Helsinki - An extra passenger was Thursday added to the passenger list after the surprise birth of a baby girl onboard a flight operated by Finnish carrier Finnair, reports said Friday.

The in-flight birth, a first for Finnair, occurred at an altitude of 11,000 metres over Kazakhstan. The plane had left Bangkok for Helsinki.

"The pilot had considered an emergency landing in Moscow, but there was no immediate need," Finnair spokeswoman Hanna-Kaisa Nurmi told local media.

A physician and two nurses onboard assisted cabin crew with the birth. Via satellite telephone they were also able to consult with experts on the ground.

The mother, a Swedish national, and baby were reported to be in good health.

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.