe by Rail: The Definitive Guide Nicky Gardner and Susanne Kries report that overnight sleeper services with the privacy and security of a separate compartment “Attitudes towards personal space changed dramatically during 2020,” said Ms Gardner New night trains from Paris to Nice and from Amsterdam to Vienna launch next month In contrast many links, including Eurostar from London to Amsterdam are running at a fraction of the normal timetables while others are suspended altogether – such as cross-border trains between Poland and Ukraine Ms Kries said: “Some routes are just very difficult to follow at the moment And we highlight the risks and obstacles in the book But that doesn’t stop people planning for better times – which as we want to start thinking about new routes we might include in a new edition of the book for 2022 “We need to show our readers the way to some new sunlit uplands – and there are plenty there for the choosing.”  Rail fans in the far north of Scandinavia can look forward to a new destination: Sweden is to reinstate train services to Haparanda, the home of world’s most northerly Ikea The town is 50 miles south of the Arctic Circle and at the apex of the Gulf of Bothnia. Haparanda is also the easternmost settlement in Sweden – facing Tornio across the border in Finland. It also has a niche in travel history: 150 years ago, Thomas Cook himself offered an opinion on Haparanda “Those who were really well-travelled would surely have set foot in Timbuktu Samarkand and Haparanda,” said the man who revolutionised mass travel The authors predict that, as Europe finally emerges from the coronavirus crisis, travellers’ attitudes will increasingly favour “slow travel” Ms Gardner said: “Slow travel is about making conscious choices It is about deceleration rather than speed rather than a stressful interlude imposed between home and destination.” The latest version of Europe by Rail has been released to coincide with the European Year of Rail which will be launched in Lisbon on 29 March The authors say that supplies of the book have been badly affected by Brexit “Unfortunately the book stock was held by UK customs in Portsmouth,” said Ms Gardner It took over two weeks to get the books released despite the fact that there is zero import duty and no VAT on books being shipped from the EU to Britain “The hard edges of Brexit will haunt us for many years to come,” said Ms Kries Europe by Rail: The Definitive Guide is published by Hidden Europe Publications Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Catherine Merridale heads to Sweden’s border with Finland – a place where the Communist dream almost ended The road to Haparanda in Sweden winds through elk country Where there are clearings in the birch and pine the view is snowy tundra but it could be heading to the rim of the world it hovers in the mud and snowdrifts like a spaceship making an unscheduled call bold lettering announces that it serves the twin towns of Haparanda-Tornio one here in Sweden and the other in Finland on an island just outside the shopping mall built to attract Russians and FinnsThe midnight sun in summer must be magical here and if I had arrived in February I might have seen the Northern Lights But the timing was not my choice; I had to follow someone else came through here on his way from Switzerland to Petrograd It was the most momentous rail journey in history the first step on the road to Soviet power I boarded my first train in Zurich five days ago Ticket to ride: the architecurally stunning bus station at Haparanda Photo: Sakari VierolaNow there is no one else in sight and I am grateful for my thickest woolly hat Sheer panic helps me grasp the point (I’m going to have to hire my sheets) but then I glimpse a notice in Cyrillic script about the hefty fines for smoking here inducing an immediate transformation in my host he lived in Moscow years ago; like Moscow’s this cold landscape turns out to conceal a warm The speciality is reindeer steak; rye bread may be a safer bet the hostel-keeper is quick to swoop on my plastic-wrapped croissant Water mark: sunset over the lake Photograph: Maria Sundvall/Getty Images/EyeEmBut that turns out to be the last good news I find a pickled herring floating in every jar My Stockholm friends had always said the safest place to eat would be Ikea The Haparanda locals are still proud of their Ikea Built in 2006 to attract Russians and Finns an intergalactic dock to the bus station’s spaceship It must be packed at some point – each year two million shoppers tramp through – but now the car park is empty Trade in the town was brisker in the first world war The border town was flooded by a sea of crates a shadow-city with its own dark streets and dead-end squares still less search every crate for contraband the bars in town were full of men in cheap ill-fitting suits; at night the action shifted to the forest where fortunes could be made from army-issue guns and fuses Another country: the Tornio river follows the border between Sweden and Finland Photograph: AlamyStrangers could disappear in moments in those primal woods Bad debts were settled with a bullet in the dark; it would have been a simple matter to have dealt with Lenin by the same technique The British even sent an officer to see to it He strip-searched Lenin and he questioned him but in the end he sent the Russian on his way Lenin went on to create the first ever Communist superpower Haparanda is still a tricky place to leave. I plan to catch an early bus that should connect to the Finnish railway at Kemi one set to Swedish time and one (an hour ahead) to Finnish My heart stops for a second; I just can’t afford to miss this one But the bus station ticket office has a man inside: so early He tells me that he has no tickets for sale Take the overnight train from Stockholm to Haparanda – tickets in October start at £94 for a single and the journey takes 17 hours (sj.se). Accommodation ranges from hostels to the grand Haparanda Stadshotell, where rooms start at £112 (haparandastadshotell.se) Lenin on the Train by Catherine Merridale is published by Allen Lane on 6 October, priced at £25. To order a copy for £20.50, visit bookshop.theguardian.com This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025 The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media Work on a long-anticipated rail line that would link Finland’s network with the Swedish border town of Haparanda will begin once funding is secured the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency said on Monday The project will electrify the Laurila-Tornio-Haparanda section of the network thereby opening up a cross-border rail connection between Finland and Sweden Haparanda station reopened for passenger trains in March this year after a 29-year break offering connections to long-distance trains in the south of Sweden said that plans are expected to be completed during the coming winter with the aim of receiving final approval by next summer construction will start no earlier than the end of 2022 Most of the work will take place in 2023 and 2024,” Honkarinta said in an agency press release The project aims to improve the cost-effectiveness of rail transport for industry as well as enable rail passenger traffic between Finland and Sweden as part of the trans-European TEN-T network The project is a cooperative venture between the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency Finland’s National Emergency Supply Agency (NESA) and the Swedish Transport Administration Trafikverket The line would be an important route for ensuring Finland’s security of supply NESA’s Preparations Manager Outi Nietola said explaining that in the event of a serious disruption to sea transport between Finland and Sweden a land route would help to keep essential goods coming into Finland “In the government’s decision on the security of supply objectives the operating logistics services and networks have been identified as special priorities when it comes to securing the operational capacity of critical infrastructure,” Nietola said The overall estimated cost of the project is €24 million of which the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency share is 10 million euros NESA’s share is €10 million and the Swedish state’s contribution is €4 million This story is posted on the Barents Observer as part of Eye on the Arctic Haparanda/Tornio railway station (Photo: Liubov Timonina) and road safety in the North were discussed during the 9th Barents Parliamentary Conference that took place in the Swedish city of Haparanda Barents Parliamentary Conference took place in the Swedish city of Haparanda, bringing together politicians from national and regional parliaments of Finland, Norway, Russia, and Sweden as well as Sápmi. Following the recent Ministerial meeting on Transport in Umeå the parliamentarians talked transport connectivity and sustainability and road safety in the North from both regional and global perspectives.  Located peculiarly at the border between Finland and Sweden Haparanda is perhaps one of the most easily accessible meeting points of the European North it is a place of convergence of centuries-old trade routes and diverse northern cultures thanks to its geographical location in the central part of the Gulf of Bothnia and the famous river Torne which has been - and still is - one of the major sources of seafood for the European markets.  despite having all infrastructure and technical capacity available for securing continuous flows of people and goods One of the most vivid discussions on ways to connect the European North has been revolving around the so-called Bothnian Corridor project Even though Bothnian Corridor mainly refers to the railway connection along the coastline of the Gulf of Bothnia red: improvements planned (Photo: bothniancorridor.com) The major bottlenecks are the non-existing North Bothnia line and the non-electrified line from Haparanda/Tornio to Kemi on the Finnish side as well as the Haparanda-Tornio connection While the first two lines lack investments the latter is a matter of technical creativity and political will only: the notorious difference in gauges has never been a major obstacle for running trains along the northern coast of Bothnia since its launch in the beginning of the twentieth century.  there is no railway passenger traffic available on the whole line between the cities of Luleå in Sweden and Oulu in Finland which together correspond to around 280 thousand inhabitants and are homes to several major world famous university centres in the North Actively advocated by the Swedish company Norrtåg and its Project Manager Joakim Berglund this passenger railway line should significantly reduce travelling time in the region and open new opportunities for cross-border cooperation among people and businesses one has to use automobile transport to reach any destination north of Luleå adding to the alarming rates of environmental footprint in the region International Secretary at the Barents Regional Youth Council the lack of cohesion in regards to infrastructure policies is the major issue for ensuring people-to-people contact one of the things the Barents cooperation is known and praised for “We need national engagement and responsibility for the railway traffic in Haparanda/Tornio” the railway station of Haparanda/Tornio is used as a youth cultural center and is patiently waiting to welcome train passengers again While its North European colleagues focus mostly on the existing and future railway connections in the region Russia looks to the Northern Sea Route (NSR) and its promising opportunities as a consequence of the dramatic climate change at the opening of the conference (Photo: Liubov Timonina) noted that “integrated international transport corridor is the key to the complex development of the Northern Sea Route and the Barents region” Keeping in mind that the NSR is expected to cater for 80 billion tons of cargos by 2024 coordinated operation of the cross-border transport network in the North becomes especially crucial for the future of the global market She stressed that Russia is now working on the Murmansk transport nexus and “will do everything to attract as many partners as possible” in its infrastructure-building projects along the NSR Chairman of the Council of Deputies of Nenets Autonomous District (NAO) was less enthusiastic in his account of the current transport situation in the Russian Arctic The absence of “any direct transport route to the rest of the country” is the main issue for the NAO and the anticipated road construction to be completed in 2-3 years will be a major relief for the local inhabitants Considering the ongoing modernisation of the Indiga port and major tax cuts offered to industrial investors “similar to those in special economic zones” Lutovinov sees the future in the Northern Sea Route “We apply high standards and strict regulations to all our oil and gas deposits,” he said adding that they are experiencing some problems with fisheries and sustaining indigenous economies.  cooperation with Russia has been going at more or less full capacity during the past years and has proved to be one of the most fruitful and concrete in addressing cross-border mobility issues The successful implementation of the regional efforts to connect the national transport systems is crucial for the future of cooperation in the Arctic The so-called New SIlk Road and the projected Xi’an-Kouvola-Haparanda-Narvik railway line have occupied the imagination of the business and political leaders for several years now.  Earlier this September, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Norway, Yerkin Akhinzhanovid, met with the Bluwrap CEO Ola Strand and Kouvola Innovation Oy's Micael Blomster to discuss  innovative technologies of railway food delivery and.  Located at the other side of the Gulf of Bothnia and better connected to Asian markets the Finnish city of Kouvola seems to have taken the lead in promoting this project which tops the agenda on the upcoming Rail Forum on September 26 and Narvik as main nexus points of the railway The prospects of the railway traffic along the New Silk Road sparked particular interest in the twin-city of Haparanda/Tornio Just as for China and its underdeveloped western region the Swedish county of Norrbotten sees enormous opportunities for both regional and global development in this initiative.  Norrbotten county accounts for country’s 75% export to the EU market and around 90% of the European iron ore the CEO of the Norrbotten Chamber of Commerce Keeping in mind major university centres working on digital innovations located in Luleå and such renewable energy projects as Markbygden Norrbotten seems to have a lot of things to offer to its international partners the President of the Sámi Parliamentary Council during the debates on green transport and sustainable solutions for the future In contrast to the enthusiastic speeches of the national delegates the voices of the Sámi representatives were more discreet The President of the Sámi Parliamentary Council reminded in his address that indigenous peoples are real experts in question of green transport and sustainability and are among those affected by infrastructure-building initiatives the most He reminded the participants of the significance of the full inclusion of the indigenous peoples on all stages of negotiations in regards to transport infrastructure Without clear indication of ways of collaboration with the indigenous representatives on these matters “the conflict level between the indigenous peoples and the infrastructure initiators will probably increase” In order to solve mobility and connectivity problems in the North in a comprehensive manner one first has to address the existing injustice concerning land rights issues ratify the Nordic Saami Convention and implement UN Convention 169 in all Nordic countries “Reconciliation is the prerequisite for the development of the Sámi people,” he stressed in his speech.  Lars Anders Baer commenting on the progress of negotiations on transport infrastructure in the North (Photo: Liubov Timonina)  such issues as circular economy and waste management as well as gender equality they constitute major points of discontent and are vital for the successful outcome of negotiations on improving transport infrastructure in the North sustainable development and climate change are also expected to be core topics during the upcoming XVII BEAC Foreign Ministers’ Session and EU Arctic Forum to be held in Umeå on October 3 High North News is not responsible for the content or opinions expressed on external web pages Editor in Chief:Trine Jonassen E-mail High North News Editor/Commentator: Arne O. HolmTel: (+47) 905 29 472 Journalist:Hilde-Gunn Bye Journalist:Astri Edvardsen Translator:Birgitte Annie Molid Martinussen By 2014-01-17T05:00:00+00:00 The project team will monitor performance during the first half of 2014 Ansaldo STS is expected to deliver a new software release in December which Strandberg says will include the features that Trafikverket needs to begin equipping its section of Corridor B between Stockholm and Malmö FINLAND: Funding has been agreed for the electrification of the 24 km line from the junction at Laurila near Kemi to Tornio and across the border to Haparanda in Sweden SWEDEN: Passenger services have been reinstated on the 159 km route between Boden and Haparanda on the border with Finland Regular passenger services on the line had ended in 1992 but have now restarted with Vy Tåg’s Norrtåg subsidiary initially operating two return trains a day .. POLAND: The first certification for commercial use of ETCS equipment in Poland was granted on November 21 covering Level 1 operation on the CMK fast line from Grodzisk Mazowiecki to Zawiercie The equipment supplied by Thales under a 17·65m złoty contract included 1200 balises Site powered by Webvision Cloud This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Sign In Subscribe Now Dialogue and debate are integral to a free society and we welcome and encourage you to share your views on the issues of the day. We ask that you be respectful of others and their points of view, refrain from personal attacks and stay on topic. To learn about our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines is continuing its strategy of international growth by opening a new rail connection in Sweden from Haparanda and Umeå to Gothenburg Nurminen is also establishing a subsidiary in Gothenburg The new regular rail link from Umeå and Haparanda to Gothenburg strengthens western transport connections and security of supply while increasing the vitality of the west coast of Finland and the competitiveness of companies in the north Freight can be transported first from Vaasa on Wasaline's environmentally friendly ROPAX vessel where port operations are handled by Kvarken Ports loading and unloading operations are carried out at the Haparanda terminal lower emissions and direct access to the world “Our new connection means more choices and new business opportunities for manufacturing companies shipping companies and transport and logistics companies alike freight from northern Finland has first travelled several hundred kilometres by truck to Helsinki before reaching the ship It should be noted that direct ocean-crossing services are not available from Finnish ports Thanks to the new Haparanda–Gothenburg rail link the route to the ocean connections will be significantly shorter and companies will be able to reduce their climate impact as well as export costs where fuel costs are a major expense,” says Marjut Linnajärvi responsible for Nurminen’s rail business The port of Gothenburg offers a direct ocean connection to America and various destinations in the Far East from where the shipments can be connected to Nurminen Logistics’ transport route to Central Asia and China The new connection allows fast access to almost anywhere in the world and freight can be transported in both containers and trailers Nurminen Logistics offers its customers a complete door-to-door logistics supply chain including freight forwarding and terminal services “Due to the current geopolitical situation Finland’s international accessibility has deteriorated significantly and well-functioning logistics solutions and services are now even more important for Finland’s competitiveness success in export markets and security of supply Nurminen Logistics is ready to meet this challenge and show that new opportunities can also arise in difficult times,” Linnajärvi concludes scheduled and weekly train services from Haparanda and Umeå will start in April A cross-border rail link between Finland and Sweden is taking shape For long-distance travel in northern Europe Once around the Baltic Sea or going by train to Lapland from Central Europe will then be possible the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency announced that work on the eagerly awaited railway line at the level of the border towns of Tornio (Finland) / Haparanda (Sweden) will begin as soon as funding is finalised construction will start at the end of 2022 at the earliest The bulk of the work will take place in 2023 and 2024,“ Terhi Honkarinta project manager at the transport authority According to Yle.fi Honkarinta currently expects final approval for the construction project by next summer The project has a budget of 24 million euros which will be distributed proportionally among three project partners in Finland and Sweden The plan is to electrify the Laurila-Tornio-Haparanda section of the network which would actually create a cross-border railway connection between Finland and Sweden it’s hard to believe that this could only now become a reality A first important step towards this was the reopening of the Haparanda railway station in March this year after a nearly 30-year interruption rail passengers will be able to connect to long-distance trains in southern Sweden which means that the course has already been set on this side of the border In addition to improving the infrastructure for industry in the far north the bilateral project aims above all to enable passenger transport by rail between Finland and Sweden as part of the trans-European TEN-T network Extensive work on and alongside the line must be approved for this the construction of passenger facilities at Tornio station So all that is missing is the all-important „Go!“ so that rail travellers can completely circumnavigate the Baltic Sea Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" Schweden und andere Länder sollten ein ähnliches.. Das gefällt mir und ich meide ebenfalls US Produk.. if the two nations decide to finance works including track electrification and the renewal of a railway bridge across the Tornio river One big step in the process will take place on 1 April when the station in the Swedish border town of Haparanda reopens for passenger trains after a 29-year break The reopened station will offer connections to long-distance trains to the south it is thought that restoring the train link between Finland and Sweden could open up new opportunities for tourism the popularity of international train travel was growing “We have heard from tour operators in central Europe that there are customers who would be interested in travelling here overland,” says Nina Forsell executive director of the Finnish Lapland Tourist Board The Finnish government decided to electrify a 20 kilometre stretch of track between Laurila In July 2020 the government received a 1.6m euro grant from the European Union to develop the project The city of Tornio has expressed the hope that the area would receive a commuter train link to Oulu connecting there to long-distance trains in the same way that travellers on the Swedish side will soon be able to do “This is a basic requirement for connectivity in the region,” says Sampo Kangastalo development director for the city of Tornio people have to travel to get to educational institutions and rail transport is a very ecological way of doing this,” he adds Canada: Remote Canadian community’s request for direct flight to Arctic Nunavut territory can no longer be ignored says Finland: Estonian president favorable towards Arctic railway project, cautious about future of Arctic shipping Russia: Train traffic resumes in Russian Arctic as Murmansk reconnects with grid United States: Airline shutdown creates new challenges for rural Alaska As members of Bothnian Arc Cross-Border Transport Forum we emphasize the importance of securing the public finance on both sides to start the train services crossing the border in Tornio-Haparanda We also call for a systematic and intensified dialogue and collaboration between the local and with the European Union to secure investments necessary to establish a functional transport connection and infrastructures between Finland and Norway from the Baltic Sea shores to the North Atlantic Bothnian Arc Cross-Border Transport Forum convened for the first time in Tornio-Haparanda on 19.3.2024 The forum brings together the representatives of Swedish and Finnish municipalities as well as trade and industry of the Bothnian Arc Bothnian Arc is an important economic area and an internationally significant transport corridor in the northernmost part of Europe Bothnian Arc is an important part of the TEN-T network that connects the Nordic countries to the rest of Europe transport vision 2040 for the Bothnian Arc: “Seamless travel and logistics – for a sustainable growing and attractive Bothnian Arc region” was completed financed by the Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and in collaboration between Council of Oulu Region the City of Oulu and Bothnian Arc Association Almost 80 stakeholders from the Finnish and Swedish sides of the Bothnian Arc including municipalities and transport and logistics operators the need to launch a new cross-border transport forum was identified to ensure continuous cross-border dialogue between various actors about transport issues The forum implements the action plan established in the vision and promotes transport themes and goals with cross-border relevance regionally The cross-border transport vision has eight goals Sustainable Bothnian Arc region: 1 Sustainable mobility and transport 2 Resilience and security Growing Bothnian Arc region:3 Borderless transport of goods and people supporting investments4 Connected logistics chains Attractive Bothnian Arc region:5 Accessible region6 Fluent travel chains7 Enabling tourism and leisure travel In the first meeting of Bothnian Arc Cross-Border Transport Forum on 19.3. launching cross-border passenger traffic and building a shared situation picture between the Finnish and Swedish actors in order to more efficiently promote the development of cross-border transport infrastructure Bothnian Arc strives to promote cross-border co-operation in our region enhancing sustainable balanced and borderless territorial development with respect to regional diversity Bothnian Arc is one of the twelve border regions of the Nordic Council of Ministers and a member of AEBR (Association of European Border Regions) Contact information: Home – Bothnian Arc Contact information Accessibility Statement Suomi | Svenska Tourist information (visitoulu.fi) Business Oulu (businessoulu.com) handwritten in 2014 by the furniture magnate himself “We are pleased and honoured by the fact that Ingvar actually mentioned our region in his last will,” Peter Waara adding that he believes Kamprad saw many similarities between the remote northern Sweden and his native Småland The will stipulates that Kamprad’s four children will share half his inheritance while the other half will go to business development in Norrland a geographical area that spans the northern half of Sweden where only between 10 and 15 per cent of the Swedish population lives Kamprad passed away on January 27th this year after contracting pneumonia The Kamprad Family Foundation will administer the money to be invested in business development projects in the north A great opportunity for business development  Canada: Biggest danger to Arctic business is protectionism says Arctic Economic Council chair Finland:  Finland’s exports up by 15% in 2017 Norway:  Can Barents region become a superhub on China’s Arctic Silk Road? Sweden: Sweden to spend millions to boost media in rural areas United States: Northwest Passage cruise marks turning point in Arctic tourism For more news from Sweden visit Radio Sweden. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Open image viewerImage: Antti Ullakko / YleYle News23.6.2023 11:04•Updated 23.6.2023 11:13The Swedish Krona is currently trading at record lows, which is good news for Finns living near the border and keen to buy cheaper alcohol. One euro currently buys nearly twelve Swedish kronor. As recently as 2021 the rate was below ten. Among other impacts, that means the state alcohol monopoly's branch in the border town of Haparanda had been overrun with Finns stocking up for the Midsummer holiday. At times the flood of customers has been so great that staff have had to limit numbers in the store. Sara Huhtaniska and Laura Toivanen from Kemi joined the queues this week looking for solstice-celebrating beverages. "Yes, it's always attractive when it's cheaper here and it's such a short journey," said Huhtaniska. Oulu residents Lari Pitkälä and Arttu Salmela have gone to Haparanda for a shopping trip. "Sure, we're coming here more often than before. Everything is so cheap here compared to Finland," said Pitkälä. Their shopping list included beer, energy drinks and snus, and their plans for the weekend are now clear. "Maybe we'll get those drinks down us. So head to the cottage, do a bit of fishing, and drink beer," said Pitkälä. entry restrictions at Finland's borders were further tightened for a period of at least 30 days Only essential traffic is being allowed across the nation's borders and anyone who comes across the border is encouraged to be tested for the coronavirus The border has been open all the time and is now closed They decided in Helsinki that the border is closed and we can do nothing about it," says Tornio resident Juhani Kantola Kantola travels across the border to Sweden about every other week for his job he double-checked with the Border Guard that it is enough that he has his Finnish passport with him to be allowed to return home on Wednesday "When I go to Haparanda [Tornio's twin city on the border] it's just to drive across the border and when I come back I just show my passport," he explains Open image viewerJuhani Kantola is taking the stricter entry restrictions calmly He says he understands that Finland has to try to fight the coronavirus in every conceivable way Image: Yle/Linda Söderlund1,000 daily test capacityAt the border crossing point into Tornio there are four blue barracks for coronavirus testing "We have calculated that a test takes three minutes and we have plenty of nurses doing the tests We have to make this work," says the district nurse Sirpa Kesti Open image viewerSirpa Kesti has been working with coronavirus testing since August She and her colleagues are prepared for some very stressful days over the next few weeks Image: Yle/Linda SöderlundTest results are available in under an hour and the testing station has the capacity to test up to a thousand people per day Kesti still expects there may be a queue for the first day or so For those who commute across the border daily the test station is open twelve hours a day but if they say that we should be open 24 hours a day The border between Finland and Sweden is usually almost invisible but now a metal fence behind a local shopping centre marks the line between Sweden's Haparanda and Finland's Tornio Usually the border came be freely crossed at any point exit and entry are permitted only through an official border checkpoint Open image viewer"When you approach 70 you probably have to be a little afraid of the coronavirus" The metal fence seen here marks the border between Finland and Sweden Image: Yle/Linda SöderlundSirkka-Liisa and Yrjö Nurkkala a local retired couple walking through the centre of Tornio told Yle that the new restrictions won't very much affect their daily lives we used to shop in Haparanda; the special offers there are different but we have not been there since last spring," says Sirkka-Liisa Nurkkala The couple see the restrictions rolled out on Wednesday as being much like the situation last spring "There was a time when the border guards did not allow Finns to cross the border but then the Finns realised that they probably have the right to cross the border Now it is up to everyone to decide what to do We have decided not to go to Sweden," says Yrjö Nurkkala Finland confirms 100 coronavirus variant casesPublished 20212021Finland keeps coronavirus restrictions in placePublished 20212021Sources: Svenska Yle Developers of the hotel-spa complex hope to attract more tourists to the area Open image viewerHavainnekuva Haaparannan Cape Eastiin rakennettavasta maailman suurimmasta saunasta Image: Cape East4.11.2009 19:32•Updated 4.11.2009 19:44Work on the hotel began on Wednesday The entire complex is expected to be finished by next June ”There are already many interesting attractions in this area Now we hope to entice people here for the whole weekend,” says Kristiina Lampinen She adds that developers plan to market the hotel-spa complex globally they will initially try to appeal to tourists in Sweden and Finland Lampinen says she believes visitors from further away will be interested as well ”We have something that can’t be found just anywhere we have the nature here with the midnight sun in the summer and then the charm of our winters.” The five million euro investment is expected to create about 50 jobs in the area