Summary: A US-China trade war dents export-dependent Finland, underfloor heating caused a fatal ski cabin fire and a construction oversight closes Oodi's terrace.

News that the United States will raise tariffs to 25 percent from 10 percent on 200 billion dollars worth of Chinese imports may further slow an already sluggish Finnish economy, reports business daily  Kauppalehti.
 KL argues that the trade war will increase global economic uncertainty and undermine investor confidence – a two-fold effect that will harm export-dependent countries like Finland.
 Finnish economic think-tank ETLA said escalating international trade battles could cut up to 3,000 jobs in Finland while slowing down economic growth by several tenths of a percent for years to come, according to KL.
 Underfloor heating caused deadly Lapland fire
 Malfunctioning underfloor heating caused a log cabin fire last month that  claimed the lives of three school-aged siblings  in Levi, Finnish Lapland, reports national daily  Helsingin Sanomat .
 Finland's Safety Investigation Authority (Otkes) said an incorrectly installed heating cable started the fire.
 The deceased all occupied the top floor of the two-storey structure. However, a fourth sibling sleeping on the ground floor of the cabin was able to escape the blaze.
 Oodi "security risk"
 Visitors eager to take in the views from the terrace of Finland's flagship library  Oodi  are in for a disappointment, writes  Helsingin Sanomat . The terrace, which was scheduled to open on 1 May, remains off-limits to the public for the time being.
 YIT, the construction company that built the new central library in downtown Helsinki, said there's too much space – 10 centimetres to be exact – beneath the terrace railing.
 Oodi director  Anna-Maria Soininvaara  told HS she wasn't exactly sure how the gap posed a risk, as a person couldn't easily fall through a 10-centimetre hole.

Friday’s papers: US-China trade battle burns Finland, Lapland fatal fire cause, security concerns at Oodi


Summary: Children whose parents left areas in North Africa and the Middle East are especially susceptible, according to new research.

Children of one or more immigrant parents are more likely to exhibit post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms than people with two Finnish parents, according to a new study from the University of Turku.
 "The study found that the risk of inherited PTSD was almost double among children who were born less than five years after their fathers immigrated to Finland," said the main author of the research,  Sanju Silwal , adding that the study found that children of immigrants from North Africa and the Middle East are especially susceptible.
 The researchers said the result is linked with the fact that often people from these regions must flee their country and enter Finland as refugees. The study found that the journey and the events in their home country that led to their departure are often highly traumatic.
 PTSD can develop as a result of being exposed to traumatic events. Symptoms of the condition include reliving difficult memories, avoidance of trauma triggers, trouble with cognition and moods as well as a heightened alertness caused by anxiety.
 Results assist with early detection
 Silwal said the findings of the study are significant for the research field as well as those working with immigrants.
 Silwal said that the health care and education sectors should be more aware of the cultural backgrounds of the children in their care, as a difficult family life or trauma can tie in with disruptive behaviour.
 "The study of cross-generational stress disorders will become more important in Finland as the immigrant population grows," said Silwali.
 If left untreated, PTSD can increase the risk of developing additional psychological disorders and lead to chronic diseases such as depression and cardiovascular disease. The study's findings state that cross-generational trauma is not well understood and more research is required.
 The nationwide registry-based study included 3,639 children born in Finland in 1987-2012 diagnosed with PTSD.

Study: Second-generation immigrants more likely to show signs of PTSD


Summary: Helsingin Sanomat today reports on new efforts to reorganize and streamline Finland's social and health care services.

The daily  Helsingin Sanomat asks the question  whether Finland's next government will be able to assure the nation's residents better access to healthcare services.
 According to this paper, the parties involved in government formation talks are now working on a revamped project to reform Finland's social and healthcare system.
 The model, it says, is based on the  same "sote" reform  of the previous government that was intended to shift responsibility for services away from municipalities to 18 elected regional authorities.
 Helsingin Sanomat reports that its sources say that the issue under discussion at this stage is only the integration of services, not an expansion of the mandate of the regional authorities.
 One of the Centre Party's non-negotiable demands in the formation talks is that the reform sticks to the 18 region scheme and that the regional authorities are given a wide range of responsibilities.
 As Helsingin Sanomat points out, the last government's overhaul plan failed in large part because of a dispute over the inclusion of allowing people to choose public services or publicly funded services provided by private and third-sector operators.
 Now, some of the parties in government formation talks are those who oppose opening public healthcare to private companies.
 Helsingin Sanomat says that the biggest questions, though, centre on financing the reform and the right of regional authorities to levy taxes.
 Talks on a policy programme for social and health care services are being carried out by a broad-based group led by the SDP's  Krista Kiuru .
 EU advance voting starts
 Oulu's  Kaleva  was among the papers reminding readers that advance voting in elections to the European Parliament starts today, Wednesday, and continues through next Tuesday, 21 May.
 Election day is Sunday, 26 May.
 For the purposes of the European Parliament elections, Finland is a single election district.
 When going to the polls, voters need to be able to present an ID, such an identification card issued by the police, a passport, driver's licence, or other official document including a personal photo.
 In a related item, the Kuopio-based  Savon Sanomat  reports that veteran politician  Paavo Väyrynen  has announced that if he wins an MEP seat in the European Parliament elections, he would be willing to accept the chairmanship of Finland's Centre Party next year.
 Väyrynen claims that he has received feelers from within the Centre about taking over the party's top spot, a position he held between 1980 and 1990. Only this week, Väyrynen announced  he was leaving the party he founded less than a year ago , the Seven Star Movement.
 He says, though, that his availability to chair the Centre is conditional on being elected to the European Parliament which he would consider an endorsement of his future political plans.
 Swedes ready to defend Finland
 Turun Sanomat carries a syndicated  Lännen Media repor t on a Swedish defense plan published Tuesday that includes a full brigade of some 5,000 soldiers earmarked for operations in Finland, in the event of a conflict or war.
 Antti Pihlajamaa , an instructor in strategic studies at Finland's National Defense University is quoted as saying that although the Swedish proposal is clear and straightforward, it is still only a proposal and that no far-reaching conclusions should yet be drawn. It will take another decade, he said, until it is seen what Sweden's overall defense plan means.
 Last year, Finland and Sweden signed a Memorandum of Understanding  outlining the objectives of their defence co-operation .
 According to Pihlajamaa, the importance of Sweden's plan to offer troops would depend to a large extent on the nature of any crisis, and what kind of troops would be provided.
 Disappointment in Tel Aviv
 Probably without exception, morning newspapers reported that Finland's hopes at the Eurovision Song Contest were dashed Tuesday evening when  the Finnish entry , "Look Away" featuring artists  Darude  and  Sebastian Rejman  was eliminated in the first semi-final in Tel Aviv.
 The Finnish entry was composed by Darude (Ville Virtanen) an award-winning producer/DJ best known for his iconic 1999 trance instrumental "Sandstorm" and featured vocalist Sebastian Rejman.
 Writing for the tabloid  Iltalehti , reporter  Mari Pudas  attributed the loss not to the quality of the music, but to the performance's lack of exciting visual elements.

Wednesday's papers: Healthcare reform, Swedish defense offer, Eurovision disappointment


Summary: Nine countries announced they want the whole EU to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Kansainväliset organisaatiot ja sopimukset

Finland will not be signing a declaration by nine other EU countries calling for the rapid reduction of greenhouse gases across the union.
 The letter's signatories propose that the European Union commit to becoming carbon neutral by the year 2050 and direct a quarter of its next seven-year budget to combat global warming.
 The joint letter was released at a summit in Sibiu, Romania, on Wednesday. The climate stance was signed by the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Latvia, France, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. Germany, the EU's largest member state, and all of Eastern Europe are also not among the signers.
 Outgoing caretaker prime minister  Juha Sipilä  said he refused to sign the letter because of Finland's upcoming EU presidency, which begins in July.
 "We're so close to Finland taking up the chair that we have to avoid joining in letters like these," he said. "We must make compromises. This is the only reason we are not involved."
 No discussion
 Despite not signing the climate demands, Sipilä still claimed that Finland is committed in principle to more ambitious climate policies.
 Parliament's Grand Committee did not discuss the letter while preparing for the Sibiu summit, nor have there been any inter-party talks on the matter since the parliamentary elections. Yle sources said that both the Social Democratic Party and the Green League consider the prime minister's avoidance of the climate letter problematic. The two parties are now engaged in government formation talks with Sipilä's Centre Party.
 Sipilä said he believes that as EU president, Finland could promote some sort of compromise, but he went on to call the attitudes of many member countries "very uncooperative".
 "Finland has some aces up its sleeve," Sipilä said.
 The outgoing premier said his personal goal is to see a carbon-neutral EU by 2050, as the letter insists.
 Last December every Finnish political party except for the Finns Party promised to pursue stricter European emissions targets. However, Finland was also one of the few EU countries where emissions actually rose last year (+1.9%),  according to Eurostat .
 Environment Minister: Refusal won't affect Finland's policies
 Kimmo Tiilikainen , Environment Minister for the interim government, said on Friday that not signing the climate letter was the correct move for Sipilä and will not affect Finland's climate politics in the EU at all.
 "Finland is for carbon neutrality by 2050. That official position is clear to everyone," Tiilikainen said.
 The minister said that staying out of the climate missive is in line with good EU presidency practices; the incoming chair ought not join in smaller coalitions of countries, Tiilikainen said, for the sake of streamlining the presidency.
 "We have to learn the unwritten rules of EU decision-making and how to serve the union successfully. There's still a ways to go," he added.

Finland absent from EU countries' call to fast-track climate measures


Summary: The Social Democratic Party leader said the new government will be formed without outside influence.

Social Democratic Party chair and government coalition manager  Antti Rinne  on Friday rebuffed claims that lobby group representatives will have an instrumental role in  the creation of the next government .
 "The parties have chosen their representatives for the negotiating bodies themselves," Rinne said. "Lobbyists will come along only if invited by a negotiating group."
 All parties have recently filled out their negotiation teams, with Greens chair  Pekka Haavisto  saying his party is including various experts including Helsinki deputy mayor  Anni Sinnemäki , a former environment minister and party chair.
 "These negotiations are for the parties, not for lobbyists," Haavisto said.
 Rinne said the wide-ranging talks are going according to schedule. The groups will continue to plan their goals and methods next week.
 The financial aspects of the coalition will be announced at the end of next week, said Rinne, who promised leeway in the first stages of the new government. Talks will go on hiatus over the weekend, starting up again on Monday between the SDP, the Centre Party, the Left Alliance, the Greens and the Swedish People's Party.

Rinne: No lobbyists in government talks


Summary: An economist says a labour ministry report shows that the country's employment centre system is slow and makes jobseekers passive.

Suomen Ammattiliittojen Keskusjärjestö SAK

Finland's outgoing government reached its employment goal of 72 percent late last year, and the figure has  risen slightly  since, but the country lags far behind Iceland, where 83 percent of working-age people have jobs. That is according to a new report on Finland's unemployment situation.
 The report, entitled "Employment rate disparities across the Nordic countries and some determinants for them," was published by Finland's Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment last week.
 The report said Sweden had the second-highest employment rate (77.5 percent), while Denmark and Norway are at the level Finnish leaders have said the country should reach (around 75 percent) during the incoming government's term.
 Doing so would require Finland to take the problem of joblessness more seriously, according to  Tapio Bergholm , a history docent from the University of Eastern Finland.
 He said other Nordic countries seem to deal with unemployment more urgently, but noted that consequences for uncooperative jobseekers there can also be more severe than in Finland.
 Activation model
 A more stringent approach to getting people to work was taken up in Finland, though.
 Last year the centre-right administration of prime minister  Juha Sipilä  implemented its so-called " activation model ,"  which is said to mimic the Danish unemployment insurance system. Under the new programme jobseekers are penalised with slight cuts to unemployment benefits unless they take part in compulsory job training and other fulfilments.
 Story continues after photo.
 File photo of jobseeker at an employment centre office in Joensuu. Ismo Pekkarinen / AOP
 It remains to be seen whether the new model has helped the situation. On Wednesday, results of a survey of experts and supervisors who work for the country's TE employment offices found that 62 percent of respondents said they supported  ditching the active model . Just 10 percent of respondents said the model helped people find jobs.
 However some economists have called for even  more drastic measures  to address unemployment.
 Employment office "slow"
 The head economist at the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK),  Ilkka Kaukoranta , called for changes in the employment office system.
 Pointing to data in the ministry report, he said the process of seeking work through the employment office is slow and makes jobseekers passive.
 "We need to invest in personal support and eye-to-eye meetings between employment office staff and jobseekers," Kaukoranta said.
 The report was compiled and written by researchers  Johanna Alatalo ,  Liisa Larja  and  Heikki Räisänen , and notes that Finland's economic growth has also been lower than in the other Nordic countries during the years between the financial crisis of 2008 through 2016.
 Finland's "unwilling" part-time workers
 "In the last few years the economic development has reached good Nordic levels in Finland. In the short-term comparison, Finland has done well both in terms of productivity and labour input increase," the report's abstract states.
 The report said the country is not at the very bottom among the Nordics in terms of full-time employment however, saying that it's doing better than Denmark, and among women, Norway.
 Finnish residents also appear to be taking on part-time work more than their Nordic counterparts- even unwillingly, according to research director Räisänen.
 "Although part-time work is not [very] common here, a larger share of part-time workers does their work unwillingly,” he said in a ministry press release.
 Story continues after photo.

An open-plan office at a UPM forest company facility (file photo). Elisa Kinnunen / Yle
 Education "eroding"
 The Finnish researchers also noted a decline in tertiary degrees among residents in their early 30s.
 "Before the financial crisis [of 2008], Finland was at the top among Nordics in tertiary educational attainment among the 30-34-year-old-population, while this is now the contrary: Finland is the last one [among Nordic countries]. Educational attainment is facing an erosion," an English abstract of the report stated.
 Bergholm pointed out that the outgoing government had carried out education budget cuts, which resulted in a decline in the quality and availability of tertiary and vocational school offerings.
 "If one wants to raise employment, one also has to invest in a skilled workforce," Bergholm said.
 SAK's Kaukoranta said he is concerned that the country's education levels are sinking and suggested raising the age of mandatory schooling to 18. Currently education is compulsory until age 16.
 "It's hard to land a job if you haven't matriculated. Extending mandatory education would be an investment that would improve employment rates," Kaukoranta predicted.

Economists uneasy as Finland's employment rate lags behind other Nordics


Summary: The first post-election opinion survey shows boosts for the Finns Party and the Greens. The other parties lost ground.

The Social Democratic Party (SDP), which won  last month's parliamentary election  by a whisker and is  now trying to form a new government , appears to have lost its status as the nation's most popular party. That is according to an Yle/Taloustutkimus poll released Friday.
 The first public opinion poll since the election indicates that the top spot now belongs to the nationalist Finns Party. They are now poised to be the main opposition party during the next four-year legislative term. According to the survey, support for the populist party has risen to 18.8 percent, 1.3 percentage points higher than their election result.
 SDP support stands at 17.8 percent, about the same as their ballot result in April. Support for the third-place conservative National Coalition Party (NCP), 16.9 percent, is also about the same as their election result.
 A Helsingin Sanomat/Gallup poll published on Monday also showed the Finns in first place, followed by the NCP and then the SDP, with the Greens in fourth ahead of the Centre.
 The Yle poll also shows growth for the Greens, rising by 1.8 percentage points since the election to 13.3 percent – neck-and-neck with the Centre. The two parties will be partners in the next coalition government if cabinet formation talks proceed as planned.
 Also taking part in the SDP-led government negotiations are the Left Alliance and the Swedish People's Party. They both slightly lost support since the election, now at eight and four percent respectively. There were no significant changes in support for the smaller parliamentary groups.
 Bandwagon effect
 According to Taloustutkimus research chief  Tuomo Turja , the survey results are unsurprising, as parties that succeed in elections usually show a bump in support in the first public opinion polls afterwards.
 Turja refers to this as a bandwagon phenomenon. He says this has benefited the Finns Party and the Greens, but not the SDP, whose election result was weaker than expected. After leading polls by a comfortable margin for nearly a year, they eventually only won the election by one seat ahead of the Finns Party
 The biggest loser of the election, however, was the Centre Party of outgoing caretaker prime minister  Juha Sipilä . According to the poll, its support has continued to slide, down a further half a percentage point more to 13.3 percent. The data in this poll was collected between 15 April and 7 May, before the Centre Party agreed to join coalition talks.
 Taloustutkimus interviewed nearly 2,000 people. It estimates the margin of error at +/- 2.3 percentage points for the larger parties.

Yle poll: Finns Party most popular, Greens rise to match Centre


Summary: A recent OECD report says Finland's highly selective universities must start easing their admission requirements, as too many young people are being left behind.

This week's APN digs deep into the issue of Finland's higher education system, questioning whether socioeconomic factors play a role in young people gaining entry into Finnish universities.
 Education sociologist  Sonja Kosunen  from the University of Helsinki joined APN to talk about her analysis of "hidden privatisation" in Finland's higher education circles. She said that the combination of private comprehensive school tutors, expensive admission exam prep courses and the outgoing government's transfer of some university and vocational school funding to private companies are examples of this encroaching phenomenon.
 Despite Finland's veneer of an equitable system, Kosunen argues that well-off families may in fact have the upper hand in helping their kids secure a spot in Finnish universities, as their location, status and pocketbooks give their offspring a tangible advantage.
 While Finland has famously held top spots among OECD countries for its education system overall, a  recent assessment  from the group notes a worrying trend whereby teens have an increasingly difficult time stepping from the halls of high school into tertiary education.
 Adina Nivukoski from the Union of Upper Secondary School students - a soon-to-be high school graduate - also joined the discussion, providing a glimpse into some of the issues that her peers are dealing with today.
 Join in the APN discussion
 If you have any questions, or would like to share something on your mind, just contact us via WhatsApp on +358 44 421 0909, on our Facebook or Twitter account, or at yle.news@yle.fi.
 The All Points North podcast is a weekly look at what's going on in Finland. Subscribe via  iTunes  (and leave a review!), listen  on Spotify  and  Yle Areena  or find it on your favourite podcatching app or via our  RSS feed .
 This week's show was presented by  Zena Iovino  and  Pamela Kaskinen . Our producer was  Lydia Taylerson  and this week's sound engineer was  Juha Sarkkinen .

All Points North #53: How equitable is Finland's higher education system, anyway?


Summary: A leading political analyst predicts that a five-party cabinet will be put together quickly.

Professor  Markku Jokisipilä , director of the University of Turku's Centre for Parliamentary Studies, says that Finnish government formation talks may end soon.
 "I have a feeling that this may be wrapped up quite rapidly. It seems that there is political will among the groups taking part in the government discussions," he told Yle on Friday.
 Negotiations aimed at putting together a cabinet to govern Finland for the next four years began on Wednesday at Helsinki's historic House of the Estates.
 Social Democratic Party (SDP) chair  Antti Rinne , whose party won last month's parliamentary election by a razor-thin margin, choose the Centre Party of outgoing premier  Juha Sipilä  as his main partner in a planned five-party centre-left coalition. He also held extensive talks with the leader of the conservative, pro-business National Coalition Party (NCP), which is the Centre's main partner in the outgoing government.
 The three smaller parties taking part are the Greens, the Left Alliance and the Swedish People's Party. On Thursday evening, after the first full day of talks, Rinne said all was going according to plan.
 Jokisipilä argues those participating in the talks are motivated to succeed because there are really no other alternative government parties.
 "If one of the [parties] marches out or is kicked out, then in practical terms the only alternative would be the NCP. And if the NCP joins the negotiations, it would mean that the Left Alliance would have to leave," says the pundit, suggesting that the gaps between the two parties' stands on economic and other issues are too wide to be bridged within one cabinet.
 "Finns Party declared unfit for government"
 If that happens, the situation would become very difficult, Jokisipilä says.
 "I'd say there is probably no other alternative basis for a government. All the parties at the House of Estates certainly realise that. After all, the Finns Party has in practice been declared unfit for government by the other parties," Jokisipilä says.
 The nationalist party was in effect booted from the last government in 2017 when it elected a new chair,  Jussi Halla-aho , an anti-immigration hardliner who had been convicted of hate speech. They were replaced in the cabinet by a more moderate faction that split off from the Finns Party - and which failed to win a single seat in the new parliament.
 Meanwhile Halla-aho's Finns Party is now one seat short of being the largest bloc in the legislature, and topped two public opinion polls issued this week. Also this week they were moved – symbolically and against their will – to sit on the far right side of the parliamentary hall.
 Finland takes over the rotating EU presidency on July 1, and much of the country begins summer holidays on or around Midsummer's Eve (June 21), so Rinne is likely aiming to have a new cabinet sworn in by then.
 Four years ago, Sipilä's three-party government took office on 29 May after April elections. On 8 March this year Sipilä tendered the government's resignation after the collapse of its flagship legislation, a sweeping reform of the social and healthcare system and the nation's regional administration structure. Since then, his cabinet has carried on in a caretaker capacity.

Efforts to form new Finnish government "could be over soon"


Summary: The jury is still out on the first basic income experiment, but the next government is likely to launch a follow-up.

Finland’s flirtation with a basic income model will probably continue in some form, says a senior official at the Social Insurance Institution (Kela). The benefits agency is working on a final report on the country’s  world-famous basic income trial , to be published in spring 2020.
 "What’s going to happen within the next four years is a huge reform of the social security system and I think we need to experiment with and study different models," Kela senior researcher  Minna Ylikännö  said of the trial. It offered 2,000 randomly-selected unemployed participants a no-strings-attached monthly payment of 560 euros to see whether or not it would encourage them to find work.
 Initial analysis of the results suggested that in the first year at least, the limited experiment did not boost employment among the small test group. However Kela itself has said that the findings provide a basis for even bolder experiments such as a negative income tax.
 Next government under pressure to follow up
 Whatever shape a follow-up to the two-year trial takes, Ylikännö said she would like to see the test population expanded to yield more reliable results.
 "I think we should include different population groups; for example low-income earners, housewives or house husbands, and students; to see how basic income might affect people doing jobs that they perhaps do not want to do, or from which they earn very low income."
 A reprise of the much-talked-about scheme will depend on the composition of the next government. After a crushing defeat at the polls in April parliamentary elections, the outgoing centre-right coalition will likely be replaced by a government  led by the Social Democratic Party  while still including outgoing prime minister  Juha Sipilä 's Centre Party.
 "I'm pretty sure the next government will try something. Because Sipilä's government opened this up, they wanted to develop this experimental culture, and I think the next government do not want to be seen to be any worse in that sense," she added.
 The Kela expert said that the conversation around finding alternative options to the current system of benefits must continue. Advocates of a universal basic income system have been conducting research into this area for a number of years and Ylikännö said that their voices should also be heard.
 Story continues after photo
 Jobseekers were chosen at random for the scheme (file photo). Antti Aimo-Koivisto / Lehtikuva
 "I think we should listen to them, because they’ve been really thinking about how the labour markets will turn out - with the effects of digitalisation and automation and things like that," Ylikännö explained. "It’s not just about basic income. It’s about thinking about the whole area of labour markets, income security and poverty reduction in a new way."
 Life as a basic income "guinea pig"
 Tuomas Muraja , a 45-year-old author and freelance journalist, was one of  2,000 unemployed people who received a tax-free monthly payment of 560 euros for two years as part of the trial.
 Muraja wrote about his experiences in a book entitled  Perustulokoe-eläin  in Finnish (or  Basic Income Guinea Pig ). He described how learning of his selection for the trial gave him an immediate spring in his step.
 He said that the feeling of security that a regular income provided - combined with a lack of stress from having to deal with bureaucracy - gave him added motivation and impetus to find a full-time job, and also allowed him the freedom to concentrate on a number of other projects.
 "When you feel secure, you feel free; and if you feel free you become creative; and if you are creative you become productive," he said.
 Muraja estimated that during the trial’s two years, he applied for approximately 100 jobs - a level of activity that is reflected in a  report by VATT, the government's institute for economic research, which found that receiving the basic income did not make job-seekers passive.
 Although he did not secure a full-time job during the trial period, Muraja did however complete and publish two books. He said he remains very positive about the benefits of the basic income model, arguing that it is "a win-win situation for society and unemployed people".
 "One of the lucky ones"
 Mika Ruusunen  was also a participant in the basic income trial but unlike Muraja had a full-time job throughout the trial period. Ruusunen initially became unemployed in 2013, and over the next three years divided his time between job-searching and further education.
 Story continues after photo
 Mika Ruusunen got a job just before being selected as a participant. Jani Aarnio / Yle
 In December 2016, after completing a successful internship with an IT company, Ruusunen received an offer of a permanent full-time contract with the company. One week later, he was notified by Kela that he had been randomly selected to participate in the basic income trial.
 "I thought 'what the heck is this?'" Ruusunen recalled.
 Ruusunen’s freshly-signed contract did not preclude him from participating in the trial and although he describes himself as "one of the lucky ones who also had a full-time job" during the trial period, he is now an advocate for replacing the current system with a universal basic income model.
 "The current system does not encourage people, as it is very depressing. If you're unemployed you have to constantly fill out forms - for nothing, actually," Ruusunen said.
 Fear of entrepreneurship
 Ruusunen pointed to the lingering effects that the 1990s recession still has on Finnish society, arguing that it has discouraged an entire generation from becoming entrepreneurs and starting their own business. Universal basic income would lessen the risks involved in setting up a business and encourage more people to take the plunge, he claimed.
 "Another positive benefit from basic income would be for those people working part-time jobs or starting their own businesses. That will have a massive influence throughout society," he said.
 Both Ruusunen and Muraja said they are eager to see Finnish authoritiesbuild on the initial findings of the trial, and work towards ultimately adopting some kind of universal basic income model.
 "In 10 years I believe we'll have a model of universal basic income in Finland," Muraja predicted.

Finland’s basic income trial: A springboard for bolder experiments?


Summary: Elina Pekkarinen says the offspring of Islamic State members are just as entitled to protection as any other Finnish child.

Finland's new Ombudsman for Children,  Elina Pekkarinen , says Finland should make arrangements for children of Finnish citizens who have left the country to fight for Islamic State (Isis) to be brought back to Finland to safety, according to a report from the news agency Uutissuomalainen.
 The report says Pekkarinen even supports bringing the children back by force, if necessary.
 "The way I see it, these children have the same rights to special protections as any other Finnish child. We have to assess whether the parents agree to the children's transfer, and if not, we have to consider involuntary measures," Pekkarinen told Uutissuomalainen.
 Pekkarinen bases her stance on the UN's Convention on the Rights of the Child, in which the undersigned parties undertake to ensure the child such protection and care as is necessary for his or her well-being, irrespective of the child's or his or her parent's or legal guardian's background. The agreement also protects children from discrimination or punishment stemming from the opinions or beliefs of the child's parents.
 "Forsaking a child in a foreign country with a parent who neglects their care responsibilities is in violation of this agreement," she says.
 The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has also emphasised children's right to protection in situations in which a child is in a foreign country without a legal guardian.
 Nordics in agreement on not assisting voluntary fighter returns
 More than 80 people, including 30 children, have travelled from Finland to conflict areas in Syria and Iraq, according to the Finnish Security Intelligence Service Supo. In February,  Finland's Interior Minister Kaj Mykkänen declared that Finland would not strip Finnish citizenship from Isis fighters .
 The interior ministers of the Nordic countries have however agreed to not assist Islamic State combatants who wish to voluntarily return to their home countries. The fate of the fighters' children has not been decided on a Nordic level.
 "As reprehensible as these peoples’ actions were, there were also children born in these areas who did not choose their fate. We must be very careful about how we treat their situations," Mykkänen observed in February.
 According to The Local , around 300 people left Sweden to join terror groups in Syria and Iraq since 2012. Roughly half of them are believed to have returned to Sweden, while around 50 are thought to have been killed. Another 100 or so remain in the region. Only one of the 150 IS supporters who returned to Sweden has been prosecuted and no one has been convicted of a crime.
 Norway, on the other hand, criminalised co-operation with terrorist organizations in 2013, and many returning jihadists have been investigated and prosecuted, The Local writes.
 On April 12, the Swedish Foreign Minister  Margot Wallström  said the Swedish government is "working intensively" to get children with a Swedish connection in Syria the help they need, and "if possible, they will be brought to Sweden".
 The Guardian reported  in early March that France was the only country to date that had shown an interest in repatriating Isis children with at least one French parent.

New Children's Ombudsman in favour of repatriating children of Finnish Isis fighters


Summary: Finnish President Sauli Niinistö says the country's leadership has not saved – in the way he understands the word – for the last ten years.

Appearing on Yle's Ykkösaamu TV programme on Saturday morning, Finland's President, Sauli Niinistö, said he was closely monitoring  ongoing government formation talks  via the country's various media channels, and specifically looked forward to hearing some outlines of the economic policies proposed from the  prospective coalition partners .
 "Sometimes you hear talk of 'that's enough saving for now', but I understand savings to mean actually saving something, and this hasn't happened [in Finland] for ten years. Quite the contrary," the president said.
 He admitted that Finland's policies are exceedingly dependent on what is happening in the rest of the world, but said the economic forecasts are not the best.
 Leadership required on the environment
 Environmental goals are another discussion item in the coalition talks, and Niinistö says it is not his place to interfere. He said he did however wish to comment on claims he has heard about Finland being "too small a player" to make a difference with its environmental policies.
 "Now that Finland has taken over the EU Presidency, we must be able to say to the other EU countries that 'we have to' and not 'you have to'," Niinistö said.
 And before Finland can says these things with any credibility before the EU, and the EU for that matter to the rest of the world, there must be clear accomplishments to back it up, the president continued. Finland has to send a clear signal, he said.
 True commitment to the agenda
 Finland's President also continued his campaign to promote government stability after years of cabinet breakdowns. He said that once a potential coalition agrees on a shared agenda for the next four years, they need to stick with it – no matter how bitter it might taste from time to time.
 "Committing to the Government Programme is even more important than arriving at an agreement on its points," Niinistö said.
 He says that he remembers from his  own time in government  that everyone in the coalition was on the same mission.
 "We were all heading in the same direction. We understood the basic problems and we were fixing them. It would be a good sign if the new government sets out with this kind of mindset," he said.
 The glue that will hold things together will be found – if it can be found – during the tough moments in the negotiation sessions, when people lock horns, perhaps heatedly, and after long debates decide to reach a solution together, the president said.
 An emphasis on multilateralism
 Niinistö says he is looking forward to continuing the Finnish tradition of meeting with the parliamentary party leaders to discuss foreign and security policy issues that are the constitutional mandate of the president. He says it is important to hear the opinions of the opposition at these meetings as well.
 The Finnish President says he doesn't expect any significant changes in Finland's foreign policy, but he would perhaps consider a change in focus towards an alliance of multiple equally-weighted countries pursuing a common goal.
 "Emphasizing multilateralism is now of the utmost importance. The world has to return to a multilateral system. The only way to solve climate change and development questions is to discuss these things together."
 Countries should not only respect one another, but also multinational organisations like the United Nations. Otherwise, it will be difficult to make any progress, Niinistö said.

President Niinistö rejects talk of "enough savings for now"


Summary: The caretaker minister's pronouncement ends speculation about his future plans, after his April announcement that he was leaving politics.

Outgoing Foreign Minister and ex-Finns Party chair Timo Soini announced in his popular blog on Saturday that he intends to write a book on populism.
 Earlier this year, the  veteran politician  chose not to run for re-election as a candidate in the general elections and also refused to run for a MEP position in the European elections.
 Soini was a co-founder of the Finns Party back in 1995 and is largely credited with bringing the anti-immigrant party into the mainstream.
 He says his book will spell out both populism and populists for the public.
 "What is it that drives or possesses them? This is no flash-in-the-pan phenomenon. When it comes to the world of politics, populism has come to stay," Soini wrote in his blog.
 Soini also confirmed that he had agreed to a few future speaking engagement invitations, to talk about "earthly and heavenly matters".
 Soini is already the author of two other books:  Maisterisjätkä  (roughly translated as "Academic Everyman") in 2008 and  Peruspomo  ("Ordinary Boss") in 2014. Soini wrote his Master's thesis on the topic of populism in 1988.
 Soini announced in April that he would be  ending his political career . He said he would serve out his term as minister and then be a "free Finnish man". Soini will serve as Finland's caretaker foreign minister until a new government coalition is formed and takes office.
 He said his new book will be complete before the year is out.

Timo Soini announces plans to author book on populism


Summary: Scooters strewn along the capital's sidewalks are annoying residents.

This spring the streets of Helsinki have been dotted with electric kick-scooters, which users unlock using a mobile app. But many residents have been less than enthusiastic about the proliferation of the pay-as-you-go vehicles, saying the scooters junk up the city as they can be left anywhere since they don't have docking stations.
 Two companies are currently offering the e-scooter rental service: TIER from Germany and Swedish company VOI.
 Helsinki city councillors took up the scooter craze at their meeting this week.
 "I commute through the city centre every day, and I see piles of these scooters lying in the street," said SDP city councilor  Ville Jalovaara . "I don't want to ban them, I just want some ground rules on how to treat them."
 Deputy mayor  Anni Sinnemäki  said that when it comes to problems, the city's hands are tied. She recommended that residents witnessing improperly parked scooters contact the company behind them.
 The transit trend originated in California. Last fall the city of San Francisco banned electric scooters owing to residents' complaints, but later re-allowed them.
 City's pilot phase begins
 The city of Helsinki  is also launching  its own fleet of scooters alongside its already popular city bikes.
 The pilot phase of the city's e-scooter project will kick off in the eastern suburb of Vuosaari, where 30 scooter stations fitted with 10 scooters each will launch sometime in May, according Helsinki Region Transport (HSL).
 The city is launching the service with Russian company Samocat Sharing, which will provide the kick-scooters and app.

Rent-a-scooters raise eyebrows in Helsinki


Summary: Recently-elected Green MP Maria Ohisalo is set to become the new leader of the party as she was the only candidate to enter the contest by Saturday’s deadline.

Thirty-four-year-old Ohisalo, a poverty researcher and Helsinki city councillor, gained 11,000 votes in last month’s general election. The Greens are the fifth-largest party in  Finland’s legislature  after the Centre Party.
 Last autumn two-time presidential candidate  Pekka Haavisto  was elected as the Green’s party chair after  Touko Aalto  announced he was stepping down from his party leadership position  due to health reasons .
 Haavisto said he would lead the party through April's parliamentary election but had no intention of continuing on as chair.
 The party will officially select a new leader at its congress in Pori on 15 June.

Maria Ohisalo only candidate in race for Green leadership


Summary: Police have launched a new criminal investigation into the Nordic Resistance Movement (PVL), reports Helsingin Sanomat.

Police said they suspected the  neo-Nazi group PVL  had continued its activities despite being under a court-ordered ban issued in March, reports  Helsingin Sanomat .
 Last month, the National Police Board requested that an investigation be opened after new material was posted on the PVL's Finnish-language website even though a ban on the group issued by Finland's Supreme Court had taken effect.
 In March Finland’s Supreme Court placed a temporary ban on the organisation. But it also allowed the group the right to appeal lower court rulings against it, and said it will issue a final ruling later as to whether the PVL should be permanently outlawed.
 "According to the Police Board, there are grounds to shut the PVL down as it fundamentally operates in violation of the law and accepted principles of morality by, for instance, spreading hate speech about immigrants, sexual minorities and Jews, questioning the Holocaust and glorifying fascists, as well as by approving of violence that has occurred during its operations," the Supreme Court said in March.

Paper: New police probe into neo-Nazi group PVL


Summary: On Mother's Day, the Finnish President recognised 35 distinguished mothers at an official ceremony in Helsinki.

The Mannerheim League for Child Welfare said this year's Mother's Day award recipients represented the diverse nature of today's families - from moms raising large families to those fostering children.
 The award, the First Class Medal of the White Rose of Finland with golden cross, only goes to women that have passed the age of 40. The principle is to award mothers who have made significant contributions to child-rearing. The proposal to nominate a candidate must come from a municipality or formal organisation or association, although nothing stops children from filing an application on their mother’s behalf.
 Mother-of-three  Pirjo Hartikainen  was one of the mothers recognised by the president. Her first-born has AGU (Aspartylglucosaminuria), a rare disorder on which scant information was available 27 years ago. This void prompted her to establish Finland’s first AGU support group, which she chaired for two decades.
 ”All people are different, whether they have a disability or not. It’s good for kids to accept this from a young age,” she said.
 Bawmar Majsjö , originally from Myanmar, arrived in Finland with five minor children in 2009 after her spouse died. She is her youngest daughter’s caretaker.
 Bawmar Majsjö
 “She can’t walk or talk, so I have always helped her. But now that she is older, it has become difficult to lift her. Life is hard and I just keep trying to move forward. Sometimes I feel like I can’t go on, but I have to,” Majsjö explained.
 Another award recipient  Sanna Heikkinen  has nine children and works as an instructor for the disabled while studying to become a community educator.
 Heikkinen highlighted the importance of mothers not forgetting to take care of themselves.
 ”Motherhood can be tough at times, but it’s a part of life. The amount of love is incredible and helps carry us forward.”

Sauli Niinistö honours mothers helping others


Summary: Debate erupts over the role of lobbyists in Finnish politics, voters run out of steam and the Bank of Finland says households carry too much debt.

National Coalition MPs  Sanni Grahn-Laasonen  and  Juhana Vartiainen  fired back against criticism from Helsinki University communications professor  Anu Kantola  that the current government formation talks are the first time lobbyists have been excluded from government banquet hall Smolna, where negotiations are underway, reports online paper  Uusi Suomi .
 Grahn-Laasonen, said former PM  Juha Sipilä  barred lobbyists in 2015, but Kantola said that while some efforts were made to limit lobbyists four years ago, the interests of private healthcare companies with a stake in new social and healthcare reforms (‘sote’) featured prominently in subsequent government policy, an accusation Grahn-Laasonen and Vartiainen vehemently denied.
 Last week, Social Democratic Party chair and government coalition manager  Antti Rinne  rebuffed claims that lobby group representatives will have an instrumental role in  the creation of the next government .
 Voter apathy
 With less than two weeks to go to the European election on 26 May, business daily  Kauppalehti ’s leader says voter enthusiasm for the poll is low.
 KL says Finns have voter fatigue after last month’s general elections. Residents are now more interested in seeing how the new government shapes up than considering intangible EU issues. Just 39.1 percent of Finns cast their vote in the previous European parliament contest five years ago.
 Climate is a central theme in the European elections, a fact that KL says may encourage a higher youth voter turnout.
 Households getting deeper into debt
 Helsingin Sanomat ’s leader picks up on the Bank of Finland’s concern that Finnish households have become too indebted, partly because of the illusion housing company loans provide. The central banks say housing company loans have grown at an annual rate of 10 percent in the past decade.
 Today many new apartments in Finland's bigger cities can be purchased with a modest upfront payment that represents just a small portion of the home's nominal value. The bulk of the sale price then becomes a loan paid back to the housing company over time.
 The central bank wants to see limits on the total amount of debt available to households. In the past 20 years, Finnish households’ debt-to-income ratio has roughly doubled to 127 percent--a figure that is, however, still relatively low compared to the other Nordics.

Monday’s papers: Lobbyists, voter apathy and over-indebted households


Summary: Free birth control and easy access to information contribute to the shrinking abortion rate, says the national health watchdog THL.

The number of abortions per capita in Finland continues to decline, according to new information released on Monday by the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
 In 2018, a total of 8,602 abortions were carried out in Finland. This figure is the lowest since 1970. Compared with 2017, there were 8.4 percent fewer abortions in 2018.
 For those under the age of 20, the number abortions has decreased significantly in recent years. Year-on-year, the number of teen abortions was 16.1 percent lower in 2018 than in 2017.
 Free contraception makes a difference
 The numbers point to free birth control and easy access to information deterring unwanted pregnancies.
 ”In recent years, municipalities have started offering free contraception to youth. At the same time, the internet has made it easier for young people to find information,” says THL’s senior planner  Anna Heino .
 The majority of abortions in Finland are undertaken by 20- to 24-year-olds. Yet, in this age category the number of abortions is decreasing year-on-year and in 2018 there were 10 percent fewer abortions than in 2017.
 The largest number of abortions per capita were recorded in Åland and the Lapland hospital region. The least number of abortions per capita were recorded in the hospital districts of Pirkanmaa and Kainuu.

Teen abortions decline by 16 percent


Summary: The first-time MP was put on sick leave late last month due to stress, amid a furore over inflammatory comments he made on social media.

Freshly-elected MP  Hussein al-Taee  will continue to be on sick leave through the rest of May, according to his party, the Social Democrats.
 The SDP announced that al-Taee had been admitted to hospital in late April for stress-related reasons, a day after he confirmed and issued public apologies for having made inflammatory comments on social media several years ago.
 al-Taee found himself at the centre of controversy  after confirming  he had made derogatory comments about Jews, Somalis, Sunni Muslims, and homosexuals on Facebook in 2014.
 The MP has since been released from hospital, but when he was first admitted the SDP parliamentary group's chair  Antti Lindtman  said his sick leave was related to stress the new MP had recently been experiencing.
 Last week Finland’s Office of the Prosecutor General  asked police  to look into whether a preliminary investigation should be opened regarding al-Taee's comments. However police have since announced that they had no reason to suspect the MP of criminal breaches related to the comments.

MP al-Taee’s sick leave to continue through May


Summary: Around 20 Finnish companies are using a web-based programme that unites jobseekers and employers.

Many  jobseekers  in Finland find themselves frustrated with filling out multiple job applications only to hear nothing back.  Rekrybotti   (roughly Recruit-Bot) is a new web-based program that chats with prospective applicants for a job, examines their skills and determines if they are a right fit for the role.
 “You don't have to spend hours trying to update your CV and application. Even if you're in a bus, you can leave your contact details through the bot in a few minutes,” said HR Manager  Jenna Kokkonen  from Ropo Capital, which began using the bot for recruitment help this spring.
 The bot asks applicants a series of simple questions about their background and work experience, prompts them to click on options that best describe themselves and takes down their contact details. The entire process can take less than a minute, Kokkonen said.
 New application of bot tech
 However, the bot only breaks the ice. Kokkonen said that the bot sends her a notification after every chat and if a candidate seems interesting, she springs to action. Ropo Capital's first IT employee hired with the help of the bot will commence work in a few weeks.
 While pop-up chatbots are already widespread in customer service applications, using bots for recruitments is a fairly new game. The first bots specifically dedicated to recruitment were introduced in Finland late last year.
 "This is a very interesting trend in the recruitment industry and it is not so much because it is about robotics and bots, but because they make it easier to find a job in many ways,” said  Santtu Kottila,  Marketing Director at Leado, the marketing technology company which brought the recruitment bot to market last year.
 Kottila said that while bots may not differ too much from regular recruitment platforms when you look at the bigger picture, they initiate a dialogue and create an interactive environment for the candidate and therein, lies their novelty.

Tired of filling out job applications? A bot could help you find one


Summary: A research economist says the left-leaning parties in ongoing government formation talks are more likely to raise taxes than cut spending.

Over the next government term, the state will most likely manage the economy by raising taxes, Helsinki University political economist  Antti Ronkainen  told Yle.
 “The tide has changed against austerity, just like in other parts of Europe and the United States,” says Ronkainen.
 Social Democratic Party leader  Antti Rinne   is steering efforts to form a new cabinet with the Centre Party, the Greens, Left Alliance and the Swedish People’s Party (SPP). Ahead of last month's parliamentary elections, the SPP was the only party to indicate in Yle's election compass tool that it would rather cut spending than raise taxes to balance the budget.
 Story continues after photo.
 Antti Ronkainen. Yle
 Ronkainen told Yle he wouldn’t be surprised if corporate subsidies were scaled back in the new government programme.
 ”I’ve heard talk of making investments into education on credit as it's seen as paying itself back,” he explained.
 But Ronkainen said the toughest negotiations lie ahead next week when budgetary framework discussions begin. The big question is whether the coalition parties adopt a budget to balance finances or take on more national debt.
 The Finance Ministry has meanwhile sounded the alarm that the government deficit will become unsustainable in the future if a course correction isn't made. The ministry has recommended spending cuts and tax hikes among other cost-saving measures.

New government likely to raise taxes, expert says


Summary: However, the students won't be looking for murder clues at the infamous site where three teens were killed in 1960.

Taide- ja kulttuurikoulutus ja -tutkimus

Students from the University of Helsinki are planning an archaeological dig at a campground area at Lake Bodom in the suburbs of the southern city of Espoo, the site of a gruesome triple murder nearly 60 years ago.
 On June 5, 1960 three teenage campers were bludgeoned and stabbed to death as they were camping by the lake.
 The mysterious murders were never solved and the incident has become part of the nation's - and perhaps some of the world's - dark folklore. The site appears to continue to attract visitors, particularly on the anniversary of the killings.
 In the nearly 60 years since the gory incident, the Bodom murders have sparked books, became the topic of a feature film and also inspired the name of the popular extreme metal band that got its start in Espoo, Children of Bodom.
 People camp at site on anniversary of killings
 However, the archaeology students do not plan to look for clues about the murders, but rather for remnants of what visitors to the area have left behind over the years.
 “We thought this would be an interesting site to explore as it holds such significance in popular culture,”  Emma Karvinen , one of the students leading the excavation, told Yle. “We’re fascinated to learn what draws people here.”
 Karvinen said she suspects people have been camping at Bodom on the anniversary of the murders.
 ”Trash left behind is a sign of human activity in the area,” she added.
 The digs, which have received the go-ahead from the city, begin next week.
 Notorious unsolved murders
 Some 45 years after the event police charged the fourth camper — and only survivor of the fatal attack —  Nils Gustafsson  in the killings in 2005. However, Gustafsson was eventually acquitted by Espoo District Court.
 At the time the case reemerged, Gustafsson said the group was attacked by an unknown assailant while sleeping in the tent.
 In its decision, the court said the long period of time since the crimes occurred had made it difficult to make an accurate assessment of who actually carried out the murders.

Archaeology students plan dig at Lake Bodom murder site


Summary: Even though young adults in Finland are largely positive about the EU, very few took part in choosing its leaders.

Only about 10 percent of young residents in Finland between the ages of 18-24 voted in the 2014 EU parliamentary elections, according to a survey carried out by polling group TNS.
 Nineteen-year-old  Fanny Wiik  said she doesn't have plans to vote in the  next MEP election , which is being held in Finland on Sunday 26 May.
 "I'm not a very political person. I like the euro [currency] and that it is easy to travel in Europe," Wiik explained.
 Story continues after photo.
 Fanny Wiik. Juha-Petri Koponen / Yle
 The overall voter turnout average among that age group across Europe (28%) is also lower than among those in other age brackets, according to the survey.
 However, some 66 percent of young voters in neighbouring Sweden took part in the 2014 MEP elections, and even more young Swedes are expected to take part this year. In Italy and Germany the proportions of younger voters going to the polls were 45 percent and 29 percent, respectively.
 Election fatigue?
 Like Wiik, 24-year-old  Krista Virtanen  said she also has a positive view towards Finland's membership in the bloc. People around her age across the EU generally have similar views, but also belong to an age demographic which votes the least.
 "Maybe things are so good for us that we haven't given much thought about voting," Virtanen pondered.
 Virtanen said she plans to vote later this month, but suspects that many others might be suffering from election fatigue. Last month Finland went to the polls in a  nail-biting general election .
 Story continues after photo.
 Emma Hirvonen. Juha-Petri Koponen / Yle
 University of Helsinki politics researcher  Timo Miettinen  said young voters may not see much controversy in EU politics, a factor which may be keeping them away from the polls. He said issues that are important to this age group include free movement around the bloc, the EU-based student exchange programme Erasmus and the block's common currency, for example.
 Relevant issues need to be raised
 Miettinen said he thinks that young people might get more engaged in European elections if such issues were included more into the overall political discussion in the country. He said the EU addresses issues that are important to young and old alike, including ones like social insurance policy and combating climate change.
 "When you go to study or work in another [EU] country, under what kinds of conditions are you entitled to social security there? These are things that are decided by the EU [parliament] and include major conflicts and differing views," he explained.
 Twenty-one-year-old  Emma Hirvonen  said she's still not sure who to vote for, but said the key issue for her is the environment.
 "Environmental issues are perhaps the most important to me, and then security," she said.
 The European Parliament election is held in all EU member states between 23-26 May, and in Finland on Sunday 26 May. Advance voting is available for  European citizens in Finland  15-21 May and for Finns abroad 15-18 May. Finns abroad may also now vote by mail-in absentee ballot.
 Voters from Finland can try Yle’s election compass to help them find candidates who reflect their political ideals.

Just 10% of Finland's 18 to 24-year-olds voted in last EU election


Summary: Paavo Väyrynen, who's been in politics nearly half a century, is still running for an MEP seat as a Seven Star Movement candidate.

Veteran politician Paavo Väyrynen has announced that he is leaving the party he  founded less than a year ago , the Seven Star Movement. The party confirmed his departure on Monday.
 Väyrynen, who is running for an MEP seat said he will continue to lead the party until EU parliamentary elections are held later this month, but plans to step down from his position as chair.
 According to the party, if Väyrynen is elected as an MEP he plans to join an Italian-based political group called the Five Star Movement.
 Väyrynen has also previously said he's planning a run for Finnish president in 2024 on the Seven Star ticket, and the party supported those plans during its annual meeting.
 However, if he does run for president, it's expected that Väyrynen will establish a new political movement in Finland.
 "Every Finn should be able to support Väyrynen," the party said in a press release issued Monday.
 Väyrynen established party last year
 Väyrynen, who has nearly 50 years of experience in Finnish politics, started the Seven Star Movement last summer.
 At the time he said he was creating the new party  due to lawsuits  involving the Citizens’ Party,  which he also founded in 2016 .
 The party made headlines when the founder of an anti-immigrant website,  Ilja Janitskin ,  announced he was running  for both the Finnish and EU parliaments on the Seven Star Movement ticket.
 Late last year, Janitskin was found guilty of 16 criminal charges related to his websites and handed a  22-month prison sentence  by Helsinki District Court.
 In the Finnish general election Janitskin received 390 votes and was not elected, and eventually dropped his bid for an MEP seat.
 The future of the Seven Star Movement may become clearer following the party's board next meeting, which is scheduled on 27 May.

Veteran politico Väyrynen leaving party he founded last summer


Summary: Taxation looks to be a key issue in government formation talks, while plans to register political lobbyists get a green light.

The Helsinki tabloid  Iltalehti  writes that last week the parties in government formation talks spent their time examining the lay of the land and creating visions of the future. This week, it says, they will have to deal with economic and political realities.
 In a listing of some of the key points a new government programme will have to tackle, Iltalehti argues that a reform of health and social services will be the biggest and most important task at hand.
 The SDP, the Centre, the Greens, the Left Alliance and the Swedish People's Party involved in the talks have very different concepts of how the social safety net should be revamped. The SDP's  Antti Rinne , who is leading government formation talks, has pledged that reforms will be prepared by parliament, but this newspaper expresses doubts that it will be any easier that way.
 Among the other issues that Iltalehti believes will be causing headaches for negotiators are forestry policy, taxation and changes to the system of parental leave.
 One of the redline demands by the Centre is that higher taxes are not imposed by a new government on businesses and entrepreneurs. The SDP wants to target tax relief on small and mid-sized businesses and to more heavily tax the dividends paid out by unlisted companies, as well as more generally, ownership and capital.
 This leads the paper to the question: which party will give in? The Centre has announced that it will not back away a single inch from its key demands. Iltalehti though wonders whether or not it already has done so behind closed doors.
 Reining in lobbyists
 Tensions rose in the government formation talks last week over claims that lobby group representatives had been named by some of the parties to take part in formulating the programme for a new coalition.
 Although Social Democratic Party chair and government coalition manager Antti Rinne  rebuffed those claims , concerns about the role of lobbyists in Finnish politics are still very much alive.
 The agrarian paper  Maaseudun Tulevaisuus  writes that Rinne says that all of the parties in the talks have agreed on presenting parliament with legislation to set up a register of lobbyists.
 According to Centre chair and outgoing PM  Juha Sipilä , the cabinet office and parliament have both carried out work on establishing a registry of organizations and individuals involved in political lobbying. Rinne stated Monday that the work will move ahead and that he expects that a new law could be brought into force quite quickly.
 EU paradox
 Pointing to news that only  about 10 percent of young residents in Finland between the ages of 18-24 voted in the last EU parliamentary election , the daily  Helsingin Sanomat  reports one expert as calling this a "special paradox".
 This paper says that this past winter and now into the spring, young people have been calling for more powerful action to combat climate change. The young want long-term solutions from politicians.
 If there is one place where Finns have been able to influence climate change on a global level and the direction of Europe, that place is in the decision-making bodies of the European Union, writes HS.
 It is thus a "strange equation" when only 10 percent of young Finns voted in the 2014 parliamentary election.
 "Taking into consideration how intelligent and well educated our young people are, and in fact how well aware they are of European affairs, this is a special paradox," the head of Finland's EU parliament mission office Jarmo Oikarinen told the paper.
 Looking for an explanation, Oikarinen said that some of the reasons may be that decision making in Brussels seems so far away, that EU affairs have low visibility in the Finnish media, and that the most concrete decisions, such as how tax revenues are spent, are made on the national level.
 Tax day part II
 Kuopio's  Savon Sanomat reminds readers  that today, Tuesday 14 May, is the deadline for many people to file corrections or additions to the pre-completed tax return forms received by mail earlier this year.
 Dates for filing with the tax authority are staggered, with one already passed on 7 May, one today, and one on 21 May. The deadline date is marked on the forms and is also available online at the tax office's "MyTax" (Omavero) service.
 If there is no need for corrections or additions to your return, you do not have to do anything.
 Digital driving licence
 Iltalehti  reports that the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom on Monday launched the beta version an android app that allows drivers to carry a legal copy of their driving licence on their mobile phones.
 The app displays an up-to-date copy of the driver's licence that, at least for the time being, is valid only in mainland Finland.
 According to Traficom, the virtual licence is intended to be used just like a printed one. Traficom points out, though, that it may not be accepted as ID, for example at sales points, until it becomes more widely used.
 The mobile phone licence has a number of security features including an animated background, colour-shifting holograms and a QR code.

Tuesday's papers: Govt talks get tough, reining in lobbyists, tax deadline


Summary: The Transport and Communications Agency says a fee for mail pick-up would violate basic rights.

Ministerit, ministeriöt ja valtioneuvosto

Finland's Transport and Communications Agency Traficom has shot down a plan announced by the national postal service Posti to begin charging customers a fee to collect mail from Poste restante points.
 Poste restante is a long-running, free service by the post office that holds letters or other mail for a recipient until he or she picks them up. The service is commonly used by visitors or individuals who do not have a permanent address.
 Finnish postal service Posti had announced that it would begin levying a charge of 3.10 euros per handover for Poste restante service as of the beginning of March. Posti delayed the introduction of its plan while awaiting a decision by regulatory authorities as to the legality of the move.
 Traficom says that charging for Poste restante service would violate the terms of legislation on postal services for people whose only alternative to receive mail is by general delivery.
 Traficom has now ordered that Posti not charge for the service if it is the only way that an addressee is able to receive mail. It says that in such cases, a Poste restante address is equivalent to a home address, making it a standard service.
 Charging for delivery, it says would not only violate postal service law, but also constitutional guarantees to the right to receive communications.
 Posti announced that it will abide by the Traficom order for the time being, but will also be examining alternative means of providing Poste restante services. Posti says that maintaining its free-of-charge Poste restante services costs in the range of a million euros a year.
 At present, there is no legislation dealing specifically with Poste restante services which are subject to charges in a number of European countries.

Poste restante services to stay free of charge in Finland


Summary: Nearly 30 immigrant children and youth in Finland have fled their homes this year owing to the threat of honour-based violence.

In a new programme, police in Helsinki are helping children and youth with immigrant backgrounds who have run away from home to escape honour-based violence.
 Honour-based violence takes many different forms and can include psychological and physical violence or threats when it is perceived that a child has brought dishonour to their family.
 The Helsinki police are on call twice a month at the safe houses of  Sopu , an organisation that takes a reconciliatory approach in supporting young people whose lives are restricted honour-based violence. When it is safe to do so, the method also involves engaging with the child's parents and other family members.
 ”I would estimate that about 30 immigrant-background youth living in Finland have fled their homes owing to honour-based violence or the threat of it,” said  Johanna Aapakallio  from Sopu, which is a part of the youth support NGO Loisto Settlement.
 Police provide safety plan for client
 With guidance and referrals from Sopu staff, police are now able to meet young people who are struggling with threats at home.
 ”There is a so-called 'low threshold' mode to our work, where we first carry out a threat assessment of the client,” the police department's senior constable  Sirpa Koskela  said.
 After the assessment, Koskela teaches clients how to file a criminal complaint and how to prevent further threats - or worse.
 ”Preventative measures are a very important part of our work. Our goal is to minimise violent situations. In practice, we create a safety plan for our clients,” Koskela said.
 Meetings with family members
 One important principle of the programme is to meet the victim's entire family - not just the target.
 “With the permission of the client, we often meet other members of the family, spouses or former spouses,” Aapakallio said. “If meeting the family is too much of a safety risk for the client, then we don’t arrange it.”
 Sometimes Aapakallio and Koskela meet a family together at the police station. In this case, there may be many family members and relatives as well as several police officers in order to ensure everyone’s safety. In some cases the victim may arrive to the police station straight from a safe house, Aapakallio explained.
 Success is measured by safety
 Aapakallio said a case is considered successful when a child no longer needs to be estranged from their family.
 “These situations can be very difficult, but they have often produced good results when the young people in these families no longer have to fear and feel threatened,” Aapakallio said.
 “We feel that we can be the bridge builders between children and youth and their parents in these conflict situations. The family receives help and support in raising their children,” Aapakallio said.
 Sopu handled some 60 honour-related violence situations in Finland last year.

Police help rebuild family bridges in effort to eliminate honour-related violence


Summary: Nearly half of the animals arriving to Helsinki's ports on Friday did not meet entry requirements. Authorities said they had to put down four dogs.

A heightened inspection of animals imported at Helsinki's seaports by authorities last Friday found that the illegal pet trade and puppy-farmed dogs remain a problem in Finland.
 Last summer it was reported that there were more dogs in Finland than ever before -  around 700,000  of the canines. Their  increasing popularity  also appears to be encouraging the illegal trade in animals.
 The one-day inspection of animals arriving at Helsinki's harbours was carried out by the Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland, Finnish Customs and Helsinki city veterinarians.
 Many deficiencies
 The inspectors said they found shortcomings of some kind in 17 out of the 38 animals they examined. Thirty-six of the animals were dogs.
 Seventeen of the animals did not meet Finland's entry requirements, for reasons like not having a required pet passport or hadn't been vaccinated against rabies.
 Authorities said they were forced to put down four of the dogs that arrived on Friday. They were headed to their new Finnish homes, but the animals did not have the proper documents, permits or other needed paperwork.
 Eleven of the dogs' travelling companions were ordered to quarantine their animals in order to ensure they met entry requirements.
 After each inspection, the inspectors informed the animals' human travelling companions about the various risks of diseases and the requirements for bringing animals into the country.
 Monitoring important
 Administrative agency veterinarian  Sari Haikka  called Friday's inspection a success, saying the heightened inspections helped to show shortcomings in many of the arriving animals.
 "That's why it is important to expand and streamline this kind of monitoring," Haikka said.
 She also noted that Finland needs to protect itself from rabies, saying that her agency recommends rabies screenings for street dogs imported from Russia or Romania.
 "The rabies situation in Turkey is also serious," Haikka said.
 When arriving animals are not properly documented or there are vaccination shortcomings, they can face being sent back to their country of origin, be quarantined and in some cases the animal is put down, she said.
 "Suspicion of rabies almost always leads to putting the animal down. Rabies and tapeworm ( Echinococcus granulosus ) do not exist in Finland, and hopefully will not in the future," Haikka added.
 Story continues after photo.
 File photo of dog being vaccinated. Kaisa Siren / AOP
 Puppy farm imports
 A large portion of illegally-sold animals in Finland arrive from Estonia. But it's common that dogs with paperwork from Estonia actually come from Russia.
 Not long ago Helsinki District Court sentenced a puppy smuggler to a year in jail, a fine of 94,000 euros and a ban from owning animals for 10 years. A years-long  puppy-smuggling case  was reported in Tampere late last year.
 "Even expensive dog breeds can come from puppy factories. A high price does not necessarily guarantee that the seller has met his or her responsibilities," Haikka said, noting that illegal pet sales continue to be a problem in Finland.
 "Only a small number of such cases come to the attention of authorities," she explained.
 Finland's requirements for dogs and cats
 All dogs brought to Finland from the EU need to have documented proof they have received proper vaccinations and medications.
 Individuals who bring in dogs also need to ensure the animals are outfitted with electronic identification chips and have a pet passport.
 There are also requirements for arriving felines. If an imported cat is to be sold in Finland, the animal needs a clean bill of health document issued by the EU's Traces ( Trade Control and Expert System ) organisation, a process that requires a vet check-up in the animal's country of origin 48 hours before travelling to Finland.

Illegal pet trade carries on in Finland, inspection reveals


Summary: Swedish-speaking Finns are three times more likely to move abroad than their Finnish-speaking counterparts.

Not only do members of Finland's Swedish-speaking minority more actively move abroad, they are also significantly more inclined to make the move permanent, according to a new study by the Migration Institute of Finland.
 For Swedish speakers, the Nordic region, and especially Sweden, is regarded as a "home market" where it is easy to relocate and take up residence. Sweden is often seen as offering better job and social opportunities for this segment of the population than are available in Finland.
 "Emigrants view Sweden as having more opportunities. There may be a better job, a better salary, a more accommodating atmosphere. In brief one can say that people move for work, studies, because of family ties and professional goals," says Project Director  Magnus Enlund  of the Migration Institute of Finland.
 Atmosphere and traditions
 The importance attached to social atmosphere came as a surprise to researchers. This means, they now say, that people who emigrate often have a negative image of Finland, and for example, Finnish attitudes towards immigrants, the Swedish-speaking minority, and the increasingly competitive nature of society.
 During the 17 years reviewed in the study, 2016 was the peak year for emigration.
 "That may be due to a deterioration in the general atmosphere in Finland and the government's education budget cuts. When it levelled off again in 2017, the cause may have been a general improvement in the standard of living and an economic upswing," Enlund notes.
 One more important reason to emigrate is the lure of adventure. In addition, Swedish-speaking Finns have traditionally been active emigrants, a fact that may lower the threshold to making a move.
 "People have been emigrating to America since the mid-19th century and to Sweden since the last war," Enlund points out.
 Sweden vs the rest of the world
 "Swedish-speakers have an [language] advantage in Norway and even in Denmark, too, but they also move to the UK, Germany, Spain, Estonia and Belgium. According to our survey, one of the key reasons cited is the chance to reach one's goals in a big city that provides more opportunities," Enlund explains.
 Between 2000 and 2017, just over 21,000 Swedish-speaking Finns moved to Sweden. A further 1,900 emigrated to Norway, about 1,000 to Denmark, and nearly 5,000 to other EU countries. During that same period, 33,000 people whose mother tongue is Finnish moved to Sweden, 9,000 to Norway, some 6,000 to Denmark and over 58,000 to other EU countries.
 Generally speaking, Sweden is overwhelmingly the single most popular destination for Swedish-speaking emigrants, while other parts of the world have more appeal for Finnish speakers moving abroad.

Survey: Finland's Swedish speakers more likely to emigrate


Summary: Finland's labour ministry expects employment growth to significantly slow next year.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment's latest job market forecasts employment rising to 72.8 percent this year, and to 73.4 percent next year.
 However, it also says that labour market mismatch, structural unemployment and the change in the population age structure are already starting to limit employment growth. For this and the next year, employment growth will rely entirely on the service sector.
 Since the overall workforce is no longer significantly expanding, the rise in the number of employed people suggests that unemployed are finding jobs rather than new people entering the workforce. The average unemployment rate is expected to fall to 6.3 percent this year and to 6.0 percent next year.
 Returning to "normal"
 Analysts in a number of sectors, including construction, have been expecting economic growth to tail off.
 "Construction started growing in 2015, a little before the rest of the economy and other sectors. It has shown rather strong growth over the past four years. Now we are returning to a more normal level," says  Jouni Vihmo , Chief Economist at the Confederation of Finnish Construction Industries (RT).
 Story continues after photo.
 There's an old joke that the construction sector is either overheated or in recession, but now I believe that this slowdown will not be dramatic, says Jouni Vihmo. Mårten Lampén / Yle
 Vihmo also thinks that reaching an employment rate target of 75 percent is becoming increasingly challenging.
 "With these resources, it looks rather difficult. We have put to work all the people capable of working in Finland during this economic upswing. Indeed, that employment target is getting really much more difficult all the time," he says.
 On the other hand, for the construction industry, the downswing is unlikely to be very sharp. Ongoing projects will be completed and new ones keep coming along. Over the past few years, the construction sector has had problems getting enough workers.
 The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, with the expected downturn in the economy recruitment problems in the construction sector will not get worse, but the basic causes for a lack of suitable workers will not be going away.
 Concerns about youth and long-term unemployed
 The ministry report states that the dramatic fall in the number of registered unemployed is also slowing down, and youth unemployment appears to be most severely affected. The number of employed people aged under 25 is likely to total about 30,000 this year, an increase of 10,000 from 2008, before the financial crisis.
 While the total number of long-term unemployed will continue to decrease over the next few years, the number of new long-term unemployed will not. As a result, the fall in the number of long-term unemployed will slow down and come to a halt.
 One of the Ministry experts who presented the report on Tuesday,  Erno Mähönen , crystallised its message by saying that while the sun is still shining, dark clouds are beginning to gather on the horizon.

Ministry forecast: Labour market slowing


Summary: The defendant was 16 years old in March when he stabbed an acquaintance in the chest.

Northern Karelia District Court sentenced a 17-year-old to two years and nine months in prison after convicting him of attempted murder.
 The defendant was found guilty of stabbing an acquaintance in the chest at a private residence in late March in the Marjala district of Joensuu, eastern Finland. The victim received life-threatening injuries but is reportedly on the mend.
 The court also ordered the defendant, who was 16 at the time of the attack, to pay 12,000 euros in compensation to the victim as well as 3,000 euros in legal fees.
 Four youths had gathered at an apartment on the evening of the stabbing in March, according to testimony, and the assailant suddenly stabbed the victim as they were on the balcony.
 The assailant then fled the scene, but a police patrol caught up to him about two kilometres from the flat.
 During police interrogations the assailant admitted to stabbing the victim but did not explain his motive, and has been in custody since the night of the attack.

17-year-old handed 33-month sentence for attempted murder in Joensuu


Summary: A second man has been convicted in a case involving eight suspects and a single underage victim.

Oulu District Court has sentenced a 20-year-old man to two years in prison for the aggravated sexual abuse of a child.
 The sentencing is the second in a series of cases in which eight men described by police as being "of foreign background" are accused of sexual abuse of an underage girl over the course of many months last year in the northern city of Oulu.
 The crime in this case took place at his private residence between September and October of last year. The perpetrator and victim had met via social media at his initiative.
 As in the previous case, the court said there were "shortcomings in the victim's ability to act and understand", which the perpetrator should have realised. The court also ruled that the crime was aggravated because the man had taken advantage of the girl's interest in him, offered her money several times to entice her to his home, and because of the major difference in their ages. At the time he was 20 and she was 13.
 State pays legal costs
 He was ordered to pay the victim 8,700 euros for pain, suffering and undermining her psychological situation, as well as some 4,500 euros in legal fees. Due to the man's financial situation, the state is paying for his legal fees of more than 11,000 euros.
 The perpetrator has denied any criminal wrongdoing. His defence lawyer,  Pasi Leinonen , said the sentence was tough. Leinonen said he had yet been in contact with the perpetrator, so he could not yet say if they would appeal the ruling.
 A first-time offender convicted of a crime committed while under the age of 21 in Finland is generally eligible for release on probation after serving one third of his or her prison sentence.
 Prosecutor: Perpetrators acted separately
 Last week a 21-year-old man was sentenced to  four years imprisonment  in a parallel case.
 Police suspect the eight men of subjecting the same girl to sexual abuse and physical assault for nearly five months, from early June through late October.
 District Prosecutor  Pia Mäenpää  has told Yle that the men apparently acted separately and individually, and that they did not all know each other. Yle has learned that at least three of the men lived at the same reception centre.
 Police say all the suspects came to Finland as refugees or asylum seekers. Some have already been granted refugee status or Finnish citizenship.

Two-year sentence in Oulu sexual abuse case


Summary: The Transport Infrastructure Agency says it can only afford to repair Finland's busiest roads this summer.

Teiden, katujen, lentokenttien ja urheilualueiden rakentaminen

The total extent of Finnish roads classed as being in poor or very poor condition will rise by 600 kilometres this year, estimates the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency.
 Significantly fewer roads will be resurfaced this year than over the past decade, the agency says. Some 1,500 kilometres of roadways are to be fixed, a drop of about 40 percent compared to recent years.
 The Transport Infrastructure Agency says that this summer it will only be able to maintain the condition of the most heavily-used segments of the road network. It says it probably won't be able to afford to repair smaller roads. As a result speed limits may be lowered on some motorways that are in bad shape.
 "The significant reduction in the amount of resurfacing will lead to an increase in the need for repairs and filling on roads that were already in poor shape with older surfaces. The total of extent of roads in poor condition is projected to rise by 600 kilometres this year," says the Transport Infrastructure Agency's roads director,  Pekka Rajala .
 One third for signs and potholes
 Altogether 105 million euros have been earmarked for road repairs this year. About one third of that will go to road signage and filling potholes. The rest will go to repaving roads, but the number of kilometres to be resurfaced depends on the price of bitumen, the main raw material used in asphalt, the agency says.
 This year's paving projects are underway, with some sites already completed in southern Finland.
 A map on the Transport Infrastructure Agency website shows all of  this summer's road work projects .
 Another map shows the  condition of roads  during the past winter down to a precision level of 100 meters, with roads in very poor condition marked in red.
 “The information provided by the map can be utilised when, for example, planning driving routes as roads with very poor pavement condition have lower speed limits,” says Rajala.

Many roads to keep their potholes due to budget shortfall


Summary: Helsingin Sanomat reports on new efforts to reorganize and streamline Finland's social and health care services.

The daily  Helsingin Sanomat asks the question  whether Finland's next government will be able to assure the nation's residents better access to healthcare services.
 According to the paper, the five parties involved in government formation talks are now working on a revamped project to reform Finland's social and healthcare system.
 The model, it says, is based on the  same "sote" reform  of the previous government that was intended to shift responsibility for services away from municipalities to 18 elected regional authorities.
 Helsingin Sanomat reports that its sources say that the issue under discussion at this stage is only the integration of services, not an expansion of the mandate of the regional authorities.
 One of the Centre Party's non-negotiable demands in the formation talks is that the reform sticks to the 18-region scheme and that regional authorities are given a wide range of responsibilities.
 As HS points out, the last government's overhaul plan failed in large part because of a dispute over the inclusion of allowing people to choose public services or publicly funded services provided by private and third-sector operators.
 Now, some of the parties in government formation talks are those who oppose opening public healthcare to private companies.
 HS says that the biggest questions, though, centre on financing the reform and the right of regional authorities to levy taxes.
 Talks on a policy programme for social and health care services are being carried out by a broad-based group led by former Social Democratic Party minister  Krista Kiuru .
 EU advance voting starts
 Oulu's  Kaleva  was among the papers reminding readers that advance voting in elections to the European Parliament starts on Wednesday, and continues through Tuesday, 21 May.
 Election day is Sunday, 26 May.
 For the purposes of the European Parliament elections, Finland is a single election district.
 When going to the polls, voters need to be able to present an ID, such an identification card issued by the police, a passport, driver's licence, or other official document including a personal photo.
 Citizens of other EU countries living in Finland  may vote in Finland's European Parliamentary election  as long they have signed up to the voting register in advance.
 In a related item, the Kuopio-based  Savon Sanomat  reports that veteran politician  Paavo Väyrynen  has announced that if he wins an MEP seat in the European Parliament elections, he would be willing to accept the chairmanship of Finland's Centre Party next year.
 Väyrynen claims that he has received feelers from within the Centre about taking over the party's top spot, a position he held between 1980 and 1990. Only this week, Väyrynen announced  he was leaving the party he founded less than a year ago , the Seven Star Movement.
 He says, though, that his availability to chair the Centre is conditional on being elected to the European Parliament, which he would consider an endorsement of his future political plans.
 Swedes ready to defend Finland
 Turun Sanomat carries a syndicated  Lännen Media repor t on a Swedish defence plan published Tuesday that includes a full brigade of some 5,000 soldiers earmarked for operations in Finland, in the event of a conflict or war.
 Antti Pihlajamaa , an instructor in strategic studies at Finland's National Defence University, is quoted as saying that although the Swedish proposal is clear and straightforward, it is still only a proposal and that no far-reaching conclusions should yet be drawn. It will take another decade, he said, until it is seen what Sweden's overall defence plan means.
 Last year, Finland and Sweden signed a Memorandum of Understanding  outlining the objectives of their defence co-operation .
 According to Pihlajamaa, the importance of Sweden's plan to offer troops would depend to a large extent on the nature of any crisis, and what kind of troops would be provided.
 Disappointment in Tel Aviv
 Probably without exception, morning newspapers reported that Finland's hopes at the Eurovision Song Contest were dashed Tuesday evening when  the Finnish entry , "Look Away" featuring artists  Darude  and  Sebastian Rejman , was eliminated in the first semi-final in Tel Aviv.
 The Finnish entry was composed by Darude (Ville Virtanen) an award-winning producer/DJ best known for his iconic 1999 trance instrumental "Sandstorm" and featured Rejman on vocals.
 Writing for the tabloid  Iltalehti , reporter  Mari Pudas  attributed the loss not to the quality of the music, but to the performance's lack of exciting visual elements.

Wednesday's papers: Healthcare reform, Swedish defence offer, Eurovision disappointment


Summary: Lower speed limits are expected to cut the risk of pedestrian fatalities by half.

Speed limits on most streets in residential areas of the capital are being lowered to 30km/h.
 Based on a decision taken last year, lower limits are being posted starting this month, with the full roll-out expected to be completed by the autumn.
 The biggest change is a reduction of the speed limit in nearly all residential areas of the city. At present, about half of city streets in residential areas are posted at 40km/h. Most will be reduced to 30km/h.
 Speed limits in the city centre will also come down to 30km/h, except on main thoroughfares and on routes to and from the city's harbours. These will be posted at 40km/h.
 The current 50km/h speed limit on Mannerheimintie will be reduced to 40km/h on the section between Finlandia Hall and Kuusitie.
 Little impact on drive times
 Lower speed limits are expected to be reflected in fewer traffic injuries in the city.
 Reetta Putkonen , who heads Helsinki's transport planning division, states in a press release that with lower speeds the probability of being involved in an accident declines, and the effects of any accident are less severe. When the speed of impact on a pedestrian is lowered from 40km/h to 30km/h, the risk of fatality is cut in half, she points out.
 According to Putkonen, the new speed limits will have little effect on drive times since the limits will remain in force on the region's ring roads and there will be few changes on commuter feeder routes in and out of the city.
 Transport officials say that in central Helsinki average daytime traffic speeds on many streets are actually lower than the new limits being posted.

City of Helsinki posting lower speed limits


Summary: The latest numbers from the central statistics bureau show a mixed picture of the Finnish economy so far this year.

The output of Finland's economy rose in the first three months of the year compared to the same period of 2018 – but the March figure was marginally lower than a month earlier, says Statistics Finland.
 In the first quarter of 2019, GDP grew by 2.2 percent from a year earlier, according to preliminary figures released by the central statistics office on Wednesday. Compared to the last quarter of 2018, seasonally adjusted GDP nudged up by 6-tenths of a percent.
 Adjusted for the number of working days, output in March was 1.1 percent higher than during the same month of 2018. However it was down 3-tenths of a percent from February.
 Farm and forestry production dips
 Statistics Finland also upgraded its previous preliminary estimate of February's output from 1.7 to 2.5 percent year-on-year, adjusted for working days.
 Story continues after photo
 Pasi Kuoppamäki Yle
 Pasi Kuoppamäki , chief economist at the Finnish division of Danske Bank, says the figures show that the national economy was in reasonably good shape in the first months of the year. He noted that the March numbers suggest a slightly diminishing pace, though.
 The year-on-year growth in March was driven by services. Industry and construction remained basically unchanged, while there was a decline in primary production such as agriculture, forestry and fishing.
 Meanwhile the number of people working rose by about 1.5 percent from a year before.

Finnish economy starts year in mostly positive mode


Summary: A 39-year-old man from Mikkeli has been sentenced to four years in prison sentence for the sexual abuse of a minor.

The defendant in the case was convicted and sentenced in the South Savo District Court on Tuesday on charges of the aggravated sexual abuse of a minor over an eight-year period.
 At the time of the repeated offenses, the child victim was between the ages of 5-13.
 According to the court, the abuse involved touching the child's intimate areas and acts classed under law as sexual intercourse.
 In addition to the prison sentence, the defendant was ordered to pay the victim damages totaling 14,000 euros.
 The court ordered that the transcripts of the trial proceedings remain sealed until 2079.

Mikkeli man convicted in child sexual abuse case