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WORLD NEWS Thursday 23 November 2023

Finland erects barriers at border with Russia to control influx of

migrants

By JARI TANNER more crossing points — Var-
Associated Press tius, Kuusamo and Salla —
HELSINKI (AP) — Finnish and leave open only Raja-
border guards and soldiers Jooseppi, Finland’s north-
began erecting barriers in- ernmost checkpoint with
cluding concrete obstacles Russia.
topped with barbed-wire It’s located about 1,100 ki-
at some crossing points lometers (684 miles) north
on the Nordic country’s of the capital, Helsinki, and
lengthy border with Russia will remain, as of Saturday,
to better control an influx the only Finnish crossing
of migrants, officials said point that accepts asylum
Wednesday. Finland said it applications from migrants
will close three more cross- coming from Russia.
ing points, leaving only one “Undoubtedly Russia is in-
Arctic point open for mi- strumentalizing migrants”
grants seeking asylum. as part of its “hydrid war-
Some 600 migrants without fare” against Finland, said
proper visas and docu- Finnish Foreign Minister Elina
mentation, mostly from the Valtonen on Wednesday.
Middle East and Africa, Finland joined NATO in April
have arrived in Finland in Migrants look at a Finnish Customs official’s dog at the international border crossing at Salla, after decades of military
November compared to northern Finland, on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. non-alignment and prag-
a few dozen in Septem- Associated Press matic friendly relations with
ber and October. The ar- Moscow.
rivals include residents of der guard district in eastern and surveils two of Finland’s week over suspicions of foul “We have proof showing
Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Finland, told The Associ- nine crossing points on the play by Russia’s border of- that, unlike before, not only
Yemen, Kenya, Morocco ated Press. The Kremlin has border with Russia, which ficials. Russian border authorities
and Somalia, border offi- voiced regret about Fin- runs 1.340 kilometers (830 Late on Wednesday, Prime are letting people without
cials said. “We need to do land’s decision to close the miles), serves as the Euro- Minister Petteri Orpo told proper documentation to
this to maintain order (at checkpoints and rejected pean Union’s external bor- reporters that measures the Finnish border but they
the crossing points) and Finnish authorities’ claims der and makes up NATO’s taken on Nov. 16 “unfortu- are also actively helping
guarantee the security of that Russia has encour- northeastern flank. nately haven’t been able them to the border zone,”
legal border traffic,” Tomi aged the influx of migrants The Finnish government to stop this phenomenon; Valtonen said in an inter-
Tirkkonen, deputy com- at the border to punish Fin- decided to close four busy on the contrary.” view with The Associated
mander of the Kainuu bor- land for joining NATO. Russia border crossings in He said the government Press on Wednesday.q
Tirkkonen’s district monitors southeastern Finland last would therefore close three

France remains ‘le grand fromage’ in the EU, and Camembert

remains in a wooden box

By RAF CASERT aging for its final weeks of zied flutter that something false. specialized non-industrial
Associated Press ripening and, eventually, fundamentally French “It is a matter of common Camemberts those with a
BRUSSELS (AP) — The Euro- sale. The round box is as es- would fall foul of the Brus- sense. Don’t touch our controlled designation of
pean Union has long known sentially Camembert as its sels bureaucrats derisively Camemberts!” said Jean- origin will be exempt from
that the way to France’s unctuous texture and pun- known by many as Euro- Paul Garraud, a member any such regulation.
heart is through its stom- gent smell. crats who are all too often of the European Parliament Even Gen. Charles de
ach. So, don’t touch the Suddenly, there was a fren- blamed for flaws real and for France’s far-right Ras- Gaulle, the French World
Camembert never, ever. semblement National. War II hero and later presi-
On Wednesday, legislators The reasoning was this: If dent of the nation, knew all
at the European Parliament Camembert were forced about such gourmet sensi-
made sure it won’t happen into something easier to tivities. “How do you want
anytime soon. recycle like plastic, the to run a country that has
Tucked in a proposal on perfect breathing of the 246 kinds of cheese,” he
streamlining and optimiz- cheese through wood was quoted as complain-
ing waste management might instead produce ing.
throughout the 27-nation something sweaty and Wednesday’s action
bloc, some French cheese flabby. Wood, however, proved that cheese can
producers in recent weeks is hard to recycle sustain- be an effective binding
sniffed out something and ably, and the EU wants to agent, as European leg-
turned it into a culinary remove it from food pack- islators ranging from free-
stink. aging as much as possible. trade liberals to the far-right
They claimed that the Environment Commissioner made sure that an amend-
proposal’s wording would Virginijus Sinkevicius said ment to allow wooden
make it illegal for the fa- A Camembert is on sale in a Ville d’Avray cheese shop, ahead of Wednesday’s boxes in case of excep-
mous cheese to be cradled outside Paris, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. vote that the EU would tional circumstances would
into its usual wooden pack- Associated Press make sure that the raw-milk survive.q