Summary: Increased allocations proposed by Finland's finance ministry in its first supplementary budget total 10.5 million euros.

The Finnish Finance Ministry published its first proposal for supplementary allocations to the  2019 budget  on Friday, 15 February. Government will first approve or reject the suggested injections of additional money, after which a version of the proposal is expected be presented to Parliament next week.
 Recent  police suspicions of shocking events in the northwest city of Oulu  and  reports of gross neglect in some privately-run senior care facilities  have led to a ministry call for five million more euros to be directed towards the prevention of sex crimes, and an allocation for the hiring of more inspection personnel on the regional and state level to oversee services catering to the elderly, disabled and early childhood education.
 The added five million euros to prevent sex crimes targeting children and youth includes 1.6 million euros more for online policing and 1.5 million euros for relevant educational work in schools.
 The ministry proposes an additional 0.3 million euros be granted to youth work, and 800,000 more euros devoted to the launch of a new LASTA model, a new child protection service structure consisting of 18 regional hubs of specialist social service and health care. The new structure aims to provide child friendly investigation and support for all cases of alleged physical or sexual abuse.
 Close to five million euros more for Migri
 The ministry would also award 4.8 million euros in added funding to the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) for immigration-related security measures. The proposal says the additional funding would be used to improve Migri activities and found a new detention facility in Oulu.
 Among other technical adjustments, the first supplementary budget proposal of 2019 also revises down its tax revenue estimate to reach a figure 196 million euros lower than was originally forecast.
 In this latest iteration of the Finnish budget for 2019, expenditure estimates increased by 80 million euros, while revenue estimates were reduced by 190 million, meaning that the proposal increases the government's net borrowing requirement by 270 million euros.

Added funds for elder care and sex crime prevention top supplementary budget proposal


Summary: Jussi Halla-aho dismissed remarks from the NCP, Centre and SDP that they would not invite his nationalist Finns Party into a coalition as "pre-election talk".

Finns Party chair Jussi Halla-aho says his party is ready to cooperate as a member of a new coalition government after the upcoming general elections in April. In an appearance on TV1's Ykkösaamu programme on Saturday, the leader of the anti-immigrant and Eurosceptic party said that he felt the Finns Party's inclusion in the new government was "very important" as a goal.
 Halla-aho dismissed previous indications that the Social Democratic Party (SDP) would join the National Coalition Party (NCP) and the Centre Party in rejecting the Finns Party as a coalition partner if voted into power.
 "I would think that these statements are directed to their own vacillating supporters who might be considering a vote for the Finns Party. Their message is 'don't vote for the Finns Party because there will be no government cooperation with them'," he said.
 "I wouldn't give too much value to talk like that. At the end of the day, eligibility for government will be determined by the election results and party programmes."
 Thrown out of last government after Halla-aho's election
 Halla-aho has set a target that his party's support should increase in the next election from the appropriately 9.6 percent support polls showed the party enjoyed when he  began his stint as party chair in June 2017 .
 "I've set myself a personal measuring stick that our support has to grow and the number of MPs we have in Parliament must also improve. Otherwise, I don't feel as if I have succeeded in my job," he says.
 Centre Party leader and Prime Minister Juha Sipilä and NCP chair and Finance Minister Petteri Orpo promptly  kicked the Finns Party out  of government after hardliner Halla-aho was elected in 2017, a move that was followed by  20-odd Finns Party MPs leaving to form a new party now known as the Blue Reform  that replaced the Finns Party in government.
 "Moral rot" in his party is gone
 Halla-aho says that his political party is in better shape now than it was during his predecessor Timo Soini's long reign.
 "I'm not worried about the future of the party at all anymore. I believe that most Finns Party members would agree that any moral rot or corruption left the party in 2017. Pushiness and ideas of personal gain also went away," he said.
 During his television interview, Halla-aho also commented on recent statements from Foreign Minister Timo Soini, who said that acquiring more trained health professionals from the Philippines might be one solution to  understaffing problems  in Finland's care homes.
 "Filipino nurses can't manage any better in Finland on lower wages than Finnish nurses can. Cheap labour keeps salaries low in these lines of work, and that is the purpose of cheap labour," Halla-aho said.

Halla-aho: "Very important" that Finns Party joins next gov't


Summary: The mid-winter break harks back to the 1920s and gives youngsters an opportunity to practice winter pursuits that have become part of the fabric of Finnish society.

Just when the winter sun begins to smile on snow-covered fields and hills, school children in Finland take a break and head off to enjoy the wintry outdoors.
 The annual ski holiday ( hiihtoloma  in Finnish) is such an important part of Finnish society that when airport and ground handling staff at the Helsinki Airport threatened to go on strike during one of the busiest travel seasons in the local calendar last year, Labour Minister  Jari Lindström  intervened to ensure that families could fly to their holiday destinations.
 The hiatus in the school calendar harks back to the 1920s and although more affluent and worldly Finnish residents nowadays opt to visit southern sun-kissed beaches, it also gives youngsters holidaying at home an opportunity to practice winter pursuits that have become part of the fabric of Finnish society.
 From ice skating to snowboarding
 Finland has become famous for punching above its weight  in sports such as ice hockey  and more recently in  the less traditional discipline of snowboarding .
 And of course every good Finn recalls the exploits of Finland’s stealthy  Winter War  ski forces, including the legendary sniper Simo Häyhä, who is believed to have 500 Russian scalps under his belt.
 So Finnish kids take to the skating rinks and ski slopes to hone their skills in sports such as ice skating, cross country skiing and more recently free-style skiing and snowboarding. And naturally, every parent in Finland dreams and hopes that maybe – just maybe – their kids will  one day become an ice hockey superstar .
 The one-week holiday period is staggered across the country with schools in the south breaking for the vacation around mid-February. Students in central Finland take off one week after their peers in the south while students up north have their vacations a week after that.

Watch: Finland’s ski holiday tradition helps kids hone winter sports skills


Summary: Finland is piloting a costly cancer therapy for children suffering from leukemia that involves giving patients genetically modified immune cells.

Lääkealan turvallisuus- ja kehittämiskeskus

Following the lead of the Unites Stated and other Nordics, Finland will now provide CAR-T cell therapy, stimulating the immune system to fight cancer.
 In the 1960s, most children in Finland diagnosed with leukemia, a cancer of the white blood cells, died within a year. But today stem cell therapies have raised the survival rate for childhood leukemia to 80 percent. Another ten children a year in Finland could benefit from cutting-edge cancer therapy, which will now be offered at university hospitals in Helsinki and Turku.
 The treatment centres on laboratory-engineered T cells being infused back into the patient where they recognise and destroy cancer cells.
 Trials have shown that a single treatment may be enough for leukemia to go into remission. The European Medicines Agency approved commercial CAR-T cell therapies last autumn.
 ”The therapy cost about half a million dollars when it launched on the US market last year, but now the price has come down to about 300,000 euros for one dose,” explained  Maija Itälä-Remes , who heads Turku University’s stem cell programme.
 Last hope
 Itälä-Remes said the treatment may be a viable option for about ten young leukemia patients annually.
 The Finnish Medicines Agency Fimea said CAR-T cell therapy was a cost-effective treatment option for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, even with the price tag initially reaching 450,000 euros.
 ”While early results are promising, we know little about long-term effects, as the therapy also damages healthy cells,” she said.
 British cancer scientist  Mel Greaves  has meanwhile suggested that  babies’ reduced contact with germs  is causing their immune systems to react in abnormal ways to infections, potentially triggering mutations resulting in childhood leukemia.
 Itälä-Remes of Turku University Hospital said that while much research has focused on the relationship between infections and cancer, results have been inconclusive.

Finland to offer cutting-edge child cancer therapy


Summary: The environmental cost of fast fashion has made headlines in recent years, but figures show residents in Finland prefer bargains over eco-friendly designs.

Finnish consumers are buying more clothes but spending less on their purchases, according to the Finnish Fashion and Sports Commerce Association (TMA).
 Clothing sales volumes grew a few percent in Finland in 2018 over the previous year, but the value of overall sales dropped by about one percent. Fashion industry group TMA attributes the trend to weak buying power.
 While the environmental cost of  fast fashion  and textile waste has made headlines in recent years, sales figures point to residents in Finland preferring bargains over eco-conscious designs - despite climate change being top of the mind  for some voters  in the general election this spring.
 ”Working people buy what they can afford,” said  Veli-Matti Kankaanpää  of TMA.
 Niko Pesonen , a buyer for the Stockmann department store, said online sellers have exerted downward pressure on prices, but said he believed the retailer's upscale clientele valued quality over quantity.
 Kankaanpää of the industry lobby took a pragmatic view.
 ”Social media buzz doesn’t impact sales. Campaigns to buy less are limited to a small circle,” Kankaanpää explained. ”But Finns in general are frugal. They will use something until it wears out and will pass it on if it’s not threadbare.”
 The total value of shoe and clothing sales in Finland last year was 3.3 billion euros, down from 3.6 billion in 2013, according to TMA.
 A study by the Finnish Commerce Federation last year found that residents' favourite places to shop for clothing included Prisma and K-Citymarkets, H&M, discount chain Tokmanni and online retailer Zalando.

Finland's residents buy more but pay less for clothing


Summary: Finland eyes untapped potential in the overseas student market, electric car dreams and drivers face heightened scrutiny this week.

Could university tuition fees from foreign students boost Finland’s economy? Former marketing chief behind Angry Birds  Peter Vesterbacka  seems to think so, telling business daily  Kauppalehti  that Finland could easily attract 150,000 foreign students willing to pay for English-language degree programmes.
 During the 2017–2018 school year, Finnish institutes of higher education drew some 2.7 million euros from foreign students—a figure that pales in comparison to the 3.5 billion euros collected by New Zealand from its overseas pupils, according to Vesterbacka.
 This spring Turku’s University of Applied Sciences plans to launch a four-year engineering programme on the Internet of Things that’s subject to a fee. The principal told the paper that demand outstripped supply for the course, which especially appealed to prospective students from Nepal. The school, however, said many withdrew their applications due to lengthy visa processes.
 Stable power supply revs up electric cars
 Finland won’t have any problem supplying electricity for electric cars, reports national daily  Helsingin Sanomat . The Transport Ministry calculates that some 670,000 electric cars will hit Finnish roads by 2030.
 Authorities have estimated that 750,000 electric cars would increase power consumption by just three percent.
 At the end of last year, Finland was home to some 15,000 electric cars, including hybrids.
 Drivers face heightened scrutiny
 Starting Monday, police are launching a week-long monitoring scheme targeting trucks across Finland, reports regional daily  Turun Sanomat .
 Police will especially focus on drivers’ use of phones and tablets while at the wheel. The move is a European-wide effort by the European Traffic Police Network to increase road safety.

Monday's papers: Profiting from foreign students, electric car dreams and road safety


Summary: The average worker in Finland has toiled from the beginning of the year until February 18 to earn the daily pay of a CEO of a publicly listed company.

The STTK labour union has highlighted a growing pay gap between executives and average workers in Finland. CEO pay in Finland outpaces the average worker's by a factor of 34, reports STTK, a labour market organisation representing around half a million residents.
 The study found that in 2017 it took the average employee 34 days to earn as much as an executive does in a day, up from 33 days in 2016. In 2017, annual earnings for private sector employees averaged 40,250 euros.
 STTK said it was important that pay ratios between senior management and staff don’t spiral out of control.
 ”Economic research has indicated that relatively small income discrepancies positively impact welfare and economic growth,” STTK economist  Antti Koskela  said in a statement.
 STTK’s drew its calculations from Statistics Finland and listed companies’ annual reports. The union was inspired by Fat Cat Day in the UK, which takes a critical view of pay packets handed to big executives in relation to what they pay their employees.

Union: Finnish worker toils 34 days to reach boss’ one-day pay


Summary: In Finland this would mean that cannabis therapies would be partially covered by national health insurance agency Kela.

Last week MEPs voted to adopt a resolution on the medicinal use of cannabis which asked for an EU-wide legal definition of medicinal cannabis to be established, in order to distinguish it from other uses of the plant.
 According to the parliament, adopting clear policy on medical cannabis would benefit the safety and quality of the drug, saying that several EU member states have already legalised the medical use of some forms of cannabis, or are considering it.
 Medical cannabis therapies are available to a handful of patients in Finland,  but it is not commonly prescribed .
 The authors of the  resolution  also called on member states to boost funding for medicinal cannabis research .
 The MEPs said that creating EU-wide guidelines on medical cannabis would help reduce abuse of the drug, thwart the trade of it on the  black market  and prevent young people from becoming addicted to it. The resolution also noted the policy should emphasise the safety of young people and pregnant women who receive the drug.
 Kela would pay if implemented in Finland
 The resolution encouraged the EU Commission and member states to loosen regulations and drop various culturally-based barriers to the use and research of medicinal cannabis.
 According to the resolution, the prescription and use of effective cannabis-based drugs should be compensated by health insurance plans.
 In Finland, the insurance portion of the resolution would mean that medically-prescribed cannabis would be covered by national health insurance agency Kela.
 According to the MEPs cannabis and cannabinoids have been found to have multiple therapeutic effects, including appetite stimulation (to hinder weight loss in AIDS patients), and helps to alleviate symptoms from conditions including mental disorders or epilepsy, cancer and Alzheimer's disease.
 The MEPs noted that more research into the uses of cannabis therapies is needed.

EU Parliament calls for medicinal cannabis to be covered by public health


Summary: The government has decided to foot the bill for the funeral of Finnish ski jumping champ Matti Nykänen, who passed away on 3 February.

The entertainment weekly Seiska reported on Monday that European, Culture and Sports Minister  Sampo Terho  had confirmed the state’s intention to cover the cost of a funeral for Finland's Flying Finn,  Matti Nykänen , who died in early February .
 "I can confirm on the basis of information I received from the family. We have agreed with Nykänen’s family that the Ministry of Education and Culture will pay the funeral costs. I believe that Matti has earned it based on his sporting accomplishments," Terho told Seiska via text message.
 Terho had previously  floated the idea of a state funeral  for the troubled ski champion. Finland's last state send-off for a top athlete took place in 1989 with the funeral of skier  Tapani Niku .
 During a career that spanned a decade, Nykänen racked up a total of five Winter Olympic medals, nine World Championship medals and 22 Finnish Championship medals.
 The charitable organisation Pietarinkadun Oilers had previously said that it intended to pay for the last rites as a tribute to the Finnish Olympian.
 A date for the funeral has not yet been announced.

Finnish ski jump legend Matti Nykänen to get state-funded funeral


Summary: The products were on sale in all Lidl stores across Finland from 4 February.

Elintarvikkeiden, juomien ja tupakan vähittäiskauppa

Lidl has withdrawn two lots of Bergmann-branded minced beef after a control sample of one lot was suspected of being contaminated with salmonella.
 The recall involves packages with "best before" dates of 12.2.2019 and 14.2.2019. The products had been on sale nationwide from 4 February.
 Lidl is asking consumers who have purchased the affected products and may have frozen them to return them to Lidl supermarkets for a refund.
 The German supermarket chain also said Monday that it has suspended cooperation with the Skare meat company over three other instances of salmonella contamination.
 Salmonella was also detected in similar products sold by the same supplier at the end of January.

Lidl pulls minced beef over salmonella fears


Summary: A 15-year-old died after falling 6-8 metres off a cliff while off-piste skiing at a resort in central Finland on Saturday.

After equipment inspections, site surveys and interviews, police in central Finland said on Monday they found no reason to open a criminal investigation into the death of a young man who fell off a cliff while skiing in Northern Himos over the weekend.
 The 15-year-old from southwestern Finland's island village of Pargas was skiing with a group of friends off-piste - or away from prepared ski trails - when he fell some 6-8 meters off the cliff.
 The group was taking part in a church-organised confirmation camp, which was called off after the accident took place.
 Police said their preliminary investigation revealed that the ski equipment the accident victim rented from the Himos ski resort - including downhill skiing gear, helmet and protective goggles - were in proper working order.
 An investigation into the cause of the young man's death will continue, but police said on Monday they would not offer further information about the incident.
 Safety agency also investigating
 The Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes) - along with help from the Finnish Ski Area Association and the Himos ski resort - is also looking into the accident, according to the agency's lead expert  Mervi Murtonen .
 On Twitter Murtonen said that groups which organise events like confirmation camps need to explain potential risk factors to participants in advance.
 Tukes carried out safety checks at Himos between 2016 and 2018, and gave the resort largely positive reviews. The ski slopes, signage and instructions provided by the resort were deemed to be satisfactory, according to the agency's assessment at the time.
 Both the Finnish Red Cross and the local church in Pargas have organised support sessions for people affected by the fatal accident.

No plans for criminal probe of fatal ski accident, police say


Summary: Air traffic controllers' and employers' groups have been locked in a dispute over salaries and other matters since 2017.

Air traffic controllers have announced their intention to embark on a one-week workers' lockout from 9.00am 4 March until 9.00am on 11 March.
 Last week the union representing air traffic controllers, SLJY, rejected a second draft settlement negotiated in talks led by the state mediator. Palta, the organisation representing employers in the sector was in favour of accepting the proposal, which would have increased air traffic controllers’ salaries by 3.2 percent.
 Both sides have been locked in a dispute over salaries and other terms of work since the last collective agreement concluded in 2017.
 "We are confused about what the SLJY really wants. None of the general solutions outlined by the employers or by the state mediator have been good enough for the SLJY. In all sectors, the general policy of a 3.2-percent [rise] has also included text modifications about the cost implications in the collective agreement and this should also be in the air traffic controllers’ agreement. We hope that extending the lockout will speed up a solution. A speedy solution will be in everyone’s best interests," Palta chair  Tuomas Aarto  said in a statement.
 Supervisors to man towers
 The workers’ union had previously announced  another lockout lasting from 23 February to 25 February . The industrial action will affect Finland’s eight largest airports. Palta said that during the worker lockout, supervisory staff will man air navigation systems and that no significant disruptions should occur.
 The employers’ organisation has previously warned that a protracted dispute could begin to affect passenger flights. Schools in eastern and northern Finland are expected to break for the annual ski holiday during the week of the planned lockout.
 Other work stoppages have been organised during non-peak airport hours, for example at night and early afternoon. Airports operator Finavia has said that the busiest hours run from 6.00 to 9.00am and from 3.00 to 6.00pm.

Air traffic controllers' lockout set for ski holidays in eastern, northern Finland


Summary: Finland's aid to Zambia has dropped steadily since 2013, when the country received more than 30 million euros - funding will stop completely by 2023.

Ministerit, ministeriöt ja valtioneuvosto

Finland has begun to rapidly wind down its development aid cooperation with Zambia after 45 years. The decision was made during the early phases of the current  Juha Sipilä  administration.
 The Finnish Foreign Ministry cited Zambia’s then-poor economic outlook and the shrinking importance of development aid in the country as the reason for the decision to gradually discontinue the development programme.
 According to a statement from the ministry, the situation in Zambia has deteriorated since the government decided to drop the curtain on the aid programme.
 Six years ago, Zambia was still one of the top destinations for Finnish development aid. In 2013 Zambia received the second-highest amount in Finland’s development aid programme, more than 30 million euros.
 However the amount of  aid funnelled to Zambia has declined dramatically since then . In 2018, Finland allocated just 4.3 million euros to bilateral aid for Zambia and this year the amount will be even less, at 3.5 million. Next year, it will be an estimated two million, eventually drying up by 2023.
 Austerity sees development aid cuts
 "You could say that Zambia has been a disappointment during the last few years. The country has lagged behind in a number of metrics and the political climate has been particularly toxic. Zambia is becoming indebted at a rapid rate – you could say unsustainably – and relations with the International Monetary Fund are poor," noted  Juha Savolainen , head of the ministry’s Southern and West African unit.
 Last September the IMF announced that it would no longer extend additional credit to Zambia.
 "Corruption scandals have become more widespread. Leading politicians have either been sacked or they have left the government because of these suspicions," Savolainen added.
 "We are following the situation with some concern and are in active dialogue with Zambia," he continued.
 The ministry official admitted however, that the decision to terminate development aid was made in rather different circumstances. From 2010, the Zambian economy posted growth of up to 10 percent annually, slowing to about three percent per annum in recent years.
 When the Sipilä administration took office in 2015,  it implemented an austerity programme  that included deep cuts to development assistance, starting in 2016.
 In addition, recent revelations of misuse of development funds in Zambia have resulted in projects being frozen or wrapped up and only served to accelerate Finland’s move to wind down the programme.
 20 cases of suspected wrongdoing
 Yle’s A-studio discussion programme requested reports on suspected abuse of all development aid spending between 2015 and 2018.
 The foreign ministry handed over information about 20 suspected cases of development aid misuse, 11 of which involved Zambia and seven of which involved calls to repay funds contributed.
 Four other cases involved miscellaneous suspicions: in one of them no effort was made to reclaim development funds since the organisation in question had disbanded.
 Another foreign ministry report saw officials decide to shut down a project over delays and administrative issues.
 Yet another case was settled after a payment plan to reimburse development funds was agreed with the new management of the NGO in question.
 Support for human rights groups
 In a fourth case an audit of the organisation’s accounts revealed several instances of over-spending, but a review determined that the funds had been used for the agreed purposes.
 The majority of cases involved instances where the Finnish embassy provided direct assistance small local organisations. In these cases, the recovered sums ranged from a few thousand euros to nearly 70,000 euros.
 According to Savolainen, the number of cases has been affected by the fact that the Finnish embassy in the Zambian capital Lusaka had access to funding allocations to provide direct support to small local NGOs.
 For example it provided financial backing to local NGOs campaigning for human rights, which tried to get local leaders to address wrongdoing.
 Savolainen described this form of direct backing as one example of Finland’s success in Zambia, in spite of several instances of development aid misuse.

Finland terminates 45-year development cooperation with Zambia over graft concerns


Summary: Foreign-background taxi drivers face racism, kids can soon legally have two moms from birth, and the US green-lights electronic attack jets for Finland.

Foreign-background cab drivers in Finland are facing increasing prejudice in Finland,  Jari Kantonen , CEO of Taksi Helsinki, told tabloid  Ilta-Sanomat . Last weekend, a customer using the taxi company’s app requested an ethnically Finnish driver. When a dark-skinned driver pulled up, the unhappy customer complained of poor service.
 ”Our ride-booking app will never offer the possibility to select a driver based on skin colour,” Kantonen told the paper.
 He said racism towards his taxi drivers has grown in the past two years he has headed Taksi Helsinki, adding that racist feedback from customers is ”surprisingly common.” Most often it manifests in customers at taxi stands passing up drivers who don’t appear typically Finnish.
 Two moms
 As of April, a baby born in Finland can legally have two moms when a new law that recognises both women in same-sex partnerships as mothers from the moment their child is born comes into effect, reports regional daily  Turun Sanomat .
 The so-called Maternity Act originated as a citizens' initiative and was approved by Finland's Parliament last year.
 To establish motherhood, the woman who isn’t pregnant must in the presence of her expectant partner notify the local maternity clinic ( neuvola  in Finnish) of parentage.
 US approves Hornet sale
 The U.S. Department of Defense has approved Boeing’s release of the EA-18G Growler—an F/A-18 Super Hornet variant to Finland, writes Tampere daily  Aamulehti .
 The Growler can provide tactical jamming, and is capable of disrupting and deceiving a broad range of military electronic systems, including radar and communication systems.

Tuesday's papers: Taxi drivers face racism, two-mom families and new Hornets for Finland


Summary: The offences took place in Tampere between late 2017 and early 2018.

The Turku Appeal Court has upheld a conviction handed down by a lower court on a man for ten counts of rape, assault, and aggravated child sexual abuse.
 The appellate court also maintained the sentence of three years and eight months jail time for the offences, the original sentence handed down by the Pirkanmaa District Court.
 The man was also ordered to pay a fine of 34,000 euros. The rape crimes were committed in Tampere at the end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018. The victim was a special needs young woman.
 Other counts of assault and aggravated child sexual abuse involved other victims.
 The sentence is not yet enforceable as the defendant may still contest the verdict in Finland’s Supreme Court.

Man gets 32-month jail term for rape, sexual abuse of disabled woman


Summary: The public funding agency said bookkeeping irregularities in the 2011–2017 period totalled 4.8 million dollars.

State-funded startup financier Business Finland (BF) said it suspects one of its former US-based employees of financial misconduct. The agency said it has now raised a civil suit in the US to recoup any misused funds.
 "The employee used doctored bank statements to mislead Finpro,"  Marianne Asikainen , a senior director at BF said in a statement.
 Business Finland said it believed the offences occurred within a Finpro subsidiary prior to the establishment of Business Finland, which  merged tech and innovation funding agencies Finpro and Tekes  in early 2018.
 The accounting irregularities may, however, still prove to be legitimate expenses, BF said in a statement.
 Asikainen said the case has prompted BF to re-evaluate its internal financial monitoring processes.

Business Finland suspects former US employee of financial misconduct


Summary: The cost of electricity, gas, cigarettes and bank fees rose in January, according to Statistics Finland’s Consumer Price Index.

Inflation in January stood at 1.1 percent, according to new figures released on Tuesday by Statistics Finland.
 According to the number crunching agency’s newest Consumer Price Index price index, the cost of electricity, gas and cigarettes rose last month while consumers also paid higher bank fees .
 On the other hand, the prices of mobile phones, detached homes, televisions and long-distance bus tickets dropped slightly.
 Statistics Finland’s figures are based on about 50,000 prices for some 470 commodities.
 According to preliminary data, inflation in the euro area was 1.4 per cent in January. In December, it stood at 1.6 per cent. The corresponding figure for Finland was 1.2 per cent in December.

Consumer prices rise slightly in January


Summary: A revamped Palace restaurant received a Michelin star while five other Helsinki eateries retained their one-star status at an awards ceremony in Denmark.

At the restaurant world’s Oscars, the Michelin Awards, which were celebrated on Monday night in Århus, Denmark, Helsinki's re-launched Palace restaurant received a Michelin star while five other Finnish restaurants retained their Michelin-star status.
 The star has an historic significance: many incarnations ago the landmark restaurant received Finland’s first Michelin star in 1987. Then called Palace Gourmet, the restaurant held onto its Michelin star for two years, until 1989.
 The other five Michelin one-star restaurants on the prestigious 2019 Michelin list are all in Helsinki: Ask, Demo, Olo, Ora, and Grön. The Palace restaurant made its comeback under chef  Eero Vottonen   --  the legendary restaurant was closed for extensive renovations and re-opened in 2017 with Vottonen at the helm.
 The Michelin Guide is an international ranking that has been awarding stars to the world’s best restaurants since 1930, with a three-star rating being the highest ranking on the scale.
 One star means that the restaurant is very good and worth a stop. Two stars mean that the restaurant is worth a detour and offers excellent quality and skillfully crafted cuisine. Three stars signify that the establishment is worth a special journey for its exquisite food.

Helsinki's Palace restaurant regains coveted Michelin star


Summary: An Estonian transport firm said it hopes its low-flying ground effect vehicles will whisk travellers at a speed of 200kph, just two metres above the sea.

Estonian firm Sea Wolf Express is planning to offer travellers the chance to cross the Gulf of Finland in about 30 minutes aboard its 12-seater Russian-built ground effect vehicle (GEV).
 The company said it aims to put its GEV into service next year, but plans hinge on approval from safety regulators.
 So far, the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency, Traficom, has been positive about the company's efforts. But Traficom unit chief,  Max Wilhelmson , said the firm still has a considerable amount of planning to do, particularly regarding the vehicle's safety.
 Sea Wolf Express has yet to apply for the permits required to operate the GEV between Finland and Estonia, but when it does Wilhelmson said the firm needs to be able to prove the vehicle is at least as safe as other means of transport on the route.
 Wilhelmson noted that when risk assessments are carried out, they need to be taken into consideration, particularly because of the speeds at which GEVs travel.
 The sea route between Helsinki and Tallinn is very busy. Several large passenger ferries shuttle between the cities at all hours of the day and night.
 Since Linda Line's catamaran service went out of business last year, the fastest ferries still take more than two hours, but a GEV can travel the same distance in about 30 minutes.
 Soars over sea at 200kph
 The company's GEV can reach about 200kph, according to Sea Wolf Express CEO  Ville Högman . He said the vehicle will provide a safe way to get across the Gulf for travellers who want to do it quickly.
 "Unless you live in a utopia, you can't completely rule out the possibility of an accident. There aren't that many GEVs in commercial use in the world yet, but no major accidents have occurred in the ones that are in use," Högman said.
 "Compared to airplane travel, [GEVs] are much safer because they can't tumble down," Högman said.
 Ferries, planes and hovercraft
 The technology behind GEVs is a combination of airplane, boat and hovercraft. Their wings make the vehicles look like planes, but they only reach an altitude of about two metres above the water. Combined with its high speed, the wings help to give the vehicle lift, creating a cushion of air above the surface, Högman explained.
 "Hovercrafts use a motor to generate that cushion of air, but GEVs use high speed, instead," he said.
 While the vehicle flies at extremely low altitude, the experience of boarding it is more like that of a traditional passenger ferry.
 "Passengers will go to the terminal and board it just like they do when they travel by boat, but during the trip they'll sit in airplane seats. People will be able to move around during the voyage, except during departures and arrivals," Högman said.
 Story continues after photo.
 Sea Wolf Express representatives with a company display. Sea Wolf Express
 Sea Wolf Express said it had hoped to start offering rides across the Gulf this year, but those plans have been delayed by technical problems on the manufacturer's side and the company is uncertain when it will be able to open for business.
 "There have been some problems with hydrodynamics. The takeoffs and landings were uncomfortable [for passengers], but those issues have been addressed," Högman said.
 Now the company is carrying out test runs and plans to open its Helsinki-Tallinn route sometime next year. The company's mostly-bare website said the firm plans to offer 12 daily trips to and from the cities every day, year-round.
 Not likely popular among booze cruisers
 When and if the Sea Wolf Express starts welcoming passengers, Högman said it is unlikely that so-called booze cruisers will be buying tickets.
 "The vehicle operates like an airplane in that passengers pay for each piece of baggage they have with them. In other words, I don't think that passengers who are bringing home large amounts of alcohol will choose it," he said.
 However, Högman does think Sea Wolf will attract business customers, because ticket prices will be so much higher than those of traditional ferries.
 "It's mostly about the 'time is money' factor for those who are willing to pay more to save a couple hours," Högman said.
 The company has not announced exact ticket prices but Högman said rides on the GEV will cost more than they do on ferries - but less than planes. Estonian public broadcaster reported last month that one-way  tickets  would cost around 100 euros. ERR also reported that the GEVs cost about one million euros apiece and that Sea Wolf Express is mainly being financed by investors in Finland.
 Apart from overall safety of the vehicle, Traficom is also concerned about weather conditions it will be exposed to, according to the agency's Wilhelmson.
 "We're positive [about the plans] but there have been questions about how the firm's vessels will be able to operate on the route when there's ice on the sea," Wilhelmson said.
 Sea swells and waves are also an issue that could cause delays or cancellations for the novel vehicle, he said.
 The company CEO said he anticipates that trips would be cancelled due to high waves caused by poor weather a maximum of twice a year.
 Many try to cross quickly
 Several companies have made efforts - and continue to try - to offer passengers a chance to cross the Gulf of Finland as quickly as possible. While some have succeeded, few have stayed in business for very long.
 More than a decade ago, Finnish helicopter firm Copterline offered deep-pocketed travellers quick jaunts across the Gulf.
 Fourteen people were killed  when a Copterline craft headed from Tallinn to Helsinki crashed into the sea shortly after takeoff in 2005. The route was discontinued some time later. The company continued to struggle after it declared  bankruptcy  in 2010.
 Estonian catamaran ferry firm Linda Line also offered quick rides between Tallinn and Helsinki but also  declared bankruptcy  last year.
 These days, there are also two sub-sea train tunnels between the two capital cities being planned.
 Former gaming marketing chief  Peter Vesterbacka  has said his FinEst Bay Area company will offer passengers rapid train transits between the cities by the end of 2024.
 Another state-planned tunnel project is also reportedly in the works, according to comments made by Finland's Minister of Transport and Communications  Anne Berner  towards the end of last year.
 Vesterbacka, however, said in December that there are not two separate tunnel projects, but only one - his.

Winged, sea-skimming GEVs planned for half-hour Helsinki-Tallinn trips


Summary: Some of the allegations contend that neglect in care homes may have resulted in injury or death.

Police said Tuesday that investigators are currently probing 30 allegations of neglect, some of which may have resulted in injury or death, related to elder care.
 The revelation follows several widely publicised instances of suspected neglect at senior care homes in Finland and  recent reports that Valvira, the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health is probing up to 15 deaths at senior care homes.  The deaths that Valvira is investigating occurred in private and public care homes across Finland between 2017 and 2018.
 Valvira and the Police Board met on Monday to exchange information and discuss cooperation.
 Police said that they have been asked to investigate cases involving the Attendo Care Home Pelimanni and Esperi Care’s elder care operations, for example.
 At the Pelimanni care home in Alavus in western Finland, operations were suspended earlier in February because of alarming shortcomings in the quality of care. In January, Valvira closed an Esperi Care facility in Kristinestad, also in the west.
 Police say no rise in reports of alleged abuse
 However, according to police chief inspector  Heikki Lausmaa  there has not been a rise in the number of investigations compared to previous years.
 "Each year several suspected crimes against the elderly in care homes are brought to the attention of police," Lausmaa said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
 Speaking about the current 30 allegations, Lausmaa said that each case is unique and the alleged crimes vary.
 "Police departments receive requests to investigate from family members as well as other people and start preliminary investigations independently" he noted.
 Each investigation is being carried out by the local police department in the area where the request for a probe has been made, the statement added.

Police investigating 30 allegations of elder care neglect across Finland


Summary: A government working group has proposed merging private and public pension systems in Finland.

If government's plans to  overhaul the social and health care system  (known colloquially as " sote ") proceed, they will require further reforms to the national pension system, a government working group said on Tuesday.
 The group was appointed by the finance and social affairs and health ministries, and consists of ministry experts, members of major trade unions and employer groups, municipality unions and representatives of the business community.
 The group has proposed a merger of the country's private and public pension systems, saying that the national pension agency Keva should establish a new pension insurance firm that can assume responsibility for the pensions of workers in the private sector.
 When and if Finland makes long-planned reforms to its social and health care system, private companies are expected to play increasingly major roles within those sectors. In practice, that will mean that several thousand publicly-employed health and social care workers will be transferred from the public to the private sector.
 As the number of municipal workers decreases, there will be a parallel decrease in pension payments at the municipal level. Keva, which operates the municipal pension system, risks losing both clients and money. On top of that, according to the working group, the municipal finances will also weaken.
 Keva CEO,  Timo Kietäväinen , said decision-makers in Finland have talked about possible reforms to the pension system for 20 years.
 "But this is the first time that anyone even tried to examine whether a reform is actually possible," Kietäväinen said.
 Keva is Finland's largest pension provider
 Chair of the working group and director of the Finnish Centre for Pensions,  Heli Backman , said systemic reforms of the pension system would solve the issue of workers making the public to private shift.
 Keva is Finland's largest pension insurance firm; it has around 1.2 million clients who work in the public sector and employs about 550 workers. Keva's investment holdings amount to around 50 billion euros.
 According to the working group, merging the public and private pension systems should be cost neutral. It added that pension premiums and fees should not change in the long run - for workers or their employers. The reforms should not affect pension levels for affected workers, either, according to the group.
 After any eventual reforms, public workers should be protected by the same laws that shield private sector workers, the working group said.
 Future uncertain
 The exact form eventual pension system reforms will take is heavily dependent upon how "sote" reforms take shape - when and if they do.
 With little time left before the parliamentary elections in April,  it remains unclear  whether Prime Minister Juha Sipilä's government will be able to get the reforms implemented as planned.
 The Constitutional Law Committee has not yet approved the reforms and there is the possibility that the broad reform package could collapse - or be watered down before it gets a green light.
 Despite these unknown factors, the working group said that the current separate pension systems are also problematic in light of other major organisational changes affecting the public and private sectors.
 Minister of Local Government and Public Reforms  Anu Vehviläinen  has recommended that the working group send its report for referral so that the next government will be able to work on the reforms further.

Planned social, health reforms call for changes to pension system, working group says


Summary: The suspected infection was detected shortly after 5.00pm on Tuesday.

A suspected measles case has caused officials at the Iso Omena mall in Espoo to quarantine part of the facility.
 The top floor of the shopping centre located in Espoo’s Matinkylä district was sealed off on Tuesday evening when officials received news of the possible infection from a heath centre located in the mall.
 "The health centre issued a request to seal off the service level and to collect customers’ contact information," said shopping centre manager  Siim Rosenthal .
 Elina Jakovlev-Markus , who is responsible for development operations at the Iso Omena health centre, said that the suspected infection was detected shortly after 5.00pm on Tuesday.
 Jakovlev-Markus said shopping centre officials made contact with infectious diseases specialists from the Helsinki and Uusimaa health district, after which they began to take action.
 The health centre’s deputy chief medical officer also arrived on the scene to assess the situation, following which the health centre was shut down, the entire service floor was cleared and officials collected customers' contact details.
 "I stress that this is just a suspected case and the situation is completely under control," Jakovlev-Markus added.
 She said that the health centre was scheduled to open for business as usual on Wednesday morning.
 However it was not due to close until 8.00pm on Tuesday evening, while the service floor usually serves customers until 9.00pm on weekdays.

Espoo shopping mall in partial shutdown over suspected measles case


Summary: Today's print press looks at an EU comparison of "healthy life years", legislation on payday loans, and Anne Berner's decision to not run for re-election.

Helsingin Sanomat starts out the day with news of a Eurostat comparison that suggests that  Swedes live about 15 years longer than Finns . Among the EU member states (plus Norway, Iceland and Switzerland), Sweden led "the number of years a person is expected to live in a healthy condition at birth" list in 2016 with an age of 73.3 for women and 70.0 for men. Finland's male age of 57 was ranged third from last on the list, ahead of Slovakia and Latvia, and eighth from last for females, at the age of 59.1.
 The EU's statistical body calculated that the EU average was estimated at 64.2 years for women and 63.5 years for men. To reach these numbers, it used information relating to "healthy life years" at birth, age 50, and age 65, using mortality statistics and data on self-perceived long-standing activity limitations.
 The self-appraisal asked respondents to answer the question: "For at least the past six months, to what extent have you been limited because of a health problem in activities people usually do?" In Finland, one in three reported some kind of problem.
 Sweden's results indicate that men and women there live 15 more "healthy life years" than Finland's residents. HS advises its readers, "If you want to stay well and keep functional, it would be a good idea to move to Sweden – or at least that's what the EU member state comparison leads us to believe."
 Keeping loan companies in check
 The Turku-based newspaper Turun Sanomat reports on  ministerial plans to crack down on payday loans  in Finland. Justice Minister  Antti Häkkinen  is concerned that peddlers of easy credit are growing more aggressive in their advertising, using images of dream vacations to sell loans that often have high interest rates.
 New companies are also entering the Finnish market at a brisk pace. TS points out one new firm, Aurora Laina that set up shop in January of this year. Its advertisement specifically targets people with a bad credit history, offering those that own their own flat a fast loan of between 1,000 and 6,000 euros with a payback time of 1 to 5 years.
 Häkkinen's ministry has put forward a bill to legislate a mandatory cap on interest rates (30 percent) and services fees on loans that would likely come into effect in September, if the Parliament approves it.
 The Bank of Finland calculates that Finnish residents owed 660 million euros to payday loan firms in late 2017, up 52 percent from the previous year, TS reports
 Transport minister opts to leave Parliament
 The Oulu newspaper Kaleva carries an analysis piece this Wednesday on Transport and Communications  Minister  Anne Berner 's announcement that she will not be seeing re-election  at the end of the parliamentary term.
 The paper reports that the Swedish newspaper  Dagens Industri  has indicated that Berner may be moving to the board of the SEB Bank in Sweden. Main owner of the Vallila Interior design company, Berner first gained a seat on Arcadia Hill in 2015, winning close to 10,000 votes in the capital city Uusimaa region. Her appointment to a minister's position already during her first term as MP was seen as highly unorthodox.
 Kaleva says that Finland wasn't ready for a businesswoman with high-flying ideas as minister. Her ambitious project to reform the country's transport infrastructure and introduce private ownership caused friction, while another proposal to eliminate vehicle taxes and set up a road usage fee never even got off the ground.
 Berner has said that both she and her family have had to face intimidation, name-calling and even death threats since she took office. "I've seen a part of Finland or Finns that I never would have wanted to see or confront," she is quoted as saying in her book on leadership that was published last autumn.
 Kaleva says that Berner's Centre Party is probably not too happy about yet another MP voluntarily leaving the ranks before the election. Berner has said in the past that some of the worst opposition to her ministerial efforts came from within her own party.

Wednesday's papers: Swedes live longer, interest rate caps, and Berner's exit


Summary: The School of Business has moved to the Aalto University campus, where all six departments will be under the same roof for the first time in almost 50 years.

An era came to an end last week when the former Helsinki School of Economics moved premises from its old location in Helsinki's Töölö district to a new 40-million-euro custom-built building in Espoo's Otaniemi, on the Aalto University campus.
 Bachelors degree instruction in the now-named Aalto University School of Business has been held at the Otaniemi campus since 2015. Aalto University was the result of the 2010 merger of three major Finnish universities: the Helsinki School of Economics (established in 1904), the Helsinki University of Technology (1849) and the University of Art and Design Helsinki (1871).
 The new space accommodates about 2,000 people Petteri Juuti / Yle
 The new building in Otaniemi has four floors, and features a restaurant, café and teaching premises on the ground floor. The upper floors contain more teaching facilities, a learning hub for students, meeting and team space for both staff and students, and offices for faculty and staff.
 "My first impression of the whole building is really good. My personal favourite is the learning hub; there are a lot of people there all the time," said fourth-year student  Maria Aalto .
 Students Heikki Helaniemi and Maria Aalto are happy with the new facility. Petteri Juuti / Yle
 The staircase in the lower lobby is made of natural stone from Portugal. Petteri Juuti / Yle
 The move means that for the first time in almost five decades, all six of the School of Business departments will be located under one roof, allowing collaboration between management studies, accounting, marketing, finance, economics and information and service management departments' students, researchers and faculty.
 The relocation also means that all three universities that were merged in 2010 are now finally located at the Aalto University campus in Otaniemi.
 "Now it really feels like we are part of the Aalto community because we are located right here in the centre of everything. It is very big motivator," says  Perttu Kähäri,  development manager of the business school.
 The new School of Business building is a part of a larger block of buildings, including the School of Arts, Design and Architecture’s new building called Väre, the shopping centre A Bloc and an entrance to the Otaniemi metro station.
 The Finnish architect firm of Verstas designed the new building Mika Huisman / Aalto-yliopisto
 A learning hub on an upper floor is open to students 24 hours a day. Petteri Juuti / Yle
 The entire block was designed by Verstas Architects, alumni of Aalto University, who won the international architectural competition in 2012-2013.
 The School of Business' old main building, located in Töölö at Runeberginkatu 14-16, will now be fully renovated, and the plan is for the Aalto Executive Education programme to use these premises after the renovation is completed in 2020. The Arkadia and Chydenia buildings that once belonged to the complex have been sold to new owners.
 The facade of the new building is made of red brick and glass, in order to blend in well with the rest of the Otaniemi campus. Petteri Juuti / Yle

Finland's largest business school opens new home in Otaniemi


Summary: Consumers have complained of Viagogo's hidden fees, overcharging on their credit cards and the inability to use tickets bought at a premium.

Kulttuuri- ja taidetapahtumat ja -näyttelyt

The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority has issued a warning about using the Swiss-based ticket reseller Viagogo.
 The consumer ombudsman said that over the past two years the agency has received about 500 complaints from consumers who had difficulties when they were buying tickets for concerts or other events.
 The ombudsman said it found that Viagogo's website contained misleading information about the quantities and prices of tickets that were available for sale.
 The country's Consumer Advisory Service and the consumer authority said that many consumers were under the impression that Viagogo is the official ticket vendor for various concerts and events. But the agencies say that is not the case.
 Murky process
 Viagogo's front page states that it is the "world's largest secondary marketplace for tickets to live events," and says that the firm guarantees tickets sold on the site. The site enables individuals to sell - as well as buy - tickets via the site
 "Prices are set by sellers and may be below or above face value," the statement continued.
 Links to tickets for major concerts and music festivals, as well as sporting events and comedy shows are also on the site's front page. A click on The Rolling Stones link brings visitors to the site to a page listing dozens of scheduled shows this spring and summer.
 When the prospective ticket buyer reaches the available tickets for sale, there is a timed lock on what appear to be the cheapest available tickets - in this case they were 66 euros apiece for a show in Glendale, Arizona in May.
 As seconds ticked by, animations of the pricier tickets on the page began to disappear, with a message stating the pricier tickets had "sold out" during the wait.
 After ticket buyers reach the page to purchase their chosen seats, the site asks for email and address information before indicating the final price.
 Only after entering personal information and reaching the payment page is the final price revealed, which included the ticket price, handling fee, VAT and booking fee. Each of the steps had a time-out feature of around four minutes. If a buyer did not make the purchase in time, the tickets would become unavailable, so consumers are encouraged to buy quickly.
 The handling fee was three euros for each ticket, while the booking fee was 21 euros apiece. The two tickets, which were listed for 132 for a pair, were then offered for 179 euros, after the added fees and tax.
 One star on Trustpilot.com
 But many consumers around the world have reported having difficulty even after having secured tickets on the site, according to news reports.
 In one example, a 70-year old woman told the UK's Telegraph news outlet that she paid  ten times  the regular ticket price for an opera ticket bought on Viagogo. She bought a ticket for about 344 euros from the secondary seller when the original ticket cost only 34 euros. On the night of the opera, the woman said she found herself in the "nosebleed seats" with an obstructed view.
 There are many other accounts of unhappy Viagogo customers to be found online, as well.
 Viagogo has an average rating of one out of five stars on the international consumer site trustpilot.com, with 42 percent of more than 25,000 reviews calling the ticket seller's services "bad."
 A Trustpilot review by "John in Dublin" two days ago gave Viagogo two stars, writing "I will never deal with this company again. Had one experience and that was enough. Shame on you for charging such [inflated] prices."
 Tickets sold on site may be useless
 The Finnish consumer watchdog said Viagogo's extra, unseen charges were only part of the problem and that the firm is at the centre of an ongoing civil case in a Swiss court over their practices. In October 2017 the ombudsman asked the company for explanations about problems that had been reported by consumers in Finland, but since the civil case is still pending, the ombudsman said it would wait for a ruling before taking further action.
 The consumer agency said that Viagogo does not clearly explain to ticket buyers that there may be restrictions associated with buying resold tickets. For example, many event organisers require tickets to be used by the original buyers.
 The agency also said that consumers told them the site contains misleading information about the actual number of tickets that are available to buy.
 When the site informs potential buyers that tickets are about to run out, it doesn't mention that it only refers to the ones on their site.
 The agency said many consumers paid more for tickets on Viagogo than they would have from the original vendor.
 The consumer agency recommended that consumers who have bought tickets on Viagogo with a credit or debit card and charged more than they agreed to pay should contact their bank. Troubled ticket buyers are also encouraged to contact the  Consumer Advisory Services .

Consumer protection agency issues warning over ticket reseller Viagogo


Summary: Government is currently reviewing legislation that would allow it to strip Finnish citizenship from dual nationals convicted of terrorist acts in certain cases.

Finland will not prevent the return of nationals who’ve left the country to fight among the ranks ISIS, Interior Minister  Kai Mykkänen  said on Wednesday.
 "However we will not try to tempt any ISIS fighters to return or get them back to Finland. Of course the premise is that if [someone] has Finnish citizenship, and their travel documents are in order, then nationality is established," Mykkänen said.
 The minister said that authorities in Finland will prepare for the return of people from ISIS-controlled areas as they get information about possible returnees from local embassies.
 "Before the individual is transferred to Finland, we will prepare so that the threshold for beginning a preliminary is very low is the person is suspected of committing crimes in the combat area," Mykkänen explained.
 Number of returnees "surprisingly low"
 The minister said however that the number of Finns who left to fight alongside ISIS and now want to return home is "surprisingly low".
 During 2016 an estimated 80 adults left Finland to go to conflict regions, taking with them a few dozen children. Some children were also born in ISIS-controlled areas. About half of the adults who left for Syria were killed.
 "As reprehensible as these peoples’ actions were, there were also children born these areas who did not choose their fate. We must be very careful about how we treat their situations," the minister observed.
 "Important to send a signal"
 Government is currently reviewing legislation that would allow the state to strip Finnish citizenship from dual nationals convicted of terrorist acts in certain cases.
 If passed, the reform would apply to crimes committed with terrorist intent and which are found to be against Finland’s vital interests.
 "It is essential to send a signal that it’s not advisable to join terrorist groups and that doing so has serious criminal consequences."
 Finland will not apply punishments retroactively however. In December 2016 another law came into force to punish the act of travelling abroad to join the ranks of terrorist organisations. The new law was introduced after several people had already left for conflict zones in 2016.
 The minister said that public debate on the return of ISIS fighters demonstrates the need for new legislation.

Finland won’t strip citizenship from ISIS fighters, minister says


Summary: HUS has confirmed that an unvaccinated child was suspected of carrying the disease that forced the partial shutdown of the Iso Omena shopping centre on Tuesday.

Helsingin ja Uudenmaan sairaanhoitopiiri

The Helsinki University Hospital HUS said that the suspected case of measles that caused the partial shutdown of an  Espoo shopping mall on Tuesday was detected  in an unvaccinated child.
 The case caused the closure of the services section of the Iso Omena retail centre in Matinkylä for the rest of the evening, for fear of the infection spreading. The services promenade of the mall includes a library and children's play area that also functions as a waiting room for maternity care patients and visitors to the health care centre.
 HUS' infectious diseases division head  Asko Järvinen  said he believes that infection suspicions have increased significantly in the last few years. He says last year's incidents in Ostrobothnia have further quickened the pace of new reports.
 "It's backed up by more incidents of diseases in European countries and more public discussion of the issue, so people are more likely to have suspicions," he says.
 HUS doctor: No risk of epidemic
 The National Health and Welfare Service's senior specialist in infectious diseases  Mia Kontio  says that in practice all of the cases of measles that have been reported in Finland in recent years have been contracted abroad. There have only been a handful of cases in which the highly infectious disease has spread from someone who contracted it abroad to someone else in the vicinity.
 A February THL bulletin says vaccination coverage of children in Finland is actually very good at present, with some variation between different vaccines and regions. Coverage for the MMR vaccine (MPR in Finland) protecting against measles, mumps and rubella has improved the most, as it was administered to 96 percent of children born in 2016. This is over two percentage points higher than the percentage of vaccinated children born in 2015.
 "The news about measles and its related complications have highlighted the importance of vaccinations. However, there are regional differences in vaccination coverage. As measles spreads very easily, it is worth aiming at the highest possible coverage both regionally and in different population groups," THL medical specialist  Ulpu Elonsalo  says in the release.
 HUS chief Asko Järvinen emphasises that the measles reports in Finland to date have all been isolated cases. He says that Finland has such strong coverage rates that there is no risk of an epidemic.

Unvaccinated child linked to Espoo shopping centre measles scare


Summary: Migrants who want to stay in Finland will have to pass a nationality test and to provide proof of studies or work.

Government has announced a package of measures it says aims to provide additional tools for preventing and combating crimes – especially sexual offences – committed by foreign-background individuals. The flurry of proposals follows reporting on  several cases of suspected child abuse in Oulu  involving alleged perpetrators with foreign backgrounds.
 Interior Minister  Kai Mykkänen  stressed on Wednesday that Finland will continue to protect persons fleeing persecution but that it will react to serious crimes.
 "We should show no mercy in such cases," Mykkänen declared.
 The government’s proposal contains 14 groups of measures which each include four different sets of proposed domestic actions.
 "The first group requires us to ensure that the behaviour of a small minority does not stigmatise a majority that behaves well," Mykkänen said.
 Faster asylum decisions
 Otherwise, government will aim to process asylum applications in six months, since delayed outcomes may cause risks, he said. In addition it will prepare measures to withdraw protection in cases where persons who have been granted asylum are convicted of aggravated offences.
 "It has become clear that the most severe deterrent is the threat of deportation," he noted.
 If someone’s asylum application is denied, police would have the option of holding them in a detention centre in the event that they pose a threat. In addition, persons whose asylum applications have been rejected will be obligated to register their place of residence with authorities, if authorities see fit.
 Mykkänen said that it is essential for authorities to detain individuals who may pose a threat immediately after the first negative asylum decision.
 "We are not proposing taking thousands of people into detention, but we suggest that at each stage of the asylum process we have the option of applying tougher measures in cases that pose a threat," Mykkänen commented.
 New border procedures for asylum seekers
 In a bid to manage immigration into Finland, the government says it wants to be able to detain people at the border before allowing them into the country.
 The main border points for this purpose would be the Russian border and the Helsinki-Vantaa airport and in cases where people are detained at these locations, the aim would be to process asylum applications in four weeks.
 Minister Mykkänen said that this particular move is more of a precautionary measure meant to deal with large numbers of asylum seekers entering the country.
 Dealing with the grey economy
 According to the minister, Finland will also aim to crack down on the grey economy. “If an asylum seeker receives an enforceable negative decision, we will regularly apply the obligation to register,” he noted.
 Mykkänen said that another domestic step would be to ensure that persons who receive permission to remain in Finland put down roots. This would require them to  pass basic civics tests  and to build up a history of study and work.
 Mykkänen presented the raft of proposals along with MPs  Simo Elo  of the Blue Reform and  Antti Kurvinen  of the Centre Party.
 Back in January, the government had indicated that  it would review international agreements  on the asylum process as well as the grounds for granting international protection and that it would compare them with practices in other EU states.
 At the time it also said that it wanted to speed up the return of rejected asylum seekers, especially to Iraq.
 Several measures already in the works
 Additionally the government has already earmarked an additional 10 million euros in  a supplementary budget for programmes  to prevent sex crimes against children and young people as well as for immigration-related security protocols.
 Parliamentary groups had also previously agreed to fast-track three pieces of legislation to impose stricter penalties for sexual offences against children and to allow police broader access to personal information to prevent crime, among other things.
 Parliamentary groups had also called for the government to determine the possibility of reforming nationality laws to allow persons to be  stripped of citizenship for committing serious sexual or violent crimes .
 One draft bill currently before lawmakers would cause dual nationals convicted for treason or terrorism to lose their Finnish citizenship. Provisions have already been expedited to deport residence permit holders found guilty of aggravated offences.

Faster asylum process, civics test, proof of study or work: Govt’s plans to combat immigrant crime


Summary: Labour Minister Jari Lindström admitted that the scheme contained certain injustices that government had attempted to address.

Parliament met on Tuesday to discuss  a citizens’ initiative aimed at undoing the  Juha Sipilä  government’s activation model , which aims to get unemployed people into jobs.
 Left Alliance MP  Ann Kontula  wasted no time in slamming the empty seats of government MPs who failed to show up for the debate.
 "From the composition of the hall you can see that everyone knows what’s going on. Everyone knows how embarrassing the activation model is. All the threats that have been embedded in it have come to pass," she charged.
 She was not the only lawmaker to comment on the sparse representation of the government side, as shouts of "Where is the government!" echoed through the chamber. Government MPs did indeed appear to be missing in action – initially, the only parliamentarians to represent it were Labour Minister  Jari Lindström  and Social Affairs and Health Minister  Pirkko Mattila .
 Many other opposition MPs took turns in condemning the government for its empty benches and speculated that the administration was experiencing pangs of conscience. However as the discussion progressed, National Coalition party MP  Juhana Vartiainen  arrived, followed by the Blue Reform’s  Simo Elo  and  Antti Kaikkonen  of the Centre Party.
 The citizens’ initiative being debated calls on the government to  dismantle the unpopular programme , which requires jobseekers to meet certain conditions or have their unemployment benefits cut.
 Minister admits injustices in model
 The Social Affairs and Health Minister referred to a memo from the Social Affairs and health Committee, which concluded that the activation model has already changed, given that compared to the original proposal, jobseekers  now have additional means of proving  that they are pursuing training or that they are attempting to land a job.
 However Mattila’s comments failed to placate the opposition. "Humiliating, disrespectful and evil are some of the words used about the activation model," said Finns Party MP  Arja Juvonen .
 Pia Viittanen , of the largest opposition party the Social Democrats continued in the same vein.
 "When this activation model came, I asked ministers why they needed to do this. I remember Minister Lindström, that you said something along the lines of this is just a bitter pill that needed to be swallowed. But surely common sense would prompt you to ask what’s the point of baking a stone in your bun? Everyone will tell you to take the stone out and it will taste better," she commented.
 During his speaking turn, Lindström admitted that the scheme contained certain injustices that government had attempted to address.
 “The philosophical question is, ‘what should we replace it with?’ I am confused that on the one hand people are saying that we have to get rid of these cuts. Ok that’s one thing. But then people are saying let’s get rid of the entire model. To replace it with what? Was the philosopher right when he said that you will be punished if you don’t do what needs to be done and you’ll be rewarded if you do? It’s quite clear to me that’s the way it should be,” he said.
 The labour minister repeatedly said that the state-owned research hub VTT was currently assessing the impact of the model and that everyone would be wiser when it completed its work. He added that the government’s aim was not to lay blame on the unemployed.
 Vartiainen stirs up opposition
 The discussion heated up when former state think tank head  Juhana Vartiainen  spoke. He declared that the activation model had proven its functionality since some people had been able to satisfy the conditions for maintaining their benefits  while others hadn’t .
 “If it were the case that all of the unemployed had succeeded in meeting the activation criteria then there would hardly have been any unemployment reduction impact and satisfying the conditions would have been as easy as flipping off the lights,” he remarked.
 He added that the system should not be watered down to allow jobseekers to sign up for any kind of easily- attainable training programme to meet the activation requirements.
 The SDP’s  Antti Lindtman  described Vartiainen’s comments as uncharitable.
 "But the core of this is that the activation model does not work and it is unjust. It is not right that even the unemployed who are doing the best that can be reasonably be expected and are still not finding work are losing their benefits," he observed.
 Silvia Modig  of the Left Alliance said that she was shocked by the government’s view of people. "The majority of people want to be active, they want a good life for themselves," she pointed out.
 "I can assure representative Modig that my view of people can stand up to scrutiny. I do not think of unemployed people as superfluous or that they can be kicked [around]," minister Lindström countered.
 The committee report includes dissenting statements from four opposition parties indicating that the government should accept the citizens’ initiative, which proposes terminating the programme.
 MPs will vote on the initiative in the weeks ahead.

Many govt MPs a no-show for heated debate on rolling back activation model


Summary: The newspapers on Thursday include stories on a fierce row between a minister and legal experts, a new political poll and a Finn skiing for Bolivia.

Finnish media has in recent days been aflame with escalating rhetoric about the finer points of constitutional law, thanks to Defence Minister Jussi Niinistö of the Blue Reform Party.
 Helsingin Sanomat  reports  on the spat which started on Tuesday when Niinistö described professor Martin Scheinin’s background in the Communist Party, which the Defence Minister apparently regards as disqualifying.
 “Tweets from admirers of the totalitarian Soviet system cannot in future have significance in Finland’s representative democracy,” wrote Niinistö.
 The issue at hand is ostensibly the decision by parliament to return a much-trailed intelligence law to the committee stage after criticism by constitutional law experts. Scheinin and his fellow professor Juha Lavapuro had previously tweeted criticism of the way lawmakers had ignored criticism from parliament’s constitutional law committee.
 In his blog post Niinistö slammed ‘extra-parliamentary forces’ who want to get their way.
 “Constitutional law Talibs hide their own ideological goals behind a fake cloak of expertise and apply pressure via social media to the democratically elected parliament,” said Niinistö, whose party is currently polling within the margin of error two months from parliamentary elections due on 14 April.
 On Wednesday Prime Minister Juha Sipilä  said  that the tone of the discussion about the intelligence law was ‘approaching the limits’, signalling he may prefer a more constructive approach to parliament’s experts.
 “The government’s job isn’t to direct parliament or the experts called by parliament,” Sipilä told journalists.
 Polling pressure
 HS publishes a poll by TNS Kantar today which suggests the Finns Party's support is on the rise. The party fractured in 2017 when hardliner Jussi Halla-aho took over as leader, leading to a dip in support, but the HS poll suggests their support stands at 11.4 percentage points.
 The bigger parties' numbers are down, especially Prime Minister Juha Sipilä's Centre Party, so HS  goes  to his home town of Oulu to see a party meeting to try and find out why. The answer is unambiguous: people like their anti-immigration line, especially in the wake of a spate of alleged sex crimes in which asylum seekers are the suspects.
 Sipilä, remember, famously offered his own home to accommodate refugees in 2015 and the Finns Party faithful believe that has played a role in their current boost in support.
 The group that splintered from the Finns Party, Defence Minister Jussi Niinistö's Blue Reform Party, registered one percentage point in the same poll.
 Bolivian ski star
 Iltalehti  has  a story on Bolivia's distinctly Finnish-sounding cross-country skiing star Timo Grönlund, who is competing in the World Championships in Seefeld, Austria this week. Grönlund grew up in Kitee, eastern Finland, before moving to La Paz in 2014 with his Bolivian wife.
 He started gathering points under the Federation International du Ski (FIS) qualification system and, once he passed the threshold to compete in the world championships, the Bolivian ski federation ("yes, there is one!" says Timo) paid for his trip to Austria.
 It wasn't the most direct route, and it took 36 hours, but it did get him there and he came 29th in the heats, more than four minutes behind the leaders. That's not too bad, considering how irregularly he gets to ski: he managed a couple of runs in Chile in December, but not much else recently.
 La Paz-based Grönlund does have one trump card, however, in his location. At 3,860 metres above sea level the Bolivian capital is twice as high as many of the camps used for 'altitude training' by endurance skiers.

Thursday's papers: Professors vs minister, polling analysis and a Bolivian ski star


Summary: The Finnish hosts did not make it to the top three of the competition.

Danish sign language performer  Lea Hyldstrup  was named the winner of the Nordics’ first visual song contest for the hearing impaired in Helsinki on Saturday.
 The Danish performer wrested the 1,000-euro prize from a field that included seven other competitors: five from Finland and one each from Sweden and Norway in addition to Hyldstrup herself.
 The Finnish hosts did not make it to the top three.
 The song contest was organised by the theatre cooperative Ursa Minor, which is an organisation for the hearing-impaired, with support from the Nordic Culture Center.
 According to  Mikaela Tillander  of Yle’s Sign Language News unit, the contestants had the option of performing with or without music. They could also decide whether to perform the lyrics of their selected songs or to offer a sign language version of the piece.
 "They also had to consider whether or not to mime the songs or offer a visual performance. I am looking forward with great interest to new interpretations in the next competition," she added.
 Sweden will host the next competition in 2021.

Finland hosts first Nordic visual song contest for the hearing-impaired


Summary: Creating a post-election government in Finland may be exceptionally difficult, writes one of the papers in today’s look at the Finnish press.

The tabloid  Ilta-Sanomat  predicts Finland will see exceptionally difficult government formation talks following April's parliamentary elections.
 The paper bases its prediction on the latest Helsingin Sanomat Gallup poll showing the Social Democrats with 20.8% of voter support, the conservative National Coalition with 18.6%, the Centre with 14.7%, closely followed by the Greens and the Finns Party.
 Ilta-Sanomat points out that government formation talks are easy when one party is "a head taller" than its rivals and can claim a mandate from voters. This time, though, it is possible that no party will gain the upper hand.
 It describes the months of stalemate that were seen in neighbouring Sweden after last autumn's elections as a possible foretaste of what will happen in Finland. There it was the rightwing Sweden Democrats who created a bottleneck. In Finland, that same role  might be played by the Finns Party , led by  Jussi Halla-Aho . The leaders of the largest parties have already said they will not enter into a coalition government with the Finns Party.
 However, in this opinion piece, Ilta-Sanomat states that denials of willinginess to cooperate with the Finns Party should not be believed. If the Finns Party polls at least 15 percent of the vote, which is entirely possible, the road into a coalition will open up.
 The paper's forecast, on the basis of the latest voter surveys, is that the Social Democratic chair  Antti Rinne  will lead talks on putting together a new cabinet. In an interview with Ilta-Sanomat he said that one issue will take precedence - major funding for  care of the sick and elderly .
 "No comment" on ISIS fighters
 Turku's Turun Sanomat reports that the Finnish Security Intelligence Service (Supo) has  declined to comment  on whether or not there are Finnish nationals among the former ISIS fighters being held prisoner in Syria.
 According to Supo, more than 80 Finnish citizens travelled to fight in conflict zones in Syria and Iraq mainly during the period 2012-2016. It is believed that approximately 20 were killed and around 20 have previously returned to Finland.
 Officials say that actual figure of those who traveled to take part in the conflict could be higher. Supo says that around 20 of those known to have gone to Syria or Iraq were adult women, and an estimated 30 children, some of whom have now reached adulthood. There are also children with ties to Finland who were born in ISIS-controlled areas.
 A spokesperson for the Security Intelligence Service declined to confirm or deny that Finnish nationals are among ISIS prisoners in Syria, saying that the information concerns Supo's "operational activities".
 Prime Minister  Juha Sipilä  recently told Yle that Finland has no interest in taking back ISIS combatants. However, by law citizens have freedom of movement and cannot be prevented from entering the country, cannot be expelled, and cannot be returned to another country against their will.
 Parliament is, however, looking at a proposal to enable  stripping a dual national of Finnish citizenship  for certain serious offenses.
 Split over immigrant labour
 The Jyväskylä daily Keskisuomalainen is one of the papers carrying a poll by the Federation of Finnish Enterprises that shows an even split among the public on the question of making it easier for companies  to hire foreign employees .
 Of the more than 1000 Finns surveyed, 39 percent said that it should be made easier to hire foreigners while 38 percent took the position that it should not. The remaining 23 percent were undecided.
 At 44 percent, women were more willing to see it made easier to bring immigrants into the workforce. A significant level of support was seen among older people, with more than half of over 60 year-olds in favour of easing restrictions on hiring non-citizens.
 Mystery quake
 Tampere's Aamulehti reports that 1.2 magnitude earthquake Monday centred at Valkeakoski 35 kilometres south of Tampere and 150 km north of Helsinki in the Pirkanmaa region. The quake was recorded and automatically reported by monitoring equipment of the Institute of Seismology at the University of Helsinki.
 Aamulehti says that it was unable to contact representatives of the institute for explanation or comments. It did note, however, that a similar reading about one year ago from Nokia turned out to be a blip from construction blasting work.

Tuesday's papers: Post-election gov't, former ISIS fighters, mystery quake


Summary: The city is hoping trams will run on its streets in 2021, and residents can get a taste of light rail at an exhibition this week.

Visitors to the city of Tampere can experience the wonders of trams this week, as a prototype tram goes on display in the city’s main concert hall. The city plans to host the country's first modern light rail system outside Helsinki when its new tram network opens in 2021.
 Tampere residents reluctant to venture to Helsinki to see what a tram is like in real life, can board and view a test tram at Tampere Hall this week.
 The project has long been controversial, with some politicians and residents  opposing  the 330 million euro venture on grounds of cost and some equally strident voices supporting it as a bid to reduce car usage.
 Yle / Marko Melto
 A 2016 discussion in the city council included so many outlandish and poorly-grounded opinions from elected councillors, and was ridiculed so widely, that it was made into a short film the following year to showcase the ‘best’ of Tampere’s elected representatives.
 In that debate Aamulehti  reported  that comic schlager singer Mikko Alatalo reportedly expressed the concern that ‘Audi men’ would not leave their cars far from the city centre to be vandalised, dashing the hopes of those planning a park and ride system.
 His Centre Party comrade Timo Vuohensilta proclaimed that if the tram system is built “only unemployed people will move to Tampere. If the tram comes, there will only be unemployed people riding around in the tram out of boredom.”
 Christian Democrat councillor Satu Sipila was also worried that people might use the tram as a means of ending their own lives, and that “trams are dangerous, because they are silent and deaf people won’t hear them”.
 Yle / Marko Melto
 The model has been christened ‘Maketti’ and is just under half the length of a full tram at 16.8 metres. It’s situated next to a ramp simulating a platform, and the everything from the drivers’ cab to the seats is as close to the finished article as possible.
 They are available to view from Thursday 21 February until Tuesday 26 February, with the exhibition open from 2pm-6pm on Thursday and Friday and 10am-7pm on the other days.
 Tampere has ordered 19 of the ForCity Smart Artic X34 trams from the Transtech factory in Kajaani.

Tampere tram exhibition to wow crowds


Summary: The appeal court ruled that the nurse's conviction for aggravated abuse of a patient could not be soley based on witness testimony.

Turku's Court of Appeal has thrown out the last of the charges against caregivers  accused of abusing patients  at the senior psychiatric care unit G1 in the city's Kupittaa district during 2009-2013 on grounds of insufficient evidence.
 A police  investigation  into allegations of abuse at the facility began in 2016, shortly after which four nurses were charged. The charges against two of the nurses were thrown out during district court proceedings, while the third was  cleared of the charges  last summer.
 A nurse who was convicted of aggravated abuse of a patient and received a 14-month suspended sentence had the sentence and conviction dismissed by this week's decision, with the appeal court ruling that there was insufficient evidence.
 The court said that - based solely on witness testimony - it could not be proven that the crimes actually took place. The court also freed the nurse from having to pay compensation fines.
 The appeal court ruling marked the fourth and final G1-related case.
 An internal audit by the city of the abuse allegations resulted in written warnings issued to three officials at the hospital, while a fourth official was verbally reprimanded.

Court dismisses final charges against Turku geriatric psych care worker


Summary: Alcopop and beer sales increased last year, owing to new laws that allow grocery and convenience stores to sell the beverages.

Sales of drinks such as alcopops (pre-mixed alcoholic beverages) and beer containing 5.5 percent or less alcohol grew five-fold in 2018 over 2017 owing to the new alcohol laws that took effect at the start of last year and allows grocery and convenience shops to sell them.
 The findings come from an advance report commissioned by Finnish Grocery Trade Association and carried out by market survey firm Taloustutkimus that was released on Thursday.
 The report says that alcopop sales increased five-fold, with an additional 26 million litres sold in 2018 over the previous year. Stong beer (so-called class IV) sales also grew, with 23 million more litres sold in 2018 than in 2017.
 Taxation favours alcopops
 The increased alcohol tax on alcopops, a mixture of gin and soft drink, was only five percent last year over 2017, while for beer it rose over ten percent in 2018.
 Before the legal reforms took effect last year, only the state-owned alcohol monopoly Alko was allowed to sell the alcoholic mixture. The report claims that these two factors helped to boost sales.
 Medium strength beer retained its position as Finland's most-sold light alcoholic beverage, with 315 million litres sold last year. Meanwhile, cider sales decreased seven percent compared to 2017.
 The Ministry of Finance estimates that the alcohol tax yielded an increase of 150 million euros in 2018 compared to 2017.
 Heatwave boosted soda sales
 According to the advance report, sales of alcohol drinks increased by more than 15 percent last year during the warmer-than-usual months of May, July and August 2018, compared to the same months in 2017.
 The warm weather also saw an increase in bottled water and soda sales. During the cooler month of June 2018, alcohol sales fell by four percent compared to the previous year.
 State alcohol monopoly Alko recently reported  that sales of strong beers and alcopops had tumbled as consumers turned elsewhere to purchase these items.

Legal reform boosts alcopop and beer sales, report finds


Summary: A WhatsApp group called 3tuntimerkinnät that's popular with kids has been sharing violent and pornographic images, according to Finnish police.

A WhatsApp group called "3tuntimerkinnät" that’s popular with hundreds of children in Finland has been sharing disturbing and illegal pictures, along with indecent images of children. Police made the information public on their Facebook page.
 Detective Chief Inspector  Sakari Tuominen  from the Central Finland Police Department says that a tip-off about the group came from the Tampere Police.
 "The police received information about the group, which has been sharing pictures and videos that are very violent and pornographic," says Tuominen. Children in the group have been between the ages of 9 and 13 years old.
 3tuntimerkkinät is a reference to the a system in Wilma, an app widely used in Finnish schools for managing school to home communications. The term "tuntimerkintä" references a tool that teachers use to make notes about students' absences from class as well as their behaviour or performance in class. For older students three notifications of unauthorised absence from class usually means serious consequences such as a failing grade in the course in question.
 Up to 250 children in the group at a time
 It’s been possible to join the WhatsApp group through a link advertised on Instagram. There have been up to 250 members in the group from different parts of Finland.
 According to Tuominen, the open WhatsApp group in question "3tuntimerkinnät" has been advertised via links from a Tuntimerkinnät-Instagram account that has 32,000 followers. The link from Instagram to WhatsApp has since been removed, Tuominen says.
 "We know who the group administrator is," Tuominen notes, adding that the individual in question is underage.
 Consequences may be serious
 Several complaints of spreading indecent images via the WhatsApp group in question have been filed with police.
 Police are encouraging parents to talk seriously with children and youth about what they view on social media, instant messaging, and the internet and how they share that information.
 "Parents need to monitor what their children are doing on social media. This is not the only group like this," Tuominen says.
 Police also recommend that parents and guardians underline the fact that sharing certain types of images may have serious criminal consequences.
 According to criminal law, spreading indecent images is punishable by up to two years of imprisonment.

Police warn parents about WhatsApp group targeting kids with graphic content


Summary: The psychologist called government's proposals to thwart immigrant crime a "painfully clear" example of politics at play before the upcoming election.

Forensic psychologist  Tom Pakkanen  has described government's plans to combat migrant crime as "disappointing" and said the administration gave a misleading picture of the problems at hand and that their message was inaccurate.
 On Wednesday the Finnish government announced a  package of measures  it said would help prevent and combat crimes – especially sexual offences – committed by foreign-background individuals.
 "I wouldn't give [Wednesday's government press conference] terribly high marks. I have to say it was mostly disappointing. The focus was wrong. The first 15 minutes was straight-up immigration politics."
 "That's also an important debate that needs [adequate] time to be addressed, but mixing up the two issues [immigration and crime] is a misrepresentation about the problem of sexual abuse, and in the worst case targets immigrants to a degree that is not objective at all," Pakkanen said.
 The proposals follow news of  several cases of suspected child abuse in Oulu  involving alleged perpetrators with foreign backgrounds.
 Not the only problem
 Part of the government's crime prevention package specifically addresses dealing with individuals with foreign backgrounds. Pakkanen said that such measures are needed but noted there is a bigger picture to the issue of crime prevention.
 "It is clear that people with refugee backgrounds are over-represented among suspects in cases like these. It's a risk, if one thinks about it like that. It's probably appropriate to consider measures against [the problem] as well, but it is certainly not the only risk factor or problem, nor the biggest problem, either," Pakkanen said.
 Pakkanen works at Helsinki University Central Hospital's Forensic Psychology Unit for Children and Adolescents and has more than eight years experience investigating sex abuse crimes and said there are several measures authorities use to counteract these kinds of crimes.
 "If we're talking about the population as a whole, then sex education is very important and the proposals package touched on this a little; that children and youths should learn about what grooming is and so forth. I suspect that this [type of information] isn't as novel to young people as it can be for adults," he said.
 Kids' marginalisation plays major role
 "Another thing is that we generally know that marginalised kids face the biggest risk of being abused. In these cases, preventative measures include supporting children and families who don't otherwise have access to help," Pakkanen continued.
 "Reducing the income gap would also be an effective preventative measure. We also need more - and more foundational - support in rehabilitating people convicted of sex abuse crimes and for those who are drawn towards children," he said.
 Pakkanen has also worked at the National Bureau of Investigation as a consulting forensic psychologist, and has helped train officers in threat assessment, alongside his work at the hospital.
 Made into political issue
 "My unit and I [at the hospital] examine research about the problem of sex abuse to see which measures help to prevent it. At this press conference, it became painfully clear how it was made into a political issue right before the parliamentary elections. [Their] questions and issues were mixed up in a way that surely will create headlines, but are not necessarily based on research," Pakkanen said.
 The forensic psychologist said that according to European comparisons, kids in Finland are more connected on the internet than children in other countries and they largely understand the pitfalls of being online.
 "They understand that they shouldn't give out personal information to others online or to send nude pictures of themselves to people who request them," he said.
 "But this is on a general level; children who are already marginalised are at greater risk of being exploited. We often talk about how parents should be discussing these issues with their kids, but marginalised children can have very difficult relationships with their parents," Pakkanen explained.
 When asked to describe the ongoing debate surrounding the alleged sex abuse cases in Oulu and Helsinki, Pakkanen said "In one word: frustrating."
 "Not one aspect of [the cases] was something new to us, the people who [regularly] deal with these questions. Again, it became [an issue of] political agendas; why exactly these questions were raised now before the elections," Pakkanen said.

"Painfully clear, political": Academic slams govt's immigration crime prevention plans