Summary: Among other shortcomings in the construction, the 100-page report said workers had used too many nails when they put up the ceiling.

A roughly 100-page report on factors that caused a ceiling to collapse at the recently-built Harjurinne School in Loviisa was published on Thursday.
 Construction of the school was completed in 2014, but last November some 60 square metres of the  cafeteria's ceiling collapsed , bringing down piles of rock wool insulation and construction materials onto the floor.
 The school was closed at the time and no one was injured by the falling construction materials, but the incident marked the third time that month in which a  school ceiling collapsed  in Finland.
 Skanska, the construction firm that built the school,  took responsibility  for the incident and vowed to repair it. According to the school that work has recently been completed.
 The report, issued on Thursday by the municipality's building inspection department, found there were several reasons behind the collapse, according to Loviisa's senior building inspector,  Miia Hento .
 "In some parts of the ceiling too many nails were used, up to four in some places, and none of them stayed in place. If you drive in nails that are too close together, they do not hold adequately," Hento said, adding that using several nails in one spot actually has less holding strength than using just one nail in the right spot.
 She also said that some of the ceiling's nails were not hammered in the right spots. Some of the ceiling's wood planks had split because nails had been driven into the ends of them but didn't reach other boards.
 "The boards were nailed directly into the truss and the whole structure fell down," Hento said.
 No matching blueprints
 Apart from the nails not being able to hold the ceiling in place, there is the possibility that too much rock wool insulation was used in some part of the structure, according to the report. The amount of insulation may have added pressure to the ceiling's weak points and contributed to its collapse.
 During construction of the school, Skanska workers had been working from several different blueprints that did not match each other, according to the report.
 "[Drawings of] the pipes and plumbing were included in some of the blueprints but were not in the building plan's sectional drawings. No one created a blueprint that included everything," Hento said.
 She said however that the pipes installed along the ceiling are adequately fastened and have not loosened.
 The repair work needed after the ceiling collapse is now complete and the cafeteria was opened to students on Monday, according to the school.

Several errors behind Loviisa school ceiling collapse, report says


Summary: Newspapers take a look at the Interior Ministry's new risk report, the growing earnings divide and the shifting popularity of Finland's political parties.

Ministerit, ministeriöt ja valtioneuvosto

Among February's first news items in the press is a brand new report by the Ministry of the Interior that details a list of threats to Finnish society – and the risk of them happening appears to be increasing.
 Daily Ilta-Sanomat writes  that the Ministry-produced  National Risk Assessment  documents 20 "major risks" that could critically destabilise Finland unless the government intervenes with exceptional measures. The Ministry compiles the report every three years; the most recent document was submitted to the European Commission in December.
 The list of dangers mentioned by IS includes complications from medicine-resistant microbes, contagious animal-borne diseases, disturbances in water and food production and marine catastrophes.
 But the number one threat raised in the assessment relates to power supply disruptions, as blackouts could affect almost the whole country in one fell swoop. Likely causes of such failures include extreme weather conditions.
 "Climate warming, for instance, increases the risks of known extreme weather phenomena, such as floods, storms and forest fires," said  Taito Vainio , strategic steering director for the Ministry, who was in charge of preparing the risk assessment.
 "At the same time, it creates new, more slowly evolving risks. In recent years, forest damage and long blackouts have been the most visible impact of weather phenomena."
 IS writes that the compilers of the risk assessment themselves are open about their work being problematic. The real statistical risk of the threats listed cannot be mathematically predicted, and the data analysis tends to follow trends in daily politics and the press, even though risks and "black swans" (unforeseen high-risk phenomena) should be projected many years into the future.
 Statistics Finland: Middle class vanishing
 Amid hypothetical social rumblings, Statistics Finland reports that the country's bracket of middle-income earners is shrinking fast.
 Helsingin Sanomat reports  that in 1995 more than half of people in Finland (52.3 percent) were assessed as having mid-range incomes. In 2017 that figure had dropped to 44.3 percent.
 "The extremes are deepening," said statistician  Pekka Ruotsalainen  in HS. "The same phenomenon can be seen in the distribution of wealth, as money flows toward the same high-income people."
 Another way to put the figures is to say that in 1995 people living with low incomes – referring to salaries totaling a maximum of 60 percent of the country's median salary – numbered at 7.8 percent of the population. In 2017 that number had risen to 12.8 percent.
 Essentially, writes HS, both rich and poor have more to spend now than twenty years earlier; that is, the whole country has gotten subjectively richer, but the distribution of that wealth is even less equal than before.
 Centre Party dives, Greens gain cross-party support
 The latest Alma Media polling of Finland's political parties makes headlines in all the country's papers this Friday.  Regional daily Aamulehti  runs with the outright loser of the survey: the Centre Party's popularity has fallen to under 15 percent for the first time in the pollster's history.
 The party also suffered the biggest losses in the latest poll, by 1.1 percentage points down to 14.4 percent. As early as 2015 the party held strong at 21.1 percent popularity.
 The Alma survey asked the question, "If the parliamentary elections were to be held immediately, which party or group and which candidate would you vote for?" Most replies tagged the Social Democratic Party as their favourite, at 21 percent of respondents.
 In terms of loyalty, supporters of the Swedish People's Party were the most likely (67 percent) to vote for their own party.
 AL also writes that the Greens, while staying at a stable 13-percent popularity, were named by the highest number of respondents as a possible "plan B" after their favourite party: 22 percent of National Coalition Party voters, 34 percent of SDP voters and 42 percent of Left Alliance supporters said they could swing over to the Greens in a parliamentary election.

Friday's papers: Risks grow in national assessment, mid-income earners dwindle, Centre Party dips in survey


Summary: The Helsinki Bourse Club for rich investors overturned their ban on women after a swirl of criticism.

The Helsinki Bourse Club, a private society for investors, accepted 125 new members at its election board meeting on Wednesday. For the first time ever the club also accepted female members, 43 in all.
 The Bourse Club was founded in 1910 "to create a space for stock market activities". In 1997 the group officially banned women from applying for membership.
 After  strong criticism in 2018  the organisation changed its bylaws last November and allowed women to join.
 "We are thrilled to welcome all our new members," the club's publicist  Eljas Repo  said.
 Repo said that last year 20 members either resigned or passed away, but that the membership is on the rise.
 The Helsinki Bourse Club accepts membership applications each January. The application period usually ends each September, but this time the club extended the the deadline into November.

All-male policy ends: Helsinki Bourse Club accepts 43 female members


Summary: The medicines regulator said that about 150,000 people in Finland currently use the medicine being recalled.

Lääkealan turvallisuus- ja kehittämiskeskus

The Finnish Medicines Agency Fimea has announced the recall of the two types of Losartan-brand hypertension medication distributed in Finland by Orion drug company.
 Fimea said in a release on Thursday that current information does not indicate that the medication will pose any acute risks to users of the pills and has advised patients not to stop using the medication.
 However, it said that patients can, if they so desire, contact their local pharmacy or doctor to swap medicines.
 According to Fimea some 150,000 people in Finland currently use the medicine in question. Authorities have identified impurities in losartan, the active ingredient in the drug made by an Indian factory, whose quality certification has since been rescinded by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines. Without a quality certificate, the company cannot sell its products.
 The contamination appears to have originated from a synthetic chemical, nitrosamine, used as part of the production process. The substance has been linked to a heightened cancer risk in animal tests, but its impact on humans remains uncertain.
 Last July, the Finnish regulator  pulled 10 varieties of Valsartan hypertension medication  over similar concerns. Internationally, medical authorities have advised patients to continue taking the blood pressure pills because the benefits outweigh the health risks of not taking them.

Medicines watchdog pulls blood pressure drug over contamination concerns


Summary: Finland has doubled its financial aid for asylum seekers voluntarily leaving the country from 2,500 to 5,000 euros as fewer people choose to leave.

As of January, asylum seekers leaving Finland can receive up to 5,000 euros, either in cash or as a subsidy for goods and services. Eligible candidates must hail from countries with the highest proportion of asylum seekers in Finland, including Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia.
 "Cheapest option"
 "We want to encourage them to go home. There are thousands of people in the country with rejected asylum applications. They don’t have a residence permit and supporting them is becoming expensive," said  Tarja Rantala , who manages the Migration Service's (Migri) voluntary return project.
 Rantala also told Yle that asylum seekers whose applications were turned down can draw out the process by reapplying under other circumstances.
 "One night in a reception centre costs 50 euros. That’s 5,000 euros in a hundred days," she explained.
 From 2016 to 2018 Finland granted 3.8 million euros to 4,181 persons to leave the country. In the same period Finland additionally spent 1.5 million euros on return trip plane tickets - sums which are on par with the other Nordics, according to Rantala.
 An offer they could refuse
 Despite Finland’s attempt to make leaving lucrative, the number of voluntary returnees has dropped, from 1,422 in 2017 to 646 last year.
 Since 2015 some 7,400 people have dropped off officials' radars. These individuals have either opted to stay in the country illegally without a permit, have returned to their home countries on their own, or left for another European country.
 Between 2016 and 2018 EU member states returned 5,100 people to Finland whose asylum applications were initially rejected in Finland.
 Around 7,890 people are in the country whose asylum applications have been turned down one or more times, according to Migri.

Finland doubles assistance to encourage voluntary repatriation


Summary: Customs officers at Helsinki Airport report worries over the quality of security inspections due to what their union claims is under-staffing.

Helsinki-Vantaa Airport's customs workers and the Customs Officers' Union say they are concerned that staffing shortages are jeopardising the airport's safety and security.
 According to Helsinki airport workers, staffing problems there are so severe that some are only prepared to comment on them anonymously.
 "The biggest problem is that there is a massive staff shortage," one Customs worker said. "I'm certain we're missing smuggled goods. If there are only three people at work, then only one terminal out of three can be monitored."
 Airport workers are thinly stretched also because they have to handle other running affairs during their shifts.
 "There are also far too few drug-sniffing dogs at work here, for just one terminal at a time," another officer said.
 Customs officer  Pauli Karjalainen  agreed to be named. "Staffers have to do more, and customers have to wait longer for service," he said.
 Union wants more funds
 The union says few employees are willing to discuss working conditions at the airport, but the Customs Officers' Union said it is well aware of the resource deficiencies, which have gone on for years.
 "We are worried about how surveillance employees are doing psychologically, and how these resources are being directed," union chair  Jari Nieminen  said.
 Nieminen said that the union has been asking the Ministry of Finance and Finnish Customs for an extended budget, to no avail.
 "Airport customs needs 10-15 new employees to be acceptably staffed," Nieminen said.
 The Helsinki-Vantaa airport's current employment rate in surveillance tasks is some 35 person-years. But after staffers working on incoming post and freight deliveries, only 3-5 person-years are devoted to monitoring human traffic.
 Some 46 million packages and about 20 million passengers pass through the Helsinki-Vantaa airport each year.
 Surveillance chief: "No leaks"
 In the face of criticism from both employees and the workers' union, Airport Customs enforcement director  Mikko Grönberg  said there are no problems with smuggled goods.
 "There are no leaks," he said. "The volume of traffic and cargo is so big that a few workers isn't going to make a difference. Our best bet is to invest in better surveillance technology."
 Grönberg had little to say of the claim that only one out of three terminals can currently be monitored.
 "What's important is that there is monitoring where it needs to be. We use a lot of new tech to save time to make risk analyses. Postal traffic is currently being automated."
 Customs has also collaborated with the Finnish Nuclear Safety Authority (Stukes) to develop a full body scanner to be installed at the airport. Legislation, however, stands in the way of the project, Customs said.
 Decade of cuts
 The lack of resources at the airport Customs organisation is due to spending cuts going back about 10 years. Numerous employees have retired over the years, and new recruitment has only been allowed starting in late 2018.
 The Finance Ministry pays Customs an annual budget, which can be directed however the directors see fit.
 Customs director general  Jarkko Saksa  said that airport Customs has not suffered from the budget cuts, but has in fact fared better than other Customs units.
 "At the moment we are looking for two new employees," Saksa said. "Traffic has increased and there are new structures in the works, so we'll be needing enough personnel."

Union: Staff shortage poses security risk at Helsinki Airport


Summary: An ex-Angry Birds marketing guru and a rising philosophy researcher discuss why Finland seems to be obsessed with its rankings in international comparisons.

Former Angry Birds kingpin  Peter Vesterbacka  and Aalto University 'meaning of life' researcher  Frank Martela  joined APN to discuss how Finland leverages its top ratings in different global comparisons. In the last few years, Finland has been ranked among the world's finest in the areas of  education ,  livability ,  lack of corruption , and  health care , for example.
 The country and its businesses have naturally used the good press to prop up "Brand Finland" in the global market, but our podcast considers if the self-promotion has perhaps gone too far. Philosopher Martela said that he feels as if the opposite is true: when Finland hears that it has been ranked highly in the world in some area -  happiness  being the prime example, the knee-jerk reaction among Finns is to suspect that someone somewhere has made a calculation error.
 Serial entrepreneur Vesterbacka said that complacency is always a danger once good results come pouring in, adding that he feels as if neighbouring Estonia now has more energy and will to innovate than Finland. Both guests agreed that Denmark, Norway and Sweden have built more successful brands on the world stage.
 Vesterbacka concluded the conversation by saying that Finns need to ditch their collective "useless modesty" about their services and products, if the country hopes to improve its brand. Martela replied that he believes a transformation is imminent, as younger generations in Finland are already much more adept at marketing their wares and presenting a self-confident face to the world.
 Cartoons and the frigid cold interested our readers
 Next, APN took a quick look back at the most engaging news stories from the past week. First up, readers really seemed to enjoy our  report on a new Moominvalley series . With a 20-million-euro budget for the first production season, it's been billed as the most expensive TV show Finland has ever had a hand in producing.
 Another popular story told of a blood-curdling temperature of  -38.7 degrees Celsius  recorded last Sunday morning in Sodankylä, up in the north of Finland. A similar story about the danger of  power outages  caused by the very low temperatures also gained interest.
 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 account, 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 podcast episode was presented by  Mark Odom  and  Denise Wall . Our reporter this week was  Zena Iovino .  Pamela Kaskinen  produced the showand the sound engineer was  Joonatan Kotila .

All Points North #38: Top 5 reasons Finland loves lists with Peter Vesterbacka and Frank Martela


Summary: Two black women complained about police discrimination when they were stopped and handcuffed by a man who they say did not explain that he was a police officer.

Helsinki police practised ethnic profiling and discrimination in their vice unit, according to the National Non-Discrimination and Equality Tribunal of Finland.
 In a ruling published on Friday, the tribunal found that two Finnish citizens of Tanzanian origin were walking through Helsinki city centre in the early hours of the morning when plain-clothes police officers stopped them and asked to see their identity documents.
 The women refused to show their papers, prompting the police to handcuff and search them. They were subsequently convicted of resisting a police officer and fined.
 They say they never understood that the man asking to see their ID was actually a police officer, and asked the tribunal to rule on whether ethnic profiling played a part in their case.
 In July 2016 the women were walking with a white, male friend in central Helsinki, speaking English and Finnish. When the male friend got into a taxi at the corner of Mikonkatu and Aleksanterinkatu, they were stopped by police.
 "According to the women a scruffy-looking tattooed man in a t-shirt and shorts tapped one of them on the shoulder and and asked in English if he could see a passport," the tribunal said in its ruling.
 At no point, said one woman, did she understand that the man was a police officer. She said she found the situation threatening and tried to walk away.
 "After that the woman said she was grabbed by the man, who shoved her against a wall and once again ordered her to show her passport," read the tribunal verdict. "The woman felt the man was acting aggressively and tried to get away from the situation."
 Women fined
 A second plain clothes officer asked the other woman to show her passport, and according to the woman did not answer questions about why she should show it. She says she did not believe the man to be a police officer.
 According to the women they were not told the grounds for the check, neither was it made clear at a later stage. The women believe that the police acted in a racist fashion and only stopped them because of their ethnic background.
 Prosecutors had previously decided that the police should not face charges over the incident, but the women were fined in December 2017 for disobeying a police officer and refusing to follow a police officer’s orders.
 The court ruled that the women had refused to show identity documents and pushed and swung at the officers.
 In the mêlée one of the officers lost his badge, which had been hanging from his neck by a chain.
 Police: Skin colour was one justification for check
 Helsinki Police Department told the tribunal that the officers were part of a field surveillance unit, and they did not wear uniform while in the field. Their task that night was surveillance of suspected prostitutes and associated immigration status checks.
 Police say that the officers had received intelligence that street prostitutes were operating in the area. When they noticed the women with a tall white man, they decided to follow the situation. When the man left, they decided to check the women’s documents.
 Police justified the check saying that based on their experience, women with a foreign background practice street prostitution in that district especially in the evenings and early mornings. They denied discriminating against the women, but admitted that their actions were in part influenced by the fact that the women were black.
 The tribunal noted that the police did not try to preform any checks regarding the white man the women were with. It ruled that police should not operate this way in future and set a conditional fine of 10,000 to be paid if they do.

Tribunal rules against police in racial profiling case


Summary: Representatives of the minority won support from the UN Human Rights Committee, which said that Finland’s courts should not have ruled on who can vote in Sami elections.

The UN  has criticised  Finland’s administrative courts for adding 93 people to the electoral register for the Sami parliament against the wishes of the Sami members of that parliament, who did not regard those 93 people as Sami.
 A complaint was lodged with the committee by  Tiina Sanila-Aikio , President of the Sami Parliament. She argued that the addition of 93 people to the register in 2015 violated the rights of the Sami as an indigenous people to decide who is a member of their community.
 The committee agreed, stating in its ruling that the Supreme Administrative Court “infringed on the capacity of the Sami people, through its Parliament, to exercise a key dimension of Sami self-determination in determining who is a Sami”.
 The committee recommended that Finland changes the Sami Parliament law to ensure Sami self-determination is fully respected, and that Finland take action to ensure that similar violations don’t occur in future.

UN Committee slams Finland over Sami electorate ruling


Summary: A 2-hour meeting between government and care providers produced a 25-point plan for improving care for the elderly—but opposition parties remained unimpressed.

An ongoing scandal over poor care standards in privately-run homes for the elderly brought a lengthy crisis meeting with the minister responsible, a list of 25 promises of improvement, and a confidence motion in the government signed by every opposition party on Friday.
 The Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services, Annika Saariko, said that the full proposals will be published on Wednesday after all parties have had chance to review the meeting’s conclusions.
 No agreement was reached on a minimum staff-customer ratio, but Saariko said that they would at least recommend that current staffing levels would not be reduced further. All Finland’s political parties with the exception of the centre-right National Coalition currently support mandatory minimum staffing levels in care homes.
 Saarikko also said that employment contracts in the sector should be reviewed to embolden whistle-blowers, after criticism from employment law experts that current contracts for care workers could have the effect of gagging them and preventing problems coming to light.
 'Ghost nurses'
 She added that there would be ‘zero tolerance’ of under-nourishment among care home residents, and stricter punishments for negligence added to the statute book.
 The meeting, which included civil servants and representatives from the care sector including under-fire companies Esperi Care and Attendo, was based on trust, according to Saarikko.
 “As I’ve learnt to trust people, I have reason to trust that these [promises] will be adhered to,” said the minister, who admitted that there was no compulsion involved in the meeting.
 The CEO of Esperi Care has  already resigned  over the scandal.
 She said that the ‘ghost nurse’ problem, in which staffing levels are artificially inflated on staff rotas by inserting nurses who do not actually perform any work, should be banished from Finland.
 At the same time in parliament opposition parties tabled an interpellation debate on the topic, which will trigger a confidence vote in the government. That debate will take place on Wednesday, with the vote scheduled for Friday.

Care home crisis talks produce 25-point improvement list as opposition parties table confidence motion


Summary: Finland on Friday said it wants to stop the practice of turning clocks one hour forward in spring and one hour back in winter.

On Friday the government said it supports scrapping seasonal daylight saving for permanent standard time.
 "Finns and other EU citizens have sent a remarkably clear message: the practice of changing the clocks should be discontinued," Transport and Communications Minister Anne Berner said in a statement.
 The government said the adoption of ’winter time’ as the permanent standard time was supported by public health benefits.
 ”The drafting of Finland's position has involved an extensive consultation of citizens, businesses and other stakeholders. The consultation has brought forward opinions in favour of both winter and summer time,” Transport and Communications Minister  Anne Berner  said in a statement.
 But according to the government, standard time would be more favourable for the securities market and is also considered to have a positive effect on traffic safety and encourage more physical activity in the evenings.
 Majority of Finns support standard time
 At the end of last year, the EU Commission – on Finland’s initiative – proposed ending the practice of daylight saving time. However Finland cannot decide to abolish daylight savings time on its own, as any change on the matter requires a decision at the EU level.
 All EU member states must agree on any changes to avoid fragmented time zones within the bloc. That said, the government on Friday said it seemed unlikely that daylight saving be scrapped before 2021 – a decision which would also need final approval by Finland’s Parliament.

It's official: Finland wants to end daylight saving time


Summary: A recent survey found that half of respondents believed the Finnish Parliament could still get the job done with only 100 members, instead of its current 200.

A fresh poll of more than one thousand Finnish adults suggests that half of the country's residents would support slashing the number of representatives to the Finnish Parliament from 200 to 100.
 The Municipal Development Foundation survey also found that over four-fifths (83 percent) of the people surveyed were opposed to raising the number of Finnish MPs past the current 200.
 More than one third (36 percent) of the poll's respondents would not want to reduce MP seat numbers.
 When grouped according to party allegiance, the poll respondents supporting the nationalist Finns Party were most in favour of cutting MP numbers (69 percent), followed by supporters of the Social Democratic Party (58 percent) and the centre-right National Coalition Party (55 percent). Poll respondents who indicated that they were supporters of the Centre Party and the Left Alliance were more reluctant than the average to slash parliamentary representation.
 The survey also found that slightly more than half of the respondents would be prepared to limit MP service to two consecutive terms, or eight years. Two-thirds of the survey respondents (38 percent) would not limit the MPs' term of service.
 The pollster Kantar TNS interviewed over one thousand Finnish residents over the age of 18 for the survey, resulting in a margin of error of under three percentage points in either direction.

Half of Finns support 50% reduction of MPs, poll suggests


Summary: Some 250,000 expatriate Finns are eligible to vote in this year's parliamentary election, according to the Justice Ministry.

Finland is piloting postal voting for the first time in April's parliamentary poll, giving a voice to some 250,000 eligible voters overseas. Here's what to do.
 How:  Expatriate Finnish voters must first fill in an  online form  (in Finnish and Swedish) requesting the ballot package be mailed to them. The Ministry of Justice will then mail them a voting package, which includes a ballot, ballot envelope, a letter to be filled in by the voter, and an envelope in which it is all sent back to Finland by 12 April. Voters pay for their own postage when returning the ballot to Finland. Candidate numbers are available on the Justice Ministry's page around a month before election day (14 April).
 When:  Ballots can be mailed back to Finland from 14 March onward to the voter's municipality. If the municipality has the voter's address on file, the Population Register Centre will send a polling card indicating the right to vote around 1.5 months before the election day. This card indicates where to return the ballot. Voters unsure of which municipality to return the ballots to can inquire with the  Ministry of Justice  or the  Population Register Centre .
 To note : Two witnesses who are not family members must sign a document included in the voting package assuring that the ballot was cast in secret and without coercion.
 More detailed instructions on advanced voting in Finland are available from the  Justice Ministry .
 Voice for Finland's diaspora
 "The process is quite simple and smooth and we believe voters will think so too,"  Arto Jääskeläinen , the Justice Ministry's director of electoral administration, told Yle News.
 Some 250,000 people are eligible to vote in the election, according to the Justice Ministry. More than 100,000 of these voters reside in neighbouring Sweden, according to Finland Society, a group promoting the interests of Finns living abroad.
 Pensions, benefits priority
 Finland Society has campaigned for postal ballots for decades. The quarter of a million-strong Finnish diaspora accounts for 5.6 percent of all eligible voters, a group politicians are now looking to appeal to.
 "Expat voters are interested in issues pertaining to pensions, dual citizenship and Finnish schools abroad,"  Tina Strandberg , executive director of Finland Society, explained. "Most importantly it’s a form of societal participation and staying connected."
 In past elections, just ten percent of those eligible voted in person at Finnish consulates. The cost of travelling to a Finnish embassy or consulate discouraged many voters.
 "It would be great if we could double that number," Strandberg explained, adding that voters' right to a secret ballot was one issue that slowed down the government’s approval of mail-in votes - a problem the Justice Ministry has now solved by requiring vote witnesses.
 Finnish citizens abroad will, however, still be able to vote in advance in person at Finnish diplomatic and consular missions. Advance voting at overseas missions will take place between 3 and 6 April.
 Postal voting documents for the European Parliament elections can be requested as of 26 March.

Yle News explains: How to vote from abroad in Finland's parliamentary elections


Summary: Christian Democrat chair Sari Essayah appealed for better state monitoring of elderly care and obligatory employee registers to stop the use of "ghost nurses".

Finland's Christian Democrat political party chair  Sari Essayah  appeared on Yle's morning television programme on Saturday to demand stricter oversight of the country's elder care services.
 An  ongoing scandal over negligent care standards in privately-run homes for the elderly  inspired a  crisis meeting  on Friday, which led to a list of 25 promises of improvement. The CEO of the chain of senior care facilities accused of the maltreatment, Esperi Care,  recently resigned  over the scandal.
 A  confidence motion  in the government signed by every opposition party was also submitted to the parliamentary speaker on Friday, with debate will take place next week Wednesday and a vote scheduled for Friday.
 No more "ghost nurses"
 Persistent understaffing and a shortage of workers in Finnish care facilities  have led many locations to introduce what has become known as a "ghost nurse" protocol, where names of workers who aren't actually present are entered into the shift list.
 "It is completely incomprehensible and contrary to fundamental health care ethics that a practice such as this has gained a foothold in our country. It must be eliminated quickly," Essayah said.
 She suggests both introducing sanctions for instances of neglect that are discovered and a register system like the kind used in the construction industry, whereby the identity of each employee is verified with their ID and tax number.
 Looking after the best interests of the elderly
 As head of the Christian Democrats, Essayah also proposes the establishment of an official state ombudsman to oversee the status and equal treatment of Finland's elderly population.
 She said the new position could be combined with more unannounced inspections of care facilities on the part of Finnish authorities.
 "Care institutions are now told in advance when the inspections will take place, so of course they have the time to arrange it so that everything is in order," she said.
 Essayah also proposed that the law be changed to require a certain number of staff per customer in such facilities. She suggests a ratio of 7 caregivers for every 10 occupants, but says that if the need for care is lighter, there could be some flexibility in this area.
 "We need a fresh air guarantee, to make sure senior care home occupants get outside a few times a day, but we would also need a meal guarantee, a hygiene guarantee, and a community guarantee that would make it impossible to separate elderly couples, for example," she said.

Care home scandal prompts call for senior affairs ombudsman


Summary: A precipitation front will move over Finland from the south on Sunday, bringing up to 20 centimetres of fresh snow to southern and central areas.

A new low-pressure front will start crossing into Finland late Saturday night, bringing between 10 and 20 centimetres of snow to southern and central areas on Sunday.
 The snowfall will not extend north into Finnish Lapland until Monday, while frigid temperatures of minus 20 degrees Celsius there are predicted to continue. Temperatures will be much warmer in the south, where the mercury may even rise above the freezing point at times.
 During the snowfall in the lower parts of the country, Yle meteorologists  Henri Nyman  and  Matti Huutonen  say winds could gust at close to 15 meters per second at their strongest.
 "In other words, the snow is going to blow around and create drifts. The storm could be the worst we've seen this winter, especially if it continues into Monday," they say.
 Hazardous conditions for planes, trains and automobiles
 They say the blustery conditions will create dangerous traffic conditions in all of the areas affected and choppy waters at sea. Even though the worst of the snowfall will likely take place overnight, the weather experts predict that the new snow cover may cause problems for road, railway and even air traffic in the next few days.
 The added snow may cause other safety concerns, too, as many trees branches in the central areas of Finland in particular are already carrying heavy snow burdens. Hard winds and even more weight could mean that some trees and branches start falling, cutting power lines and potentially causing serious damage.
 Yet another round of snow may be heading towards Finland on Monday as well. If it does arrive, Yle meterologist  Joonas Koskela  says it will dump the most snow in southeastern areas. He warns that driving conditions in this part of Finland will be very bad on Monday.

Winter storm set to bring 20 cm of new snow


Summary: Trains, planes and automobiles have been delayed by a new dump of snow in Finland's southern and central areas – and more is on the way.

Road conditions in southern and central Finland are very hazardous this Sunday due to new heavy snowfall. Over 11 centimetres of new snow fell on Helsinki and Espoo overnight, for example.
 High winds with blowing snow continue to hamper visibility in areas, and have helped to form large drifts that maintenance crews are working overtime to remove.
 "Some smaller roads may be blocked altogether. Many cars are stuck," says  Kirsi Salokanto , a traffic officer with Traffic Management Finland.
 Although ploughs and front-end loaders are out in force, the authorities ask that motorists who must venture out into traffic reserve extra time and exercise caution.
 Helsinki's Rescue Services unit also warns pedestrians about snow and ice that might fall from rooftops in the city. It advises people on the pavement to avoid walking in potentially dangerous areas, and reminds property managers to remove snow and ice that could pose a hazard at once.
 Delays at airports and train stations
 Airport operator Finavia has released a bulletin saying that the "challenging snow conditions" may cause delays. Several flights at the Helsinki Airport have been behind schedule Sunday morning, despite the famous snow clean-up team there doing its best to keep the runways open.
 At least five long-distance trains were delayed on Sunday morning, as the train operator VR also warned ticketholders about possible timetables changes. Commuter N-train routes have been cut back to enable snow removal work on the tracks.
 Newspaper deliveries have also been interrupted in the capital city area, according to some reports.
 The latest snowfall has not caused any major power outages in Finland so far. Just over 2,500 homes and businesses were reported without electricity in 39 central and southern municipalities as of around noon.
 The snowfall is expected to continue through the day on Sunday, and more snow is in the forecast for Monday and Tuesday, in southeast and central areas in particular.

Fresh snowfall snarls road, rail and air traffic in the south


Summary: The credit ratings agency has affirmed Finland's AA+ rating, saying the outlook for the Nordic country's economy looks positive.

One of the top three credit ratings in the world, Fitch Ratings, has affirmed its assessment of Finland's creditworthiness at AA+, the second-best rating possible, in its latest regular analysis.
 The agency gave Finland a positive outlook when it came to fiscal finances, due to the country's "high value-added economy, strong governance indicators, solid macroeconomic policy institutions and high degree of fiscal financing flexibility". The fact that public debt in Finland has been brought down to below 60 percent of the country's GDP was also seen as a favourable development.¨
 Falling GDP growth in the pipeline
 The agency however lowered its real GDP growth estimate for 2018 slightly, from 2.7 percent to 2.3 percent, since its last appraisal in August.
 "We expect economic growth to decelerate further to 1.5% and 1.2% in 2019 and 2020. The Finnish economy reached a cyclical peak in 2017, and growth in 2018 slowed down faster than expected. […] Net trade has been the main drag on growth, reflecting weaker external demand from key EU trading partners," Fitch's report read.
 Fitch's assessment maintains that measures in Prime Minister  Juha Sipilä 's hard-wrought 2016 competitiveness pact have helped boost employment, lower unit labour costs and restore export competitiveness, but warns that a rapidly ageing population and underlying structural issues in the labour market continue to constrain potential growth.
 Another minus listed in the report was the key risk inherent in increasing levels of household indebtedness, which Fitch says had reached 116.4 percent of disposable income at the end of 2017.
 The ratings agency predicts that the April 2019 parliamentary elections are "unlikely to result in a marked shift in fiscal policy direction". It also casts doubt on the government's ability to pass its longstanding social and healthcare reform package before the election.
 The two other major credit agencies, Standard & Poor's and Moody's, last produced similar status assessments of Finland's economic prospects last autumn.

Fitch maintains Finland's credit rating, lowers growth forecast


Summary: Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, patron of the yearly church-run campaign, said the 2019 drive will collect funds for disadvantaged children's school material.

This year's Common Responsibility or  Yhteisvastuu  charity campaign will collect money to help less fortunate school children in Finland and abroad, explained Finnish President  Sauli Niinistö  on Sunday.
 As patron of the annual event, the President emphasized the importance of education as a promoter of equality in his television address opening the fundraiser.
 "Every tenth child in Finland is growing up in a family whose income falls below the poverty line. In cases like this, every euro needed for studies is one less that can be spent on something necessary. There's simply no extra money for school supplies," he said.
 It is currently estimated that 110,000 children live in low-income households in Finland, a number that is expected to grow.
 "Everyone should be afforded a real and true opportunity to receive an education and become a part of society. We have to ensure that this happens," the president said.
 The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland's Deaconess Fund will be responsible for distributing the money collected to schools with needy children.
 Education as the great leveller
 Another reason that school materials were chosen as the theme this year were figures from last year that show that only three percent of the world's humanitarian aid was directed towards books and other necessary school equipment.
 Niinistö reminded his television audience that education is the road to development, and by extension, the eradication of poverty. He also added that inclusive education is one of the United Nation's  Sustainable Development Goals  for the period 2015 to 2030.
 "Free, equitable and quality basic education should be available to everyone by the year 2030. There are still over 60 million children in the world who can't even attend primary school," he said.
 The charity drive is a yearly event organized by Finland's Evangelical Lutheran Church that extends helps to those in need irrespective of their origin, faith or political convictions.
 The development group Finn Church Aid traditionally uses 60 percent of the proceeds in its international aid projects, while 40 percent of the funds raised are spent helping needy people in Finland.

President Niinistö launches annual charity drive


Summary: Finland’s basic income trial increased participants’ sense of happiness but didn’t improve employment, the government said on Friday.

The basic income experiment did not increase participants’ employment levels in the first year (2017) of the two-year experiment. But by the end of the trial, basic income recipients’ perceived wellbeing was better than that of those in the control group.
 The randomised field experiment implemented by Finland's benefits agency Kela selected 2,000 unemployed people at random to receive 560 euros tax-free every month. Participants were able to work alongside receiving the money, or even start their own businesses. Selected participants could, however, not opt out of the trial.
 "We can say that during the first year of the experiment the recipients of basic income were no better or worse off than the control group at finding employment in the open labour market," said  Ohto Kanninen , Research Coordinator at the Labour Institute for Economic Research, in a government statement.
 Less bureaucracy, more happiness
 People receiving basic income over the past two years said the tax-exempt benefit made it easier to set up a business and that they were pleased with the reduction in red tape.
 "The basic income may have a positive effect on the wellbeing of the recipient even though it does not in the short term improve the person’s employment prospects," said  Minna Ylikännö , lead researcher at Kela.
 Fifty-five percent of basic income participants and 46 percent of the control group surveyed at the end of last year perceived their health as good or very good. Meanwhile 17 percent of basic income recipients and 25 percent of the control group said they experienced quite a high degree or very high degree of stress over the past two years. The response rate for the survey was 23 percent.
 The social experiment, launched by prime minister  Juha Sipilä ’s government, aims to explore how Finland's welfare system could adopt to changes in working life.
 The experiment began on 1 January 2017 and ended on 31 December 2018.

Basic income findings: More happiness, but no effect on employment


Summary: The railway company fears long-distance and commuter train delays and cancellations may run into Monday, after a series of delays on Sunday.

Finland's state-owned railway company VR has asked customers planning to use long-distance or commuter trains on Monday, 4 February to be prepared for delays or cancellations due to weather conditions.
 The railway company reports that all commuter D-trains will be cancelled on Monday. A-trains will be running within every 20 minutes between 6am and 9am, and K-trains will be running every 20 minutes between 6am and 2pm. The R-train to Riihimäki that departs from Helsinki at 3:51pm will also be cancelled.
 VR warns in the bulletin that other long-distance trains might also be cancelled, so it advises customers to check their  website  for more information before setting out.
 The VR website lists at least ten long-distance trains had been delayed for longer periods on Sunday, after southern and central parts of Finland received up to 16 centimetres of new snow.

VR warns of continuing snow-induced train delays


Summary: Weekend snows impacting public transport and a poll showing a majority of Finns see a link between immigration and sex crimes are among the items highlighted in the morning's Finnish newspaper press.

Take time and have patience are what today's  Iltalehti advises commuters  this Monday morning.
 Along with most other papers, Iltalehti reports disruptions to rail traffic, with delays to some long distance train services, and some cancellations in commuter rail services in the greater Helsinki region.
 A listing of changes in Monday's rail traffic, in English, is available in  traffic bulletins  from the state railways VR.
 Iltalehti also reports that driving conditions are hazardous in central and northern parts of the country.
 While southern regions are not expected to get snow on Monday, more is expected this week. According to the Foreca weather service, the Helsinki area already has 43-55cm of accumulated snow cover at the moment.
 Immigration and sexual offenses
 Finland's largest circulation daily, Helsingin Sanomat, on Monday published  a Gallup poll  showing that a majority of Finns take the view that sexual offenses are closely linked to immigration.
 When presented with the statement "the most important reasons for sex crimes include the different culture and religion of immigrants", 65 percent of respondents said they agreed completely or in part.
 Several men with immigrant background in Oulu are under  investigation on charges of sex crimes  involving minors. A similar case  came to light in Helsinki  in January. As Helsingin Sanomat points out, the press has reported that a disproportionately large number of offenders have immigrant backgrounds.
 The paper says that it commissioned the poll because measures to prevent sex crimes and the link to immigration has become a major issue on the national political agenda.
 The debate about sex crimes, particularly concerning the recent cases in Oulu, has been divisive.
 There are those who see immigration as a cause. There are others, in turn, who downplay nationality and stress that native Finns also commit sexual offenses.
 This division is evident in the Helsingin Sanomat poll. Among supporters of the Finns Party, a majority take the view that cultural factors are absolutely one of the most significant reasons for sexual offenses. Far fewer people taking that position were found among voters who back the Greens (13%) and the Left Alliance (14%).
 The poll also asked about measures to combat sex crimes. The most favoured (26%) was tougher sentences. In second (19%) was more focus on teaching immigrants about laws and values. Ten percent said they would prefer to see a reduction in immigration on humanitarian grounds and a further ten percent backed a reduction in immigration in general. These last two were favoured by 60 percent of supporters of the Finns Party.
 Push for gender-neutral titles
 Over the weekend, the Sunnuntaisuomalainen news syndication service reported that the National Institute for Health and Welfare THL has issued a recommendation that professional titles ending with "mies" (man) be replaced by gender-neutral alternatives. For example, it suggests that the word for lawyer (literally "lawman") should give way to the less gender-biased term for jurist.
 The tabloid Ilta-Sanomat took up the topic and some of the suggestions for changes.
 It says that in the past there have been suggestions that the title "fireman" could be replaced with one which could translate as "saviour". In Finnish, as well, that has religious overtones, and as one firefighter interviewed by the paper said, could cause people to confuse emergency services with the Salvation Army.
 Fire departments were rebranded in the 1990s as emergency services departments. However, the public at large still thinks of them primarily as fire departments.
 As Jussi Koikkalainen, a fireman-first aid specialist in Helsinki, told Ilta-Sanomat, "When we go out on a call, I never shout out 'emergency services", I yell "fire department" at the door. It's all the same if my title is fireman or a first aid specialist when there I'm shouting."

Monday's papers: Traffic disruptions, sex crime poll, gender-neutral titles


Summary: Matti Nykänen, widely considered the best male ski jumper of all time, died on Sunday night.

Finnish  ski jumping legend Matti Nykänen  has died at the age of 55, Yle has confirmed.
 Nykänen first gained fame as a ski jumper in the beginning of the 1980s when he quickly climbed his way to the top of the sport. From 1981 until 1991 he won one silver and four gold Olympic medals, nine World Championship medals and a total of 22 Finnish Championship medals, 14 of which were gold.
 By the time he claimed three gold medals at the 1988 Olympic games in Calgary, Nykänen had become a national sports hero and was named Finland's Athlete of the Year in 1985 and 1988.
 Story continues after photo.
 Matti Nykänen holding his three gold Olympic medals in 1988. Martti Kainulainen / Lehtikuva
 His ski-jumping image was also featured on a postage stamp following his record-breaking Olympic victories in Calgary.
 Post-career troubles
 However, he faced many challenges during his post-athletic life and career.
 Nykänen was married a total of five times. His face - and stories of his troubles - often appeared in tabloid newspaper and magazine articles throughout the remainder of his life.
 At the beginning of the 90s he embarked on a career as a singer. His first album, released in 1992 sold more than 25,000 copies, but follow-up recordings were not as successful. During one period of financial hardship at the end of the decade, Nykänen took a job as a stripper.
 He struggled with alcohol abuse and became known more for his violent behaviour than for his ski jumping talent. He was handed a 26-month prison sentence after a 2004 stabbing incident and then received another 16-month sentence for assaulting his wife in 2009.
 Diabetes diagnosis
 Last summer Nykänen was reportedly diagnosed with diabetes. Last month he told the newspaper Aamulehti that he had gotten his life back on track since the diagnosis.
 "First I was scared as hell. I knew that the illness could be fatal if you don't take care of yourself. But I have found the right insulin balance and my energy and love of life has returned. It feels damn good," he told the paper.
 Story continues after photo.
 File photo of Matti Nykänen. AOP
 In recent weeks the former ski-jumping singer also began touring again. Just last Friday he performed at a packed restaurant in Helsinki and last month played to full audiences, as well.
 Nykänen was born on 17 July 1963 in Jyväskylä. He is survived by his wife and three children.
 Tabloid magazine Seiska first reported on Nykänen's death.

Troubled Finnish ski jumping legend Matti Nykänen dead at 55


Summary: Maternity wards at more hospitals in Finland may be facing closure as the birth rate continues at an all-time low.

Last midsummer, Janni Rikama was rushed into an operating room at Mikkeli Central Hospital for an emergency C-section. After several days of attempts to induce labour, the sound of her unborn child's heart had grown weak and a caesarean delivery was deemed the safest option. Even so, the new mother says that she has good memories of the birth of her daughter Heta and of her stay in the maternity ward.
 "It's a sort of safe place. They have a professional, empathetic staff and we mothers are really well taken care of. The family rooms are a good thing because you can be in peaceful surroundings with just your family," Rikama says.
 Heta was one of 732 children who came into the world at Mikkeli Central Hospital last year. That figure was 90 less than in 2017. Next year, maternity services at the hospital will be suspended and it will have to apply for a special permit in order to reopen its maternity ward at a later date.
 Story continues after photo
 Heta and her mother Janni Rikama. Esa Huuhko / Yle
 Under the rules established by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in 2015, a hospital needs to show 1000 births a year in order to operate a maternity ward without special dispensation. Hospitals in Mikkeli and in Kainuu have both had to apply for exceptions to the rule twice since then. Maternity wards at hospitals in Savonlinna and Porvoo have been closed.
 Only 23 wards remaining
 The number of hospitals in Finland where women can give birth has fallen dramatically from its previous high point. In 1975, there were 62. Today the number is down to 23. The most recent maternity ward to close its doors, at the start of this year, was the Oulaskangas hospital at Oulainen in Northern Ostrobothnia. In this case, the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health decided that the hospital did not have the resources to meet all safety requirements.
 Preliminary data released by Statistics Finland in January, showed that  fewer than 48,000 births were recorded in the country  last year. This was the eighth year in a row that the number of babies born in Finland fell.
 The declining birth rate is throwing a shadow over the future of more and more maternity wards. Internal migration is also playing a part, as many young people move to larger population centres to study and work, and often stay to raise families.
 This in turn means that births are concentrated in certain hospitals. The largest number of births last year, nearly 6,000, were recorded at Helsinki's Women’s Hospital which is part of the Helsinki University Hospital. The capital's other main facility, the Kätilöopisto Maternity Hospital, was closed in late 2017 because of indoor air quality problems.
 The number of births has fallen especially in eastern Finland and in Lapland.
 Lappi Central Hospital in Rovaniemi saw only 860 births last year and will have to apply for a special permit to continue maternity care this year.
 Also, at 967, the number of births at the South Karelia Central Hospital in Lappeenranta was just slightly short of the lower limit. A solution to the situation there is being sought in  an attempt to attract expectant Russian mothers  and help safeguard the future of local maternity wards.
 Story continues after photo
 AOP
 Elsewhere, efforts to convince officials to grant or renew operating permits include more cooperation with private sector healthcare providers, as well as upgrading and expanding facilities.
 Long distances and uncertainty
 It is not uncommon for expectant mothers who live a long distance from a maternity hospital to stay with friends or relatives closer to the facility, or in a room at a patients' hotel when due date draws near.
 The number of babies born while the mother was on route to a hospital has doubled over the past 20 years, but the numbers are not significantly different between the south and the north of the country. Some localities have piloted programmes where a midwife is part of ambulance crews.
 Mika Gissler, a research professor at the National Institute for Health and Welfare, points out that birth rates have declined in all the Nordic countries. He says that data from Sweden indicates that long distances between homes and maternity hospitals negatively affect plans by couples to have children
 "People think twice about having a new child if the local hospital has closed down. Usually, decisions about having children hinge on other factors, so maybe it doesn't have a broad impact," Gissler speculates.
 If Janni Rikama had not been able to have her youngest child in her local hospital in Mikkeli last summer, it would have meant a lengthy separation from her family.
 "My husband would not have been able to travel every day with our firstborn to come to see me. I'm sure I would have missed my family terribly, which would have affected by mood and condition," she says.
 Rikama is concerned that there is no guarantee that her local hospital will provide maternity services in future.
 "If they end births in Mikkeli, it will bring a lot of unnecessary risks. There is no sense in making the distances longer. There are already places where you have to travel an awful long way to the closest hospital."

Falling birth rate threatens future of maternity hospitals


Summary: Finland on Monday joined the group of EU member states voicing support for Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó.

Finland has moved with other European countries towards recognising Juan Guaidó as Venezuela's president, rather than incumbent Nicolás Maduro.
 News of Finland's support for Guaidó came in a text message to Yle from Foreign Minister Timo Soini's special adviser Riikka Taivassalo.
 "Like other EU countries, In order to support the constitutional process in Venezuela, Finland supports Guaidó as Venezuela's interim president," Taivassalo stated in the message.
 Earlier on Monday, Spain, Sweden, Portugal, Denmark, Austria, the Netherlands, France, Germany and the UK all officially recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president of Venezuela.
 The European Parliament announced last Thursday that it considers Guaidó to be his country's interim president.
 Venezuela's leadership has been in question since 10 January, when the country's legislature declared Maduro's 2018 re-election invalid and Guaidó as the country's legitimate president. Russia has been a staunch supporter of Maduro, while western countries have urged political change on the crisis-hit country where inflation was reported to have  hit 80,000 percent in 2018 .

Finland backs Guaidó as Venezuela's interim president


Summary: A finance ministry report said Finland's next government will need to scrape together some two billion euros by 2023 to ensure fiscal sustainability.

Terveyden- ja sairaanhoidon kustannukset

Finland’s Finance Ministry has warned that the country’s next government can’t go on a spending spree or slash taxes without jeopardising state finances.
 Ahead of elections due in April, the ministry has published a report calling on the incoming government to implement an additional two billion euros of spending cuts or tax rises to keep the state coffers in good shape.
 VAT hikes suggested
 One of the report's few concrete examples of how the state could rake in more cash would be to raise value added taxes (VAT), which have been pared down in recent years. The report suggested the next government could raise VAT on goods and services like food, medicine, books, newspapers, movie tickets, taxi rides and restaurant visits.
 Ministry coordinator  Sami Yläoutinen  said the report's authors did not take a position on how to raise the needed cash injection, but said there are limits to how much taxes could be raised.
 The report warned that significant tax increases would weaken economic growth and hurt employment, saying that Finland needs to create a financial buffer for the next economic recession and to address rising pension and health care costs.
 It said that in order for the state to reach a surplus of 0.5 percent it would need to boost public finances by a total of two billion euros by 2023.
 "Measures that quickly boost public finances are crucial to building buffers for the next recession. An ageing population will also automatically increase public expenditure every year, resulting in a deterioration of public finances unless rapidly effective measures are taken," a ministry press release about the report states.
 Sustainability gap
 The report noted that Finland's sustainability gap - a growing ageing population and declining birth rate - means that taxes from the country's workforce won't be able to cover increasing health care and pension expenditures.
 Yläoutinen said that if the country does not act quickly, public finances will weaken.
 The ministry's report also called on the next government to boost employment, saying that 100,000 new jobs need to be filled by 2025, or raising the employment rate from the current 72 percent to 75 percent.
 It said such an improvement in workforce numbers would help to slash an additional two billion euros towards compensating the sustainability gap.
 The report noted that the future effects of long-planned, but yet-to-be-implemented, reforms to Finland's social and health care systems (colloquially known as _ sote _) are still unknown.
 Social, health care costs
 However, it said that regardless of what shape such reforms take in the future, the state will need to curb cost increases in the social and health care sectors by some three billion euros by the end of the 2020s.
 The report said Finland's sustainability gap is now less that it was in the spring of 2015, when Prime Minister Juha Sipilä's tripartite government took office, saying that its budget cuts helped to achieve that.
 When the Sipilä administration ascended in 2015 the sustainability gap amounted to some 11 billion euros, while at the end of last year that gap shrank to around 9.2 billion euros, according to the report.
 At the same time, however, the report said that the continuing declining birth rate in recent years has increased that gap by around 1.4 billion euros.
 The ministry's calculations did not include the savings that Sipilä's government has been trying to reach through the sote reforms.
 Even if the incoming government follows all of the finance ministry's suggestions the state will still be facing a sustainability gap of between two to three billion euros when the following government takes office.

Next govt needs €2b in cuts or higher taxes, ministry says


Summary: A revamp of the iconic Finlandia concert hall in Helsinki is costing nearly fifty million euros more than planned.

Documents published by the municipality of Helsinki, which is paying for the repairs, show that costs have overrun by as much as fifty million euros on the project to renovate Finlandia Hall. The documents detail billed renovation costs amounting to some 119 million euros.
 In the autumn Yle reported that the project was set to cost some 70 million euros, although that estimate included only basic repairs to the building.
 The plan is a top to bottom repair and restoration job on everything from the facades to the plumbing, while also creating space for new ventures on the premises.
 The biggest challenge for the project is how to introduce modern technology to the building while respecting the original architectural style.
 The biggest question to be resolved is whether to use the original marble or to switch to a less high-maintenance material on the facades.
 To help in the decision, contractors are testing eight different materials on a trial wall. Three of those materials are marble tiles of different types, with white granite, white concrete and ceramic tiles also tested.
 Facade renovation is expected to account for between 12 and 15 percent of the total cost of the work.
 The project is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2022 and to be completed by 2024. A temporary structure is to be erected alongside the hall for the duration, allowing a normal programme of events to continue.
 The concert hall, set by Töölö bay in the heart of Finland’s capital, was opened in 1971. It hosted the series of meetings leading to the creation of the OSCE in 1975, and has been a diplomatic and cultural icon since then.

Finlandia Hall renovation cost shoots up


Summary: Finnish newspapers this Tuesday are awash with hundreds of articles marking the death of Finnish ski jumping legend Matti Nykänen.

Rarely does a single domestic event cause such an outpouring of reports and commentary as has  the passing of ski jumping legend , later entertainer and staple of tabloid headlines,  Matti Nykänen .
 Many papers on Tuesday carried dozens of items about Nykänen, reviewing his  accomplishments and his personal tragedies .
 Iltalehti, among them, wrote that  a sense of sorrow at the news  of Nykänen's death stopped the Finns in their tracks. The paper described him as being in many ways an exceptional Finn, both as an athlete and as a private individual.
 The five-time Olympic medal winner became, in this paper's words, "the whole nation's Matti".
 "Nykänen's death is naturally a huge shock and a loss to his family and friends, but the loss of this athlete, who rose to the status of national hero, brought the whole of Finland together on Monday and had masses of people remembering him, the greatest ski jumper of all time."
 Taxing the lottery
 A Finance Ministry  report published on Monday  stated that Finland's next government will need to find an extra two billion euros by 2023 in order to ensure fiscal sustainability. The alternatives are the standard ones - spending cuts or tax rises.
 In a bylined column in the economic and business daily  Kauppalehti , the paper's news chief  Mikko Metsämäki  suggests that the next government could find a big chunk of that money by taxing winners of the national lottery.
 This week, the first prize in the lottery is a record 15.5 million euros, money paid out tax-free to the winner, or winners.
 Veikkaus, which runs the lottery, does pay a nominal 10 percent tax on the pots it gives out, but if wins were taxed at, say 30 percent, that would bring an extra half a billion euros into state coffers annually.
 Metsämäki has made the same suggestion in the past. At that time the Finance Ministry commented that technically, taxing lottery wins would be easy, but it would require a political decision and a change in the ideology of state-sponsored gambling.
 On the political aspects, he says somewhat tongue in cheek, that the Conservative's position is that work must always be profitable, but winning the lottery should be even more profitable; the Social Democrats want more money for elder care, as long as it doesn't come from lottery winners; the Centre sees the lottery as the last hope in many rural communities, so it can't be touched.
 On a more serious note, Metsämäki says that the consensus among all the political parties is that it is more important to impose a punitive "solidarity tax" on anyone earning more than 70,000 a year than it is to bolt the door to the country's own domestic tax haven.
 Record cold and rail cancellations
 A new record low temperature for this winter was recording at Utsjoki in the far north of Finnish Lapland overnight when the thermometer briefly dropped to -39.1C.
 Ilta-Sanomat  reports that the Finnish Metrological Institute said that the temperature soon then rose slightly as some low cloud cover moved into the area.
 The all-time low temperature in Finland was seen in January 1999 when a bone-chilling -51.5C was recorded in Lapland at Kittilä.
 Snow and cold are responsible for rail traffic disruptions and a string of cancellations by the state railways VR.
 Turun Sanomat  reports that VR is blaming what it describes as "challenging weather conditions". Low temperatures and deep accumulation of snow has put a strain on both rolling stock and track infrastructure.
 Although VR has targeted keeping 95 percent of long-distance trains in operation, engines and cars are in need of thawing and maintenance.
 According to a media release from the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, Helsinki had a greater accumulation of snow last month than as ever been measured for a January. Cold and snow have jammed rail switches that have to then be cleared by hand.
 A listing of cancellations planned for this week in English can be found  here .
 Great free exercise?
 On the subject of cancellations, this could be the time of the year to cancel your gym membership and grab a snow shovel instead.
 Tampere's Aamulehti  takes up the question of whether or not shovelling snow is good for you. To answer that, the paper spoke with exercise physiologist and sports planner  Katriina Ojala  of the UKK Institute Centre for Health Promotion Research.
 Ojala pointed out that to be effective, exercise should be regular. Since snow shovelling is a seasonal activity and not usually done every day, it doesn't stack up against many other routines.
 That's not to say it isn't good for you though. "When you work at it efficiently, you get a workout for leg and arm muscles and your pulse rises. The heavier the snow, the more muscle work it takes. People who are not in good physical shape get the most health benefits."
 There are risks. The cold poses a risk to people with heart problems or asthma. Posture is important to prevent back injuries.
 Ojala's advice is to approach it much like any sport.
 "Lots of people shovel snow too fast. Just as before any exercise activity, remember to do some warm up before you start."

Tuesday's papers: Eulogies for Nykänen, taxes, and shovelling snow can be good for you


Summary: Around one-third of people under the age of 45 - but only a tenth of those older than that - regularly listen to radio streams on mobile devices.

During the final quarter of last year, radio reached 71 percent of the population on a daily basis, with 92 percent saying that they listen to radio broadcasts at least weekly, according to the  latest survey  by TV and radio market research company Finnpanel.
 On average, listeners consumed 2 hours and 48 minutes of radio a day.
 The Finnpanel survey found peak listening time to be at 8:00 am on weekdays when radio broadcasts reached an average audience of 1.2 million people.
 The most listened to radio channel was Yle's Radio Suomi, with nearly one-third of audience listenership. The second most popular was the commercial station Radio Nova, followed by Yle Radio 1.
 For the most part, audiences still rely on traditional radio receivers.
 Finnpanel measures radio using diaries to measure radio listening, with an annual national sample size of about 21,000 listeners.

Radio still popular in Finnish media market


Summary: The state rail company VR has said that it will substitute buses on some of the cancelled rail trips.

State-owned rail services provider VR has announced that it will suspend some inter-city train rides until Thursday due to heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures. Last weekend, VR had said that  snow would cause delays and cancellations  into Monday. VR said however that 95 percent of its services would remain operational.
 The decision means no rail services on 18 routes, some of which will be served by buses instead. The suspended routes include trips between Helsinki and Turku, Helsinki and Tampere, Helsinki – Lappeenranta, Tampere – Vaasa and Vaasa and Seinäjoki. Commuters are being advised to check the VR website for  a full list of the affected routes .
 The company said that recent unusually heavy snowfall has affected rail switches and also disrupted trains’ electrical and air pressure systems. In addition snow and ice have also damaged some of the firm’s rolling stock. VR said it hopes that cancelling some services will allow time for thawing and maintenance of the trains.
 Delays still likely
 VR has also advised commuters to prepare for delays on other routes that remain operational. The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency (Väylävirasto) said that Finland’s railways are prepared for snow.
 "We are now running rail maintenance at maximum volume and we are prepared for expected snow. But since the beginning of the year we have already experienced five sets of thick, long-lasting snowfall in southern Finland," maintenance unit director  Magnus Nygård  said in a statement.
 Daily Helsingin Sanomat reported on Monday Helsinki had seen historic levels of snowfall this winter.
 Edit: Updated at 6.42pm on 5 February to reflect that some, not all VR services would be suspended and to include VR's comment that 95 percent of rail services would remain operational.

Heavy snowfall stalls inter-city trains until Thursday


Summary: People who were aboard the Silja Serenade last weekend should check their vaccination records, the National Institute for Health and Welfare has advised.

An adult passenger who cruised from Helsinki to Stockholm and back on Silja's Serenade ferry over the weekend was diagnosed with measles on Monday, according to the National Institute for Health and Welfare THL.
 The health institute issued an advisory to passengers who were aboard the Silja between the dates of 1-3 February to make sure they have been vaccinated against measles.
 The passenger was diagnosed with measles after returning from the trip on Monday and had been infected in southern Finland, according to THL specialist  Mia Kontio .
 News reports of measles cases in Finland started appearing towards the end of last year. In December, THL warned that people born in the 1970s in Finland  may be lacking the measles vaccine  to protect them against the illness. The agency issued the warning after  a case of measles contracted by an unvaccinated child in Larsmo , Ostrobothnia was reported.
 Vaccination recommended
 THL is advising those who were aboard the Serenade during 1-3 February who are not vaccinated against measles - or haven't had the disease previously - to immediately contact a health centre to arrange a vaccination.
 This group should receive the MPR vaccine (MMR outside of Finland) within three days after possible exposure to the highly-contagious measles virus.
 There is still time for these passengers to protect themselves from the disease - if they are vaccinated by Wednesday morning - the health agency said.
 If people begin noticing symptoms of measles they should contact their local health centre. Measles symptoms usually begin about nine to 11 days after infection, according to THL.
 The cruise the infected individual took over the weekend, the Silja Serenade, shuttles between Helsinki and Stockholm, Sweden every evening.
 The individual boarded the Silja Serenade in Helsinki on Friday, 1 February at 5:00 pm and then departed Stockholm on Saturday evening. The individual then returned to the ship, which arrived to Helsinki on Sunday, 3 February at 10:30 am.
 Ferry firm Silja said it is attempting to reach passengers who were on the weekend cruise.
 THL: 96% of kids in Finland vaccinated against measles
 In a separate but related announcement on Tuesday, THL said the vaccination coverage of children in Finland is very high.
 There is a 96 percent MPR vaccination rate among children born in 2016.
 Those who received the jab are shielded against measles, rubella and mumps. That 96 percent coverage rate is two percentage points higher than those born in 2015, according to THL.
 The agency said that in order for flock immunity of MPR to be effective there needs to be at least a 95 percent vaccination rate.
 Vaccination coverage rates in Finland of other diseases is also high.
 Some 99 percent of children in Finland have been vaccinated against diphtheria, whooping cough, polio and influenza type b, according to THL.

THL warns of passenger with measles on Silja's Serenade ferry


Summary: Global megatrends are expected to provide Finland's thriving pulp production sector with a buffer against future recessions.

Teollisuustuotteet ja -palvelut (Sektori)

The pulp industry has been thriving for the past decade. Prices, production volumes and exports have all shown a steady rise.
 Story continues after graph
 Mikko Airikka | Yle
 The contrast with the previous decade is striking. Between 1999 and 2008 the pulp market seesawed up and down. During that period, production in Finland showed three clear rises and falls.
 Story continues after graph
 Mikko Airikka | Yle
 The deepest plunge was 2009 when a global recession dragged the sector down. Preliminary figures and growth estimates indicate that last year's output matched the record level of 8 million tons set in 2006.
 In 2017 Finland produced 7.7 million tons of pulp.
 Transitioning away from paper
 The back story on this decade of steady growth is that less pulp is going to the paper industry, a sector that is traditionally sensitive to economic fluctuations.
 "Nowadays, pulp is increasingly used in consumer packaging, industrial packaging and also in new products in the bio-based economy, none of which are so susceptible to big variations in the economy," says Stora Enso CFO  Seppo Parvi .
 Stora Enso has made a strong move away from paper.
 "In 2006, 70 percent of Stora Enso's volume of business was still [coming] from paper operations. Now that figure is only 30 percent," Parvi points out.
 Most recently, last Friday, Stora Enso announced that it will be shutting down yet another paper machine, this one in Imatra.
 Megatrends support demand
 Nowadays, pulp is also increasingly being used to produce tissue, cardboard and packing materials. Demand for these products is being boosted by global megatrends.
 "These kinds of megatrends are, for example, population growth and the rise of the middle class in Asia, as well as expanding online sales which increase demand for packaging," explains  Maarit Lindström , chief economist at Finnish Forest Industries.
 Biodegradable pulp-based shoes by Finnish designer Saara Kinnunen. Saara Kinnunen
 Replacing plastic packaging with fibre-based materials is also a growth factor for pulp. According to Finnish Forest Industries, the Pöyry consulting firm estimates that the market for pulp-based textiles and hygiene products, as well as fibre-based packaging will be worth 96 billion euros by 2030.
 Increasingly stable
 Maarit Lindström stresses that there will continue to be fluctuations in the pulp production sector. However, the ups and downs will be less acute than when pulp was still primarily a raw material for the paper industry.
 It may take time, though, before investors are convinced that the pulp sector has moved into a new, more stable business environment.
 Antti Viljakainen , an analysis for the Helsinki investment consultancy Inderes says that this new business model for forest industry companies will have to ride out a clear recession before it is possible to say if they are better buffered against economic fluctuations.
 Today, investors continue to view them as being vulnerable to developments in international markets.
 "When you look how much share prices have come down from the summer's peak, you see that investors still consider the forest industry as a cyclical sector," Antti Viljakainen adds.

Finland's pulp industry showing record results


Summary: Prosecution rates fell most in Helsinki, Itä-Uusimaa and Länsi-Uusimaa -- where over the past 10 years,  prosecutors sent around 50 percent of cases to court.

An Yle analysis of data from the Office of the Prosecutor General has indicated a decline in the proportion of cases prosecutors are sending to the nation’s courts.
 The numbers show that last year, police referred a total of about 90,000 criminal cases to prosecutors for consideration of charges.
 Altogether 64 percent of these cases ended up in court. Ten years ago, the proportion of cases that resulted in trials was over 70 percent.
 After reviewing prosecution data for the 10 years between 2009 and 2018, Yle found that the lowest proportion of cases that went to trial were in Helsinki, Itä-Uusimaa and Länsi-Uusimaa, where the average prosecution rate was around 50 percent.
 In other words prosecutors only laid charges in half of the cases referred to them by police over that 10-year period.
 Prosecution rate fairly steady in rest of country
 In 2018, the prosecution rate in Helsinki was 56 percent, compared to nearly 70 percent 10 years ago. Similarly in Itä-Uusimaa the prosecution rate fell from close to 70 percent in 2009 to 53 percent in 2018. The picture was the same in Länsi-Uusimaa, where the percentage of cases prosecuted in 2018 fell to 52 percent from 63 percent in 2009.
 By contrast, prosecution rates in other parts of Finland remained largely steady over the 10-year period under review. In western Finland, prosecutors sent 73 percent of cases referred by police to court in 2009, compared to 74 percent last year. The corresponding numbers for central Finland were 78 percent 10 years ago and 76 percent last year.
 The head of the country’s prosecutors’ association  Jukka Haavisto  said that the declining prosecution rate was a negative development.
 "Workloads mean that [people] don’t go to court. Many prosecutors are not happy with the situation. Of course we would like solve the crimes that affect victims and where they have problems," Haavisto added.
 He acknowledged that a lack of resources might be preventing some professionals from prosecuting cases in court.
 "That situation exists in certain cases. A falling prosecution rate means that we sent 20 percent more matters to the courts for consideration," he noted.

Prosecutors sending fewer cases to courts, analysis shows


Summary: The UK manufactures about 250 of the medicines Finland imports to treat various conditions.

The UK’s withdrawal from the European Union could affect the availability of certain critical drugs in Finnish pharmacies, especially in the event of a disorderly Brexit. According to a report in the business daily Taloussanomat on Tuesday, it may even become impossible to acquire some preparations post-Brexit.
 The Finnish Medicines Agency Fimea told the paper that Brexit could compromise the availability of dozens – if not hundreds -- of pharmaceutical preparations in Finland.
 Fimea director  Esa Heinonen  told Taloussanomat that the situation is fluid, but would not disclose which medicines might become unavailable or how many people in Finland would be affected by possible shortages.
 Drugs classified as critical include cancer medication or other medicines required for long-term care, and for which there is no similar or alternative medication.
 UK a major EU pharma player
 Drug companies in Finland are required to inform Fimea of possible disruptions in their supply chains two months in advance of the expected interruptions. However so far, no companies have filed any notifications with respect to Brexit, which is expected to take effect on 29 March.
 "It’s possible that drug companies will make larger drug batches than usual at the beginning of the year to ensure initial availability, but supply problems will begin about six months after that. It may also be that the companies behind the drugs will take appropriate action regarding Brexit to ensure that no problems arise," Heinonen added.
 It is not yet known when and how the UK will depart the EU. Finland is said to be preparing for a so-called hard Brexit, in which Britain will leave the bloc without an agreement to govern future relations. This would mean that drugs manufactured in the UK would be subject to customs checks.
 Alongside France and Germany, the UK is one of the EU’s most important players in the EU pharmaceuticals industry. About 250 of the medicines Finland imports for use in humans are manufactured in Britain, accounting for roughly five percent of all pharmaceuticals sold in Finland.
 Head of Finland’s pharma lobby group  Sanna Lauslahti  said a majority of drug manufacturers have relocated personnel and operations out of the UK and continue to do so. Fimea’s assessment of the Brexit impact reflects this phenomenon.
 Buffer stocks offer protection
 According to Taloussanomat, Brexit may also jeopardise the availability of other medications imported into Finland, however there are similar or alternative medicines for non-critical drugs.
 Lauslahti also stressed that increasing the manufacture and market release of medicines before Brexit place is likely to ensure they are also available post-Brexit.
 "In addition Finland also has buffer stocks that will offer some protection if the drug in question is a critical medicine. The pharmaceutical industry will do everything in its power to ensure the availability of medication," she declared.
 Meanwhile Fimea’s Heinonen said that it is also possible to craft separate special arrangements to safeguard drug supplies.
 Both experts said that the average person will feel little impact post-Brexit. However it is not yet known how the UK’s departure will affect Finland’s ten most-sold drugs, including medicines such as Burana.
 Doctors will likely modify patients’ treatment plans if a critical drug is no longer available. Head of the Finnish Medical Association  Kati Myllymäki  told Taloussanomat that physicians are awaiting more information from Fimea about the impact of Brexit.
 Fimea has said that it will be meeting with different stakeholders in February to discuss the issue.

Uncertainty over post-Brexit drug availability, says medicines agency


Summary: Finnish dailies report on the Finance Ministry facing criticism, alleged sexual abuse at a Tampere police academy and a deadly fire in Uusikaupunki.

Capital region daily  Helsingin Sanomat reported  Wednesday that various researchers have criticised the Finance Ministry's recent report on government spending. Ahead of elections due in April, the ministry  published a report  on Monday calling on the incoming government to implement an additional two billion euros of spending cuts or tax rises to keep the state coffers in good shape.
 However, experts told the paper that the report did not address important issues like income inequality and climate change.
 In fact, the word "inequality" is not used once in the 200-page report, according to social policy professor  Juho Saari .
 "One or two mentions of welfare and marginalisation, but nothing on poverty. Finland's social future?" Saari tweeted on Monday.
 The Ministry's Permanent Secretary  Martti Hetemäki  responded to the comment in HS, saying that while inequality is not mentioned, the so-called escalation of social differences and marginalisation are referenced at the beginning of the report.
 "Employment is key in minimising poverty and inequality," Hetemäki said.
 Saari said he was not satisfied with the answer.
 "Jobs and strong state finances are all well and good, but many poor people are left outside of such developments," he said. "Marginalisation is not the same as poverty."
 The report also places far too little weight on the impacts and solutions to climate change, said Nordea economist  Olli Kärkkäinen . Climate concerns aren't raised until the eleventh chapter, he said.
 "To be fair, the 2015 report didn't mention the climate at all, so there's progress. But the public ministry briefing didn't mention it once either, and we need to take global warming seriously."
 Sexual abuse allegations confirmed by police academy
 Meanwhile  tabloid Ilta-Sanomat  is first this Wednesday to report news of a male instructor at Finland's Police University College who allegedly sexually abused a number of his female students and other women.
 Principal  Kimmo Himberg  of Finland's sole police-training academy told IS that the school itself contacted the Office of the Prosecutor General once the allegations came to light.
 "I'm afraid the claims are true. There are many victims involved, the cases kept coming once the first one was reported," he said.
 The alleged abuser is being investigated for sexual abuse and breach of official duty.
 Himberg is mum on the specifics of the incidents in question or how long the alleged abuse had continued. The teacher, who Himberg said had worked at the academy for a "considerably long time", is no longer employed at the college though he has not been fired.
 "We automatically suspend employees in these situations."
 Two dead in severe house fire
 Two people are reported deceased after a raging fire in a wooden row house in the city of Uusikaupunki in south-west Finland,  regional daily Kaleva  reports.
 The wooden residential block caught fire on Tuesday afternoon, and firefighters were still hard at work to quench the flames overnight on Wednesday. The paper wrote that some 50 emergency service workers were called in to fight the blaze.
 Uusikaupunki emergency services fought the fire for hours. Dani Branthin / Yle
 Twelve people were evacuated from the building and the adjacent house. The city arranged crisis accommodations and mental health support for the inhabitants, Uusikaupunki social work chief  Marika Lehtinen  told Kaleva.
 Emergency services chief  Kari Alanko  told the paper that the fire was unusually difficult to quell, and the site was still being cleared early in the morning.
 "We had to dismantle the burning roof."
 Kaleva reports that employees of a petrol station opposite the inferno offered coffee and food to firefighters and locals.

Wednesday's papers: Experts blast spending report, police academy abuse exposed, house fire claims lives


Summary: Despite problems with snow and ice on the tracks, state railroad firm VR said it is striving to keep 95 percent of its trains running normally.

Finnish rail firm VR has cancelled several long-distance routes on Wednesday, in order to allow workers to clear train tracks and equipment of ice and snow. The cancellations were planned ahead of schedule after several weather-related delays  over the weekend .
 Wednesday's cancellations include train routes between the cities of Helsinki - Turku, Helsinki - Tampere, Vaasa - Tampere as well as Helsinki - Lappeenranta.
 Updated schedule and delay information is available from  VR's website in English .
 VR said it will transport passengers affected by the cancellations or changes by bus or on other train routes, but noted it was striving to keep 95 percent of its traffic operating normally.
 The past several days of snowy weather has caused significant problems for train traffic in Finland. On Monday evening only 20 percent of long distance trains were running on schedule, and about 25 percent the following day.

Snow-related train delays, cancellations continue


Summary: The Finnish Medicines Agency said labelling on the drugs had been doctored to alter the expiry date.

The Finnish Medicines Agency (Fimea) said Wednesday that some 30-50 lung cancer patients were given expired medication for treatment between spring and summer 2018. The exact number of patients is not known.
 Labelling on a batch of the cancer drug Altima had been falsified before importation into Finland, according to Fimea.
 The expiration date was marked as March, 2019 even though the actual last date of use was February, 2018.
 The pharmaceutical watchdog called the situation "serious and exceptional". Expired medications can potentially produce harmful compounds or lose their efficacy.
 Second case within months
 However, Fimea said the medicine contained in the out-of-date Alimta batch corresponded to the legitimate drug and did not pose a health hazard.
 Neither Fimea nor other European officials have been able to say who may have been behind the forgery or in which country the crime was committed.
 The drugs were imported into Finland via the Danish firm Orifarm, whose Finnish office is located in Espoo.
 The batch of Alimta is the  second case  of counterfeit cancer medication to make its way into patients' hands within a year.

Dozens of lung cancer patients given expired medicine


Summary: The job cuts will affect clerical, supervisory and management staff across all functions while production workers will be excluded.

Finnish meat producer HKScan said on Wednesday that it will begin retrenchment talks covering 1,200 clerical staff as well as supervisory and management personnel across all of its operations.
 The company said in a release that it is launching co-determination talks with employee representatives with a view to improving cost-efficiency in all market areas.
 The discussions will exclude in the firm’s production operations, as well as the majority of staff working at its Rauma division in southwest Finland.
 According to HKScan, the talks will result in the termination of a maximum of 220 jobs.
 CEO  Tero Hemmilä  said in a release that the firm’s competitiveness had been declining steadily.
 "We must purposefully improve the cost-efficiency of our operations to strengthen our competitive position in this sector as well as find new ways to satisfy customer expectations and the needs of consumers in our domestic markets in the future," he added.
 Hemmilä assumed the role of chief executive on Monday.

Meat producer HKScan looks to carve 220 jobs off payroll


The National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira) said it is investigating up to 15 deaths suspected to have been caused by staff negligence, including at nursing homes managed by  the embattled Esperi Care company , which has been at the centre of allegations of gross negligence at some of its care facilities.
 The deaths occurred in both private and public care homes across Finland between 2017 and 2018. Inspector general  Elina Uusitalo  told Yle on Wednesday that she had contacted some of her colleagues and could not confirm the exact number of cases under investigation.
 The health and welfare watchdog can decide to investigate care home irregularities in very serious instances. These cases may include suspicions that residents perished as a result of malpractice or negligence.
 Yle received information about numerous cases in which members of the public blamed care facilities for their elderly relatives' death. Some of them have lodged complaints with Valvira, while one has taken the matter to the local regional administrative offices. Yle's reporting focused on two specific instances involving the deaths of elderly care home residents in central and southwest Finland.
 Retired nurse dies from head injury
 One of the cases reported to Valvira occurred in June, 2018 at the Paatela nursing home in Muurame, central Finland, when a group of elderly patients were spending supervised time outdoors on a large balcony.
 The mother of local resident  Minna Hietakangas  was also on the balcony. Her nursing guidelines specified that she could only move about with physical support from a nurse.
 Her personal nurse, however, left the balcony to attend to another task on a different floor of the care home. During this time the woman lost her balance and fell, hitting her head and causing a haemorrhage in the dura mater, under her skull.
 The primary nurse for the elderly Hietakangas returned after being telephoned that her charge had fallen. The nurse wrote in her report that the patient had a bump on her head.
 By the time paramedics arrived, the patient's speech had become slurred and incoherent. An operation was deemed too dangerous, and she died four days later at the Muurame health centre.
 The daughter of the deceased said her mother had been a nurse herself.
 "She always put the wellbeing of her patients first, the health of other human beings. It feels so terrible that this should have happened to her."
 Muurame care home manager  Simo Oksanen  declined to comment on the circumstances surrounding the woman's death.
 Dementia patient chokes on fruit
 Another case in the Kukonkallio centre in Salo lead to the death of an elderly man diagnosed with a memory disorder.
 A bowl of plums had appeared in the dementia unit of the care home. The patient in question needed to be regularly fed by a nurse due to difficulty chewing and swallowing, but found and ingested the fruit unattended. The patient choked.
 Following an autopsy, the man's family contacted nurses at the unit to discuss the alleged negligence. One anonymous family member said the response was chilling.
 "They downplayed the choking and tried to justify themselves by saying they had not brought the plums to the unit themselves. But it was their duty to oversee that unit, and make sure it was safe for patients with memory disorders," the family member wrote to Valvira.

Watchdog probes up to 15 deaths at senior care homes