Summary: Labour experts recommend more flexibility to take up part-time work and incentives for employers who hire workers older than 55.

Two labour market experts are calling on the new government to focus on getting jobseekers over 55 years of age into work as the administration aims for a 75-percent employment rate by the end of its term in 2023.
 Reaching that target will mean getting 30,000 people into jobs by next autumn, or better yet, next spring.
 According to  Katarina Murto , director for collective bargaining and representation with the white collar union confederation STTK, and Helsinki University labour professor  Vesa Vihriälä , government should concentrate its efforts on employing the over-55 demographic.
 "It's essential to consider all possible sources of labour broadly. Numerically, the greatest potential lies with the over-55-year-olds, if you compare Finland with other Nordic countries," Vihriälä said.
 Murto, who has been a member of government's employment working group, said little attention has been paid to this demographic.
 "We need more effective employment services for the elderly," she pointed out.
 "Compared to Sweden, we have significantly lower employment among over-55s. It's a wonder that this has not been more strongly raised in the employment working group, for example," she added.
 University economist: Time to end unemployment-to-pension path
 The two economists differ in their approaches to boosting employment among middle-aged jobseekers. Vihriälä said he would terminate the option whereby an unemployed person over the age of 55 could ease straight into retirement.
 "Experience has shown that when you raise the age limit (for retirement), employment has always improved and unemployment has declined," he argued.
 Last summer government came to a settlement with labour market organisations to raise the age limit of the so-called direct path from unemployment to retirement. Currently,  older unemployed persons can be paid an unemployment allowance  for an additional period and seek a pension once the extended allowance ends.
 The tripartite agreement meant that the age limit for the additional allowance increased by one year, a measure that will take effect from 1 January. The Finnish Centre for Pensions has estimated that the higher age limit for the direct route from unemployment benefit to pensions will put 6,000 people in jobs by the year 2025.
 "Now we are raising it (the age limit) by another year. I think it should be eliminated altogether," Vihriälä commented.
 He proposed rapid action to eliminate the unemployment-to-pension path if the government is to meet its employment goal.
 "This should be reviewed very soon if we are aiming for 75 percent employment by the end of this government's term," he remarked.
 Straight to part-time work, carrots for employers
 STTK's Murto did not warm to the university professor's proposal. She said she would give older jobseekers greater latitude to take on part-time work, a measure that would require legislative reform.
 "There are thousands of people who are willing and able to do part-time work," Murto estimated.
 However she said she would beef up employment and health services for this group.
 "Unfortunately it is difficult to find work and to stay employed as older people's working capacity declines. Now it is easy for older people with compromised working capacity to drop out of the workforce entirely," she noted.
 Another confederation strategy would be to incentivise employers to hire over-55s. Murto suggested that employers could be allowed to pay lower statutory contributions for older workers for a fixed period.
 Helsinki University's Vihriälä agreed that introducing incentives for part-time hires could be one plank of an employment strategy for middle-aged jobseekers.
 The experts pointed to Sweden, where part-time work is one reason that there is a higher employment rate for older workers than in Finland. In Sweden, workers aged 55 to 60 as well as retirement age people engage in more part-time work than in Finland, where there is greater resistance to the idea among both employees and employers.
 Foreign workers needed
 Labour markets organisations have floated the idea of different tiers of earnings-based unemployment benefits as a form of incentive. In a model developed by the union confederation for professional workers Akava, jobseekers would get a bonus when they find work.
 On the other hand, there would be no additional benefit for people already in work or out of a job. However labour minister  Tuula Haatainen  has rejected the idea, saying she does not want any cuts to unemployment benefits.
 One paradox facing the government is the fact that unemployment has fallen to rather low levels in recent years (currently 5.9 percent according to Statistics Finland), so simply reducing unemployment will hardly help it reach its 75-percent employment target.
 According to Vihriälä, work-based immigration would be required to increase the labour force. Depending on who's counting, the number of people not in the labour force or "hidden unemployed" ranges from tens of thousands to as many as 200,000.
 Vihriälä said that the labour shortage creates a vicious cycle which also feeds unemployment.
 "One important factor is work-based immigration, because there are many professions in Finland for which we don't have the required workforce. And if the workforce doesn't exist, it could be difficult to employ domestic unemployed people," he concluded.

Experts: Over-55s hold biggest employment potential


Summary: More people would vote for the opposition Finns Party than the ruling Social Democrats, a fresh poll finds.

The Finns Party and National Coalition Party are the most popular political groups in Finland, finds a poll commissioned by daily Helsingin Sanomat
 The Finns Party’s popularity is rising and is now drawing 22.7 percent support, reports Helsingin Sanomat on Saturday. The other main opposition group, the National Coalition Party, garnered 17.2 percent.
 The continued growth in support for the populist Finns Party is  linked to a rise in anti-immigrant sentiment ,  Emilia Palonen ,a lecturer from the University of Helsinki, told Yle in November.
 Prime Minister  Sanna Marin ’s Social Democratic Party’s backing fell behind the opposition parties with support of 15.1 percent. Enthusiasm was also relatively low for the SDP’s government partners, with the Greens and Centre Party attracting 12.5 and 11.1 percent respectively. This was the Centre’s worst result in the history of Helsingin Sanomat’s political party polls.
 The Left Alliance meanwhile polled 8.4 percent and Swedish People’s Party 4.5 percent.
 Among the opposition, the Christian Democrats and Movement Now had 4 and 1.7 percent support.
 The survey, carried out by Kantar TNS, interviewed 2,226 people. The margin of error was around 2 percentage points. The poll was carried out between the end of November and mid-December as Sanna Marin  took over  the premiership from  Antti Rinne  and while the new government  came under fire  for the repatriation of Finns from Syria's al-Hol refugee camp.

HS poll: Support for Finns Party growing


Summary: Helsinki is not planning any perks for its public nurses as the city's doctors get a 1,000 euro bonus.

This week Helsinki announced it was  awarding public physicians a 1,000-euro salary bump  over the next six months to combat the city's chronic doctor shortage.
 In 2020, nurses working in Helsinki will receive a scheduled 70-euro monthly wage increase, but will not be included in city’s bonus scheme aimed at attracting more doctors.
 “We don’t have a shortage of nurses. All of our vacancies are filled,”  Timo Lukkarinen , the medical director of Helsinki’s health centres, said, adding that the city has a 20 percent physician shortage.
 Lukkarinen told Yle that more doctors on staff will also ease nurses’ burden. He pointed out that the salary bump for doctors aims to bring Helsinki physicians' salaries in line with those in neighbouring municipalities.
 “I understand that the raise can be perceived as unfair. But it’s also important for other people working at health centres that the doctor shortage is addressed,” he explained.
 Incremental increases
 Tehy, Finland's largest trade union for health and social care professionals, said the 1,000-euro pay rise signalled that the city could also afford to pay nurses more.
 “This means there’s money on the table and that our demands for bridging the pay gap between male- and female-dominated sectors is not unreasonable,” Tehy chairwoman  Millariikka Rytkönen  said.
 Next spring Tehy plans to join forces with Super, another union representing practical nurses, to  demand a 1.8 percent annual wage increase every year  until salaries in the sector are on par with wages in male-dominated fields.
 The average monthly salary for nurses in Finland is currently around 2,500 euros, while workers in industrial sectors tend to take home 500 euros more each month.

No bonus for Helsinki nurses as docs get 1k pay hike


Summary: The Finnish Food Authority has told shops to stop selling cannabis-derived cannabidiol, also known as CBD.

Lääkealan turvallisuus- ja kehittämiskeskus

The Finnish Food Authority has instructed shops to  pull a number of products  containing CBD off the shelves as they did not have the proper authorisation to be sold as foodstuffs.
 According to Finnish Medicines Agency Fimea, cannabinoid extracts are classified as novel foods in the EU that may not be used as foodstuffs without a so-called novel food authorisation. It also outlined that CBD may not be marketed with medical claims.
 Nutritional supplements containing CBD have been sold in health food stores across Finland, although Fimea has  classified CBD oil as a medicine . Cannabidiol – also known as CBD or "cannabis light" – does not contain THC, the main psychoactive intoxicant in marijuana.
 Finnish hemp company Hamppumaa (Hempland in English) told Yle’s Swedish-language service that it planned to sue the Finnish Food Authority over its decision to pull its Sana-branded CBD products off the market.
 Finnish residents who order CBD online may be wading in a legal grey area, according to Fimea.
 CBD oil, a cannabis-derived compound, has been hailed across the US and Europe as a cure-all against pain and stress. The CBD oil market is estimated to be worth billions of euros. The World Health Organisation has declared that CBD is not harmful or addictive and may be used to treat drug addiction.

Health watchdog pulls CBD off shelves in Finland


Summary: This year Finland began subsidising HIV prevention drugs to stop the virus from spreading.

HIV self-test kits are available online for between 30-40 euros. The HIV home kit gives results in 15 minutes after testing a blood sample from the fingertip.
 “Some 300 test kits are sold each month, around 3,000-4,000 annually,”  Jukka Keronen , executive director of the Finnish HIV Foundation (also known as Hivpoint), said.
 Heath officials encourage those receiving positive results to book an appointment at health centres for additional blood work.
 The Finnish HIV Foundation said its web shop ships home kits to people all around Finland. Most buyers are men, according to Keronen.
 Detailed figures on how many HIV cases home kits have diagnosed will be available next year.
 Finland subsidises HIV prevention drug
 This year Finland included an HIV prevention drug, an antiretroviral known as PrEp (pre-exposure prophylaxis), under its medical reimbursement scheme.
 “The drug is intended for people who have a high risk of contracting HIV. It’s my understanding that a few hundred people in Finland have started the antiretroviral regime. Users are mainly men who have sex with other men,” Keronen explained.
 With a monthly cost of nearly 1,000 euros, the price of PrEp in Finland was previously a deterrent, leading many to  source the drug from Germany  to stay HIV negative.
 Now patients pay less than 100 euros.
 Left untreated, HIV infection advances until the body's immune system is so weak that it cannot fight other fatal infections and cancers. This stage is called AIDS.
 Hivpoint has previously teamed up with the Finnish Red Cross to  provide condoms and instant HIV tests  to Finnish seniors heading across the eastern border to engage in sex tourism.

Thousands in Finland purchase home HIV test kits


Summary: In 2020, parents in Finland will be able to see their children’s medical records through their 18th birthday.

Finland is updating its nationwide electronic patient database Omakanta to allow parents access to their children’s medical records.
 The system has come under fire for  blocking minors’ medical information from guardians  once children reach the age of 10.
 Parents will, however, not be given full access to their kids’ medical files. Instead, doctors will on a case-by-case basis evaluate whether information should be shared with parents, depending on the child’s maturity. Youngsters can, for example, ask that information regarding birth control be kept private.
 Minors will not be able to hide information that medical staff deems parents should know about.
 "The general rule is that all information will be available," said  Mari Holmroos  from social insurer Kela.
 By next summer, residents will also be able to manage prescriptions and doctor’s visits on behalf of an elderly family member once the relative gives permission.
 As a digital public service, Omakanta has faced criticism for not being accessible for older people. Today, just around half of the adult population uses the system, for example, to renew prescriptions.
 At the moment, the system does not allow for booking an appointment or communicating with a doctor.

Parents in Finland to be given access to children's medical records


Summary: The health watchdog says residents should reduce their appetite for salt.

Just about all men and 96 percent of women in Finland consume too much salt, according to the Finnish institute for health and welfare (THL).
 By eating 10 grams of salt per day, men in Finland use twice as much as daily guidelines recommend, according to THL research director  Liisa Valsta . Women consume a daily average of 7 grams.
 Tuija Pusa  from the Finnish Heart Association said 1.5 grams is more than enough salt for an adult. This means people get enough salt from their food without sprinkling any more of it on their meals.
 High in salt, but not salty
 Meat, bread and dairy products are all sources of hidden salt.
 "Most Finns aren't aware of how much salt they’re getting. Some people know but don’t care," Pusa said.
 Valsta pointed out that having too much salt carries health risks. “There’s a clear connection between blood pressure and salt," she said.
 Meanwhile reducing salt intake helps protect against high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and stomach cancer, according to Valsta.
 She said Finns achieve 80 percent of their salt intake by adding it to their food.
 The Finnish Heart Association said people have been surprised to learn that cottage cheese, tuna fish, soy sauce and baked goods are all high in salt.

THL: Everyone in Finland consumes too much salt


Summary: Finland's National Museum plans to return Native American artifacts to the US that have been part of its collection.

Kulttuuri- ja taidetapahtumat ja -näyttelyt

Museot, näyttelyt sekä historiallisten paikkojen ja rakennusten suojelu

Finland plans to return Native American ancestral remains and funerary objects to the United States that were taken over a century ago from the Mesa Verde site in what is now Colorado.
 However before returning the pieces back to indigenous groups, Finland's National Museum will next month host an exhibit of the items, known as the  Mesa Verde archaeology collection .
 The exhibit comprises pots, bowls, a digging stick, an axe blade and a corncob from the graves of about 20 Pueblo people dating back to the 13th century, according to the museum.
 Story continues after photo.
 An ancient bowl. Mårten Lampén / Yle
 The decision to repatriate the artifacts arose during Finnish president  Sauli Niinistö’ s  meeting with his American counterpart ,  Donald Trump , this past autumn. The repatriation process has, however, been in the works for years. According to the  US Department of the Interior , 26 tribes associated with Mesa Verde National Park have worked with Finland’s National Museum since 2016 to identify the remains and funerary items they hoped to have repatriated.
 “The returning of artifacts to their countries of origin is a topical issue worldwide that affects museums with ethnographic or archaeological material from other cultures,” Finland's National Museum said in a statement.
 In the late 19th century, Swedish geologist  Gustaf Nordenskiöld  excavated more than 500 items  including petrified bodies  from what is now Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. Finnish collector  Herman Antell  later bought the collection from Nordenkiöld and bequeathed it to the museum in 1909.
 Story continues after photo.
 Food for the journey into the afterlife. Mårten Lampén / Yle
 The exact date for when the tribal cultural items will be transferred has not been set. The museum's final exhibit of the Mesa Verde items wraps up in March.

Finland to repatriate Mesa Verde Puebloan remains to the United States


Summary: As of the end of last week, nearly one million people had received the influenza vaccine in Finland.

hengitystieinfektiot (hengityselinten taudit, infektiot)

Even as the New Year is about to begin, it's still not too late to get vaccinated against influenza in Finland, according to the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
 "By no means is it unnecessary or too late to get the jab," THL's influenza expert  Niina Iknonen , told news service STT.
 The health institute has noted, however, that it can take up to two weeks for the vaccine to properly shield people from coming down with the flu.
 The institute, which tracks influenza incidents across the country, said that it has already seen cases across all regions and age groups. However, at the moment influenza incidents are high only in the eastern region of North Karelia, with moderate flu levels in the regions of Southwest Finland, Satakunta, southern Ostrobothnia, South Savo and Lapland.
 In all other regions influenza levels were still low, according to THL. Some health care districts have already said they've reached epidemic levels, but the health authority said criteria for a flu epidemic at the national level have not yet been reached.
 About half of Finland's flu vaccines used so far
 "Some hospital districts say they've seen more cases now compared to last year but last season was exceptionally mild," Ikonen said, saying that the flu was in full swing by the fourth week of 2019.
 "I believe that when all the data is updated in the first week (of 2020), influenza will probably exceed the epidemic threshold," Ikonen explained.
 As of the end of last week, around 900,000 people had received the flu vaccine so far this season. THL has acquired a total of about 1.7 million flu jabs, as well as nearly 120,000 nasal spray vaccines meant for youngsters between the ages of 2-6.
 According to THL estimates, around half of people who are exposed to influenza viruses come down with the disease, which includes varying symptoms of high fever, muscle aches and headache. Additionally, flu patients can suffer from coughs, stuffy noses and sore throats.
 Ikonen said that, after getting the jab, practicing good hand hygiene is the best way for people to shield themselves from influenza.

Flu season gets started across Finland


Summary: Alektum lost its license in 2018 and sold the business, but buyer Annomen was barred from the debt collectors' register.

The southern Finland Regional Administrative Authority (AVI) has ordered the collections firm Annomen to shutter operations. The decision came after the authority rejected an appeal to a previous ruling to bar it from the register of debt recovery operators.
 The Competition and Consumer Authority (KKV) had previously warned consumers about debt claims issued by Annomen and another collections firm, Alektum. At the time the authority had  raised red flags over shady practices  in the companies’ operations.
 Alektum had its recovery license revoked at the end of 2018. The firm then sold its collection operations to Annomen, but the regional administrative authority did not approve its addition to the recovery register.
 According to information from the Consumer Ombudsman, the companies have jointly issued thousands of debt collection claims throughout the country.

Debt collection firm ordered to shut down


Summary: Finland's "Silakat" movement is a nod to Italy’s anti-nationalist Sardines and aims to combat racism and hate speech.

Thousands of people in Finland have joined a new social media movement opposing efforts to reveal the identities of  two Finnish children repatriated from the al-Hol refugee camp  in Syria.
 Known as "Silakat" or Baltic herring, the grassroots social media movement is a nod to the Sardines in Italy who oppose the rise of right-wing politics and related ethno-nationalist and anti-immigrant policies.
 The Finnish movement currently has the support of 10,000 Twitter followers and more than 11,000 on Facebook.
 The Silakat group said they represent a peaceful force that opposes policies that promote inequality, racism and hatred. It is said to be politically non-aligned and aims to use demonstrations to spread its message.
 The movement was founded on 25 December and has snowballed since.
 Movement sparked by treatment of al-Hol orphans
 Johannes Koski , a user experience specialist with a Finnish game firm,  wrote in his blog  (in Finnish) that he founded the movement with friends, adding that the discourse around the recent evacuation of children from al-Hol influenced the decision to create the movement.
 When the children were brought to Finland, the event was live-streamed on YouTube. According to Silakat, the children were recognisable in some parts of the video. Members of the movement said they fear that officials involved will be targeted and persecuted.
 "Hundreds of people watched the streams and wrote derogatory comments about the children, directed the video operators to capture the children and as a group they tracked down the names of the officials involved," Koski wrote in his blog.
 Silakat said that Finland cannot be a nation that hounds children under the age of seven, especially during the Christmas holidays.
 Another well-known blogger,  Saku Timonen   also addressed the issue  (in Finnish) of the video of the children in a post on Christmas Day.
 "The children can be clearly recognised, and their names and whereabouts were feverishly sought after on social media. The name of a Finnish official was revealed and judging by the threats posted, he will be targeted and will receive a mountain of hate mail," Timonen wrote.
 Italian protest movement popular among youth
 Italy’s Sardine movement has said that it seeks to inspire as it opposes the right-wing rhetoric and policies of politician Matteo Salvini and his La Lega party.
 The group was founded by four young adults from Bologna and in just a few weeks it grew to become a mass movement that was active on social media and engaged in peaceful "flash mobs" as a form of protest.
 One founder,  Andrea Gareffa , told Yle that the movement rejects mud-slinging in politics and the simplistic answers that populism proposes for complex problems.
 The Sardine metaphor was adopted to represent the power of a shoal of fish, although individuals may appear to be weak and small.
 Pushback against hateful language
 Finland’s Silakat aim to act in a similar manner to combat racist comments on social media, since they said they are also concerned about the degeneration of political discourse.
 "Even within the blue walls of parliament we hear racism and other inappropriate language on a daily basis. This kind of bad example has a direct effect on how people communicate with each other. Hate breeds more hatred," Koski said.
 Although the Italian example has been an inspiration, the Silakat said they want to be a politically independent Finnish movement. They also advocate to combat climate change and to inspire respect for responsible journalism and scientific research.
 The group already stirred up controversy last weekend when Finnish Chambers of Commerce chief executive  Juho Romakkaniemi  said on Twitter that he had been removed from Silakat's Facebook group. The group administrator later said that it was done in error.

Backlash against hunt for evacuated al-Hol kids spawns anti-racism movement


Summary: In shrinking municipalities homes remained on listings longer - while they were snapped up in large cities.

Prospective homeowners were more eager to shop around for older homes in 2019 than in the previous year, according to new data about the local property market.
 However the spike in interest in property ownership was not enough to inflate prices in the market, according to  Marina Salenius , deputy CEO of Kiinteistömaailma real estate firm.
 "Price increases have been moderate. Based on prices this year, there is no housing price bubble in Finland, not even in growth centres," Salenius observed.
 The realtor noted that 2019 was a good year for home sales -- although the market was quiet at the beginning of the year, properties began to move later on.
 "Things picked up in May and summer was active too. The growth continued to the end of the year," Salenius explained.
 Between January and November this year, sales of older homes rose 3.2 percent compared to the same period last year, another major real estate firm, Huoneistokeskus, said in a statement.
 Altogether, homeowners purchased 1,778 more properties in 2019 than in the previous year.
 Steady growth forecast in 2020
 The bulk of the growth in residential property sales came from the Helsinki region. Additionally, house hunters were more active in Oulu, Porvoo, Kuopio and Jyväskylä this year than in 2018.
 Salenius said that next year looks set to be a busy one for the real estate market, saying that there will be at least the same number of deals next month as there were in January 2019.
 Real estate firm Huoneistokeskus business director  Anu-Elina Hintsa  echoed Salenius' assessment of the market.
 "Next year will be more or less similar to this year. The same trends will be evident. There’ll be sales in big cities and prices will rise a bit, but I don’t dare promise a stronger year if the fundamentals of the macro-economy remain the same," Hintsa said.
 Big city growth, slow sales elsewhere
 Residential property sales were brisker in large cities than elsewhere. The timeline for home sales shortened in the capital region by a few days during the year, but stretched by a corresponding period elsewhere.
 "Home sales were buoyant in growth centres. People have the desire and the ability to change locations and they move to these cities. Prices rose somewhat in these cities. Then there are cities known as negative migration locations. Sales are more challenging there," Salenius noted.
 Story continues after graphic.
 Huoneistokeskus / KVKL, Harri Vähäkangas / Yle
 In 2019, it took on average 79 days to sell an older flat in Finland, while an older detached home was on the market for 130 days before it found a buyer. Meanwhile an older semi-detached home took 93 days to attract a buyer, according to data from the Central Federation of Finnish Real Estate Agencies, KVKL.
 Overall the average time taken to sell all older homes in Finland was 98 days. However that average conceals extremes: properties moved quickly in large cities and took much more time in towns with shrinking populations. Sales in Jyväskylä were close to the average, with deals involving older properties taking 99 days on average.
 Meanwhile, in Helsinki it took an average of 61 days to sell a home that was not new, while the average for studio and one-bedroom apartments was 51 days. Apart from the capital city, the sales timeline for older flats was shortest in places like Espoo, Vantaa, Turku, Oulu, Kuopio and Tampere.
 Moderate price increases expected
 The price per square metre of one-bedroom flats in Finland rose 4.7 percent (133 euros per square metre) between January and November this year, compared to the same period in 2018.
 "In Kuopio, Oulu and Turku in particular, the rise in the price per square metre has been quite robust this year. If we look at the capital region, price growth in Vantaa has been more moderate than in other parts of the Helsinki region," Hintsa pointed out.
 She added that there is no room for talk about a real estate bubble in Finland, although there are homes and apartment blocks in the Helsinki region where prices have spiked.
 Story continues after graphic.
 Huoneistokeskus / KVKL, Harri Vähäkangas / Yle
 "Some postal codes are more attractive than others in the capital region, but the overall picture is balanced," Hintsa declared.
 In the first 11 months of the year, the square-metre-price of older one-bedroom apartments in Helsinki rose 2.4 percent, compared to 2.8 percent in Espoo, 0.9 percent in Vantaa, 4.2 percent in Tampere, 5.5 percent in Turku, 7.2 percent in Oulu, 5.6 percent in Kuopio and two percent in Pori.
 Over the same period the price of a one-bedroom flat fell 9.4 percent in Kouvola, and declined by 5.6 percent in Jyväskylä and 2.7 percent in Lahti.

Surprise uptick in home sales in 2019


Summary: The New Year's Eve festivities will be held next to the city's flagship library Oodi and the Music Centre.

The city of Helsinki is set to host a New Year's Eve party at Citizen's Square on Tuesday evening, festivities which will cause traffic disruptions on major thoroughfares in the surrounding area, particularly between the hours of 10 pm - 1:30 am.
 The city has urged partygoers to use public transport or to walk to the area.
 The Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (HSL) is planning to add routes to its schedule, but noted there are some exceptions and changes in store that night. HSL has advised city revellers to check bus schedules at its website  Reittiopas .
 A fair stretch of the city's main thoroughfare, Mannerheimintie -- along with connecting streets including Töölönlahdenkatu -- will be closed to vehicular traffic and opened to pedestrians starting at 10 pm at the latest.
 The city has posted more specific information about traffic arrangements on its  website  (in Finnish).
 Watch the fireworks from the steps of Parliament
 For those who don't necessarily want to join the crowds and concert at Citizen's Square, people will be still able to view the fireworks show from vantage points like the steps of Parliament, across Mannerheimintie or along the thoroughfare itself.
 The evening's event will begin with a children's concert at 5 pm, featuring a kids' fireworks display at 5:30.
 Then, at 10 pm the party begins for the older set, featuring a midnight fireworks display, with performances by DJs, musicians, rappers and headlined by Finnish pop star  Alma . Mayor  Jan Vapaavuori  is also scheduled to give a traditional New Year's speech.
 Some 60,000 people are expected to attend the event this year. Last year  the downtown celebration drew around 70,000 onlookers .
 Yle will broadcast coverage of the festivities starting at 10:45 pm New Year's Eve on Yle TV1 and on  Yle Areena .

Helsinki NYE celebrations to affect city traffic


Summary: A preliminary enquiry has shown no firm link between the trafficked cocaine and Albanian organised crime.

Finnish law enforcement are looking for new leads to track down the masterminds behind a large amount of cocaine trafficked into the country in early December. At the time  police remanded five individuals  on suspicion of bringing the illegal drugs into the country.
 However police said that they now suspect that the men who had broken into the warehouse of a chemical manufacturing firm were acting on orders and were not the brains behind the operation.
 Police are still in the midst of a preliminary investigation, but lead investigator  Lauri Hakkala  of the Länsi-Uusimaa police department said that the men likely acted at the behest of ringleaders based abroad.
 "The suspects’ main mission was to take possession of a large cache of narcotics and to transfer it to a different location, possible even another country," Hakkala noted.
 According to Hakkala the drugs were not necessarily destined for the Finnish market, but that Finland may have been a transshipment point for the delivery. Authorities are still to identify and interview all of the parties involved in the intercepted drug haul.
 Inter-departmental cooperation
 In addition to the Länsi-Uusimaa police department, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Finnish Customs are investigating the case, with police leading the probe. For their part, customs officials are looking into the movements of the container in which the illegal narcotics were found following a major operation two weeks ago, as well as individuals who may have come into contact with it. The shipping container reportedly came to Helsinki from Sao Paolo in Brazil by way of Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
 The NBI will focus on possible international links to the case. They will likely liaise with Europol, the EU-wide police organisation whose main objective is to combat drug trafficking, money laundering and other forms of cross-border crime.
 Four of the suspects are reportedly legal permanent residents of Denmark. One is registered as living in Sweden either as a citizen or permanent resident.
 Police said they are focusing on the suspects’ registered addresses in Denmark and Sweden. He added that the first suspect detained has an Albanian background and resides in Finland. But he noted that it would be premature to speculate about any links to Albanian organised crime.
 Largest known drug bust in Finland
 In mid-December a group of masked men entered the Algol chemical warehouse in Karamalmi in Espoo, following which police sealed off the area for hours. Later the same day, police conducted a related operation at the Olympia Terminal at Helsinki’s South Harbour.
 According to Hakkala a shipping container that had been delivered to Algol’s chemical warehouse was a regular delivery with nothing untoward about it. However concealed in the load was a cocaine cache that police confiscated. The company is not suspected of any wrongdoing. Hakkala speculated that the narcotics haul was one of the biggest busts in Finland.
 "As far as I know the largest cocaine seizure was 20 kilograms. This batch under investigation is larger, but I cannot comment precisely on the amount or strength. The load was packed in one-kilogram batches and it is being analysed in the lab," he explained.

Police seek new leads in major Espoo cocaine haul


Summary: The presidents also discussed the situations in Syria, Libya and Ukraine.

President  Sauli Niinistö  and his Russian counterpart  Vladimir Putin  exchanged traditional New Year greetings by phone on Monday, according to a statement from Niinistö’s office.
 The president’s staff said that the heads of state also discussed bilateral relations during the call as well as international issues, particularly the situations in Syria, Libya and Ukraine.
 According to Russian state-owned news agency Tass, Putin spoke to Niinistö of how Moscow aims to resolve the crisis in Ukraine. Tass reported that Niinistö described  a prisoner swap  between Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists on Sunday as a welcome gesture.
 Tass also reported that the presidents expressed satisfaction with bilateral relations, which the Kremlin said was due to “regular political dialogue” and “mutually beneficial trade cooperation”.
 According to Tass, President Niinistö initiated the phone call. Niinistö and Putin  last met in Helsinki in August , when the agenda included bilateral relations as well as pro-democracy protests in Moscow over local elections due in the autumn, among other issues.

Finland’s Niinistö, Russia’s Putin exchange New Year greetings