Summary: The prime minister tendered his government's resignation to the president on Friday, and questions abound as to what that means for Finland moving forward.

Both the government and 'sote', the long-planned social and health care reform  ran aground in Finland on Friday , and many people are concerned about what this means moving forward. The public broadcaster Yle answered eight common questions it has been fielding from the public after the news broke.
 1. Who's running the country now?
 A caretaker government . Prime Minister  Juha Sipilä  and his government have been asked by the Finnish President  Sauli Niinistö  to  continue in office in a caretaker capacity  until the next government takes office. This means the same ministers will continue in their work, but their powers will be reduced. The caretaker government will handle the day-to-day matters of running the state, but will be unable to start any new projects, for example, due to its diminished mandate. Sipilä's Centre Party-National Coalition Party-Blue Reform coalition would have assumed this role anyway after the general elections on 14 April, until the new government is formed.
 2. How will this affect the upcoming elections?
 Not at all . The elections will take place as scheduled on 14 April. The processing of candidate applications has already begun and the electoral authorities have begun their preparations. Because there are only five weeks left until the elections, there is no reason to appoint a new government. Read our  really simple guide to the 2019 parliamentary elections  for more information.
 3. How will the failure of the 'sote' project affect social and health care services?
 Not at all . The fact that the government was unable to see its reform over the finish line will not affect services in any way. Everything will continue as it has been in the past, including in hospital districts where cooperation models and trials have been started.
 4. And what was 'sote' again?
 A project to reform Finland's social and health care system . Finnish politicians have been talking about 'so-te' (a name taken from the Finnish words for social and health) for so long that its meaning has become obscure. Sote refers to the Finnish government's push to reorganize and streamline social and health care services under a new tier of regional government. Sipilä's is the third consecutive government to have attempted the sweeping overhaul unsuccessfully, although his coalition made considerably more progress than his predecessors. Read our  'sote' explainer from 2017  to learn more.
 5. Will all the 'sote' reform work now go down the drain?
 No , the next government will likely pick up where the Sipilä coalition left off, using many elements of the plan and perhaps discarding other controversial components like the 'freedom of choice' option that would have opened the public services up to more private company competition.
 6. How much has preparation of the sote bill cost?
 Hundreds of millions of euros , according to most estimates. The total cost of the extensive bill's preparation has been difficult to calculate, as the groundwork has extended to many sectors and regions.
 7. Is there a chance the next government will cancel the 'sote' reform altogether?
 Not likely . The prevailing notion in Finland is that the current municipally-run system of social and health care is too expensive in light of an aging population. A new model must be introduced to consolidate services and make them more cost-efficient, the thinking goes. As pundit  Sini Korpinen  said in Yle News's All Points North  podcast  on Friday, it is likely that we have not seen the last of 'sote'.
 8. Was this government resignation an election stunt?
 Possibly . Prime Minister Juha Sipilä emphasized in his Friday press conference that the dissolution of his government was a " personal decision ". Yle's political analyst  Matti Koivisto  says that  polling  was suggesting dismal election results for Sipilä's Centre party, so the premier had nothing to lose. The  reaction of many opposition party representatives  indicates that they believe the move was a stunt, inspired by pre-election panic.

Now what? Brief answers to 8 questions about gov't resignation


Summary: The 2019 Red List of Finnish Species says the situation is worsening for many of Finland's flora and fauna.

A new assessment of the status of Finland's wildlife has concluded that 420 more species in the country can now be considered threatened. The  2019 Red List of Finnish Species  assessed over 22,000 different species, 1,020 species more than the previous assessment in 2010, the last time the threat to Finland's mammals, birds, insects and organisms was assessed.
 The fifth in a series of assessments, the report determined that conditions are worsening for Finland's flora and fauna, as 11.9 percent of the species examined can now be determined threatened. This number is an increase from the 10.5 percent that was concluded to be at risk in 2010.
 Birds hit hardest
 The list of endangered or extremely endangered species contains many birds. Some of the birds on the list include the snowy owl ( tunturipöllö  in Finnish), oralan ( peltosirkku ), kingfisher ( kuningaskalastaja ), ruff ( suokukko ), common swift ( tervapääsky ), rough-legged buzzard ( piekana ), Eurasian eagle-owl ( huuhkaja ), lesser black-backed gull ( selkälokki ), house sparrow ( varpunen ), common eider ( haahka ) and the European greenfinch ( viherpeippo ).
 "Things are bad for the birds. The changes have been dramatic," says Ulla-Maija Liukko, a senior researcher at the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) and one of the authors of the report.
 There are also 41 mammal species on the list, including the  Arctic fox  ( naali ),  Saimaa ringed seal  ( saimaannorppa ), the  wolf  ( susi ) and the  wolverine  ( ahma ).
 Fish species on the list include the landlocked salmon ( järvilohi ), European eel ( ankerias ) the lake species of the Arctic char ( järvinieriä ).
 The list also includes many endangered species of moss, lichen, vascular plants like ferns,  butterflies  and moths, and insects. About ten percent of Finland's insects were judged to be at risk, mirroring a world-wide trend.
 Forestry plays an important role in habitat loss
 The 2019 Red List states that as much as 42 percent of all species live in Finland's forests, with 30 percent of the threatened species using it as their primary habitat.
 "The most important reasons why species become threatened and extinct are the changes in forest habitats caused directly or indirectly by forestry, especially forest regeneration and management activities, and the decrease in old-growth forests, tall large trees and decaying wood. The second most important reasons are afforestation and other overgrowing of open habitats, such as meadows, grasslands and mires," the report says.
 Luikko says that there is much that Finland can do to stop the extinction of species in its natural environment, especially in the area of swampland and bird habitat conservation and awareness.
 "In order for the situation to really change, we have to learn to think in a new way across all sectors that utilize natural resources," she says.
 "It wouldn't even necessarily mean major economic sacrifices, if people just stopped to think about the value of certain areas and how activities could be adapted to have as little effect on the location's biodiversity as possible."
 World leader in species assessment
 The fifth Red List of Finnish species follows categories and criteria determined by the International Union for the Conservation of the Nature (IUCN). In addition to the previous four extensive assessments in 1985, 1991, 2001 and 2010, extensive assessments were conducted for mammals and birds in 2015.
 The work to assess the over 22,000 species was coordinated by the Finnish Environment Institute. It included 180 experts from the country's universities, the Natural History Museum, the Natural Resources Centre, the state-owned forest administrator Metsähallitus, and the Finnish Mammalian Society. A steering group of the Ministry of the Environment oversaw the work and approved the working groups' assessments for the report.
 It is estimated that at least 48,000 species live in Finland, and the 2019 assessment of about half of these can be considered one of the world's most comprehensive, comparatively.

Every ninth species in Finland endangered, says new report


Summary: The government's resignation may put many initiatives on ice, including plans to name a new intelligence ombudsman to oversee  expanded surveillance laws.

Finland's Prime Minister  Juha Sipilä   dissolved his government  on Friday, but at the request of the President, his coalition will continue as a  caretaker government  until 14 April. This means that he and his ministers will continue to handle the day-to-day matters of running the state, but will have a  diminished mandate . This new role will prohibit the government from starting any new initiatives or making any high-profile appointments.
 Normally, the government of Finland is charged with officially naming the heads of civil servant organizations. The only exception is defence ministry officers, who are normally named by the president.
 An important post that is still unfilled is the future Intelligence Ombudsman of Finland who will preside over civilian and military intelligence. Finland's security and intelligence authorities will likely soon see their intelligence-gathering and surveillance powers expanded, as the Finnish Parliament is expected to pass  legislation  to grant them  broader powers  in this area.
 The justice ministry's administrative director  Olli Muttilainen  says that if the caretaker government cannot carry out the appointment, it will likely fall on the next government to do it, which would likely delay the naming until next summer.
 "It will be a relatively long delay," he said.
 The Parliament's constitutional law committee issued a statement earlier this week that recommended  Kimmo Hakonen , general secretary of the Chancellor of Justice's office management, for the position.
 Finnish President  Sauli Niinistö  is also expected to name a new Defence Commander to replace  Jarmo Lindberg  who will be stepping down when his term ends. This appointment was also expected sometime during March, but may also be delayed.

Intelligence ombudsman naming may fall to next government


Summary: Yle News spoke to voters in Tampere in the first in a series that looks at issues the electorate is prioritising ahead of Finland's 14 April general election.

The environment, poverty, the economy. These are a few of the burning questions in voter’s minds ahead of  parliamentary elections due on 14 April.
 In the first of a video series, Yle News took to the streets of Tampere, the country’s most populous inland city, to see what would be uppermost in voters' thoughts when they go to the polls in about two months.
 "Climate change is a big issue," said Tampere resident  Mimmi . "But I'm also worried about social issues like poverty -- children's poverty," she added.
 Andrew  from Espoo said there's a need to look at the relationship between the capital and the countryside. "I think like most other countries, there's issues to do with immigration. Who is Finnish?" he added.
 "Hoping for a change"
 Yle News also asked interviewees to assess the government's performance. Andrew said the government hasn't achieved all it set out to and that it doesn't seem to "hang together" very well. "I'd certainly be hoping for a change of government at this time," he declared.
 "The future government or the upcoming government needs to be able to work together much more than they are now," remarked Tampere local  Mauno.
 This year’s election takes place against the backdrop of  the resignation of the Juha Sipilä administration , after its failed bid to overhaul social and health care services.
 After President  Sauli Niinistö  accepted the government’s resignation, he asked it to stay on in a caretaker capacity until the election.

Watch: Voters in Tampere stress climate, immigration, economy ahead of election


Summary: The premier said that the Centre Party’s showing in upcming parliamentary elections will determine whether ot not he has the right to continue as leader.

Caretaker Prime Minister  Juha Sipilä  told Yle on Saturday that he will not seek re-election as chair if support for the Centre Party doesn’t rise.
 Sipilä told Yle’s Ykkösaamu interview programme that he will not seek a second term at the party’s helm if the election result shows that the party has not been able to boost support from the  14.1-percent voter approval recorded in Yle’s latest survey .
 "It is quite clear that I will not be a candidate in Vantaa with that kind of result," Sipilä said, referring to the party’s 2020 convention due to take place in Vantaa.
 "Of course the election result will influence whether or not I think I have the right to continue as party leader. Voters and party supporters also want to see results from the chairman in an election," the prime minister added.
 On Friday, Sipilä  tendered his administration’s resignation  to President  Sauli Niinistö , citing the failure of its signature social and health care reform programme. At the time he said that his government operated on the "show results or go home" principle.
 In spite of the dramatic start to the day on Friday, Sipilä was visible in a number of campaign events in the Häme region in southern Finland. However at that time he did not comment on whether or not he would be available to chair the party after  elections due on 14 April.
 Sleepless nights, but "no regrets"
 Sipilä told Yle that while he did not sleep very well on Friday night, he stands by his decision to tender the government’s resignation as the right one.
 "Without a doubt I stayed awake last night. I have no regrets. I think the decision was the right one. You have to be able to draw conclusions. I’m very comfortable with the outcome," he added.
 He revealed that on Thursday night, the Centre Party convened a meeting in which the group discussed the fate of the reform package and the continuation of the government under the circumstances. Sipilä stressed that  the decision to resign was entirely his  and not the party’s.
 The Centre head said that the failure to see the reform package into the goal meant that he went to see the President at his Mäntyniemi residence  as a failed premier .
 He denied that the decision to quit had anything to do with the party’s  poor performance in voter approval surveys  ahead of the approaching election. Sipilä insisted that he would have done the same regardless of the time frame.
 "I would have done the same, even if 'sote' [social and health care reform] had failed in November."
 Sipilä’s government coalition partners,  Petter Orpo  of the National Coalition Party and  Sampo Terho  of the Blue Reform said on Friday that they would have not scuppered the government, had they found themselves in the same position.
 Opposition to blame for failed reform
 Sipilä insisted that in the end, the ambitious plan to overhaul social and health care services did not stumble over the constitution or shortcomings in the government’s proposals, but over resistance from the opposition.
 "The opposition has wanted to do this for the entire term [in office]. There has been immense pushback."
 Asked why the government did not table proposals that complied with the constitution, Sipilä said that the issue was not the proposals’ unconstitutionality, but a question of interpretation of the constitution.
 "Based on their preparation, the [reform] proposals were constitutional," Sipilä asserted, referring to plans to increase the role of private sector providers in the social and health care system.
 The corporatisation element has been included in the model in 2016, and was selected in part because  it would not require filing a "notification" for the EU to assess  the measure. When the corporatisation model, tanked the issue of notification reared its head once more.
 "The constitution is constantly being interpreted," he noted.
 "The model is continuously changing. We have done our best and listened to the expert. This certainly would have been completed if we had a little more time," Sipilä added.
 The PM declared that the derailment of the reform programme will have costly consequences. So far, it has cost the public purse up to 300 million euros.
 "This also means that for public finances, curbing spiralling [social and health care] costs will be postponed."
 Meanwhile some local governments have already started outsourcing their health care centres to private players. Sipilä predicted that the trend is likely to continue. "There will be serious consequences," he reiterated.

Sipilä: "I'll step down" as chair if Centre’s polling doesn’t improve


Summary: Most respondents said they would welcome students and citizens of other EU states, but would shun refugees and asylum seekers, the poll indicated.

Kansainväliset organisaatiot ja sopimukset

The hot-button issue of immigration continues to divide people in Finland according to a recently-released survey.
 Just under half of respondents – 47 percent – said that they consider themselves to be pro-immigration in a poll conducted by the Foundation for Municipal Development, KAKS. Some 41 percent opposed immigration, while roughly one in ten respondents said they neither supported nor opposed immigration into Finland.
 The poll also suggested that attitudes toward immigration tended to be more open in the Helsinki region, as well as among backers of the Greens, the Left Alliance and the Centre Party. However the most pro-immigration respondents were backers of the Green Party – some 79 percent of whom said they are in favour of immigration.
 At the other end of the spectrum, respondents who identified themselves as anti-immigration were people living in rural areas as well as Finns Party supporters, 96 percent of whom said they oppose immigration.
 Highly-educated individuals as well as senior white-collar workers were also found to be more open to immigration than other groups. Meanwhile less educated, blue collar and unemployed folk were not as keen on the idea.
 Majority want fewer migrants from the Middle East and Africa
 Respondents’ attitudes to immigration appeared to vary depending on migrant’s country of origin and their basis for relocating to Finland.
 Generally speaking, individuals polled said that students and citizens of other EU countries moving to Finland for work were welcome, whereas refugees and asylum seekers were shunned.
 More than 80 percent of respondents said they would accept the current amount or even more foreign students and 75 percent said they were in favour of seeing more work-based immigration from the EU.
 Half said they would be prepared to reduce the number of asylum seekers and refugees settled in their local communities. Just one-fifth said they would prepare to welcome more.
 The survey indicated that respondents would prefer immigrants from other EU states (73 percent), North America (68 percent) or Asia (68%). They were less keen to see migrants from the Middle East (60 percent) and Africa (50 percent), with many indicating that Finland should reduce immigration from these areas.
 Pollster Kantar TNS interviewed more than 1,100 respondents between the ages of 18 and 79 in mainland Finland.

Finland divided on immigration issue, survey shows


Summary: The fact that one-third of men polled think that women are to blame shows there is a long way to go before there is zero tolerance for violence, NGO says.

While there is broad support for programmes to combat  violence against women , a new poll shows some worrying attitudes to the issue, according to the International Solidarity Foundation, ISF, a Finnish NGO that seeks to advance the status of women and girls worldwide as well as their access to a sustainable income.
 Nearly nine out of ten of respondents in a recent poll said that it is important for Finland to improve the condition of women in developing countries, in the recent survey that sought to test opinions and attitudes toward the issue of violence against women.
 A majority of 75 percent said the country should show more visible support in the wider world for combating violence against women. Respondents almost unanimously agreed that violence against women is always wrong. Moreover, psychological violence was seen to be as damaging as physical violence.
 "It is gratifying to see that there is broad support in Finland for international efforts to combat violence against women. We want to point out that violence against women is always wrong, whether it happens in Finland or elsewhere in the world and based on the survey results, people in Finland seem to agree," said ISF gender-equality expert  Maria Väkiparta .
 The survey showed that just five percent of respondents said that Finland should not intervene in forms of violence that are based on culture or tradition,  such as female genital mutilation . More than half or people polled said that Finland should devote more public funding toward efforts to prevent violence against women.
 One-third of men think women to blame for violence
 Altogether roughly 80 percent of the people surveyed described Finland as a safe place for women. However one-third of men interviewed said that sometimes women are to blame for the violence they encounter. Overall, a quarter of all respondents shared this view.
 The results of the survey highlighted differences in values and attitudes based on age. Respondents under the age of 30 were more critical of the idea of using public funds for international efforts to combat violence against women. Fewer than half of people this age said that Finland should play a prominent role in improving the status of women and promoting non-violence in developing countries.
 "It is worrying that the least [level of] solidarity and condemnation of violence can be found among the younger group of respondents in particular. The fact that one-third of Finnish men think that in some situations violence against women is the woman’s fault means that unfortunately we have some distance to cover before there is zero tolerance for violence," Väkiparta commented.
 The survey was conducted for IFS by TNS Kantar and involved 1,061 respondents across the country.

Poll: Some men blame victims for violence against women


Summary: Finnish papers cover immigrant employment, university students abroad and a suspected stabber evading capture.

Monday’s editorial in daily  Helsingin Sanomat  highlights the importance of providing jobs for immigrants in the capital region.
 The paper writes that a majority of people who have moved to the Helsinki region in the past decade do not speak Finnish or Swedish as their mother tongue. What’s more, a large share of those moving to Helsinki from another parts of Finland are of foreign background. As a result, the capital area is rapidly becoming more international, HS says.
 According to a study by research company MDI, the population of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen is expected to increase by a quarter in the next 20 years, HS writes. On the other hand, the age-population ratio between seniors and people in labour force will rise considerably outside the capital area. Even though the number of seniors will also grow around Helsinki, the age-dependency ratio will remain more beneficial thanks to immigration and a stable birth rate.
 In order to support the economic development of the Helsinki and the whole country, it is essential to further employment opportunities for immigrants, HS writes.
 Med students head abroad
 In other news,  daily Kaleva  reports that young people in Finland are increasingly interested in studying abroad. In 2016, 8,000 Finnish students were enrolled as students in foreign universities, twice as many as a decade ago, based on figures from the Finnish National Agency on Education. In addition to Sweden and the UK, which have topped the list of the most popular study destinations for a long time, more and more young people are headed to Romania and Spain for academic studies.
 Sini Suomi  from Eximia, which organises exam preparation courses and advises students about 14 partner universities abroad, says Riga Stradiņš University in Riga, Latvia has become Eximia’s most popular foreign destination for students. “The medical school in Riga Stradiņš has the most applicants, but there’s also interest in dentistry, business and psychology,” Suomi says.
 According to Kaleva, some students choose studies abroad in order to avoid difficult entrance exams in Finland. For example, students do not need to participate in entrance exams to gain entry to medical school in Riga. Instead, entry is based on the grades of the Finnish matriculation exam certificate.
 Similarly, Finnish students want to study in Romania, because the entrance examinations there are easier than at home. “The entrance exam in Romania is oral and focuses on human anatomy. Students do not need to know chemistry or physics,“ says  Sampo Tiensuu  from exam preparation company Lääkisvalmennus.
 Kaleva says courses preparing students for studies abroad cost between 250 and 3,000 euros.
 Fugitive still on the loose
 Tabloid  Ilta-Sanomat  reports that a man sought for an attempted double homicide in Helsinki has been added to the list of Europe’s most wanted fugitives.
 According to IS, the 33-year-old  Hayder Al-Hmedawi  is suspected of stabbing his former wife and her friend as well as injuring three children he has with the ex-wife. The incident on 3 March took place in a child protection unit of a private social services company in the Haaga district of Helsinki.
 IS says police has searched for Al-Hmedawi in the Turku area, but it is possible he has fled abroad. Al-Hmedawi’s 28-year-old brother was arrested and remanded in custody last week. The brother was not present during the incident, but he is accused of aiding in the crime, IS reports.
 The former wife had a restraining order against Al-Hmedawi, who had previously received a suspended six-month sentence for assaulting her, IS said.

Monday's papers: Jobs for immigrants, students abroad and fugitive on the run


Summary: At least 27 vehicles were involved in two separate pile-ups on Highway 4 in Oulu on Monday.

Rescue officials in the northern Finnish city report two chain collisions on a local motorway on Monday morning, along with more minor accidents elsewhere.
 The accidents occurred during the morning rush hour on the Pohjantie section of route 4, which runs between Oulu and Jyväskylä.
 The first incident, at the Ouluntulli exit ramp, involved five cars. Three of the six people in the vehicles were taken to hospital.
 The second accident happened south of Ouluntulli and involved 21 vehicles. Two of them were lorries while one was a local bus.
 Altogether at least 13 people were taken to hospital for treatment or evaluations.
 "Quite a lot of chaos"
 "Lots of cars have flown into the embankments. There are cars stuck on the road for about a kilometre between the accidents. Quite a lot of chaos," said  Risto Degerman , an Yle reporter at the scene.
 Degerman said that there was a constant stream of tow trucks arriving, and that there were apparently other accidents on Lentokentäntie in Oulu and in the centre of nearby Kempele.
 Pasi Mällinen  at the Oulu Road Traffic Centre said there is a shortage of breakdown lorries in the area.
 "There aren't that many tow trucks in this city. It will take a while to clear up after these accidents," he told Yle.
 Driving conditions were poor at the time, with heavy falling and blowing snow.
 "But we've had worse weather, so I kind of wonder what happened," Mällinen commented.
 One lane of the motorway remained closed in the afternoon. Around 4pm the Oulu Road Traffic Centre announced that the situation had returned to normal at the sites.

13 hospitalised after major multiple-vehicle collisions in Oulu


Summary: A Vaasa-based football team's six dark-skinned players were asked to show proof of identity when returning home by ferry on Saturday.

Non-Discrimination Ombudsman  Kirsi Pimiä  told  Helsingin Sanomat  that an incident at Vaasa harbour on Saturday raises strong suspicions about racial profiling. Customs officials at the port pulled aside dark-skinned players of local football team VPS and asked for their identification.
 VPS midfielder  Sebastian Strandvall  said in a tweet that the team was returning home from a match in Sweden by ferry when all of the team's six black players were stopped by Customs officials.
 "I’m astonished by the Customs handling of the case. I assume that the officials only knew the skin colour of the person they were looking for. That’s why they stopped all black men," Pimiä told HS.
 However, Finland’s Aliens Act forbids ethnic profiling, where officials such as police stop individuals based on their ethnicity, race or religion.
 "We should finally learn! If the Customs were searching for a white man with blond hair, would they have stopped all men fitting that description?" Pimiä asked.
 According to Strandvall, reactions within the team were mixed.
 "Three of the six players who got stopped are Finnish citizens and they seemed to be more in shock. The other three were more furious. It's as if they should have been used to that kind of treatment," he added.
 Customs apologise
 Customs director  Sami Rakshit  told Helsingin Sanomat that the agency was looking for a specific person on the ferry. Because the officials did not have a photo of the person, they had to inspect the players' identification documents, Rakshit said.
 The players were not told why they were stopped, HS reported.
 "What we do is not of concern to outsiders. We did not carry out customs audits on these players; we only asked to see proof of identity. There's no reason to believe that any wrongdoing occurred," Rakshit said.
 Strandvall told  Iltalehti  he received a call from Rakshit on Sunday apologising for what had happened.

Discrimination watchdog suspects racial profiling in Customs checks of Vaasa footballers


Summary: A football club from Kotka, southwest Finland has signed a Jamaican multiple world champion for sprint training.

Jalkapallon alempien sarjatasojen joukkueita

The Kotka-based football club FC KTP has recruited a Jamaican sprinter to join its coaching team. The new hire is multiple world and Olympic champion  Kerron Stewart  and she will work with the team from May to September this year.
 The 34-year-old athlete has won world championships in Berlin in 2009, in Moscow in 2013 and Beijing in 2015. Her Berlin exploits in 2009 included a silver medal in the 100-metre sprint.
 Stewart was a silver medallist in the 100-metre women’s sprint at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and also snatched a bronze in the 200-metre event. She announced last year that she was retiring from competition last year.
 Stewart’s personal record in the 100-metre sprint stands at 10.75 seconds while her best time in the 200-metre event is 21.99 seconds.
 Passing on expertise
 KTP’s sales and marketing manager Jari-Pekka Gummerus said that the club plans to offer Stewart’s running and coaching expertise to other outfits in Finland and St. Petersburg.
 "We plan to sell her skills to other athletics clubs, academies and sporting associations. This is new for us," Gummerus disclosed.
 He said that KTP already has plans drawn up for marketing the sprinter’s coaching services.
 "Traditional phone calls and making use of cooperation partner networks. We are hoping that by selling coaching services we will be able to cover her fee."
 Stewart has said that she would like to continue her involvement in sports by working as a coach.
 "Stewart played football during high school and after her track career she will be switching back to football," Gummerus explained.
 KTP expects that Stewart will coach all of the club’s teams.
 "This is an investment"
 The marketing chief said that KTP was able to snag Stewart through and sports agent. "Sometimes the world is small. We had long been in discussions with Stewart about this coaching idea and we decided to recruit her. We can also contribute to the start of her coaching career."
 However Gummerus was quite tight-lipped when asked about the details of Stewart’s contract.
 "You could say that this is an investment for us."

Jamaican sprinter to coach at southwest Finland football club


Summary: In addition to traffic infractions, this week police are paying particular attention to whether foreigners have valid residence permits.

Finnish police are taking part in a Europe-wide seatbelt enforcement campaign this week – while cracking down on a range of other offences including illegal residence in the country.
 Police in 28 countries are conducting seatbelt checks throughout the week of 11-17 March as part of an operation coordinated by the European Traffic Police Network (TISPOL). Law enforcement officials in Finland are also keeping an extra-sharp eye out for motorists' compliance with other traffic rules such as the proper use of mobile phones and paying due attention to pedestrian crossings.
 According to Inspector  Heikki Kallio  of the National Police Board, inattention to traffic is usually due to phone use. He notes that all too often seatbelts are not secured, particularly in built-up areas, in vans and in the back seats of cars.
 At zebra crossings, police are tracking drivers' behaviour when children or elderly people are attempting to cross.
 Infant car seats installed improperly
 On Monday morning, officers were also checking the safe use of child safety seats. In the west-coast city of Pori, they found problems in a quarter of such cases . They were most often found in car seats used for children under the age of three, said  Sami Kivilä  of the Finnish Road Safety Council.
 "They were all attached with seatbelts and they all had good seats. But the problem was that more than half were facing in the direction of travel, while the recommendation is that the child should be facing backwards. If there's an accident when the child's head weighs more proportionally than their body, then they can flop forward so it's extremely important to turn those seats around," he told Yle.
 According to the  Road Safety Council's website , "the safest way to transport a child is to seat them facing the rear as long as possible but at least until the child is three years old."
 Residence permits under the microscope
 During the week police are also checking whether foreigners have proper documentation to be in the country.
 "In practice this means when the identity of a person who is a customer in a police operation is checked and the individual is found to be a foreigner, we at the same also check whether he or she has the right to be in the country," police inspector  Ari Jokinen  told the National Coalition Party daily Verkkouutiset.
 Authorities may also carry out inspections in restaurants or at other targetted sites.
 "Police surveillance operations may never be based solely on actual or assumed ethnic origin. Rather such actions must be based on tips or analytical data indicating illegal residence in the country," Jokinen said.

Police step up surveillance of traffic rules, residence permits


Summary: Less than six out of 10 employees in Finland belong to trade unions.

Ministerit, ministeriöt ja valtioneuvosto

Suomen Ammattiliittojen Keskusjärjestö SAK

Finland’s trade unions continue to lose members. According to a report by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (TEM), just over half of male and two thirds of female employees were represented by employee organisations in 2017.
 In all, 1.4 million employees, or 59 percent, belong to unions in Finland.
 TEM said the degree of unionisation has fallen by five percentage points since 2013. Membership in unions has declined most in the industrial sector, where nine percent fewer employees were represented by unions in 2017 than four years previously.
 The ministry also noted that the number of union members is considerably lower in private service sectors, where less than half of employees belong to unions.
 Finland’s largest union group is the blue-collar Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), which represents 17 unions and their 900,000 members.
 Caretaker PM  Juha Sipilä ’s outgoing coalition government had a rocky relationship with the unions and raised their ire numerous times by attempting to – and succeeding in –  cutting employee benefits and pay in order to improve Finland's competitiveness .
 Last autumn, several unions organised strikes to protest a proposed  law that would make it easier for small companies to fire workers . Parliament passed the law nonetheless, albeit in a watered-down form.

Membership in trade unions continues to fall


Summary: The laws will give the Security Intelligence Service and the Finnish Defence Forces new, expanded eavesdropping powers.

Parliament approved a package of intelligence law reforms in a nearly-empty plenary chamber on Monday afternoon. Finnish lawmakers effectively approved two bills which will enhance the surveillance capabilities of military and civil intelligence agencies.
 The bills had been the source of a good deal of controversy since they were introduced. They were also considered by some to be among the most important pieces of legislation during Prime Minister Juha Sipilä's administration, which came to a sudden end last week, when he tendered his  government's resignation  to the president on Friday.
 On that dramatic day, parliament approved the content of the surveillance bills, and since there was no opposition to the legislation on Monday, the bills were approved without a vote.
 Negotiations concerning the legislation came to a  standstill last month  over constitutional concerns.
 Constitutional questions
 Constitutional experts - including on the social media site Twitter - said that changes demanded by the Constitutional Law Committee had been overlooked in the drafting of the legislation.
 Parliament's Administration Committee then requested an additional statement from the constitutional committee which found that adjustments made to the legislation were satisfactory.
 The surveillance reforms will be put into effect as soon as possible, but still require final approval from President Sauli Niinistö.
 Over the weekend it was reported that the administration's resignation will  likely delay  the appointment of the future Intelligence Ombudsman, until the next government takes office after April's general election.
 At the request of President Niinistö, the Sipilä administration will continue as a  caretaker government  until parliamentary elections due on 14 April.

Finland passes enhanced surveillance bills without a vote


Summary: Police in southwest Finland are leading a multi-agency investigation into the death of an elderly client who was assaulted at a senior care home in January.

The police, the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira) and the Regional State Administrative Agency are investigating the fatal assault in January of a 76-year-old woman,  Vuokko , who was a client at a senior care home in southwest Finland, run by the private health care firm Pihlajalinna.
 The elderly woman perished after an assault by another resident of the facility, according to Pihlajalinna officials.
 Vuokko's son,  Veijo Kujala , said that his mother's face was so swollen that he had a difficult time recognising her.
 "That memory will be with me for the rest of my life," Kujala said about the tragedy that unfolded in early January at the privately-run senior home Setälänpiha in the southwestern town of Lieto.
 "A neurologist explained that she suffered two cerebral haemorrhages and that there was hardly any hope," Kujala recalled.
 His mother never regained consciousness and died in hospital a week after the assault.
 Kujala said that not long after losing his mother, he ran into obstacles negotiating with the care facility after it sent him a bill claiming occupancy for the entire month of January, despite the fact she died at the beginning of the month.
 Assault and aftermath
 Setälänpiha specialises in care for seniors who require extra assistance. The facility is managed by Pihlajalinna, a private health firm which markets social and health care services across the country.
 The night of the assault, Vuokko had participated in a evening prayer session in the facility's common room and then returned to a room that she apparently thought was hers.
 Vuokko had recently moved to a different room and suffering from memory loss, she apparently went into the wrong room - one belonging to a male client, who'd also taken part in the evening prayer session.
 Story continues after photo.
 Veijo Kujala stands outside the Setälänpiha special senior care facility in Lieto, where his mother was assaulted by a fellow client in early January. Janne Järvinen / Yle
 Staff had been monitoring the man when he was in the common room but reportedly let him return to his room on his own.
 When he did, the man reportedly beat Vuokko so severely that she never recovered from her injuries.
 A report issued by ambulance technicians who were called to the scene stated they saw that both of Vuokko's eyes were blackened with bruises and she had lumps on her head as well as bite marks on her right wrist. The hospital physician who cared for Vuokko confirmed the injuries resulted from an assault.
 However, no one else witnessed the assault when it took place, though another female resident called on staff for help.
 When they did go to the room, caregivers found Vuokko still conscious, lying on a bed. But shortly afterwards she began to show symptoms of paralysis.
 Local police are investigating the incident as aggravated assault and homicide.
 Risk loomed for months
 According to information obtained by Yle's investigative team MOT, staff had been worried for several months about the male client suspected of the attack, believing he was a serious threat to other clients at the home.
 The suspect was younger than the other clients at the home - as well as heavily-built. During mealtimes, staff placed him facing a wall because he was occasionally provoked by the other clients - none of whom were permitted to sit at the same table as him.
 The man had previously been prevented by staff from assaulting other residents. Some neurological illnesses and disorders are known to cause aggressive behaviour.
 Facility staff said the man's behaviour was exceptionally erratic and threatening. Some said they thought the man had been placed at the wrong facility and that it was difficult to adequately monitor him.
 Facility's board, city aware of risk before assault
 According to information obtained by Yle, the care facility's board had been aware for some time about the danger the man potentially posed. The city of neighbouring Turku was also aware of the situation.
 Pihlajalinna's southwestern Finland district chief,  Paula Arvilommi , said she could not comment about the January incident due to the ongoing police investigation, but said that staffing at the Setälänpiha facility was adequate and competent.
 "We at Pihlajalinna are extremely shocked and regret what occurred," she said.
 "Clients cared for at care facilities providing enhanced services face behavioural challenges. Specialised staff at such facilities [regularly] face various behavioural disorders [of clients] and it is part of their special expertise," Arvilommi said.
 The January assault has prompted changes at Pihlajalinna's operations across the southwestern region, according to Arvilommi.
 Story continues after photo.
 File photo of Pihlajalinna logo and stethoscope.
 Now, all unit chiefs at the company's enhanced service units receive extra support from a specialist physician when making decisions with municipal social workers about a client's care. Also, the rooms of clients have been equipped with alert systems that notify staff when their doors are opened.
 "They are used as needed - with permission - and for particularly weighty reasons," the region chief explained.
 Arvilommi said Pihlajalinna is taking the incident "extremely seriously."
 "The entire management team is aware of the incident. If there are ways we can change so that things like this do not occur in the future, we of course will change them," she said.
 City of Turku asks for inquest
 "We have presented materials to officials and we are doing everything in order to determine how this could have occurred," Arvilommi said.
 Turku officials said they would not directly comment about the assault, citing patient privacy and the ongoing police probe.
 The director of Turku's welfare sector,  Riitta Liuksa , said the city has requested an inquest into the Pihlajalinna incident.
 "It is clear that we do everything we can to find the appropriate care facility that suits each client - to a unit that is able to carry out its duties," Liuksa said.
 Southwest Finland's Regional State Administrative Agency is also looking into the Setälänpiha unit.
 Among other matters, the agency is reviewing how clients are monitored at the facility - as well as staffing levels. The agency said it also wants to know how and why the assailant was placed at Setälänpiha in the first place.
 Police have also called on Valvira, the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health, for its opinion about the case, but that investigation has only just begun.
 Son gets bill for full rent, despite client's death
 Vuokko's son said he has been trying to get to the bottom of the reasons for his mother's violent, fatal assault and said that so far, he's not received a satisfactory answer from the company charged with her care.
 He said that the assault case has been bouncing between the police, Valvira and the administrative agency and that nothing seems to be going forward.
 "It has been two months and everything's just only started. If you kill someone on a market square, the police are quick to sort it out. If you do the same thing at a care facility, it seems it doesn't interest anyone at all," Kujala said.
 At the end of January Kujala received a call from the care facility about his mother's rental contract, informing him that there was a minimum one-month notification period on the agreement.
 Story continues after photo.
 Veijo Kujala. Janne Järvinen / Yle
 "They called from the care home and demanded rent for the whole month. I answered them that they should have kept my mother alive. Then I would have gladly paid. They have no nuance at all. In the end we agreed that due to "the special circumstances," the amount of rent due was only for the actual days of care [that she received]," Kujala said.
 However, Kujala said that he received a bill for the entire month, anyway. After a long series of emails and several phone calls he said that the rent was paid.
 Pihlajalinna's district chief Arvilommi said the billing matter was a question of regrettable human error.
 Vuokko's funeral was held in mid-February in Turku, according to her son.
 "It seems unreal that the assault took place at a care home that I thought was safe. It has been an anxiety-filled experience for mum's relatives," Kujala said.

"It seems unreal": Elderly woman dies after brutal assault by care home resident


Summary: A Helsinki politico warns of parallel realities, MPs gather pre-election to eliminate a controversial perk and young people worry about climate and terrorism.

Helsinki deputy mayor  Nasima Razmyar  says she is concerned about the "alternate reality" that some immigrant groups occupy. Speaking to  tabloid daily Ilta-Sanomat , Razmyar referenced a  Helsinki stabbing attack  just over one week ago, in which two adults and three children were injured, and where  the assailant is still on the run .
 IS writes that the assault is believed to be linked to "honour violence". The 33-year-old suspect,  Hayder Al-Hmedav , had reportedly threatened his former wife with disfigurement because she had gone out in public without a veil.
 Razmyar told IS that it is important to take this kind of "alternate reality" in the capital area seriously. "A large majority of immigrants and asylum seekers understand what integrating into a new society means. We still have a small minority that wants to live according to their own norms, to try crimes themselves and to hand down judgments in their own courts," she declared.
 "A huge number of ethnic communities act as bridge builders to Finnish society, but a small number build walls instead," she added.
 Razmyar said that one challenge that some immigrant women face is that they do not have the courage to speak to the authorities. Another issue is that the authorities do not take threats women receive seriously or they do not understand the situation.
 MPs cosying up to voters?
 MPs will gather on Tuesday to consider a bill that aims to eliminate  parachute pensions for lawmaker s. Hot off the presses in Turku, southwest Finland,  Turun Sanomat writes that the term  "adjustment pension" is itself a misnomer for the perk, since many who receive it have not reached retirement age.
 In Finland, former MPs in Finland are entitled to adjustment pensions if they were elected to Parliament before 2011 and have served for at least seven years. On average, adjustment pensions amount to about 3,000 euros per month.
 The draft legislation was prompted by  a citizens' initiative that gathered support  from 70,000 signatories, propelling it to Parliament in spring 2018. The initiative has proceeded through parliament along with a similar proposal drawn up by lawmakers themselves.
 According to TS, there is broad support for the draft legislation although it will sharply reduce the income they receive from the parliamentary careers. TS speculated that one reason for the apparent enthusiasm is an attempt to curry favour with voters ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections.
 The first reading of the bill takes place on Tuesday, with MPs likely to vote on the measure on Wednesday. A crucial second reading is then likely to take place next Monday or Tuesday.
 Violence increasingly seen as a means of influence
 Terrorism, climate change and global politics have contributed to a heightened sense of insecurity among young people in Finland, according to a new youth survey.
 Leading circulation daily  Helsingin Sanomat reports Tuesday  that more than three-quarters of respondents in the annual poll said that they felt somewhat more or very much more insecure or uncertain about climate change. Ten years ago, climate change was a headline concern for 40 percent of respondents to a similar survey.
 All the same, a clear majority of the 1,900-odd interviewees said they were optimistic about their personal outlook as well as that of the country, although there was a slight increase in uncertainty about the future of the world.
 The survey revealed increasing interest in politics among 15 - 29-year-olds, indicating steady growth since the 1990s. Two-thirds of young people told researchers  Elina Pekkarinen  and  Sami Myllyniemi  that they were either somewhat or highly interested in politics. The research pair attributed the outcome to rising concerns about the climate.
 However although young people may be paying more attention to politics, they said they have less faith in politicians, with one-third of survey participants declaring that politicians are unreliable. At the same time, confidence in political parties was found to be lower than in other societal institutions. Trust in the office of the president, however, rose sharply during President  Sauli Niinistö 's term to reach 93 percent in the 2018 survey.
 HS reported that the researchers also found it worrying that more young people see violence as an increasingly effective means of creating impact, compared to previous barometers -- nearly one in ten said they believed it is possible to use violence to make a major difference.

Tuesday's papers: Pol's fears of "alternate" realities, axing MP perks, are the kids OK?


Summary: The NGO said the funding cut will hamstring its ability to provide drug rehabilitation, mental health and homeless services.

The NGO No Fixed Abode (VVA) is pushing back against a decision by the city of Helsinki to deny it funding because of its poor financial performance in 2017.
 VVA applied for city funding for a drug-free recreational facility on the Helsinki island of Vartiosaari and one called Soldis in Espoo as well as for a peer support and volunteer centre, Vepa, in Vantaa. Vepa is a site that also offers visitors meals and where the number of clients is growing rapidly.
 Last year the centre had nearly 19,000 visitors. In January 2018, it served just over 1,900 people and this January the number had risen to over 2,000. "Visitor numbers have been rising for a long time and I already communicated this to the city last year," said VVA head  Sanna Tiivola .
 Funding application rejected
 Last year the NGO applied to the city of Helsinki for 30,000 euros to support its operations, which were in the red. VVA said that it sought funding specifically for the Vartiosaari and Soldis sites. It appealed the decision to deny the aid, an appeal the city's social and health care committee is expected to dismiss when it meets on Wednesday.
 "We tried to overturn the funding decision, because our financial results from last year were good," Tiivola explained, acknowledging that the 2017 results were unusually poor.
 "Last year's statement will be in the black," she stressed. "The city should have the new information about our finances, because it conducted an audit before it denied [us] additional funding."
 In previous years, VVA received 25,000 euros for its operations. Last year the figure fell to 15,000 euros as it was sanctioned for poor financial performance.
 Irregularities in financial management
 The city attributed its decision to deny aid to irregularities in VVA's financial management. Deputy mayor  Sanna Vesikansa  said that the city wants all of its partners to ensure that their financial data can withstand scrutiny.
 "This is a good organisation with important operations, but all of our partners [abide by] the same principles. They must meet certain requirements and in terms of financial management, the operation must be above board -- for small as well as large organisations," she commented.
 The next opportunity to seek financial assistance from Helsinki will be in autumn this year. Every year the city grants more than six million euros to NGOs in the social and health care sector.
 Homeless to be affected
 The organisation said that it plans to continue its operations, even if the city dismisses its appeal to overturn the decision to deny funding.
 "We will do the minimum and of course we can try to find funding from elsewhere, but to be direct, this is really callous on the city's part," Tiivola charged. VVA can continue to operate using funding from the Social Affairs and Health Ministry's STEA programme, which Tiivola said is currently used to pay the salaries of two peer counsellors.
 The NGO will now look to scale back its Vartiosaari operation, which it says has increased marine traffic to the island. Similarly, it will not shutter its Vepa centre, but due to a rise in visitor numbers it will need a larger space and more workers.
 VVA currently is also renting from the city a sauna and an annex on the mainland opposite Vartiosaari. It serves a drug-free peer group. While fresh visitor data for Soldis are not yet available, the NGO said that last year some 5,900 people used the facility.
 Tiivola said that the city's decision has effectively restricted access to drug and mental health services.

Helsinki cuts aid to homeless NGO over "financial irregularities"


Summary: More Estonians are leaving Finland - and Finns are increasingly moving to Estonia. The trend started about two years ago.

Finland is not drawing Estonian workers as it has in the past, and those who immigrated to the country in the 15 years after the turn of the millennium to work are increasingly returning to Estonia.
 The Estonian ambassador to Finland,  Harri Tiido , told Yle that Estonia's economy is growing very quickly.
 "On average, Estonia's economy is growing faster than the EU and faster than Finland's. Salaries have gone up because competition for jobs is fierce," Tiido said.
 Many Estonians who intermittently commute to the country's northern neighbour, Finland, to work have also started to consider the problems that travelling between the countries causes, according to the ambassador.
 Estonian salaries rising
 "When the difference in salaries in some sectors is a question of a few hundred euros, people have started to consider the cost of living in Finland. They also are facing problems that affect their families and alcohol use," Tiido said.
 Last year the average salary in Estonia was 1,310 euros per month, while in 2008 the average salary was just 825 euros per month.
 Pekka Vuori , who works at Helsinki's population demographics and statistics department, said that Estonia's population structure is just one reason that their nationals are now increasingly leaving Finland.
 "Estonia's economy and job market have developed very well. The employment rate there is better than in Finland. Also, fewer young adults are in the job market; their numbers have decreased by a third since the year 2000."
 Not just Finland
 Expat Estonians all around Europe have begun returning to their home country to work, because there aren't as many working-age people vying for those jobs, according to Vuori.
 Estonians began moving to Finland in large numbers after the turn of the millennium. The first migration peak was reached in 2006, when nearly 4,500 Estonians moved to Finland.
 After that point, with a few exceptions, the migration to Finland steadily increased until 2014.
 Since then, the number of new Estonians moving across the Gulf of Finland has declined, while at the same time increasing numbers of Estonians who moved to Finland have returned.
 The year 2017 was a landmark in terms of Finnish-Estonian migration statistics, as it marked the first time that more Finns moved to Estonia than vice-versa.
 Construction sector behind decline
 Ambassador Tiido said that declines in demand within the Finnish construction industry are the major factor in the reduction of Estonian workers moving to Finland. He said the number of Estonian construction workers has dropped by one third from the peak migration years.
 The numbers of Estonian commuters who travel on the passenger cruise firm Tallink's ships went down by around 1,000 last January alone, according to the company. Its ships make the 90km voyage between the two capitals in about two hours.
 Vuori said that some sectors in the Helsinki area are suffering from a lack of workers and foreign workers are needed in order to fill those jobs.
 "So far we have had it rather good, as as a significant portion of the workforce has come from Estonia. They have adapted well to the labour market, both in terms of their native languages, but also otherwise. We have to invest more in integration and education," Vuori said.
 Estonia joined the EU in 2004, following Finland's accession in 1995.

Estonian workers increasingly head home as salaries catch up with Finland


Summary: Mass eruptions from the sun's corona could make it possible to see the Northern Lights in central and southern Finland Tuesday night.

There's a fair chance that residents across Finland will be able to witness Aurora Borealis displays on Tuesday night. According to the Finnish Meteorological Institute, FMI, the country-wide visibility of the light phenomenon will be driven by particularly active solar flares.
 Cloudy conditions in parts of southern and central Finland were due to clear by Tuesday night, making it more possible to catch the celestial spectacle.
 Residents of Ostrobothnia in the west and Kainuu in the east had a chance to catch the phenomenon as early as Monday night, since rain clouds had already drifted eastward on Sunday night.
 Not surprisingly, people up north stand the best chance of observing the dancing lights, as skies in the region will be quite clear this week.
 Yle meteorologist  Matti Huutonen  said that Tuesday night's clear conditions will create far better opportunities for Aurora hunters.
 The FMI's website indicated that there is a similar likelihood of seeing the light spectacle on Wednesday and Thursday.
 The eruptions of the corona -- the gas ring surrounding the sun -- began last Friday and were expected to reach the earth's atmosphere on Monday or Tuesday.
 The eruptions may cause mild geomagnetic storms. According to FMI, once they are over, space weather should return to normal.
 You can follow aurora activity  on the FMI's website  (in Finnish).

Eyes up: Northern Lights may light up skies as far as southern Finland


Summary: Laws that will enhance the surveillance capabilities of military and civil intelligence agencies were approved by lawmakers on Monday.

Finland's Chancellor of Justice,  Tuomas Pöysti , said on Tuesday that the caretaker government currently running the country can appoint the new post of Intelligence Ombudsman.
 Prime Minister  Juha Sipilä  unexpectedly  dissolved his government  last Friday, but at the request of the president, his coalition will continue as a  caretaker government  until 14 April, when parliamentary elections are held.
 In this role, ministers will continue to handle the day-to-day matters of running the state, but with a  diminished mandate .
 The justice ministry's administrative director,  Olli Muttilainen , said last week if the caretaker government cannot carry out the appointment, it will likely fall on the next government to do it, saying at the time it would likely be a "relatively long delay." Government formation talks typically take a couple of months.
 However, following Pöysti's approval of the caretaker government making the appointment, it is expected the post will be filled during March.
 Lawmakers  approved on Monday two bills  which will enhance the surveillance capabilities of military and civil intelligence agencies.
 Role of the Intelligence Ombudsman
 Finland's first intelligence ombudsman will be named sometime this month, according to the justice ministry. Applicants to be interviewed for the post have been selected.
 The new position will be attached to the office of the data protection ombudsman, but independent and autonomous.
 The intelligence ombudsman will be responsible for monitoring the activities of intelligence and surveillance agencies and to protect basic human rights.
 Last week parliament's constitutional law committee recommended  Kimmo Hakonen , general secretary of the Chancellor of Justice's office management, for the new post.
 In addition to the new ombudsman's post, an intelligence supervisory committee consisting of 11 members is also being set up by the caretaker cabinet.

Caretaker government can appoint Intelligence Ombudsman, justice chancellor says


Summary: Despite information campaigns, men of pension age are still bringing back unwanted souvenirs of visits across the border.

Etelä-Karjalan sosiaali- ja terveyspiiri (EKSOTE)

In recent years health authorities in South Karelia have traced a number of HIV infections to neighbouring Russia.
 Last year the South Karelia Social and Health Care District (Eksote) confirmed seven new cases of HIV infection.
 Six of the patients were men, and all but one were Finnish citizens. The average age of the Finnish male patients was 70 and all their infections were found to originate in the Russian border town of Svetogorsk (formerly the Finnish town of Enso).
 Svetogorsk is 45km from Lappeenranta, the capital of South Karelia, and just 5km from Imatra.
 Chlamydia on the rise among young women
 Officials say that the trend of older men picking up HIV in Russia has become familiar, and persists despite repeated efforts to stamp out the problem.
 Information campaigns  have urged men in the region to use condoms  of the correct size. Residents have also been advised to get tested so that possible HIV cases can be detected before progressing to AIDS.
 One significant problem is excessive modesty. An individual may for instance put off getting tested because he lives in small town and knows the nurses personally.
 Besides HIV cases, Eksote's 2018 infectious disease report also shows an uptick in diagnosed cases of sexually-transmitted chlamydia. Just over 60 percent of these patients were women. Nearly nine out of 10 female patients were aged 15-25.

Eastern Finland seniors contracting HIV in Russia despite information campaigns


Summary: A 15-year-old boy attending a confirmation camp at the Himos ski resort in Jämsä, central Finland, died while skiing off-piste.

The Safety and Chemicals Agency, Tukes, has ruled that there was no negligence on the part of a church that organised a confirmation camp  during which a 15-year-old boy died .
 The youngster from Pargas in southwest Finland, died after falling six to eight metres off a cliff while skiing off-piste at the resort in mid-February.
 Tukes found that the Swedish-language Lutheran church had previously organised similar similar confirmation camps that included skiing activities and had observed the required safety regulations.
 "We have no comments to make, because the church had [the required] safety documents and risks had been mapped out. The camp location was familiar and the camp leader was experienced. Organisers had also reviewed the rules with participants. This matter is over as far as we are concerned," said Tukes specialist  Mervi Murtonen .
 Police had previously said that there was no reason to suspect that any foul play was involved and that  they would not begin a criminal investigation .

Safety watchdog: No negligence in fatal ski accident


Summary: The firm has been known to emphasise Christian values and until recently kept their shops closed on Sundays.

Employees at the discount retailer chain Halpa-Halli who have refused to work on Sundays have been given a deadline.
 Following cooperative negotiations initiated by the company that effectively forces employees to be available to work all shifts, starting at the end of May those workers will have to decide whether to go along with the new rules or risk losing their jobs.
 Halpa-Halli operates 40 discount retail shops and employs about 1,500 people. The firm began opening its stores on Sundays last November, but five of its employees refused to go along with the new plans.
 Christian values
 Now that negotiations are complete, employees have agreed to the new working hour arrangement by the end of May. After that point, all workers will be expected to work Sunday shifts, or face the possibility of being sacked.
 Halpa-Halli officials said that the employees involved in the negotiations agreed to work on Sundays when they started working at the company. The firm said management teams try to give Sunday shifts to workers who want them, but for the sake of equality can be compelled to work on those days if it is needed.
 The firm has been known to  emphasise Christian values  and until recently kept their shop doors closed on Sundays. But the firm, citing economic reasons, began opening their shops on Sundays towards the end of last year.

Discount retailer Halpa-Halli to compel employees to work Sundays


Summary: Real estate taxes and utility costs can vary by as much as 1500 euros a year depending where in Finland you live.

The annual costs of living in a private house – besides possible rent – vary significantly from one municipality to another in Finland. The difference between the priciest and cheapest municipalities has risen to 1500 euros for an average older house.
 The biggest differentiating factors are heating, water and electricity transfer fees, according to a survey released on Tuesday by the Home Owners' Association.
 Lowest rates in Kempele
 Among the 100 municipalities surveyed, the cheapest place to have a house is in Kempele, near Oulu, while the most expensive is in Kimitoön (Kemiönsaari in Finnish), a mainly Swedish-speaking maritime municipality in the southwest.
 The study indicates that regional variations in the costs of living in single-family homes have increased. The gap between the lowest and highest-cost municipalities was only around 1,000 euros last year but has now widened by half. The national average yearly expenditure for a typical modest-sized house is now nearly 4,000 euros, the group says.
 Included in the comparison were real estate taxes, electricity, water and waste disposal fees.
 Forking out the most each year are residents of Kimitoön, who pay an average of more than 4,700 euros each year. Meanwhile those in Kempele get by with paying around 3,200 euros. High water fees particularly push up the cost of living in Kimitoön. Second most expensive is the neighbouring municipality of Pargas (Parainen), followed by nearby Raisio and then Järvenpää, just north of Helsinki.
 The second-lowest cost is in another Swedish-speaking coastal town, Jakobstad (Pietarsaari), followed by Keminmaan in Lapland and Seinäjoki in Ostrobothnia, all in western parts of the country.
 Heating biggest cost
 For comparison purposes, the study uses a typical detached wooden house of 120 square metres, electrically heated and built about 30 years ago on a 1,000-square-metre plot. Heating was estimated to use up 14,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.
 The largest cost is heating, which also accounts for the biggest cost gaps between municipalities. The differences are mainly due to variations in electricity transfer fees. Regardless of one's electricity provider, these fixed fees are costliest in Kajaani, eastern Finland, at nearly 915 euros a year. In Rovaniemi, Lapland, these fees only add up to an average 391 euros annually.
 Both the transfer fees and market prices for electricity rose significantly throughout the country. Included in the survey were 100 municipalities, accounting for 83 percent of Finland's population.

Growing gaps in cost of detached-home living


Summary: Russia's influence in Finland, post-election economic realities and Finns lose faith in trade unions.

A fresh report on Russia (_ Voiman Venäjä _), authored by some 40 experts from a number of Finnish research organisations and state agencies, makes for worrisome reading, reports Swedish-language daily  Hufvudstadsbladet .
 Authors of the report recommend that Finland up its preparedness for dealing with Russian interference as it attempts to influence societal debate and decision making in the country.
 The report homes in on Finland’s asymmetrical power balance with Russia, and teases out the inherent conflict of interest governing the neighbours’ security policy. Finland’s approach has been to deepen its relationships with partner countries while maintaining an open dialogue with Russia. However, the report warns, this path of closer military cooperation with the West could lead to increased criticism and pressure from Finland’s eastern neighbour.
 Mind the gap
 With general elections just  weeks away , business daily  Kauppalehti ’s leader dives into the economics of election promises, noting that Finland will face tough decisions on which services to cut after the new government takes office.
 When the government collapsed last week over its failed social and health care reform, colloquially known as "_ sote _", so too did the promised savings of three billion euros, according to KL.
 KL writes that the Finance Ministry has estimated that Finland has a ten billion euro  fiscal sustainability gap . Reaching a 75 percent employment level will not be enough to shore up public funds, according to the paper.
 Championing workers’ rights?
 Helsingin Sanomat ’s leader this morning follows up on news of  falling membership in trade unions . In 2017, around half of men and two-thirds of women were card-carrying members of labour organisations in Finland.
 The increasing fragmentation of work life are behind the downward trend. People entering the workforce are often faced with short-term contracts while it has become increasingly common for modern workers to switch fields. This two-pronged trend means employees feel less of a pull to join sector-specific trade unions.
 HS says today’s workers are mainly interested in trade union membership for earnings-related unemployment benefits and legal aid.

Wednesday's papers: Russian interference, budget woes, and declining trade unions


Summary: Budget airline Norwegian’s fleet includes 18 of the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft currently under scrutiny following the deadly Ethiopian Airlines crash.

Norwegian Airlines has announced the cancellation of four flights from Helsinki to Stockholm and one flight to Helsinki to Oulu on Wednesday, following a decision by EU air safety officials to ban the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.
 A late night flight from Gran Canaria to Helsinki was also cancelled, but Norwegian said that the change was not due to the kind of aircraft involved. Planes used to service other routes will be replaced by different models.
 The EU joined a number of countries such as Australia, the UK, China, Germany and Ireland, among others, which have issued similar aviation bans on the 737 Max craft.
 The development follows the case of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing plan that crashed last weekend, killing all 157 passengers and crew on board.
 It was the second time in less than six months that the 737 Max 8 crashed shortly after takeoff. The previous incident involved a Lion Air flight that took off from Indonesia but crashed just minutes into the air, killing all 189 people on board.
 The incidents have raised questions and concerns about the safety of the Boeing model, promoting civil aviation authorities in various jurisdictions to ground the craft until more information is available about the cause of the latest crash.
 In Finland, the EU’s decision to ground the Boeing aircraft was expected to affect just five Norwegian flights on Wednesday.
 On Tuesday there was still speculation that the Boeing flight ban would affect a total of 13 flights at Finland’s main airport in Helsinki.
 Passengers are being advised to get up to date information about the status of their flights from  the website of airports operator Finavia .

EU Boeing aircraft ban affects Norwegian flights in Helsinki


Summary: The committee said government's plans overreached the EU money laundering directive on which the draft bill was based.

Finland's Social Insurance Institution (Kela) will not be granted automatic access to the bank account information of social welfare applicants, if and when the new legislation is eventually approved, according to newspaper Helsingin Sanomat.
 Last autumn reports began to emerge about government's plans to give public agencies the right to examine residents' bank details without having to ask permission from account holders or banks, ostensibly in a bid to curb money laundering.
 On Tuesday Helsingin Sanomat  reported  (in Finnish) that Kela will not be granted as much reach as government initially planned.
 Following a request from the constitutional committee, the finance committee has now re-worded the proposed legislation.
 The new law, which is based on an EU money laundering directive, is expected to be approved by lawmakers later this week.
 If it's approved, the law will compel banks to set up a searchable database of customer bank account details that authorities will be able to access themselves.
 The EU's directive only calls for revealing the identity of account holders, their account numbers and beneficiaries.
 The constitutional committee said the ministry's law proposal went beyond the scope of the EU directive, and would have granted Kela new, free access to people's account details.
 Overreach criticism
 The committee called on the ministry to remove the portions of the draft bill that overreached the directive.
 The committee said banking information is sensitive, personal data protected by privacy laws, and that access to them must be carefully justified.
 The committee criticised the proposal, saying it attempted to create a system that would give authorities access to personal details which are protected by bank privacy laws, without making provisions for adequate oversight.
 Currently Kela is able to request bank statements from social support applicants, and if the agency is suspicious of activities like welfare abuse, it can ask banks for a client's account information directly.
 Agencies like the tax authority, the Bankruptcy Ombudsman, Customs and agencies dealing with money laundering and foreclosures already have the right to request account details of residents directly from banks. The new law, if approved, will not affect these agencies' access to banking information, as each agency has independently received the right to such information.
 In October Data Protection Ombudsman  Reijo Aarnio  warned that plans to expand agency access to people's banking data could pose a  security threat .

Kela will not gain direct access to people's bank details, constitutional committee says


Summary: The prosecution is seeking more than two million euros in unpaid taxes and damages to be paid to the state.

A firm that supplied taxi drivers to several Helsinki region taxi firms is suspected of evading paying some two million euros in taxes and statutory employers’ contributions, according to documents filed with the Helsinki District Court.
 According to the prosecutor, the tax administration wants the three main suspects in the case to pay more than two million euros in unpaid taxes and damages to the state.
 Altogether there are eight suspects in the case, two of whom have not been brought to court and one whose case will be heard later.
 All of the main suspects have denied the allegations of aggravated fraud. However one of them has admitted to aggravated accounting offences.

Temp firm that supplied Helsinki cabbies owes millions in unpaid taxes


Summary: Upbringing and environment still determine social mobility in Finland, according to a Finnish-Swedish author who has written extensively about poverty.

Mathias Rosenlund , a lauded author and warehouse worker, says traditional class divides are still strong in Finland.
 "Today there’s a sense that the working class is a thing of the past. It exists in some far-off place in India, not here. But this is an illusion - Finland is filled with warehouse workers, taxi drivers, bus drivers and cleaners. The working class comprises smart people living a good life," he explained.
 Story continues after photo.
 Mathias Rosenlund Yle
 Just a few decades ago educational attainment and wealth closely corresponded with residents' social status. But much has happened since then and class lines have become more fluid, with realities ranging from affluent people with little education to unemployed academics.
 Today's 'precariat' class, a portmanteau of precarious and proletariat, includes the long-term unemployed and short-term workers. Regardless of their background these people live on the edge of poverty. A person’s cultural capital also plays an increasingly important role while traditional ideas about political belonging are being tested.
 Rosenlund, whose autobiographical book  Kopparbergsvägen 20  was short-listed for the 2014 Runeberg Prize, works in a warehouse.
 "I wanted to do something physical, real. I didn't want to freelance, work under precarious contracts or go from gig to gig as I had done in the past," said the author, who has also temped in daycares.
 But while class structures have become more complex, a traditional divide still exists, according to Rosenlund whose books, often set in Vantaa’s relatively impoverished Myyrmäki district, tackle urban poverty in Finland, with topics broaching marginalisation, inferiority complexes and mental illness.
 Associations trace class roots
 Among older generations in Finland, class differences are less subtle. The small town of Dragsfjärd on the south-western coast is home to two Swedish-speaking pensioner associations—one for blue-collar and one for white-collar workers who have little contact though dealing with the same issues.
 "I think class difference a little ingrained in our generation," said  Anna-Lisa Rosenqvist  of the Dragsfjärds Pensionärer association.
 Sports groups also used to define class boundaries in Finland.
 "Today very few people would consider the labour movement roots of a sports organisation," sports journalist  Antti Koivukangas  said.
 Rosenlund said he hoped for more contact between residents from different walks of life, noting that upbringing and environment still curb social mobility in the country.
 "The lower down you are in the social hierarchy, the more difficult it is to have perspective on the options available to you," he told Yle.

Author challenges idea of post-class Finland


Summary: The infected patient gave birth at the Helsinki medical facility between late February and early March.

Helsingin ja Uudenmaan sairaanhoitopiiri

Helsingin seudun yliopistollinen keskussairaala

A patient at Helsinki’s Women’s Hospital was recently diagnosed with tuberculosis, according to a statement by the Helsinki University Hospital (HUS).
 Tabloid daily Ilta-Sanomat reported the case on Wednesday and it was confirmed by the university hospital’s chief medical officer at the gynaecological and maternity unit,  Veli-Matti Ulander .
 HUS said in the statement that in spite of the diagnosis, there was a low risk of transmission to other patients on the maternity and paediatric wards because the window of exposure was quite short.
 Patients running the risk of infection would have been exposed between 27 February and 7 March at ward 61 of the Women’s Hospital as well as the newborn intensive care unit. HUS said that the number of families involved was 15 and that most of them had already been contacted.
 The window for the risk of infection is considered to be 40 hours after exposure to the infected person. HUS said that it had been in touch with all of the people affected in this way to discuss follow-up procedures.
 Persons exposed to infection for longer periods will be given preventive medication, the organisation said.
 HUS is also said to be performing health checks on workers exposed to the infection.
 According to the National Institute for Health and Welfare THL, tuberculosis is caused by infection with the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacterium and is an air-borne disease.
 Transmission requires long term exposure to an infected individual. The risk of infection is affected by several factors, the most important of which are length of exposure and proximity of contact.

Women’s Hospital patient diagnosed with tuberculosis


Summary: All of the affected employees work at the company's headquarters in Helsinki.

Finnish dairy giant Valio announced on Wednesday that employee and employer representatives have completed co-determination talks and that 80 workers will be let go.
 In addition to redundancies, Valio said it would reduce staff by terminating fixed-term contracts and through retirement programmes.
 When negotiations  began in January , the company said it was considering cutting up to 100 jobs.
 The farmer-owned firm said downsizing was needed to improve competitiveness and profitability.
 The firm's HR manager  Marianne Tammela  said Valio will assist dismissed employees to find new jobs. She said that new posts which came about during restructuring negotiations will be offered to retrenched workers first.
 Valio employs about 4,000 people. Workers at the company's processing facilities were not affected by the payroll reductions.

Finnish dairy giant Valio confirms cut of 80 white-collar jobs


Summary: A football club from Kotka, southeast Finland, has signed a Jamaican multiple world champion for sprint training.

The Kotka-based football club FC KTP has recruited a Jamaican sprinter to join its coaching team. The new hire is multiple world and Olympic champion  Kerron Stewart  and she will work with the team from May to September this year.
 The 34-year-old athlete has won world championships in Berlin in 2009, in Moscow in 2013 and Beijing in 2015. Her Berlin exploits in 2009 included a silver medal in the 100-metre sprint.
 Stewart was a silver medallist in the 100-metre women’s sprint at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and also snatched a bronze in the 200-metre event. She announced last year that she was retiring from competition.
 Stewart’s personal record in the 100-metre sprint stands at 10.75 seconds while her best time in the 200-metre event is 21.99 seconds.
 Passing on expertise
 KTP’s sales and marketing manager,  Jari-Pekka Gummerus , said that the club plans to offer Stewart’s running and coaching expertise to other outfits in Finland and St. Petersburg.
 "We plan to sell her skills to other athletics clubs, academies and sporting associations. This is new for us," Gummerus disclosed.
 He said that KTP already has plans drawn up for marketing the sprinter’s coaching services.
 "Traditional phone calls and making use of cooperation partner networks. We are hoping that by selling coaching services we will be able to cover her fee."
 Stewart has said that she would like to continue her involvement in sports by working as a coach.
 "Stewart played football during high school and after her track career she will be switching back to football," Gummerus explained.
 KTP expects that Stewart will coach all of the club’s teams.
 "This is an investment"
 The marketing chief said that KTP was able to snag Stewart through and sports agent.
 "Sometimes the world is small. We had long been in discussions with Stewart about this coaching idea and we decided to recruit her. We can also contribute to the start of her coaching career."
 However Gummerus was quite tight-lipped when asked about the details of Stewart’s contract, saying only: "You could say that this is an investment for us."
 12:34 Location corrected to southeast Finland.

Jamaican sprinter to coach at southeast Finland football club


Summary: Yle launched its election compass (vaalikone) on Thursday, ahead of parliamentary elections due on 14 April.

Yle’s  election compass aims to helps users see  which candidates’ views align most closely with their own as the scene is set for  a closely-watched general election .
 The tool is based on a simple algorithm that asks candidates and voters to respond to certain questions or claims before producing a match between users and candidates based on their answers.
 Election compasses are nothing new to Finland – they’ve been around for a couple of decades already and many voters rely on them, according to  Ville Seuri , Yle content manager and election web producer.
 Young voters in particular are keen on the service. Research conducted by  the Municipal Development Foundation KAKS (in Finnish)  into the 2017 municipal elections found that the most important sources of information for under-35-year-olds were social media and the Yle election compass.
 Many pre-election developments
 Some voters in that study told researcher  Sami Borg  of Tampere University that they cast their ballots on the basis of recommendations generated by the service.
 "When we began working on the tool none of us knew that by the time we published it the government would have resigned and that sote [social and health care reform] would have collapsed," Seuri said.
 "The storm over suspicions of sex offences in Oulu was just stirring and there was no indication of [impending] elder care scandals," he added.
 According to the Yle producer, the April parliamentary election has been dubbed in turn  a climate vote  as well as an immigration referendum. "Now it’s being projected as a sote election once more – whatever people think."
 Other issues occupying voters’ mindshare include proposed family leave reforms. Seuri noted that the election compass will try to serve all categories of voters by showing them issues on which they agree with election candidates as well as where they part ways.
 Click  here to try the election compass .

Voting in Finland’s general election? Try Yle’s election compass first


Summary: Helsingin Sanomat wins big for its free speech campaign, the European Commission calls on Finland to change its taxes and students walk out of schools.

The Great Journalism Awards  presented by media conglomerate Bonnier were handed out on Wednesday, and  daily Helsingin Sanomat  was among the winners in the category of best journalistic campaign of the year.
 The Helsinki summit of 2018 brought together presidents  Donald Trump  and  Vladimir Putin , whose meeting in the Finnish capital sparked massive international interest and debate. Helsingin Sanomat took the opportunity to launch a campaign promoting free speech and a free press – while directly addressing both the American and Russian leaders.
 The campaign, called Land of Free Press, was devised and coordinated by HS design chief  Sami Valtere , marketing boss  Veera Sivonen  and editor  Kaius Niemi . The messages were printed in English and Russian.
 Messages such as this were displayed prominently during the Helsinki summit last summer. Aleksi Tuomola / Lehtikuva
 The highly visible project brought English-language messages onto the billboards and streets of Helsinki last summer, with lines such as "Mr. President, welcome to the land of free press" and "Media-critiquing Trump has changed the meaning of fake news". Both Trump and Putin have publicly attacked the media in their respective countries.
 The Bonnier journalism awards also included a prize for best article, which went to technology magazine Tekniikan Maailma for its piece on VW car seatbelts. The award description holds that the report may well have saved human lives due to the recalling of hundreds of thousands of faulty cars.
 The best book award went to  Minna Rytisalo  for her historical novel  Rouva C , which is based on the life of journalist, author and activist  Minna Canth . Reporter  Vappu Kaarenoja  from weekly Suomen Kuvalehti was dubbed journalist of the year for her rapid rise to the top of Finnish journalism.
 Commission issues formal notice
 In more international news the European Commission last week sent a letter of formal notice to the Finnish government to bring its tax deductability policy in line with EU law.  Financial magazine Kauppalehti  reported on Finland's "wrongful" tax law on Thursday.
 "The Commission decided today to send a letter of formal notice to Finland asking it to amend its legislation on tax deductibility of group contributions between affiliated domestic companies,"  the Commission writes . "The current Finnish legislation does not allow tax deductibility for contributions made to affiliated companies in other EU/EEA states to the extent that these cover definitive losses (as defined by the CJEU) incurred by the latter."
 Essentially the losses incurred by a Finnish parent company's foreign subsidiaries should be deductible by the parent company itself, which Finland's laws have not and do not currently allow, KL writes.
 The European Commission states that if Finland does not act within the next two months, it may send a reasoned opinion to the Finnish authorities, and possibly even follow up with further action. A tax expert at law firm Roschier,  Ossi Haapaniemi , told the paper the Commission's notice is a strong message, but that passing a separate law on the covering of the losses of foreign subsidiaries will fix the problem, as Sweden has also done.
 Students skip school for climate
 An international school strike in protest of global climate change will include students from high schools in Helsinki, Turku and Tampere,  reports tabloid Ilta-Sanomat . Vantaa upper secondary schools have also expressed their support of student striking.
 Most of the participating students will be absent from school on Friday between 10am and 3pm. A march to the steps of Parliament will also be organised in Helsinki.
 Finnish schools may rule individually on students' right to skip school in political protest; some schools have even sent internal memos reminding students that they don't have the right to go on strike.
 However, many high schools across Finland clearly state that they support their students taking action.
 Chief of the Finnish National Agency for Education,  Anni Miettunen , told IS that institutions need to be allowed to run smoothly, but that the educational element included in a walkout is very much on the table for schools across the country.
 "Climate awareness and issues of sustainable development are included in the national curriculum. A school may miss one strike day but still have a climate awareness agenda in place," Miettunen says.
 The Union of Upper Secondary School Students (SLL) also reports that many high school students in Finland are concerned about global warming, and may organise in different ways.
 "Young people often march out on their own volition as individuals, even without a coordinating organisation," SLL chair  Roosa Pajunen  says.
 The Fridays for Future campaign and other youth efforts to make combating climate change a political priority stems from the example set by Swedish 16-year-old student and activist  Greta Thunberg , who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize on Wednesday.

Thursday's papers: Land of Free Press, EU urges tax change, student climate walkout


Summary: There's a major risk that British firms reliant on cross-border trade will move abroad, warns ETLA.

The UK's eventual - and still uncertain - departure from the EU will have much broader negative consequences than previously thought, according to a report issued by the economic think tank the Research Institute of the Finnish Economy (ETLA). The group examined the United Kingdom's trade links with Finland and the EU.
 The report said that the UK is tightly aligned to international value chains, which will undergo changes when - and if - it leaves the EU.
 The purpose of value chains is to help reduce costs and maximise profits, but if those chains are missing one, or have several weak links, they become less effective, the think tank noted.
 In a post-Brexit world, an example of a weak link could be a single issue like exports getting stuck in customs disputes or being additionally taxed; a scenario that would increase costs for UK firms - and could prompt them to leave the country.
 Weakened links pose threat
 ETLA said that international value chains are particularly sensitive to individual weak links, and that a departure from the trade-friendly EU poses a major threat, noting that it is common for UK companies to assemble products using components from other EU countries.
 Then, those finished products are commonly sold across the EU, according to the  report .
 After departing the EU, this arrangement would lose its cost-effectiveness and UK-based firms are beginning to consider moving abroad, to countries in which there are no such trade barriers.
 ETLA noted that the UK is an important trade partner of Finland. According to Statistics Finland, Britain was Finland's seventh-most important export country, ranking eighth in imports in 2017.
 Uncertain future
 The future of the UK's departure reached a dramatic and confusing cliff-hanger on Wednesday night as British Parliament voted to refuse to go along with a no-deal Brexit.
 Many pundits say the non-binding vote will likely lead to Parliament voting on Thursday to seek an extension to the 29 March Brexit deadline.
 Whether that happens, and if all 27 other EU countries will go along with an extension, remains up in the air.
 Several international corporations and firms have reportedly already announced that they have made the decision to leave the UK or are seriously considering the idea. These include Japanese automaker Nissan, electronics firms Sony and Panasonic and airplane manufacturer Airbus.
 Even iconic British automaker Jaguar Land Rover has warned it could close its UK operations, which employ 40,000 workers.

Brexit fallout to be worse than expected, Finnish think tank says


Summary: Tests of wastewater in Finnish cities indicate that residents used hundreds of kilograms of amphetamines last year.

Finnish residents used well over 300kg of amphetamines in 2018, according to wastewater tests carried out by the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
 A similar study carried out two years ago suggested that just 200kg of the stimulant was used in the country. The agency estimates that amphetamine use in the country is the highest its ever been.
 "Amphetamine is a key drug in Finland,"  Teemu Gunnar , the head of THL's forensic toxicology unit, said, noting it is classified as very dangerous substance.
 THL periodically measures the levels of drugs in the wastewater of 10 of Finland's biggest municipalities - a forensic resource that helps researchers follow the drug habits of about 40 percent of the country's population.
 Kouvola tops list
 Residents in the southeastern city of Kouvola used the most amphetamines of all the cities examined, while the capital Helsinki was at the top of the list for overall drug use.
 The watchdog's previous survey found that  cocaine  use is also on the rise, but is less commonly used outside larger cities in southern Finland. Methamphetamine levels were also found to be significantly higher in 2018 than they were two years ago.
 THL recently published results of a survey which found that amphetamine experimentation had doubled since 2010.
 That survey found that four percent of 15-24 year olds had already tried amphetamines, while half of that age group said they had used cannabis.

Amphetamine use in Finland on the rise, health watchdog says