Summary: Yields in southern areas may even exceed long-term averages, says the rural advisory service Pro Agria.

Dry conditions have sent farmers to the fields to begin the annual harvest. The arid weather has reduced yield prospects for cereals planted early in the spring and specialty crops.
 The harvest of rye and winter wheat in Finland this year is expected to be good or satisfactory throughout the country.
 Pro Agria, a Finnish expert organisation serving rural entrepreneurs, predicts that yields may be 20 to 30 percent larger in the south, with only the South Karelia region in danger of harvesting a worse-than-normal winter wheat crop.
 July's heat and dryness has affected Finland's crop development. In the south, cereals are a week ahead of schedule, while grains are growing at a normal rate in the east and north.
 Rain has fallen very selectively this summer, with shortages recorded in central and northern areas. In the south and southwest, on the other hand, precipitation levels have been consistent with long-term averages.
 Oilseeds in the silos, rye next to go
 Many farmers in Finland have already started harvesting. Last week saw the first harvesters hit rye and winter wheat fields in the south, and this week they will likely be out in numbers, Pro Agria says. The harvesting season will begin sometime next week or two for more northern areas, depending on the weather.
 The harvest of winter oilseed plants like rape already started two weeks ago. An average harvest is expected in most areas, but in the regions of Uusimaa, Southwest Finland and South Savo, the yield is likely to be a lower than the long-term average.
 Steep drop in farmers
 According to the Natural Resources Institute of Finland, as of 2015, almost four billion kilograms of grain is produced in Finland every year. Two-thirds of this harvest is used for animal feed, and the rest is exported or used for domestic food production.
 The largest grain crop grown in Finland in 2015 was barley, followed by oats, wheat and rye and small amounts of peas and broad beans. Special crops include both older varieties (buckwheat, flaxseed and potato) and newer alternatives (rapeseed, caraway and quinoa).
 The Institute reports that the number of farms in Finland fell by 41 percent in the period 1995-2014, and 2016 figures from Statistics Finland show that agriculture and horticulture provided employment to approximately 118,000 people. Nearly 70 percent of this total was accounted for by farmers and their family members

Good grain harvest predicted for entire country


Summary: The ads featured avid gamblers receiving a therapist’s blessing to indulge their habit.

Kasinot, uhkapelit ja rahapeli- ja vedonlyöntipalvelut

Finland’s  monopoly gambling firm Veikkaus  said on Tuesday that it was temporarily pulling certain radio ads from circulation following public pushback over the message they sent.
 The decision affects all advertising material purchased by the company, except for ads promoting its flagship local lottery Lotto, the regional Eurojackpot game and the Nordic-Baltic lottery Vikinglotto, as well as brand and corporate responsibility marketing.
 Veikkaus chief executive  Olli Sarekoski  said in a statement Tuesday that advertising material would be removed from circulation this week until the end of September. The questionable radio campaign was designed to run during this year's "royal races", an annual harness racing championship, which ends on Sunday.
 Permission to gamble
 The ads in question were aired on commercial radio channels and feature characters hankering after thrills and winnings. They ask a therapist if it is okay to want such things. The therapist then says these desires are acceptable and urges clients to "satisfy" their cravings by visiting the race track or by going to the Veikkaus website.
 In his statement CEO Sarekoski admitted that the company had made a mistake.
 "There is no reason to deny the facts. We have made mistakes. Some of our ads have not complied with the company’s agreed marketing principles. We take responsibility for them and we are very sorry for the distress we have caused and intend to learn from our mistakes," he said in the release.
 He added that the firm had already begun an investigation and intended to thoroughly review its marketing processes, audit current policies and operations and make necessary changes as soon as possible.
 Repeated interventions by police
 Veikkaus holds an unassailable monopoly on gambling in mainland Finland. Daily Helsingin Sanomat (HS) reported that current legislation requires the company to market games only if they are not detrimental to finances, society or health. It should also  avoid depicting heavy gambling as positive .
 The Gambling Administration run by the police also says that the purpose of gambling advertising should not be to increase turnover, but to channel demand. In practice this means that players in Finland should be encouraged to patronise Veikkaus’ games rather than to visit foreign gaming sites.
 According to HS, marketing was one of the reasons that Veikkaus was merged with the slot machine firm RAY and the horserace betting organisation Fintoto at the beginning of 2017. However the National Police Board has repeatedly admonished Veikkaus over advertising. Most recently in July, Veikkaus was asked to provide clarification on an ad in which playing its Keno lottery was compared to going to the coffee machine.

Finnish gambling monopoly shelves radio ads following public outcry


Summary: Competition from online retailers will bring major upheaval to the sector in the next decade, a retailer lobby group warns.

The structure of Finland’s retail structure is changing and not in favour of brick-and-mortar stores, says the Finnish Commerce Federation. The retail sector lobby group said on Monday that while industry revenues have been rising over the past few years, that trend is not likely to continue and growth will begin to fall over the next couple of years.
 In an industry forecast, the federation said that by the year 2030, more than one in five retail stores will simply disappear from the Finnish landscape – and at worst that proportion could reach 40 percent. It added that urban specialty stores in particular would be hard hit by the development. The organisation cited foreign online stores as the biggest threat to such outlets in Finland, as well as in Sweden.
 "No wonder that Sweden fears the arrival of Chinese online retailers and Amazon in the Nordics. Amazon has quickly taken over consumer markets in whatever western country it has gained a foothold," said the organisation’s head economist  Jaana Kurjenoja .
 "We have spoken about structural changes in retail and digital transformation for a long time, but now those changes are being seen more concretely and are being manifested as predicted. This needs to be recognised more in national and EU-level decision-making," managing director  Mari Kiviniemi  noted.
 Future jobs on the line
 The retailer lobby said that it is concerned about the sector’s future ability to provide jobs, noting that it is Finland’s largest employer, especially of young people. Furthermore, it added that it accounts for 10 percent of national output or GDP.
 The federation said that since it is facing intense global competition, the sector should not be subjected to additional obligations or regulations that are not equally applied to foreign players. It also called for the dismantling of local monopolies to improve efficiency in the sector.
 The group cited the cost structure borne by physical outlets and wholesalers as an encumbrance in the face of cut-throat price competition in international markets. It declared that there should be no moves to add to the cost burden by introducing additional taxes or regulation. A readily-available labour force as well as work-based immigration should also be safeguarded, the organisation added.
 Kiviniemi described as "very important" the government's decision to draw up a report on the retail sector, noting that it could yield options for long-term strategic development of the industry.
 "However, impartial expert work should begin immediately," she concluded.

Forecast: Up to 40% of retail stores in Finland could go bust by 2030


Summary: Police said that so far, they have no reason to suspect criminal activity behind the masses of dead fish.

Officials said on Monday they were no closer to determining the cause of the death of thousands of fish that washed up on the shores of Rautalampi lake in the region of North Savo last week.
 Last week police as well as officials from the local business development authority (Ely-keskus) collected specimens of the dead fish as well as water samples from the lake for analysis. At the time, they said test results would be available on Monday. However they are now saying that they will be able to shed light on the reason for the incident in a few weeks.
 Police said that they are cooperating with other authorities to investigate the mysterious die-off of the fish in the eastern Finland lake and are also calling on members of the public to come forward with any relevant information.
 They said that their initial probe has revealed no reason to suspect criminal activity. They added that if need be, they will make a decision on a preliminary investigation later.
 "Analysis of the water quality has found no evidence of external factors, but it must be noted that this is an initial analysis. We are still waiting for other results and experts’ analyses on them," said detective inspector  Johanna Parviainen  of the eastern Finland police department.
 No diseases established
 Lead specialist  Satu Viljamaa-Dirks  of the Finnish Food Authority Evira is responsible for analysis of samples taken from the dead fish.
 "We looked at the fish and found no indication of contagious piscine diseases. We looked for the IHN virus in particular and there is no reason to suspect it at this stage," Viljamaa-Dirks commented.
 Veli-Matti Vallinkoski , a hydrobiologist with the Ely-keskus said that the lake in question is shallow and covers an area of about 160 hectares. While there are a few deep parts, they are no more than roughly seven metres deep.
 "The condition of the lake isn’t very good and it has the typical problems of a eutrophified lake. Nutrient levels are high and oxygen is depleted towards the end of winter," he explained.

Officials: Cause of eastern Finland fish kill could take weeks to ascertain


Summary: Foreign language instruction will now start in the first grade, for example.

Young people in Finland will be heading back to school again sometime between 7 August and 14 August, depending on the location and type of the institution in question. The academic year will introduce several new policies affecting learners of all ages.
 Early childhood education
 New nationwide criteria for early childhood education and care from the National Agency for Education came into effect in early 2019, and providers of such services will incorporate these new policies into their curriculum this autumn.
 The new plan places more emphasis on broad-based competencies such as developing thinking skills and good learning habits. Instruction will also focus on teaching self-care, cultural awareness, interaction and self-expression, critical information framing, and IT and communications skills.
 A trial that began in 2018 that offers one-third of  all five-year-olds free access to early childhood education  will continue for another year. Children currently start kindergarten studies at the age of six in Finland, and school at the age of seven.
 Comprehensive school
 The biggest change in primary schools this year will be that  foreign language instruction will begin in the spring term of first grade , at the latest. Earlier, instruction in what is presumably the child's first foreign language began in the third grade in Finland.
 This autumn will also mark the final execution of Finland's new core curriculum throughout the entire comprehensive school system. The new plan was taken into use already in 2016 for grades 1-6, and in stages for grades 7-9. The academic year 2019-2020 will finally see ninth graders sign on to the new requirements as well, to complete the transfer to the new requirements.
 Upper secondary school, or lukio
 Starting this coming term, students of Finland's high schools will be able to resit their matriculation exams – the final tests they take before graduating – as many times as they like, once they have completed all of their classes and received their school leaving certificate. For those who haven't yet completed their studies, it is possible to repeat a failed test three times, where in the past it was only allowed twice.
 Future matriculation exams will also pay better attention to factors like reading disorders, illnesses and injuries, and the test environment will be modified accordingly.
 New laws on upper secondary school education and matriculation came into effect in early August. Among other things, the acts now require high schools to engage in active cooperation with Finland's universities. Some of the effects will only been seen later. For example, in the coming years, upper secondary school courses will be recorded as study credits, and the number of obligatory matriculation exam subjects will rise from four to five.
 The study grant period will be extended from nine to ten months, and teenagers from low-income families will also start receiving a  small monthly amount for buying school supplies  like textbooks. For students under 18 years of age who are living independently, parental income will no longer have an effect on their levels of study aid.
 Vocational education and training
 The government earmarked 20 million euros in supplementary spending this June to create 400 new teacher and teacher support positions in vocational education.
 The extra study aid to help with the purchase school supplies will also apply to teens in vocational study programmes, and parental income will likewise not affect pupil benefits.
 Universities
 Starting in the spring term of the coming academic year, the last stage of a reform targeting university applications will come into effect. As of 1 January 2020, universities and universities of applied sciences will admit 50 percent of incoming students exclusively on the basis of matriculation exam results or vocational training grades.
 Almost all tertiary programmes in Finland had previously required applicants to attend entrance exams, in addition to submitting their final upper secondary-level results. Now only some subjects will require a supplementary exam.
 Transfers to and within higher education will also be made more flexible in 2020. University departments will be much freer in future to accept students that have transferred from other departments and institutions.
 The criteria for selecting students to attend universities of applied sciences will also be relaxed starting in the spring. Whereas previously, the applicant was required to have at least three years' work experience or a lower-level degree in the field, starting in January 2020, the work experience requirement will be reduced to two years.

New school year ushers in multiple changes


Summary: Dailies discuss an imminent IPCC land use report, a 12 percent decrease in crime, and a rare car assault in Kuusamo.

Helsingin Sanomat reports on a  new analysis from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , the same group that ignited serious talk about climate change last autumn, when it said  the world had to quickly work to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius or face dire consequences .
 A new report expected to be published tomorrow zeros in on land use, as it says getting rid of fossil fuels won't be enough. If we want to save the planet, we have to transform our agricultural system and add more carbon capture mechanisms. This means eating less meat, growing more plants and trees, improving crop varieties, and protecting forests, swamps and peatland, HS says, based on a  draft of the report covered by the BBC .
 Professor  Markku Ollikainen , president of Finland's Climate Change Panel, tells the paper that Finland hasn't even taken the first concrete step towards cutting back emissions, although there's been "lots of talk and research projects". He says the solutions are obvious: First, Finland has to stop cutting down its trees at its current rate. Second, it has to protect its swamp and peatland.
 Ollikainen tells the paper that he is happy to see that factions of new government coalition are more sceptical of plans to  expand Finland's biofuel business .
 "If big investments get the green light, the state could end up paying compensation for the increased emissions. This could run into billions of euros. It makes sense that the government is thinking carefully about its land use sector policies," he says.
 HS cites preliminary data from Statistics Finland that says that in 2018 net carbon capture in Finland was at the lowest it has been since 1990. HS writes that this is because industrial wood harvesting has grown by seven percent since 2017.
 "What is up with the over-65s?"
 The tabloid Ilta-Sanomat reports a  12 percent drop in crime in Finland . The decline is apparent in every age group but seniors, as crimes committed by people over the age of 65 have climbed.
 Figures show that in a comparison of crimes from 2016-2018 and 2009-2011, even when adjusted for population growth, crimes committed by people aged 65-69 are up by 17 percent, with a rise of 33 percent for ages 70-74, and a shocking 47 percent increase for people over 75.
 To be clear, IS explains, people over 65 still commit far fewer crimes than younger age groups, but the trend diverges from the others, as incidents of crime are steadily falling for everyone under 65.
 The tabloid says it had a hard time finding an expert to comment on the trend, as no one seems to study crime among the elderly. Helsinki University professor of law  Kimmo Nuotio  says the explanation may simply be that older people are now much more active than they used to be.
 IS says a closer look at the crimes in question backs up this theory, as three-quarters (75.6 percent) of the crimes committed by over-65s in 2018 are revealed to be traffic violations for speeding. As with the Finnish population overall, most of the crimes in question are therefore minor offenses.
 But the figures also reveal a worrying increase in assault. At the same time that 'crimes against life and health' have fallen in other age groups, among over-75s they have grown by 28 percent in the last decade. In 2018, there were 66 reported offences of this nature.
 Ursidae vs Kia
 And the nation's second major tabloid Iltalehti features a story on a  bear attack in northern Finland . Fortunately, the animal took out his frustration on a rental car and not people.
 A couple from Austria holidaying in the north-eastern region of Kuusamo woke up last weekend to find that a bear had mauled their Kia rental car in the yard of the cottage they were staying in. The grisly attacker left scratch marks in the metal in several places, along with clumps of fur, paw prints and plenty of dirt.
 The gob smacked tourists took photos of the damage to prove what had happened.  Jani Tuulaniemi , who runs the FiRENT firm in Oulu that arranged the car for the couple, tells IL that it was a first in his six years in the business.
 "There's been the odd collision with a moose or something like that, but never anything like this. When the Austrian couple sent me an email with the subject line 'bear attack to our car', I though it must be spam. It was hard to believe," he said.
 The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation's communications manager  Matti Nieminen  says bears are peaceful animals that tend to stay away from humans. He speculates that a weak blueberry crop in the Kuusamo area may be responsible for the car attack.
 "It has become very common in the USA for bears in national parks to attack cars, as they've learned that there is often food inside," said Nieminen.

Wednesday's papers: Finland drags feet on climate change, rise in elderly crime, bear attack


Summary: This year's Homeless World Cup tournament in Cardiff, Wales attracted more than 500 players from over 50 countries.

Kansainväliset jalkapallo-ottelut ja -turnaukset

Finland's south-central hub of Tampere will play host to the 18th Homeless World Cup in summer 2020. The week-long tournament will be arranged from 28 June to 6 July in the city's Ratina stadium.
 "Bringing the Homeless World Cup to Finland has been our target for several years,"  Perttu Pesa , president of the local organising committee and Tampere's event director, said in a press release.
 Event rules stipulate that eligible players must be over 16 years of age and currently in drug or alcohol rehabilitation programmes and/or have been homeless at some point in the past two years. Street paper vendors and asylum seekers with a residency status or without asylum status are also welcome to try out for the team.
 Eight players are eventually appointed to a national team, based on their level of commitment, personal attitude and sporting ability. Each country can apply to send a men's/mixed and a women's team.
 Organised since 2003
 More than one million people worldwide have participated in some way in the Homeless World Cup since the first tournament was arranged in Graz, Austria in 2003. Women's teams have played in the annual tournament since 2010.
 Teams from Mexico came out on top in both the men's and women's premiere series in this year's cup in Cardiff, Wales. Team Finland came in 41st and did not field a women's team. Finland has sent a team to the competition every year since 2006.
 The Finnish NGOs, the Salvation Army, the Deaconess Institute, and the Nauha Association will join with the Finnish Homeless Academy and the city of Tampere to organise the 2020 games.

Tampere to host 2020 football world cup for the homeless


Summary: Last year 52 children from abroad arrived in Finland for adoption, according to a news consortium.

The number of adoptive children -- 52 -- who arrived in Finland last year marked the smallest number of adoptions since the 1980s, according to Uutissuomalainen, the joint editorial service for 15 Finnish newspapers.
 "Only during the years 1985 to 1987 was the total number of adoptions smaller than last year," said  Minna Malviniemi , Secretary of the Finnish Adoption Board at Valvira, the national supervisory authority for health and welfare.
 Six times as many kids in 2005
 During the peak year of 2005, 308 children arrived in Finland for adoption, which is six times more than the figure for 2018.
 The number of adoptions started to decrease after the mid-2000s. A significant reason for drop is that there have been fewer children available for international adoption since then.
 "In many countries where children were given up for adoption, the social and economic situation as well as child protection [services] have improved, so there’s less need for international adoptions," said  Kristiina Mattinen , regional director of Save the Children Finland.
 In addition to adoption and foster organisation Interpedia, child adoptions are also arranged by the Save the Children organisation and the Social Welfare Department of the City of Helsinki.

International adoptions dip to 30-year low in Finland


Summary: Findings from a Finnish university research team suggest that eating an egg a day actually improves cognitive retention.

Research from the University of Eastern Finland has deduced that people with higher choline intake have a 28 percent lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. A nutrient known as phosphatidylcholine found in eggs and other foods was isolated as having a particular effect.
 High serum cholesterol levels have been linked not only to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, but also to an increased risk of memory disorders. The Finnish study adds to growing research that disproves this notion. On the contrary, the study finds that the consumption of eggs was associated with better results in certain tests measuring cognitive performance.
 The Finnish researchers say the finding is noteworthy, as over 50 million people in the world contract cognitive diseases that lead to dementia. The number will only increase as the population grows older.
 "The observation is intriguing, but we need a significant amount of new research before we can say anything for sure," says  Maija Ylilauri , a member of the research team.
 The  findings were published  in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in late July.
 An egg a day keeps Alzheimer's away?
 The study examined a sample of close to 2,500 men between the ages of 42 and 60, culled from a population-based Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study from the 1980s. Researchers assessed the dietary intakes from a cohort of 1,259 of the participants.
 During a 22-year follow-up period, 337 of the men were diagnosed with a memory disorder, 266 with Alzheimer's disease.
 The subjects observed in the study received an average of 188 milligrams of phosphatidylcholine daily. About 39 percent of this was obtained by eating eggs, and another 37 percent was from meat intake. One egg contains about 130 milligrams of the vital nutrient.
 The participants in the study who had a higher choline intake than the other cohorts also fared better on tests evaluating memory functions and language fluency. Beyond eggs and meat, other foods with high choline content include fruits, berries, vegetables, and grains.
 Researcher Ylilauri however notes that many other things about a person's lifestyle – above and beyond diet – are associated with the risk of memory disorders.

Study: No link between higher cholesterol intake and dementia


Summary: A Finnish Road Safety Council-commissioned survey suggests 20 percent of pedestrians fear crossing the street.

Two out of every five respondents to a new poll report having been involved in a dangerous incident or accident on a pedestrian crossing. One in five said that they are afraid to cross the street even on familiar crosswalks.
 Three out of five of the respondents nevertheless said they believe that using pedestrian crossings is safe in general, and about half said that motorists in Finland generally give way to pedestrians at crosswalks without traffic lights.
 The Finnish Road Safety Council-commissioned poll of 1,082 respondents was conducted by pollster Kantar in late May-early June. 78 percent of the interviewees self-identified as motorists as well as pedestrians.
 The survey discovered that one out in three of the drivers responding to the survey feared creating a dangerous situation when giving way to pedestrians on zebra crossings in the midst of heavy traffic.
 Every fourth person responding to the survey also said that they would be annoyed while driving if they had to stop for everyone who might potentially be crossing. Even so, 90 percent said they do tend to stop and let people cross, even if there is traffic behind them.
 Motorists must give way to pedestrians in Finland
 Finnish law requires motorists to give way to pedestrians on a zebra crossing. Even so, the Finnish Road Safety Council advises walkers to make sure oncoming motorists notice them and reduce their speed before stepping into the street. In Finland, a cyclist who walks a bicycle across the street is considered a pedestrian.
 The Council reports that approximately 35 pedestrian fatalities and 550 injuries occur in road traffic each year. Of the victims, one in six is a child. Tomorrow marks the start of most schools in Finland, and drivers are encouraged to be especially mindful of the schoolkids on the road.
 "Pedestrian crossings present the largest safety concern on many routes. As adults, we are ultimately responsible for the safety of our children," says the council's head  Anna-Liisa Tarvainen .
 The group also points out that reflector tags also prevent many pedestrian accidents each year, an important factor as Finland moves towards shorter days.

Poll: 40% report close-calls or accidents at zebra crossings


Summary: Border guards from northern Finland are being called in to handle increasing passenger numbers at Helsinki Airport.

The number of passengers entering and leaving Finland at the airport has risen from four million to six million in the last five years as Helsinki Airport has become a major hub between Asia and Europe.
 The overall increase in traffic at Helsinki Airport, which saw a record 20 million passengers last year, has affected the operations of the Finnish Border Guard.
 "We’ve had to increase staff and bring in border guards from other parts of Finland," said  Tuomas Laosmaa , head of the Finnish Border Guard.
 Fewer guards in other parts of Finland
 This summer, border guards have been moved to Helsinki Airport from airports in Lapland, Kainuu and North Karelia. This means that there are fewer border guards in other areas of Finland.
 "During holiday peaks we’ve had to move 10 to 30 staff members at a time to strengthen the checks that we do," Laosmaa added.
 The total number of border guards has increased in the last few years through additional funding. During the past two years, 360 border guards have been trained, but according to Laosmaa, they have largely replaced staff shortages that have occurred in recent years with people retiring, for example.
 Municipalities with new international flights need monitoring
 Laosmaa emphasises that the number of border guard personnel should be carefully monitored.
 Helsinki Airport’s international traffic is estimated to increase to 10 million border crossings by 2025 and international traffic along Finland's eastern border has also started to grow after a few weak years.
 "It’s also important to monitor how we take care of northern Finland’s airports," Laosmaa noted.

Rising airline passenger traffic stretches border guard resources


Summary: A new research project is looking for participants to explore the benefits of nature in managing depression.

Many people know that spending time in the forest is beneficial for body and mind. A new research study is setting out to see how nature therapy can best be used to manage depression.
 The universities of Tampere and Jyväskylä will conduct the study funded by Kela, the national social insurance agency, to examine how nature and the support of a group can help in the rehabilitation and recovery from depression. As part of the study, free nature therapy groups will be held in August and next April.
 Organisers are looking for participants who suffer from depression, mainly those of working age, to take part. Those interested can send an email to: jane-veera.paakkolanvaara(at)tuni.fi.
 Rising popularity of 'forest bathing'
 Previous studies on the topic have have been carried out in Finland, for example, by professor  Liisa Tyrväinen  of the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) and the Sipoo health centre, which carried out a project in 2015-2016 that took people suffering from Type 2 diabetes or mild depression into natural environments as part of their treatment and found that it had a positive impact on their medical conditions.
 On the international scene, forest bathing, that is taking time out to slow down and connect with nature, is popular in Japan.

Wanted: Participants for nature therapy study


Summary: New school syllabus put to test, a plan to merge pre-school with first two primary grades, 500k payday for govt aides.

Ministerit, ministeriöt ja valtioneuvosto

Finland’s revamped primary school curriculum will be fully put to the test when this year’s crop of first graders begin school. Unlike their peers before them, students starting school will receive all their instruction on the basis of a new national core curriculum approved in 2014,  writes largest circulation daily Helsingin Sanomat .
 The paper interviewed  Jukka Rantala  of Helsinki University, a professor of social education, who said that the curriculum may appear to some eyes to be quite vague. This, he noted, is deliberate.
 "Municipalities create their own curricula and many schools even create their own on the basis of the curriculum’s fundamentals."
 Helena Thuneberg  of Helsinki University’s Centre for Educational Assessment CEA has conducted international comparisons of national core curricula and described the new syllabus as important.
 The  new syllabus focuses on skills development , which is part of a global trend in education, HS writes. The OECD has identified 12 important 21st-century skills, such as critical thinking, media literacy, leadership and initiative.
 The daily notes that the Finnish curriculum lays down seven broad areas of expertise that correspond to the OECD ideals. They include thinking and learning, cultural competency, self-care, multi-literacy, information and communications technology competence, working life skills and entrepreneurship as well as participation, empowerment and building a sustainable future.
 "You can read between the lines and see the OECD skills set there," Thuneberg commented.
 An estimated 61,600 youngsters in Finland begin primary school on Thursday. It will be the first day of 8,512 hours of classroom instruction leading to the completion of their basic education in the spring of 2028.
 Bid to ease transition to primary school
 Meanwhile the Oulu-based daily Kaleva also focuses on education, covering a government proposal to  bundle pre-school with first- and second-grade education  to ensure a smooth transition to primary school for young learners.
 Kaleva picked up the piece from news consortium Uutissuomalainen, which reports that Education Minister  Li Andersson  has not yet provided details on how the possible reform might be implemented.
 According to Kaleva, Andersson said the option to flexibly merge pre- and early primary school instruction would be especially important in less populous municipalities with smaller class sizes.
 "During these early years in particular, there are already large discrepancies in pupils’ competence due to natural development. Additionally, some may have special developmental difficulties," Andersson noted.
 As a result, the paper writes, the aim of the proposed reform is to reduce the level of difficulty some learners experience adjusting to school. Currently, about 100 children annually postpone starting school.
 Ample salaries for top public servants
 Tabloid daily Iltalehti has been diving into public records and crunching the numbers to report that Finland is  spending upwards of 500,000 euros every month  on the salaries of state secretaries and ministerial aides.
 According to the daily, government parties, the Social Democratic Party, Centre, Greens, Left Alliance and the Swedish People’s Party agreed during coalition formation talks on a total of 15 state secretaries and 69 special aides. In Finland, state secretaries assist ministers with political steering and planning work.
 The prime minister would have seven special assistants, while ministers also doubling as party leaders would be assigned five and other ministers would have three aides. IL reports that Prime Minister  Antti Rinne ’s state secretary  Raimo Luoma  currently earns 12,780 euros monthly (without a phone benefit) while other state secretaries' pay packet is 9,834 euros.
 The paper also noted that four ex-MPs who were voted out of the parliament in elections in April will earn nearly 10,000 euros a month for the next four years in roles as state secretaries.
 They are the Greens’  Olli-Poika Parviainen , now state secretary to Interior Minister  Maria Ohisalo ;  Tuomu Puumala , a former Centre Party MP, who is now Science and Culture Minister  Annika Saarikko ’s state secretary; Centre parliamentary group state secretary  Kimmo Tiilikainen  as well as ex-SDP parliamentarian  Pilvi Torsti , right hand toSDP Labour Minister  Timo Harakka  .
 So far some 15 state secretaries and 62 special aides have been named to the cabinet.

Thursday's papers: Full curriculum rollout, new school reform idea, big money for govt aides


Summary: The Greens have roused sleeping voters and poached support from the Left Alliance and National Coalition Party.

The five-party government led by prime minister  Antti Rinne  has seen voter approval rise for the first time since it took office, according to a new Taloustutkimus survey for Yle.
 The poll shows that the administration has been buoyed by rising approval for the Greens. The Centre led by outgoing chair and ex-PM  Juha Sipilä  also saw signs of regaining some voter intentions during the survey period.
 "Combined support for the government parties is now 57 percent. The administration has a mandate to govern," said Taloustutkimus research chief  Tuomo Turja . A  poll by daily Helsingin Sanomat at the end of July  put support for the government coalition at 55.3 percent.
 The pollster noted that although party polls have seen wild fluctuations in recent years, support for the largest opposition parties has remained constant over the past few months. The right-of-centre Finns Party remains the party the largest proportion of electors say they’ll vote for if an election were held now, with 19,6 percent of popular sentiment. This level of  support has more or less held steady  for the past couple of months.
 The National Coalition Party, which is also now in opposition after having been in government since 2007, also appears to have cemented its level of voter backing, recording 16.8 percent approval in the latest poll. Reading the numbers, Turja said that the Finns Party has claimed the mantle of the country’s largest workers’ party, however support from the business sector declined in the last survey. The NCP meanwhile, managed to boost its approval among the business class.
 Greens wake sleeping voters
 Turja noted that among the five-party coalition, the Greens were able to rouse sleeping voters among its own ranks and also poached some backing from the Left Alliance and the NCP to post 15.1 percent voter approval.
 The Centre shift the tide of its slow decline to post an improvement of 0.9 percentage-points and finish the poll with 12.6 percent support.
 "It’s now reached rock bottom but it’s still there. Baseline support for the Centre appears to be around 12 percent," Turja observed.
 Turja added that after t he party’s election drubbing  followed by its confusing decision to join the government, some voters have returned to the fold. He noted that the slight rebound was driven by backing in its traditional strongholds.
 In addition, a look at weekly polling for the party showed no indication that its imminent leadership election was affecting levels of support.
 All of the movement in party approval scores were well within the poll's margin of error, +/- two percentage points.
 SDP support generally down in summer
 The downward slide in approval for Rinne’s SDP that began after the election also appears to have halted. Voter backing for the party stood at 16.3 percent in the latest survey, the same as in June.
 However the numbers suggest that the party suffers from a seasonal summer slump in the polls. Yle surveys from 2013 to 2017 indicate that the party always scores its lowest ratings in one of the summer months.
 Turja said that for some reason during the summer the party’s message fails to reach core supporters – blue- and white-collar workers – which was also the case in July this year. He added that the decline has taken place in key SDP territory such as western Finland and in provincial centres.
 In 2016 Rinne explained the decline in support by saying that during the summer, then-government ministers had greater opportunities for publicity because of their work. That hypothesis no longer applies now that his party is in government.
 Turja said that the new poll shows a typical post-election trend.
 "During summer [overall] party support begins to fall, it’s close to 80 percent after elections and now it’s around 71 percent," he noted.
 "After elections people are active about sharing their party affiliation, but I believe that during the autumn voters will be more uncertain."
 The pollster predicted greater movement in party support during the autumn after a quiet summer. Taloustutkimus interviewed 2,451 respondents between 8 July and 6 August for the survey. Nearly 1,750 of them revealed their party affiliations.

Yle poll: Govt approval inches up, SDP sees summer slump


Summary: The current system of choosing one official home for a child can often lead to child custody and social benefit issues.

Finland's government is considering a proposal to update legislation and allow children of divorced parents to be officially registered at two different addresses.
 After parents divorce in Finland, their child or children can only have one official home address. Current legislation often causes disagreements within many families as to which parent is the so-called  lähivanhempi  or resident parent, defined by the  state benefits administrator Kela  as "the parent who lives in the same household with the child".
 The other parent, defined by Kela as the non-resident parent or  etuvanhempi  in Finnish, is "liable for maintenance but not living in the same household with the child", even though custody of the child may be shared equally between the two parents.
 In Sweden, children of divorced parents can have two addresses, but in Finland this is not currently possible because a person cannot be registered as living in two different addresses at the same time.
 Only one parent receives benefits and services
 The government hopes that the proposal to allow the child of a divorced family to have two official addresses will resolve issues related to social benefits and services.
 Currently, only the resident parent is entitled to such benefits and services as child allowance, housing allowance or school transportation.
 This is still the case even if the child lives an equal amount of time in both homes, a situation that is becoming increasingly common.
 "Arranging transportation to school for a child with a disability does not apply to both homes. This means that the other parent [non-resident parent] must transport the child to school," says senior expert  Anna Moring  of the Diverse Families Network, an umbrella body consisting of ten different family associations.
 Anna Moring of the Diverse Families Network.  Karoliina Simoinen / Yle
 If parents are unable to jointly decide which one is the resident parent, the matter will be settled in court, with the benefits and services awarded to the appointed resident parent.
 “It [the benefits] could be hundreds of euros per month, and the other household gets more, even if the child spends the same amount of time in each home,” says Moring.
 District Courts have almost equally awarded resident parents status to fathers and mothers. However, in voluntary agreements made between the parents, mothers become the resident parent in more than 80 percent of cases.
 Through her work with the Diverse Families Network, Moring has become aware of the many challenges families face in interchangeable living situations.
 "There are many solutions to these practical problems," Moring explains, before adding that municipal law is one major obstacle to the introduction of two official addresses.
 Moring cites the example of a child being enrolled in two different municipalities, and having to deal with separate tax and service issues. Which municipality would provide daycare or healthcare services? Could the child attend two different daycares?
 In December, a new law on child care will come into force, and is expected to include provisions for the mobility of children between divorced parents' homes. However, Moring believes that this will not be enough to tackle the issues.
 "Just recording information in the population register doesn't really change anything," says Moring.

Government mulls reform to allow children two official homes after divorce


Summary: The average cost of renting a property in the capital has increased by six percent since 2015.

From April to June this year, the cost of renting a non-subsidised home increased the most in the Helsinki metropolitan area and in the southwestern coastal city of Turku compared with the rest of the country, according to a report by Statistics Finland. Rents increased by an average of 1.5 percent in both of these urban areas.
 The biggest increase in the capital area was in Vantaa, where rents were found to be 1.7 percent higher than over the same period last year.
 In other major cities across Finland, the rise in rents fluctuated around the one percent mark. In the Central Finland cities of Lahti and Jyväskylä the rise was less than one percent, while in Tampere it was 1.4 percent.
 Compared to 2015, rents have increased by six percent in the Greater Helsinki area and by five percent in the rest of Finland. Annual rents have however slowed down in more recent years across the country.
 In terms of rent per square metre, Helsinki is by far the most expensive area in Finland. The average rent per square metre of a newly-leased property in the capital during the first half of this year was 22.20 euros. In Tampere, the estimated price was 15.40 euros while in Turku it was 14.70 euros.

Helsinki and Turku see steepest rent hikes


Summary: Police give advice to motorists, cyclists, e-scooter riders and parents to ensure children get to school safely.

As children across Finland begin making  the trip to and from school between 7 and 14 August,  Finnish authorities are reminding motorists of the need to consider youngsters negotiating traffic on the streets.
 Superintendent  Anne Hiltunen  of the Helsinki police Department, points out that all road users have a joint stake in  ensuring traffic safety .
 Hiltunen urges parents to advise younger schoolchildren to keep their mobile phones and headphones in their backpacks on the way to school and to focus their full attention on the traffic. The Helsinki officer provided a short checklist for motorists, cyclists and electric scooter users.
 1. Comply with speed limits
 It's essential for motorists to be patient on the road. Always observe the prescribed speed limit. In urban areas in particular,a vehicle's situation-specific speed is often more dangerous than speeding.Special care should be exercised in the vicinity of schools.
 2. Stop at pedestrian crossings
 Small children may not see vehicles in traffic, perceive their actual speed or even be aware of them. Children may sometimes seem like they are avoiding traffic or waiting at the roadside, but may then suddenly begin crossing the road. Motorists should always give way to pedestrians at crosswalks.
 3. Do not use your mobile phone while driving
 Mobile phone should not be used when driving. They have no place near the steering wheel. Motorists should remember that many pedestrians walk around with phones in hand or wearing headphones. Nowadays, people also have small ear buds that cannot even be distinguished from their ears. Motorists should keep in mind that even young schoolchildren may use headphones that interfere with their perception of surrounding traffic.
 4. Start your morning commute four minutes earlier in August and September
 This way you can drive more slowly on your commute, improving your reaction time if you need to brake in an emergency. There is often heavy traffic in urban areas, especially in Helsinki. It's more the rule than the exception that you will encounter something unexpected on the road. In principle, especially in urban areas, it makes sense to reserve a reasonable amount of time rather than the minimum to get to your destination. This will eliminate the need for hasty decisions.
 5. Cyclists and e-scooters should stay off sidewalks
 The sidewalk is no place for electric scooters and users must obey the same traffic rules as cyclists. Cyclists should also be on the alert in the vicinity of schools and ride on cycle paths, not on sidewalks.

5 tips for road users as school begins


Summary: Landowners have a duty to eradicate invasive plants classified as harmful, such as lupins, giant balsam and beach rose.

The Finnish Environment Institute Syke is developing drone imaging and mapping  to detect invasive species .
 On Thursday, the environmental watchdog teamed up with the Oulu chapter of ProAgria, a national agricultural advisory and development organisation to demonstrate the use of drone technology for mapping non-indigenous flora and fauna.
 Landowners have a duty to eradicate invasive plants classified as harmful. They may include lupins, giant balsam, giant hogweed and beach rose plants.
 Photographic material of the landscape recorded will be anaylsed with the assistance of machine vision, a technology that uses single or multiple cameras to inspect and analyse objects automatically.
 Syke said that it will be looking to develop the drone imaging and mapping programme for broader use across the country.
 The organisation noted that new models and approaches are required to meet national and  EU obligations regarding the eradication of invasive species .

Finland turns to drones, machine vision tech to map invasive species


Summary: According to the international study, a certain set of genes is activated in children who present with early diabetes.

According to a new study of children with Type 1 diabetes, certain genes are activated before the disease starts. The result was revealed by an international study conducted using genetic engineering techniques, and was led by a research team in Turku.
 "Our findings provide a basis for identifying children at risk of developing Type 1 diabetes even before they become ill," explained Academy Professor  Riitta Lahesmaa  in a press release from the University of Turku.
 Children in Finland have the highest risk of Type 1 diabetes in the world, but the reason for this is as yet unknown. However, it has been established that children face a the risk of developing diabetes if certain antibodies are found in their blood.
 "The next step is to investigate these factors in a larger body of data and to understand their significance for the cause of the disease," the press release continued. "The aim is to develop means and tools to prevent the onset of the disease in these children."
 The study required long-term, interdisciplinary international collaboration involving clinical patients, molecular medicine and immunology researchers, as well as computational science experts.
 Lahesmaa's research group works at the Turku Life Sciences Centre, a joint venture between the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi. The research has been funded by the Academy of Finland, the US-based Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and the European Union.
 The study was reported by  Diabetes  magazine as well as by  Nature Reviews of Endocrinology .

Turku-led study finds genetic link to Type 1 diabetes


Summary: Among the stories in the press, 60,000 people in Finland erroneously received other people's personal tax information.

Main daily  Helsingin Sanomat (HS)  reports that Vero, the Finnish Tax Administration, sent the wrong tax information to 60,000 people in Finland on Tuesday.
 Many of the notices sent out contained other customer’s personal information including their social security numbers, according to  Jarkko Levasma , chief development and information officer at the Finnish Tax Administration.
 “On August 6 we sent out about 60,000 letters. At this point we need to assume that they all contain mistakes,” Levasma told HS.
 Levasma said that tens of people have contacted the Tax Administration regarding the matter. He told HS that while the majority of the letters sent out related to personal tax matters, there may be some businesses ones in the mix as well.
 HS writes that Levasma said it's not known how the error originated: “We’re looking into the matter and for the time being have halted sending letters. We ask those who have received the incorrect information to destroy the letters they received.”
 The politics of teaching
 “Being an MP was easier than teaching,” according to former MP  Tuula Peltonen  in an  Iltalehti  tabloid lead story on her return to being a teacher -- a career that she is now considering leaving.
 Peltonen was an MP from 2007 to 2015 for the Social Democratic Party, and said that when she returned to teaching two years ago, she quickly realised that “things had changed, and not in a good way."
 Iltalehti writes that Peltonen, who works as a special needs education teacher in Jämsä, noticed that municipalities were trying to cut back on everything, including special needs.
 When Peltonen was an MP, she supported the idea that special needs students should attend regular classes at a local school, be provided with support, and that there should a limited number of special needs students in one classroom.
 “Municipalities discovered that savings could be made without hiring special needs teachers and leaving the work to the class teacher,” says Peltonen, who told the newspaper that although she hasn’t made a decision yet, she’s considering a career change.
 Downpour on the way
 Ilta-Sanomat , the sister tabloid of Helsingin Sanomat, reports that the Finnish Meteorological Institute has issued a heavy rainfall warning for Friday, with some parts of the country set to receive 20 millimetres of rain per hour.
 Southwestern parts of Finland will be hit by rain and thunderstorms, which may spread to other parts of the country. The Finnish Meteorological Institute has also issued heavy rainfall warnings for the Uusimaa, Satakunta, Kanta-Häme and Pirkanmaa regions.
 On Thursday, in Pori on Finland's west coast, it rained 34.7 millimetres per hour, causing flooding of streets and basements.

Friday’s papers: Tax return mix-up, politics versus teaching, and heavy rainfall warning


Summary: The new Emergency Response Information System elevates cases too easily to the highest level of urgency, according to police.

The rate at which police in Finland respond to the reporting of crimes is at the worst level for a decade, according to a report by the Oulu regional daily newspaper  Kaleva .
 From January to July this year, the police's average response time was 10.7 minutes for the most urgent Class A alerts throughout the country, which is up more than a minute on the previous year.
 The rolling out of the new Emergency Response Information System (Erica) across Finland has led to some teething problems, police say, as the system is elevating too many Class B alerts to the status of a Class A, or most urgent, alert.
 During the first half of this year, the number of Class A alerts increased significantly, by nearly 50 percent, while the number of Class B alert tasks decreased by about a quarter.
 "Previously, the urgency class of a call was more freely chosen," explained inspector  Marko Savolainen , of the National Police Board of Finland, before adding that the Erica system has made some clear mistakes when choosing the urgency of an alert.
 "We have agreed with the Emergency Response Centre to take measures aimed at eliminating clear errors and to rely more on the risk assessment tool instead," Savolainen said.
 Keywords can elevate calls
 Jyrki Kivirinta , Head of the Oulu Police Department's Surveillance and Alarm Unit, told the newspaper that a single key word, such as the use of the word "knife", in an emergency call alone can automatically elevate the call to a Class A alert, even if there is no acute danger to a person's life or health.
 According to Kiviranta, the police will continue to work more closely with the Emergency Response Centre to better classify the urgency of alerts.

Kaleva: Police response time at worst level for a decade


Summary: Obesity among children is a major health issue in Finland as in the rest of the world.

A new study by the University of Helsinki and non-governmental organisation Folkhälsan has found that Finnish children who have a lot of screen time have a greater risk of obesity, regardless of how much they exercise.
 Spending a lot of time on a device had a direct connection to being overweight and central adiposity, which is carrying extra weight around the waistline, even in children who move a lot. The study did not measure the type of exercise the children undertook.
 However, there is a caveat. ”It’s important to note that this study doesn’t tell us about causality. It may be that overweight children spend more time in front of the screen or that significant screen time leads to obesity,” said researcher  Elina Engberg  in a University of Helsinki press release.
 Their study  'Heavy screen users are the heaviest among 10,000 children' was published in Scientific Reports , an online open-access journal, earlier this month.
 More than 10,000 children from around Finland between the ages of 9 to 12 participated in the study.

Study: Too much screen time for kids can lead to obesity


Summary: Efforts aimed at reducing consumption in Finland are hampered by meat's strong position in Finnish food culture.

Food production is a major contributor to carbon dioxide emissions, according to a recent  report  by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and the consumption of meat in particular should be reduced in order to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees in accordance with the terms of the Paris Agreement.
 A report released in January by Finland's National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) found that adults in Finland  eat too much meat and not enough vegetables .
 However, there is no simple solution to reducing meat consumption, according to  Mikael Fogelholm , a professor of nutritional science at the University of Helsinki.
 "Politicians are very relaxed, they tax meat and think that will solve it. But taxing meat is only one way among many," says Fogelholm.
 A proposal to increase tax on meat became  a topic of discussion  before April's general election.
 According to  Heikki Lehtonen , Research Professor at the Finnish Natural Resources Institute (LUKE), it is difficult to interfere in an individual's eating habits, because it is such a personal issue.
 "I am skeptical that this will be solved through taxation or any other tricks. People should be eating better, but if there is too much pressure, there will be a backlash," Lehtonen says.
 Meat consumption in Finland has increased dramatically
 On average, people living in Finland consume about 80 kilos of meat a year. Reducing meat consumption is not easy because meat has become part of the Finnish daily diet and is a central part of Finnish food culture.
 In the 1960s, when the consumption of meat in Finland was seen as a sign of wealth and well-being, Finns ate less than 40 kilos of meat a year.
 Story continues after graph.
 Tommi Pylkkö / Yle
 "This is an international phenomenon. As the country becomes more prosperous, meat consumption increases," Fogelholm explains.
 According to experts, a return to the 1960s diet is not an option. The best way to reduce meat consumption is to provide consumers with a sufficient number of attractive alternative options.
 In recent years, new plant-based products have appeared on store shelves to replace meat in daily cooking.
 "Mass catering, product placement and marketing can also produce good results," says Fogelholm.

Report: Finns eating more meat than ever before


Summary: Police suspect the cartridges found during the search of a home in Punavuori were intended to be sold as intoxicants.

Police in Helsinki have seized about 10,000 cartridges containing nitrous oxide, otherwise known as laughing gas, from an apartment block in the Punavuori district of the capital.
 Police suspect the cartridges were intended for use as intoxicants. The importing, storing, possessing and selling of the chemical compound for the purpose of intoxication is a criminal offence in Finland.
 Chief Investigator  Harri Saaristola  of the Helsinki Police Department told Yle that the cartridges were found during a search of a home in Punavuori that was operating as a "shop".
 "From the inside, it appeared to be a place to buy cartridges. The "store" had, for example, a cash register and a debit card reader," Saaristola revealed in a police press release.
 Police are also investigating if cartridges of laughing gas were sold from the apartment for use by minors.
 In worst case scenarios, the imbibing of nitrous oxide can lead to death, police warned.
 "The potential acute risks of the vapour gas arise from the displacement of oxygen in the lungs and, consequently, the bloodstream. There is a significant difference between the use of the gas as a medicine and as a drug. In medical use, laughing gas is mixed with oxygen, while in drug use, laughing gas is used as it is,” Saaristola said.
 According to police, the apartment from which the gas cartridges were found had been leased to a company registered in Estonia.

Police seize 10,000 laughing gas canisters in Helsinki


Summary: The letters contained sensitive personal information which could be misused, according to the Data Protection Office.

An error by the Finnish tax authority Vero, in which  approximately 27,000 customers received letters containing information relating to other individuals , has created a serious data protection situation, according to the Assistant Data Protection Commissioner  Jari Råman .
 "It is always a serious situation when personal information goes to the wrong place. Especially if the preliminary figures are correct that this is a relatively large amount," Jari Råman added.
 A data protection error of this scale is exceptional in Finland, and there still remains the possibility that the information might be misused or abused, according to Råman.
 "There is always a chance of abuse. However, it can only be evaluated on the basis of the type of information that has been placed in the wrong hands," Råman said.
 The Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman will await a report from the tax administration on the security breach and the nature of the information that has been sent to the wrong people. The Ombudsman will then assess the consequences, if any, that an individual could expect to face from the possible breach of security.
 Jarkko Levasma , Director of Tax Development and Information Administration at Vero, confirmed on Friday to the news agency STT that around 27,000 letters contained information relating to other costumers.
 Levasma also told Yle that Vero will provide a report to the Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman on Friday. The tax authority has 72 hours to report on the circumstances of the privacy breach.
 Mistake was "complete surprise"
 Vero became aware of the issue on Thursday, when individual customers began contacting the authority to report errors on letters they had received.
 According to Levasma, the mistake was caused by an error in the printing system of an external company, which confused and misconstrued individual customer information. The error has since been identified and the only affected letters were those sent on August 6, which was a single print run.
 "For the most part, personal taxation decisions were sent at this time. There was about 17,000 of them. There were also some tax cards", Levasma said.
 Story continues after photo.
 Development and IT Director Jarkko Levasma of Vero could not have imagined that this mistake was possible.  Kimmo Hiltunen / Yle
 The tax administrator advises any customer who received a letter containing incorrect information to destroy it, and that customers will receive a new, amended and corrected letter at a later date. According to Levasma, the correct information for each individual taxpayer can be found on the online tax system at  vero.fi .
 Furthermore, Levasma apologised on behalf of the tax administration and said he considers the incident to be a serious error.
 "The mistake and it's location surprised me completely, as I could not have imagined that something could go wrong at that point," said Levasma, adding that millions of letters have previously been sent through the same system.
 Tax cards may show sensitive information
 The August 6 print run also contained corporate tax rulings as well as other tax-related letters. The tax authority believe that there may be some problem with all of the letters.
 "In some cases, you have to look closely to see that the numbers appear to be from another letter," Levasma explained.
 Examples of the incorrect information included, among other things, the wrong name of a spouse. The details of some companies may also have been sent to the wrong people.
 Assistant Data Protection Officer Råman told Yle that he does not want to speculate as to whether the tax authority will be penalised for any breach of data protection.
 "On the basis of the report, we will be able to determine whether the tax administration's actions were sufficient and whether some further action will be needed," Råman said.
 Earlier on Friday, the tax authority estimated that the number of incorrect letters was 17,000, but Levasma said further errors were subsequently found elsewhere in the same print run. Previously, on Thursday, the number of erroneous letters was estimated to be 60,000.

Tax authority estimates 27,000 customers affected by mix-up


Summary: Food waste has a big impact on combating climate change, according to the IPCC Climate Change report released on Thursday.

Independent police complaints commission

Kansainväliset organisaatiot ja sopimukset

In Finnish homes an average of every tenth slice of bread, piece of fruit or vegetable ends up in the garbage bin, according to the consumer magazine Kuluttuja’s Hävikkiviikko website.
 Often the reason is simple: a tomato dries out, a piece of bread goes stale, a pack of sausages reaches its expiration date, or too much food is made and then ends up being thrown out.
 On an international scale, according to the report released on Thursday by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) each of us throws out an average of 20 to 25 kilos of food a year on average. Food waste is no small matter, points out the report.
 Globally, food waste is estimated to be at 1.3 billion tonnes a year.
 Domestic figures
 In Finland, six percent of food purchased for home consumption ends up as waste.
 All told, Finnish households throw out 120 to 160 million kilos of food annually, which places a burden on both the production chain and the waste chain.
 For Europeans and North Americans, the typical average is 95 to 115 kilos a year. In Asia and Africa that figure is 6 to 11 kilos.
 The food chain accounts for more than a quarter of global warming greenhouse gas emissions, while one third of primary production ends up being wasted, the report concludes.

Finns create up to 160 million kilos of food waste annually


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.

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


Summary: The press reveals how Finnish police missed 2,000 child sex tip-offs, why Veikkaus is reviewing policies, 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 sexual crimes against children unopened in an "email inbox somewhere".
 According to HS, Finnish police were slow to react when people began reporting evidence 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 has now changed, with more staff than ever currently handling on the reports and investigating of such cases.
 Sarani also told HS that the police urge 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 medication 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 to hospitals, health clinics and rehabilitation centres.
 "Veikkaus' point of sale criteria states 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 turbulent 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 lasts.
 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, and the sun returns


Summary: Nearly half of respondents in a recent poll said they intend to limit air travel over climate concerns.

Up to 87 percent of Finnish residents said that recycling and sorting waste and consumer items are the most important climate-related actions they would implement in the future, according to a fresh survey by the municipal development foundation KAKS.
 The study, which aimed to determine attitudes to strategies to mitigate climate change, found that two out of three respondents also said they aimed to curb consumption overall. About 55 percent indicated that they would have more "staycations" or domestic vacations instead of travelling abroad.
 Additionally nearly half, some 47 percent, told pollster Kantar TNS that they planned to limit airline travel because of climate concerns. However 40 percent said they saw no reason to do the same.
 The survey revealed that 49 percent of respondents  planned to reduce meat consumption , while 54 percent said they were prepared to replace meat with vegetables or encourage others to do so.
 In spite of enthusiasm for some approaches to curbing climate change, poll respondents were lukewarm on the prospect of donating to combat climate change. They were also cool on the idea of voluntary contributions to offset emissions. More than half said they were not prepared to support such measures.
 The survey team polled just over 1,000 respondents between the ages of 18 and 79 in June.

Poll: Consumers in Finland favour recycling over direct spending on climate action


NGOs working to combat gambling addiction are calling for public health experts to be appointed to the board of the state-owned monopoly gambling operator Veikkaus. The non-profits say that the organisation focuses too heavily on making profits at the expense of reducing  problem gambling .
 Moreover, expertise on the drawbacks of excessive gambling plays "a very small role" on the Veikkaus board, according to  Inka Silvennoinen , a division manager of Peluuri, an NGO that helps combat  problem betting .
 Another grassroots organisation, the Finnish Association for Substance Abuse Prevention or Ehyt, called for Veikkaus to adopt a board composition similar to that of the state-owned alcohol monopoly retailer Alko, which typically has public health experts. According to executive director  Juha Mikkonen , the Alko board includes director general of the National Institute of Health and Welfare THL  Markku Tervahauta  as well as  Kirsi Varhila , a senior officer from the Social Affairs and Health Ministry.
 "It would be preferable for the Veikkaus board, management and administrative bodies to also have expertise in preventing harmful gambling," Mikkonen declared.
 Sirpa Paatero , the minister responsible for government ownership steering, said that the administration would review the issue of board membership in the gambling firm during the autumn.
 "I think it’s important that we consider this aspect when subsequent board members are selected," Paatero said by way of response.
 Veikkaus recently came under intense scrutiny and heavy criticism for  a radio advertising campaign that appeared to encourage frequent gamblers  to indulge the habit.
 Four politicians on Veikkaus board
 In addition to representatives of the business community, the Veikkaus board also comprises four politicians – unlike many other state-owned enterprises. They are MPs  Ilkka Kanerva  of the National Coalition Party and  Jutta Urpilainen  of the Social Democratic Party, as well as state secretary  Tuomo Puumala  of the Centre Party and former Finns Party MP  Raimo Vistbacka.
 Paatero noted that the decision to appoint the four politicians to the board was made during the previous administration led by Juha Sipilä, when Veikkaus merged with slot machine firm RAY and the horse racing and betting operation Fintoto.
 However she did not indicate whether or not the new government would be revisiting the politicians’ board appointments in autumn. She said that her understanding of the appointments was that they would bring a societal perspective to board deliberations.
 Veikkaus board members earn a monthly fee of 2,000 euros and an additional 600 euros for each meeting they attend. Some other large state-owned enterprises pay board members similar kinds of fees.
 NGOs have pointed out that Veikkaus managers’ salaries are tied to the firm’s profits as well as the growth of online gambling, while reducing problem gambling is not similarly rewarded.
 According to Peluuri’s Silvennoinen, pay incentives do not recognise corporate responsibility in any way, but focus on profit financial performance targets.
 Paatero also pledged to examine the system of performance incentives.
 "It’s important to have performance targets to ensure that Veikkaus functions well, but it would be good to see whether or not they include responsibility for problem betting rather than euro-based results," she commented.
 Minister: Good reason for cabinet oversight
 The non-profit organisations also suggested that like Alko, ministerial oversight for Veikkaus could be transferred to the social and health affairs ministry. The prime minister’s office is currently responsible for monitoring the performance of the gambling firm.
 "If we consider that Veikkaus’ main mission is to prevent problem gambling, it could raise the question of whether or not ownership steering should lie with the social affairs and health ministry, which is responsible for work combating the dangers of excessive gambling," Mikkonen pointed out.
 "Alko is governed by the health ministry because the state-owned company has a specific function that is related to public health," he added.
 However the minister said that the merger of the three gambling organisations meant that specific ministries were still responsible for allocating Veikkaus profits. The Education and Culture Ministry determines funding distribution for sports, youth and culture programmes, while the health ministry handles allocations for social affairs and health, she noted.
 "This is why it was seen as better that overall ownership steering would be in three places, because there is no justification for oversight to lie in the same functions that manage funding distribution," Paatero explained.

NGOs want public health experts on board of Finland's gambling monopoly


Summary: Bad credit or a criminal history could disqualify job applicants seeking work in certain positions.

Finland’s security and intelligence police, Supo, says it performs up to 62,000 security checks annually for employers. The audits form part of the recruitment process if the job in question involves national security, national defence or data security, Supo told Yle.
 As a result, applicants interested in installing windows at a police station under construction or cleaning an army garrison or working in the foreign service are all subject to the procedure. Jobseekers with a poor credit history or a criminal background will soon find their applications are overlooked.
 Supo said however that during the security screening process, it treats each case on its own merits.
 "If the cabinet requests a background check for a minister’s chauffeur, we would flag a drunk driving citation. But if a ministry is looking for someone to set up scaffolding for a renovation job, the drunk driving citation would be meaningless,”"explained Supo senior inspector  Pekka Aho , adding that the employer makes the final hiring decision, not the intelligence agency.
 Leniency for offences over 10 years old
 In general however, Supo said that it does not consider offences that date back longer than 10 years. The rule of thumb is that one youthful indiscretion should not be allowed to ruin an individual’s entire professional career. Aho noted that in some cases the intel organisation could decide not to inform an employer about a single offence committed many years in the past or as a juvenile.
 Primarily, security screenings flag criminal offences committed within a 10-year window or distraint proceedings committed in a four-year time span. However the more sensitive the information an employee will handle, the tighter the screening.
 Supo outlined the main reasons employers decide not to offer a position to an aspiring candidate.
 1. Poor credit history, distraint or fraud
 Payment defaults, distraint proceedings or financial crimes matter if the job applicant will have access to a firm’s or a public authority’s financial transactions or can get their hands on highly sensitive information. Credit default and distraint notifications are flagged in standard and comprehensive security screenings, but not in summary checks. The rule of thumb is that distraint filings that are older than four years are not reported.
 2. Drunk driving
 If the fundamental position involves driving a vehicle, investigators will report drunk driving citations to the employer. For example in cases where driving is not a core requirement of the job, investigators will not necessarily inform the employer of a drunk driving charge.
 3. Drug offences
 Supo has zero-tolerance policy when it comes to narcotics offences and may notify employers of even minor offences. Exceptions may include cases where the offence was a one-off and occurred when the offender was a minor. In the case of drug crimes, Supo abides by the recommendations of the Justice Ministry’s evaluation criterion advisory board.
 4. Assault
 If a job vacancy is with the protective services, Supo will very likely inform an employer of an assault conviction. This is also the case with educational or training institutions, for example if someone is applying for a study place at the Police University College. If the applicant has been found guilty of several violent crimes, that information will definitely be forwarded to recruiters.

Supo: Employers request 62k background checks annually on potential hires


Summary: Organisers muted the sound system for the artist’s closing set to avoid a fine for exceeding show's the time limit.

Helsinki’s heavily-promoted flow Festival ended not with a bang but with a whimper when organisers muted the sound system for the closing act,  Solange Knowles,  during the final minutes of her performance.
 Organisers said that Knowles’ set continued past the midnight limit set for the concert. Helsinki city rules stipulate that there should be no outdoor performances past midnight.
 According to festival spokesperson  Susanna Hulkkonen , there are consequences for failure to comply with the regulations.
 "Unfortunately we cannot be flexible on this matter. As a festival we cannot risk sanctions. In this kind of situation there can be hefty corporate fines," she noted.
 Helsinki’s urban environment division specifies possible noise limits for events.
 Solange "in good spirits" after show
 Previously, another US neo-soul singer and songwriter  Erykah Badu , was late onstage, but Hulkkonen said that this was not the reason that Knowles’ set extended beyond midnight.
 "The artists had enough time for the change, so Erykah Badu’s lateness was not responsible for exceeding the time limit," Hulkkonen explained.
 She continued that the time overrun was apparently caused by the fact that R&B artist Solange Knowles (who stepped in  to replace US rapper Cardi B .) was so excited during her first visit to Finland that she couldn’t bring herself to end her performance, despite the warnings of her manager and stage crew.
 "Solange herself was in good spirits after the gig and apologised for exceeding the time limit," Hulkkonen disclosed.
 Different takes on organisers' actions
 Some members of the audience expressed disappointment over not hearing the end of Solange’s set and took to social media to vent their frustration.
 "The end of Solange Knowles’ concert last night was shameful for all Helsinki residents. She probably won’t return. Flow Festival probably would not have turned down Roling Stones [sic] or Björk in the middle of a song! Unbelievable!" tweeted patron  Timo Tuhkanen .
 Mikko Kauste , a musician with Finnish pop ensemble Egotrippi, had a different view of the event’s culmination.
 "What happened at Flow: the evening’s main act Solange performed her last five minutes without a sound system because an entertainment license expired. It might be incredible to hear, but as I understand it the fines and sanctions are tough if the permit is violated. And of course neighbours would notice," he said on Twitter.
 Helsinki mayor  Jan Vapaavuori  also weighed in on Twitter.
 "It’s good that Flow-festival complied with noise regulations in a difficult situation. People in a bustling city sometimes need to be flexible so that others can have fun. However rules are needed and abiding by them is a sign of respect for others," the mayor wrote.
 Some 27,000 patrons attended Flow Festival on Friday. It wraps up on Sunday, when headline performers will include the British rock band The Cure.

Flow Festival muffles R&B artist Solange Knowles over Helsinki noise regulations


Summary: There is also evidence that foreign workers are being exploited in the construction, restaurant and forestry industries.

A  report  by Yle’s investigative journalism unit MOT has revealed how undocumented workers, that is those living and working in Finland without a residence permit, are being exploited by employers in a number of different industries.
 The latest area to come under scrutiny are hairdressing salons, where police suspect immigrant workers and asylum seekers are being exploited in order to keep prices low.
 The problem is not confined to just the hairdressing industry, but is part of a wider phenomenon in which asylum seekers and other foreign workers work long hours for low pay in the Finnish labour market, with evidence of exploitative practice occurring on construction sites, in restaurants and in the forestry industry.
 Examples of the complaints made by the workers include receiving paltry pay packets, despite working hours that stretch from morning to night.
 Full time work for 100 euros per month
 As part of their own investigation, MOT interviewed four undocumented workers, all originally from Iraq, who reported their experiences of work-related exploitation in Finland.
 Asha*  arrived in Finland as an asylum seeker from Iraq in 2015. Initially she found it very difficult to find a job but eventually secured employment at a hairdressing salon which she found via an announcement posted on Facebook.
 “I had already worked as a hairdresser in Iraq, where I only had female clients, but now the boss made me cut men's hair as well,” Asha said.
 The manager of the salon promised Asha that they would sign an employment contract so she could apply for a work-related residence permit. However, the contract of employment was subsequently found to be false and Asha says she was never paid the salary promised, instead receiving only 100 euros per month despite working full time hours.
 She was not permitted to discuss her work situation with anyone outside of the workplace.
 "I did not understand anything about the papers. I tried to ask how wages and salaries and rent and other things worked, but I did not get an answer. I collapsed when I realised that the man had lied to me," Asha recalled.
 Eventually, during a trip to Helsinki, Asha described her ordeal to an Arabic worker at the Deaconess Institute, and she was advised to make a formal complaint.
 "I was told that the incident appeared to be human trafficking, and that it should be reported to the police," Asha said.
 Failed asylum seekers left in a vulnerable position
 Asha was left open to exploitation after receiving two negative asylum decisions, and MOT's investigation revealed that there are many other immigrant workers in similar situations.
 Estimates of the number of undocumented workers in Finland range from between 3,000 to 5,000, a figure which has increased significantly since 2015, when about 32,000 asylum seekers arrived in Finland.
 Many of them have been refused asylum but do not wish to return to their country of origin, leaving them pushed to the margins of society.
 Rashid* , also a failed Iraqi asylum seeker, does not have his own home, bank account or a tax card, but he was still able to obtain a job at a car washing facility.
 According to his work contract, Rashid's duties at the car wash included washing, waxing, retreading and tyre work, with a salary of 10.50 euros per hour.
 However, Rashid told MOT that despite working six days a week from 9am to 7pm over the course of three months, he received a total salary of just over 400 euros for the entire period. If the salary had been paid in accordance with the employment contract, the sum would have been thousands of euros more.
 When Rashid said he would report the situation to the police, he said his manager told him that the police would not believe the word of an undocumented worker.
 *Aliases were used to protect the identity of the interviewees.

MOT: Police investigate the long days and low pay of undocumented hairdressers


Summary: Predators, poisons and low reproduction rates are threatening the future of the lesser black-backed gull.

The seagull is often perceived to be a  pest . They are loud, invasive, and often try to steal food from unsuspecting passersby.
 However, not all gulls are the same. There are six different species of seagulls that nest in Finland, and one of them - the lesser black-backed gull - is now classified as an endangered species.
 The number of lesser black-backed gulls is currently estimated to be around 7,000 breeding pairs in Finland, making it even rarer than the Siberian flying squirrel, which is also classified as being vulnerable to extinction. If younger members of the species are included in the count, then the population size could be around 20,000, estimates seagull researcher  Risto Juvaste .
 There is no exact information on the number of Siberian flying squirrels, but the best estimates range from between 35,000 to 143,000.
 Poisons, predators and human activity
 The main reason for the decline of the lesser black-backed population is the low rate of reproduction, which is caused by a number of different factors.
 "One of the reasons is environmental toxins.  Martti Harju  researched the black-backed gulls in the Gulf of Finland and found that due to environmental toxins, the mothers could not properly feed their chicks. One third of the chicks died of liver disease within three weeks," Juvaste explained.
 The species are also disappearing from the Finnish Lakeland area, according to Juvaste. The amount of environmental toxins is difficult to determine, but it is likely that they are having a significant impact on chick mortality.
 Predators also pose a threat to gulls. Recent footage captured by hunting cameras showed two white-tailed eagles destroying a black-backed gulls' nest beside the Viinijärvi lake in North Karelia, leading to the loss of more than 40 eggs.
 Aside from the threats from the air, gulls are also vulnerable to land animals too. A single raccoon dog or mink could potentially destroy an entire colony of dozens of birds.
 Human behavior is also a factor in the declining population. If a person gets too close to the gulls' nest, the adults will likely flee, leaving their eggs behind.
 "Dress suit"
 The endangered black-backed gull is best recognized by its "dress suit", as the species' back and wings are a darker colour than other gulls, usually black or dark grey.
 The most common species of seagull in Finland, the European herring gull ( Larus argentatus ) and the common gull ( Larus canus ), are more grey in colour.
 Juvaste told Yle that he has been researching gulls for decades, and in recent years he has toured the lake habitats of the black-backed gull by jet ski.
 Story continues after photo.
 Risto Juvaste has carried out extensive research into the lesser black-backed gull in Finland, Tapio Laakkonen / Yle
 Whilst on one of his sojourns, in near Kesälahti in North Karelia, Juvaste encountered a particularly macabre scene: dozens of dead terns and gulls on a rock. Juvaste said it was unclear what had killed the birds, but speculated that it may have been a predator, such as a fox.

Species of gull facing extinction in Finland


Summary: Finland's Taxpayers' Federation warns members to prepare for an increase of half a percentage point in the rate of income tax.

Recent changes to payroll fees, introduced as part of Finland's  competitiveness pact  signed by former Prime Minister  Juha Sipilä  in 2016, may lead to an increase in the rate of income tax, according to the Taxpayers' Federation.
 The change will see a rise in employees' social security contributions, such as earnings-related pension and health insurance contributions.
 "More than half a billion euros of purchasing power will be lost to the payroll fee. For a typical, middle-income employee, this could mean a loss of about 250 euros per year," explained  Teemu Lehtinen , CEO of the Taxpayers' Federation. "Naturally, it will also weaken demand in the economy."
 As a result of the changes, the income tax rate is predicted to rise by 0.5-0.6 percentage points, depending on the taxpayer's income level.
 "As these social contributions go up and purchasing power is reduced, the government could, in a budget move, lighten other taxes so that, overall, wages do not go down. It would require action from the government," Lehtinen said.
 One possible option available to the government would be a reduction in unemployment insurance premiums, although such a move would not fully offset the loss of income for the average taxpayer. The government will begin budget negotiations next week, and decisions on this issue are expected by the end of the year.
 "We estimate that next year's payment could be at the current level or at most be reduced by 0.6 percentage points from the overall level. Decisions on what contributors will pay next year will be made at the end of August," explained  Janne Metsämäki , CEO of Finland's Employment Fund, which collects and distributes unemployment insurance contributions.
 Metsämäki added that current economic forecasts predict greater than average risks and uncertainties. At the very least, the decline in unemployment is slowing down or may even turn to a slight increase.

Union: Payroll fees may trigger an increase in income tax


Summary: Sweden should crack on exports of smokeless tobacco, says a leading public health expert.

Youth in Finland still drink and smoke significantly less than in the early 2000s, but now this positive trend seems to have come to a halt, according to the biannual Adolescent Health and Lifestyle Survey.
 Fewer youngsters are complete teetotallers, and the use of  snus  - a powdered smokless tobacco - is increasing, especially among girls. That is in comparison to the previous poll carried out in 2017.
 One in 10 boys aged 14-18 said they use tobacco products on a daily basis, along with eight percent of girls of the same age. The share of boys was the same as two years earlier, but the girls' share rose slightly, which explains an overall rise in the use of snus.
 The share of girls who use snus occassionally or regularly edged up from three percent to nearly five percent. Boys' use slipped slightly to 11.5 percent.
 About one third of teens aged 14-18 drink alcohol at least once a month, with the figures about the same for both sexes.
 However the proportion who say they do not drink at all declined to 43 percent of boys and 40 percent of girls, down from 45 and 43 percent respectively two years ago.
 Professor criticises Swedish officials
 Arja Rimpelä , a professor of public health at the University of Tampere who worked on the study, says she is concerned by the apparent halt in positive trends.
 "At worst, this could be a turning point in the long-term development," she says.
 She is particularly worried about the use of snus, and its rising popularity among girls.
 Rimpelä points out that the product contains nicotine, so it is highly addictive. And although sales are illegal in Finland, the tobacco product is easy to obtain as it is brought in from neighbouring Sweden, which has a waiver on the EU snus ban.
 "Snus is actively sold, for instance through social media, as well as in shops just over the border from Tornio, where it is easy to buy and bring into Finland without any monitoring," Rimpelä tells Yle.
 "The Swedes should crack down on it so that their snus does not get into other countries," she urges.
 On the plus side, she says, cigarette smoking has dropped drastically among young Finns in the past couple of decades.
 The National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) has carried out the Adolescent Health and Lifestyle Survey every two years since 1977. This time there were 3,520 respondents.

Surprise turn: Teen consumption of alcohol and snus turns upward