Summary: Finland's press examines teacher challenges in comprehensive schools, Hämeentie progress, and a Naistenklinikka blaze.

The school year has started in most of Finland, with the last of the young students returning to the classroom early this week. In response to news on increasing teacher burnout, the tabloid Iltalehti  asked teachers who have left the profession to explain why . IL summarises over 150 responses into six main points.
 First, teacher authority in Finland is crumbling. Ex-teachers reported having major troubles keeping order in the classrooms. "I switched careers due to the constant fear of assault. I had to call the police twice in one year," one teacher told IL. Another said that because they are not allowed to touch the children, it is in practice impossible to remove disruptive pupils from the classroom.
 The second item listed by teachers was the seemingly endless meetings and reports that go along with the job these days. "The majority of my time was devoted to entering things in [the information sharing system] Wilma," says one teacher who left the field.
 Third was growing class sizes that made it seem as if the work was never done, and fourth was the associated "ineffective inclusion push" that seeks to  integrate special needs children or those in need of enhanced support into the regular classroom , which also increased the work load.
 "Inclusion means that children with special needs grab the spotlight, and so the rest of the pupils start acting up just so they can get some attention. A spiral of negative behavior sets in, meaning that even three adults can't corral 21 kids. The feeling of inadequacy was just too much to take," an ex-teacher explained.
 Fifth on the list were increasingly critical parents, some of whom give "demeaning and inappropriate" feedback or offloaded the responsibility of raising their children on the teachers. Last on the list was the lack of stable, long-term contracts in the sector. One ex-teacher reported working on consecutive temporary contracts that covered the months of the school year only - leaving her jobless for the summer months - for 14 years straight before she quit.
 Tsarist pipes are history
 The capital city daily Helsingin Sanomat checks in on the massive  Hämeentie roadwork  project that has ripped up one of Helsinki's most widely-travelled arteries.
 The renovation, which the paper says "has proven to be just as difficult as experts feared", has however reached a significant milestone, HS writes. A 130-year-old trunk water line that "dates back to the era of tsarist rule" and extends from the Hakaniemi Market Square deep into the Kallio district has now been successfully replaced. A waterworks employee says one of the difficulties of the project is that the waterlines are located underneath all the rest of the many subterraneous pipes and technical links, and master plans of the network are notoriously unreliable.
 HS says that the 17-million-euro Hämeentie roadwork project began in early March 2019 and is expected to continue until the end of the year. When all is said and done, two kilometers of new water pipes will be laid, along with five kilometres of new sewer pipes and 50 kilometres of cable protection pipes. Once the project is completed, Hämeentie will be devoted exclusively to public transportation. The use of personal cars on the stretch of road will be banned, with only visits to commercial properties allowed.
 Women's Hospital partly evacuated
 And the Lahti-based paper Etelä-Suomen Sanomat provides details about  a fire last night at Naistenklinikka, Helsinki's hospital for maternity and women's care .
 A fire apparently started in the hospital's garbage chute late Sunday evening, causing heavy smoke to spread to several floors of the building. Dozens of people, including newborn babies and their families, were evacuated. Rescue services extinguished the blaze within an hour, and the cause of the fire is being investigated.
 No injuries were reported, but hospital officials say that some beds in the maternity wards will be out of use for some time due to smoke damage. On average between 10 and 20 mothers give birth at the hospital every day. Most of the people who were moved on Sunday were relocated at the New Children's Hospital.
 Patients planning a visit are advised to call the hospital first for instructions, ESS advises.

Monday's papers: Teacher burnout, Helsinki roadwork and hospital fire


Summary: Recent scandals over insufficient and slipshod care have led to few permanent improvements, says Valvira's director general.

Markus Henriksson , Director General of the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira), says policy and service changes implemented in the wake of  numerous elder care scandals  that occurred in the last year have been largely temporary in nature, leaving too many significant problems that must still be addressed.
 The syndicate Uutissuomalainen reports that Henriksson was of the opinion that there are still too many senior homes in Finland that have serious service shortcomings.
 In July, for example, Valvira issued a care home named Herttuatar run by the private firm Attendo in the southern municipality of Kangasala with a 200,000-euro fine for inadequate staffing and medical care. Among other issues, some patients had been given the wrong medicine, while other did not receive any at all.
 According to the Uutissuomalainen report, the care facility initially failed to act when the shortcomings were first brought to its attention, but adequate measures were not taken to address them.
 60 deaths being investigated
 Henriksson said that at first, Valvira expected that issuing reprimands and guidelines would be enough to coerce companies into compliance, but he says that many of the changes that have been made in response to the agency's suggestions have been temporary. In addition, he said, there were several problem areas that were not remedied at all.
 "We then came to the conclusion that tougher methods were needed," Henriksson said.
 The social and health care watchdog head told Uutissuomalainen that while conditions were now satisfactory at most of the care facilities in the country and many municipalities have improved their supervision, there was plenty of work that remained undone in the sector.
 Yle research in May uncovered  incidents of neglect or inadequate care  in the elderly home care's private sector, which in many cases compromised the safety of senior residents. Insufficient staffing in particular was highlighted, and Valvira later reported looking into  the deaths of some 60 people  in elder care facilities which may have been caused by malpractice or severe neglect.

Health watchdog: Senior homes still failing residents


Summary: Congested roads and impatient drivers are a dangerous mix for children inexperienced in how to behave in traffic.

Parents should avoid driving children to school by car whenever possible, and instead encourage them walk or cycle, says Traffic Safety Manager  Tuula Taskinen .
 "This is an especially good idea if the school is nearby, the child is sufficiently mature and the route to has been safely completed with a parent. In this way, the child learns how to observe and move in traffic," adds Taskinen.
 However, if a child has to be taken to school for one reason or another, it is better to leave the child a little farther away, for example a few hundred metres from the school, Taskinen advises.
 "Parents do not necessarily take into account the fact that there may be hundreds of schoolchildren and that means hundreds more cars in traffic. It's a big risk for just about every child."
 Leave home 5 or 10 minutes earlier
 Osmo Korsikko , Chief Constable of the Eastern Finland Police Department, reminds motorists that  small children may behave unpredictably  in traffic.
 "The number of small road users in the morning should be taken into account in good time, especially for schools. There are a lot of first grade children there, and children move like children. They still do not have a complete understanding of the rules of the road," Korsikko warns.
 Korsikko cites the example of a pedestrian crossing, where cars are traveling in two different directions. Motorists sometimes decide not to give way to pedestrians if a car coming from the other direction does not slow down or stop at the crossing.
 "There is an obligation on motorists to give way to a pedestrian on a pedestrian crossing," Korsikko advises.
 According to Taskinen, hurry is often the enemy of road safety.
 "I would now like to challenge people to leave for work five or, preferably, ten minutes earlier, so everyone would be much nicer on the road", Taskinen says.

Parents driving kids to school creates traffic risk, says authority


Summary: Showers are expected throughout the coming week, but temperatures should stay summery.

A low pressure front is expected to hover over Finland this week, bringing rain and thunderstorms.
 "Although we'll see plenty of showers and even some lightning storms, there will still be times when the sun is peaking out," says Yle meteorologist  Seija Paasonen .
 Temperatures in southern and central areas may rise as high as 20 degrees Celsius, while they will likely peak in the teens in the north.
 Paasonen says that the coming week will give Finns another reason to look to the skies, as meteor showers may be visible at night. The Perseids are meteor showers associated with the comet Swift–Tuttle, and are called Perseids because the point from which they appear to hail (called the radiant) lies in the constellation Perseus.
 Warm nights with no chance of frost
 "On Monday, there will be rain and thunderstorms in southern and central Finland. Tomorrow the thunderstorms will move towards western Finland," Paasonen says.
 Less rainfall is expected in Lapland than in other parts of the country, but it will be cloudy in the north.
 "Fortunately, there is no chance of frost as we will have warm, humid nights. There will also be fog. It looks great in the evening when it gets cooler, and there is still some in the morning."
 According to Paasonen, daytime temperatures are about average for this time of year, but the nights are slightly warmer.
 Towards the end of the week the air mass is expected to cool down, but temperatures may still reach 20 degrees in some areas. Light drizzles are likely over the weekend.

Weather forecast serves up meteor showers with a side of heavy rain


Summary: Labour-affiliated researchers say ETLA research exaggerates the impact of longer work weeks and docked holiday pay.

Suomen Ammattiliittojen Keskusjärjestö SAK

Union leaders on Monday criticised a report by a think tank affiliated with business lobbyist the Confederation of Finnish Industries that suggested an increase in working hours has helped create between 8,000 and 16,000 jobs in Finland.
 The Finnish Institute of Economic Research (ETLA) said in a  report  published on Monday that the competitiveness pact, introduced by  former Prime Minister Juha Sipilä's government in 2016 , increased employment and improved Finland's competitiveness.
 Unions fought the pact when it was introduced, and sharply criticised the use of 'free labour' to improve Finland's economic competitiveness.
 "The economic situation has improved but Finland's growth cannot rely on free labour for much longer. SAK's board members are sending out a strong message that extra hours without pay as included in the competitiveness pact is considered to be extremely unfair," said  Jarkko Eloranta , president of SAK.
 Reducing the cost of labour
 The pact was the government's attempt to reduce unit labour costs in Finland and make Finnish companies more competitive compared to their international peers. One of the terms of the pact required that workers increase their time on the job by 24 hours a year, a significant real-terms pay cut.
 The ETLA report predicts that this extension of working time will create an additional 8,000 to 16,000 jobs in Finland by the end of 2022.
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 Prime Minister Juha Sipilä (Centre) and Finance Minister Alexander Stubb (Right) announced labour market reforms with a fist bump at the end of their press conference.  Mauri Ratilainen / AOP
 This increase accounts for about 40 percent of the improvement in employment figures, the research group says, while the remainder is explained by the pact's reduction in social security contributions and taxation.
 Current Prime Minister  Antti Rinne 's administration has vowed to improve the current 72 percent employment figure to 75 percent during it's term in office. In order to achieve this, ETLA estimates that an additional 40,000 jobs would need to be created, above and beyond the additions it has predicted.
 Export industry pleased with pact
 Businesses in the export sector expressed satisfaction with both the current progress of the competitiveness pact and the ETLA projections. Forest, technology and chemical industry associations also reported employment surges that they say was boosted by the pact.
 "The competitiveness pact has been of great importance to the export industry as a whole. This is very important for the future in a situation where the economy is becoming increasingly uncertain," said  Jyrki Hollmén , labour market director of the Finnish Forest Industries Federation.
 Minna Helle , labour market director at the Federation of Finnish Technology Industries, agreed with the forestry companies' assessment.
 "Export companies operate in global markets and therefore customised solutions are needed to achieve success in international competition. Individual workplaces know which solutions work best for them," Helle said.
 Unions sceptical
 The union-funded Employees' Research Institute responded to ETLA's report by criticising the institute's estimates of the effects on employment. According to Research Director  Tuomas Kosonen , the overall impact of the pact has been exaggerated.
 "In my opinion, their estimates of the impact on employment are tenuous, as they are based on models from the research literature and not empirical data. It's also something that's difficult to evaluate accurately. Many other factors affecting employment have also changed, not just working hours," Kosonen says.
 However, Kosonen does not dispute that the competitiveness pact has had an impact on employment.
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 Metallityöväenliiton kylttiä irroitettiin Hakaniementie 1:n katolla Juha Kivioja / Yle
 Trade unions also responded to the ETLA report on Monday.  Riku Aalto , President of the Confederation of Finnish Industries, urged caution when reading the report.
 "The impact of the competitiveness pact should not be overestimated. In particular, the unpaid extension of working hours has been exaggerated. The extra hours in federation industries that have signed the pact have been implemented in quite an irregular manner and the effects have been mixed," Aalto said in a press release from the union.
 Weekly working time below EU average
 As part of its research, ETLA compared Finnish working hours with other European countries. The average weekly working time in Finland was found to be an hour shorter than the EU average. Annual holidays, public holidays and other absences also reduced the number of working hours in Finland more than in other European countries.
 The agreement was negotiated and signed by the government, business representatives and labour market organisations in 2016. In addition to the increase in working hours, the pact also introduced a 30-percent reduction in holiday pay for public sector workers.

Union leaders slam ETLA's competitiveness pact report


Summary: The press looks at "honour control" in Finland, the future of the nation's accounts, and a road safety Twitter furore.

Finland's biggest selling daily Helsingin Sanomat  reports on the plight of many women and girls  in Finland whose lives are tightly controlled by their families because of cultural backgrounds or religious beliefs.
 According to the women interviewed by HS, the restrictions arise from family and so-called community honour, and may include how the women dress, what time they should return home, and how much time – if any – they can spend with friends outdoors. One of the girls interviewed by HS said that she was forbidden from attending school swimming lessons, playing football and socialising.
 Although authorities are providing more training for staff in how to deal with immigrants and different cultures, it is often very difficult to intervene in family practices, the paper reports.
 The paper quotes  Bahar Mozaffar , a project manager at the Vantaa Centre of Expertise, as saying that the main focus in addressing and resolving potential problematic practices should be the integration of immigrants into Finnish society. The ultimate goal of integration is for people to feel that they belong to society and that they can influence their own lives.
 "The identity of a person moving to a new country will inevitably change, and that is a delicate matter. It is clear that no one can support and respect two conflicting cultures. You always have to choose where you belong," Mozaffari told HS.
 Mozaffar added that she believes that successful integration requires sufficient support, particularly during the process of building a new identity.
 "We need to recognise this need and design integration services accordingly. Building identity should aim to increase immigrants' ability and motivation to integrate into a new society," Mozaffar said.
 Budget talks begin
 Tabloid Iltalehti reports on the  Finnish government's budget negotiations , which are set to kick off at the Ministry of Finance on Tuesday morning. The big challenge facing the government is how to raise the employment rate while also financing proposed expenditure increases, according to IL.
 Prime Minister  Antti Rinne 's government has committed itself to  raising the rate of employment to 75 percent  during its term in office, and funding has already been earmarked for initiatives aimed at getting more immigrants and young people into full-time work.
 The tabloid also speculates on how many of the spending and tax cut pledges made by the government during the build-up to the April election will come to fruition during this budget period. Proposals to reduce the level of tax for low income earners, as well as Rinne's commitment to spend 183 million euros a year on raising minimum pensions, are expected to be included in this year's budget.
 'Look ma no hands'
 Fellow tabloid Ilta-Sanomat carries the report of a  BMW driver captured by a police speeding camera with both of his hands behind his head  as he drove along a Finnish highway.
 Dennis Pasterstein , chief of the Police Traffic Safety Centre, tweeted the photo on Monday, sparking intense social media debate about the actions of the driver, as well as the right of police to publish the photo. Many replies to the tweet pointed out that the driver was not breaking any specific laws.
 Pasterstein defended the publication of the photo, however, as a means of provoking debate on road safety and also to remind motorists that they have a duty of care to all other road users too.
 "Road traffic laws stipulate a general duty of care for other road users too and there is a provision stating that the vehicle must be able to stop safely on the road in all foreseeable situations. If you have your hands off the wheel in that way, it can be difficult," Pasterstein told the tabloid.

Tuesday's papers: Cultural challenges, budget negotiations, and a "no hands" driver


Summary: The citizens' initiative has been signed by more than 20,000 people.

There is growing pressure on Finland's monopoly gambling firm Veikkaus to remove slot machines from shops and kiosks across the country, as a citizens' initiative advocating their removal continues to garner support.
 However, removing the slot machines will have a major social impact, according to  Velipekka Nummikoski , executive vice president of Veikkaus.
 "Giving up distributed placement [of slot machines] is a political issue. The company's mandate alone is not enough to make such a decision," Nummikoski said in an interview on Yle's morning television programme Aamu-tv.
 The citizens' initiative for the elimination of Veikkaus slot machines has so far collected more than 20,000 signatures. The initiator of the action,  Jenna Mäkelä , told Yle that she has suffered from a serious gambling addiction which led to a conviction for fraud and an attempted suicide.
 "Gambling addiction is a disease that also affects loved ones. Many find themselves in a situation where there is no hope," Mäkelä said.
 Arcades suggested
 A total of 18,500 Veikkaus slot machines are located in shops and kiosks across Finland. People with gambling addictions therefore encounter them on a daily basis. According to Mäkelä, slot machines should be instead moved to controlled arcades.
 "If a person chooses to fight their gambling problem, the role of society is to support them and not push them to re-engage with the problem," Mäkelä said.
 Half of the revenue from slot machines comes from approximately 5 percent of the players. Low-income pensioners, in particular, suffer from gambling problems.
 "Finns play with money that they cannot afford to lose," Mäkelä told Aamu-tv.
 "The nearest slot machine is on a phone"
 According to Nummikoski, international online gambling has increased addiction.
 "The nearest slot machine is on a mobile phone nowadays. When a single company is responsible for gambling, it doesn't have to chase the very last euro at any cost," Nummikoski said.
 However, Nummikoski also added that he welcomes the discussion about Veikkaus' position and the placement of slot machines.
 "I really appreciate those who have given a face to the gambling problem. Hopefully it will also lower the threshold for others to seek help,” Nummikoski said.

Petition to remove slot machines from shops gains ground


Summary: Members of the public have helped to find eight new eagle territories.

The annual nesting period for the golden eagle has been very successful in Finland this year, according to the Finnish forestry administration Metsähallitus.
 Ample food sources and good weather conditions led to the mapping of some 380 inhabited golden eagle nesting territories, eight of which were new discoveries, according to the agency's Nature Services team.
 The success of the species' summertime nesting may vary greatly from year to year. This summer 161 nests yielded 205 hatchlings,  while last year  108 eaglets came from 92 nests.
 Story continues after photo.
 A golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) roosting. Yle/ Jari Salonen
 Almost all known golden eagle territories in Finland are located in reindeer herding regions north of the Oulu river. Metsähallitus said that nesting in these areas was exceptionally successful this year.
 Members of the public have been instrumental in identifying and tracking local eagle populations. Volunteers found an additional eight new nests, either in previously known or newly-listed territories.
 Metsähallitus pays out a 99 euro finder's fee for each new nest identified.
 The agency's Nature Services unit handles the groundwork related to damage that reindeer herding causes in golden eagle territory. This year, Metsähallitus conducted aerial helicopter surveys of the region's nests.

Golden eagles thriving, says forest management agency


Summary: A majority of respondents also backed banning the use of tobacco products near children's playgrounds.

Up to half of respondents in a new poll agree that authorities in Finland should raise the age limit for purchasing cigarettes to 20.
 According to the survey by the national public health organisation ASH Finland, 51 percent of all respondents said that the age limit should be hiked to 20 from the present 18.
 Some 32 percent said there was no need to increase the age cap from 18, while 17 percent said they couldn't say either way.
 Even regular smokers said they would back a move to prohibit anyone under the age of 20 from buying cigarettes, ASH Finland executive director  Mervi Hara  said, noting that 42 percent of this group supported raising the age limit.
 No smoking zone near kids' playgrounds
 The poll indicated that a majority also supported the idea of imposing a complete ban on smoking at locations such as children's playgrounds, at the beach and at bus stops and taxi stands.
 Overall, 84 percent said they would forbid smoking or the use of snuff and e-cigarettes near children's playgrounds, while nearly 80 percent of regular smokers said they would also ban the use of tobacco products near kids' play areas.
 Division over balcony smoking
 Interviewees were largely divided on the issue of smoking on apartment building balconies. Forty-six percent supported a total ban on the practice, while 42 percent opposed it.
 Support for outright prohibition on puffing on a balcony was highest in the capital region, where 51 percent said they'd back such a measure.
 Market research firm Kantar TNS interviewed just over 2,000 respondents for the survey, which had a margin of error of +/- 2.1 percentage points.
 Aug 14: Headline amended to read 'tobacco products'.

Poll: Over 40% of regular smokers back 20-year age limit for buying tobacco products


Summary: Yle analysis of cases considered closed by the Finnish police reveals fewer solved crimes and major regional differences.

Clearance rates for violent crimes in Finland are down by an average of nine percent throughout the country, according to analysis from the Finnish public broadcaster Yle.
 Defined as the number of crimes that police have cleared in relation to the total number of crimes reported, clearance rates for property crimes in Finland are similarly down by two percent. Significant regional variance in the number of police-cleared criminal complaints was also observed.
 Analysis from the public broadcaster Yle compared the number of violent crimes and property crimes reported to the police with how many of the crimes were cleared over the four-year period of 2014-2018. This number was then compared with the same figures from 2009-2013.
 Clearance rates don't necessarily give an accurate picture of police work. Finnish police mark crime reports "cleared", or for their part closed, when they decide on an appropriate fine or forward the case on to a prosecutor. The prosecutor may later decide to drop the case, so the fact that a crime report was cleared by police does not necessarily lead to charges.
 Cases that have been settled are also not included in clearance rate statistics, even though they have also been resolved. Cases rejected due to the age of the suspect or the fact that the suspect is also awaiting punishment for other crimes also fall into this category.
 Eastern Uusimaa has lowest clearance rate
 The lowest clearance rates in the country were discovered at the Eastern Uusimaa Police Department, which handles law enforcement duties in the eastern part of the capital city region. Eastern Uusimaa police cleared only about 58 percent of violent crimes reports (things like homicides and assaults) and 25 percent of property crimes (things like burglary and arson) in 2014-2018.
 These percentages were both down from corresponding numbers five years prior. Data from 2009-2013 indicate that nearly 78 percent of violent crime cases were cleared not too long ago in the area. This means that thousands more reports of violent crime were not investigated.
 Yle calculated that the average police clearance rate for the entire country works out to about 68 percent for violent crimes and 37 percent for property crimes.
 Police in Finland say the situation is not as dire as the statistics suggest. They say the general decline can be explained by a shortage of personnel, but a new policy has been launched to allow them to better concentrate their resources on clearing more serious crimes.
 New pre-trial investigation units reject more complaints
 New pre-trial investigation units also explain some of the phenomenon. According to the current procedure, criminal complaints submitted to the police in Finland are first examined by a preliminary clearing unit that is charged with screening the dozens or hundreds of crime reports filed daily to determine whether a crime has in actuality been committed. A decision to refer the complaint on to the prosecutor or issue a fine is then made by the unit, based on the severity of the offense, its societal significance and the probability that an investigation of the case will lead to charges.
 In a case of someone stealing beer from a shop, for example, a security camera image of the offender may not be judged enough anymore for clearing the case. If the name of the suspected offender is known, however, the unit might decide to refer the complaint.
 "The grand idea was that a pre-trial investigation unit would help make sure that only crimes that can truly be investigated will make it through to the detectives," says  Anneli Kalervo , a staff representative of the Eastern Uusimaa Police Department.
 Since the pre-trial investigation unit was adopted at the Eastern Uusimaa Police Department in 2016, many more crime reports are rejected early in the process or sometime during the investigation.
 "The police strategy now directs more resources to the investigation of serious offenses, and so [the clearance of] everyday crimes has taken a hit. The number of personnel that are responsible for investigating property crimes has been cut back. This is one reason for the drop we are seeing," says  Jyrki Aho , chief superintendent of the National Police Board.
 Lack of personnel in urban areas
 Aho says that Eastern Uusimaa police have far fewer people working in criminal investigation units than in Ostrobothnia, for example, when considered in proportion to how many crime reports are filed in the two areas. The northwest region of Ostrobothnia provides the best example in the Yle analysis, with over 80 percent of reported violent crimes and 40 percent of property crime reports cleared by local police.
 This spring, the Uusimaa Regional Administrative Office of the capital city region drew attention to the fact that the workload of criminal investigators in the Helsinki metropolitan area is exceedingly high.
 "The operational area there is very specialized. The airport alone is like a small city and ties up enormous resources all on its own," he says.
 The number of criminal offenses in Finland continues to fall. National Police Commissioner  Seppo Kolehmainen  reported in a July 2019 press release that "the internationally noted 'crime drop' phenomenon is also appearing in Finland’s crime statistics as a reduction in overall criminality".

Finnish police solving fewer cases of violent crime


Summary: Niinistö also recommended that people "pay no mind" to Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán's criticisms.

President  Sauli Niinistö  said on Tuesday that no issue or subject will be considered off the table when he meets with his Russian counterpart  Vladimir Putin  within the next few weeks.
 The President's office has yet to announce a date or place for the meeting.
 "In addition to our official sit-down we will also speak privately in greater length over the course of the evening," Niinistö said. "Now that we've met a number of times already, no subject is taboo."
 The President did not comment on the likelihood of recent anti-Putin demonstrations and subsequent arrests in Moscow coming up in their talks.
 "We will be speaking quite freely on a number of topics. I don't consider it polite to reveal them beforehand."
 Niinistö responded to questions about the coming meeting while on a visit to Mariehamn, where he toured the Pommern museum ship and a microbrewery in the village of Godby.
 President dismisses Orbán's comments
 As for the  criticism leveled against democracy in Finland  by Hungarian President  Viktor Orbán  in late July, Niinistö urged people not to react too strongly to the foreign leader's comments.
 Niinistö said he has followed Orbán's career since the 1990s.
 "In those days he was very conciliatory; he has changed tack since then. I wouldn't pay much mind to what he says. Perhaps he wants people to react. Many across Europe are aware of his manner and his style; I don't think anyone has taken the bait."
 Orbán's comments were themselves a reaction to Finland's announcement that it would use its EU presidency period to move toward tying EU funding to each country's efficacy in rule of law.
 Orbán pointed to Finland's lack of a separate court for dealing with constitutional law matters, for instance, implying that Hungarians find it ridiculous when Finland calls attention to Hungary's enforcement of the rule of law.
 Finns Party sides with Orbán
 Meanwhile chair  Jussi Halla-aho  of the anti-immigration Finns Party said that Orbán's comments were legitimate.
 "It's understandable that Hungary has criticised Finland in light of the fact that almost all of Finland's political parties as well as the government have been very aggressive about Hungary," Halla-aho said in early August.
 Niinistö said that contradictory opinions on foreign policy exist in Finland's Parliament, just as in parliaments elsewhere in Europe.
 "It seems that Finns Party supporters see something they like in Orbán's politics, and they are expressing that," Niinistö said.

President Niinistö: "Nothing taboo" in upcoming Putin talks


Summary: The court is still to rule on another case involving the examination and use of sealed material recovered in the search.

Finland's Supreme Court has upheld a ruling of the Helsinki appeal court that a police search of a print journalist's home and the confiscation of material were lawful.
 The appellate  court ruled last year that police had acted lawfully  when they searched the home of a Helsingin Sanomat journalist suspected of destroying evidence after writing an article about military intelligence based on classified information.
 The journalist had called on the appeal court to consider the confiscations null and void given that police failed to bring the material to court for examination within three days. However the Supreme Court sided with the appeal court and said that the special search conducted at her home did not obligate any court to review the case within three days. As such, the high court rejected the journalist's appeal.
 In December 2017, the HS journalist wrote an article about the Defence Forces' Intelligence Research Centre, following which the force asked the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)  to launch a probe.  The force argued that the news article contained information that jeopardised national security because it disclosed sensitive information.
 Ruling makes material available to police
 Police searched the reporter's home and seized a laptop as well as recording devices. The journalist said that the devices contained confidential information from sources. The Supreme Court is still considering another case involving the examination and use of sealed material.
 The court decision means that police have been able to use material confiscated during the home search in its preliminary investigation. In addition, they do not have to return the material recovered in the search.
 However the courts have still to rule on whether or not police are allowed to use material on USB drives seized during the operation in the preliminary investigation. An oral hearing on that matter will take place in about one week, with a decision to come later.
 The trial related to the home search is part of a wider investigation in suspected information leakage from the Defence Force. The NBI is pursuing two lines of investigation in which the suspected offences are the disclosure of classified security information and breach of official secrecy.

Supreme Court upholds legality of HS journalist's home search


Summary: Customs said that the disease could cause losses amounting to tens of millions of euros in the domestic pork industry.

Finnish Customs said on Tuesday that it is stepping up efforts to detect African swine fever or ASF at Helsinki Airport. The agency noted that the disease had spread to Asia in recent years and that passenger numbers from the region to Finland have increased over the same interval.
 "Customs expects to seize increased quantities of food items with the addition of a new sniffer dog at the airport," Customs monitoring head  Mikko Grönberg  said in a press release.
 The agency said that if the disease infected animals in Finland it could cause tens of millions of euros in losses in the pork and meat industries.
 African swine fever is a highly contagious haemorrhagic viral disease, that is deadly for pigs and for which there is no known treatment or vaccine. The disease cannot be transmitted to humans.
 Story continues after photo.
 Rico recently began his training and will become a full-fledged sniffer officer next summer. Matti Myller / Yle
 Customs said that it is training the new canine member of staff,  Rico , to detect animal-based food products that airport passengers may have in their luggage.
 Rico will also be occasionally be deployed to harbours in the Helsinki region to check passengers' bags for items such as wild boar meat. The young pup will not complete his training until next summer, when he will begin formal work as a full member of the team. Finland's first food sniffer dog,  Aino , took up her career one year ago.
 So far the virus has not been detected in Finland, but it can be spread in foodstuffs. Agriculture and Forestry Minister  Jari Leppä  described the current global spread of the disease and its impact on pig farming as worrying.
 "We are each responsible for ensuring that we do not bring meat [back] with us so we don't accidentally spread animal diseases with it," Leppä noted in the Customs statement.

Finnish Customs steps up vigilance over African swine fever fears


Summary: So far banks have not charged customers for keeping their cash during the current negative-interest-rate era.

If the current era of negative interest rates continues, it could soon drive banks to charge consumers fees for their savings deposits, says Sampo Group CEO  Kari Stadigh .
 Stadigh was speaking to the Bloomberg news agency about the reign of sub-zero interest rates in the Nordic region. Headquartered in Helsinki, Sampo was the parent company of Danske Bank and owns nearly 20 percent of another Nordic banking giant, Nordea Bank.
 The Bloomberg article noted that banks have tended to rely on other services such as asset management to generate margins, as opposed to the traditional profits based charges on deposits and lending operations.
 According to the news agency, regional banks have so far avoided passing on negative interest rates to private customers over concerns that this might cause a run on deposits.
 Cheap services "a challenge" for banks
 The head of the Danish banking lobby,  Ulrik Nodgaard  told Bloomberg that the negative interest rate regime means that banks are essentially selling their service too cheaply, something he described as "a challenge".
 However Stadigh called on the European Central Bank, which is the eurozone central bank charged with implementing monetary policy, to stop sidestepping the issue.
 "I don't think it would necessarily destroy retail banking at all," Stadigh told Bloomberg. "People would actually then have to pay for their deposits, so actually it could even bring stability to the banking sector."
 Prof: Negative rates could cause bubble
 Meanwhile Aalto University professor of finance  Vesa Puttonen  told the business paper Kauppalehti that it is likely that some bank will eventually begin charging ordinary consumers as a result of negative interest rates.
 "A few years ago this would have been unheard of, but we are living in unusual times. It was previously predicted that interest rates would normalise, in other words that they would rise. Now many believe that interest rates will remain around zero or be negative for a long time," Puttonen noted.
 The university professor said that in the short term negative interest rates would be good for the economy, but over the long term it could lead to a financial bubble, in which the asset prices are inflated and do not reflect the assets' real value.
 The ECB first introduced negative interest rates back in 2014. The strategy aimed to make it more expensive for banks to hold deposits on hand, thus encouraging them to lend money to investors who would then stimulate economic activity.
 Edit: Updated at 8.40pm to reflect that Sampo is no longer the parent company of Danske Bank.

Sampo Group CEO: Consumers may have to pay for deposits in future


Summary: The number of first-time car registrations has fallen by 12 percent in a year.

Car dealerships K-Auto and K-Caara on Tuesday announced the beginning of co-determination talks that could lead to 190 people losing their jobs.
 Importer K-Auto CEO  Johan Friman  said the negotiations are necessary because of a dramatic slump in Finland's auto industry.
 "Early this year we found that first-time registrations had fallen by 12 percent from 2018," Friman said in a release.
 "Consumers are more doubtful of cars on the cusp of new technologies and imported used cars are rapidly gaining popularity. The problems may be temporary, but we do not expect the situation to improve in the near future."
 Friman also highlighted the introduction of the  Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure  (WLTP) in 2017. The test is used to measure fuel consumption and CO2 emissions from passenger cars, as well as their pollutant emissions. The rigorous procedure phased out the previous New European Driving Cycle (NEDC), which was largely discredited when it emerged that major carmakers such as BMW and Audi had developed devices to cheat the test.
 K-Auto imports the cars then K-Caara retails the vehicles at outlets. Both firms are part of the Kesko group of companies, which co-dominates Finland's retail industry alongside the S Group.
 Altogether nearly 1,500 employees will be affected by the co-determination negotiations.
 Previously this year K-Caara acquired the rights to three new car brands from dealership Laakkonen.

Nearly 200 K-Group car dealership jobs threatened


Summary: The press looks at the Defence Forces' new initiative, the changing behaviour of bears, and a 'Rent a Finn' campaign.

Visit Finland (Matkailun edistämiskeskus)

Jyväskylä daily Keskisuomalainen reports on the  Finnish Defence Forces' introduction of an online reporting channel  where employees can report issues such as inappropriate behaviour or financial misconduct.
 The move comes after a number of incidents of alleged misconduct in the force have made headlines in recent months, including a  military drill that got out of hand  in the central Finland city of Jämsä last year. Another incident in Lemmenjoki is believed to have been one of the reasons behind Lieutenant General  Jarmo Lindberg 's decision to  step down as Commander of the Finnish Defence Forces .
 The paper quotes  Tuija Sundberg , the Armed Forces' Legislative Enforcement Officer, as saying that the channel will be open to all employees.
 "We encourage members to report using their own names, but anonymity is allowed. Anonymity is technically guaranteed so that the identity of the whistleblower is not traceable," she told the paper.
 The Defence Forces employ about 12,000 people, of whom about 8,000 are soldiers and about 4,000 are civilians, according to KSML.
 Bears getting braver
 Tabloid Iltalehti looks at the  changing behaviour of bears in Eastern Finland , citing the experiences throughout this summer of  Anu Lammi , who lives in the village of Oskola near the city of Joensuu. Bears have been frequent visitors to Lammi’s yard over recent months, digging through her garbage cans and compost heap, and spreading the contents all over her garden.
 According to Lammi, the bears are no longer afraid of humans. Instead of fleeing when they come face to face with people, as they previously did, bears now stand their ground.
 "Bears have always been here, but something in their behaviour has clearly changed," she told IL.
 Local police have tried various methods to discourage bears from entering the property, but the use of cameras, dogs and electric fences had no effect, and the animals kept coming. Eventually the police applied for and received a special permission to shoot the intruders, and a 170-kilogram male bear was shot on Sunday, according to Iltalehti.
 A Finnish guide to happiness
 Main daily Helsingin Sanomat profiles the  experiences of two Japanese tourists  who recently participated in a 'Rent a Finn' campaign, which provided them with a guided tour of some of Finland’s beauty spots by a local or 'happiness guide'.
 According to HS, the purpose of the 'Rent a Finn' campaign, which is organised by tourism agency Visit Finland, is to promote Finland as the 'happiest country in the world' and to show visitors how  Finnish nature can be used to help alleviate stress .
 The Japanese couple featured by HS,  Shun  and  Misato Sasaki , saw the announcement of the campaign on Visit Finland's Japanese Facebook page and applied because they had never been to Finland before. Out of a total of 6,000 applications received by Visit Finland, the Sasakis were two of only 18 tourists selected to visit Finland as part of the campaign.
 The couple’s 'happiness guide',  Juho Juutilainen  from Helsinki is fluent in Japanese. He was born in Tokyo and had previously lived in Japan for twenty years, and told HS that he was enthusiastic to apply for the role of guide because he was able to look at Finland through the eyes of others.
 "I'm sort of an outside Finn. In both cultures I feel I am both inside and outside at the same time, so I thought that I might have something different to offer," Juutilainen said.

Wednesday's papers: Military whistleblowers, bear invasions, and Finland's 'happiness guides'


Summary: Research study finds that uninterrupted parental attention improves children's ability to control their own feelings.

A joint research study conducted by the University of Turku and the University of Irvine in California has found that uninterrupted interaction between a parent and a child, and the predictability of that interaction, enhances a child's ability to control his or her own feelings later in life.
 The quality of child-parent interaction is of paramount importance during the first few years of children's lives, when their brains are still particularly sensitive to environmental influences, according to the findings of the study.
 However, in today's world, interruptions and distractions such as those from mobile phones or the internet can harm the parent-child relationship. Assistant Professor  Riikka Korja  of Turku University explained that parents who lead busy and stressful lives might be prevented from having consistent interaction with their young child, and may hinder the child's emotional development
 "Parents with young children should be provided with every possible support to reduce stress. The parent's innate ability to regulate their lives, and the ability to settle in a family with a baby is linked to the current situation in life," Korja said in a press release from the University of Turku.
 The same result was found in data from both the Turku and California sample groups, and the outcome was not influenced by socio-economic or cultural factors, researchers said.

Turku Uni: Continuous interaction with parents helps kids regulate emotions


Summary: The short-lived social media campaign attracted more than double the number of applications the hospital usually receives.

Etelä-Karjalan sosiaali- ja terveyspiiri (EKSOTE)

Last autumn and winter were particularly challenging times at the South Karelia Central Hospital in the eastern city of Lappeenranta.
 At that time, the health care firm Attendo (now Terveystalo) was unable to provide the requisite number of on-call duty doctors for all shifts, and the acute shortage of doctors sometimes caused hours-long queues for patients.
 The pressure on the on-call duty doctors at the hospital became even more burdensome in the winter when the emergency rooms of two health centres were closed down in the city.
 In order to attract more doctors to the area, communications staff at the South Karelia Social and Health Care District (Eksote) began brainstorming a campaign aimed at recruiting young doctors.
 The fruit of their labours was published just before Midsummer on social media, and showed a shirtless young man leaning on a convertible car while holding a pineapple-shaped glass containing a soft drink and a text promising "top pay, more free time and great working colleagues".
 Ad prompted "clear spike" in applications
 The advertisement was on display for a few days, until it was withdrawn at the behest of Eksote Chair  Marja-Liisa Vesterinen .
 However, despite the short life span of the ad, it did attract plenty of attention.  Pekka Korvenoja , chief of paramedics and emergency services, said that 22 doctors contacted the hospital after the running of the ad, expressing their interest in performing on-call duties at the central hospital.
 "There was a clear spike in applications," Korvenoja said, adding that the number of inquiries from previous job announcements could be counted with the fingers of one hand.
 Korvenoja believes that the publicity the ad received was an influential factor in the volume of inquiries received, and that the success of the short-lived campaign was evident in the fact that inquiries came from both inside and outside Finland.
 Specialists still needed
 Although the situation regarding on-call duty doctors seems to be brighter as the autumn approaches, the medical deficit at the South Karelian Central Hospital has not been completely eliminated.
 A few permanent medical posts are still open for applications. The hospital is currently looking for a number of specialists in different areas, and there is a particular need for doctors specialising in acute medicine.
 "It is a very important area from the perspective of emergency care," Korvenoja told Yle.
 Korvenoja also suggested that medical students could do part of their nine-month compulsory health centre training at the Central Hospital instead, in an effort to further alleviate the situation.

Cheeky doctor's job ad prompts surge in applications


Summary: The Russian president returns to the Finnish capital for the first time since his summit with Donald Trump.

Russian President  Vladimir Putin  will visit Helsinki on 21 August, President  Sauli Niinistö 's office announced on Wednesday.
 In a tweet from his personal account, Niinistö wrote in Finnish that he expects "interesting and useful discussions" with Putin.
 During the one-day working visit, the two are to hold talks at the Presidential Palace overlooking Helsinki harbour. Putin and Niinistö are also scheduled to hold a joint press conference after their talks.
 Niinistö's office has not revealed any specific details of their agenda beyond the standard "bilateral, regional and international issues".
 A day earlier, before the date was named, Niinistö said that  no subject would be considered off the table  during upcoming negotiations with Putin.
 Dinner at Suomenlinna island fortress
 The two have met regularly, usually at least twice annually, since they both took office in 2012. At that point Putin resumed the presidency after four years as prime minister. Niinistö continued to meet with Putin even when many other European leaders declined to do so in response to the Ukraine crisis.
 The two heads of state last met during the Russian-sponsored  Arctic Forum in St. Petersburg  last April. This marks Putin's first visit to Finland since his  Helsinki summit  with US President  Donald Trump  in July 2018.
 After the press conference, the presidents will cross the harbour for dinner at the Suomenlinna Sea Fortress. It was built by Finland's Swedish rulers in the mid-eighteenth century to defend again the Russians, who nevertheless took control of it – and the rest of Finland – in 1808.

Putin to visit Helsinki next Wednesday


Summary: A new metric will help to follow the adverse effects of gambling.

Kasinot, uhkapelit ja rahapeli- ja vedonlyöntipalvelut

Finnish gambling monopoly Veikkaus ruled on Tuesday that it would establish an internal ethics council.
 Administrators were tasked with preparing a road map for the effort by the state-owned company's next board meeting.
 Veikkaus also updated its guidelines to include a so-called responsibility metric in their reward system designed to track addictive behaviour.
 "Responsible values are integral to all of Veikkaus' services," said chair  Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo  in a release. "We have been steadily evaluating the emergence of problematic gambling trends."
 The decisions follow  public backlash to a Veikkaus radio ad  that appeared to encourage frequent gamblers to indulge the habit. Finnish NGOs have also called for Veikkaus to  involve health care professionals  in their operations to mitigate gambling addiction.
 The gambling agency's ethics committee was disbanded in early 2017 when Veikkaus fused with Finland's other large betting companies, the Slot Machine Association (Ray) and Fintoto.
 Veikkaus board member and veteran politician  Ilkka Kanerva  said that the agency relies on the principles of responsibility and the conscientious use of company profits.
 "Veikkaus is state-owned, and we respect the will of our proprietor," he said.
 Veikkaus had no further comment to offer on the coming changes.

Gambling firm Veikkaus to establish ethics board following ad controversy


Summary: The UN's Investing for Impact social initiative focuses on renewable energy, health and affordable housing projects.

Kansainväliset organisaatiot ja sopimukset

The UN has announced that the offices of  Investing for Impact , a project affiliated with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), will be established in Helsinki.
 UNOPS is an operational branch of the United Nations, tasked with building projects and attracting private investment for the UN, international financial institutions, governments and other partners around the world.
 It focuses on three themes: renewable energy, affordable housing and health.
 The Finnish government plans to further support the program with a budget allocation of approximately 20 million euros.
 Social responsibility and impact
 The 'Investing for Impact' project aims to "generate social and environmental impact alongside a financial return", according to the project's website, which means encouraging responsible investment decisions that also have a positive social impact. Examples of such projects might include the improving of air quality or the reduction of homelessness among young people.
 The project was established in 2015 and is linked to the UN's  Agenda for Sustainable Development , also known as Agenda 2030, which aims to eradicate poverty and hunger on a global scale by 2030.
 "It was clear from the start that Agenda 2030 would require a lot of money. Much more than the UN's official development assistance can offer," said UNOPS CEO  Grete Faremo , also adding that a strategic decision was therefore made to attract private investors.
 The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) estimates that the investment gap to reach the targets set up under Agenda 2030 is approximately 2.5 trillion US dollars.
 Advantages of locating in Helsinki
 The Finnish Foreign Ministry's Ambassador for Innovation,  Jarmo Sareva , welcomed the decision to locate the 'Investing' for Impact offices in Helsinki, and said he hopes UNOPS's presence in Helsinki will contribute to Finland's own development policy goals.
 "They support the goals of sustainable development, which is also at the heart of Finland's own development policy," Sareva told Yle.
 According to Sareva, Helsinki was chosen as the location for the project's offices because of the clear commitment shown to the project by the Finnish authorities since discussions began late last year.
 "Finland was strongly committed to the idea of UNOPS coming here, from the levels of government, the city of Helsinki and other stakeholders," Sareva said.
 Another important factor in the decision was Finland's previous work in the field of  investing for social impact , which has been a focus for Finland's innovation foundation Sitra.
 The offices of 'Investing for Impact' are expected to open on Sofiankatu in central Helsinki this coming autumn.

Helsinki lands UN project agency


Summary: Finance Minister Mika Lintilä notes that about half of state employees are due to retire over the next decade.

Ministerit, ministeriöt ja valtioneuvosto

Shortly before unveiling the broad strokes of next year's budget plan, Finance Minister  Mika Lintilä  called for increased immigration as the nation faces a growing labour shortage.
 After going over each ministry's budget requests, Centre Party minister Lintilä has this week been negotiating on budget plans with civil servants at the Finance Ministry.
 Also taking part in the talks is Minister of Local Government and Ownership Steering  Sirpa Paatero , representing Prime Minister  Antti Rinne 's Social Democratic Party. Lintilä served as economic affairs minister in the previous Centre-led government, while Paatero is a former international development minister.
 The Finance Ministry's own proposals on next year's spending and revenues are to be made public on Friday. At that point the other ministries will be given preliminary frameworks for their own budgets.
 The centre-left government, which took office in June, aims for balanced public finances by 2023 – while also expanding spending by 1.2 billion euros. The government's targets are based on presumptions of employment growth.
 Even a baby boom wouldn't be enough
 Lintilä sees finding enough workers as one of the largest challenges and says that the need for work-based immigration will grow in the coming years.
 "As it is, there's already competition for those with special know-how, but we will need workers in all sectors," he told Yle.
 The public sector will be especially hard hit by the labour shortage.
 "The biggest challenge will be that over the next decade, half of those working for the state will retire, for instance. The big question is where we'll find workers then," says Lintilä.
 Last year there were some 74,000 state employees, as well as many more working for local and regional authorities.
 Lintilä says that meeting this challenge will require both an increase in productivity and bringing more workers into Finland. The need for staff to fill vacant positions will be so urgent that even any increase in the birthrate would not suffice to solve the problem.
 In late July, Statistics Finland pegged the  unemployment rate  at 6.5 percent.

Finance minister: More immigration needed to tackle labour shortage


Summary: Inspector Pekka Hätönen's ties to the Green Party will not end his involvement with three high-profile cases.

Inspector  Pekka Hätönen  will be allowed to continue as head investigator into the suspicions of ethnic agitation against three members of Finnish parliament, police chief  Lasse Aapio  announced Wednesday. Hätönen faced criticism from other police, politicians and citizens alike due to his prior personal affiliation with the Green Party.
 Hätönen, who heads the hate crime division in Helsinki, ran as a Greens candidate in the city of Espoo in the 2017 municipal elections. Chief Aapio said that Hätönen was not found to have any existing ties to the Green Party, and may therefore continue in his work.
 The MPs Hätönen recently began investigating are all suspected of the crime of ethnic agitation  because of their past comments . They are all from different parties;  Päivi Räsänen  chairs the Christian Democratic Party,  Hussein al-Taee  is with the Social Democratic Party while  Juha Mäenpää  represents the Finns Party.
 Ethnic agitation, or encitement of ethnic hatred, is a crime in Finland. The law defines it as making available to the public an expression of opinion or another message where a certain group is threatened, defamed or insulted on the basis of its race, skin colour, birth status, national or ethnic origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation or disability.

Police: Ex-Greens officer to keep working MPs' ethnic agitation cases


Summary: The technique improves recovery and will become more common, said HUS.

Helsingin ja Uudenmaan sairaanhoitopiiri

Helsingin seudun yliopistollinen keskussairaala

Helsinki University Hospital (HUS) announced Wednesday that it has implemented the use of robotically assisted surgery for children.
 Five operations were completed during the summer. The procedures successfully alleviated kidney and ureter complaints, the hospital said. A splenotomy and gall bladder removal were also performed.
 The operations themselves took place in the Meilahti Hospital's advanced facilities, while the patients were sent to recover in the new Children's Hospital.
 The hospital said that using the robot-assisted technique improves the patients' recovery rates, and that in future about a dozen such operations will likely be carried out on children per year.
 "Compared with traditional open surgery, robotic operations keep incisions smaller, guarantee safer working environments, less post-operation pain and faster recovery," said children's neurologist  Niklas Pakkasjärvi . Arthroscopic examinations will also be improved by the technology.
 Brisk recovery
 "The children recover briskly and are sent home in good condition. In future we'll be able to broadening our spectrum of such operations on children," Pakkasjärvi said.
 Adult operations, especially urological procedures, have been robot-assisted for years. The potential of expanding the robotic techniques to children was first surveyed in autumn 2018, and the first operations were performed this past spring.
 "The learning curve for robot-assisted surgery includes preparation via computer modelling, experimental models and numerous instances of surgical assistance and observation," Pakkasjärvi said.
 HUS said that all surgeons who perform operations with robots have long-standing careers in traditional open surgery.

Robotic surgery successfully performed on 5 children in Helsinki


Summary: The press reveals how Finnish police missed 2,000 child sex abuse tip-offs, policy review at Veikkaus, and the last of summer.

Finland's biggest selling daily Helsingin Sanomat carries a report on how  police may have left up to 2,000 tip-offs  about suspected sexual crimes against children unopened in an "email inbox somewhere".
 According to HS, Finnish police were slow to react when people began reporting allegations or suspicions of online sex crimes against children a number of years ago, and did not allocate enough resources to properly deal with the sudden influx of reports.
 "What happened in Finland was that when these things started to grow on the web a few years ago, those tips and messages were left somewhere in an email inbox. And we only had two people in the department who ever opened them," commissioner  Sari Sarani  of the police's cybercrimes unit told HS.
 However, according to Sarani, the police's practices for recording warnings about the targeting of children online have now changed, with more staff than ever currently handling the reports and investigating of such cases.
 Sarani also told HS that the police seek the public's assistance in tackling sexual crimes against children.
 Location of slot machines under review
 Tabloid Iltalehti reports on the decision by Finland's gaming monopoly Veikkaus to "quietly"  remove eight slot machines from sites  which may have been deemed inappropriate.
 The gambling firm has been under considerable pressure recently to review the location of some of its machines, as a citizens' initiative calling for their removal from shops and kiosks has now  garnered more than 25,000 signatures .
 According to IL, some of the vending machines which have now been removed were located in shops or cafes connected to hospitals and rehabilitation centres. The tabloid, in a previous report, had raised concerns that certain medications may contribute to gambling addiction.
 Marko Peltokorpi , director of sales at Veikkaus, told IL that the firm is reviewing the practice of placing slot machines near hospitals, health clinics and rehabilitation centres.
 "Veikkaus' point of sale criteria state that slot machines should not be placed in premises where the clientele consists mainly of minors," Peltokorpi told the tabloid. "This paragraph has now been interpreted as also extending to locations whose main clientele consists of the sick and elderly."
 Here comes the sun
 HS's sister tabloid Ilta-Sanomat reports that the recent unsettled weather is expected to  take a turn for the better , as a high pressure system will bring the sun back to Finland this weekend.
 "The eastern part of the country will be largely clear and sunny on Saturday,"  Iiris Viljamaa , a meteorologist at the Finnish Meteorological Institute tells IS. "Temperatures should rise to at least 23-24 degrees Celsius."
 Central and southern areas can also expect similar conditions, according to Viljamaa, and she advises people to make the most of the mellow conditions while they last.
 Immediately after the weekend, the wind, rain and unstable weather will return to Finland.
 Therefore, the tabloid advises, this weekend is an ideal time to start picking mushrooms and berries in the rain-soaked forest, or even just to get outside and enjoy the sunshine, as it may be the last opportunity to do so this summer.

Thursday's papers: Unread crime reports, slot machines in hospitals, the sun returns


Summary: The private healthcare provider has been in co-determination talks with 2,400 employees since June.

Co-determination talks at Pihlajalinna, one of Finland's leading private social and health care providers, have concluded with the company announcing the loss of 180 jobs.
 The majority of the cuts will be made via staff redundancies and retirements.
 When negotiations between the company and staff began in June,  job cuts were expected to be as high as 400 .
 "I am satisfied that during the co-determination negotiations with employee representatives we developed good interaction, with the end result that the maximum number of jobs were retained," Pihlajalinna Group CEO  Joni Aaltonen  said in a company press release.
 The agreement will see the company concentrate its operations at its head office in Tampere, and will also merge offices in other locations. This streamlining of operations and reduction of costs is estimated to generate savings for the company of approximately 17 million euros.
 Net sales expected to improve
 Meanwhile, Pihlajalinna also published its interim report for the second quarter of this year. The group's adjusted operating profit increased to 2.1 million euros from April to June, up from 2 million euros a year ago. Net sales also rose, to 130 million euros from 125 million euros over the same period last year.
 However, expenses also increased and Pihlajalinna did not reach its profit target.
 "The group's administrative and personnel expenses were higher than planned and in some units the earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization remained negative. The group's operating result was in the red in April and May, while profitability in June was better," Aaltonen said in the press release.
 Aaltonen said Pihlajalinna has not been able to exploit synergies in all units, so the profitability of different units in the service network varies considerably. Profits are however expected to increase with the acquisition of new contracts.

Health care provider Pihlajalinna announces 180 job cuts


Summary: The number of collisions with non-native white-tailed deer rose by more than 1,000 last year.

The population of wild white-tailed deer has skyrocketed in Finland over the past two decades, leading to a rapid increase in accidents and property damage.
 The Natural Resources Institute (Luke) estimates that the country's population of the non-native deer species has quadrupled to some 111,000 individuals in 20 years.
 The animals are known to cause losses to gardens and plantations by eating crops such as apples and rummaging through human garbage and other outdoor property.
 Graph depicting the deer population explosion. Joonas Haverinen / Yle
 However, the gravest danger posed by the rise in deer is an increase in auto collisions. Statistics Finland reports that more than 6,200 traffic accidents involving deer occurred in 2018, over 1,000 more than the previous year.
 Some in Finland are becoming agitated by the harm caused by the species, taking to social media to complain about damage to gardens, for instance.
 "If public sentiment like this starts to become more common, it means that people are nearing the end of their tolerance for the phenomenon," said researcher  Jyrki Pusenius  from Luke. "Deer populations are certainly too dense in a number of habitats; you can see it in the condition of wild blueberry bushes."
 Culling enforced, advanced mapping developed
 At its densest, populations of white-tailed deer can number more than 50 per 1,000 hectares. In comparison, Finnish populations of elk (closely related to North American moose) have a maximum target denseness of just three animals per thousand hectares.
 In an effort to literally cull the herd, the government issued some 30 percent more hunting licenses for deer this year compared to 2018 – to a record-breaking 58,000 or so in total. A single permit allows a hunter to fell either one adult deer or two fawns.
 However, while shooting the creatures is effectively the only way to halt runaway population growth, more accurate information on population sizes is also sorely needed. Luke said its estimates are trustworthy, but they come with a five-percent margin of error.
 The Finnish Wildlife Agency (FWA) has also sought methods to pinpoint populations as exactly as possible, suggesting the installation of more hunting cameras and encouraging more eyewitness reports.
 Artificial intelligence may also be used to identify animals based on age and species.
 Story continues after photo.
 A white-tailed deer fawn. Jouni Minkkinen
 "We need a population control scheme for deer like we have for elk and large carnivores," said FWA project planner  Mikael Wikström . "We've had good results with our targets for population density and variations in age and gender."
 Some hunters have also proposed that the current permit system should be waived for the white-tailed deer, as was done for the roe deer in 2005. No permit is needed to fell roe deer; instead a report to the FWA about a dead individual is enough.
 Chair  Jaakko Mattila  from the hunting association of Western Orimattila said what is most important is that the populations decrease, but that the quality of the living animals' wellbeing and environment does not.
 "As hunters we have to make sure that the population stays robust without causing problems for motorists and people in general," he said.
 The white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) is originally native to North and South America, and  was introduced to Finland in the 1930s  by Finnish expats in the United States. The current population boom is descended from just a handful of individuals.

Exploding deer population encroaching on human settlements


Summary: Some of those who arrived in Finland as part of the 2015 surge of asylum seekers still remain at reception centres.

In 2015, a record number of asylum seekers arrived in Finland: some 32,500 people, or nearly 10 times as many as the previous year. Most were from Iraq, with smaller numbers from Afghanistan, Somalia and Syria. On some days that autumn, hundreds of people arrived in northern Finland via Sweden and Russia.
 The Finnish Migration Service (Migri) scrambled to set up reception centres to house the arrivals. Four years on, many of those people remain in the centres awaiting replies to applications or appeals.
 The situation is particularly difficult for families with children, as some youngsters have already begun to identify as Finnish.
 An Iraqi couple,  Shereen Alwasiti  and  Ali Alabbodi , and their two daughters are among those awaiting decisions at the Rovaniemi reception centre in Finnish Lapland.
 "We've been waiting for a long time without any plans for the future. Our only plans relate to our daughters and their schooling," says Alwasiti.
 At age seven and 10, the girls have already settled into life in Finland.
 "The younger one considers herself a Finn. When Migri asked her what her native language was, she said it was Finnish. That's what she thinks, because she goes to school in Finland," Alwasiti explains.
 There are nearly 400 residents each at the reception centres in Rovaniemi and Kemi, both in Finnish Lapland. All, including Alwasiti and Alabbodi, have had their initial applications rejected and are now in the appeals process.
 "You become frustrated and exhausted"
 The director of the Lapland reception centres,  Ritva Metsälampi , says that the long waiting periods are very difficult.
 "Four years is a long time in anyone's life. And especially if you don't have any specific information about your future or even when it be resolved, you're bound to become frustrated and exhausted," she says.
 Altogether, there are now more than 9,000 people in Migri's reception system. About 7,000 of these have received at least one negative decision.
 The head of Migri's Asylum Unit,  Antti Lehtinen , tells Yle that the agency has no statistics on how many of the migrants arrived in 2015-16 or how long they generally live at reception centres.
 "Most of them came in 2015 and either their re-applications are being processed by Migri, their applications are in the appeals stage at the administrative courts, or administrative courts have sent their applications back to Migri," Lehtinen says.
 As of the beginning of June, the Aliens Act was revised to the effect that any re-application must include new reasons that significantly increase the likelihood of asylum being granted. According to Lehtinen, it is still too early to say what impact the new legislation will have.

For some asylum seekers, reception centres have been home for four years


Summary: Part of Tampere University Hospital may need to be demolished.

The main building of the Tampere University Hospital is officially under threat of demolition after administrators discovered disastrous moisture damage throughout the structure.
 Chief of the Pirkanmaa Hospital District  Rauno Ihalainen  told Yle that the demolition of the main "A" building is beginning to look highly likely. The main wing, built in 1962, is protected by the city, which will affect the razing plans.
 According to Ihalainen, the hospital has been tracking the poor condition of both the A and B wings for some time, having first detected troubles early last year. At the time, Pirkanmaa health care administrators were forced to evacuate the Tampere University Hospital's emergency room.
 Demolishing the A wing would be cheaper than renovating, officials say.
 "But we could convert the tower structure of the B wing into an office block," Ihalainen said. "The demands for renovating a building for office use are different than with sites that need to be made available for clinic or surgery services."
 Site surveys found colonies of  Actinomyces  bacteria in both the A and B wings of the hospital. The micro-organism thrives in damp habitats and causes irritation or infection in the eyes and mouth.
 New buildings, open doors
 New annexes to the complex have been under construction since 2015 and have cost 250 million euros so far.
 The entire front yard of the hospital has been a construction site since then. The new entrance is set to be opened by late September; the hospital says it will organise an open-doors event for the public when the new building is finished.
 The Pirkanmaa Hospital District plans to inaugurate its new children's hospital this autumn. The new Tays Heart Hospital and parts of a parking garage have already been finalised this year.
 The final D building, which houses a maternity ward and musculoskeletal disease unit, is to be finished in early 2020.
 Ihalainen said the demolition of the A wing and all related reallocations will be decided on this autumn. The fate of the B wing will be left until next year.

Tampere hospital suffers devastating moisture damage


Summary: The PM's Social Democratic Party held its party conference in Helsinki on Thursday.

Prime Minister  Antti Rinne  said on Thursday that the government will move quickly to dismantle the so-called activation model, a widely criticised employment measure put into place by the previous government under centrist premier  Juha Sipilä .
 Rinne last promised to nix the model  in early August .
 Party chair Rinne and his colleagues met in Helsinki for the Social Democratic Party's summer conference on Thursday. Rinne said that the scheme would be repealed this autumn.
 "You can be sure that the activation model will be scrapped," he spoke at the conference. "We've already arranged it within the cabinet. We don't want punishments and sanctions that treat people unfairly, so this measure is gone."
 The prime minister also revealed why the nationalist Finns Party and the conservative National Coalition Party (NCP) were not invited into the new government coalition.
 "The NCP played themselves out with their obscure right-wing financial politics. And the Finns Party had no desire to bring in real reforms, not to mention that their negative attitude toward developing this welfare state shot their chances at cooperation," he said.

PM Rinne: Activation model to be dismantled


Summary: Attempts to implement Finland's new core curriculum in Lappeenranta have lead to children switching schools.

Parents of children at the Pontus school in the city of Lappeenranta in eastern Finland have filed a number of complaints with the Regional State Administrative Agency about teaching methods and practices at the school. In some cases, parents have decided to move their children to other schools where more traditional pedagogical methods are still being used.
 The Pontus school is one of the first in the country to fully implement the  new core curriculum , introduced by Finland's Ministry of Education in 2016, which is based on the concept of 'phenomenon teaching' – the replacing of traditional subject-based classes like maths and history with interdisciplinary courses focusing on broader topics.
 Under the new curriculum, children are also encouraged to become autonomous learners, for example by creating their own study plans.
 The Pontus school's brand new building was completed and opened in the autumn of 2017, and the architecture was designed to support the objectives of the new core curriculum.
 The building is divided into four units, with approximately 80 primary school children enrolled in each unit. The students within each unit are sometimes further divided into smaller age groups, or sometimes they all work together in one group.
 "I didn't learn anything"
 However, the teaching methods and the use of space at Pontus have not suited the pedagogical needs of all children. Sixth grader  Aino Piironen  found the need to create her own study plan an insurmountable challenge, after childhood epilepsy left her with mild memory difficulties.
 Aino's parents believe that the school failed in its core task of educating Aino. In their view, the school's modern learning environment made it difficult for her to concentrate and that she would have also needed more help from teachers and staff to support her memory.
 Another area of difficulty for Aino was when all the members of the separate units came together in the open space, or 'market square'. The children usually sought a place to sit on the cushioned seats while the teachers sat at a desk in the middle of the room.
 Story continues after photo.
 The tori, or market square, at Pontus school where children gather to make their study plans.  Kari Kosonen / Yle
 "The beginning of the school day was chaotic," Aino recalled.
 The most difficult thing of all, according to Aino, was the lack of teaching. Students began the day by working on their own weekly plan, approaching teachers in the middle of the 'market square' for advice when needed.
 "It was hard for me that the teacher did not teach at first, but instead we should have been able to learn things by ourselves," Aino said. "I didn't learn anything."
 No other option
 For Aino and her parents, the situation became so bad that they eventually felt there was no other option but for Aino to change schools.
 "At Pontus School, Aino was not given the opportunity to experience success in learning," her mother  Katja Piironen  said. "It affected her self-esteem."
 Since switching schools, Aino has found that she does not need any special arrangements to help her memory problems, but instead she says she is able to manage with the same kind of support that is available to all students at her current school.
 Story continues after photo.
 Aino Piironen walking through the corridors of her new school.  Kalle Purhonen / Yle
 "There was a big change in Aino after she switched schools. Joy and serenity returned to her life. Likewise, she believed again that she could get help and advice from a teacher," Katja said.
 In addition to the Piironens, several other families have reported being dissatisfied with the new teaching methods at Pontus.
 According to some parents, making a personal weekly plan and adhering to it independently is too hard a requirement for a primary school child. Another area of dissatisfaction was the expectation that children should be able to remember the dates of exams themselves, as well as the deadline date for the return of term papers.
 The pressure to independently remember so many details was a big challenge for many of the elementary school children, and in particular students like Aino.
 "Forgetting tasks became a failure," Aino said.
 "Adequate support and instruction"
 Principal  Katri Kurronen  defended the pedagogical methods and use of space currently being utilised at the Pontus school.
 "When students come to the market square, they take whatever free seat is available. This is different from the traditional school setting, when students were usually allowed to choose his or her own place," Kurronen explained.
 According to Kurronen, the students also receive adequate support and instruction at the school, as well as individual guidance on how to complete all tasks.
 Kurronen added that the need for children to create their own weekly learning plan is being gradually introduced at the school so that each student may learn about concepts such as self-guidance.
 "This is a key skill target for the new curriculum that future working life requires," Kurronen said, adding that students take their weekly plans home for viewing, allowing parents to monitor their child's progress.
 Lack of clear explanation
 Anu Liljeström , director of education for the city of Lappeenranta, expressed regret that families have complained about the teaching methods at Pontus. Liljeström believes that parents' dissatisfaction is due to the lack of a clear explanation of how and why the way of teaching has changed.
 "Perhaps we have failed in our important task of informing guardians why things are being done differently than before," Liljeström said.
 The Pontus school places much more emphasis on children's self-guidance than has previously been the case, according to Liljeström, and she concedes that this change is very big when compared to previous changes to the curriculum.
 "In my experience, change usually isn't nearly as difficult for children as it is for their parents," Liljeström said.
 She adds that the Pontus School has also received a lot of positive feedback from both parents and children, including praise for its good school spirit.

Parents file complaints over "failure" of new school


Summary: Among the morning's press, there are growing complaints about state railway VR’s difficulties in keeping its trains clean.

Main daily  Helsingin Sanomat (HS)  reports on  state railway VR’s continuing problems with dirty trains . In recent months, passengers have made numerous complaints about unclean cabins, posting pictures of untidy play areas and filthy floors on social media including VR’s Facebook community page.
 HS interviews commuter  Liisa Lesonen , who traveled from Helsinki to Vaasa in the business cabin of an InterCity train last Saturday. According to Lesonen, the train’s floor was dusty and muddy.
 "There was all kinds of garbage under the benches and the train’s bathroom smelled terrible, even from a few metres away," Lesonen told the paper. "Their train compartments used to be much cleaner. These days I don’t even want to put my bag on the floor," she said.
 After VR put their cleaning contract up for competitive tender, the job of keeping the fleet neat went from contractor SOL to RTK in June.
 At the time, VR’s operative director  Vesa Pippuri  told HS that there had been some challenges with the transition of service providers, but that they were working to smooth things out.
 However, more than a month on, there is little improvement in the situation, writes HS. Among the issues, customers have been dismayed about the state of the morning’s first trains, which are so dirty that it appears they haven't been cleaned.
 Unexpected discovery
 Ilta-Sanomat (IS) , the sister tabloid of HS, reports that a body was discovered on Thursday on the roof of a train in Vantaa, just north of Helsinki.
 Around 6 pm, train traffic was halted at the Louhela station. The rescue department told IS that a body was spotted atop a train at the station.
 "The rescue department went to retrieve the body and found that the person had passed away,"  Raimo Laakso , the fire chief on duty told IS. The incident led to widespread train delays and cancellations throughout the capital region.
 Police are investigating the matter.
 On a lighter note
 And just in time for the weekend, tabloid  Iltalehti  reports that the weather in Finland will warm up gradually over the next few days, with sunshine in the east and rain in the north.
 It will be clear in the country’s western regions, according to the Finnish Meteorological Institute. Although there will be some clouds and rain showers, temperatures will be between 18 and 21 degrees Celsius throughout most of Finland.

Friday’s papers: Dirty trains, body found in strange place, and warm weather in store


Summary: Callers to the crisis line wanted to discuss relationship problems and the challenges of coping with every day life.

Mental health organisation Mieli’s crisis help phone line received a record number of phone calls during July.
 There were 36,700 calls made to the line during June and July. In July alone, there were 23,000 phone calls, which is the largest number of phone calls per month ever.
 ”During the summer holidays and especially in July there were more phone calls than ever before," said  Susanna Winter , Mieli’s head of crisis phone services. "Many places that offer support services are closed in the summer, or only open on a limited basis," she said.
 The organisation was only able to answer every fifth phone call.
 During the summer months, the most common topics from callers were ones regarding relationship problems, as well as the challenges of coping with everyday life. Other concerns included burnout and problems relating to student and working life.

July busiest month ever for crisis phone line


Summary: Researchers attribute the drop to the success of the KiVa anti-bullying programme, but warn about the spread of cyberbullying.

Incidents of bullying experienced by high school students in Finland decreased significantly between 2008 and 2014, after the introduction of the  Kiva koulu  (Nice school) anti-bullying programme, according to research results published by the Centre for Child Psychiatry at the University of Turku.
 KiVa is an "evidence-based programme to prevent bullying and to tackle the causes of bullying effectively", according to the official  website , and was developed by the University of Turku before being rolled out to schools across Finland in 2008 with funding from the Ministry of Education.
 The latest research results are based on surveys conducted in 2008 and again in 2014 with approximately 2,000 junior high school students, aged from 12 to 15, in the cities of Rovaniemi in northern Finland and Salo in the southwest.
 When the KiVa School programme was first introduced to schools in both cities in 2008, 30.5 percent of young people reported being bullied. Six years later, in 2014, only 20.6 percent said they had experienced bullying.
 "According to the study, the programme seems to have significantly reduced bullying," says  Elina Tiiri , researcher at the Child Psychiatry Research Centre.
 However, the research study also found that there was no change in the prevalence of cyberbullying during the review period.
 A recent study by  EU KidsOnline , a research network funded by the European Commission, found that nearly half of  young people in Finland had experienced some form of online bullying .
 Clear connection between bullying and mental illness
 Previous research has shown that young people who are bullied experience more mental health symptoms, with the majority of the symptoms being found in adolescents who were bullied at school or online.
 Andre Sourander , a professor of pediatric psychiatry at the University of Turku, is therefore impressed with the results of the survey.
 "Young people with mental health problems are more susceptible to bullying and, on the other hand, being bullied exposes a person to mental health problems. This is important information for the development of school mental health and bullying interventions," Sourander said in a press release.
 Sourander further suggested that Finnish schools should implement a national bullying prevention programme supported by scientific evidence of its effectiveness. Recent findings support earlier research conducted into the effectiveness of the KiVa programme.

Study: Bullying on the decline in Finnish schools


Summary: The university was the only Finnish academic institution to make the top 100 list.

The University of Helsinki is the only Finnish institute of higher learning on the  2019 Academic Ranking of World Universities , which ranks the top 100 universities in the world. This year's ranking for the University of Helsinki - 63rd place - represents a drop of six places as in 2018 the university held 57th position on the list.
 However, while the university’s ranking dropped slightly on the list, it’s still in a higher position than it was four years ago when it held 67th position.
 No cause for concern
 According to  Paula Eerola , vice rector of the University of Helsinki, this drop in ranking is not a catastrophe.
 ”Evaluating academic programmes is not a sport, where the stopwatch tells you who is best," she said, adding that "rankings are, of course, important development tools.”
 Eerola said that the situation could only be considered worrisome if the downward spiral proved to be a long-term trend.
 Funding cutbacks to the university may have affected the ranking.
 ”We have said earlier that (cutbacks) would have an impact, sooner or later,” conceded Eerola.
 The Academic Ranking of World Universities has been published since 2003. It is often called the 'Shanghai list', as the first year that it was issued it was compiled by the Chinese Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
 Main Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat first reported on the 2019 rankings.

University of Helsinki drops in international ranking


Summary: Niinistö will meet with the new Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, a former comedian and actor.

President  Sauli Niinistö  will travel to Kiev, Ukraine, in mid-September to meet with freshly minted Ukrainian president  Volodymyr Zelensky , according to the office of the president.
 This is the first time that Niinistö will meet Zelensky, previously a comedian and actor, who started in the presidential post in May.
 It’s been five years since Niinistö last visited Ukraine in 2014.
 Helsinki meeting with Putin
 Before heading to Kiev, Niinistö is to meet with Russian president  Vladimir Putin  in Helsinki on August 21st.
 Putin and Niinistö have met regularly since they both took respective offices in 2012, even when many other European leaders declined to to meet with Putin in response to the Ukraine crisis.

President Niinistö to visit Ukraine next month


Summary: Government ministries will continue negotiations with the finance minister on the budget proposal until the end of August.

Prime Minister  Antti Rinne 's government published an outline of its draft 2020 budget on Friday after three days of internal cabinet negotiations in Espoo.
 The proposal, if approved, would see the Ministry of Education receive significantly less money than it requested for the continued funding of universities and polytechnics in Finland. Meanwhile financial support for political parties – in the form of  party subsidies  – would be increased.
 Finance Minister  Mika Lintilä  plans to allocate an additional 10 million euros to Finland's universities, on top of the 2019 allocation, with an extra five million granted to polytechnics. However, these figures fall far short of the Ministry of Education and Culture's request for an additional 40 million euros for universities and 20 million for polytechnics.
 Increased government spending on education had been a central part of the programme for government,  announced by Prime Minister Rinne at the beginning of June .
 The Ministry of Employment and the Economy, which had requested an increase of 17 million euros to its share of the budget in order to cover wage subsidies, will only receive 10 million euros if the draft budget is passed in its present form.
 Party subsidies set to increase
 The draft budget also proposes raising the amount of party subsidies to 36 million euros next year, up from 29 million euros in 2019 – an increase of about one fifth. Party subsidies are annual grants from the government to political parties based on the number of seats each holds in Parliament.
 The party subsidy allocation was reduced in the early days of former Prime Minister  Juha Sipilä 's administration, dropping to 32 million euros in 2015 from 34 million euros the year before.
 The finance minister also proposes an increase in the allocation of salaries for parliamentary assistants' salaries in next year's budget. Tabloid daily Iltalehti recently revealed that Finland is  spending upwards of 500,000 euros every month  on the salaries of state secretaries and ministerial aides.
 Negotiations between the various ministries and the finance minister over the proposed budget will continue through the end of August, with a final draft expected by mid-September, shortly after Parliament reconvenes after its summer break.

Draft budget: Less for education, more for political parties