Helsinki, Finland
Populist surge: A populist party that wants Finland to drop the euro currency made huge gains in Finnish elections this week. The True Finns party took 19 percent of the vote, winning 39 seats in the 200-seat parliament—up from a mere five in the last election. The party’s gains have raised fears that Finland could block the proposed EU bailout for Portugal. The measure can only pass with unanimous EU support, but Finland, unlike other eurozone countries, requires parliamentary approval to take part in bailouts. “We shall renegotiate with the European Union,” said Timo Soini, leader of the True Finns. “These bailouts clearly have not been working.”
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Chernobyl, Ukraine
New dome needed: As the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster approaches, more than 25 countries agreed this week to donate $785 million to build a new containment shield. A cement “sarcophagus” was built over the reactor in 1987, a year after the plant’s meltdown spewed radiation across Europe. It is now deteriorating, and officials plan to build a 20,000-ton steel shell over it so that the reactor can eventually be disassembled. But donors have come up with just three fourths of the necessary funds. Japan, a key contributor to Chernobyl’s security in the past, donated nothing this year as it is dealing with its own nuclear woes. The EU, U.S., and Britain were the biggest contributors.
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