Summary: One of Matti Vanhanen's kidneys was removed on Friday after a scan ahead of heart surgery discovered two tumours.

Speaker of the Finnish Parliament  Matti Vanhanen  has announced on Facebook that one of his kidneys was removed in hospital on Friday and that the operation went well.
 The former Centre Party chair and prime minister said a decision was made to remove the kidney after two tumours were discovered in it during a scan in preparation for his upcoming heart surgery.
 The newly-appointed Speaker said already in April that he was scheduled for heart surgery in August.
 He said he would probably return to work in about a month, as he has a speaking engagement planned at a Paasikivi Society seminar in the southern municipality of Anjalankoski, and he has committed to be a part of the Finnish PEN panel discussion during the annual SuomiAreena public debate forum in Pori.
 The two deputy speakers of parliament will continue to stand in for Vanhanen during his absence.
 News of Vanhanen's kidney surgery was first reported by the tabloid Iltalehti.

Kidney operation behind parliamentary speaker's abrupt sick leave


Summary: Sunday’s sunny weather is expected to continue through the Midsummer holiday, according to Yle's forecasters.

Warm air is moving into Finland from the south, raising temperatures across the country.
 Sunday will see sunny conditions nationwide, with the mercury passing the 25-degree-Celsius heat threshold in southern and central parts. Temperatures will gradually creep up as the week progresses.
 Story continues after photo.

 Yle forecasters say sunshine and warm summer weather are in store through the Midsummer holiday weekend (21-23 June) with some on and off scattered showers early in the week.

Yle meteorologist: Warm weather through Midsummer


Summary: China’s pork shortage may be an opportunity for Finnish meat producers.

A virus decimating China's hog industry is likely to benefit Finnish meat processors who are selling more pork to cover shortages caused by African swine fever.
 Juha Gröhn , CEO of Finnish meat company Atria, said the firm's exports to pork-loving China could double this year as African swine fever sweeps over the country which produces half of the world’s pork. With outbreaks reported in every part of mainland China, some analysts predict up to 200 million pigs could die or be culled this year, causing a huge shortage of pork locally.
 This year Atria expects to export five to seven million kilos of pork to China—the world’s largest consumer of pork. Atria, which began  pork exports to China two years ago , now expects a temporary spike in demand. The company is, however, not planning to up production to avoid running the risk of a surplus.
 “Most likely China will solve the problem, shrinking export opportunity,” Gröhn explained.
 Finnish food group HKScan, which has been exporting to China for the past year, told Yle its products were fetching slightly higher prices in the Chinese market.
 “Our goal in the first year was three million kilos, increasing to nine million kilos by year three,” said  Jukka Nikkinen , HKScan export director.
 Story continues after photo.
 Health officials bury infected pigs in Vietnam. Manan Vatsyayana / AFP
 China’s increased demand for foreign pork has already raised global prices. In the EU, the average price for 100 kilos of pork has jumped from 135 euros in February to 175 euros. Spain and Germany are the EU’s main pork exporters, with the bloc's sales expected to grow by 11 percent this year over 2018, according to Pellervo Economic Research PTT.
 Finnish pork producers have faced sustainability problems, which is why the Finnish agricultural lobby group MTK said it hoped the upward price pressure brought on by Chinese demand would trickle down to farmers.
 “This is a welcome boost if it also raises producer prices,” said  Marjukka Manninen  of the MTK.
 Johannes Piipponen  of Pellervo said he believed Chinese consumers will eventually turn to chicken and beef as scarcity drives up pork prices.
 But HKScan said it believed in the power of pork.
 “Pork is a central part of Chinese cuisine, and it’s on the dinner table every night,” Nikkinen said.
 While African swine fever doesn’t pass from pigs to humans, it is a  major threat to pork production globally  as no effective vaccine or treatment exists.

African swine fever epidemic benefits Finnish meat industry


Summary: Parents in Finland are quick to suspect sleep problems in their infants who exhibit developmentally normal behaviour.

Helsingin seudun yliopistollinen keskussairaala

Tired of night wakings, many parents in Finland often suspect a problem with their baby’s sleep whose slumber patterns are perfectly normal, according to experts.
 Forty percent of Finnish parents of eight-month-olds and around a quarter of those of three-month-olds said their infants suffered from some type of sleep problem, according to a study on children, health and sleep by health watchdog THL, whose study drew responses from 1,000 families.
 “What’s considered problematic varies from family to family. But it’s common for parents to find normal night waking by babies problematic. What’s actually normal in terms of infant sleep is so much worse than parents expected before they had kids,” said  Juulia Paavonen , an infant sleep expert and MD at Helsinki University Central Hospital.
 At eight months of age, separation anxiety usually kicks in as babies begin to understand that they are separate from their mothers, which leads to more nightly wake-ups, explained  Jonna Lehikoinen  from the Federation of Mother and Child Homes and Shelters.
 But surveyed parents weren't only concerned about 3am wake-ups, they also perceived problems in how long it took their new offspring to fall asleep.
 Paavonen said it’s normal for babies to wake up a few times per night, though she said a sleep pattern should begin to emerge in a three-month old, with frequent wake-ups gradually tapering off as babies enter toddlerhood.
 Baby bedtime routines
 Paavonen said parents who say their babies are not sleeping well should examine their daily routines. A baby who sleeps for long stretches during the day will have trouble going to bed in the evening.
 Lehikoinen suggested parents stick to the age-old bath-book-bed routine to give babies a sense of security before drifting off. Experts also pointed to the importance of giving babies enough cuddles during the day so they don’t awaken to crave closeness at night.
 Finland's National Institute for Health and Welfare THL plans to publicise the results of their study in more detail this coming autumn.

Study: Finnish parents perceive normal infant sleep problematic


Summary: Speaking to reporters, the Finnish president fielded questions ranging from Finns stranded in Syria to the security implications of Nordstream 2.

President of the Federal Republic of Germany  Frank-Walter Steinmeier   arrived in Finland on Sunday to attend the 7th annual Kultaranta talks, a two-day round of foreign policy debates arranged at Finnish President  Sauli Niinistö' s summer residence in Naantali. This year’s theme is how Finland will cope in a changing world.
 Before the summit got underway, Niinistö took questions form the press.
 Reporters asked whether Finland’s foreign policy priorities would shift with  Pekka Haavisto  of the Greens  taking over the post of foreign minister .
 The president said he didn’t see any major changes on the horizon. “But it’s of crucial importance that we talk more about the situation of women and girls,” the president said.
 Niinistö did not want to comment on the possible repatriation of  Finnish women and children  stuck in the Al-Hol camp in Syria, a topic which has made headlines in Finland in recent months.
 “Like the previous government and  current [interior] minister said , it’s a very multifaceted issue, and I’d like to leave discussions on this matter to a later date when the government has made its position known.”
 Journalists also asked Niinistö if Russia’s  Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline project  posed a security threat for Finland.
 Niinistö responded that Germany’s phase-out of nuclear power would leave a large supply to fill. “From a security policy perspective, it’s difficult to understand why a second pipe is a risk when one already exists."
 With Finland set to take over the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union on 1 July, media representatives wondered if Finland planned to use its position to highlight the  situation in eastern Ukraine , parts of which are under Russian-backed separatist rule.
 “This issue is and will stay on European agendas,” replied Niinistö, failing to offer more details.
 The annual summer security summit, established in 2013, gathers analysts, experts, diplomats and academics to discuss current security and foreign policy issues.
 The two-day event continues on Monday when panelists will include Prime Minister  Antti Rinne  and Finns Party chair  Jussi Halla-aho , among others.
 The main discussions of the summit are available on  Yle Areena , with Sunday's event broadcast in English.

Niinistö talks Syria, Nordstream ahead of Kultaranta summit


Summary: Compulsory civilian service for women, business lobby's bid to restrict strikes, Finland might get lucky this Midsummer.

Suomen Ammattiliittojen Keskusjärjestö SAK

Finland’s new Defence Minister  Antti Kaikkonen  has floated the idea of  two to three months of civilian service for women , Tampere-based daily Aamulehti reports on Monday morning. Kaikkonen told the paper that  women should not be obligated  to perform the same kind of military service that is now compulsory for men.
 "It’s great that we have a system that allows women to perform military service if they want. Maybe we should find out if it would be a good idea for women to complete two to three months civilian service as a complement to the current system. Do we have suitable tasks and would it provide additional value for society and the people involved?"
 The new government has announced plans to set up a parliamentary working group to analyse the current system of military service. Kaikkonen said that it is likely that compulsory military service will continue to form the backbone of Finnish defence.
 "We need this kind of reserve. Geographically, Finland is a large country," the paper quoted him as saying.
 Kaikkonen said that the government would use its four-year term to conduct a careful scrutiny of the programme and would not make any major changes, but might defer possible modifications to a subsequent administration.
 He stressed that it would not be enough for government to support possible changes, but said that they would require a broader consensus.
 Business lobby moves to curb strike action
 The influential business lobby group EK wants government to set up a tripartite working group to find ways to curb the right to strike. While the proposal was on the table during government talks, it was not eventually written into the new government programme.
 Turku-based daily  Turun Sanomat writes on Monday  that restricting the right to strike was a major policy point for the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK) and the group is now pushing for a separate working group to consider the matter. The end game would be to curb the right to political strikes, hike fines for illegal strikes and root out relatively large solidarity strikes. However the group isn’t setting out to interfere with strike action enshrined in collective bargaining agreements.
 "Political strikes should be limited as in other Nordic countries, because workers end up paying for them. For example that’s what happened with a series of strikes over [the government’s easy]  dismissal proposals . Sanctions for illegal strikes [fines] are disproportionate to the damage that strikes cause. We are disappointed that the government has not set up a working group to improve the working climate, although it is wisely trying to stabilise the labour market," said EK director  Ilkka Oksala .
 Not surprisingly, the country’s largest blue collar union confederation the SAK did not warm to the EK’s proposal. SAK chair  Jarkko Eloranta  said the organisation would prefer to reform the current system of labour market negotiations and agreements, much the way it was before ex-PM  Juha Sipilä ’s  competitiveness pact , which rolled back some worker entitlements.
 "We don’t see political strikes as the kind of problem that requires a separate working group to be set up," Eloranta declared.
 The EK has however said that it will participate in a tripartite working group aimed at increasing the employment rate to 75 percent, in accordance with the new administration’s target.
 Midsummer highs could climb to 30 degrees
 Holidaymakers should brace for a hot Midsummer weekend,  if tabloid daily Ilta-Sanomat is to be believed . The paper turned to Finnish Meteorological Institute weatherman  Paavo Korpela  for a weekend outlook and learned that daytime highs are expected to soar to between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius.
 "Temperatures on Midsummer Eve [Friday] will be close to sultry, at least in southern and central areas. I guess I can venture to say that on Midsummer it will be quite close to 30 degrees," Korpela promised.
 The meteorologist pointed out that Finnish weather forecasting company Foreca was predicting a Midsummer Eve heat surge in excess of 25 degrees in places such as Helsinki, Tampere and Mikkeli. In addition the mercury is expected to climb to 27 degrees in Lahti and Kouvola as well as in Joensuu. Although conditions on the west coast might be cooler, residents there won’t escape the heat either, Korpela said.
 IS scoured FMI data and determined that a warm Midsummer is a rare treat in Finland. Since 1961, the measuring station at the Helsinki Airport recorded +25-degree highs on just seven occasions on Midsummer Eve. Meanwhile Lappeenranta saw similarly warm weather 12 times since 1961, while Jyväskylä, Oulu and Joensuu enjoyed such balmy temperatures eight times.
 Much farther north in Sodänkylä, residents basked in 25-degree weather just twice since 1961, and should not expect to do so this year.

Monday's papers: Civilian service for women, cracking down on strikes, rare Midsummer heat treat


Summary: Adults exposed to cigarette smoke as kids suffered one-third more fractures than peers who grew up in smoke-free homes.

Passive smoking has been associated with osteoporosis or bone weakness adults, but a new study by Finnish researchers suggests that the same may be true of children.
 The finding is based on extensive research as part of the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study, which began in 1980 and followed just over 1,400 participants between the ages of three and 18 into adulthood.
 Researchers examined participants’ bone health when they were adults and found that individuals exposed to cigarette smoke as children had less bone density than their peers who grew up in smoke-free homes. Children who became passive smokers as a result of their parents’ habits also suffered one-third more fractures than the others.
 The continine connection
 The connection was found to be strongest in children whose parents smoked at home and who were most exposed to smoke, as determined by cotinine tests. Cotinine is a chemical manufactured by the body following exposure to nicotine.
 Exposure to smoking during infancy and childhood may hinder bone development and weaken bones as a result. Bones continue to grow until the age of up to 30 in humans and after the age of 40, bone mass gradually declines.
 Finnish medical authorities treat up to 40,000 bone fractures annually, and one of the main causes is said to be bone fragility.
 The research was published in the  Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism .

Passive smoking in kids could weaken bones, study finds


Summary: Smartphone solutions provider AAC Technologies says it will invest close to 9 million euros in research and hire up to 200 new employees.

AAC Technologies, a Chinese smartphone solutions provider, announced on Monday that it will open its European headquarters in the Finnish city of Tampere with up to 200 new jobs on offer by the year 2025 and a research budget close to nine million euros.
 In a press release, the company said that its goal is to make its Tampere HQ one of the world's foremost optics research centres.
 AAC said that the investment will support doctoral training and research in imaging technology research.
 The research consortium will initially link the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen in China with the University of Tampere in Finland.
 "The tremendous optics expertise found in the Tampere academic research community makes the city a perfect place for our headquarters in Europe,"  David Plekenpol , AAC Technologies's chief strategy officer for Europe and the Americas said in the release.
 University of Tampere provost  Jarmo Takala  said he was pleased with the deal.
 "We have a strong tradition of cooperation with companies [and] that makes us one of the pioneers in this field," he said.

Chinese tech firm to open European HQ in Tampere


Summary: Data on kids with two homes is hard to find because the population registry system only provides one address for a child.

The majority of the 110,000 children living with co-parenting arrangements spend most of their time with the parent at whose address they are registered, according to new data from Statistics Finland. At the end of 2018 there was a total of 1,038,000 underage children in families with children in Finland, according to the number crunching agency.
 The data showed that at the end of last year, one-third of kids in co-parenting situations spent roughly the same time at each parent’s home, while few spent the majority of their time at the home of the parent where they are not registered as a resident.
 In most cases, under-15-year-olds in co-parenting situations were registered as living with their mothers. That translated into 63,000 mothers who shared their children with another parent. Children who belonged to the group of minors registered at their mothers’ homes also regularly spent time with their fathers, for example on weekends.
 The numbers showed that 92 percent of children shuttling between two homes were recorded as having two caregivers – meaning that both parents had joint custody of the kids. Approximately 40,000 of kids moving between two homes spent equal amounts of time with both parents, the statistics agency reported.
 Numbers difficult to come by
 2018 was the first time that Statistics Finland looked into children living with co-parenting arrangements. The organisation solicited information from 18- to 64-year-olds with at least one child under the age of 15.
 The survey found that nearly 14 percent of women respondents and 17 percent of men had children living in two homes.
 Respondents did not define how much time children were supposed to live with each parent. According to Statistics Finland head actuary  Tarja Nieminen,  a justice ministry working group has proposed a definition of dual homes that would include children who spend more than 40 percent of their time with both parents.
 "Researching children living in two homes is tricky because it’s difficult to ask about it. That’s why the numbers are largely estimates," Nieminen added.
 Co-parenting usually means that children of parents who are not co-habiting spend time with each parent in their respective homes. It also includes the rarer situation where the children remain in the home, but parents who are no longer together take turns sharing the home with the children. Only in very rare circumstances do children’s second homes include that of someone who is not their mother or father.
 Researchers also struggled to find information about kids with dual homes because the population registry system only provides one address for a child. In situations where parents divorce, the children are registered at one parent’s address, although they may spend time with both parents in turn.

Over 100,000 under-15-year-olds in Finland live in two homes


Summary: Close to 2,400 employees will be involved in co-determination talks.

Private social- and healthcare provider Pihlajalinna announced on Monday that it will start co-determination talks affecting 2,400 employees in an effort to save 14 million euros annually.
 Headquartered in Tampere, Pihlajalinna is one of Finland’s leading private social- and healthcare providers. The company has recently expanded rapidly -- at the end of 2018, Pihlajalinna had 5,850 employees, which was 1,000 more employees than the previous year when it employed 4,753 people.
 Pihlajalinna's turnover last year was nearly 500 million euros, a 15 percent increase over the previous year, 2017.
 Pihlajalinna Group CEO  Joni Aaltonen  said in a company press release that co-determination talks are needed in order to streamline operations and reduce costs.
 "We must be able to grow as a company and strengthen a corporate culture that supports that, while working with agility and the ability to anticipate changes in the industry," said Aaltonen in the press release.

Private healthcare provider Pihlajalinna to cut up to 380 jobs


Summary: The court ruled that the man was merely complying with directives handed down by the Defence Forces.

The Helsinki District Court has dismissed a case against  a man suspected of discriminating  against a Finnish-Russian job applicant applying for work at the Defence Forces’ Vekaranjärvi canteen.
 The court ruled that the man was merely complying with directives he received from the Defence Forces.
 In 2017, Yle reported on the case of Finnish-Russian woman from Kouvola who was turned down for a job at the garrison canteen because of her dual citizenship. The woman had lived in Finland for 26 years.
 The court agreed that the woman,  " Yelena " had been discriminated against because of her dual nationality . However it said that a security office from the Defence Forces had “made it clear” to the recruiter, Kairest Ltd, that a dual citizen could not he hired to fill the position.
 The man handling the recruitment process was responsible for hiring a kitchen assistant for the garrison diner. The court said that the recruiter had acted in accordance with the guidelines he had been given and that he had no way of knowing that his instructions were unlawful. As such, it ruled that he had no reason to doubt them.
 The court also pointed out that Kairest’s recruitment process required applicants to provide information about their native language and nationality. It found that this suggested the recruiting firm had attached “some kind of importance” to applicants’ nationality.
 Prosecutor and court not on the same page
 Police initially suspected four individuals of discriminating against Yelena. They were employees of Kairest and Leijona Catering, the firm that provided catering services for the Defence Forces.
 During the police investigation, the man on trial for discrimination said that he had received instructions about the treatment of dual citizens. All of the others accused denied providing any guidance to the defendant.
 Representatives of the Defence Forces also denied providing any guidelines covering dual nationals. The prosecution did not bring a case against any of the others because it said there were no guidelines about how to treat dual citizens.
 The court’s ruling therefore directly contradicts the prosecution’s position.
 Unofficial guidelines regarding dual citizens
 Yelena related that she had seen an online advertisement by Kairest in which the firm was seeking to hire a kitchen assistant to work at the Vekaranjärvi garrison.
 She applied for job, but during the process the defendant informed her via email that her dual citizenship was an obstacle to landing the position.
 In 2017, Yle reported that the Defence Forces had changed its policy about hiring dual citizens. It also reported that the Defence Forces’  intelligence unit had issued unofficial directions  regarding the treatment of dual nationals.
 The Defence Forces, as well as former defence minister  Jussi Niinistö,  vehemently refuted the allegations  in Yle’s reporting on guidelines for dealing with dual citizens.

Court frees recruiter accused of discriminating against Russian-Finnish dual citizen


Summary: Finalnd's economic growth will drop below one percent in 2022 and 2023, according to a new outlook.

The pace of Finland's economic growth is set to slow down over the next few years, according to the Ministry of Finance's Economic Survey, which was published on Monday.
 The ministry said it expects the Finnish economy to grow by 1.6 percent this year, but said the pace will slow to a bit more than one percent over the next two years. Expansion will downshift further in 2022 and 2023, when the ministry said economic growth would fall below one percent per year.
 The ministry attributed the anticipated slowdown to a parallel downshift in the world economy, the ongoing trade conflict between China and the US.
 Last week, the Bank of Finland lowered its projection for the country's economic expansion,  forecasting growth of 1.6 percent  this year, edging down to 1.5 percent next year and 1.3 percent in 2021.
 Director General of the ministry's economics department,  Mikko Spolander , said several factors were at play.
 "Finland's economic growth is slowing down. A faster growth and a higher employment rate would call for hefty demand in the world economy, a moderate rise in costs in Finland and effective measures by means of which the match between labour demand and supply will improve, structural unemployment will fall and people outside the labour force will become active in looking for work," Spolander said in a ministry press release.
 The ministry said the government's budget is set to strengthen next year but then will also gradually begin to weaken.
 The macroeconomic outlook did not take into account the new government's economic policy measures, but the ministry said Prime Minister Antti Rinne's government programme will be taken into consideration "as soon as the decisions concerning them will be specified and their effects will be visible."
 Foreign trade, investments get weaker outlook
 The ministry's survey said it expects export volumes to grow by 2.9 percent, but that growth in other industries would be weak.
 Towards the end of the survey's outlook period (2023), the economic forecast said an overall deterioration in the export market and world economy is anticipated.
 While the ministry said it expects private investments to start falling this year, it also noted that public investments would continue to grow. It said public investments were driving growth in the building of non-residential construction as well as civil engineering projects.
 The report said major public projects could help boost long-term investments, saying that "if decisions on large projects were not made, investments would grow significantly less. Then again, if most of the projects were implemented, the investment forecast would be underestimated."
 Private consumption is holding steady and that consumption growth will likely continue due to earnings level increases and boosted employment rate, according to the report.
 Average earnings growth is expected to remain steady at about three percent annually, which was the average during the 2000s, according to the ministry.
 The ministry said the government deficit will likely expand to around two billion euros by 2023.
 "Of general government sectors, employment pension schemes show a surplus while the expenditure in central and local government exceeds the revenue. The combined central and local government deficit will grow to nearly five billion euros by 2023," the ministry said.
 The report also warned that the "unpredictability of the US trade policy" highlighted a risk of a "strong slowdown" in the global economy and said that no-deal Brexit as well as "risks related to the Italian economic policy" could also pose problems for Europe.

Economic growth to slow down, finance ministry report says


Summary: The teen's mother testified that the constable personally sent her a bill for 500 euros along with a bank account number.

Helsinki District Court has ordered a city police constable to pay a fine of just over 1,300 euros after finding him guilty of breach of duty in a case that started on the last day of April 2017.
 The court found the constable guilty of asking a family to pay 500 euros in compensation after the family's teenage son had posted a YouTube video of the constable and another officer removing a person from Helsinki Central Railway Station.
 The teen, who was under the age of 15 at the time, had shot and then uploaded a video to YouTube and named it: "Racist police officer arrests a young immigrant without reason" (rough translation from Finnish).
 Both officers were identifiable in the video, a clip that garnered nearly 60,000 views before it was eventually removed from YouTube.
 The constable reported the teen for having posted the clip, saying it amounted to aggravated defamation and obstruction of an official, but a preliminary investigation into the matter was laid to rest because the subject of the probe was under the age of 15.
 Serious matter
 The teen's mother told the court that she became aware of the posted video in mid May, after child welfare authorities contacted her at the request of police.
 A few days later, the mother testified, the constable who was featured in the video had also contacted her, saying that her son was guilty of aggravated defamation and that it was a serious matter. She said the constable said if her son had been just a couple of weeks older, he could have faced two years in prison.
 The mother said she apologised to the constable during that conversation and asked whether there was some way that her son could reimburse him for what had happened.
 The mother testified that the constable said fines for such aggravated offenses range in size from thousands to ten thousand euros. She said that the constable then invited her to meet at the Helsinki police station in Pasila on the evening of 2 June.
 Mother asked for written request
 During that meeting, the mother testified, the constable first suggested that the family pay him and his colleague - who was also present at the meeting - 1,000 euros each.
 The mother said she wanted that request put in writing and told them she planned to consult with a lawyer. She said the other officer then said he no longer wished to be compensated.
 The next day, the constable sent the mother an invoice for 500 euros by email, along with a bank account number.
 The constable denied that he had demanded payment from the family, saying that he had sent the email at the mother's request.
 The court found that the constable had misused his official authority after asking for payment from the family, and that his actions endangered public trust in the police when it comes to settling matters in an appropriate way.
 Helsinki District Court ordered the constable to pay 40 "day fines," which in this case amounted to 1,360 euros.
 The constable also faced a personal data breaching charge as well as a breach of duty charge for having sought information about himself in the police department's computer system without a valid reason.
 Those charges were dropped, however, because the criteria for personal data breaching violations were not met, according to the court.

Helsinki cop fined for breach of duty after demanding money for teen's YouTube video


Summary: Using counterfeit money is a criminally punishable offence that can carry a prison sentence of up to a year.

Clearly-marked movie prop fake euro notes have been used to pay for purchases in southern Finland, according to a warning issued by the Häme Police Department on Monday. Häme central police station is located in the city of Lahti, about 100 km northeast of Helsinki.
 The bills in question are 20- and 50-euro notes and clearly labeled with the text: "This is not legal. It is used for motion props only." Despite the disclaimer on the bogus bills, police said some of the notes had been successfully used as a form of payment.
 Story continues after photo.
 Police are warning against fake "movie prop" 20-euro bills that are in circulation.  Hämeen poliisilaitos
 Lahti case
 Häme police said that a young man from Lahti was recently caught trying to pay a hotel bill with a counterfeit 200-euro note. Police said the man had another eight similar fake euro bills in his possession, which were marked with Russian text that read: "This is not real money."
 Courtesy of the Häme Police Department Hämeen poliisilaitos
 According to police, the suspect said he had purchased the bills from an online store which police refused to identify. The man is suspected of using counterfeit money.
 Authorities warned that using movie prop bills or any other type of fake currency is against the law and can lead to fines or even up to a year in prison.

Fake movie prop euro notes in circulation, Finnish police warn


Summary: Police probe resurgence of banned neo-Nazi group, court backs priest over gay wedding, meals and play for isolated kids.

Police have confirmed to the Tampere-based daily Aaumlehti that they are investigating claims that members of the  banned neo-Nazi organisation Nordic Resistance Movement  are reconstituting as part of new groups.
 On Tuesday AL reported that investigator  Erkki Rossi  of the National Bureau of Investigation said  officials are looking into individuals related to the group , but noted that he did not name names. The aim of the probe is to determine whether or not efforts are underway to continue the operations of the NRM under different identities.
 In September last year, the  Turku Appeal Court upheld a decision  by a lower court to proscribe the group, making it illegal for it to mobilise, demonstrate and distribute propaganda. "The situation is being investigated as operating an illegal association. The number of suspects is uncertain, because they are always changing," Rossi told AL.
 The investigator said that there had been evidence that the group was re-assembling in different parts of the country, including in the Tampere region and that the subterfuge activity had continued after the appellate court’s ruling, at least up to the end of March this year.
 The paper cited three different successor organisations: Towards Freedom, the People’s Unity Association, and another body allegedly operating as a charitable organisation, Finland Aid.
 Towards Freedom was reportedly set up by former NRM member  Paavo Laitinen  and had been active during recent parliamentary elections. Meanwhile other NRM activists are said to have established the People’s Unity Association, which is collecting membership cards to register as a political party.
 Court sides with pastor who performed gay wedding
 Coming off the press in Oulu, the daily Kaleva reports Tuesday that the northern Finland  administrative court has ruled in favour of a priest  who was censured by the Oulu diocese of Finland’s Lutheran Evangelical Church for marrying a gay couple. According to Kaleva, the court decision was not unanimous as the final vote to clear the cleric was 2-1. It was the first ruling of its kind in Finland.
 In 2017, the pastor  Árpád Kovács  received a written warning for performing the ceremony, with the diocese cautioning that his actions were contrary to his priestly oath and obligations.
 Kovács told the paper that in his opinion,  the religious community should not stand in the way  when society decides that same-sex couples have the right to marry. "For me this is a victory for tolerance," he declared to Kaleva, adding that he hopes the ruling will inspire other priests to officiate at same-sex weddings.
 Meanwhile the Oulu chapter of the church said that it will review the ruling and consider filing an appeal with the Supreme Administrative Court following a meeting on Tuesday.
 Community effort to provide meals, activities for lonely kids
 Leading circulation daily Helsingin Sanomat runs with  a heart-warning story of a Vantaa community  that united to provide meals and sporting activities to help kids who find themselves alone.
 Journalist  Marja Salomaa  interviewed  Anneli Virtanen , a resident of the 4,600-member community of Ilola located near Helsinki Airport. Virtanen said she wanted to set up a free meal scheme to help provide opportunities for young people to come together, especially during the summer holiday when they may feel lonelier than ever.
 Another community activist,  Jokke Pulkkinen  seized the chance to organise sporting activities alongside the feeding programme. He said he was inspired to act when he read a letter to HS, in which the mother of a 13-year-old boy wrote about how her son was overwhelmed by loneliness.
 According to HS, Tikkurila vicar  Janne Silvast  pitched in by offering the parish hall as a free venue for the programme for six weeks. In addition the city as well as other parishes contributed surplus food, while local businesses also supported the venture.
 The community will provide three meals a day until mid-July: morning porridge, lunch and an afternoon snack. In addition kids will be offered an opportunity to join games, sporting activities and field trips.
 Yle News previously reported on a separate initiative by  the city of Vantaa, which is running a limited pilot of free park lunches  this summer. That service is available at two locations in Martinlaakso and Havukoski.

Tuesday's papers: Banned neo-Nazi group returning, priest cleared over gay marriage, community helps lonely kids


Summary: The combined turnover of the entity formed after the merger has been estimated at some three billion euros.

Finnish software firm Tieto announced on Tuesday that it will purchase its Norwegian competitor, Evry, in a transaction valued at 1.3 billion euros.
 Tieto will hand over a 37.5% stake in the new company to Evry shareholders in addition to a cash payout of roughly 200 million euros.
 Tieto said in a press release that the transaction will create one of the most competitive digital services firms in the Nordics providing software and cloud solutions, among others.
 Once the deal goes through, the combined firm will be known as TietoEVRY. It will have a workforce of 24,000 and its estimated turnover will be around three billion euros. Tieto also said that it has identified annual savings of 75 million euros resulting from the merger. In April, the firm announced  a plan to cut 700 jobs worldwide , 210 of them in Finland.
 The deal is still subject to approval by both companies’ shareholders and competition authorities. The companies said that shareholder meetings are expected to take place in September at the latest.
 Completion of the merger has been targeted for the final quarter of this year or during the first quarter of 2020.

Finland's Tieto to snap up Norwegian IT rival Evry for €1.3B


Summary: A Helsinki court found the Finnish dairy giant guilty of unfair competition.

The District Court of Helsinki has instructed dairy manufacturer Valio, one of Finland's largest companies, to pay a total of eight million euros in compensation to two cooperatives for selling milk at a price lower than the cost of production.
 Valio will pay 4.5 million euros to the Maitomaa cooperative and EUR 3.5 million to Maitokolmio.
 Additionally, the dairy firm has been ordered to pay interest on the settlement retroactively to spring 2013, and will also be liable for the legal costs of over 300,000 euros for both cooperatives.
 Predatory pricing strategy
 The court ruled that Valio's predatory pricing created conditions of unfair competition in the wholesale milk market and had a significant impact on the dairy business.
 According to the court's decision, Valio deliberately under-priced products with the specific aim of capturing market share from other companies. Last year, Valio was forced into  a settlement with rival firm Arla over price dumping .
 The products that Valio were found to have fixed with lower prices included skimmed milk, low-fat milk, fat-free milk and whole milk.
 However, according to the District Court, the damage suffered by the cooperatives was not as high as their claims for compensation. The Maitomaa and Maitokolmio cooperatives had originally claimed damages amounting to 17 million euros and 10 million euros respectively, but they were deemed by the court to be excessive.

Valio ordered to pay millions to local dairies in milk war ruling


Summary: More than half of adults and children said they'd faced at least one unsettling or traumatic event before coming to Finland.

Up to forty percent of asylum applicants in Finland have reported experiencing symptoms associated with depression and anxiety, the National Institute for Health and Welfare THL said on Tuesday.
 In addition, more than half of adults and children said that before they came to Finland, they had experienced at least one shocking or possibly traumatic incident, such as being targeted by violence.
 The findings come from a new study on asylum seekers’ health and wellbeing, in which researchers interviewed more than 1,000 new arrivals to the country. The respondents also underwent health checks.
 "People from sub-Saharan Africa had more depression and anxiety symptoms that people from other areas. The same group had experienced more distressing events than others. For example, 67 percent of men coming from Africa reported experiencing torture and 57 percent of women spoke of sexual violence," THL research chief  Anu Castaneda  said in a release.
 Castaneda called on authorities to  support asylum seekers’ mental health  and their ability to function in society as early as the reception stage.
 "For example this could involve supporting asylum seekers by providing a meaningful life and activities, therapeutic discussions and information about mental health, and by investing in the functionality of treatment pathways. Supporting the wellbeing of children and families is especially important," she added.
 Women’s health more fragile than men’s
 Half of the women who came to Finland in search of asylum said that they were suffering from some kind of chronic illness or health problem such as musculoskeletal disorders, diabetes or respiratory ailments. One in ten women arrived in Finland pregnant.
 Men on the other hand, had more injuries related to accidents and violence. They also smoked more than women.
 The study showed that asylum applicants also had many other health issues. For example a majority of underage children had never visited a dentist before they came to Finland. Authors of the study said that many aspects of health care in the Middle East and in Africa were weaker than in other areas.
 "It would be good to distribute health information to asylum seekers in a more approachable and easier to understand fashion,” noted THL project manager  Natalia Skogberg .
 Minimal use of alcohol and drugs
 Some aspects of the research revealed positive signs, however. Roughly 85 percent of adult asylum seekers said they did not consume alcohol at all; just a few percent said they did. Meanwhile the use of other narcotics was rare among asylum seekers.
 Researchers also found little evidence of infectious disease.
 "The results of the research are important because we want to better respond to the needs of asylum seekers," said Finnish Immigration Agency department head  Olli Snellman .
 The study of asylum seekers’ health and wellbeing is so far the most extensive mapping of asylum seeker health on both a national and international level. The goal of the project is to provide comprehensive health and welfare information about adults and children who sought asylum in Finland in 2018, and to identify their service needs.
 The project was conducted in collaboration with the Finnish Immigration Agency, Migri, as well as reception centres and with support from the EU’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund.

Study: 4 in 10 asylum seekers in Finland report anxiety, depression


Summary: Report reveals that 18 people were killed and more than 400 injured in traffic accidents in May.

There were 339 road traffic incidents in Finland during the month of May 2019, according to preliminary data released by Statistics Finland. This resulted in a total of 407 injuries and 18 deaths, of which 14 were men and four were women.
 Nine of the fatalities involved private car collisions, two resulted from motorcycle crashes, and one death was attributed to an accident involving a truck. Furthermore, five cyclists were killed during May, as well as one pedestrian.
 Earlier this year, a study by the Finnish Road Safety Council found that  young men were disproportionately represented in car crash figures , with the number of accidents involving 15-24-year-old males especially high. These latest statistics are in keeping with an ongoing trend of men being three times more likely to be killed on Finland's roads than women.
 The figures for this year did however show an improvement on the 15 deaths and 541 injuries that were reported in May 2018.
 The report by Statistics Finland also revealed that there were more than 1,350 road accidents from January to May this year, leading to 75 deaths and over 1,700 injuries.

Three times more men than women died on Finland's roads in May


Summary: The mobile game will feature animated characters and utilise augmented reality tech, according to the developer.

Finnish game developer Next Games has announced it is working on a new mobile game based on the retro supernatural Netflix series  Stranger Things .
 According to the company the game will be a location-based puzzle role-playing game (RPG) and is scheduled to be released on mobile platforms next year. The game will take place in the  Stranger Things  universe and is set in the 1980s, but the characters will be animated cartoon figures rather than human.
 The Helsinki-based game company said the title will also utilise augmented reality technology (AR) along with support from GPS-based Google Maps to bring players into the popular show's supernatural world, according to Next Games CEO  Teemu Huuhtanen .
 "Our core focus will be to deliver on Stranger Things' rich and intense themes like friendship and supernatural adventure, and translate these into snack-sized entertainment on your mobile device. Combined with Netflix’s second-to none ability to reach audiences across the globe, we will deploy all of our accumulated creative and technological expertise to create a game for the fans of the series all around the world," Huuhtanen said.
 Story continues after photo.
 Scene from Stranger Things, featuring actor David  Harbour who plays the character Jim Hopper. Netflix / AOP
 Next Games was the first game developer in Finland to be publicly listed and it specialises in games based on TV series and movies, as well as books.
 In recent years the firm was behind a string of games based on the zombie survival television series The Walking Dead.
 Last year Next Games used AR tech in its game The Walking Dead: Our World, which also uses GPS maps technology in an attempt to merge game play with the real world.
 The third season of  Stranger Things  is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on 4 July.

Finnish developer making game based on Netflix hit series Stranger Things


Summary: Tick borne encephalitis jabs are included in the national vaccine programme only in the municipality of Pargas.

The areas in Finland which provide mandatory tick borne encephalitis (TBE) vaccinations should be expanded to a larger area of the country, according to professor of internal medicine and tick expert  Jarmo Oksi . TBE is an acute viral disease which can damage the central nervous system.
 The Turku University professor and chief physician at Turku University Hospital studies tick-related illnesses and also cares for patients who have fallen ill after being bitten by the tiny, blood-sucking arachnids.
 Oksi said he encourages parents and their children who visit areas with an elevated transmission risk to make sure they get the vaccine.
 "You should also take the TBE vaccine if you live in the risk areas and if you spend a lot of time outdoors in nature, especially if you find ticks on you," Oksi said.
 According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, TBE is transmitted by disease-carrying ticks found in forested areas.
 Apart from entirely avoiding the outdoors and the danger that ticks pose, a TBE vaccination is the only safeguard against contracting the illness.
 A TBE infection is marked by fever, headache and other symptoms, but the second stage of the disease affects the patient's neurological system with symptoms similar to meningitis, which is an inflammation of the brain and spinal cord membrane or encephalitis, inflammation of the brain itself.
 TBE rare but carries serious possible consequences
 TBE is rare, even in higher risk zones, however. In areas with elevated TBE levels, up to one percent of tick populations carry the virus.
 There are rough estimates that one in 10,000 people infected by the virus are stricken with encephalitis.
 However, Oksi said that even a mild inflammation of the brain can have severe consequences in children.
 "If it has spread to the brain for some time, the consequences are difficult to predict. The illness can pose problems for childrens' learning and concentration skills. Later on, for example, it can affect a person's future career choices," he said.
 The National Institute for Health and Welfare THL has advised residents and visitors who head out into forests and fields in areas that have TBE infection rates of more than 5 per 100,000 to get the TBE vaccine.
 Story continues after photo.
 Jarmo Oksi. Minna Rosvall / Yle
 The only area in Finland that currently includes the TBE vaccine as part of the national vaccination programme is the island municipality of Pargas, off the south-west coast in the Archipelago Sea. Pargas offers the vaccine to individuals over the age of three.
 The nearby Archipelago community, Kustavi, may be the next region to be classified as a TBE risk area that will begin offering the vaccines as part of the national programme.
 But Oksi said that due to the potential risks of the disease, Finland should expand the country's TBE risk zones even more.
 However, offering the vaccine as part of the national programme to a broader segment of the public would increase costs.
 Most of those who live in rural areas with elevated risks know that TBE jabs are important, but it appears that others in more urban settings are less aware about the dangers ticks can pose.
 Story continues after photo.
 File photo of a tick. Artyom Geodakyan / AOP
 Yle visited the city of Turku's Kupittaa Park, where many families were out on a sunny day, but could only find one parent who said her family had received the TBE vaccine. The park is about a half an hour's drive from Pargas.
 Another parent, Turku resident  Elina , was at the park with her baby and toddler, and said she has considered getting the jab for her family but hasn't done it yet.
 "It just somehow never happened, we haven't said 'OK, let's go," Elina said.
 Another mother,  Mira Väyrynen , was with her three year old son and said neither of them had been vaccinated against TBE.
 "We haven't thought it would be that necessary. We don't go out into nature all that much or head out into the Archipelago. If we did it would be needed more, but not here in the city area," she said.
 Yle asked Väyrynen whether she thinks ticks could be found in Turku's parks.
 "I hope not," she replied.
 However, ticks have been found in the city parks of Turku - as well as much farther east in the city of Espoo.

More in Finland should get TBE vaccine, tick disease expert says


Summary: The minister said he hopes that others will also run for the party's top spot.

Ministerit, ministeriöt ja valtioneuvosto

Finland's Defence Minister  Antti Kaikkonen  announced his candidacy as chair of the Centre Party.
 Kaikkonen made the announcement at a press conference on Tuesday, saying that he will stand in party elections in September.
 The newly-elected minister said he thought about running for the party's top post long and hard, and that he is taking on the effort with "strong motivation."
 He added that he hoped other candidates would also run for the job.
 Kaikkonen, 45, was first elected to parliament in 2003 and acted as the Centre Party's parliamentary group chair during the  Juha Sipilä  administration, which came to an end this past spring, following parliamentary elections.
 Sipilä was elected chair of the Centre Party in 2012, and was prime minister for four years after leading the party to victory in 2015 elections.
 However, he  announced shortly after the party's weak performance  in this spring's elections that he would not seek re-election as party leader.
 There is a blemish on Kaikkonen's record. In 2013 he was handed a  five-month suspended prison sentence  for abusing his position at the Finnish Youth Foundation to raise money for Centre Party candidates.
 However, the Chancellor of Justice has said Kaikkonen's sentencing does not pose a legal obstacle to him serving in his ministerial post.

Defence minister Kaikkonen to run for Centre Party chair post


Summary: Some Nokia handsets had reportedly sent user data to servers in China earlier this year.

Radio-, televisio- ja tietoliikennevälineiden valmistus

HMD Global has announced that it is preparing to move and store phone activation and performance data of its Nokia smartphones to Google Cloud servers in southern Finland's city of  Hamina .
 The Finnish HMD Global, which has an exclusive licence to produce and market Nokia-branded phones, said it has partnered with Google and Canada-based IT consultancy firm CGI to make the switch.
 The company's chief product officer,  Juho Sarvikas , said moving the data would add new levels of security to its line of Android-based phones.
 In March, reports emerged from Norway that some Nokia handsets  had sent user data  to servers in China.
 "Promise to fans"
 The issue was fixed by HMD before the matter was made public, and according to industry reports the company explained what kinds of user data was collected, and where it was stored. According to  digitaltrends.com  Nokia handset user data has been stored on HMD servers in Singapore, and managed by Amazon Web Services.
 "We want to remain open and transparent about how we collect and store device activation data and want to ensure people understand why and how it improves their phone experience. This change aims to further reinforce our promise to our fans for a pure, secure and up to date Android, with an emphasis on security and privacy through our data servers in Finland," Sarvikas said in a press release issued Tuesday.
 The firm said the first Nokia smartphone models that will begin automatically storing data at the Google facility in Finland will be the Nokia 4.2, 3.2 and 2.2 handsets.
 User data from older smartphone models will be migrated to Hamina once the next version of Android (Q) is pushed out later this year and into 2020, according to the company.

HMD Global moving Nokia user data to Google servers in Finland


Summary: Aptitude tests for nursing students, Päivi Räsänen's fiery letter over the church and pride week and a rescue department's holiday guidelines.

Finland's  Ministry of Education and Culture  is bringing back an optional psychological test to ensure that nursing student applicants are prepared for a career in health care. A low score on the psychological test essentially disqualified students from pursuing a career in nursing.
 The ministry abolished the exam requirement in 2016, but allowed students to take it voluntarily for extra credit,  according to daily Aamulehti . Since February, schools have had the option of testing prospective students to assess their suitability for care work. More than half of the country's eligible institutions (81 out of 147) have already brought back the exams, according to education chief  Tapani Kähkönen  from the  Lapland Education Centre  (Redu).
 "People in the industry have been worried about the proficiency of care professionals. Making sure students are psychologically prepared is important," Kähkönen said in AL.
 The Ministry of Education began preparing a national framework for the aptitude test in spring. Some schools say they are waiting for a national standard before implementing the requirement.
 "The trouble with care industry jobs isn't that there aren't enough applicants, but that people don't stay in the business," said Redu service manager  Leila Hurtig .
 Frontline Christian politician may quit church
 Ex-interior minister and former chair of the Christian Democrat party,  Päivi Räsänen  sent Evangelical Lutheran archbishop  Tapio Luoma  an open letter on Tuesday criticising the church's  official affiliation with Finland's Pride Week , which begins on 24 June.
 Regional paper  Turun Sanomat wrote  that the letter contained stern words for Luoma, as well as a story about a member of Räsänen's congregation who reportedly decided to renounce the Lutheran Church.  Räsänen, a vocal critic  of the LGBTQI community, then threatened to leave the church herself.
 "To my sorrow I have learned that the National Church Council and you yourself, archbishop Luoma, have permitted [the church to support Pride Week]," TS quoted the letter.
 Räsänen insisted in her letter that her stance was not homophobic.
 "The church cannot engage in discrimination if it dares to use the word "sin" for homosexual relations as well as other extramarital sexual relations. However, the church does discriminate against homosexuals when they are not allowed to hear the full truth of the word of God," Räsänen wrote.
 Rescue dept posts rules ahead of Midsummer
 Midsummer is fast approaching, and at least one emergency service department is preparing for the inevitable barrage of distress calls – some of which are hoaxes or do not constitute emergencies.
 In fact, operators at emergency number 112 report more than 350,000 non-essential calls per year,  according to tabloid Ilta-Sanomat .
 The  rescue department  of the Oulu-Koillismaa region posted a 14-point list of things  not  to call 112 about.
 "The following situations are genuine calls that one operator received in a single summer night shift," the department's social media post read. Below is their list in full.
 Do not call emergency services (112) if :
 - You have a toothache
 - Your phone or someone else's has gone missing
 - You need a ride somewhere
 - You need a taxi
 - You need someone's phone number
 - A dead animal is floating in the river
 - You are having relationship problems
 - You want to switch mobile operators
 - You have left your car keys inside your car and the doors are locked
 - You just want to know if there have been many emergency calls that day
 - You had a nightmare
 - Someone has left a pair of wet shoes in your garden
 - You don't know the price of a taxi fare
 - You or your loved ones are not in danger!
 The rescue department ended its post by urging residents to download the  112 Emergency Number app  on their smart phones.

Wednesday's papers: Nursing students' aptitude tests, Christian pol threatens to quit church, rescue dept's Midsummer reminder


Summary: The city's experiment with personal emissions trading caught the jury's attention.

Lahti is the first Finnish city to win the European Commission’s Green Capital Award, which the jury said went to the town for its environmental credibility. The title brought Lahti a 350,000-euro award for its environmental achievements.
 “Lahti is particularly strong in the fields of air quality, waste, green growth, eco-innovation and governance,” the commission said in a statement.
 The city of Lahti stopped using coal at the beginning of April and has spent 180 million euros on a bioenergy plant. The jury said Lahti—home to 120,000 people—has been a pioneer in air quality and has been dropping emissions since 1997. The city’s air quality regulations also impressed the judges, who noted that 99 percent of city residents live within 300 metres of green urban areas.
 Personal emissions scheme
 This fall Lahti—often associated with cross-country skiing and ski jumping—will launch a personal traffic emissions trading scheme for residents, according to the city. To participate, users download an app which tracks how they get around the city, with incentives possible for those favouring environmentally sustainable modes of transport.
 Green cities—such as Lisbon—which won the award last year are “healthier and happier places for people to grow, live and work in,” the commission stated. The award for smaller cities went to the Irish city of Limerick and Belgian city of Mechelen.
 This was Lahti’s third entry into the competition. As the 2021 winner, the city will have to foot the bill for a third of hosting costs, which are expected to rise to some nine million euros.

Lahti nabs European Green city award


Summary: More than 5,000 candidates are vying for 400 available study spots at the Police University College this year.

An exceptionally high number of people have applied for police training in Finland this year. There were over 5,000 applicants for the 2019 training courses at the Police University College, which has a total of 400 available seats — which means that nearly 13 applicants are vying for a single study placement.
 "This has been the largest ever number of applicants for bachelor studies in police training. Over the past couple of years, there have been about 4,000 applicants per year, so the increase in interest is significant," director of the police training institute,  Kimmo Himberg ,said.
 The applicants include high school graduates as well as those with postsecondary degrees, according to Himberg.
 "Working along with police departments, we were able to successfully spread our message at education fairs and school and garrison visits. The Police University College channels also provide a lot of information and atmosphere about the campus," Himberg said, adding that prospective applicants were also reached on social media.
 The police academy degree takes three years to complete and offers graduates the eligibility to work, for instance, as a senior constable. A graduate can work in both criminal investigation and security- and alarm-tasks.
 Police University College does not have a centralised application service but has four application periods during the year. This year, nearly 300 students have started their training at the university.

Record numbers apply for police academy training in Finland


Summary: Five senior police officers have had charges of official misconduct dismissed by Helsinki District Court.

Some of Finland’s most senior police officers scored a big win on Wednesday, when they were cleared of official misconduct by Helsinki District Court.
 The case relates to the handling of confidential informants between 2008 and 2013, when disgraced narcotics cop  Jari Aarnio ’s unit had not properly registered informants in the appropriate channels and superior officers had not intervened to prevent the practice.
 In the dock had been Aarnio, former National Police Commissioner  Mikko Paatero , the head of the National Bureau of Investigation  Robin Lardot , Helsinki police chief  Lasse Aapio  and his predecessor  Jukka Riikonen .
 The court ruled that registration of confidential sources would have required the establishment of a national source database, but such a register was not founded until 2018.
 As a result, registration of sources and documenting their use would not have been legal at the time of the alleged offences, according to the court's ruling.
 The court found that Paatero had no knowledge that should have led to him investigating Helsinki Police Department over its source management practices, and when Lardot was made aware of the practices he took appropriate action.
 Prosecutors had demanded prison terms or fines for several of the defendants, and Lardot and Aapio had been suspended from their posts over the case.
 The Interior Ministry said immediately after the verdict that they would both return to work.
 In addition to these five senior officers, three other people were defendants in the case.
 Two of them worked at Helsinki Police department and one at the National Police Board.
 The prosecutor's office is considering whether or not to appeal the verdict.

Finland’s top cops get misconduct charges thrown out


Summary: A three year effort to document significant archaeological sites across Finland is underway.

Taide- ja kulttuurikoulutus ja -tutkimus

The Finnish Heritage Agency (FHA) is conducting a nationwide field inspection of ancient monuments protected by the government.
 The Nationally Significant Archeaological Sites initiative (Vark) started at the beginning of June and seeks to document all of Finland's ancient monuments. The FHA's project chief  Teija Tiitinen  said the agency hopes to produce a chronologically and regionally representative catalogue of the past 10,000 years.
 The FHA estimates that some 3,000 sites will be included in Vark's list by 2021, or roughly 50 for each of Finland's regions with the exception of the autonomous archipelago province of Åland, which is not included in the survey.
 Terrain surveys will also be carried out on sites in which information is outdated or otherwise inaccurate, according to the FHA.
 A number of the project's sites are located in the inland archipelago, southwest Finland along with several coastal locations.
 "A variety of ancient sites is needed to tell Finland's story," said Tiitinen. "Then again, unique monuments are more likely to be added than a regular though impressive grave site, of which there are many."
 Sites from every region
 About 5,000 different monuments are currently already known in southwest Finland alone, and only the most significant of these will be catalogued.
 Tiitinen said that though the archaeological catalogue is important, the locations included on the list are not necessarily granted special rights.
 "All ancient monuments are automatically protected by the Antiquities Act. Some stipulations on actions such as tampering or land use might be stricter," Tiitinen said.

Finnish Heritage Agency scours countryside for ancient monuments


Summary: Last year's reforms deregulated and introduced a competitive market to the once heavily regulated industry.

Reforms made to laws regulating Finland's taxi industry have led to  higher prices  and other problems, according to Minister of Transport and Communications,  Sanna Marin .
 Marin said the taxi reforms rolled out last year have led to justified criticism, making the comments on Yle's morning television show AamuTV on Wednesday.
 "The law has worsened [people's] access to taxis, the prices have gone up and there have been big problems with Kela taxi rides," Marin said, referring to taxi journeys provided by the country's Social Service Institution.
 "There are also question about the grey economy and people's safety," she continued.
 Last July, Finland rolled out  broad reforms to the taxi sector , which deregulated the once heavily regulated industry.
 The reforms, carried out under then-PM  Juha Sipilä  and transport minister  Anne Berner , were among the previous administration's most controversial efforts.
 Last summer's changes re-introduced a number of new  players  in the taxi sector, including ones like ride sharing firm  Uber, which was temporarily banned  from operating in Finland.
 Now, the newly-elected PM  Antti Rinne  administration has said that the reforms need alterations in order to improve safety and to combat the grey economy.
 Work already started
 On Wednesday, Marin said that government is re-examining taxi laws on the books and looking to make adjustments where possible.
 "The work has already begun and the topic has been clearly stated in the government programme," she said.
 The Taxi Drivers Association recently suggested that all taxis should be fitted with obligatory taxi fare meters, which would enable tax authorities to clearly see information about every paid trip.
 "[Making taxi meters obligatory] could be a part of a larger whole, but I cannot yet say which area of taxi regulation would be most important because we have not begun preparations," Marin said.
 The Rinne administration's government programme also noted that Kela's paid taxi scheme needs to be re-examined.

Transport minister mulls adjustments to taxi sector reforms


Summary: The Criminal Sanctions Agency said it wants to bring prisons to growth centres and help inmates to study.

Finland's  Criminal Sanctions Agency  (Rise) wants to increase support for prisoner rehabilitation to help convicts return to civilian life and avoid repeat offenses.
 The plan, which is to be considered by the newly-elected government, involves reducing the number of prisons from 26 to 23 and increasing the number of prisoners in open prisons as opposed to closed facilities.
 The plan came to light when Lännen Media reported  leaked analysis  from Rise on 11 June.
 According to Rise Head of Development Pauli Jokinen, new technology is constantly emerging that makes jail less necessary. Open prisons are, according to Jokinen, much better at ensuring released prisoners do not re-offend.
 "Those released from open prisons re-offend much less than those coming out of closed prisons," said Jokinen. "Up to 50 percent of those released from closed prisons re-offend, but that's much less common with open prisons. Of course the prisoner populations in open and closed jails are quite different as well."
 Epitome of rehabilitation
 Rise's open prison in Laukaa, Central Finland has specialised in inmate rehabilitation and education for 15 years. That facility will soon be shuttered, with its services moving to a brand new prison campus in nearby Jyväskylä.
 Laukaa warden  Tuula Tarvainen  said the new complex, closer to the urban heart of the region, will be the epitome of Finnish rehabilitative incarceration.
 This is where the new Jyväskylä prison campus will rise up soon. Simo Pitkänen / Yle
 "Here in Laukaa, we have long striven to make all our work education-based," she said. "We are working closely with the Jyväskylä Educational Consortium Gradia, and we will further deepen that collaboration."
 Prisoners at the Laukaa jail have the opportunity to study woodworking and wooden surface finishing. The prison holds that the precision handicraft may help inmates learn valuable skills to bring into working life once they are freed.
 Once the Jyväskylä campus is up and running, said Tarvainen, prisoners will attend courses at official schools instead of having trainers visit the prison.
 Approaching urban centres faces critique
 The Criminal Sanctions Agency says it wants to move its prisons closer to urban growth centres in order to take advantage of the resources and services that those areas can offer. Hospitals, social services and learning institutions can all be accessed more easily when the prison facility is located nearby.
 However, even development chief Pauli Nieminen from Rise admits that there are risks involved in bringing prisons closer to cities, beyond mere complaints from locals.
 Handicrafts and other courses help inmates learn skills to use in the outside world. Simo Pitkänen / Yle
 "The support services that can help released prisoners integrate back into society are more important than the risks – but we have to be aware of those, too," Nieminen said. "If an inmate misbehaves in an open facility, we endeavour to find out what more they need to learn before civilian life is a realistic option."
 Risks include easier access to drugs and other illicit items. Additionally, inmates themselves such as  Tiia Civil  say that being imprisoned in a rural area makes it easier to learn, rehabilitate and coalesce after kicking a substance abuse habit.
 "I like to take walks around Laukaa," said Civil, who is just two months away from finishing her sentence for manslaughter. "Cities have their perks, but I would rather the prisons stayed in the countryside."
 Finland has 15 so-called closed prisons and 11 open prison facilities. The main difference is that in a closed prison only employees and other inmates are present, and everyday routines are strictly enforced. Open prisons are freer in their monitoring and the openness of living quarters – a far cry from the lonely existence in closed institutions, according to Civil.
 "Moving from a closed prison to an open one was a huge relief. I was able to study and work, and that gave me a new purpose while I was dealing with my crimes."

Finland could shift more prisoners to open jails


Summary: The Ministry of Education and Culture will recover 57,000 euros that the youth wing had already received.

The Ministry of Education and Culture has terminated this year's government funding of the Finns Party's youth wing for violating the objectives of the Youth Act 2017.
 The youth wing was to receive a total of 115,000 euros, and the ministry will now recover the 57,500 euros that has already been paid.
 The youth wing of the populist party had come under fire for an  offensive tweet  they had posted and later deleted on their official account — it depicted a dark-skinned family accompanied by the text, "Vote for the Finns Party if you don’t want Finland’s future to look like this."
 The grant is part of the Central government funding for youth work offered by the Ministry of Education and Culture.
 "Youth organisations wishing to receive a grant from the Ministry must comply with the Youth Act. If it does not want to comply with the law, the organisation has to finance its activities from sources other than youth work funds," Director General  Esko Ranto  said in a release.
 Historical decision
 According to the Ministry, this is the first time that a grant will be recovered from a youth organisation for violating the objectives of the Youth Act.
 Henni Axelin , Deputy Director General at the Ministry of Education and Culture, explained that they had discussed this matter with party representatives earlier in March.
 "At that time, however, we did not take any other measures, such as withdrawing the grant, because we wanted to give the organisation the time and opportunity to correct their situation independently," Axelin said.
 The Finns Party's youth wing intends to appeal the decision.
 "The organisation will make a request that the ministry rectifies this decision, and if they do not rectify it, then the only option is to take the matter to court," said the organisation's secretary  Toni Saarinen .
 Earlier in June, Finland's  Non-Discrimination Ombudsman , Kirsi Pimiä had  stated  that the youth wing is suspected of unlawful ethnic harassment and that one of its social media posts was clearly incompatible with the aims of the Youth Act.
 Helsinki police had also launched a preliminary investigation  into the matter of the tweet, which the youth wing deleted, calling it "ill-advised" and "thoughtless" after facing a backlash.
 Jussi Halla-aho and a number of other politicians from the party been  convicted of online hate speech  over the years.
 EDIT Toni Saarinen's quote added at 18:25 on 19 June 2019.

Finns Party youth wing denied state funding after racist tweet


Summary: Finland’s traditional Midsummer holiday is coming, and that means shutdowns and changed timetables across the country this weekend.

Heading to the countryside this weekend? Much of the rest of Finland has the same idea  at Midsummer , so the Finnish Road Safety Council is advising motorists to plan their routes and prepare for delays, especially on Thursday and Sunday when  congestion  will be heaviest.
 The worst jams are expected in southern Finland between 12 and 7pm on Thursday, and slightly later than that further north.
 Grocery stores  are now able to decide their own opening hours and both  K-Group  and  S-Group  shops should be mostly open throughout the weekend. There may be some adjustments however, and especially on Friday--Midsummer Eve--shops might close earlier than normal.
 It’s best to check shop-specific opening hours online from the company’s website, if possible.
 Merja Siirilä / Yle
 Finland’s state-run  alcohol  retailer  Alko  does shut down, however. Alko outlets are open until 9pm on Thursday, until 12 noon on Friday, and closed on Saturday and Sunday.
 Post Offices close their doors at 6pm on Thursday, and are closed all weekend. Helsinki’s main post office is an exception, as that opens until 12 noon on Friday, and the tourist-focused  Santa Claus post office  in Rovaniemi is open as usual from 9am to 6pm every day as usual.
 Posti concessions located in other businesses, like supermarkets and grocery stores, are open at the same time as their host operations. There are no  post deliveries  on Midsummer Eve.
 Banks  are closed on Midsummer Eve, Friday 20 June.
 Public transport on weekend schedules
 Long-distance rail services  operate according to Friday timetables on Thursday, with Saturday services running on Friday. On Saturday morning the schedule is that normally used on Sundays, with afternoon and evening timetables corresponding to the usual Saturday pattern. On Sunday, normal Sunday services are in operation.
 Everything clear? Don't worry if not, train timetables can be checked on the  VR website . Information on long-distance bus services is available at  Matkahuolto ,  Onnibus  or your operator's website.
 Commuter trains  run according to Friday timetables on Thursday, according to Saturday timetables on Friday and according to Sunday timetables on Saturday.
 Over the weekend there will be engineering work between Helsinki and Kirkkonummi, Riihimäki and Tampere, Luumäki and Vainikkala, Kouvola and Mäntyharju and Suonenjoki and Kuopio. Rail replacement buses will operate where train services are cancelled due to this track work.
 In the capital city region  night bus services  that normally run on Friday nights will run instead on Thursday evening and in the early hours of Friday. On Friday there will be Sunday timetables in operation, and on Saturday buses and trams will run according to the usual Sunday timetable. More detailed information is available at the  HSL website .

Midsummer reminder: Finland's summer shutdown coming this weekend


Summary: Should the state help the Finnish families of Isis fighters stranded in Syria?

Main national daily  Helsingin Sanomat  (HS) tackles the issue of Finnish nationals stranded at the al-Hol refugee camp in Syria. The paper examines ways Finland could react to the Finnish families who joined the terrorist group Isis but are now stranded at the desert camp where temperatures are expected to rise above 40 degrees Celsius this week.
 HS writes that conditions at al-Hol are like that of a prison camp, where nearly 20,000 family members of Isis fighters are being held by Syria’s autonomous Kurds. The camp is surrounded by armed guards. HS cites  Yle, which has reported that there are 11 women and 33 children who are Finnish citizens in the camp.
 There are also Finnish orphans in the camp, according to  Tarja Mankkinen , head of development at the police division of the Ministry of the Interior. Some of the children had arrived from Finland, while others were born in Syria. Many of the camp's children are suffering from diarrhea and malnutrition.
 While the previous government decided that Finnish authorities would not help Isis fighters or their spouses leave the country, this does not bind PM  Antti Rinne 's new government. The PM has received advice from 40 experts from various Finnish ministries, and the new government needs to decide whether to assist those stranded - or not.
 The main responsibility for a decision lies with newly-minted Foreign Minister  Pekka Haavisto  who did not respond to requests by HS for an interview. HS asked several experts, including an international law expert and a terrorism researcher about what should be done.
 According to international law professor  Martti Koskenniemi , the answer is clear. Government must help the women and children at the al-Hol camp return to Finland.
 "Do Finland's officials understand that this situation is subject to domestic and international legal norms?" he queried in an interview with HS.
 "Consular services are meant to aid those in crisis areas and return them to safety," he says. "What these people may have done should not affect whether or not they are helped. (What they have done) is a separate police matter,” Koskenniemi added.
 Terrorism researcher  Juha Saarinen  told HS that security policy concerns need to be considered in discussions regarding the Finns in Syria. "We’re talking abut people who have been connected to a brutal and violent terrorist organisation."
 "Middle-aged men are a problem"
 Tabloid  Ilta-Sanomat  leads with a story about the upcoming Midsummer weekend.
 IS writes that as the long weekend is set to be warm, it will likely keep safety and rescue services busy.
 "Rescue workers and police are happy when summer and Midsummer are rainy," said  Heidi Liukkonen  of the Southern Savo rescue department.
 A dry hot summer translates into a higher risk of forest fires, and more people in and on the water, which often means more accidents especially on hot days when alcohol is the beverage of choice. Drinking leads to more drink driving accidents and drowning fatalities.
 According to  Taisto Hakala , communications manager for the Helsinki Rescue Department, the top risk group on the water is middle-aged men.
 "The problem group is middle-aged men. They drink, and then swim too far from the shore. Perhaps they're not very good swimmers or they don’t have safety equipment or, if they do, it doesn't work."
 Midsummer exodus
 On the topic of Midsummer,  Tampere daily Aamulehti  leads with a piece about the expected traffic chaos on Finland's roads as the exodus for cottages begins on Thursday and road congestion is expected to reach its peak midday Friday.
 According to Aamulehti, there will be twice as many motorists than normal on the roads on Thursday and Friday, which is why it's a good idea to be prepared for potential delays.

Thursday's papers: Finland's Isis families, Midsummer madness and traffic jams


Summary: In an average summer week Alko sells 1.2 million litres of booze, but in Midsummer week, sales rise to two million.

Finland’s state-owned alcohol monopoly Alko said that business has been especially brisk in the run-up to this year’s  Midsummer weekend .
 The retailer said Thursday that it had had to call on office staff to help man stores due to the number of customers stocking up on booze for the long holiday weekend.
 Jari Hiekkataipale , a regional manager for Alko’s outlets in eastern Finland, said that he too would be pitching in to help serve customers.
 "Everyone will be hitting the shop floor, even from the head office. For my part, I will mainly be stocking shelves and helping customers," he added.
 Steep growth in demand for flavoured vodkas
 Alko usually records a peak in sales around the Midsummer holiday, which is traditionally the time when  many in Finland choose to begin their summer  vacation.
 The retailer said that although consumers continue to spend big at this time of year, favourites have varied over time. For example sales of hard liquor have fallen steadily over the past 10 years, but drinkers still seem to enjoy it at Midsummer.
 "If we compare Midsummer to a regular summer weekend, we see sales of flavoured vodka rise by 78 percent, while other aromatic alcohol soars by 72 percent and 30 percent more regular unflavoured vodka sells," Alko product marketing manager  Taina Vilkuna  noted.
 Consumers develop a thirst for other kinds of alcoholic beverages as well when Midsummer comes around. Last year sales of rosé wines shot up by more than 60 percent ahead of the long weekend compared to a regular summer weekend.
 At the same time the retailer moved 40 percent more red and white wines and 72 percent more bubbly off store shelves.
 During an average summer week in Finland Alko stores sell roughly 1.2 million litres of alcohol, but in the week preceding Midsummer, that number rises to two million.

Finland's Midsummer week alcohol sales nearly double last year's


Summary: An investigation into Wednesday night's fire is underway, but by the next morning no one had been apprehended.

Officials in Mikkeli suspect that Wednesday's devastating fire at the Tuppurala primary school was a case of arson.
 The blaze broke out Wednesday evening, and rescue services received a call about it at 7:23 pm. Fifteen rescue services units and several volunteer fire fighter units came to the scene, working late into the night.
 The eastern Finland police department's chief investigator,  Timo Häkkinen , said the fire was likely arson but no one has been apprehended yet.
 "Police suspect the fire was deliberately set. When such a valuable piece of property is destroyed it is investigated as aggravated vandalism," Häkkinen said, adding that the investigation has already begun.
 Story continues after photo.
 Esa Huuhko / Yle
 No one was reported injured in the incident, as school is out of session for the summer, but many locals gathered to witness the fiery spectacle. At one point rescue officials were needed to prevent members of the public from getting too close to the burning building.
 The task of extinguishing the blaze was particularly arduous for some fire fighters, as they had been battling a forest fire in the municipality of Pieksämäki, about an hour's drive north, earlier the same day.
 The local fire department's  Ville Tuovinen  said Wednesday evening that the school gym was destroyed in the blaze but that the classrooms had been saved.
 Yle journalist  Susanna Pekkarinen  was at the scene and reported that flames reached several metres in the air and that the roof collapsed at around 9 pm.
 The primary school serves about 180 pupils and is located nearby Saimaa Lake, about two kilometres east of the centre of Mikkeli.

Officials suspect arson behind Mikkeli school blaze


Summary: The Archbishop responded to Christian politician Päivi Räsänen's criticism of church participation in Helsinki Pride.

Evangelical Lutheran archbishop  Tapio Luoma  responded on Thursday to an open letter from ex-interior minister and former chair of the Christian Democrat party  Päivi Räsänen , who criticised the church's  official affiliation with Finland's Pride Week , which begins on 24 June.
 According to Luoma, the church’s participation in Helsinki Pride -- a celebration of gender and sexual minorities -- is not about the church's position on marriage or marriage laws.
 "It’s not a question of taking a stance on marriage laws but rather [the idea] that the church’s message is for everyone... and same-sex couples are welcome at all church activities," Luoma wrote in a letter addressed to Räsänen and published on the website of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.
 Same-sex marriage has been  legal in Finland since 2017 .
 Church resignations on rise following Räsänen's letter
 Räsänen expressed concern about the church’s decision to participate in Pride in her letter.
 "The Pride event’s ideological goal is to take pride in the type of relations that are described as being against God’s will. Homosexual relationships, like those relationships outside of marriage, are described in the Bible as sinful and shameful," wrote Räsänen, who threatened to quit the church as result of the church's decision.
 After Räsänen’s letter was made public on Wednesday, Eroakirkosta.fi, a Finnish website that offers an electronic service for resigning from Finland's state churches, reportedly saw a rise in people quitting the church. On Wednesday, 350 people terminated their church membership and about 200 people did so before midday Thursday.
 "The goal of Pride is to reduce shame"
 The Helsinki Pride organisation also addressed the issue on Thursday.
 Helsinki Pride board chairperson  Juha Kilpiä  said the church’s participation in Pride is part of a long continuum, whereby the church is opening its doors to sexual minorities. He said that he was not surprised by Räsänen’s stance.
 "There’s room for differing opinions. What is more meaningful is what the parishes say and do. We don’t see any reason why even one person should feel ashamed of their sexual orientation" Kilpiä added.
 The Helsinki parish union has participated in Helsinki Pride in previous years. According to Kilpiä, one of the goals of Pride is to reduce people’s sense of shame and increase their self-esteem.
 "There are many different voices inside the church and there always will be. People who participate in Pride are those who think marriage is a right that belongs to everyone," said Kilpiä. "We want to provide room for that voice in our community."

Archbishop responds to Pride dust-up: "Same sex couples are welcome at all church activities."


Summary: The victim was 13 years old and the defendant was 25 when the offences were committed.

The Oulu district court handed down a four-year prison sentence to a 26-year-old man convicted on three different child sex abuse charges on Thursday. The defendant,  Mohamed Ali Osman  was convicted for aggravated child sexual abuse, aggravated rape and for enticing a child for the purpose of sexual relations. The court threw out an additional charge of purchasing sex from a minor because of lack of evidence.
 The court found that the offences of aggravated child sexual abuse and aggravated rape were committees in August and September last year in a private residence, while the enticement offence occurred later on in October.
 According to the court, the defendant and the victim met on Facebook, struck up a friendship and kept in touch using services such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram. They also met at the defendant’s home on three occasions.
 Single victim in eight cases
 Thursday’s conviction and sentencing is the fifth in  a series of similar cases  in which the same 13-year-old girl is believed to have suffered abuse at the hands of eight different foreign-background men between June and October last year. Three additional cases are still to be tried in court.
 District prosecutor  Pia Mäenpää  previously told Yle that there is no evidence to suggest that the suspects abused the victim at the same time and place.
 She said that the suspects – some of whom have since been convicted – did not know each other. According to information obtained by Yle, at least three of the suspects are believed to have lived at the same reception centre.
 Police previously said that all of the suspects came to Finland as refugees or asylum seekers. Some are quota refugees, others were in the process of seeking asylum, while still others had already received Finnish citizenship.

Four-year prison sentence in 5th Oulu child sex abuse case


Summary: Finland was the fifth most expensive country for food among other EU countries last year.

Kansainväliset organisaatiot ja sopimukset

Fats are cheaper in Finland than in other European Union countries, but for everything else, consumers have to shell out much more than their EU peers on average. Finnish food prices have risen compared to the EU average, according to  latest statistics published by Eurostat.
 Healthy eaters fork out a lot more in Finland, with the cost of vegetables 29% more in Finland than the EU average. However, fats and oils cost 3% below the EU average — the only food group in Finland below the EU average.
 Story continues after graphic.

 Among the EU’s 28 member states, Finland was the fifth most  expensive country  for food last year — compared to 2010, when it ranked number seven.
 However in 2013, Finland was declared the third most expensive country among EU countries — food was nearly 24% more expensive than the average.
 According to an independent research institute Pellervo Economic Research (PTT), food prices in Finland dropped between 2013 and 2017, before they started rising again last year, when they inched up by around 2%, stated PTT.
 Costlier food but higher salaries in Finland
 A recent report by the Labour Institute for Economic Research states that in 2015, the total monthly earnings of a Finnish full-time employee was approximately 3,400 euros, while the average earnings in EU countries are around 2,100 euros.
 The Eurostat report states that Romania gets one-third of its food and drinks at a lower price than the average EU citizen. However, the average monthly salary of a full-time employee in the country is under 400 euros — five times less than the EU average.
 While food costs 19% more than the EU average in Finland, the salary level is almost 60 per cent higher here than in other EU countries.

Finnish consumers fork out more for veggies than other EU countries but pay less for fats


Summary: Purebred wolves have been imported illegally from Russia, police animal protection investigators say.

A special team of Helsinki police investigators suspect eight individuals of illegally importing wolves to Finland in order to breed wolf-dog hybrids.
 The preliminary investigation is nearly complete and the case, which currently involves a total of twelve criminal charges, is expected to go to court later this summer.
 The charges include aggravated animal welfare endangerment, animal endangerment and eight counts of nature conservation crimes, as well as two counts of illegal animal importation. It is illegal to import wolves and wolf-dog hybrids into Finland.
 Police said the crimes were carried out between June 2016 and January of this year in the municipalities of Loppi, Orimattila, Karkkila, which are in southern Finland, as well as Vaalimaa, a border crossing point to Russia.
 A total of eight people are suspects in the case but police said the main suspect was raising hybrid wolf-dogs in Loppi, which is about 90 km north of Helsinki.
 The case is being investigated by a Helsinki-based police team which specialises in animal protection related crimes, a group which was established last autumn.
 Around the end of last year, officials became aware of an individual who had a wolf at home in Karikkila, which is roughly 70 km north-west of the capital.
 Story continues after photo.
 Two animals found by investigators in Karkkila. Helsingin poliisi
 During the preliminary investigation, the team learned that four wolves had been brought into the country from Russia and transported to the main suspect's farm in Loppi.
 A total of 64 animals, including hybrid wolf-dogs, were found on the main suspect's property in Loppi.
 Police said one of the wolves were taken to Karkkila while two others were moved to a hiding place in Orimattila, due to an animal safety check that authorities carried out at the main suspect's farm.
 However, police carried out searches of all three of the locations simultaneously, along with the help from veterinarians.
 One animal found in Karkkila turned out to be a purebred Northern European wolf.
 Police found two other wolves in Orimattila, inside an unlit sauna building in the yard. Officials said the sauna smelled of faeces and urine and that the animals did not have access to water or food.
 Police said 30 animals were euthanised during the preliminary investigation.

Hybrid wolf breeding scheme behind illicit animal imports, Finnish police say


'Taiga' - meaning 'boreal forest' - is the latest attraction at the non-profit park, which opened in Helsinki in 1950.
 The new roller coaster boasts over one kilometre of track, reaching 52 metres at its highest point.
 Ahead of the ride's official opening on Tuesday, Linnanmäki's general manager  Pia Adlivankin  said, "Taiga has been specifically designed for Linnanmäki based on all our wishes and taking in consideration the challenging terrain."
 "We expect Taiga to be of interest to both Finnish and international roller coaster enthusiasts, and we welcome all daredevils to challenge themselves by taking a unique ride on Taiga," she said.
 Linnanmäki is run by the Children's Day Foundation and all proceeds are donated toward child welfare projects.
 The park has enjoyed significant tax breaks for 40 years. Its super-non profit designation means that proceeds are exempt from corporate taxes.

A chance to tame the "Taiga" at Finland's biggest amusement park