Helsinki  - The Finnish government Tuesday revised its budget and said it aimed to introduce measures to secure employment in the flagging construction industry.

The finance ministry also lowered its forecast of economic growth to 0.5 per cent next year, down 1.3 percentage points on estimates made in September.

Unemployment was estimated to increase 0.5 percentage points to 7 per cent in 2009, the ministry said while inflation would drop on lower raw material prices and housing prices.

Earlier announced tax cuts were however to remain in place, Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen told reporters. "Now is the right time to stimulate the economy," he said.

Levi, Finland - Jean-Baptiste Grange of France took victory in the opening men's slalom of the Alpine skiing World Cup season in Levi Sunday, beating American Bode Miller into second place.

Grange sealed the fourth win of his career in Finland with runs of 51.72 and 52.77 seconds for a total of 1 minute 44.49 seconds. Overall world champion Miller finished second with a combined total of 1:45.28 minutes for his two runs followed by Austrian Mario Matt in 1:45.42 minutes.

Levi, Finland - Jean-Baptiste Grange of France took victory in the opening men's slalom of the Alpine skiing World Cup season in Levi Sunday, beating American Bode Miller into second place.

Levi, Finland - Lindsey Vonn of the United States clinched her maiden World Cup slalom in the first women's slalom of the alpine ski World Cup season in the Finnish resort of Levi on Saturday.

Vonn, last season's overall winner and downhill champion, almost crashed out on the second leg but recovered to finish 0.40 seconds ahead of Maria Pietilae-Holmer of Sweden.

It was the 14th World Cup win for 24-year-old Vonn but the first in the slalom discipline for the downhill specialist.

Last season's slalom champion Maria Riesch of Germany edged Austria's Nicole Hosp for third place.

Helsinki - The 50-50 joint venture Nokia Siemens Networks said Tuesday it planned to cut some 1,250 jobs in Finland and Germany as part of cost-cutting measures.

The group - launched last year between Nokia and Germany's Siemens - estimated the move would impact 750 employees in Finland and about 500 employees in Munich, Germany.

The cuts in Germany were to take effect at the latest on October 2009.

After earlier cuts, transfers and voluntary severance resignations, Nokia Siemens Networks said it expected to employ 7,000 people in Finland down from some 9,200.

Helsinki - Finland said Friday the Nordic country was not to sign a pending international ban against cluster weapons.

In early December, an international treaty aimed at banning the weapons was due to be signed in Oslo, Norway.

The decision not to sign the convention was made by the cabinet committee on foreign and security policy and President Tarja Halonen.

Helsinki said it would discuss the treaty again "after an evaluation of defence capabilities has been carried out."

Last month, Admiral Juhani Kaskeala, commander of the Finnish defence forces, said in a keynote speech that "a ban against cluster weapons would seriously weaken Finland's ability to defend itself."