Summary: Finland wants more dads to care for their kids, but for some foreign fathers paternity leave can be a lonely experience.

Finland is moving to catch up with its Nordic peers and even the parental leave playing field by encouraging more fathers to stay at home with their kids. The policy has been framed as a victory for egalitarian principles and a much-needed shot in the arm for  falling birth rates .
 But what's it like to stay home if you are not Finnish and know few Dads like you nearby? This week Yle News' the  All Points North  podcast spoke to some migrant fathers who are living the ideal as stay-at-home dads caring for their youngsters, but who say they feel isolated in their roles.
 Finding support in online dad communities
 James Cramer  first visited Finland during summer.
 "My wife convinced me that Finland isn’t as cold and dark as it’s made out to be," he laughs. Seven years on he knows better. More than the cold and darkness though, it was the loneliness Cramer experienced during paternity leave as a new dad in Finland that took him by surprise.
 "I had work colleagues, but my friends network in Finland, even after seven years, is pathetic. As I started to freelance, that network thinned further. So when I was on parental leave, I had no friends to reach out to or even anyone to socially connect with," Cramer says.
 The final straw for Cramer was at the end of three months at home. He had had minimal adult social contact, and when his toddler went about the house tossing freshly-washed laundry into the dog’s water bowl and throwing his toys around, Cramer lost his cool. With no one to turn to for advice, he reached out to the Expat Dads fathers’ group on Facebook.
 "When I wrote the post on the dads' group I was emotional, I knew my reaction was wrong and I needed feedback. I was surprised by the responses; my friends would have pulled my leg," he comments.
 Story continues after photo.
 James Cramer with his son Robin. James Cramer
 Within seconds of publishing the post support poured in, comforting responses lauding him for his honesty, acknowledging parental leave is tough and gets the better of most, urging him to ditch the self-doubt of whether he was a good enough dad, and that it is not possible to achieve everything in a day — from laundry to preparing a business plan — while taking care of a child.
 Comprising mainly foreign men, most of whom are in Finland because of a Finnish partner, the nearly 600-member group serves as a peer support network for all things dad. The group’s activities range from monthly 'pressure relief' meetups, where they socialise and discuss fatherhood experiences, to offering parental advice to cleaning hacks to trading ideas for activities to do with their children.
 For many dads it also helps to relieve social isolation in a country where few may have families or friends, often not even a job or a solid grasp of the language.
 Carrots and sticks for stay-at-home-dads
 The Finnish government plans to nearly double paternity leave to encourage more men to care for their kids at home. The proposed reform aims to increase earnings-related maternity and paternity leave to five months each. Both five-month options would be non-transferable between parents, in order to encourage more fathers to take time out to look after their kids. An additional five-month period would be available for both parents to share as they see fit.
 As Finland’s birth rate continues to drop, public discourse has raised the issue of providing more support for families, increasing paternity leave and encouraging fathers to use the maximum amount of leave.
 Political commentator  Sini Korpinen  tells Yle News that the government’s proposed 5+5+5 model will effectively push more fathers to take paternity leave.
 "The 5+5+5 model ensures more equality, provided the home care allowance doesn’t stay as it is. Otherwise, it is mothers who will end up using this allowance after 10 months. As is the case now," Korpinen suggests.
 For Korpinen, legislative reform is key to changing parental leave practices.
 "Our attitudes towards gender roles in Finland are still not on par with the other Nordic countries. The attitudes may change gradually, but the legislation may bring quicker results," she continues.
 Language can connect -- or divide
 In 2018  Oliver Lillie  started the expat fathers' group on Facebook, precisely to address that social void and to connect dads and dads-to-be.
 For fathers like Lillie the group is also a way to connect with other dads on playdates and encourage his children’s engagement with the English language. "Finnish is my children’s primary language, but I want them to interact and play with other kids in my mother tongue," says Lillie.
 Story continues after photo.
 Fabrizio Turci of Familia ry. Fabrizio Turci
 Bilingualism is a concern for many immigrant fathers. Familia ry, a non-profit organisation that works to enable a two-way integration of immigrants in Finland, runs a different fathers’ group to connect foreign fathers and combat social isolation. It also addresses a recurring concern among immigrant fathers of raising bicultural children.
 Familia meetings encourage dads to talk about everything from being an immigrant in Finland to how to be an intercultural family to masculinity to the kind of fathers they want to be. This often leads to discussions on their own childhoods and fathers.
 "We want to make sure fathers don’t feel alienated when their child only speaks Finnish at home," says  Fabrizio Turci , who works as the organisation's peer-support group facilitator.
 Fathers' changing roles
 The growing number of fathers' groups point to the increasing importance of fathers as primary caregivers, especially in the Nordics where paternity leave and staying at home alone with a child as mothers return to work is encouraged. Finland has a reputation for gender equality. A 2017 OECD gender equality report lauded Finland for being the only country in the developed world where fathers spend a total of eight minutes more with school-aged children than mothers, but Cramer argues that the state needs to encourage more fathers to take paternity leave.
 "When I was at home with my son for three months, I thought I would meet and connect with other fathers in our neighbourhood park, but there were only mums. My wife in her maternity leave used momzie, which is like tinder for mothers, where she would connect with other mothers who were similarly wired. Those women are still my wife’s friends two years on. There’s no such thing for dads," he adds, suggesting that maybe someone should make a similar dad link-up app.
 According to Siru keskinen, a statistical analyst with national benefits agency Kela, in 2017,  fathers on an average took 37 days of parental leave  and the average for mothers was 261 days. Available data suggest that the number of men staying at home with children increased after paternity leave was increased in 2003 in Finland. Research has also shown that fatherhood has become central to men’s identity, as more men are no longer primary earners.
 "Fathers want to play an active role instead of being purely breadwinners and those who enforce discipline. Finland gives them that chance. Also, some foreign men have secondary jobs, and their wives are primary earners. So, they see the value in taking paternity leave," Turci explains.
 Finnish dads lack support too
 Though the need to equally participate in parental care, find networks and connections with other dads is growing, parental support, even in egalitarian Finland, is geared towards mothers. Turci admits that social isolation is a problem for many immigrant fathers.. Finnish fathers who are not from Helsinki may face the same problem, but they have a linguistic and cultural advantage.
 Miessakit, a non-profit organisation that works for men’s wellbeing, runs a project 'Looks like dad' (Isän näköinen) in collaboration with the Finnish Federation of Settlement Houses (FFSH). The project provides men with a platform to talk about fatherhood and encourages them to be active parents so as to upend the still-widespread belief: that only women are suited to being primary parents.
 According to  Ismo Pitkänen , a project coordinator at Miessakit, while Finnish fathers may not face as much social isolation during paternity leave as immigrant fathers, they often lack networks as well. To Pitkänen peer support as well as sharing and learning from each other’s experiences are key to men’s well-being as fathers.
 Immigrant dad  Edgar Roberts*  agrees with Pitkänen’s assessment. "What I missed most during my paternity leave was not just someone to talk to, but just the lack of male role models who, like me, stayed at home with their child. Someone I could learn from."
 *Some names have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals.
 What do you think? What's it like to be a stay-at-home Dad in Finland?
 James Cramer and Fabrizio Turci will be joining us on this week’s  All Points North podcast  to discuss the problem from the ground up: what does it take to convince people to move to Finland? You can send comments or questions via WhatsApp on +358 44 421 0909, on our  Facebook  or  Twitter  accounts, or at yle.news@yle.fi.

APN this week: As Finland pushes for more paternity leave, foreign stay-at-home dads struggle to find support


Summary: Migri needs to address the bottleneck in processing residence permit applications, tech sector representatives told APN.

Finland needs roughly 10,000 skilled workers in the tech industry right now, but with  residence permit processing times  at the Finnish Immigration Service Migri reaching up to six months, that gap will hardly close, according to  Rasmus Roiha , Managing Director of Finnish Software and e-Business Association. He said that the waiting time for getting a permit may blindside some firms.
 "The full process as a whole, not just the migration office part, takes at least six months in many cases and this comes as a surprise to many companies."
 Roiha told All Points North that by contrast, the processing time in neighbouring Estonia is just five days. While he said that Migri does a thorough and commendable job vetting residence permit applications for people relocating to Finland for humanitarian reasons, authorities could consider a separate track for specialists coming to Finland for professional reasons.
 Melanie Dower , head of relocation and onboarding with gamemaker giant Supercell, works with experts joining the company from abroad to ensure that the entire family can settle in Finland. She also commended Migri's work overall, but told APN that the summer slowdown in residence permit processing has to end if Finland is to benefit from foreign professionals.
 "That has to change if we're going to be a global country attracting talent from around the world. The southern hemisphere is not on holiday in July and people are waiting to move country and get their families in schools," she added.
 Lengthy adjustment time for families
 Dower noted that her work with families face a lengthy adjustment process, given that getting a residence permit is just the first step in the process. Upon arriving in Finland, recruits have to register in the population information system at their local registry office. The current waiting time for that process is three to four months, according to Dower. That means children in school for months before receiving a personal ID number.
 "So living in Finland is possible, but participating as social beings and contributing is really difficult when you cannot open a bank account or you can't pay rent," she observed.
 APN also heard from Migri director general  Raimo Pyysalo  who said that the agency was under pressure from budget cuts which are preventing it from beefing up staff levels and implementing technology improvements. Ultimately he said Migri officers operate within the confines of Finnish law. If anything is to be done about issues such as slashing the wait for permit renewals, that would require politicians to step in and make legislative changes.
 Join the conversation
 If you have any questions, or would like to share something on your mind, just contact us via WhatsApp on +358 44 421 0909, on our Facebook or Twitter accounts, or at yle.news@yle.fi.
 The All Points North podcast is a weekly look at what's going on in Finland. Subscribe via  iTunes  (and leave a review!), listen  on Spotify  and  Yle Areena  or find it on your favourite podcatching app or via our  RSS feed .
 This week's show was presented by  Egan Richardson  and  Denise Wall.  Our producer was  Priya Ramachandran D’souza  and the audio engineer was  Anders Johansson.

All Points North #63: Is Finland welcoming enough to foreign workers?


Summary: The MP says his Facebook updates did not constitute a punishable offence and that he will appeal the verdict.

An Oulu court has slapped Finns Party lawmaker  Sebastian Tynkkynen  with a 50-day fine after convicting him  on charges of ethnic agitation . The total fine amounts to slightly more than 4,000 euros.
 The conviction came over texts and images Tynkkynen posted on Facebook back in 2016. According to the court, Tynkkynen’s writings about Islamic groups were premeditated, racist in nature and constituted defamatory hate speech that targetted Muslims and were likely to provoke contempt and even hatred based on intolerance of Islamic groups.
 The court ruled that Tynkkynen must have understood that there was a clear connection between the images and texts he posted and that his audience would have understood him to mean that all Muslims are terrorists. The prosecutor originally called for the court to impose a 60-day fine on the defendant.
 Second conviction for same offence
 Tynkkynen indicated on Thursday that he intends to appeal the verdict and sentence, arguing that his Facebook posts are not a punishable offence.
 "An update that defends the security of Europeans and Finns should not result in a 4,000-euro fine," he declared.
 The court also ordered the Oulu lawmaker to remove the posts from Facebook and Instagram.
 Thursday’s conviction is not the Finns Party MP’s first. He was also convicted of ethnic agitation and breach of religious peace in 2017 and sentenced to pay a 50-day fine at the time.
 He is also suspected of another instance of ethnic agitation in another Facebook post in 2017. Oulu police have investigated this case and referred it to local prosecutors for consideration of charges. A decision has not yet been made on the matter.
 Finns Party chair: No sanctions from party
 Finns Party chair  Jussi Halla-aho  said he does not believe that Tynkkynen will face any consequences as a result of his second conviction.
 "Of course this is something one dare not say or you might end up in court: it’s not terribly controversial to say that Islamic terrorism is linked to the worship of Allah and it is my understanding that that is the reason for Tynkkynen’s verdict," Halla-aho commented.
 The Finns Party chair questioned the conviction and pondered whether or not legislation regarding ethnic agitation was up to date. He called for clarification of that part of the statute and for improvements to its legal certainty.
 "The agitation clause seems to be becoming a kind of perpetual motion machine, or a charge-and-convict dispenser that is targetting Finns Party politicians," he remarked.
 "To my understanding, Tynkkynen said that Islamic terrorists are linked to the worship of Allah. The judicial system has now apparently declared that it is illegal to say this. This almost absurd interpretation of the law undermines the credibility of the prosecution service and the judiciary," the party leader said.
 Finns Party parliamentary group chair  Ville Tavio  noted that the sentence is not yet enforceable, as an appeal may be pending. As a result the parliamentary group will not take any action regarding the case.
 Police are currently investigating suspected ethnic agitation offences involving three other Members of Parliament. They are ex-Christian Democratic Party chair  Päivi Räsänen ,  Hussein al-Taee  of the Social Democrats and  Juha Mäenpää  of the Finns Party.

Finns Party MP fined €4K over ethnic agitation conviction


Summary: Last year Turkey was Finland's most important arms sales partner.

Ministerit, ministeriöt ja valtioneuvosto

Finland's defence materiel exports to Turkey have expanded rapidly in recent years. In 2018 Turkey was the most important export country for Finnish arms, based on the value of export permits granted.
 Following the Turkish attack on Syria, Finnish Prime Minister  Antti Rinne  decreed that the government will not approve any new arms export permits to Turkey or any other country waging war.
 Finland has however already sold tens of millions of euros worth of defence equipment to Ankara in recent years, according to Finnish Defence Ministry figures.
 The freeze on new permits does not mean a halt to Finnish arms exports to Turkey, as current contracts will still be honoured. These sometimes include deliveries spaced out over 3-4 years, for instance. Meanwhile not all licenses necessarily result in actual sales and deliveries.
 Defence Minister  Antti Kaikkonen  says that Finnish authorities are looking into whether it would be possible to reconsider any licences that have already been granted but that "cancelling permits is not simple".
 Ministry: Growth not necessarily tied to policy
 According to the Defence Ministry, the growth in exports to Turkey is not necessarily the result of a conscious decision by Finland. It notes that any exports are affected by the laws of supply and demand, and that a single delivery can distort annual sales figures.
 "Then it seems from outside that something has changed policy-wise, but that's not necessarily always the case," says  Selina Kangas , a senior advisor on export control at the Defence Ministry.
 The most recent arms exports license to Turkey was granted three weeks ago to Robonic, a Tampere firm specialised in launch systems for unmanned aircraft.
 Before Finnish authorities approve a permit, the Defence Ministry looks into how the products are to be used. Last September, a Finnish company's application to sell ammunition to Turkey was rejected.
 "But in general negative decisions are rare," says Kangas.
 Some 95 percent of Finnish military exports to Turkey are classified as armour or protective materials or equipment, including steel sheathing for armoured vehicles. Finland has also exported equipment for identifying various types of chemical, biological or radioactive materials.
 Not all exports are defensive in nature though. For instance in 2015 Nammo Lapua received a permit to export 76,200 cartridges.
 From 2015 to 2018, exports to Turkey soared from 3.6 million euros to 17 million euros annually.
 Meanwhile Turkey's share of Finnish defence materiel exports rose from 3.6 percent to 13.2 percent. In the early 2010s, Turkey was not even close to being among Finland's most important defence materiel export countries.

Finnish arms exports to Turkey have grown quickly


Summary: Friday’s papers were full of Finnish angles on the Turkish offensive in northern Syria, but also had room for a trademark dispute and a critique of modern traffic cops.

The global news agenda on Friday is dominated by  Turkey’s attack on Kurds in northern Syria  this Friday, and Finland is no exception.
 Helsingin Sanomat  assesses  the situation, headlining its story: ‘The international order is falling apart and national borders are no longer sacrosanct - this development is concerning from a Finnish standpoint’.
 The headline quote comes from  Mika Aaltola , who heads up the Finnish Institute of Foreign Affairs.
 He says that with Nato divided and the US withdrawing from international forums, there’s nobody to enforce or uphold international law.
 “If America doesn’t do it anymore then nobody does, and regional powers feel their time has come,” HS quoted Aaltola as saying. “This is of course concerning from Finland’s perspective.”
 Tabloids Iltalehti and Ilta-Sanomat both find a Finnish angle through immigration. IS  asks  the Immigration Service if Finland is ready, should another wave of refugees arrive in the country.
 Migri says yes, much readier than in 2015, and within two days they could establish a centre able to handle 5,000 new arrivals.
 Iltalehti, meanwhile,  focuses  on the fate of Finns in the al-Hol camp. The paper asks Interior Minister  Maria Ohisalo  when Finland will decide on the fate of children in the camp, but she offers only a curt ‘no comment’ in response.
 Makia mark mess
 Finnish clothing firm Makia is in hot water this week after it emerged that their logo drew extensive inspiration from a sailing club in a plush neighbourhood of central Helsinki.
 Helsingin Sanomat uncovered the alleged violation of Ullanlinna’s Merenkävijät sailing club’s intellectual property on Sunday, and other media have followed up all through the week. The firm denied plagiarism,  saying  they were instead ‘referencing’ aspects of culture rather than copying them.
 On Friday the Swedish-language daily Hufvudstadsbladet headlines its story ‘ A clear case of plagiarism ’, with quotes from an expert on copyright law saying the firm was bang to rights.
 MTV on Thursday  published  a story suggesting that up to 80 other Makia brands could also be guilty of copying already-existing logos.
 And the Seura magazine  collated  the memes born this week, as people helpfully suggest new graphics for the company to adopt.
 Traffic cops in the dock
 Iltalehti follows up on a story it  reported  earlier in the week about a truck driver who had a fine overturned on appeal when it turned out the inexperienced police officer did not understand how lorries should affix their cargo.
 The paper described it as a ‘6-0 win for the experienced driver over the police’. That’s what it sounds like, as the officer thought that three of seven container locks on the lorry were open.
 He had not realised that the container only had four locks, so those three had to remain open.
 On Friday Iltalehti  asks  retired traffic cops for their verdict and, perhaps not surprisingly, they conclude that things were better in their day.
 Training and knowledge could be improved, said retired Chief Inspector Jyrki Haapala. He also suggested a new traffic police unit to be established directly alongside the National Bureau of Investigation and Supo, the Finnish Security Intelligence Police.

Friday’s papers: Turkey incursion, Makia messes up, and traffic cops under fire


Summary: Many of the 500 people assembled in Senate Square were representatives of Finland's 15,000-member Kurdish community.

Several hundred people turned out in Helsinki's Senate Square on Thursday afternoon to protest  a military offensive by Turkey  in Kurdish regions in Syria following the US military's withdrawal from the area.
 Police reported that the demonstration caused brief traffic disruptions in the Helsinki city centre, but by 5pm, the situation was back to normal.
 The event started out as a rather subdued gathering with peaceful music playing in the background, but it became more animated as the group walked down Aleksanterinkatu towards their Helsinki Music Centre destination, when participants began shouting slogans condemning Turkey President  Recep Tayyip Erdogan .
 "They have no intention of leaving"
 Participant  Gelawej Viyan  is one of an estimated 15,000 people with Kurdish origins in Finland. She came with her family to Finland as a quota refuge, and now works as a project coordinator for a non-profit organisation.
 "My message for the leadership of Turkey is that we will not give up. We will fight until there is just one of us left, if we have to. Those of us here in Finland will stand in support [of the Kurds] and do what we can," she said.
 Viyan said she has friends that live in the area under attack, but she hasn't been able to make contact with them.
 "I know that people [in Syria] are worried, but they have no intention of leaving. They want to defend the region," she added.
 Viyan noted that the demonstration, which was quickly organised after just one day of the Turkish military campaign in Syria, is an example of the tenacity of Finland's Kurdish community in the face of their circumstances, despite their sorrow and shock at the turn of events.
 Erdogan sees a threat
 Turkey's offensive in Kurdish-controlled areas in northeast Syria entered a second day on Thursday, forcing tens of thousands of people in the autonomous Rojava area to flee, and killing at least a dozen.
 "I am of the opinion that the reason for Turkey's attack is its fear of Rojava's democratic model. Erdogan sees it as a threat," Viyan said.
 President Erdogan has threatened to flood Europe with 3.6 million refugees if nations in Europe continue to criticise the military operation, especially if they call it an invasion.

Demonstrators gather in Helsinki to protest Turkish invasion


Summary: Finland's top chains compete to build new hotels and update existing properties, but will there be enough customers?

Finland's hospitality sector is making large-scale investments in new hotels and the renovation of older hotel properties, leading to a concern that supply may soon surpass demand.
 Aki Käyhkö , CEO of Finland's largest chain of hotels, Scandic Hotels, says that he is worried about the development.
 "There is a chance of at least momentary overcapacity. The fact that more hotels exist does not create more demand," he said.
 Jaana Matikainen , vice-president of SOK's travel and hospitality business, agrees that investments have to be carefully considered.
 "There are massive renewals. I don't recall that there was ever a time when so much new capacity entered the market," she says. "This is the most interesting phase in the hotel world that I have encountered in my career; there are so many new players, brands and service concepts that are revitalising the whole industry."
 New hotels in Helsinki, Tampere and Turku
 Multimillion-euro building projects are in the works throughout Finland. In Tampere, for example, the Marriott hotel chain is opening a new property this winter and Lapland Hotels is planning to build a hotel in the rail depot near the Tampere Arena in 2021.
 "All of the hotels in the Tampere market will tighten their belts for a while before demand picks up again, unless the Arena will host a ton of new events," said Scandic's boss Käyhkö.
 Since its acquisition of the Restel Hotels chain, Scandic Hotels is Finland's largest operator in the industry, with 67 hotels and some 12,500 rooms on offer. The next largest player SOK runs 43 Sokos brand hotels and 8 Radisson Blu locations, translating into 10,000 rooms.
 Scandic is currently building a new facility in the Central Railway Station in VR's old administrative offices. It has also purchased two existing hotels, Hotel Pasila in Helsinki and Hamburger Börs in Turku, from SOK.
 SOK has been busy renovating older hotels, carrying out 15 property facelifts in the last five years. Two new hotels are also being built: at a location in Helsinki's Pasila that will be completed by the end of this year, and in Turku's Kupittaa area that will be ready in late spring.
 Small updates every ten years
 Scandic said that it uses 10 million euros annually repairing and maintaining its hotels. The Eden Spa and Conference Hotel belonging to the chain is being completed renovated this autumn in the city of Nokia in the Tampere region, while hotel staff have been laid off for six months during the refurbishment.
 "Every time we build a new hotel, we have to plan ahead for some kind of renovation after ten years. A complete overhaul is normally necessary after 20 years. Of course, there is a bit of variation with this," said CEO Käyhkö.
 Both hotel chain representatives said that their businesses try to take ecological issues, sustainable development and energy efficiency into account. Furnishings are recycled if at all possible, for example.
 "We don't work by the principle that everything has to be switched out for something new. Whatever we can use again, we use again," SOK's Matikainen said.

Hotel investment trend prompts overcapacity concerns


Summary: The Finnish President said that the United States' role as the world police may be missed.

Kansainväliset organisaatiot ja sopimukset

Turkey’s military campaign in Kurdish-controlled areas of northern Syria will complicate relations in the Middle East and force people to flee their homes, according to Finnish President  Sauli Niinistö . It will also place the Nato military alliance in an awkward position, Niinistö said in an Yle interview on Thursday.
 On Wednesday evening the Finnish government called on Turkey to end its bombardment of northern Syria and said that it does not condone Ankara’s actions.
 "It must of course be condemned, Finland has said so. Last night the EU also found consensus on it," Niinistö pointed out.
 Turkey aims to create a so-called security zone in Kurdish-controlled areas in northern Syria and intends to use it to accommodate people who are fleeing violence in Syria. Niinistö described the plan as a mass displacement.
 "Turkey, which in itself has borne responsibility for three million refugees, would now like to push them into this so-called safe zone that apparently it must first annex from the Kurds. At the same time the Kurdish population will have to flee the area," Niinistö observed.
 The president speculated that some people will suffer in the Turkish attack, while others will benefit. However he noted that the Kurdish people under attack will always suffer.
 "Perhaps Syria, Iran and even Russia too stand to benefit," he conjectured.
 People on the move
 The Kurdish population has begun to move to escape the air raids and artillery fires and have been heading to southernmost Kurdish areas. Niinistö pointed out that whenever people start moving, they will head somewhere.
 The target of the Turkish military campaign also includes areas close to the al-Hol refugee camp, where former Isis fighters are being held. It has been estimated that the Kurdish authorities do not have enough resources to guard the camp while fighting against Turkey. According to information obtained by Yle, EU foreign ministers will discuss Syria and the al-Hol situation on Monday.
 Niinistö said that he considers Turkey’s actions in Syria as descriptive example of a geopolitical puzzle. For example EU countries have used Turkey as a buffer state to take care of millions of refugees in exchange for money, he noted.
 "There are competing interests. You suddenly notice that your worst enemy may have something on which you are yourself dependent. And conversely, your best friend may be someone one who’s not all that pleasant. This is unfortunate but this is the geopolitical puzzle," he commented.
 No advance warning of US pullout
 Niinistö said that Turkey’s campaign in Syria did not come as a surprise. He noted that Ankara had long planned a safety zone and had previously conducted raids and bigger operations in Syria. At the same time, the United States and President  Donald Trump  in particular has long wanted to disengage from Syria. Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from the region offered Turkey an opportunity to act, he said.
 Niinistö said that Trump did not indicate that he planned to withdraw from Syria when the pair met in Washington last week.
 He said that he noted that a few days ago Trump announced that the US would only be involved in conflicts that advanced American interests.
 "I think quite many [people] are wondering about the scope of this announcement. We all know that he has been quite reticent about the role of world police and that has also prompted criticism in EU. The US may now be missed in that role."
 The president said that Europe must now think about the changing role of the US, noting that Nato is also in an odd position. Turkey is a Nato member, as is the US. According to Niinistö, the current situation means that two Nato member states are "quite involved" in Syria. Nato has not condemned Turkey’s actions, but some of the EU states that have denounced them are Nato members.
 Niinistö said he doesn’t believe that Turkey’s attacks in Syria will ease the situation.
 "How could there be balance when bombs are flying? This will definitely complicate the situation further," he concluded.

President Niinistö condemns Turkey's actions in Syria


Summary: The firm said that its line of business and the investor’s military ties are unrelated.

An investment fund with ties to the Turkish Army has purchased a controlling interest in one of Finland’s major manufacturers goods used for military purposes.
 The Ministry of Employment and the Economy gave a green light for the deal in Helsinki before it was finally closed on 8 April.
 Turkey’s OYAK pension fund purchases a 70-percent stake in the Raahe-based firm Miilux, which makes products such as reinforced steel for armoured vehicles.
 "It can be attached to the side of a bus or an armoured personnel carrier. It ensures that bullets cannot penetrate [the vehicle]. It’s not for use in weapons or ammunition," Miilux CEO  Pekka Miilukangas  said.
 OYAK is a pension fund that represents Turkish army officers, non-commissioned officers and officials. However in legal terms, it resembles a holding company.
 The fund is said to have ties to the country’s autocratic government. According to the UK’s The Guardian, the Turkish government had appointed former generals on the board and the defence ministry had attended annual general meetings.
 Miilukangas said that his company’s expertise in protective steel and the pension fund’s army links are unrelated although “someone might think they are”. He added that 90 companies from around the world also have a stake in the fund.
 Ministry knew of Turkey links
 The deal itself did not attract any special attention in Finland. The defence ministry, defence command, foreign ministry, finance ministry and the national emergency supply agency all backed the sale, which was undersigned by then-economic affairs minister  Mika Lintilä .
 The government must approve all arms exports by domestic manufacturers. In the Miilux case, officials considered whether or not the deal could be detrimental, for example to national defence. The buyer’s ties to the Erdogan government were known to decision makers at the time.
 "For the most part the transaction was considered from a national perspective, but of course we always determine what kind of player a new owner is and who’s really in control," economic affairs ministry specialist  Lasse Puroma  said.
 In an email sent on Wednesday, the defence ministry told Yle that Miilux is not a key player in terms of the defence forces’ security of supply. Miilux has supplied protective steel plates for the Finnish navy's minelayer the Pohjanmaa, but it also produces other products.
 No arms exports to countries at war
 Last week Turkish President  Recep Tayyip Erdogan  launched a military campaign in Kurdish-controlled parts of northern Syria.
 Based on the value of export licenses granted,  Turkey was Finland’s most important arms trading partner  last year. The number one export product was protective steel, with Miilux the biggest supplier in that area.
 Miilux still has six valid export licenses for sales to Turkey. Its customers are armoured vehicle manufacturers BMC, Otokar, Nurol and Katmerciler as well as shrapnel protector maker Roketsan.
 Current government policy is that Finland should not export arms to countries engaged in conflict. This means that it will not grant new export licenses to Turkey and the defence ministry is also reviewing previously-granted licenses with a view to revoking them.
 Miilunkangas said that he supported the government policy on arms exports. However he noted that if Miilux’s valid export licenses are nullified, it would have an impact at the Raahe factory.

Turkish pension fund buys majority stake in Finnish defence material manufacturer


Summary: Women currently living in separate accommodations say they feel cut off from their peers.

The defence ministry has said that it will begin trialling voluntary shared accommodation for male conscripts and female military service volunteers.
 The ministry will roll out the fixed-term experiment at the beginning of next year in some barracks.
 According to defence military command, a survey of military conscripts revealed that women said they feel excluded from the units when they occupy separate accommodation.
 The results of the survey suggested that shared dormitories would improve information flows and would make the use of space more effective.
 Next year’s trial will focus on field exercise and naval units.
 In September defence command proposed to the defence ministry a pilot of the integrated housing in some barracks starting in 2020.
 On Friday, the defence minister announced that officials had begun preparing new legislation to facilitate the start of the pilot.

Defence ministry to trial co-ed quarters


Summary: Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto says Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is highly deserving of the award.

Foreign Minister  Pekka Haavisto  has applauded the decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize of 2019 to Ethiopia's Prime Minister  Abiy Ahmed .
 "He is a driver of efforts to open up his country and has influenced things in many ways. Ethiopia's relations with its neighbour Eritrea are now better," the foreign minister said.
 Haavisto said that in addition to re-establishing communication lines with Eritrea, Abiy Ahmed has played a significant role in the recent peace process in Sudan.
 "He supported the groups of people that were the first to march in the streets and demand change. He also supported the peace process that took place over the summer, in which the military officials and the populace agreed to form a joint interim administration," he said.
 "He is very dynamic"
 Haavisto has visited the east African countries of Eritrea and Ethiopia dozens of times and says he knows the Ethiopian prime minister personally.
 "I have met him several times. He is very dynamic and represents a younger generation of African leaders that have done very much in the area," he said.
 The Finnish foreign minister said Abiy Ahmed has also had an outsized influence in the development of the continent as a whole.
 "If you think about the transformation processes in the major countries of Africa, such as Ethiopia and Sudan, then in this respect Africa is changing because of him," Haavisto commented.
 Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto Photo Edijs / EPA
 The Nobel Committee said in a statement that there are still tensions between ethnic groups in Ethiopia that could flare up violently. The committee justified its decision by saying that Abiy Ahmed's efforts deserve recognition and need encouragement at this time.
 According to Haavisto, the stability of the situation must be monitored.
 "In Ethiopia, too, there were unfortunately attacks on politicians in the summer that undermined the country's development. Peace can easily be shaken if you're not willing to work for it," he said.

Finland commends Nobel Peace Prize winner


Summary: Health watchdog THL is dealing with its first case of vaping-related lung damage, reports regional newspaper Ilkka.

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) said a vaper in Finland has reported lung injuries similar to those  emerging in the United States .
 The THL said that in light of the recent rash of news stories tying lung illness to vaping, e-cigarettes could no longer be seen as an aid to help people quit smoking.
 The individual who contacted the THL said they believed vaping had caused them to develop lung problems.  Otto Ruokolainen , a tobacco specialist at the THL, told newspaper Iltalehti that the person first began experiencing symptoms years ago.
 Last month the state of New York banned the sale of flavored e-cigarettes as American health officials investigate a rise in breathing illnesses linked to vaping.
 Finland does not have an official reporting system for vaping-related harm. However the law calls for producers, importers and distributors in the industry to maintain records of any suspected harm caused by e-cigarette vapour.
 The THL recommends vape users immediately seek medical attention if they experience sudden health problems. Ruokolainen also advised vapers to bring their used products to the doctor for further analysis.
 In the United States, a  vaping illness outbreak  has included symptoms such as respiratory problems, chest and stomach pain, bloody cough, vomiting, diarrhea and fever.

Finland sees first reported case of vaping damage


Summary: The Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) is looking to cut staff as residence permit processing times lengthen, reports HS.

This week Yle News’ All Points North  podcast  delved into whether Finland is welcoming for foreign workers, particularly in regard to processing times for residence permit applications, which can take up to six months.
 On Saturday, daily Helsingin Sanomat reported that the Finnish Immigration Service was looking to cut up to ten percent of its staff by the end of the year. The number of employees would shrink from around 1,000 to 900, according to Migri director  Jaana Vuorio .
 The agency will mainly focus on not renewing fixed-term contracts. Some 300 people working for the organisation are temporary employees, but that number will be downsized to around 200 next year.
 Vuorio told HS that staff cuts of this scale were unprecedented at the agency.
 “We’re at odds with the Finance Ministry over what constitutes adequate resourcing for the agency,” she told the paper.
 The layoffs would shutter all Migri customer service points, according to HS.
 This week  Melanie Dower ,a relocation specialist working at game giant Supercell, told  All Points North  that the summer slowdown in residence permit processing has to end if Finland is to benefit from foreign professionals.
 "That has to change if we're going to be a global country attracting talent from around the world. The southern hemisphere is not on holiday in July and people are waiting to move country and get their families in schools," she said.
 Migri's figures show that permit processing times for foreign specialists have clearly grown. This year the average wait for the handling of a first-time residence permit is 52 days, more than double last year's average of 25 days. Processing of applications to extend existing permits is dragging on even longer, now taking an average of 67 days.
 Budget allocations constitute most of Migri’s funding. Vuorio said application fees paid to the immigration unit would alone not be enough to finance the department’s work.

Migri to slash staff


Summary: Every year, five to ten percent of people in line for an organ transplant die waiting.

Finland faces a chronic shortage of transplant organs although almost every resident is a potential donor.
 At the end of September, 567 residents were waiting for a transplant, most often a kidney. Renal transplantation is becoming increasingly common in Finland as the population ages.
 “Medical technology today makes it possible for people in relatively poor physical condition to survive organ transplantations, lengthening the queue,” said  Petri Inomaa  from Finland’s National Kidney and Liver Association.
 A poll by the National Kidney and Liver Association found that 85 percent of residents would donate their organs, but most people don’t share these wishes with their family.
 A few years ago, Finland passed a law that expanded the pool of people who could donate organs to those who had never indicated they were against the idea during their lifetime. Medical personnel will, however, ask a potential donor’s next of kin about the deceased’s views on organ donation if there is no organ donor card.
 People open to donation can ensure their wishes are carried out by keeping an  organ donation card  in their wallet, downloading an organ donation  app  or marking their views on organ donation in the patient records database  omakanta .
 12 October is European Organ Donation Day.

Finland faces chronic transplant organ shortage


Summary: The government says it wants to improve the job prospects of Finland's unemployed over-50s.

Employment Minister  Timo Harakka  told Yle's Ykkösaamu programme on Saturday that  age discrimination  was a real problem in the Finnish job market.
 “I receive messages from jobseekers over the age of 50 telling me how their work experience is sidelined or how they don’t get called in for interviews,” Harakka told Yle. “The problem is that many people over 50 have already given up.”
 Harakka suggested upping  wage subsidies  for employers hiring unemployed people over the age of 50. He pointed out that Sweden's employment rate for 55 to 64 year-olds is 12 percentage points higher than Finland's.
 In relation to its GDP, Sweden channels five times more money into wage subsidy programmes than Finland does.
 Prime Minister  Antti Rinne  has highlighted raising Finland's employment level to 75 percent as one of his government’s main goals. The most recent figures from August show the country’s employment rate at 72.5 percent.

Minster: Finland's job market discriminates against older workers


Summary: It’s not yet known whether or not the payout went to a single player or if it was a pooled bet.

Saturday’s 10-million-euro lottery jackpot went to a winning ticket purchased at a K-Market grocery store in Helsinki’s Roihuvuori district, national betting agency Veikkaus said in a statement on Sunday.
 It’s not yet known whether a single player or a group that pooled for the bet found themselves 10 million euros richer on Sunday morning.
 The winning numbers in Saturday’s weekly draw were 8, 10, 19, 28, 34, 36 and 40. The odds of winning the jackpot were around one to 18 million.
 No one chose six of the seven winning numbers plus the extra, while 6 people correctly guessed six of the seven numbers correctly for a payday of nearly 3,000 euros. Five people matched five of the numbers for around 72 euros.
 A prize of 1.2 million euros is up for grabs in next week’s draw.

10m-euro lottery jackpot goes to winning ticket in Helsinki


Summary: Drivers are no longer likely to face charges days after using cannabis following a Supreme Court ruling.

A ruling by Finland’s Supreme Court means that motorists will likely not be charged for driving under the influence days after using cannabis.
 The influence of cannabis on users dissipates after some hours, however its "fingerprints" remain in the body for even longer. The court ruling aims to recognise that compounds related to metabolising cannabis may remain in the body for days after using the drug, although the user's ability to drive may not be impaired.
 In Finland using cannabis is still illegal and drivers are still likely to be charged for the offence if they get behind the wheel hours after indulging in its use.
 Cannabis usage leaves a substance known as tetrahydrocannabinol or THC in the body, prompting the production of a metabolite, carboxytetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH, where a metabolite is a substance required for or produced from metabolism.
 THC is a psychoactive substance, which intoxicates people, so detecting it in a driver’s bold always results in a charge for driving under the influence. In Finland, police generally also issue a DUI citation if they find the metabolite THC-COOH in the blood.
 However there is a major difference between the compounds.
 Depending on the dosage taken, THC is known to leave the body between six and eight hours after cannabis use. However metabolites like THC-COOH may show up in blood samples for days or weeks longer. It is the equivalent of a cannabis "fingerprint" that reveals use of the drug in the recent past.
 Unlike THC, the metabolite THC-COOH does not have an intoxicating effect and therefore does not impair the ability to drive.
 According to  Teemu Gunnar , a forensic toxicologist with the National Institute of Health and Welfare, THL, it makes sense that identifying THC-COOH in the blood should not automatically lead to a DUI sanction.
 "It’s quite rational that finding it several days after use would not lead to a drunk driving penalty because it does not affect the ability to drive," he said.
 Supreme Court decision changes police and prosecutor practices
 A few years ago the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal court conviction in the case of a driver who had smoked cannabis before getting behind the wheel. THC-COOH "does not affect the ability to drive nor endanger traffic safety even at high levels," the court said in its ruling.
 Since that ruling, police and prosecutors have changed their practices to bring them in line with the court’s judgment. Prosecutors no longer press charges solely on the basis of the presence of THC-COOH in the blood, or when the police have confirmed that there is no reason to suspect an offence was committed.
 "We have acted in accordance with the Supreme Court guideline, in other words for the most part we do not lay charges. Before [the precedent] it led to charges," noted district prosecutor  Tero Kekki .
 "We have reacted and practices have changed. So we don’t do any unnecessary work," commented detective inspector  Ilpo Pajunen  of the Helsinki police department.
 In spite of the precedent-setting case, officials have still sanctioned motorists for driving days after cannabis use in the period since the ruling.
 The reason for the lag can be found in Finland’s criminal code, which calls for a driver to be cited for DUI if their blood has "an active substance or metabolite of a drug used" during the time they were driving or shortly afterwards.
 In its judgment, the Supreme Court noted the need for legislative changes. Preliminary drafts state that the drunk driving offence should not be applied to cases where a motorist’s ability to drive cannot be said to have deteriorated due to drug use.
 Increase drug-related in DUIs
 Growing numbers of drivers on Finnish roads are people pulled over for DUIs caused by drug use, with amphetamines the substance most commonly detected in these cases. Last year, police reported 5,107 such cases.
 Cannabis metabolites were the second-most-frequently found substances. In 2018, records showed 1,784 hits of THC in lab samples and 3,794 of THC-COOH.
 Moreover, the majority of blood samples handed over to the National Bureau of Investigation, NBI, contained several intoxicants. From the perspective of the subjects’ ability to drive, the least significant substance is not necessarily THC, but other possible drugs – or even the more traditional alcohol.
 Police also said that drivers are sent for drug testing when they feel there is reason to suspect drugs are involved. For example, when the breathalyser registers no alcohol, but driving ability is clearly impaired.
 Pajunen said that he suspects that drivers who have used cannabis days before and are then able to manage a vehicle do not end up being tested for drugs.
 "There must be some kind of trigger to suspect the influence of drugs. Behaviour, driving mistakes or something like that," he added.

Finland relaxes rules on DUIs involving cannabis


Summary: Nine of the municipal respondents said that local government finances had deteriorated this year.

Of Finland’s 12 major cities, only Helsinki will record a healthy bottom line this year. In a survey conducted by the Uutissuomalainen news consortium, officials from the 11 other local government respondents said that municipal finances will be in the red.
 Helsinki has projected that it will have a budget surplus of 238 million euros this year. Other municipalities surveyed said they expect deficits ranging from 10 to 60 million euros.
 Nine local government officials said that their city’s finances had worsened significantly during the course of the year.
 Last year, major cities such as Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Lahti and Jyväskylä ended the year with positive financial results.
 According to Uutissuomalainen, while the outlook for next year appears to be somewhat more optimistic than this year, more than half of the municipalities polled are already projecting a budget deficit for next year.
 Most respondents cited lower tax revenues as the reason for their city’s weakened financial position.

Papers: Helsinki reports budget surplus, other major cities in the red


Summary: Yle listed 15 berries found in Finland, some of which are poisonous, while others are edible.

Finland’s berry-picking season may be nearing its end, but it’s never too late to head out to the forests to try your luck. Finland’s natural resources institute Luke has noted however that it has been slim pickings for the annual berry crop, especially in terms of highly popular bilberries and cloudberries.
 "There’s been a reasonable amount of lingonberries south of the Oulu-Kajaani line, but north of that even the lingonberry haul has been poor," noted Luke researcher  Rainer Peltola .
 This summer has been worse than the previous year’s for berries due to its aridity, the institute said. At the same time, more people that ever in Finland have switched on to plucking the miniature fruit from bushes. According to Luke up to 50 percent of Finnish residents take to the great outdoors in search of berries nowadays.
 Berries are considered a super-food chock full of all kinds of good things like vitamins, antioxidants and dietary fibre. On top of that many people are turning to berry-picking as a means of earning income.
 While berries are an undeniably excellent addition to anyone’s diet, the deadly variety can also be found in Finland. Novices heading into the wild to range about for nature’s super-food should therefore be able to distinguish the toxic from the tasty.
 Children at risk
 According to the online health services portal Päivystystalo, cases of berry poisoning mostly involve children inadvertently tasting berries known to be toxic. Cases involving adults are largely due to instances when the plants have been ingested as wild herbs, when poisoning symptoms are much more obvious and harmful.
 If poisoning symptoms occur after ingesting berries, it is important to determine the kind of berry eaten, especially if large amounts are involved. If poisoning is suspected the patient should spit out any remaining berries and rinse the mouth. Activated charcoal should be administered, and it can be mixed with water. Activated charcoal prevents the toxic substance from being absorbed into the stomach lining. If need be, a call should be placed to the 24-hour  Poison Information Centre  for more guidance at 09 471 977.
 Deaths resulting from the consumption of poisonous berries are nevertheless rare in Finland.  Mari Kaista , an anesthesiologist and intensive care doctor at the poison centre said that no deaths or even severe internal organ damage from poison berries have been recorded in 50 years in Finland. She added that Finnish residents appear to have a good working knowledge of local berries.
 In case you’re new to the Finnish berry scene, check this list of poisonous and edible berries to be found in Finland. The information provided here has been verified by university natural sciences and environmental experts. Other sources include the  national parks website , the  NatureGate website , the  gardening chain Kekkilä  (in Finnish) and the  horticulture site Suomalainen Taimi.fi  (in Finnish).
 Story continues after photo.
 Solomon’s seal Jouko Lehmuskallio / Luontoportti.fi.
 Solomon’s seal ( Polygonatum odoratum ) generally grows only in southern Finland. The plant is protected in northern Ostrobothnia, Kainuu and Lapland. Berries are initially green but turn dark blue and develop a waxy surface when they ripen. It is poisonous but rarely causes symptoms when eaten in small quantities.
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 Red elderberry Jouko Lehmuskallio / Luontoportti.fi
 Red elderberry (S_ambucus racemos_a) is a poisonous berry that is common in southern Finland but can be found as far north as Oulu. It has overrun gardens and taken root in parks, roadsides and forests. The red berries ripen in late summer and are mildly toxic. Ingestion of small quantities rarely results in poisoning symptoms.
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 Bilberry or European blueberry Julia Sieppi / Yle
 The bilberry or European blueberry ( Vaccinium myrtillus ) is one of Finland’s most commonplace forest plants and can be found in local coniferous forests across the country. It is a heather plant related to the lingonberry family and produces edible berries that are a deep blue shade with a waxy surface. It can be confused with the edible bog bilberry  (Vaccinium uliginosum ) or the poisonous herb-paris or true lover’s knot ( Paris quadrifolia ) or Solomon’s seal. The most prevalent and sought-after berries grow in Finland’s heath forests.
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 Red baneberry Jouko Lehmuskallio / Luontoportti.fi
 Red baneberry ( Actaea erythrocarpa ) is a poisonous berry of the eastern taiga species that grows in woodlands in Lapland and northeastern Finland. The fruit is green when young and turns red when it ripens. It is very toxic.
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 Lily of the valley Jouko Lehmuskallio / Luontoportti.fi.
 Lily of the valley ( Convallaria majalis ) is poisonous. The plant usually grows in southern and central Finland but becomes less common further north. The berries start off green before turning yellow and ultimately ripening into an orangey yellow. All parts of this plant are toxic and consuming large quantities of the berries can be fatal to all mammals. Ingestion of smaller quantities may cause stomach irritation, diarrhea or vomiting. Activated charcoal should be administered if the patient has eaten large amounts and the affected person should be taken to a doctor if necessary.
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 Fly honeysuckle Jouko Lehmuskallio / Luontoportti.fi.
 Fly honeysuckle ( Lonicera xylosteum ), poisonous. This plant generally grows in the Häme region as well as in the Åland Islands and is not very common elsewhere. The berries are red, bitter and toxic. They may cause convulsions, vomitting and diarrhea, however consuming small amounts may not necessarily cause any symptoms.
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 Lingonberry Kalle Niskala / Yle
 Lingonberry (_Vaccinium vitis-idae_a), an edible berry, can be found growing throughout Finland and bears in dry and dryish heath terrain. The ripe fruit is red and shiny and it is the most abundant and most-sought-after berry in Finland.
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 Bitter nightshade Jouko Lehmuskallio / Luontoportti.fi
 Bittersweet, bittersweet nightshade, bitter nightshade, climbing nightshade, poisonberry and poisonflower are among the aliases for this poisonous plant ( Solanum dulcamara ), a member of the nightshade family. It is widespread in southern Finland and coastal areas. The berry is green when immature, turning yellowish-red and finally shiny red and long when it is ripe. The entire plant is toxic. Consumed in small amounts it usually produces mild symptoms such as a bitter taste in the moth, stomach irritation and a headache. Activated charcoal should be administered if large amounts have been eaten.
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 Alder buckthorn Jouko Lehmuskallio / Luontoportti.fi
 Alder buckthorn ( Rhamnus frangula ) is poisonous and common in southern, central and eastern Finland but is rarely found in Lapland. The ripe berry is dark violet and shiny. All parts of the plant are mildly toxic and eating a small amount rarely causes any symptoms.
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 February daphne, spurge laurel or spurge olive Jouko Lehmuskallio / Luontoportti.fi
 Commonly known as mezereum, mezereon, February daphne, spurge laurel or spurge olive ( Daphne mezereum ), this is another poisonous denizen of Finland’s heath forests and woodlands. All parts of the plant are highly toxic. Eating the stalk of the plant can cause a burning sensation in the mouth, tongue and throat. The berries are bitter to the taste and also cause burning of the mouth, tongue and throat. Other symptoms include nausea, stomachache and diarrhea.
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 Redcurrant Ismo Pekkarinen / AOP
 Redcurrant ( Ribes rubrum ) is an edible berry closely related to several species or subspecies that are all different, such as the gooseberry. Wild redcurrant grows throughout the country and thrives in woodlands, near streams and along shorelines. The fruit is red and shiny when ripe.
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 Herb-paris or true lover’s knot Jouko Lehmuskallio / Luontoportti.fi
 Herb-paris or true lover’s knot ( Paris quadrifolia ) is a poisonous berry that can be found throughout the country except in Lapland. It enjoys conditions in new forests and woodlands, as well as near estuaries, brooks and fountains. The fruit is deep blue with a waxy surface. It is toxic to humans and even just a few berries can result in poisoning symptoms. However its unpleasant taste is an effective deterrent to consumption.
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 Actaea spicata Jouko Lehmuskallio / Luontoportti.fi
 A relative of the baneberry family,  Actaea spicata  is poisonous and grows across large swathes of the country. It appears green when young and is black when it ripens. All parts of the plant contain toxic compounds and people highly sensitive to the toxins may develop symptoms after just touching the stalk. However eating a small amount of the berries rarely causes poisoning symptoms.
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 Maianthemum bifolium Jouko Lehmuskallio / Luontoportti.fi
 Maianthemum bifolium  or oravanmarja in Finnish is a poisonous berry that appears almost throughout the entire country but is rarely found north of Rovaniemi in Lapland. The berries ripen into a dark red in autumn and are mildly toxic to humans, as are other parts of the plant. The berries contain a compound that affects heart function and eating even a few grams can be harmful. Small amounts generally cause stomach irritation. Activated charcoal should be given to a patient who has eaten large quantities of the plant or the berries.
 Story continues after photo.
 Sorbaronia mitschurinii Ismo Pekkarinen / AOP
 Sorbaronia mitschurinii  is an edible berry plant that is often used for border hedges in Finland as it is a hardy shrub that thrives in many different conditions. It is better suited to commercial use than other berries of the same family because the fruit is larger and juicier than others. A mature plant will yield seven to eight kilograms of fruit.

Toxic or tasty? Check this list to see if you know your berries


Summary: Among the items in the morning's Finnish newspapers are EU plans for an arms embargo on Turkey, the start of a week's school holidays and a delay in seasonal flu vaccinations.

hengitystieinfektiot (hengityselinten taudit, infektiot)

Kuopio's  Savon Sanomat  was among the morning papers reporting that EU foreign ministers, among them Finland's  Pekka Haavisto , are to gather in Luxemburg on Monday to formulate a common position on Turkey's military incursion into Syria.
 The European has already issued a condemnation of the Turkish action, and now the foreign ministers are expected to review the situation and further EU reaction, the paper writes. So far the EU has cut some aid payments to Turkey.
 In addition, the threat by Turkey's President  Recep Tayyip Erdogan  to open the gates to Europe for the some four million refugees in his country is also likely to be under discussion.
 Finland's leading Swedish-language daily,  Hufvudstadsbladet , reports that the foreign ministers will also be looking at imposing a full arms embargo on Turkey.
 German and France have already suspended arms deliveries.
 Last week, the Finnish government called on Turkey to end its bombardment of northern Syria and said that it does not condone Ankara’s actions, while President  Sauli Niinistö  also  voiced his condemnation of the attack .
 Finnish Prime Minister  Antti Rinne  decreed that the government  will not approve any new arms export permits  to Turkey or any other country waging war.
 The announced freeze on new permits does not mean a halt to Finnish arms exports to Turkey as current contracts will still be honoured.
 School holidays start
 Many school children had a chance to sleep in on Monday morning as they started a week of autumn holidays. Those whose school did not shut their doors this Monday will be on holiday next week, notes Jyväskylä's  Keskisuomalainen .
 Schools are closed for the week, in areas including the Greater Helsinki Region, Tampere, Vaasa, Joensuu, Jyväskylä and Kajaani.
 The National Agency for Education has declared the week a "reading holiday", urging families to take some time to read together.
 For those many families that most likely won't spend the whole of the holiday sitting with books, Helsingin Sanomat provides an extensive  day-by-day listing of activities  for the kids in the capital region, most of them free of charge.
 The same listing can be found on page 8 of Monday morning's HS Metro freesheet.
 Flu jab delays
 The winter flu season in Finland has not yet started, although a few cases have been reported, most contracted during travel abroad, writes  Helsingin Sanomat .
 However, the season will soon be upon us and Finnish health officials have ordered 1.7 million doses of vaccine for injections, plus 116,000 nasal spray inoculations for 2-6 year-olds.
 Deliveries are several weeks late because of a change last spring in the composition of the vaccine ordered by the World Health Organization which delayed production. The first shipments are expected to arrive in Finland this week.
 Last winter, around 42 percent of children between the ages of two months and two years were inoculated against the flu, 30 percent of 3-6 year-olds, and over half of all residents over the age of 65.
 Officials from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare THL, interviewed by Helsingin Sanomat, stressed the importance of flu vaccinations for over 65 year-olds, saying that a bout of flu can have serious consequences for older people, even those who are otherwise in good health.
 The flu can also have an impact on pre-existing health conditions such a diabetes, asthma or cardiac problems.
 Flu vaccines do not, however, provide complete immunity, but it does help. Statistics show that among people of working age a vaccination prevents catching the flu in 5-8 cases out of 10, and has around 50 percent effectiveness in the over-65 age group.
 Space junk
 The tabloid Iltalehti reports that stargazers at Helsinki's Ursa Astronomical Association spent the weekend analysing data from a spectacular meteorite seen over southern Finland last Thursday, and came to the conclusion that the light show in the sky was  man-made space junk  reentering the earth's atmosphere.
 The event, accompanied by a reported rumbling lasted for nine seconds and was seen across wide areas of southern Finland despite mostly cloudy weather. One observer described the phenomenon as looking like a mass of wax melting across the sky.
 One main indication that it was a man-made object was the recorded speed of 16km per second which is slow for a natural meteorite.

Monday's papers: EU on Turkey, school holidays, flu jabs


Summary: Ilja Janitskin is seeking to reverse 16 convictions on charges ranging from incitement against an ethnic group to illicit fundraising.

In October of 2018, the founder of the anti-immigration websites MV-lehti and Uber Uutiset,  Ilja Janitskin , was  found guilty of 16 criminal charges  related to his websites. At that time, he was handed a prison sentence of one year and 10 months by Helsinki District Court and also ordered to pay the bulk of some 136,000 euros in damages awarded to harassment victims.
 Janitskin was tried in Helsinki after being extradited to Finland from Andorra in April 2018.
 Some 90 criminal complaints related to the sites were filed in connection with the original case, including aggravated defamation and ethnic agitation, as well as copyright infringement, breach of confidentiality, illicit gambling and illicit fundraising.
 The court said that as the owner and editor-in-chief of the websites from 2014-2018 Janitskin was responsible for the content contained in, and crimes facilitated by, both the MV-lehti site and Uber Uutiset.
 Denying responsibility
 In his appeal, the defendant argues that he received an excessively harsh sentence for crimes which he claims he did not commit. Janitskin is claiming that he carried no responsibility for anything published on the websites, except for his own texts.
 If the convictions are not reversed, Janitskin is asking for the court to reduce his jail time and commute it to a suspended sentence. He is also asking the court to reverse or reduce the lower court's damages he has been ordered to pay.
 Two other individuals were convicted in the original case, receiving suspended prison sentences and orders to pay damages to their victims. Their appeals are also being heard by the Helsinki Appeal Court.
 Prosecutors have objected to any change to the original rulings. The appeal case is expected to continue up until the end of October.

Court hears anti-immigrant agitator Janitskin's appeal


Summary: This marks the first presidential visit between Finland and Ethiopia, and President Niinistö’s first official visit to Africa.

Finnish President  Sauli Niinistö  congratulated fresh Nobel peace laureate Prime Minister  Abiy Ahmed  on an official visit to Ethiopia that started on Tuesday — Niinistö's first official trip to Africa.
 Niinistö met his Ethiopian counterpart President  Sahle-Work Zewde  and Ahmed in Addis Ababa on Tuesday morning.
 The trip is the first presidential visit between Finland and Ethiopia.
 In addition to bilateral relations between Finland and Ethiopia, the Presidents discussed topical regional and international issues. Niinistö broached subjects such as Finland’s expertise in IT, education and clean water technologies.
 Niinistö told the Finnish media that in his opinion, the Nobel Peace Prize went to the right person.
 "We discussed the security situation in the region and peace in Eritrea and said that we often have the idea that war is endless. Now they have brought an end to that, which is a great model," Niinistö said.
 The Nobel Peace Prize 2019 was awarded to Prime Minister Ahmed last week for his role in forging a historic peace deal with Eritrea.
 EU role in Africa
 In his talks with the Ahmed, Niinistö also suggested that the EU should be able to pursue a stronger foreign policy in Africa. “The role of the European Union is not what it should be," said Niinistö.
 "China and Turkey are active here, but Africa is close to Europe and we have a lot of common interests. Europe must have some role here," Niinistö added.
 Jutta Urpilainen , t he Finnish nominee to the European Commission  is set to take charge of developing the international partnerships of the European Union. The ex-finance minister had said that developing a new "Africa strategy" would be an important part of her role. Finland currently holds the rotating EU presidency.
 Niinistö lauds Ethiopia's tree planting record
 Niinistö praised Ethiopia for setting a new world record in the summer for planting up to 300 million trees a day.
 "I really liked it. Instead of making statements, it is good to take concrete action. I have tried to talk about it in Finland, that people do not need to hear statements and feel anxious, but should look around to see what can be done," he said.
 Niinistö mentioned reducing food waste and developing the circular economy as concrete actions that Finland could focus on. The President spoke at a conference on climate change in Ethiopia.
 President Niinistö is also expected to visit a local primary school supported by Finland, together with Ethiopia’s Minister of Education  Tilaye Gete.

Niinistö meets freshly-minted Nobel laureate Ahmed on Ethiopia visit


Summary: Customs officials said that firms need a special customs code if they want to continue trading with the UK post-Brexit.

Finnish Customs have said that up to 300 firms in Finland have not yet obtained an export code extension that will allow them to continue trading with the UK after Brexit.
 When companies register as an exporter, they get an export code known as the Economic Operators Registration and Identification number (EORI) that allows them to trade within the EU. To conduct trade outside of the EU, they must get a code extension.
 According to Finnish Customs, hundreds of firms are yet to secure the extension to their existing EORI identification numbers.
 The UK parliament is expected to meet on Saturday to try to find a way forward in the current Brexit impasse.
 The agency is calling on all companies that trade with Britain to immediately ensure that they have the customs code extension required for extra-EU trade.
 "I am urging companies that still don’t have the code to contact Customs at the next opportunity," said the agency’s customer relations and tax collection director  Tom Ferm .
 Customs said that thousands of Finnish companies currently do business with the UK.
 Brexit to affect online shoppers
 Members of the public will also have to get used to new routines when it comes to online shopping from the UK post-Brexit. In future, shipments from the UK valued at over 22 euros will be subject to tax and a customs declaration.
 Customs have calculated that if Britain leaves the EU, the volume of goods subject to customs declarations will increase by 25 percent.
 The agency said that it is in the process of recruiting 60 new staff members to deal with the additional processing and to prevent backlogs.

Customs: Up to 300 Finnish firms unprepared for post-Brexit trade


Summary: Mobile network operators will be required to provide a 4G signal along all rail routes, no matter how remote.

As trains speed past the forests and fields of the countryside they are often distant from the mobile network towers serving residential areas. Signals fall off and service breaks up.
 Mobile net connection speeds on trains can also plummet on high-traffic routes between major cities when hundreds of users are simultaneously switched to a new network cell.
 Passengers tend to blame the open onboard wifi network provided by the state railways VR. However, VR networks are reliant on the signal available from mobile network operators along its routes.
 Upgrade scheduled
 During the last round of licensing for the construction of 4G networks, one condition stipulated by the Finnish government was that all rail lines should have full signal coverage no later than by February 2020.
 There are three owner-operators of mobile networks in Finland - DNA, Elisa and Telia. Their operations are concentrated in residential areas, and the provision of their licenses concerning coverage along rail lines, even in remote, scarcely-populated areas is a hit on their bottom line.
 All three have taken the same position on the issue. They agree that network coverage along rail routes is important. On the other hand, they also say that significantly better data services for rail passengers would cost tens or even hundreds of millions of euros.
 "Use onboard trains is still a relatively small part of total volume," DNA's Radio Network Director  Jarkko Laari  told Yle. "Upgrading all this infrastructure to get the same kind of data services as are available in an urban areas nowadays is in practice an unreasonably big endeavour."
 Story continues after photo.
 VR limits the bandwidth available to individual users on its trains, so for example downloading movies is not possible. Riina Kasurinen/Yle
 While the terms of their licenses obligate them to upgrade services for rail passengers, the Finnish Transport and Communications agency Traficom has not determined what the required minimum signal quality will be.
 "Setting absolute numbers for a mobile network is very challenging. The quality of services for vehicles is also affected by many external factors, such as how many concurrent users there are," Traficom specialist  Ritva Suurnäkki  pointed out.
 VR has invited the mobile network operators to start talks on upgrading data services for its passengers later this month.

Finland to offer better internet connections on trains from 2020


Summary: Investigators are said to be weighing adding the crime of plotting to commit an offence to the charge sheet.

Police are said to be investigating the case of a sword attack two weeks ago that killed one woman and injured nine others in Kuopio as the aggravated offence of plotting to cause harm to life or health.
 The attack was launched by a young man who used a sabre in the attack on a vocational school temporarily housed in the Herman shopping centre in Kuopio, eastern Finland.
 Lead investigator  Olli Töyräs  of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) told STT news agency that the premeditation involved in the act involved targeting the location as well as people who were not actually harmed in the incident.
 In addition to the newly-reported charge of planning to commit a crime, the attack is being investigated as murder, attempted murder and aggravated criminal intent to cause damage. The latter offence is related to a fire that was set at the scene of the attack.
 The suspect in the case was also injured when police responded to an emergency alert over the sword attack and was said to still be in hospital last week, along with one of the victims.
 The young man was remanded into pre-trial custody after participating from hospital via a video link. Investigator Töyräs told STT that only one injured party is still receiving medical care in hospital, in addition to the suspect.
 According to the NBI, police are currently conducting forensic technical and IT investigations. The organisation said on Twitter that it would not comment at this stage on the outcome of questioning or a possible motive for the act.
 Police and prosecutors have until 13 February 2020 to lay charges in the case.

Police consider additional offence in Kuopio sword attack case


Summary: Pitkämäki is a former world champion and Olympic bronze medalist.

Tero Pitkämäki’s international medals Olympic Games Bronze 86.16 m (Beijing, 2008) World Championships Gold 90.33 m (Osaka, 2007) Silver 87.07 m (Moscow, 2013) Bronze 87.64 m (Beijing, 2015) European Championships Silver 86.44 m (Gothenburg, 2006) Bronze 86.67 m (Barcelona, 2010) Bronze 84.40 m (Zurich, 2014)
 Finland’s most successful track and field athlete and javelin champion  Tero Pitkämäki  announced on Monday that he was ending his career.
 Speaking during a news conference at the Kuortane Olympic training centre in western Finland, Pitkämäki said that there was more to life than the javelin.
 "This is a bit of a grieving process for me. Although it was well known that this day would come and I could prepare for it a little, it still feels empty and depressing. Fortunately javelin is just a sport and there is much more to life," he commented.
 The Finnish champion has previously said that he would end his career at the latest after the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. However on Monday he said that he didn’t have good reason to continue, adding that there were many reasons for him to call it a day.
 "When it became clear to me that I was no longer in the condition I wanted to be in and that I would no longer get there, my enthusiasm and motivation for the sport dried up. That is the biggest reason for the decision," he explained.
 A stellar career with the javelin
 This summer was a quiet period for Pitkämäki, as he did not compete. One year earlier in June, he ruptured the ACL ligament in his support knee during the  Paavo Nurmi  games in Turku. He underwent surgery in August after which he embarked on a long period of recovery and rehabilitation.
 The 36-year-old originally intended to compete in the Athletics World Championships that ended on Doha, Qatar. He said he experienced no pain during practice in the summer, but the knee didn’t provide the level of functionality that he’d hoped for.
 "This wasn’t [just] about the knee, but the leg wasn’t in the physical condition that was required. My legs have been my strongest asset. I have been able to use them for my longest throws," he noted.
 Pitkämäki said that his throws this summer had reached around 75 metres and added that he didn’t believe that he would have been able to accomplish 83-metre efforts in Doha as he had done in the past.
 Pitkämäki won seven medals in international events and eight Finnish championships. He set a personal best at the Kuortane summer games in 2005 when he hurled the javelin 91.53 metres – still the eleventh-longest throw in the world.

Finnish javelin champion Tero Pitkämäki calls it quits


Summary: Syria, a refugee adoption case, and a vulgar, but accurate road sign are among the items in the morning's newspapers.

The Oulu-based  Kaleva reports  an interview with Finland's foreign minister,  Pekka Haavisto , on the situation at the Turkish-Syrian border in which he said that the EU is extremely concerned about the humanitarian situation, the increased number of refugees and growing problems for civilians in northern and north-eastern Syria.
 According to Haavisto, international organizations were prepared to deal with 100,000 internal refugees, but fresh reports from the region have changed the picture. These organizations now believe there will be up to 400,000 people fleeing the fighting.
 "A humanitarian crisis is at hand," Foreign Minister Haavisto said in a phone interview with the Finnish News Agency STT.
 Turkey has partnered with the EU to stem the flow of refugees into Europe, receiving economic aid for the some 4 million displaced persons in the country, 3.6 million of which are from Syria.
 According to the Haavisto, these refugees are focused on returning to their homes, not to Europe or the border zone Turkey is trying to establish.
 "If someone wants to turn them towards Europe, they will have to do a lot of work to do so. These people didn't leave for Europe before, but have been waiting to be able to go back home," stated Foreign Minister Haavisto.
 No to refugee adoption
 Finland's largest circulation daily, Helsingin Sanomat, carries  a front-page feature  about the continuing, but so far unsuccessful efforts of a Finnish couple to legally adopt an adult asylum seeker.
 Erja and Timo Noroviita , a retired couple in the southern coastal city of Loviisa volunteered at a local refugee reception centre near their home, working with asylum seekers who came to Finland in 2015.
 It was there they met  Zirak Bayati , an Iraqi asylum seeker, now 33 years of age, took him under their wing and brought him into their family and thought of him as a son.
 In time, the Noroviitas decided they wanted to legally adopt Zirak. The adoption application was rejected.
 There were two main factors working against the plan. Zirak Bayati is an adult. His application for asylum has been rejected, although the decision is being appealed.
 In rejecting the adoption application, the court said that Bayati is too old for adoption and that his ties with the Noroviita family were not established during childhood.
 The adoption of an adult in Finland is possible only under exceptional circumstances and even then applicable in cases of the children of blended families or foster children who for some reason could not be adopted as minors.
 No separate statistics are kept on the adoption of asylum seekers, but the Finnish Immigration Service told Helsingin Sanomat that it was unable to say if there has been even a single adoption of anyone undergoing processing for possible asylum.
 Zirak Bayati is now in the situation that he has not been granted asylum, but be cannot be deported because Iraq refuses to accept forced repatriations.
 The  number of paperless individuals  has risen in recent years. According to some estimates, there are several thousand in the country, most of them young Iraqis.
 "In practice, Finland has made thousands of people paperless migrants," Erja Noroviita said to the paper. "Instead, there could be another alternative."
 The Noroviitas have appealed the decision against Zirak Bayati's adoption. A second rejection is so likely that their own lawyers declined to take the case.
 President in Africa, on to Japan
 The tabloid  Ilta-Sanomat  is among the papers with an item on President  Sauli Niinistö 's first visit to an African nation, starting on Tuesday.
 President Niinistö is on an official visit to Ethiopia on Tuesday and Wednesday.
 During his stay, he is scheduled to meet with leaders there including his Ethiopian counterpart Sahle-Work Zewde, and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the recipient of this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
 Niinistö will speak at a conference on climate change and be one of the keynote speakers at an event focused on women's economic empowerment.
 Turun Sanomat  reports that President Niinistö and his spouse Jenni Haukio are scheduled to travel to Japan on the 21st of this month to attend the coronation of Emperor Naruhito.
 Those bleeping potholes
 A road sign in the rural reaches of the town of Kangasala, just east of Tampere, has locals chuckling and the authorities fuming,  according to the daily Aamulehti .
 Drivers in the area recently noticed a road sign warning of potholes with an addition explanatory sign attached, in official-looking colours and font, reading "Koko perkeleen tie" - roughly translated, "The whole damn road".
 The paper sent out reporter to check on the sign who confirmed its accuracy.
 Aamulehti says its investigation has been unable to determine if the extra note has been posted by the City of Kangasala, the local Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment, the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, the road maintenance board, or a disgruntled local.
 One thing, it says is for sure though - the strong language has enhanced the effectiveness of the warning.
 Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment intends to remove the extra information from the sign and is considering filing a criminal complaint.

Tuesday’s papers: Refugee worries, blocked adoption, rude road sign


Summary: Foreign Minister Haavisto believes the Kurds' alliance with the Syrian army will increase Russian influence in the region.

Finland anticipates that US withdrawal from northern Syria will strengthen the Syrian government and its Russian backers in the region.
 "An agreement with the Kurds will strengthen  Bashar al-Assad 's regime in Syria. It can make a deal with the Kurds, take over the border area and take control of the whole country," Foreign Minister  Pekka Haavisto  told Yle on Tuesday morning.
 "In this way, Russia, which has backed the al-Assad regime, will become a stronger actor," said Haavisto.
 He described US policy in Syria as inconsistent, leading to a weakening of the western position and advancing Russia's.
 "Russia's role in the balance of power will become more important," according to Haavisto.
 Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto. Photo Edijs / EPA
 He added that he sees Syrian military support for the Kurds as completely changing the situation for Turkey.
 "The situation is now more difficult for Turkey, being faced by a national opponent. This no longer looks like an operation against terrorism, but rather an attack on another country," Haavisto stated.
 Foreign Minister Haavisto believes that economic sanctions against Turkey will quickly have an impact.
 "Turkey is very dependent on trade with Europe and the United States, as well as income from tourism. Countries at war easily lose income from tourism," he pointed out.
 Turkey is attempting to pressure the EU by threatening to send 3.5 million Syrian refugees to Europe. According to Pekka Haavisto, the EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxemburg on Monday did not allow that threat to influence their discussions.
 "For me it came as a positive surprise that Turkey's threats did not sidetrack talks into a discussion on refugees. It was possible to keep the talks focused on the Turkish-Syrian situation and demonstrating solidarity with the Kurds. It was a mature response by the European Union."
 Haavisto refuses to accept Syrian refugees being used as pawns in global politics. He said he believes that their only hope is to return home.
 "Indeed, these people see that they are being exploited for political motives. This is a game that the refugees cannot countenance."

Finnish Foreign Minister: Syrian developments boosting Russia’s role


Summary: Helsinki University cafeterias are eliminating beef from lunches and providing more vegetarian and vegan fare

The UniCafe cafeterias owned and operated by the student's union of Helsinki University are dropping all beef dishes from their lunch menus as of this coming February. Beef will also be eliminated from café items such as sandwiches and rolls.
 "The idea came from the staff when we were pondering our next socially responsible move. We realized that this would be a way to significantly cut our carbon emissions," explains UniCafe business operations director  Leena Pihlajamäki .
 UniCafe has calculated that removing beef from the menu will cut the carbon footprint of the meals it serves by 11 percent, or around 240,000 kg of carbon dioxide annually. UniCafe serves some 10,000 lunches a day.
 Right now, beef accounts for about 15 percent of the meat used by Unicafe. As of February, it will be replaced by pork, chicken and non-meat proteins.
 "Up to now we've offered fillet that suits a tight student budget. Ground beef is easier to replace with other ingredients. Many of our customers will not notice the difference," predicts Pihlajamäki.
 The company that handles day-to-day operations of the university cafeterias and cafés, Ylva, is aiming at increasing sales of vegetarian and vegan lunches to over 50 percent of all food served by the end of next year. Right now that figure is about 40 percent.
 "It's an ambitious goal, but not at all impossible," says Leena Pihlajamäki.
 She adds that non-meat lunch alternatives will be promoted by placing them at the start of cafeteria self-service counters, making them the first dishes hungry students see.
 "It's proven than this is one of the most effective ways of doing it," Leena Pihlajamäki points out.
 Tampere not ready to give up on beef
 Meanwhile in Tampere, Juvenes which runs the student cafeterias at the city's universities and the Adult Education Center is not giving up on beef yet.
 Beef accounts for about three per cent of all their meat products, 90 percent of which comes from Finland, Juvenes director  Päivi Jousmäki  said.
 "Based on feedback, customers are not ready to give up beef altogether in traditional dishes like macaroni casseroles and meatballs. Also, we have a lot of international customers who cannot eat pork," Jousmäki said.
 The student union-run company also operates campus restaurants in Turku, Oulu, Vaasa, Pori and Rauma.

Beef off the menu at the University of Helsinki


Summary: Meanwhile, Migri which is facing a budget cut has deemed the government's one month target as "very challenging".

An international expert earning 4,000 euros a month should be able to receive a work permit in Finland within one week, the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK) has demanded.
 "These experts are in demand elsewhere and do not wait long for the work permit to be processed," said Director  Ilkka Oksala  in EK newsletter
 Employment Minister  Timo Harakka  has deemed this target unrealistic.
 “Will the next demand be that it should be taken care of on a daily basis?” he asked in an Yle's Ykkösaamu programme on Saturday.
 The Finnish Immigration Service  has come under fire  for  delaying residence permits of first-time applicants.  This year, the average wait period for the handling of  a first-time residence permit is 52 days  — more than double last year's average of 25 days, according to Migri's figures.
 "We have a backlog of 20,000 applications"
 Prime Minister  Antti Rinne 's cabinet had set a one month goal for handling of work-based residence permits. Migri, which currently has a sizeable backlog of applications, told Yle News it is facing a budget cut and will find that challenging.
 "Our resources are going down — ten percent this year, ten percent next year, and this will affect our capability to manage the applications. If we don’t get extra budget resources, we should be able to handle about 90 percent of the applications next year. This year, the level is about 100 percent — we have been able to handle the same number of applications as have come in. But we have a backlog of about 20,000 applications in the system at the moment," Migri Deputy Director-General  Raimo Pyysalo  said, adding that there is a huge gap between the government's "very challenging" goal and the resources allocated to them.
 It was reported last week that the Finnish Immigration Service is looking to  cut down on staff  from around 1,000 to 900, according to Migri director Jaana Vuorio.
 Migri: "We can't hire more people"
 Online forums in Finland are rife with discussions on how the long wait periods for the first permit has  led applicants to lose out on the original offer and other job opportunities.
 It’s not just first-time applicants who are in a state of limbo. Many foreign residents in Finland who have applied to renew their residence permit have told Yle News they are left confused about whether they are allowed to exit and re-enter the country during the wait period.
 "You need a valid residence permit to enter the country," said Pyysalo. "Of course there are possibilities to work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to get a visa, but I don’t think that would be a solution for this issue. It’s a problem with the long management times — we are aware of the issue, but there’s not much we can do because we can’t hire more people."
 There seems to be no workaround around the delay even for those who have had their first residence permits approved.
 "All our actions are based on the Finnish legislation — the Aliens Act — which needs be changed before we can take short cuts in any issue," Pyysalo added.
 Nearly 300 specialist applications in queue
 Last year, over 10,000 first applications for residence permits were made on the basis of the work, of which 8,650 permits were finally granted. The types of work residence permits in Finland can vary depending on if you are an employee, an entrepreneur, researcher or a cultural professional.
 For instance, entrepreneurs can apply for a  startup residence permit , which requires a green light from Business Finland, a state-funded startup financier.
 According to Migri, a specialist is usually a highly-educated graduate with a gross income of at least 3,000 euros per month.
 The EU Blue Card introduced in Finland in 2012 is targetted at non-EU professionals who have an agreed employment relationship of at least one year for highly-skilled employment. The minimum monthly salary for EU Blue Card workers in Finland is 4,732 euros as of this year.
 Over the last 12 months, Migri said it has granted first residence permits to over 1,500 specialists. More than half of them are Indians, earning an average of 4,006 euros per month, according to latest figures from Statistics Finland.
 "Indian ICT workers are a significant group," Pyysalo said.
 Professionals from Russia, China, the US and Brazil are also at the top of the list of specialists working in Finland.
 There are nearly 300 specialist applications in the queue right now.

Business lobby pushes for one-week work permit processing


Summary: Finland is putting more cash into municipal health and social care in a bid to speed up service and hire more doctors.

Finland is planning to plough some 200 million euros into  municipal healthcare services  in the next four years to try and reduce waiting times for non-urgent appointments.
 In 2020 an initial 70 million euros will be available as part of the new government’s drive for reform of health and social care reform, as stated by the Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services  Krista Kiuru.
 "Now is the time for the money to flow to grassroots level," said Kiueru at a press conference on Tuesday. "If we don’t hire the doctors we need to attract, then how can it be done?"
 There are currently some 300 vacancies for doctors at health centres across the country, and the government has vowed to hire an additional  1,000 doctors by 2023.
 The money is to be directed at local health centres, rather than specialist care units, as the government aims to get the waiting time for non-urgent doctor’s appointments below seven days.
 At present some 43 percent of health centres achieve that.
 The current government is planning to present a far-reaching reform of social and healthcare services later in the parliamentary term, to replace the failed package of reforms piloted by the previous government.
 The new measures will be based on transferring responsibility for the services from Finland's 300+ municipalities to 19 new regional bodies, in an effort to streamline the bureaucracy and reduce costs.
 This represents a move away from the previous government's effort to drive forward 'choice' agenda, which in practice would have drastically increased private sector involvement in healthcare provision.

Government dishes out cash in bid to ease healthcare waiting times