Current affairs

When the Finn Niklas Hed founded the video game firm Relude with his cousin and some friends back in 2003, he never imagined that less than a decade later they would be acclaimed as creators of a world wide phenomenon: The Angry Birds.

The task of forming a majority government based on the outcome of the April 17th parliamentary elections was beginning to look impossible, but a six-party coalition government and a 100-page government programme have now been created, as proof of Finland’s political pragmatism.

Cricket, for all its strange rules, equipment and uniforms, forms a growing sport in Finland. First official ground is being prepared for national and club cricket in Kerava, near Helsinki. “Even if many Finns don’t quite get cricket yet, our job is to get the ball rolling”, Andrew Armitage and Maija Scamans from Cricket Finland tell us.

Temperatures reaching 30 Celsius, a clear blue sky and half the city stretched out on the grass of the Esplanade park to enjoy the sunshine – what better time for Helsinki to hear the news that it has claimed top spot in Monocle magazine’s 2011 Quality of Life Survey.

”All countries are interested in the perception of their countries”, says Jorma Ollila the chair of the Finnish Country Brand Committee. The functionality of Finnish society, close relationship to nature and a world-class education system can, if used properly, be efficient tools to promoting Finland.

At the gallery Nettie Horn, the Finnish artist Antti Laitinens second UK solo show featuring his latest performance entitled Bark Boat, documented through a series of photographs, a video and a boat, is on display till 19 June.

The Institute of Migration is arranging a Festival Finland in our Hearts for expatriate Finns in July in Turku. The purpose of the festival is to bring together expatriate Finns and their descendants from all over the world. Deadline for the registration for the event is 17 June.

The Cirko Festival, now in its sixth year, gives Helsinki the chance to celebrate the opening of the Cirko Centre, built in a former factory building. Situated in Suvilahti – the same former industrial area that hosts the Flow Festival every August – the Cirko Centre occupies a space once filled with turbines.

A 16-year drought comes to an end as Finland dispenses with first Russia, then Sweden to win the 2011 Ice Hockey World Championship in Bratislava, Slovakia (article includes video and slideshow).

Marimekko has been a part of Finnish homes and fashion for 60 years. To celebrate, the Design Museum in Helsinki presents an exhibition of products from all six decades. Exhibition 'Marimekko: A whole life' is on display at the Design Museum in Helsinki until May 29, 2011.