World’s largest cruise ship lowers smokestacks to squeeze under Danish bridge on maiden voyage

Largest cruise ship squeezes under Danish bridge

World’s largest cruise ship narrowly clears Danish bridge on maiden voyage to Florida

Largest cruise ship passes bridge challenge

World’s largest cruise liner, Oasis of the Seas, sets sail for home port in Florida

World’s largest cruise ship sails for US port

World’s largest cruise liner _ Oasis of the Seas _ sets sail for Miami from Finnish shipyard

World’s largest cruise ship sets sail from Finland

Finnish paper maker UPM reports 3rd quarter net profit of €40 million despite fall in sales

Finnish paper maker UPM returns to profit in Q3

Putin says Russia will further delay introduction of wood export duty hike

Putin says Russia will delay wood export duty hike

Finland plans to provide fast Internet access to all homes and offices by July 2010

HELSINKI — Finland plans to provide fast Internet access to all homes and offices by July.

Costa Rica convicts ex-president of embezzlement from Finnish gov’t loan: 5-year sentence

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — A former Costa Rican president was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison Monday for embezzling funds from a Finnish loan intended for medical equipment for public hospitals.

Afghan policeman patrolling with US troops opens fire, killing 2 Americans, official says

KABUL — An Afghan policeman on patrol with U.S. soldiers opened fire on the Americans, killing two of them before fleeing, officials said Saturday, raising questions about discipline in the ranks of the Afghan forces and possible infiltration by insurgents.

Finnish government wins no-confidence vote in Parliament on political funding

HELSINKI — Finland’s coalition government won a clear victory in a vote of confidence over political funding in Parliament on Thursday, but pressure mounted on the prime minister over a scandal involving building materials for his house.

Finnish government faces no-confidence vote in Parliament regarding funding

HELSINKI — Finland’s government faced a motion of no-confidence in Parliament on Thursday over election and party funding, and Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen’s Cabinet was expected to survive the vote with the support of his four-party governing coalition.

Duggan scores 3 goals, Vetter stops 19 shots as US beats Finland 4-0 to reach Canada Cup final

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Meghan Duggan scored three goals and Jessie Vetter made 19 saves to lead the United States into the championship game of the Hockey Canada Cup with a 4-0 victory over Finland on Saturday.

Maritime expert says he has fled Russia over Arctic Sea ship mystery, fearing for his life

MOSCOW — The Russian maritime expert who was among the first to raise the alarm about the mysterious disappearance of the Arctic Sea freighter said Thursday he has fled the country after receiving a threatening phone call.

Russia says search of Arctic Sea after interception last week showed no suspicious cargo

MOSCOW — Russia moved to quash speculation that a freighter embroiled in a high-seas mystery might have been carrying sensitive cargo, saying Tuesday that an initial search of the Arctic Sea last week uncovered nothing suspicious.

Nooyi, Sonia Gandhi in Forbes top 15 most powerful women list

NEW YORK - Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo, Congress party president Sonia Gandhi, Chanda Kochhar, CEO of ICICI Bank India and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw Chairman, Biocon India are the only Indians in Forbes annual list of the 100 most powerful women.

Russian Defense Ministry says Arctic Sea hijackers sought ransom, threatened to blow up ship

MOSCOW — A Russian Defense Ministry official insisted Wednesday that the hijackers of the Arctic Sea had demanded a ransom and threatened to blow up the Russian-crewed freighter if their demands were not met, state news agencies reported.

Paper maker Stora Enso to lay off up to 1,100 workers, close mills in Finland

HELSINKI — Stora Enso Oyj said Wednesday it will lay off up to 1,100 workers, cut production and close mills in Finland as the Nordic paper maker continues to struggle with dwindling revenue.

Officials say they hid missing freighter’s location to protect hijacked Russian crew

MOSCOW — For more than two weeks, the freighter Arctic Sea seemed to have vanished in the Atlantic Ocean’s vastness, but officials said Tuesday they knew where it was all along and were just staying mum in order to bring a dangerous hijacking drama to a bloodless end.

Across Eastern Europe, shopkeepers feel the pain of dramatic drop in consumer spending

RIGA, Latvia — When the Sky & More mall opened in Riga in 2007, retailers hoped its expensive boutiques and upscale supermarket would draw well-off Latvians on their way home to the pine-forested neighborhoods on the capital’s north side.

Intrigue in search for missing freighter: Finns report ransom demand, expert tracks signals

MOSCOW — The workaday cargo ship the Arctic Sea, which for decades plowed the world’s waterways in obscurity, just had to disappear to be thrust into a swirling drama of rumors and intrigue. The plot thickened Saturday as a Russian maritime expert reported signals from the ship’s tracking device and Finnish authorities said there was a ransom demand.

Finnish investigators say ransom demand made for vanished freighter

MOSCOW — A ransom demand has been received for the return of a Russian-manned freighter that went missing last month in the Atlantic, Finnish investigators said Saturday.

Americans, Britons visited India the most in 2008

NEW DELHI - Tourists from the US and Britain topped the list of foreign arrivals in India in 2008, while there was a decline in travellers from Pakistan.

Russian navy trolls Atlantic for cargo ship missing more than 2 weeks

MOSCOW — The disappearance of a Russian-manned cargo ship in the Atlantic more than two weeks ago spawned a variety of theories and intriguing reports Thursday as the search drew in investigators from across Europe.

European piracy? Ship reports mystery attack, sails through English Channel, then disappears

LONDON — It has been more than two weeks since the Arctic Sea sailed through the English Channel — and then, simply, disappeared.

Missing cargo ship sails through English Channel _ and then disappears

LONDON — First the ship reported it had been attacked in waters off Sweden. Then it sailed with no apparent problems through one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. And then it disappeared.