Summary: The press reports on two separate gun-related incidents, enthuses about Ed Sheeran and compares Finland to Minnesota.

Many dailies cover the continued fallout from  Tuesday’s street shooting in Helsinki , which one eyewitness told tabloid Iltalehti was like a " scene from an American movie ". Two people were injured after a shooting incident on Hietalahdenkatu in the city's Kamppi district at around 4pm Tuesday. Not long afterwards, Helsinki police announced that an individual had been taken into custody for questioning.
 Officials are expected to provide more details about the incident on Wednesday.
 Meanwhile, daily newspaper Aamulehti reports of  another attempted shooting  - this time in the city of Valkeakoski, located about 35 km south of Tampere.
 According to the paper, one person was injured in the Tampere incident, which occurred just after 10pm on Tuesday and was the second shooting incident on the streets of Finland over a matter of about six hours.
 One eyewitness told Aamulehti that police stopped a car on the outskirts of Valkeakoski and that a man and woman were seen walking away with their hands in the air. The Central Finland Police Department have not, however, confirmed if any arrests have yet been made in relation to the shooting incident, according to the paper.
 Somalis fare better in Minnesota than Finland
 Main daily Helsingin Sanomat reports from the Cedar-Riverside neighbourhood in east Minneapolis, Minnesota - otherwise known as ‘Little Mogadishu’ - where the paper describes how  Somali immigrants integrate much faster into American life  than they tend to do in Finland.
 According to HS, there are many similarities between Finland and the state of Minnesota which make for interesting comparisons on the experiences of Somalis on either side of the Atlantic.
 Firstly, Minnesota has a population of approximately 5.6 million, similar to that of Finland, albeit with a much bigger Somali population - 50,000 compared with 20,000 Somali-speakers registered in Finland. Somalis began to arrive in Minnesota in the early 1990’s, around the same time they also started to appear in Finland, fleeing the civil war that has ravaged the country and is still ongoing.
 Furthermore, Finland and Minnesota share similar climates, which HS also cites as a reason why so many residents of the US state report having a Nordic background.
 According to HS however, these similarities between the two regions make the differences in the experiences of the Somali communities all the more stark.
 The most striking difference is the unemployment rate among Somali speakers - in Finland it is over 40 percent. In Minnesota, it is just 15 percent, the paper reports.
 Finnish flags and sauna tales woo Sheeran audience
 Many papers also give plenty of space to the performance by pop artist  Ed Sheeran  in Helsinki, the first of the British musician's two concerts over two days as part of his  Divide  world tour.
 According to tabloid Iltalehti,  48,000 fans from across Finland made their way to the open air venue at Malmi airport  in the north east of the capital, with another 60,000 expected to attend tonight’s concert.
 Despite reports of traffic congestion around the venue, IL reports that there were very few complaints among fans - many of whom sang along throughout the two hour performance. The paper also reports that Sheeran appeared on stage at one point wearing the Finnish national football team's shirt, to raucous approving applause from the crowd.
 The singer further endeared himself to his Finnish audience, according to tabloid Ilta-Sanomat, when he described  how he spent his birthday in Finland  in February last year - by going to the sauna and rolling around in the snow.

Wednesday’s papers: Street shootings, Sheeran-mania grips Finland, and Somali integration


Summary: A focus on education will also form part of the government's plan to increase the employment rate to 75 percent.

Ministerit, ministeriöt ja valtioneuvosto

Minister of Employment  Timo Harakka  outlined the government's plans to increase employment in Finland at a press conference in Helsinki on Tuesday.
 Prime Minister  Antti Rinne 's government has set a target of increasing the employment rate to 75 percent during its term in office. Reaching that goal will require the creation of approximately 60,000 new jobs, which may prove especially challenging in a period of sluggish economic growth.
 Speaking at the press conference, the newly-appointed minister of employment offered a carrot instead of a stick.
 He said more funding will be made available to employment offices, and initiatives aimed at increasing work-related immigration will be introduced. Employment services will especially focus on supporting young people, immigrants and those who are only able to work part-time, according to Harakka.
 The minister further outlined how one of the first steps the government will take in the autumn will be to simplify wage subsidy conditions. He also emphasized the important role that municipalities and cities can have in improving employment.
 "We are now in a position to look at the best way successful municipal experiments can be duplicated and form part of a permanent system during this term," Harakka said.
 The minister also mentioned the extension of the compulsory education age as an important factor in raising the employment rate, although its effects will not be visible in the short term.
 “However, the impact of extending compulsory schooling is undeniable in the long run,” Harakka stated.
 The employment rate in  June was 72.4 percent , while the seasonally and randomly adjusted unemployment rate was 6.5 percent.
 Ministerial working group to meet on Friday
 At the end of June, the TE-offices, Finland's personal employment and business services department, had a total of 254,200 registered unemployed jobseekers, which is 18,600 less than the same time a year ago.
 While speaking at the press conference on Tuesday, Harakka did not comment on how many of these unemployed people are likely to obtain jobs through the measures now being presented.
 This will put greater pressure on tripartite negotiations, where social partners hammer out labour deals with the government.
 During this parliamentary term, the Ministerial Working Group appointed in July will be responsible for the area of employment, and the group will meet for the first time this coming Friday.
 The working group will form sub-groups, and will invite the social partners to select their representatives for negotiations by next week.
 The rate of employment in Finland is constantly tracked, and consiered a key factor in measuring the success or failure of each government's employment initiatives.
 The previous government led by  Juha Sipilä  achieved its target of a 72 percent employment rate  at the end of last year .

Employment minister plans to boost work-related immigration


Summary: Two people were injured in the incident on Tuesday afternoon, while police believe a third man was targeted but not hit.

A 32-year-old man is being held on suspicion of attempting to commit three murders during a  shooting incident in the Kamppi area of downtown Helsinki on Tuesday afternoon , according to police.
 Authorities suspect the man fired several shots, targeting three people, at the intersection of Hietalahdenkatu and Porkkalankatu. The suspect was arrested and taken into custody shortly afterwards.
 Two people sustained injuries and are still being treated in hospital. Police believe a third person was also targeted by the gunman, but was not hit by a bullet.
 Police did not specify on Wednesday the nationalities of the victims or the suspect in the incident.
 Story continues after photo.
 A dented vehicle at the site of Tuesday afternoon's shooting incident on Hietalahdenkatu in Helsinki's Kamppi district. Roni Rekomaa / Lehtikuva
 The victims' exact ages were not given by the police, but all three are believed to have been born in the 1990s.
 "The shooting took place during peak hours in the centre of Helsinki and there were many other people and cars in the area, which posed a significant danger to others," said  Jukka Larkio , Chief Investigator at the Helsinki Police Department.
 Police said officers have not yet been able to interview the hospitalised victims, and that no further information is currently available.
 This story may be updated as it develops.

Latest: Suspect and victims in Helsinki shooting were acquaintances


Summary: During his lifetime, Andersson worked as a writer, psychiatrist, musician and politician - all with a humanist approach.

Finnish writer, psychiatrist, jazz musician and politician Claes Andersson has died at the age of 82, following a long illness, his family confirmed to news service STT on Wednesday.
 Andersson was one of the country's Swedish-speaking minority's best-known figures in Finland and more than anyone else of his generation personified the socially-engaged literature that developed during the 1960s.
 His humanistic and societal ideas and ideals could be found in all of his works of poetry, novels, plays and cabarets.
 Andersson was born in Helsinki in 1937 and early on in life took to hobbies like music and sport. Apart from literature, his life's biggest interests were jazz and football, both of which he pursued from a young age.
 As a sportsman, Andersson won a silver medal in the badminton national championships in 1956 and played for Helsinki football club HIFK until he departed the city to work at a mental health clinic.
 Story continues after photo.
 Writer and psychiatrist Claes Andersson plays the piano at Helsinki's Groovy jazz club, 26 January, 1980. Juha Jormanainen / Lehtikuva
 In 1962 Andersson became a psychiatrist and his interest in people, particularly those on the fringes of society, were clearly found in his writing. That same year, he published his first collection of poems,  Ventil , in his mother tongue, Swedish.
 Since his poetry debut, Andersson went on to publish a total of 24 poetry collections before his death. He wrote a total of eight books of prose and around 20 scripts for the stage and radio theatre. Many of his books were translated into Finnish and some of his work has been translated into English, German and Spanish, as well as other languages.
 During the 60s and 70s Andersson worked as a psychiatrist at various hospitals across southern Finland.
 He began his political career in the left wing of the political spectrum at the end of the 1950s during his clinical studies at a Helsinki hospital. Andersson said that he wanted to understand how societal demands could be so varied for different groups of people.
 In 1967 he helped found the November movement, which aimed to improve the lives of society's vulnerable population.
 After several years as the acting chair of the Society of Swedish Authors in Finland, and a decade of work as an independent author, Andersson was elected to parliament in 1987 as a candidate for the Finnish People's Democratic League (SKDL) party, which was at one time one of the largest leftist parties in capitalist Europe.
 In 1990 he became the chair of the newly-established Left Alliance party and during 1995-1998 he acted as the country's minister of education and culture. He resigned from his MP post in the autumn of 2008, citing health reasons.
 In his later life, Andersson became better known as a jazz pianist and performed regularly at jazz clubs and other  events  for years.
 Andersson also received many accolades for his written work, including the Finnish State Literature Award for poetry four times, the Finlandia Prize for literature, the Swedish Academy's Finland prize and nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize, among many other awards of recognition.

Humanist poet and Renaissance man Claes Andersson dies aged 82


Summary: The new patient record system is scheduled to roll out across the capital area, when it will contain data on around 1.6 million people.

Helsingin seudun yliopistollinen keskussairaala

Finland's patient data system Apotti gave social and health care workers unwarranted access to sensitive patient information, according to a report from daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat.
 According to Finnish privacy laws, only a select group of workers within the social and health care sector are permitted to access patient files, but the paper reports there were shortcomings in the system in the municipality of Vantaa, where Apotti was first rolled out at the end of last year.
 Finland's Data Protection Ombudsman,  Reijo Aarnio , told the paper that the ombudsman's office has called on Vantaa to address the shortcomings, adding that Apotti cannot be rolled out to other municipalities before the system is appropriately secured.
 The Apotti system is set to be implemented throughout the capital area, including at Helsinki University Hospital and several other municipalities in the Uusimaa region. When it is, the system will contain patient data of around 1.6 million residents.
 Apotti is a regionally uniform social and healthcare information system, according to the municipally-owned company. Apotti is owned by Helsinki University Hospital and the municipalities of Helsinki, Vantaa, Kirkkonummi, Kauniainen, Kerava and Tuusula.

Security shortcomings in patient data system Apotti, paper reports


Summary: Four of the ten injured are still being treated in hospital, two of which are said to still be in critical condition.

Six migrant workers from Thailand who were injured in Tuesday's two-vehicle  crash  near Peräseinäjoki in Southern Ostrobothnia have been released from Seinäjoki Central Hospital. The Thais, who work as seasonal berry pickers, have returned to the camping centre where they live.
 The ten workers were travelling to their picking location early on Tuesday morning when a passenger car operated by a suspected intoxicated driver veered across the road in the village of Kihniänkylä and crashed head-on into their minibus.
 Police suspect the driver of the car of traffic endangerment, causing bodily harm, and aggravated drunk driving.
 The two workers most seriously injured in the accident remained in intensive care on Wednesday, and two others were being held in the general ward until at least Thursday. Another person injured in the crash was scheduled to be discharged on Wednesday.
 The migrant workers' care at the hospital involved a good deal of help from a social worker, a Thai interpreter, and a nurse with Thai-language skills who works at the facility.
 According to  Kaija-Riitta Suonsyrjö , a nurse who works at the emergency department of the Southern Ostrobothnia Hospital District, the inclusion of a Thai-speaking nurse into the care team was paramount. With this nurse's assistance, the treatment of the injured workers has progressed more smoothly than if there was no common language, according the Suonsyrjö.
 Jukka Kristo , Managing Director of Polarica, the company which employs the Thai berry pickers, told Yle that the people involved in the accident are shocked by the incident but will continue to work based on their own individual ability to pick berries.
 The company's original objective was to keep the Thai workers under contract until September or October.

Six Thai berry pickers hurt in van crash released from hospital, returning to work


Summary: A chief physician in Sweden said Stockholm County will send about one patient per week to Finland over the next few months.

Sweden has started sending cancer patients to Finland for treatment, due to an unusually high number of people needing radiation therapy in Stockholm, according to Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter and news outlet Mitt i Stockholm, which first reported the  story .
 "We're working to get all patients their therapy within the time frames their illnesses demand. After undergoing medical exams, some patients will be offered radiation therapy in other parts of Sweden or in Finland," Karolinska University Hospital's chief physician  Elda Sparrelid  told Mitt i Stockholm.
 The cancer patient backlog in Stockholm is due to delays in the rollout of new radiation therapy equipment, which was originally scheduled to be operational during the first half of the year, according to DN.
 Stockholm County pays
 Breast cancer patients are among the most likely to be offered treatment therapies in Finland, according to Mitt i Stockholm, which reported that Stockholm County would pick up the bill for the patient's travel and living costs, along with hospital fees.
 The news outlet reported that selected patients who choose to go to Finland for three-week radiation treatment schemes will also be offered weekend trips home to Sweden.
 Sparrelid told Mitt i Stockholm that the county will likely send about one patient per week to Finland over the next few months.
 "When our radiation therapy equipment is back to full capacity we will no longer need help from others," she told the news site.

Sweden sending cancer patients to Finland for radiation therapy


Summary: Finnish papers examine an outbreak in Helsinki, find out what's in the water in Oulu and takes the best steam in the world.

Helsingin ja Uudenmaan sairaanhoitopiiri

Main daily  Helsingin Sanomat (HS)  reports that nine serious cases of Group A streptococci, also known as Strep A, have been treated at Helsinki University Hospital (HUS) so far in July.
 The disease is caused by a bacterium found in the throat and on the skin, where it can then spread through sneezing, kissing and skin contact. At its worst, the bacterial infection can cause blood poisoning and even death.
 “There have been several serious cases, especially since the spring,” says  Eeva Ruotsalainen , deputy chief physician of HUS’s epidemiology unit, in an interview with the broadsheet.
 HS writes that in April there were 18 reported cases of Strep A, and in May there were 12. Since the start of the year, there have been 67 reported cases of serious Strep A infections.
 Other serious forms of illness caused by the bacterium include meningitis or a general infection of the skin and soft tissue, which is referred to as the flesh-eating disease.
 “In this case, there is a terrible pain in the limbs, but only slight redness on the skin. The situation is dangerous, because it can progress rapidly in the space of a few hours,” Ruotsalainen tells HS.
 Cases of Strep A outbreaks in Finland began appearing in 2017, says Ruotsalainen, adding that, "however, it does seem that the number of outbreaks is slightly declining."
 Watery illusions
 Tabloid  Ilta-Sanomat  reports on a call to emergency services by the police that ended up being a false alarm in waters near the northern city of Oulu.
 A police brigade on their way to another call noticed what they thought were people in danger at the Merikosken Kauneuspato dam on Wednesday. They contacted Oulu Search and Rescue, who went out to look for the people reportedly in danger.
 “We searched for a while, but found nothing,”  Jarno Soisalo , fire chief from the Oulu-Koillismaa rescue department told the tabloid.
 Then, the reality about the 'people' became clear. They were obelisks of water that looked like human beings from further away.
 The right heat
 The international smoke sauna association (Kansainvälinen Savusaunaklubi) has chosen Kuopio’s Saana as the world’s best smoke sauna, writes  Maaseudun Tulevaisuus , the agricultural newspaper.
 The jury said that it decided to award the prize after testing 215 different smoke saunas, and examining 196 details of Saana’s smoke sauna, including its computer-controlled pellet-fired stove to keep it at the optimum heat throughout the day.
 “Saana’s smoke sauna benches are just in the right spot in the upper part of the sauna which means the steam is pleasant and spreads evenly,” reported the jury.
 The smoke sauna, which seats 15 people, is located on the waterfront of the eastern city of Kuopio and was designed by architect  Reijo Mitrunen .

Thursday’s papers: Strep A in Helsinki, Oulu 'obelisks', and the world’s best smoke sauna


Summary: Two separate concerts at the Malmi Airport drew more than 100,000 people and went off without major incident.

At British singer-songwriter  Ed Sheeran ’s second sold-out concert at Helsinki's Malmi Airport, police fined two drone operators for violating the aviation ban on drones at the site.
 Wednesday night's concert drew 60,000 fans on the heels of Sheeran's show Tuesday night, which drew  46,000 .
 Helsinki police published their own aerial mage of the concert - also taken by a drone device - as officials are not subject to the same rules as the general public.
 Police posted their image on Twitter and thanked concert-goers for what it called two peaceful evenings.
 Police chief  Timo Viipuri  told Yle that, "as this was the first time concerts were held at Malmi Airport, it was a new challenge for us."

Police fine two drone operators at Ed Sheeran concert


Summary: The building company, which operates in the Helsinki area, has reportedly seen significant growth in recent years.

Helsinki police has submitted a verbal request to the city's district court for a remand hearing to be held regarding murder charges of the main suspect in a downtown shooting that took place earlier this week, according to Helsinki District Court.
 Authorities suspect the man fired several shots, targeting three people, at the intersection of Hietalahdenkatu and Porkkalankatu, late  Tuesday afternoon .
 Police said they suspect a 32-year-old man, who was arrested shortly after the shooting incident, of three counts of attempted murder.
 According to information obtained by Yle, the suspect is a resident of Vantaa with a Kosovo Albanian background and the CEO of a capital-area construction firm that was founded in 2014, a company which has reportedly seen increased business in recent years.
 The firm had a reported turnover of one million euros last year, having grown from a turnover of 300,000 euros two years ago.
 Two of Tuesday evening's shooting victims were hit by the gunfire, while a third escaped physically unharmed. All three of those targeted in the incident were reportedly born in the 1990s.
 Helsinki District Court said the suspect's remand hearing is scheduled for Friday.

Yle: Suspected Helsinki gunman is construction firm boss


Summary: The former president was seen walking along the city's Esplanadi and Aleksanterinkatu thoroughfares.

Helsinki police have confirmed that fomer US President Bill Clinton was visiting the city on Thursday.
 According to Yle journalist  Minna Rinta-Tassi , Clinton was seen walking in the often tourist-filled Esplanadi area, accompanied by his security detail.
 She said the former president blended well into the crowds, as he was dressed in summer attire.
 "Clinton was like any summer tourist. He seemed to be in a good mood and people were asking him to pose for photos, which he agreed to. He was also accompanied by a few other people," Rinta-Tassi said.
 Helsinki police said that Clinton's visit to the Finnish capital was in an unofficial capacity and visiting as a private citizen.
 It was confirmed that Clinton was headed to the autonomous region of Åland in the Finnish archipelago, and will appear at a concert at Mariehamn's Miramar park on Thursday evening, according to Svenska Yle.
 This story was updated at 4:13pm to add that Clinton's appearance at the concert has been confirmed.

Former US President Bill Clinton spotted in downtown Helsinki


Summary: Last week's airspace violation marked the second breach by a foreign plane this year.

Finland's Border Guard has confirmed that the aircraft which breached Finnish airspace last week was owned by the Russian state.
 The authority said on Thursday that it had completed its preliminary investigation into the incident, which took place on Wednesday, 17 July.
 The aircraft had flown about one kilometre within Finnish airspace, travelling for a distance of about 25 km, according to the Border Guard.
 However, the Border Guard said it still remained unclear who was operating the plane. The exact type of aircraft involved in the airspace violation was also not disclosed.
 The agency added that since it was unable to determine the identities of the pilot of the aircraft, it was not possible to file charges in the incident.
 The airspace incursion lasted around two minutes over the Gulf of Finland, nearby the southern coastal city of Porvoo, about 50 km east of Finland's capital Helsinki. The Border Guard said it does not plan to report further about last week's incident.
 Second breach this year
 Last week's aispace violation was the second incident of its kind this year.
 In April, Portugal's Air Force confirmed that one of its surveillance aircraft had  inadvertently entered  Finland's airspace. That incident took place above the Upinniemi peninsula in Kirkkonummi, on Finland's southern coast.
 Portugal said the maritime aircraft, a Lockheed P-3C CUP+, had been on a Nato-led Assurance Measures operation over the Baltic Sea between Finland and Estonia.
 Estonia is a member of Nato, while  Finland is not . But the country joined the military alliance's Partnership for Peace in 1994 and entered a three-year agreement in 2017 to continue as an Enhanced Opportunity Partner.

Aircraft that breached Finnish airspace was from Russian state, officials confirm


Summary: The company continues to bank on its 5G networking technologies, which it hopes to sell to countries around the world.

Radio-, televisio- ja tietoliikennevälineiden valmistus

Finnish networking gear firm Nokia reported an unexpected profit boost in the second quarter of this year, following increased demand for its 5G equipment, the company announced on Thursday.
 The company's profits in Q2 increased by more than a third to 451 million euros, while revenues increased to 5.7 billion euros, which was an improvement over Q2 of last year, when the firm posted 5.3 billion euros in revenue and  profit losses of 42 percent .
 The firm's president and CEO,  Rajeev Suri , said he was pleased with the company's performance.
 "Nokia delivered a strong second quarter, driven by 5G demand, a competitive end-to-end portfolio and strengthened operational execution. Given these compelling results, we are confirming our full-year 2019 guidance," Suri said in a statement issued Thursday.
 The term 5G refers to developing fifth-generation cellular network technology which, among other things, is significantly faster and has higher capacities than current networks like 4G and LTE.
 However, Nokia presented its results in a non-IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) format. IFRS are standards that make global firms' results understandable and comparable across national boundaries.
 If presented in the IFRS format, Nokia's Q2 results would have shown losses of 57 million euros. The company said the non-IFRS results were better at describing the company's development.
 But regardless of the format used, the firm's quarterly earnings improved compared to Q2 of last year.
 5G future
 Several companies sell 5G hardware, including Nokia, Ericsson, Huawei, ZTE and Samsung, among others.
 Chinese firm Huawei, Nokia's biggest rival in the mobile networks sector, has recently come under pressure over security concerns. The US and other countries have warned against using Huawei gear, which has led to  speculation  that Nokia and other 5G players may have an opportunity to increase their market share as countries around the world roll out the new network technology.
 Nokia considers Ericsson and Huawei as their biggest rivals, according to Reuters news service.
 Reuters also reports that Suri said demand for the company's 5G tech was strong in lead markets, including the US and Korea, and that 5G markets are beginning to open up in the Middle East, Japan, China, the Nordic countries, Italy and the UK.
 "In the quarter, we saw good year-on-year growth, meaningful improvements in profitability, robust progress in our strategic expansion areas of software and enterprise and excellent momentum in our IP routing business. We also continued to enhance our position in 5G, and now have 45 commercial 5G deals and nine live networks," Suri said.

Nokia's profits up in Q2


Summary: Twenty-four people in Finland died in traffic accidents in June, which was a particularly deadly month for motorcyclists.

Ten of 24 road fatalities during the month of June were motorcyclists, according to the Finnish Road Safety Council.
 While not all of the background research is adequately complete to account for the reasons behind June’s toll,  Anna-Liisa Tarvainen , director of the Finnish Road Safety Council has a good idea of what’s behind the grim statistics.
 "Much of it seems to be down to human behavior, as there was a lot of risk taking," she said.
 "On the motor vehicle side, automation is very developed and supports the driver, but motorcycles can be very efficient yet require very good driving skills," Tarvianen said.
 However, she noted that not all accidents involving motorcycles were the fault of motorcyclists -- they are just as often the fault of motorists of four-wheeled vehicles.
 Growing concern over cyclists
 Tarvainen said she’s also concerned about bicyclists, 21 of whom died last year on Finnish roads.
 ”Now, during the first half of this year a dozen cyclists have died in traffic accidents,” she said, noting that she's certain that traffic safety could be improved.
 "There are no cheap and easy tricks, it's the sum of many things - the roads, vehicles, and people’s own driving behaviour," she said.
 Traffic accidents claimed the lives of 20 men and four women, while a total of 504 people were injured in traffic accidents last month.
 From January to June of this year, there was a total of 1,765 road traffic accidents that resulted in personal injury.
 During that time those collisions caused the deaths of 99 people and injured 2,258 individuals.
 Compared to the same time period in 2018, 11 more people died but 170 fewer people were injured on Finland's roads, according to the road safety council.

June sees spike in road accidents


Summary: In Finland, the maximum temperature a residential dwelling is permitted to reach is 32 degrees Celsius.

Residential renters may be eligible for partial rent reimbursement if their homes get uncontrollably hot, according to the Finnish Landlord Association, a group which supports landlords and real-estate investors.
 The group said that tenants may be entitled to discounts on their rents if their homes are warmer than 32 degrees Centigrade.
 The association also noted that tenants are entitled to rent reductions if their apartment is in poor condition, and that excessive heat qualifies for discounts.
 An appropriate rent reduction in a high-heat situation would range between 10-20 percent of the rental price, according to the association.
 However, an association board member and real estate investor,  Riitta Kokki , said that she's never heard of a single case where a tenant demanded a rent decrease due to excessive heat in her 30 years of being a landlord.
 A/C likely more common
 But, as temperatures across the country continue to rise, Kokki said if tenants feel their flats are uncontrollably warm, they should contact their landlords.
 "They should be able to prove in some way that the apartment is really hot. Then they could negotiate and see how the matter is handled, and whether something can be done about the heat," Kokki said.
 In the longer term, Kokki said that landlords will likely begin to offer air conditioners as part of rental agreements in the homes they rent out.
 According to Finnish law, the maximum temperature a residential dwelling is permitted to reach is 32 degrees Celsius. The same temperature applies to day care centres, schools and other educational institutions.
 Meanwhile, senior citizen service and retirement homes are permitted to reach a maximum of 30 degrees in the summer. During winter, the maximum air temperature level drops to 26 degrees.
 Temperatures set to rise
 Meteorologists expect that temperatures could breach 30 degrees Celsius on Friday in some areas of the country and that the weekend will be even warmer across Finland.
 The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) has issued heat advisories across much of the country all week, and has issued a heat wave warning in southern Finland for Friday and Saturday.
 The FMI's heat warnings are largely directed at those particularly sensitive to high temperatures, including the chronically ill and the elderly.
 However, the institute warned that high heat can also limit the capabilities of people in good health.

Tenants have reimbursement rights when flats get too hot


Summary: The former US President urged environmentalism in Åland, fish are being killed by vitamin deficiency, and Finland's first jackal was spotted.

The 42nd President of the United States,  Bill Clinton , spoke to a crowd of hundreds at an outdoor concert in Mariehamn, the principal city of the autonomous Finnish island of Åland.
 The ex-president was  spotted visiting Finland as a private individual on Thursday , and that same evening he attended the 73rd birthday party of business magnate  Anders Wiklöf  – known by locals as the "king of Åland",  according to daily Ilta-Sanomat .
 The gathering at Miramar Park in Mariehamn featured performances from Eurovision stars  Johnny Logan  and  Krista Siegfrids  as well as Åland-born soprano  Jenny Carlstedt ; but Clinton received what IS describe as the biggest applause of the night.
 Wiklöf gifted president Clinton with a unique saxophone, inscribed with an environmental message, as a token of his appreciation, according to the tabloid.
 "I'll remember this day for the rest of my life," Clinton said on stage.
 The former president's speech  focused on the current condition and importance of the world's seas and oceans, which was also the theme of this year's annual summer event. Clinton spoke about the  deteriorating health of the Baltic Sea , but also emphasised the importance of environmental activism.
 FFA: Tornio salmon not poisoned
 In other environmental news,  daily Helsingin Sanomat reports  that the Finnish Food Authority ( FFA ) has found that a spate of dead or sickly "zombie" salmon in the Tornio River in northern Finland is likely due to a vitamin B1 deficiency, and not poisonous effluents.
 A lack of vitamin B1, also known as thiamine, causes a reproductive disorder called M74 to occur in salmon, especially those that have migrated from the Baltic Sea, explained FFA veterinarian  Perttu Koski .
 The Natural Resources Institute (Luke) wrote on its website that a thiamine deficiency can cause adult female salmon to behave lethargically and die before spawning.
 "Public accounts of the fish acting passively and not going for the lure attest to this deficiency theory," Koski told HS. "Sick fish can't cope as well as healthy ones."
 Luke said that a thiamine deficiency can form when salmon eat large amounts of fatty fish; the amounts of B1 stay too low compared to the proportion of unsaturated fats the salmon ingest.
 "Hundreds or even thousands of specimens are likely affected by the vitamin deficiency," said Luke researcher  Atso Romakkaniemi .
 HS wrote that environmental activist group Pro Ylläs expressed concern that the salmon are being killed or made ill by runoff from an iron mine not far away in Sweden. Koski said this was unlikely.
 "Problems like these haven't been reported in other fish species. It seems unlikely that the mine could cause this."
 First jackal makes its way into Finland
 Moving from fish to mammals, the first ever reported sighting of a wild golden jackal ( Canis aureus ) in Finland on Tuesday has been confirmed by the Natural Resources Institute.
 Tampere daily  Aamulehti wrote  that a motorist in Northern Savo spotted the creature while driving towards the city of Kuopio. The man said he first thought the jackal might be a fox or a dog, but the colour and other features did not match either animal.
 Story continues after photo.
 The first photo of the first jackal in Finland. Jarmo Korhonen
 Researcher  Ilpo Kojola  from Luke said in AL that a single specimen poses no threat to people or the agricultural industry, and that seeing a jackal in Finland was no surprise.
 "They've been sighted in Estonia for years. Young jackals have a tendency to roam, this one probably traveled about 100 kilometres per day."
 The Centre Party group within the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and Forestry  immediately called for the removal  of the jackal from Finnish territory, saying the species is invasive and may oust other endemic animals and spread disease if left unchecked.

Friday's papers: Bill Clinton in Finland, "zombie salmon", and first jackal sighting


Summary: Elks wander out of their forests when their drinking ponds dry up, potentially into the path of traffic.

The police department of Southwestern Finland warns people driving in the region of wandering elk that may cross roads unexpectedly in search of fresh drinking water.
 The ongoing heatwave is drying up the drinking holes and ponds that elks use to stay hydrated, forcing the animals to seek larger bodies of water outside of their natural habitats.
 A total of 140 crashes and other accidents involving elk have been reported in the last week alone, police said, especially in the area around Pyhäjärvi lake near the town of Säkylä in the southwest of Finland.
 Swimming elk or other animals should never be approached, said police. Petteri Saario
 The number of accidents is exceptionally high, according to inspector  Marko Luotonen  of the Southwestern Finland police department.
 "I don't recall there ever being this many collisions in July," he said.
 Police urge drivers to stay especially alert and to drive slower on roads that pass near bodies of water.
 Do not disturb swimming animals
 The elk ( Alces alces ) is Finland's largest animal, and the species is known to jump into lakes for a swim in order to cool off on hot days.
 Police issued a reminder  that animals such as elk seen swimming in a body of water should be left alone and not approached.
 "All wild animals must be allowed to swim in peace and move on to their natural routes," Luotonen said. "If a swimming animal is disturbed it may become distressed and even drown."

Thirsty elks will seek water during heatwave, motorists warned


Summary: A shortage of primary care physicians has led to congestion in emergency services in central hospitals across Finland.

Senior physicians at five major central hospitals in Finland have issued a "wake-up call" on the issue of congestion in emergency wards, in a joint letter to daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. In the letter, written in early July, the group warned that the current level of overcrowding is posing a significant risk to patient safety.
 "We are both an overflow site and a relief valve," said  Sally Järvelä , a department manager at Tampere University Central Hospital. "We have now come to the end of the road because the staff cannot handle this situation indefinitely. The systematic nature of the work is suffering."
 The Central Hospital of Central Finland in Jyväskylä reports experiencing the same problem. Emergency services become congested when health stations in the region are unable to provide patients with urgent appointments.
 "The lobbies and corridors are full of people. Doctors and nurses go racing back and forth trying to get patients treated," explained  Tomi Kavasmaa , chief of primary health care at the hospital.
 The main purpose of the  health stations  run by municipalities across Finland is to treat patients during the daytime; the responsibility for providing emergency care is transferred to the hospitals in the evenings and on weekends. This provision of emergency care services at central hospitals was introduced at the beginning of the 2010s.
 However, there is often very limited availability for urgent appointments.
 "We wish that the customer would always call the hospital's own service hotline first, where an assessment of their need can be made and the patient can receive initial care instructions," said Kavasmaa.
 Emergency room for emergencies only
 Patients seeking basic, non-critical medical care at the Acuta emergency room at Tampere's central hospital is not a new phenomenon, and has been ongoing ever since the opening of the department ten years ago.
 "The situation may have worsened, but on the other hand, we do have a good reputation for emergency care. People know how to find us, and nobody is left without help," said department head Järvelä.
 However, according to Järvelä, there is not enough staff on duty, and the staff are under-equipped to treat patients who are not in dire need of first aid.
 "It is really hard to find on-call doctors. The emergency room doesn't have the resources to cover the patients who seek us out when basic health care services fail them."
 Järvelä says that they would need more general practitioners on duty, as specialists will treat patients according to their expertise, while GPs tend to look at a patient's health situation more broadly.
 "The emergency room is not the best place to investigate such cases. The on-call service is intended for the examination of emergency patients."
 In Järvelä's opinion, the most cost-effective solution for patients, health stations and municipalities would be to treat the basic level ailments in the community health centres. This is unlikely to happen because, according to Järvelä, there is simply not enough time for patients in primary health care.
 "The medical shortage is nationwide," Järvelä said.
 Story continues after photo.
 Juho Liukkonen, a specialist in acute medicine, on call at the Central Hospital of Central Finland in Jyväskylä. Simo Pitkänen / Yle
 Specialist  Juho Liukkonen , who works at the Central Finland Central Hospital, also recognises the problems of the on-call duty doctor. For a general practitioner, being on duty during a regular shift is a big challenge. A workday starting at eight in the morning can stretch until the middle of the night.
 "The health centre should be made into a motivating and attractive workplace for young doctors, by providing a meaningful job and a long working career," said Liukkonen.

Hospital wards clogged with "unnecessary patients"


Summary: The 50-euro banknote is the most popular option among counterfeiters, according to the Bank of Finland.

Since the beginning of this year, 426 counterfeit euro banknotes have been discovered in circulation in Finland, the Bank of Finland announced on Friday. This number is a slight increase on the number of fakes found over the same period last year, but the number of counterfeits in Finland is still low in comparison to other Eurozone countries.
 "There is very little circulation of counterfeit banknotes in Finland. Usually they arrive here from abroad before being quickly discovered," said banknote specialist  Olli Vehmas  from Finland's central bank.
 Of the forgeries, 260 were fake 50 euro banknotes and 90 were bogus twenties.
 In total, authorities found more than 830 counterfeit notes in Finland last year – with around 340 seized during the first half of the year, and nearly 500 found in the second half. In 2017, authorities found about 770 counterfeit notes in total.
 In June, police  warned people to be on the lookout  for fake movie prop banknotes which had found their way into the circulation of cash in Finland.
 Using counterfeit money is a criminal offence that can carry a prison sentence of up to one year.

Over 400 fake banknotes found in Finland so far this year


Summary: Police do not believe that more sex crimes are being committed, but rather that more are being reported.

The number of reports of sexual offences increased by more than 16 percent in the first half of 2019, according to a statement issued by Finnish police.
 However, police do not believe that more sex crimes are being committed, but rather that more are being reported.
 "It should be noted that these figures refer only to the number of reported crimes and do not therefore indicate whether the number of offenders has increased. In other words, the same offender may be the suspect in more than one case," the police  press release  stated.
 The increase has also been attributed to the filing of several reports over a short period of time, for example when a suspect is held on suspicion of committing one crime, but earlier offences are subsequently added to the suspect's charge sheet.
 According to the police statistics, the suspect was known to the victim in about 67 percent of the reported sexual offenses.
 Furthermore, approximately three quarters of the suspects were Finnish nationals, while just over one quarter were foreign nationals, an increase of about six percent compared with last year.
 100% increase in sex crime reports in Oulu
 According to Chief of Police  Seppo Kolehmainen , the year-on-year difference has been driven by an increased concentration of reporting around specific population groups and in certain regions.
 In Oulu, the total number of sexual offence reports increased by more than 100 percent in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year, with 205 sexual offences being brought to the attention of the Oulu Police Department from January to June this year.
 Of these reports, the number of rapes was almost twice as high as in January to June last year, and the number of reported child sexual abuse cases was 42 percent higher than in the corresponding period of 2018.
 However, Oulu is not the only place where the reporting of sex crimes has increased.
 In the area patrolled by the Western Uusimaa Police Department, the number of sexual offence reports increased by almost 65 percent. There was a particular spike in the reporting of cases involving the sexual exploitation of a child, with 131 reports filed, an increase of almost 105 percent.
 The number of rape reports in the region also increased, by almost 29 percent, with 45 separate cases recorded.
 Elsewhere in Finland, the number of sexual offence reports is similar to last year, or has decreased. Reports to the Eastern Finland Police Department were down by almost 13 percent in January to June this year, with 23 fewer incidents being brought to the police's attention than in the corresponding period last year.

Police: Reporting of sex offences up 16%


Summary: Levels of harmful cyanobacteria can fluctuate rapidly in hot weather.

The heat of late July may draw crowds to beaches, but certain bacteria that live in the water also like it hot.
 Satellite photographs taken on Wednesday show an abundance of cyanobacteria – also known as blue-green algae – in the Baltic Sea. So far no large, floating rafts of the bacteria have been sighted.
 Researcher  Sirpa Lehtinen  from the  Finnish Environment Institute  (Syke) said that cyanobacteria exist in seawater all year round, but intense heat causes them to multiply quickly.
 "If there is a lot of bacterial mass in warm water and the wind dies down, the least robust cyanobacteria accumulate on the surface and create blooms and rafts," Lehtinen said.
 The ideal temperature at which blue-green algae begin to form is 16-17 degrees Celsius.
 Hot days and weeks exacerbate the immediate growth of the bacteria, but in the long run climate change is a primary factor driving the spread of the blooms.
 "There will be less and less oxygen at the bottom of the Baltic Sea as the climate heats up. That means more nutrients are freed up to rise to the surface," said Lehtinen.
 Lakes are also breeding grounds for cyanobacteria in the heat, even though measurements from one week ago found there to be fewer blooms on average in Finnish lakes and waterways compared to previous years.
 Looks like pea soup or paint
 Cyanobacteria blooms are commonly (and mistakenly) referred to as algae, even though bacteria are single-celled and algae are multi-cellular organisms.
 The amount of cyanobacteria that accumulates around beaches may change very quickly, so visually checking for signs of the bacteria before ingesting or swimming is important.
 Small amounts may show up as little green or yellow particles. Large amounts of the bacteria often combine to form a thick, green muck resembling pea soup or paint.
 Cyanobacteria blooms at a beach in the Pyynikki region of Tampere in 2017. Antti Palomaa / Yle
 Another method to test the contents of lake or seawater is to collect it in a see-through glass and leave it untouched for about one hour.
 "Cyanobacteria cells usually accrue on the surface of the water," Lehtinen from Syke said. "You can use a small stick to differentiate real algae and water plants from bacteria; plants will attach to the stick, whereas cyanobacteria will dissolve into tiny particles in the water."
 The Finnish Environment Institute Syke maintains  the national Lake & Sea Wiki page  along with  ELY-centres , municipalities and members of the community to track the abundance of blue-green algae in sea and lake areas.
 The cyanobacteria situation in Finland's capital region can be monitored via the  "Outdoor Recreation" website , a service provided by the City of Helsinki.

Satellite photos show blue-green algae blooming in blistering heat


Summary: Over 1,000 public and private saunas throughout Finland open their doors on 27 July to exalt an age-old tradition.

Finland's public broadcaster Yle wraps up its sauna-themed summer content with extensive coverage of Sauna Day, a day devoted entirely to Finland's venerable steam bath tradition.
 Over 1,000 participating public and private saunas have added their names to a map on the event's  website , while a "löylymittari" (steam meter) allows people enjoying sauna on 27 July to sign in. As of noon, the tally was already past 7,000.
 One example of the saunas open to the public on Saturday is the Tamminiemi museum sauna in Helsinki. Legend has it that the benches of this famous sauna at the residence of former president  Urho Kekkonen  were the site of important foreign policy negotiations with world leaders during Kekkonen's 25 years in office. The sauna will not be heated, but visitors are welcome to come and take a peak.
 The Finnish Border Guard is also opening up six of its normally personnel-only saunas on the eastern border for the day, including those near the cities of Kuhmo, Kuusamo and Suomusalmi.
 An intangible cultural heritage
 In March Finland's Ministry of Education and Culture nominated Finnish sauna bathing for inscription on UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. A decision is expected in December 2020.
 "We want to call Finns' attention to just how special our sauna culture is! Now is the time to celebrate sauna, as the popularity of public saunas and enjoying sauna together is rising quickly. In addition, the Finnish sauna tradition was the first thing that Finland applied to have included on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List," said Yle's Sauna Day producer  Tiina Klemettilä  in May.
 Yle coverage of Sauna Day extends to radio, television and its streaming service Areena. A two-hour TV1 live broadcast from Tampere starting at 7:30pm will feature saunas and festivities from around the country.

Sauna Day celebrates favourite Finnish pastime


Summary: Mounting Hungarian criticism appears to be motivated by Finnish-led talks that consider tying EU funding to the rule of law.

Hungarian Prime Minister  Viktor Orbán  has criticized Finland at a political event in Romania, accusing the Nordic country of double standards.
 "We have to bite our lip when our Finnish friends criticize the state of our legal system. We can't smile or laugh – we have to stay cool and give good answers," Orbán told a crowd of thousands at the Tusványos Festival, located in a part of Transylvania with strong Hungarian roots.
 Orbán said that Finland – which recently assumed the rotating presidency of the European Council – has a very problematic legal system. He singled out Finland's lack of a separate court for dealing with matters of constitutional law and the presidential authority to appoint judges.
 In light of this, he implied that Hungarians find it ridiculous when Finland calls attention to Hungary's enforcement of the rule of law.
 Concern about loss of funding
 Mounting  Hungarian criticism  appears to be motivated by Finnish plans during its term of European Council presidency to weigh tying EU funding to the rule of law. Hungary is traditionally one of the largest beneficiaries of EU aid.
 Finnish public broadcaster Yle spoke with Hungary's Justice Minister  Judit Varga  in Tusványos. She said the attacks on Finland were not orchestrated by the Hungarian government, although a former state secretary  Zoltán Kovács  was shown to be behind earlier blog posts that made the same critique of Finland's legal system.
 Saturday marked the first time that Prime Minister Orbán himself made such accusations.
 He also used the occasion to say that Hungary must stay strong in its dealings with Finland.
 The annual Tusványos Festival is a music gathering with political overtones. As a proponent of national conservatism, Hungary's populist prime minister has used the forum to deliver several keynote speeches. In 2014, for example, he declared Hungary's official transition to an "illiberal democracy" there.
 Minister: Finland fulfilling EU-appointed responsibility
 Finland's Minister of European Affairs  Tytti Tuppurainen  commented that she hasn't yet studied Orbán's specific comments, but said she is familiar with Hungarian opposition to the plans to make EU funding dependent on the rule of law.
 "This is not a process that was set in motion by Finland against Hungary, but rather an initiative of the European Parliament. The Parliament made a decision a year ago that obliged the Council to discuss Hungarian matters and hear Hungary out," she said.
 Tuppurainen said Finland was simply fulfilling its mandate dictated by the European Parliament.
 "Finland is now doing what we are required to do as the country serving as European Council President. We lead the conversations; we are by no means prosecutors," she said.

Hungary's PM Orban harshly criticizes Finland, accuses it of "double standards"


Summary: The incident is the ninth time since the year 2000 that the use of arms by Finnish police has led to a fatality.

Police shot a man dead in the Helsinki district of Käpylä on Saturday after responding to a 12:30pm call reporting loud fighting in a private residence.
 Two women fled from the flat when the patrol arrived on the scene. The remaining man threatened the two officers with a weapon and acted very aggressively.
 After first trying to subdue the assailant with a stun gun, one of the two officers fired two shots towards the man. He died in the flat.
 The two women that ran out of the apartment have not been located and so police have no information about what had happened in the dwelling before the patrol arrived. A technical and tactical investigation is now underway at the location.
 Each year, Finnish police investigate more than 1,000 incidents that involve some kind of use of force while on duty. Of this number, about 80 involve the use of a weapon. Only a small percentage of these total cases involve a firearm being fired. Most of the cases involve only removing a weapon from the holster in order to give a warning.
 The fatal shooting on Saturday is the ninth stemming from on-duty arms use by Finnish police since the year 2000.
 Finnish laws state that police can only use a firearm to stop activities that pose an immediate and serious danger to another person's life or health, and this only after all other options have been exhausted.

Police shoot armed man in Helsinki


Summary: A swimming spot in northern Finland had unlikely visitors seeking solace from soaring temperatures.

A pair of enterprising reindeer hit the beach in northern Finland last Tuesday as the mercury rose to 28 degrees Celsius. The free-range deer cooled down at the Ounaskoski beach in Rovaniemi, the largest city in Finnish Lapland.
 "Many people took photos and it didn't seem to bother them in the slightest. Children were playing nearby and that didn't disturb them either," said  Johanna Koivisto , who snapped a picture of the resting duo.
 Koivisto said she wasn't surprised to see reindeer at Ounaskoski, as she had seen the animals there the previous summer, too. In other words, it was just a normal day at the beach in Rovaniemi.
 Reindeer in Lapland have had difficulties coping with the abnormally high temperatures.
 The newspaper Helsingin Sanomat  reported  earlier this week of reindeer "queuing at the Kela office", after a group of deer gathered outside the social benefits agency's location in the Lapland village of Inari to stand in the shade.

Abnormal heat spurs reindeer to hit the beach


Summary: Starting on 1 August, Kela will grant low-income families of qualifying teenage students an additional 46 euros monthly.

In line with recent legislative changes, Finland's state benefits agency Kela will introduce a new form of financial aid that helps low-income families meet the cost of textbooks and other materials required for secondary studies.
 Families of students that qualify will begin receiving a supplementary study aid allowance of 46.80 euros per month from 1 August 2019.
 The criteria stipulate that the students be under 20 years of age (or under 18 for teens that no longer live with their parents) and unmarried without children.
 Those students whose parents earn a combined income of more than 41,000 euros per year do not qualify for the supplementary aid.
 Kela says that it will automatically grant the supplementary allowance to students who are already receiving financial aid for their studies. Qualifying students aged 15 or 16 are also eligible to receive the aid without prior study grants.
 Kela estimates that about 33,000 students are eligible for the assistance. This is equivalent to every sixth secondary school student under the age of 20 in the country.
 Students grateful, but see room for improvement
 The Union of Upper Secondary School Students in Finland has calculated the total cost of materials necessary for attending  lukio ,or Finnish upper secondary school, at around 2,500 euros.
 Union chair  Roosa Pajunen  says this sum covers the minimum amount of study credits required by the schools and no more.
 Study aid is typically awarded for ten months out of the year, and the new supplementary material allowance will follow this same pattern. If the students complete their secondary studies within the three-year target, this would then grant them 1,400 euros in extra aid.
 Elias Tenkanen , chair of the National Union of Vocational Students in Finland, says students of vocational schools often spend hundreds of euros on materials needed for their studies as well, as future chefs must buy their own sets of knives and future barbers have to purchase their own scissors and combs, for example. Many occupations also require an investment in protective clothing.
 He is grateful for Kela's new form of assistance, but questions the decision to distribute the aid as monthly payments. He says a lump sum at the start of their studies each year would have been a better solution for vocational school students.
 Completely cost-free after 2021
 Finland's government programme has committed to moving one step further and making all vocational and upper secondary studies free of charge. The education ministry however advises that this won't happen until 2021 at the earliest.
 In the meantime, the supplementary allowance for study materials is intended to ease the financial burden of secondary studies on low-income families.

State begins granting extra aid for secondary school supplies


Summary: Asylum applications from Russians shot up in 2017, after the country's top court deemed the religion an extremist group.

Only about 10 percent of asylum applications from Russian members of the Jehovah's Witnesses have been approved by the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) since the eastern country banned the religion's activities in 2017, says a Migri official.
 Last year citizens of the Russian Federation made up the second-largest nationality applying for  asylum in Finland , behind Iraqis.
 Senior Migri inspector  Otso Paasi  estimates that about one-third of the 490 applications for international protection from Russian citizens were submitted by Jehovah's Witnesses members. As Finnish immigration authorities do not keep statistics about applicants' religious beliefs, Paasi stresses that this is just an estimate.
 Migri has no official policy for handling asylum applications from Russia's Jehovah's Witnesses community. Paasi says some 90 percent of the applications have been rejected since the ban began in Russia.
 "All applications are evaluated on an individual basis. The applicant's narrative is considered relative to information on the country, and an assessment is made about whether the applicant would be at serious risk of their rights being violated upon returning home. We evaluate things that have already happened to the applicant and assess the applicant's profile as a Jehovah's Witness," he says.
 A  report  from a Migri fact-finding trip to Russia last winter confirms that Jehovah's Witnesses members' property has been seized, their homes have been searched, and they have been arrested. Others have been remanded into pre-trial detention, sentenced to house arrest and forbidden from travelling, and had false charges filed against them.
 Applications down so far this year
 Otso Paasi says the between 200 and 600 Russians apply for asylum in Finland each year. Numbers from the first half of 2019 indicate a decline when compared to last year's tally.
 A spokesman for Finland's Jehovah's Witnesses community  Jukka Palonen  says that there are probably many reasons for the slowdown, but the high percentage of negative Migri decisions is probably one of them.
 "Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia are certainly aware of what's happening, as they are closely following the situation," he says.
 About 175,000 Jehovah's Witnesses are estimated to reside in the Russian Federation. Since the 2017 ban, it is thought that about 5,000 or so have left the country.
 "The situation in Russia is a bit like the one under the communist Soviet Union. Our people practice their religion there as they see fit, but the circumstances naturally limit what they can do. Not everyone wants to leave," Palonen says.
 Several human rights organizations have criticized Russian treatment of Jehovah's Witnesses. The  European Union  and the  United States  have both taken a stand on the actions of the Russian authorities, demanding that Russia respect people's freedom of religion and assembly.

Close to 90% of Russian Jehovah's Witnesses applicants refused asylum in Finland


Summary: Record weekend temperatures, Earth Overshoot Day, Gulf of Bothnia warming, sun setting – and Putin in a submersible.

The tabloid Iltalehti starts the week with news of  relief from the heat , as temperatures are set to cool down considerably this week. The change will be particularly dramatic in Lapland. Rovaniemi basked in 30 degree temperatures on Saturday, but on Monday, a high of only 11 degrees Celsius is predicted.
 This past weekend Finland got a taste of the hot conditions Europe and the US have been enduring this summer, although the "record temperatures" charted on Sunday in the south still look small compared to heatwaves exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in Paris and New York.
 The Finnish Meteorological Institute tweeted that historic heat records were set on Sunday at measurement stations in Helsinki's Kaisaniemi, the cities of Kaarina, Salo, Lohja and the Åland Islands.
 IL reports that the summer's hottest temperature to date – 33.7 degrees Celsius – was also measured in Finland's southern city of Porvoo.
 Today marks 2019's Earth Overshoot Day
 The Jyväskylä paper Keskisuomalainen  reports  on  Earth Overshoot Day , the day when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year.
 This year the world reached its overshoot day today – 29 July – two days earlier than last year. The paper reports that  Finland already exceeded its share of the Earth's natural resources in early April . At the time, the WWF said the world would need 3.8 planets if everyone in the world consumed resources at the rate Finns do.
 Finland  hosted an informal meeting of EU environment and climate ministers in mid-July that focused on expanding the circular economy to mitigate climate change and halt the loss of biodiversity. The paper cites a Ministry of the Environment press release from today that says quickly cutting down on consumption is the only solution. The Ministry points out that of the 80 billion tones of natural resources that the population consumes each year, only nine percent is reused or recycled.
 Fast-forward heating in the Gulf of Bothnia
 In a similar vein, the country's most widely-read daily Helsingin Sanomat carries a story on how  climate change is projected to warm up the Gulf of Bothnia faster than the rest of the Baltic Sea .
 Among other things, HS ponders how increasing temperatures in the waters that separate Finland and Sweden will affect the area's shipping and fish farming industries, wind power projects, coastal residences and tourism.
 Markku Viitasalo  from the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) is part of a six-year  SmartSea  research project that includes 40 researchers from Finland and Sweden studying sustainable use of the Finland’s marine resources.
 "The Baltic Sea is like a miniature model, compared to the big oceans, so everything happens faster and more dramatically there. This is why it's a good research topic for analyzing the shape and dynamics of the changes," Viitasalo tells HS.
 He further informs the paper that climate change will bring more rain, which will further dilute the saline content of the Baltic. This will change the fauna and flora of the sea, prompting some native species to move farther north and allow invasive species to move in.
 Putin floats off the western coast
 Other news from the Baltic Sea comes from Russia today, as the state news agency TASS  reports  that Russian President  Vladimir Putin  dove to the bottom of the Gulf of Finland this weekend in a bathyscaphe (self-propelled submersible). The Russian leader inspected the remains of a Shch-308 Semga submarine that sank off the Finnish island of Utö during WWII. During the operation, divers placed a plaque on the site of the wreck and observed a moment of silence in tribute to the killed submariners.
 White nights end in the north
 And the Turku-based newspaper Turun Sanomat finishes with annual  news  of the 24-hour daylight in the north period officially coming to an end for this summer.
 The "nightless nights" of Finland's (and the EU's) northernmost municipality of Utsjoki came to a close when the sun dipped below the horizon for the first time since 17 May late Saturday night.
 It didn't go away for long, however. The sun officially set at 0:46 am, but rose again at 1:52 am.
 The paper writes that in the village of Nuorgam, the northernmost village in the Utsjoki municipality, the "Midnight Sun" phenomenon won't end until tonight. The sun will set there for the first time in almost three months at 0:42 am.

Monday's papers: Cooler temps, Earth Overshoot, warming gulf and the end of white nights


Summary: The pilot was travelling alone to Oulu when the light aircraft crashed near the city of Kajaani, in central Finland.

The pilot of a light aircraft was pronounced dead at the scene of a crash in the village of Vuolijoki, near Kajaani in central Finland.
 The emergency response center received a report at 10:47pm on Sunday evening that a small plane had gone missing.
 Rescue services were able to pinpoint the plane's location by tracing the pilot's phone signal. Upon arriving, they found the sole occupant dead inside the plane.
 "The plane was on its way from Rautavaara to Oulu, and because it did not arrive at its destination, a report was made to the emergency centre," fire chief  Marko Tikkanen  told Yle.
 The crashed plane was a Monnett Sonerai II L hobby aircraft. Lucas Holm / Yle
 Six rescue service units were deployed to the crash site, as well as two emergency service patrols and the police.
 The cause of the accident has not yet been established.

One dead in crash of small plane


Summary: Police have released an image of the suspect in order to encourage other victims and witnesses to come forward.

Police in Helsinki have arrested a man they suspect of committing multiple sex offences against at least twelve underage girls.
 Investigators believe that there may be more victims of the man known as "Eno" or Uncle, and have released an image of the suspect with a request for further victims and witnesses to come forward. The police justify their decision to publish the suspect's photograph on the grounds that it is necessary in order to carry out a full investigation into the man's possible crimes.
 Although he is only suspected of the crimes at this stage, public broadcaster Yle is also publishing the image of the man, due to these exceptional circumstances.
 Director of the investigation  Saara Asmundela  of the Helsinki Police Department said that the identity of at least one of the suspected victims has not yet been established.
 "It may be that some of the victims are not even aware that they were abused because many of the victims known to the police were in an unconscious state at the time the suspected offences occurred. This was due to the suspect supplying the victims with alcohol or other intoxicants," she said.
 Suspect plied minors with alcohol and drugs
 The man is suspected of, among other things, multiple cases of aggravated rape and aggravated sexual abuse of a child. The offences are believed to have occurred at the man's apartment in the Helsinki neighbourhood of Laajasalo, beginning in 2006 and continuing over the course of several years.
 According to police, the suspect is known as "Eno" by the young people in his local community. During their preliminary investigation, police have discovered that the suspect had also been known to offer alcohol and narcotic drugs to minors.
 Police have emphasised that they believe a number of serious crimes have transpired, and that the evidence provided by both victims and witnesses will play an important role in determining possible charges.
 "We ask that anyone who suspects that they have been the victim of a crime or knows something that might be helpful in the investigation to please contact us," Asmundela said.
 Police request contacts use the e-mail address sexualcrime.helsinki@poliisi.fi.
 A photo of the suspect. Poliisi

Helsinki man held on suspicion of multiple child sex offences


Summary: The legal reform has set off a rush of applications in Finland for passports and official police-issued ID cards.

A change in the law that took effect at the start of the year in Finland has taken driving permits off the list of documents that are considered valid in situations requiring a strong proof of identity.
 This means that over one million people have been scrambling to secure a police-issued ID card or passport. The STT news agency reports that only three-quarters of Finnish residents currently own one or the other.
 The rush to apply for the new cards and passports has led to waits of up to several weeks at many of Finland's police stations. Officials say they have been surprised by the number of applications that have been submitted, especially for ID cards.
 "Police stations throughout Finland are working at full capacity, and additional resources have had to be mobilized," says  Mika Hansson , a senior advisor with the National Police Board.
 While the police are responsible for issuing the ID cards, the Population Register Centre of Finland is in charge of certifying the chips embedded in the cards. The Center's director  Timo Salovaara  says delays on their end have been due to demand exceeding production capacity.
 Change has caused confusion
 Police statistics show that stations have processed 241,000 applications for ID cards in the first half of 2019. In 2017 this number was much lower, while in 2018, the total for year was 256,000 – a number that Salovaara said picked up as the year drew to a close.
 "The phenomenon it led to was even bigger than the actual change," he says.
 By phenomenon, Salovaara means the flood of calls and emails that bombarded officials as the first of the year deadline grew closer, as people wanted to know in which circumstances they had to have certain kinds of ID.
 He says the only cases in practice where driver's licenses are no longer accepted are transactions that require a strong proof of identity, such as when applying for bank access codes or mobile IDs. In these circumstances, driving permits are now considered too easy to forge to be considered valid.
 Driver's licenses are still a good enough form of photo identification for picking up packages and donating blood, for example, Salovaara says.
 "More and more situations require a passport or official ID card these days, but in most situations a driver's license is still accepted as proof of identity," agrees the Police Board's Hansson.
 New ID cards are very handy
 Even so, Hansson thinks that many people are applying for the ID cards because they are also very convenient.
 "An official ID card is always accepted as strong proof of identity, so there's no need to ever worry about its validity. It doubles as a handy travel document within the EU," he says.
 The official ID card can be used for travel to all of the European Union's 28 countries.

Driver's licenses no longer accepted as strong proof of identity


Summary: The recent heatwave has also led to an abundance of oxygen-depleting blue-green algae in some places.

The surface waters of lakes across Finland are significantly warmer than usual for this time of year.
 The surface water temperature of Pääjärvi lake in the municipality of Karstula in Central Finland was 26 degrees Celsius on Sunday, which is more than five degrees warmer than the seasonal mean.
 Elsewhere, in the southern city of Tampere, the surface waters of Näsijärvi, one of Finland's biggest lakes, was 25 degrees Celsius. The current air temperature in Tampere is 21 degrees.
 Recent surveys have also found abundant levels of cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, in Pääjärvi, as well as in the nearby Kyyjärvi lake.
 The Finnish Environment Institute (Syke) reported an  increase in the number of sightings of cyanobacteria  last week. A link to the last weekly report that features a map designating the areas containing algae can be found  here .

Lake waters remarkably warm after record temps


Summary: The off-duty police officer entered the Japanese ambassador's official residence and fought with a member of embassy staff.

A police officer suspected of attempting to break into the residence of the Japanese ambassador last year will not be prosecuted.
 At the end of August, police were called to the gated courtyard of the ambassador's official residence in Kuusisaari, Helsinki, after they received reports  of an "erratically behaving" man on the grounds . The man was found to be an off-duty police officer, and he was subsequently investigated for aggravated disturbance of the peace, vandalism and assault.
 Full reason not disclosed
 However, the prosecution has decided not to proceed with the case because of the suspect's lack of criminal liability.
 The full reasoning behind the decision has not been disclosed, in accordance with the protection of an individual's private information under Finland's Health Care Act.
 According to the prosecution's decision, the Japanese state has made no demands in the case.
 The man was also suspected of attempting to enter the premises of the South African Embassy in Lauttasaari, but a separate decision not to proceed with that case was taken in April this year.

No charge for policeman who broke into ambassador's residence


Summary: Surge in support for populists as coalition slips, job hunting up north, and a Tampere student wins at gamer World Cup.

Main daily Helsingin Sanomat reports on the  continued increase in support for the Finns Party , as the latest poll of voters reveals that 20.7 percent of Finns would vote for the populist party. This represents a 1.5 percentage-point increase in support since the last survey in June, and firmly cements  Jussi Halla-aho ’s party’s position as the most popular political party in Finland, the paper writes.
 According to HS, support for the Finns stood at just 7.8 percent one year ago, meaning the party has managed to more than double its popularity over the course of the last 12 months.
 HS quotes  Sakari Nurmela , research head at pollster TNS Kantar, as saying that such a rise is unprecedented in recent Finnish political history, but Nurmela appeared cautious about the future outlook for the Finns Party.
 "A rapid rise has previously been followed by a decline in support. It will be interesting to see in which direction their support develops this time.”
 The paper also reports on a slight dip in backing for the government coalition led by current Prime Minister  Antti Rinne , which now stands at 55.3 percent, down from 56.1 percent one month ago.
 Commuting for work in Lapland
 Lapland daily Lapin Kansa reports on  the job situation in the northern territory , where the number of unemployed jobseekers stands at 12 percent, almost twice the national average. According to the paper however, the unemployment rate is falling and there are plenty of jobs available - as long as people are prepared to travel.
 "Lapland is going through a good phase. Unemployment is falling in municipalities and long-term unemployment has also declined. The labour market is driving forward," the paper quotes  Tiina Keränen , the manager of the local public employment TE-offices, as saying.
 Keränen cites the number of open positions currently available to jobseekers in Lapland as evidence of the turning tide. Over 1,700 new job openings were created during the month of June, and a further 1,200 were added to the mol.fi government job search website in July.
 While jobs may be available, their location may present a challenge, according to Lapin Kansa. Like many others in her profession in Lapland, local teacher  Marika Kumpula  says she has to commute long distances to work. Kumpula will soon take up a post in Kemijärvi, a two-hour round trip from her home in Rovaniemi, but is positive about the commuting life.
 "Teaching different schools provides an insight into different ways of working," she tells the paper. "I like smaller communities, because the schools are more communal."
 "Dream come true" for Tampere student
 Tabloid Iltalehti reports on the  success of a Finnish video game player  at the inaugural Fortnite World Cup, played over the past weekend at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.
 Lassi "Belaeu" Kallio  represented Helsinki Reds, the e-sports wing of the HIFK sporting outfit, and walked away from the tournament with a cool 100,000 US dollars in his pocket after just six hours of game-playing. The 22-year-old psychology student told IL that playing in the Fortnite World Cup was a "dream come true" but that his success is down to dedication and hard work.
 "Professionals need to be good at everything. In professional gaming, there is a big emphasis on the mechanics of playing, but also combining it with smart, planned techniques at the same time," Kallio told the tabloid.
 Kallio is the latest in a string of professional Finnish video game players to achieve success on the world stage,  as the popularity of e-sports continues to flourish in Finland .

Tuesday’s papers: Finns Party top poll, Lapland’s unemployed, and a Finnish Fortnite winner


Summary: Taxpayers will receive 806 million euros in tax refunds in August, followed by another 1.3 billion in September.

Changes in  the schedule for receiving tax refunds or paying back-taxes  means that a majority of taxpayers in Finland can soon expect either a windfall or a tax bill.
 While previously all taxpayers received a payout or had to pay tax arrears in December, starting this year the schedule has shifted to August or September. The paydays for Finnish residents expecting a refund will be 6 August and 4 September.
 The Finnish Tax Administration Vero will pay out 806 million euros in tax refunds in August, followed by another 1.3 billion in September.
 "We cannot yet say what the total tax refund figure will be because we have not completed processing all tax returns. Most likely it will not be less than last year," said Vero senior officer  Tarja Tapio .
 While some taxpayers will likely be celebrating Christmas in August as a result of their earlier-than-usual refund, others will be forking out a total of 89.5 million euros in back taxes. Tax officials will be looking to collect another 143 million euros in arrears in September.
 Monday 29 July was the last day for taxpayers to provide the tax administration with an account number if they want a refund in August. To qualify for a direct payment to a bank account in September, taxpayers will have until next Monday to provide an account number on paper, or until the end of August to provide it online via the MyTax service.
 Minimal impact on Xmas sales
 In the past, the December tax refund played a major role in Christmas sales. This year’s reform could mean a decline in Christmas shopping, according to  Toni Jääskeläinen , a tax specialist with the Finnish Commerce Federation.
 "The sales peak may [be] spread out in the sense that there will no longer be a single big boost at Christmas but sales may rise throughout the autumn. However Christmas sales are still robust so any possible impact will be minor," Jääskeläinen added.
 However he noted that it is not yet known exactly how the earlier refund payout will affect business overall. He said that he expects to see retail sales grow during the summer.
 "The change has not required retailers to take any special action. The most important thing for businesses is that purchasing power remains at a good level. This will not affect that. When we look at the entire year, then there is no major impact," Jääskeläinen concluded.
 Consumer queries about payment date
 Meanwhile Tapio said that the tax administration has received some queries about the changes to the tax system.
 "Timetable-wise, this is a major change but people seem to have understood it well. We have had some questions relating to the payment dates and we will likely receive more calls. In that sense this is a positive [change] for customers, because they will now get tax refunds several months earlier," she noted.
 A quick straw poll conducted in downtown Helsinki suggested that members of the public were not especially moved either way by the reform.
 "It’s quite nice that we’ll get a tax refund a bit earlier," said  Antti Jänkälä , who will receive a refund in September.
 Ruusa Loukko  also said that she expects to see a positive change in her bank account in September.
 "It’s quite good after summer. At Christmastime there is unnecessary spending so maybe now we will think a bit more about how to use that money," she added.
 Kati Kyyrönen  is another one of the lucky taxpayers who will have excess taxes paid refunded. But she said she is not sure when she will receive it.
 "I’ve been quite confused about this reform. I don’t know yet when I’ll receive a refund but it doesn’t really matter. I believe it will come. I’m not planning [to do] anything special with it," she commented.

Christmas in August as taxman refunds more than €2b


Summary: Companies look to expand their services to more locations in Finland, with a particular focus on student cities.

Companies offering rentable electric scooters on the streets of Finland's biggest cities are seeking to expand their operations, with new locations already identified and at least one launch campaign planned for the autumn.
 However, authorities in several cities retain certain reservations about the new modes of transport.
 While the provision of electric mobility supports climate action goals, local authorities are concerned about the safety of the scooters. Over the course of the summer they have been following the experiences of e-scooter users in each of the urban areas where the rentals are available as they consider the benefits and risks involved.
 E-scooters are currently available for rental on the streets of Helsinki, Espoo, Turku and Tampere.
 Cities concerned about safety
 Enthusiasm for expanding the e-scooter businesses is evident from the number of cities being contacted by operators, with coastal locations known for their students proving to be a particular draw for e-scooter companies.
 Vaasa and Oulu on the west coast have both reported receiving preliminary inquiries from several companies, while the city of Kotka along Finland's south coast also informed Yle that it was contacted by an interested party in the spring. None of the municipalities was willing to divulge the names of the e-scooter operators, however.
 Story continues after photo.
 Cities are concerned that e-scooters will be left lying around, causing obstructions.  Antti Eintola / Yle
 Samocat Sharing cooperates with Helsinki Region Transport to provide e-scooters and docking stations in Espoo. project manager  Tuomas Korhonen  described the role of the city as a partner in the provision of e-scooter rentals.
 "There must be a suitable infrastructure for scooters, such as clear lanes, docking stations and enough space for driving," Korhonen explained.
 Officials from Lappeenranta in eastern Finland said they suspect that infrastructure is where the potential danger lies. There, the city centre sits atop a hill while the harbour area, Hiekkalinna and Myllysaari Family Parks as well as popular beaches are located at the bottom of the hill. Steep hills can cause problems.
 Safety concerns were also raised in the municipalities of Seinäjoki, Vaasa and Kuopio, where the practical challenges were thought to be similar to those in Helsinki:  injuries to riders  and scooters discarded on the streets.
 "The relationship between pedestrians, cyclists and cars is a big topic of discussion in Joensuu. If the electric scooter is introduced as a new mode of transport, then it will bring its own security challenges," city engineer  Ari Varonen  predicted.
 City bike schemes take priority over e-scooters
 A number of cities are launching bike rental schemes this summer, such as Joensuu and Lappeenranta, while others are preparing or trialing such schemes.
 "First we want to see how the bike scheme trial goes. Then we can look at how the electric scooter might fit in here,” said Joensuu city engineer Varonen.
 Story continues after photo.
 Joensuu city engineer Ari Varonen trials a city bike with Easybike representative Yu Guo.  Pauliina Tolvanen/ Yle
 Officials in Oulu also plan to focus on the development of a city bike system, and said there has not been much time to think about electric scooters. The bikes will be introduced to the city in August. The Central Finland city of Jyväskylä aims to introduce a similar city bike scheme in the summer of 2020.
 The bicycles introduced in Kuopio in the spring have been a positive experience for the city and therefore electric scooters are also considered suitable for the downtown area.
 Operators looking for partner cities
 There are currently three companies that rent e-scooters in Finland; Sweden's VOI, Germany's TIER and the Finnish start-up HOOP. In addition to these three, Samocat Sharing, which provides and maintains scooter docking stations, also has a presence in Finland.
 VOI operates in Helsinki, Turku and Tampere, and the company is looking at opportunities elsewhere.
 "We are constantly exploring opportunities to expand the availability of scooters in Finland, but there are no new cities to announce right now," VOI's communications consultant  Niko Haikala  told Yle by email.
 Finnish start-up HOOP currently rents electric scooters in Helsinki, but the company is looking for local partners to start operations in new cities, both in Finland and abroad.
 "Smaller cities are part of our domestic growth plan, but probably not until spring 2020,"  Khalifa Laaksonen , Chairman of RideHoop's Board of Directors, told Yle.
 Story continues after photo.
 E-scooters on the streets of Helsinki.  Antti Lähteenmäki / Yle
 Samocat Sharing revealed that it has had preliminary discussions with entrepreneurs and individuals in the eastern city of Joensuu.
 "In the autumn, we will launch an awareness campaign in the bigger cities telling about our operations," said project manager Korhonen.
 German company TIER, which began operating in Espoo in early July, was the only company not willing to reveal its current expansion plans.

Cities wary of e-scooter risks, prioritise bike schemes


Summary: The newly-elected MEP failed to provide a declaration of electoral funding before Monday's deadline.

Finns Party MEP  Teuvo Hakkarainen  violated Finland's Election Funding Act when he failed to make a statutory declaration of his election funding for  European Parliament elections  held in May this year.
 The deadline for making the financial declaration expired on Monday 29 July.
 Hakkarainen is the only election candidate who failed to provide an electoral funding declaration.  Ida Schauman  of the Swedish People's Party, also violated the Electoral Financing Act by submitting her disclosure after the deadline had passed. All other MEPs elected to the European Parliament submitted their statements within the designated time frame.
 Hakkarainen told Yle that he had forgotten to make the declaration due to his busy schedule.
 "I missed it [the deadline] because there has been so much going on. There is not much to declare," the MEP said.
 Ida Schauman said her announcement was late due to technical reasons.
 "I sent the notice in time, but for some reason it didn't arrive. Then I had to do it again," she explained.
 There is no penalty for failing to comply with the Election Funding Act, but if the declaration is still not submitted despite reminders from authorities, the National Audit Office may issue a fine.
 Politicians' electoral funding declarations can be found on the National Audit Office's  website .
 Teuvo Hakkarainen informed Yle that he made the election declaration when contacted on Tuesday afternoon.

Finns Party’s Hakkarainen violates campaign funding rules


Summary: The court noted that a psychiatric evaluation found that the defendant was of unsound mind when the attack took place.

The Helsinki District Court on Tuesday convicted a man on murder charges over the  stabbing death of his seven-year-old nephew  in Helsinki’s Arabianranta district last Christmas Eve.
 However the court did not pass sentence on the defendant, declaring him non compis mentis or mentally incompetent.
 The boy perished at his home last December when his 37-year-old uncle stabbed him. The man had been visiting with family, who said the violence occurred unexpectedly. At the time, police described the deed as an impulsive act.
 The man confessed to killing the child during the preliminary investigation and said that his delusions drove him to commit the attack, which the court described as brutal and vicious.
 Defendant mentally ill, delusional
 In withholding sentencing, the court noted that a previous psychiatric evaluation concluded that the defendant was of unsound mind when the attack took place and therefore did not appreciate the consequences of his actions.
 In a public statement the court noted that the defendant had undergone  a thorough psychiatric evaluation , which concluded that when the deed was committed he was not of sound mind because of delusions caused by a mental illness.
 The court ruled that according to the provisions of the Mental Health Act, the convicted man will continue to be in need of compulsory care.
 Closed door trial to protect victim’s family
 The court presided over a closed-door trial two weeks ago, citing a desire to protect the privacy of the victim’s underaged siblings and other family members and to prevent additional suffering on their part.
 The court also noted that the offence involved family members and had already generated a great deal of publicity. The prosecutor’s filings and the results of the police investigation will also remain sealed.

Man convicted for murder of 7-year-old nephew, found mentally incompetent


Summary: Posti will raise the price of sending letters and cards in August, but heavier mail will become cheaper.

Finland's national postal service Posti announced plans on Tuesday to increase the price of mailing letters or cards domestically.
 In addition to the price rise set to be introduced nationwide at the end of August, letters will be divided into four weight classes instead of the previous six, the company said.
 "More and more stamps are being purchased elsewhere than Posti's own outlets, such in as grocery stores, kiosks and Posti's online store. The benefit of this change will be a clearer price list," explained  Tuija Åkerman  of Posti's consumer services.
 The cost of sending a domestic card or letter weighing up to 50 grams will now start at 1.60 euros when the changes come into effect - a 10-cent price increase. The cost of sending Christmas cards will go up by 5 cents to 1.10 euros. Prices for other small letters will also increase by 5 to 10 cents.
 Price reduction for heavier post
 At the same time, Posti said it will reduce charges for delivering heavier pieces of mail. In the heaviest category between 1,001 and 2,000 grams, the domestic price will be 9.60 euros, which represents a price reduction of 5.40 euros.
 "Finnish customers spend on average less than 20 euros per year on letters. The price changes will mean an increase of about one euro per year, "Åkerman said in the press release.
 A huge decline in the volume of mail deliveries over recent years has led Posti  to cut hundreds of jobs in an attempt  to save at least 150 million euros over the next three years.

Finnish postal fees set to increase


Summary: The invasive species has made inroads with recent torrid conditions heating up lakes in Finland.

Two years ago, residents of Lempääla in the Tampere region noticed an odd jelly-like organism at a local beach.
 Now, with recent  torrid conditions heating up lakes in the region , the phenomenon is even more noticeable, according to Pirkanmaa officials. In addition to Tampere, sightings of the species have also been reported in central Finland.
 The organism has since been identified as a Bryozoa or moss animal, a group of aquatic invertebrate animals. Last summer the Pirkanmaa centre for economic development, transport and the environment (Ely-keskus) called on members of the public to report sightings via its online  invasive species portal  (in Finnish).
 "Moss animal colonies are spherical and stationary. To properly identify the species, you must attach a photo to your report," said  Sami Moilanen , a water management specialist with the Pirkanmaa Ely-keskus.
 The moss animal ( Pectinatella magnifica ) is an inland water species that requires temperatures of 12 degrees or warmer to flourish. However colonies tend to die off when water temperatures cool. The species thrives in warm, nutrient-rich waters and is generally seen in August and September.
 First seen 20 years ago
 During late summer and autumn, the moss animal forms reproductive pods that can be carried to new areas by waterfowl and ballast water.
 Bryozoa colonies generally attach themselves to marine flora, shoreline stones or even jetty structures, but they can become detached and float in the water. Shallow water that is not stagnant provides the ideal growing conditions for the aquatic life form.
 Last summer Finnish researchers working with their Estonian and Swiss peers attempted to determine the origin of moss animals detected in Lempäälä and Pirkanmaa, however they drew a blank.
 The species is considered invasive in Finland and was encountered in waterways in Vuoksi in the Karelian region as far back as 20 years ago. Experts have speculated that the moss animal spread from that area in ballast waters from freighters in the region.
 "After the summer of 2016 it was sighted outside the Vuoksi water system, first at Kirkkojärvi in Lempäälä and also in the southern part of Pyhäjärvi in Pirkanmaa in 2018 and 2019," Moilanen pointed out.
 Halting the spread of invasive species
 Pirkanmaa officials said that combating the spread of the invasive species is challenging because it makes inroads rapidly. Efforts can be made to contain the spread of the animal by clearing colonies from affected waterways or jetties as early as possible, or before they begin to produce reproductive cells, which appear as small black dots in the insides of colonies.
 The Ely-keskus has recommended placing the animals on land, where they die easily and can be composted or buried. Local authorities may also reduce the likelihood of colonies forming by clearing beaches of potential anchors for the animals, such as dried branches and beached aquatic plants. It also called for owners to check fishing gear and boats to ensure they do not provide a foothold for the invasive species.

Invasive "moss animal" gains foothold in Finland