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Finland censures Israeli attack on peacekeepers in Lebanon

Finland censures Israeli attack on peacekeepers in Lebanon

Finland on Saturday criticised the Israeli gunfire near United Nations peacekeeping patrols, which injured one peacekeeper of United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Friday. “Finland deplores yesterday's (Friday) incident against UNIFIL peacekeepers. UNIFIL is fulfilling its mandate in the region in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701. The UN should never be a target. We call on all parties to refrain from any violent acts,” the Ministry for Foreign Affairs wrote in a post on its social media platform X. Earlier on Friday, UNIFIL in a statement said heavy machine-gun fire from Israel Defense Forces (IDF) positions south of the demarcation line between Israel and Lebanon struck near a patrol inspecting a roadblock in the village of Bastarra. The fire followed a grenade explosion in the area. While no UN equipment was damaged, one peacekeeper sustained a minor ear concussion. A separate incident occurred the same day in Kfarchouba, where another patrol on routine operations came under "close-range" machine-gun fire from the Israeli side. UNIFIL emphasized that the IDF had been notified of both patrols' movements in advance, in accordance with established coordination procedures. "Attacks on or near peacekeepers are serious violations of Security Council Resolution 1701," the mission said, urging the IDF to cease "aggressive behavior" against personnel. UNIFIL sites and facilities have previously been targeted during clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, causing injuries.

Power outage at many households as storm blows over Finland

Power outage at many households as storm blows over Finland

A strong winter storm named Hannes blew over Finland, particularly in western and northernparts on Saturday afternoon leaving thousands of households without power supply, local media reported. Power supply at about 14,000 households in western Finland were disrupted by Saturday afternoon after trees fell on the electricity lines due to the storm, reported national broadcaster Yle. Earlier on Thursday, the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) forecast very strong wind over the country as a well-marked low pressure, created over the southern Bothnian Sea, intensified further. The strongest wind was recorded off the coast of Kaskinen, on Sälgrund island and the wind gusts reached to 33 metres per second. At sea, average wind speeds reached around 25 meters per second. At the same time, wave heights in the southern Bothnian Sea exceeded seven meters. Meanwhile, two aircraft skidded off taxiway after landing at Kittilä Airport in Lapland on Saturday afternoon due to strong wind, said Finavia, the company operates country´s airports. Ski resorts in Lapland were also forced to shut down due to the strong winds. In Sweden, several train and ferry services scheduled for Saturday were also cancelled due to the storm.