Summary: The National Bureau of Investigation said that there is no longer any need to detain the suspect since an ongoing investigation will take a long time.

Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation has released a Russian man held in connection with  a money laundering probe  sparked by a high-profile raid on a property in the Turku archipelago last year.
 The NBI said that there was no longer any need to keep the man in remand custody, given that the preliminary investigation is expected to take a long time.
 Although the man was released from custody on Tuesday, he is still a suspect in the investigation. Police had also detained an Estonian national in connection with the case on suspicion of aiding and abetting aggravated fraud and aggravated money laundering.  He was released in December  although police said at the time that they still consider him a suspect in the case.
 The investigation turns on a real estate firm, Airiston Helmi, helmed by  a mysterious Russian businessman  who reportedly runs several other firms in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The man is said to be the holder of a Maltese passport but claims residency in Hungary.
 Police sifting through terabytes of data
 Police said that the raid in the archipelagic municipality of Pargas in southwest Finland last September uncovered approximately three million euros in cash as well as 210 terabytes of data stored on devices seized during the operation.
 Officials said in a release on Tuesday that they had enlisted the assistance of the Security Intelligence Police Supo and the Defence Forces as well as the Tax Administration to review the data seized.
 The firm at the centre of the investigation is believed to have laundered millions of euros and the company is suspected of having used off-the-books labour to construct the property in the archipelago.
 Police also suspect that the firm spent 2.8 million euros on paying its illegal workforce. Police are investing a number of suspected offences including aggravated money laundering, aggravated tax fraud and aggravated pension insurance fraud.

Russian suspect freed in Airiston Helmi money laundering probe


Summary: Finland's employment rate in January continued to top 70 percent.

Statistics Finland reports that the number of employed people was 35,000 higher in January 2019 than one year ago.
 Adjusted for seasonal and random variation, Finland's employment rate in January was 72.6 percent. In December, it stood at 72.5 percent.
 The current government's target of an employment rate of over 72 percent was first hit in November of last year and has remained above that level since.
 This means that in January nearly 2.6 million people were employed.
 Taking into consideration seasonal and random variation, the unemployment rate was 6.4 percent. At the end of 2018, that rate was 6.6 percent, already then  a 10-year low.  The number of unemployed persons in January was 181,000, which was 57,000 lower than one year ago.
 Youth employment improved slightly with the adjusted unemployment rate for people in the 15-24 year-old age group at 15.7 percent, down from 15.9 percent in December.

35,000 more employed than one year ago


Summary: Newspapers report on a geothermal power plant, experts disagreeing about air quality and Immigration Service Migri changing its look.

Drilling and geothermal experiments have caused magnitude 1.7—1.9 earthquakes in Southern Finland, prompting seismologists to reach out to their international colleagues.
 Daily Helsingin Sanomat writes  Wednesday that energy company ST1 Deep Heat has drilled a hole 6.4 km deep into the earth in order to establish Finland's first zero-emission geothermal power plant.
 The quakes may be small compared to those occurring on fault lines across the world, but experts warn that the consequences of uncontrolled earthquakes could cause structural damage to Finnish buildings not constructed to withstand tremors.
 The shaking — not related to  Tuesday's trembling in Valkeakoski  — is caused by tension created by high-pressure water that was pumped into the ground last summer. The water is instrumental in tapping the subterranean heat in facilities on the surface.
 HS writes that researchers at the Seismological Institute of the University of Helsinki met with Swiss scientists earlier in February to discuss how geothermal power is accessed safely in Switzerland. The institute needs all the help it can get, as the Ministry of the Environment has ordered a report on earthquake risk management.
 "When we drill down this deep, there is no telling what can happen," says Ministry construction integrity expert  Teppo Lehtinen . "We need to update our know-how to prevent potential accidents."
 Even small earthquakes produce lots of noise and tremors in Finland due to its dense bedrock. The permits acquired by ST1 Deep Heat did not include any earthquake-related provisions.
 "We have to figure out how to control the quakes so they don't get too strong, or if it's even possible to control them," the paper quotes Helsinki University geology department head  Annakaisa Korja .
 The inauguration of the ST1 Deep Heat plant is planned for spring 2020.
 Builders say savings endanger school air quality
 Meanwhile in the city of Tampere a municipal move to temporarily cut off air conditioning in local schools has been met with dismay from construction companies.
 Regional daily Aamulehti writes  that the multi-municipal working group, composed of unspecified "experts" and the Indoor Air Association, recommends that schools in the region and eventually the country shut off their air conditioning when the property is not in use to accrue savings.
 The association's executive director,  Mervi Ahola,  previously told AL that she wants to upend the "myth" that hazardous mould problems in Finnish schools stem from air conditioning regulation. However, the construction sector says that view is wrong.
 "In cases of mould and bad air quality, the cause is usually faulty ventilation," says CEO  Juha Metsälä  from construction company Pohjola Rakennus Oy. "No way can you say that all properties in Finland could just switch off air conditioning for the night; that would cause massive problems."
 Metsälä says in AL that buildings should be used as they have been designed to work, and that regulating the air conditioning of different kinds of buildings requires a sharp eye.
 "We need to monitor and regulate the ventilation based on the readings, not by staring at a clock or counting savings. People who want to save money by turning down the air conditioning are not construction experts."
 Migri updates logo
 Finally  tabloid Ilta-Sanomat reports  that the  Finnish Immigration Service  (Migri) has renewed its logo and visual design.
 The previous red logo depicting an outstretched bird's wing was switched out for a blue-coloured abstract geometric shape, which communications director  Klaus Kaartinen  says also depicts a wing, or something "birdlike".
 "We're phasing out the old logo on our documents over the course of a year. We won't waste paper because of a symbol," he said in IS.
 Kaartinen says the change is meant to reflect the fact that Migri is no longer the same institution it was when the earlier wing logo was designed. The Immigration Service is three times larger than it was then, due partly to reception centres falling under its purview.
 Kaartinen describes the symbolism in detail.
 "It doesn't have to be a migratory bird, it can be a tent, a refuge, a document, or anything at all. The sharp edges represent order and efficiency. The colour is calming, and also quite Finnish."

Wednesday's papers: Earthquakes in Helsinki, school air conditioning dispute, Immigration Service facelift


Summary: The central market garden association says it could make medicinal cannabis a Finnish export.

Many commercial florists have expressed their desire for the legalisation of medical cannabis cultivation, according to the Finnish Market Garden Association.
 In mid-February MEPs voted to adopt a resolution on the medicinal use of cannabis which asked for an  EU-wide legal definition  of medicinal cannabis to be established, in order to distinguish it from other uses of the plant.
 The price of the cannabis-based mouth spray Sativex has risen along with increased use for treatment of patients suffering chronic pain or disease like multiple sclerosis since it was  introduced  in Finland in 2012.
 Story continues after photo.
 Sativex is the only brand of medicinal cannabis in Finland. GW Pharmaceuticals
 A monthly supply of Sativex can cost many hundreds of euros. National health insurance agency Kela does not cover any of the costs of medicinal cannabis for the 200-odd patients in Finland who are prescribed the drug.
 "We're talking about a growing industry worth billions of euros worldwide, and we would like to find out if commercial gardeners could make cannabis a Finnish export," the Market Garden Association's executive director  Jyrki Jalkanen  said.
 Story continues after photo.
 Cannabis sativa is used as a legal medicine in several countries. Warren Toda / Epa
 Currently, growing cannabis under any circumstances is illegal in Finland, but a  recent poll found  that Finnish residents are increasingly in favour of the use of cannabis as a medicine.
 Denmark legalised medicinal cannabis cultivation last year, prompting some 20 growers to swap out their vegetables for the seven-leafed plant.
 "If gardeners in some EU countries are allowed to choose what they grow, we want entrepreneurs to have that same freedom of choice," Jalkanen said.
 Domestic know-how available
 Different countries prohibit or allow the use of cannabis in varying degrees, and many governments and institutions insist there is not yet enough medical data on the side-effects and benefits of cannabis to safely implement its use as a medicine.
 "There needs to be evidence that cannabis works as a medicine, like other medicines," chief  Liisa Näveri  from drug watchdog Fimea said.
 As for domestic gardeners, people such as sales chief  Pia Taari-Kohonen  from Luumäki garden centre Ansari-Yhtymä are ready to commit to growing cannabis as a proven medicine.
 Story continues after photo.
 Pia Taari-Kohonen said she would swap geraniums for cannabis if she could. Jari Tanskanen / Yle
 "We could supply three to four growth cycles per year, all year round," Taari-Kohonen said.
 Entrepreneurs say Finnish greenhouse smart technology such as water-cooled LED lights and growth stage analysis know-how can already be used to optimise growing, and the tech is also proving to be a high-selling export.
 Facilities with around-the-clock surveillance would also be necessary for commercial cannabis cultivation. Taari-Kohonen said her company is prepared for this requirement, as well.
 "It would be easy to organise," she said.

Gardeners push to make medicinal cannabis Finland's next export hit


Summary: Cooperation with international brands like Uniqlo and Clinique helped raise profits by 42 percent, according to Marimekko's CEO.

Finnish fashion firm Marimekko's net sales grew by 9 percent and comparable operating profits increased by 42 percent in 2018, according to a company financial statement issued on Wednesday.
 Overall sales for 2018 reached 111.9 million euros, while operating profits rose to 17.7 million euros, according to the company.
 The firm's final-quarter net sales of 29.7 million euros were on par with the same period in 2017 and boosted by growth in retail and wholesale sales.
 Marimekko's CEO  Tiina Alahuhta-Kasko  said its limited time retail promotions with Japanese fashion brand Uniqlo and US cosmetics firm Clinique helped to increase sales.
 That collaboration raised the company's visibility around the world, according to Alahuhta-Kasko, adding that the firm also invested in its retail stores.
 "The Marimekko flagship stores in Stockholm, Tokyo and Sydney were revamped during the year. The flagship stores play a central role as the most prominent embodiment of our brand in the world," Alahuhta-Kasko said.
 More sales anticipated in 2019
 The firm said it expects improvements to continue through this year.
 "The Marimekko Group’s net sales for 2019 are forecast to be higher than in the previous year and comparable operating profit is estimated to be approximately at the same level as the year before," the company reported on Wednesday.
 “In 2019, we will invest considerably more in growth than in the past year. We will revamp our store network and improve IT systems to underpin our digital business," Alahuhta-Kasko said.

Marimekko reports improved profits, sales in 2018


Summary: A law change permitting stronger drinks to be sold in grocery stores and other shops helped to triple the sales of long drink alcopops last year.

The overall sale of alcohol in Finland has been in decline since 2011, but last year that figure went up slightly, according to the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira).
 A law change in early 2018 raised the alcohol limit on alcoholic drinks sold in supermarkets from 4.7 percent to 5.5 percent. That minor adjustment brought a sales uptick for the first time in six years, even though the growth was just 0.6 percent from 2017. In terms of 100 percent pure alcohol, the total per capita consumption - of people over the age of 15 - in 2018 was 10.4 litres.
 Before the alcohol law was changed, many health groups warned it would lead to a spike in alcohol consumption, but so far that has not appeared to have occurred.
 Valvira said the small uptick is mostly due to the extended retail rights. Sales at the national alcohol monopoly Alko fell drastically, but supermarkets and other outlets saw clear growth in beverage sales.
 Long drink booms
 Since the law change, the product that saw the highest sales were alcopops known locally as long drink (often called  lonkero ). The total consumption of the grey-coloured, bubbly grapefruit and gin concoction rose by 42 percent in one year, while all other alcoholic beverages sold in supermarkets and shops continued to slump.
 The spurt is due largely to consumers choosing the stronger variety of "lonkero". Comparatively speaking, sales of the lighter long drinks (4.7 percent alcohol) fell by 45 percent, while the stronger version (5.5 percent alcohol) actually tripled, rising 204 percent in 2018.
 No expert at the time suggested such an ambivalent change in sales when the bill made its comment rounds in 2017.
 "We weren't estimating exact figures, but we knew that long drink would do better than strong beer and cider," alcohol researcher  Esa Österberg  said.
 The reason he gives for the stronger long drink's popularity is the taste.
 "The stronger long drink is prepared using a gin-based recipe, which consumers clearly appreciate," Österberg said.

Finland's six-year alcohol sales slump ends


Summary: Earlier this month the finance ministry put forward a bill to place a 30 percent cap on interest rates on quick loans.

Finland's Finance Committee said it wants lawmakers to consider whether consumer access to so-called payday loans is actually necessary or appropriate. The committee proposed several measures to help address problems linked to the quick loans that carry high interest rates and fees, in another attempt to deal with the major risks and problems that payday loans can pose.
 One of the measures proposed by the committee is to place a 20 percent cap on payday loan interest rates.
 Earlier this month the finance ministry put forward a bill to legislate a  30 percent cap  on interest rates on such loans.
 If interest rates are capped, payday loan firms would need to more carefully check whether potential borrowers are actually able to pay back the loans. Currently quick loans are being marketed to people with bad credit histories.
 In January the Guarantee Foundation, a group that helps individuals solve financial problems, reported that people of all ages are increasingly  paying off old loans  by borrowing more money.
 The foundation also said that people under the age of 25 appear to be taking on increasing amounts of consumer debt and borrowing smaller amounts of money.
 Philosophical consideration
 The finance committee also addressed the problems facing people who are already over their heads in debt, saying it would like government to examine how much money a consumer should have a right to keep after undergoing debt restructuring
 The committee also recommended that the government do more to prevent consumers from falling into uncontrollable debt in the first place.
 The committee proposed placing limits on the marketing strategies of payday loan firms as well as improve consumer access to so-called social loans, which are commonly offered by cities and municipalities to residents.
 The committee said that educational institutions should offer students practical courses about finance and economics.
 Moreover the committee said it wanted MPs to examine the issue of payday loans more philosophically. It asked lawmakers to fundamentally consider whether quick loans are necessary or even appropriate.
 The finance committee is responsible for dealing with government budgets, long-term budgetary planning, legislation regarding taxes and other financial matters.

Finance committee proposes 20% interest rate cap on payday loans


Summary: The Finnish champ turned on his afterburner to full power towards the end of Wednesday's race in Seefeld, Austria but was disappointed after placing third.

Finnish cross-country skier  Iivo Niskanen  came in third in the 15km mens classic race at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships on Wednesday, winning a bronze medal.
 At the nine kilometre mark Niskanen was still lagging behind the leaders in sixth place, but he boosted his speed for the remainder of the tight race. He was beaten by Norwegian  Martin Johnsrud Sundby  who came in first place and Russian  Aleksandr Bessmertnykh  who placed second.
 Niskanen beat fourth-place contestant, Russia's Andrei Larkov, by 2.4 seconds.
 Even though he did well in the race, Niskanen, who's a two-time Olympic champion, appeared to be anything but satisfied.
 The 27-year-old said he missed his chance to win a gold medal because of the skis he used.
 "A medal is a medal"
 "I guess I chose between gold and bronze when I picked my skis today. They glided well but they didn't grip at all. It didn't go at all to plan. I couldn't have done any better today," the distraught bronze-winner told Yle.
 Even though he felt his equipment failed him, Niskanen's good physical condition helped him reach the winner's podium."I had enough energy and the race was hard, but I managed to get everything out of me that I could. A medal is a medal, but a bronze is annoying when everything feels good," he said.
 Niskanen's coach  Olli Ohtonen  was much happier about the race, however.
 "Iivo's finish was great, and the fact that he managed to pass two skiers towards the end was, too. We can only be happy, a medal is a medal. It was a very good competition," Ohtonen said right after the race.
 Men's 15km classic results

 Martin Johnsrud Sundby NOR 38.22.6 (mm:ss.ms)
 Alexander Bessmertnyk RUS +2.9
 Iivo Niskanen FIN +20.4
 Andrei Larkov RUS +22.8
 Didrik Tönseth NOR +24.3

 Other Finnish skiers in the race included  Perttu Hyvärinen  (+1.54.2) in 19th place,  Ristomatti Hakola  (+2.28.2 ) in 29th,  Anssi Pentsinen  (+2.48.5) came in 32nd and  Joni Mäki  in 52nd place (+4.11.8).

Cross-country skier Niskanen takes bronze in 15km men's classic


Summary: Finnish healthcare success, Children’s Ombudsman losing his job and the return of winter are among today's headlines.

The Finnish healthcare system is among the best in Europe, says daily  Helsingin Sanomat . Based on a study by Swedish research company Health Powerhouse, Finland ranks sixth among 35 European countries.
 According to HS, the Euro Health Consumer Index commends Finland for its wide range of healthcare services offered at a relatively low price.
 The study compared 48 indicators, including patient rights, access to care and treatment results. In the last category, which measured child mortality, deaths caused by cancer and heart attack and the number of abortions and suicides, Finland fared as well as this year’s winner Switzerland, HS writes.
 There is room for improvement, however, as queues for certain treatments such as cataract surgery are long and the healthcare system does not sufficiently focus on preventative care, the paper says.
 In addition, patients in Finland pay a larger share of prescription drug costs out of their own pocket than in many other European countries, HS writes. After Switzerland, the continent’s best health care is offered in the Netherlands and Norway, the study showed, while Albania, Romania and Hungary hold the bottom spots.
 New Children's Ombudsman
 Tuomas Kurttila  will not serve as Children’s Ombudsman after April, reports daily  Keskisuomalainen . The government will appoint a new ombudsman on Thursday, but Kurttila is not among the possible appointees.
 The Children's Ombudsman monitors the welfare of Finnish children and youth and tries to influence politicians to make decisions that benefit children.
 The position has a five-year term and Kurttila’s term will come to an end this spring. He reapplied for the job while he is also running for Parliament as a Social Democratic Party candidate in the general election.
 On his Facebook page, Kurttila points out that his term has not been without successes. For example, he proposed to the justice ministry that child marriages should be banned. Parliament unanimously  approved the proposal last week .
 Kurttila came under fire  in December following news reports that he had spent more than 5,000 euros on cab rides in three months. He had, for example, taken a 600-euro taxi trip to travel from Oulu to Jyväskylä - a distance of 340 km.
 At the time, Kurttila said his frequent use of cabs was based on time savings concerns, workplace well-being and the conversations he has with taxi drivers.
 Winter returns
 Meanwhile, tabloid  Iltalehti  writes that after a spell of spring weather winter will return with a force on Thursday. Northerly winds will pick up, with a forecast of snow.
 “Even though snowfall will not be that heavy, it could have an effect on traffic on Thursday,” says meteorologist  Jenna Salminen  from Foreca. “It’ll be a mix of snow and sleet and mostly just rain along the coast,” she adds.
 While temperatures will be above zero on Thursday morning, they will drop below freezing across the country during the day. Biting winds will make the situation worse, IL writes.
 “This kind of change in weather is not very exceptional. It just feels that way, because in recent times we have become used to warmer temperatures,” Salminen says.
 What’s more, next week will be even colder and nighttime temperatures could fall to -15 degrees Celsius, including in southern Finland. Nevertheless, some days will be sunny, so there is no reason to be too disappointed, IL says.

Thursday's papers: Top European healthcare, new Children's Ombudsman and back to winter


Summary: The law allowing Jehovah's Witnesses to avoid conscription or alternative civilian service was ruled discriminatory.

Ulkoasiain hallinto, maanpuolustus ja järjestystoimi

Parliament on Wednesday turned over a law that has allowed male members of Jehovah’s Witnesses to skip military or alternative civilian service without facing a prison term. The exemption dating from 1987 has long been considered problematic from a constitutional standpoint.
 Last year, the  Helsinki Court of Appeal ruled  that the Finnish practice of allowing male Jehovah's Witnesses to avoid conscription is discriminatory. The ruling related to a discrimination case brought by a man who was imprisoned in 2016 for refusing conscripted service.
 Under current legislation Jehovah's Witnesses may postpone their entry into service for three years at a time (starting at age 18), until their obligation officially ceases at age 29.
 Proponents of the religious faction say their objection is rooted in their pacifist reading of the Bible. With the exception of women, who have never been legally bound to enter conscription, no other groups in Finland have had the same right.

Jehovah's Witnesses lose exemption from military service


Summary: A preliminary investigation has begun into alleged workplace harassment, occupational safety violations, breach of official duties and job discrimination.

Southwest Finland Police Department chief  Tapio Huttunen  and deputy chief  Teijo Ristola  are suspected of a variety of criminal offences. A preliminary investigation has been launched into their behaviour on the job.
 The two men are suspected of occupational safety crimes and breach of official duty over the course of a number of years. Ristola is also suspected of workplace discrimination.
 Story continues after photo
 Police Chief Tapio Huttunen Linus Hoffman / Yle
 "It's good that the matter is investigated when these kinds of allegations are made," Huttunen told Yle.
 Huttunen declined to speculate on whether he could stay on as police chief during the preliminary investigation.
 "My continuation in the post will be decided at the Interior Ministry," he said.
 Ristola could not be reached for comment.
 State agency ordered improvements last year
 Yle has learned that the two high-ranking policemen are suspected of failing to intervene in and abetting inappropriate treatment and workplace harassment of employees at the Turku police station.
 Yle has also learned that the probe is being led by District Prosecutor  Antti Virtanen  of the Prosecutor's Office of Inland Finland, but he declined to confirm that information.
 The preliminary investigation will address similar issues to those looked at last year by the Southwest Finland Regional State Administrative Agency (Avi). Last summer, two policemen asked the agency to look into harassment at the Turku police station, alleging that they had been harassed by Ristola.
 Avi did find evidence of harassment and inappropriate treatment of subordinates at the station. It also independently raised the issue of poor treatment of women at the station, although both complainants were men. The agency directed the police department to stamp out harassment.
 Yle Turku and Yle's investigative journalism TV programme MOT have also both reported on suspicions of ill treatment at the Turku police department. At the time, Huttunen denied any such problems.
 The two policemen also filed a criminal complaint last year. Yle reached one of the men, but he declined to comment on the ongoing preliminary investigation.
 Long-running real estate dispute
 The new probe is also looking into a real estate deal between two police officers working at the department. The purchaser claims that the house he was sold was unsound. The case has been in various legal proceedings for years.
 After the seller lost the case in appellate court, he was charged with fraud. That charge was then overturned by a district court and is now being considered by an appeals court.
 Story continues after photo
 Deputy Police Chief Teijo Ristola Adrian Perera / Yle
 Based on interviews carried out by Yle, the seller is among those targeted by inappropriate behaviour from deputy police chief Ristola, and he is one of those who filed the complaint with Avi.
 Police officers told Yle that Huttunen knew of the ill treatment but did not intervene.
 They say that Huttunen suspended the man who sold the house last summer when he was charged with fraud, and that he remains suspended despite the charge being dismissed.
 The interviewees say that Ristola is close to the officer who purchased the house.
 Last spring Prosecutor General  Raija Toiviainen  filed charges of breaching official duty against three top law enforcement officers, including former police commissioner Mikko Paatero. They deny any wrongdoing. That case is being weighed by Helsinki District Court.

Police chief and deputy suspected of workplace harrassment


Summary: The North Korean government has asked Finnish aid organisations to provide food aid amid a worsening food shortage in the country.

Authorities in North Korea are struggling to prevent famine in rural parts of their country and have asked Finnish NGOs to send humanitarian aid.
 Harvests have been bad for two years in succession, and this year’s is also expected to be poor, says  Harri Hakola  of the Christian NGO Fida.
 “The situation is worse than it has been for ten years,” said Hakola. “To all intents and purposes food will run out in May for the majority of the population.”
 Summer period 'critical'
 Malnutrition has long been evident in rural areas of the country,  according  to the UN.
 “The most critical period is in the summer, when the previous year’s harvest has been eaten,” said Hakola. Both Fida and Finn Church Aid, another Finnish development NGO, have received requests for aid direct from North Korea.
 The country also asked the UN for help ahead of the recent Hanoi meeting, during which dictator  Kim Jong-Un  asked  Donald Trump  for sanctions on the country to be lifted.
 “Sure, the summit [in Hanoi] might influence the timing of the request but the message of distress has been sent out for a while now,” said  Jouni Hemberg  of Finn Church Aid. “They have had problems with drought and flooding, and there’s also a shortage of fertilisers in the country. So there are many factors.”
 The World Food programme estimates that some 40 percent of North Koreans don’t get enough food, and the government has asked the UN for 1.4 million tonnes of food to help make up for poor harvests.
 Sanction compliance
 Fida has worked in North Korea for more than two decades, while Finn Church Aid doesn’t currently have a presence in the country.
 Despite warm words from Trump in Vietnam, strict sanctions will remain in place and that makes it more difficult to provide the isolated country with assistance.
 Finn Church Aid travelled to the east Asian peninsular in January to evaluate the need for help, and the conditions for delivering it, in three different provinces. Hemberg said there’s a willingness to act, but now resources should be found—and sanctions complied with.
 “There are stricter conditions for visas, it’s difficult to send materials to the country and payments are more difficult to make,” said Hemberg. “Banks don’t want to transfer money for things connected to North Korea, even though the aid materials themselves will be purchased elsewhere.”
 Hakola says that conditions within the country have eased somewhat for foreign NGOs, with rhetoric not as hostile towards foreign threats as in previous years.
 “It’s also somewhat historic that in recent years the leader of North Korea Kim Jong-Un has mentioned his own population’s welfare in speeches, as well as foreign threats,” said Hemberg.

North Korea requests Finnish food aid


Summary: The new plant would start production of car batteries later this year.

Teollisuudessa käytettävien koneiden tukkukauppa

Valmet Automotive plans to open a car battery plant in the southwestern town of Salo, the company announced on Thursday. Recruitment for about 300 workers would start as soon as possible while production is expected to begin later this year, Valmet said in a statement.
 According to the company, the plant would be located at a space previously occupied by Nokia’s mobile phone factory at Salo’s IoT Campus.
 “Salo offers world-class engineering and manufacturing knowledge as well as infrastructure that meets our needs,” Valmet Automotive’s chief executive  Olaf Bongwald  said.
 Salo's Mayor  Lauri Inna  is pleased about the news.
 “Salo is a great place for Valmet, and I consider it highly likely that these plans will materialise,” said Inna.
 Since Microsoft closed its unit in Salo in 2015, the town has suffered from a high unemployment rate and falling property prices.
 About 4,500 people work at Valmet Automotive's plant in Uusikaupunki, southwestern Finland, where Mercedes-Benz vehicles are manufactured under contract with Daimler.

Valmet Automotive's planned factory in Salo to create 300 jobs


Summary: The biggest slump in housing prices was in Oulu, which saw a 7.4 percent plunge in the cost of old units in housing companies.

Market prices for apartments in housing-company buildings edged downward from December to January throughout the country, Statistics Finland said on Thursday.
 Nationally the average monthly decline was 3.3 percent, while in the Helsinki region prices were down by 1.9 percent. The only large city where real estate values showed growth was the capital's northern bedroom community of Vantaa. There the average price for a flat nudged upward by 1.1 percent. Overall though Vantaa prices were actually marginally lower than a year earlier.
 Year on year, prices have risen by around two percent in Helsinki – and by 9.5 percent since 2015.
 In the greater Helsinki area, prices gained just over one percent compared with January 2018. Elsewhere in Finland they have declined by more than two percent over the past year.
 The figures are based on old dwellings in housing-company buildings, in which a company owns the building itself and homeowners hold shares in that company corresponding proportionally to the size of their apartment. The ownership structure offers stability and spreads the cost of renovations, but also  carries some risk  if the company takes on a lot of debt.
 Turku price surge fades
 Prices had been rising briskly in the southwestern city of Turku, up nearly 10 percent in the past year – but that trend seems to have come to a halt in January as prices remained virtually unchanged.
 In the inland city of Tampere, prices have sunk by nearly three percent since early 2018, with the drop steepening to nearly five percent last month.
 The large city suffering the greatest decline in housing prices over the past year was Oulu in north-central Finland, where prices slumped by 7.4 percent in January. Year-on-year the decline was a more modest 4.5 percent.
 Besides the capital Helsinki and its adjoining cities of Espoo and Vantaa with a combined population of well over a million, Finland's largest cities are Tampere with some 236,000 inhabitants, Oulu with 204,000 and Turku with around 192,000 residents.

Prices for older flats dip in all major Finnish cities except Vantaa


Summary: Contract talks have dragged on since 2017.

The long-running contract dispute between the Finnish Air Traffic Controllers Association (SLJY) and the Service Sector Employers' group Palta is finally over.
 On Thursday both sides accepted a compromise bid put forth by National Conciliator  Vuokko Piekkala . She had presented this third proposal late Wednesday evening.
 Collective agreement negotiations have dragged on since 2017.
 According to the employers' association, the contract is in line with general market trends.
 "The path has been long and rocky but we are pleased that the air traffic controllers' collective labour agreement has finally been revised," Palta said in a statement.
 Staying on the job until retirement at 55
 The union's chief shop steward,  Katariina Syväys , said that the negotiated result includes measures to correct wage imbalances at airports. In a statement she added that there has been a realisation that means must be found to help ageing air traffic controllers manage to stay on the job until retirement age. Due to the demands of the job, this is presently around age 55. The union has just under 300 members.
 Palta, part of the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK), includes some 1,700 companies across a broad range of sectors from entertainment to IT and care services.

Air traffic controllers finally get new contract after years of dispute


Study: One in three young people involved in sport has been bullied or discriminated against
 Young people belonging to minorities were most likely to experience bullying and discrimination.
 A new study from the Finnish Youth Research Society suggests that as many as 31 percent of young people engaged in sporting activities experience discrimination or bullying.
 Team sports were worse for poor treatment than individual disciplines, and bullying was observed despite the presence of adult coaches.
 “Many people thought these habits were normal and only understood later that it could have been bullying,” said Mikko Salasuo of the society.
 Bad experiences were more likely to be reported by respondents aged over 15 than younger children. Boys experienced more bullying than girls, and more than half of all ethnic and gender minorities interviewed for the study suggested they had experienced questionable treatment.
 The majority of those who experienced inappropriate treatment said it was their contemporaries who were responsible, rather than adults.
 Some six percent of all respondents said they had experienced physical violence, and five percent reported sexual harassment. The majority of those reporting sexual harassment were aged over 15.
 The survey asked 1,260 young people aged between 10 and 29 about their experiences.

Study suggests minority youth suffer higher levels of bullying in sport


Summary: A new law makes it harder for foreign buyers to get land, the Finns Party fear the future and Matti Nykänen will be laid to rest.

Finland's parliament has approved a law that requires foreign buyers to get Defence Ministry permission before purchasing land to weed out threats to national security.
 The headline in  tabloid Ilta-Sanomat  seems to indicate that only Russians may henceforth have to jump through hoops to buy up land, including any waterways and real estate. The new law states that prospective buyers from all non-EU and non-ETA countries will need special permission to get their hands on Finnish land.
 Even companies registered in Finland but whose decision-making bodies are at least one-tenth of non-EU/ETA origin will have to seek a permit. The Ministry of Defence is unable to say just how the change will affect the permissions process.
 "The length of the license handling period is not stated in the law," says the ministry's environmental counsellor,  Matias Warsta . "The plan is to keep things going as smoothly as ever, but we need to see what kind of resources we'll get."
 The whole reason behind the new restrictions is to cull possible threats to Finland's sovereignty.
 "Property acquisitions in strategic locations can be used to gain footholds in the country, weaken the operating conditions of law enforcement, develop espionage or otherwise serve foreign interests," the government's reasoning went, following the  Airiston Helmi money-laundering case  where Russian business interests infiltrated Finnish national security.
 Approved by parliament on Tuesday, the law states that non-European property shoppers can still buy housing stocks and condominiums without restrictions. President  Sauli Niinistö  still needs to sign off on the law before its date of introduction can be set, writes IS, though a 2020 deadline is expected.
 Finns Party supporters fear everything except climate change
 A new political survey by the Finnish Innovation Fund (Sitra) finds that the supporters of the nationalist Finns Party are the most frightened by the future out of all of Finland's parties, writes  daily Helsingin Sanomat .
 The Sitra survey, conducted by Kantar TNS, asked more than 2,000 people questions gauging voters' attitudes towards the future. When asked, "How do you see the future?" a total of 31 percent of Finns Party supporters said they were fearful and saw "many threats". That figure is more than double that of the opposition parties. Meanwhile the Centre Party had the least concerns, with only 7 percent voicing fears.
 The survey also asked respondents to rate their agreement with a related statement: We are able to shape the future. Here the Finns Party were also the most pessimistic of Finland's parties, with only 27 percent of their supporters agreeing entirely. The runaway optimists of the bunch were the Green Party followers at 47 percent.
 An interesting finding of the survey, pointed out in HS, is that even though Finns Party proponents were the most fearful, they were the least concerned about climate change and protecting the future of the environment. Only 41 percent of Finns Party voters considered the environment very important, while all other parties went above the halfway mark.
 The confidence interval of the results is 2.1 percent in each direction.
 Legend gets semi-public procession
 Regional paper  Turun Sanomat writes  this Friday that ski jumping gold medallist and national figure  Matti Nykänen 's funeral procession through his home town of Jyväskylä is expected to draw large crowds from across the country.
 The cortège will begin from the old Jyväskylä chapel at 1 pm on Saturday, with a designated route winding around the city.
 Only family members and close friends of the deceased Flying Finn will be allowed near the chapel. The city of Jyväskylä and local law enforcement advise locals to gather at the Laajavuori ski jump hill, which was Nykänen's athletic home base. The procession will stop at the hill for one minute.
 "Matti Nykänen's family wanted the procession to be small and private," said city communications manager  Helinä Mäenpää . "The flags at the ski slope will be at half mast."
 Ski jumper Matti Nykänen passed away at age 55 on 4 February, 2019. He is to be cremated and interred next to his father and grandmother.

Friday's papers: Hybrid threat tightens land deals, fearful Finns Party, ski jumper's funeral


Summary: An increase of 23 new crisis care homes brings the total to 202 – but 500 are needed, the national federation says.

Twenty-three new mother and child homes and shelters will be established in 2019, bringing the total of crisis homes in Finland to 202.
 The Federation of Mother and Child Homes and Shelters said that the new shelter spots will become operational in Helsinki, Jyväskylä, Kotka, Vantaa and Äänekoski.
 Crisis shelters are places where anyone facing domestic abuse or the threat of violence may go to seek refuge and care.
 One of the first new shelters to inaugurate new facilities is Villa Jensen in Kotka, south-east Finland, which will open new rooms in early April.
 "We want our customers to feel safe in the new spaces, so we are making them more homelike rather than institutional," said the Kymenlaakso region's social service chief,  Riikka Mauno .
 Anyone in need of refuge from acute domestic violence can enter a shelter anywhere, regardless of their home city.
 During 2018,  some 130,000 people were victims of violence  within intimate relationships, according to the Finnish National Institute of Health and Welfare (THL).
 More than double needed
 Funding for the network of shelters became government-controlled in 2015. The national federation received two million euros of additional funding for 2019.
 Riitta Särkelä , secretary general of the Federation of Mother and Child Homes and Shelters, said that this year’s increase in resources is insufficient.
 "There is a clear need for more and more safe spaces. Domestic abuse is more common in Finland than most other European countries," Särkelä said.
 While any family member may experience violence from another, Särkelä points out the especially high number of women who face threatening or dangerous situations at home.
 "International reports show that in Finland one in three women aged 15 to 74 faces either domestic assault or the threat of violence in their close relationships," she said.
 In the federation’s view, Finland needs 500 such shelters.
 "Shelters are meant for acute crises, so we have to make sure there are always spaces available," Särkelä said.
 Some 1,200 victims were  denied placement due to lack of resources  in 2016.

Increase in women's shelters insufficient, says organisation


Summary: The public database would name special interest groups attempting to influence lawmakers.

A parliamentary working group headed by Parliamentary Speaker  Paula Risikko  wants to establish a lobby register to improve transparency regarding possible interest groups influences on MPs in Finland.
 All persons and organisations who lobby politicians would be required to add their information to the registry. Lawmakers themselves would face no new obligations.
 The working group said the registry should initially cover government level decision making, later being extended to municipal and regional decision making organs.
 Risikko's group is calling for the registry -- already in use in the European Parliament -- to be implemented during the next government term.

Speaker of Parliament calls for lobbyist registry


Summary: Journalist Sam Kingsley and political pundit Sini Korpinen join the podcast to talk about the Swedish People's Party's prospects in the parliamentary elections.

The Swedish People's Party (SPP) has been part of different coalition governments for close to 40 years, but since 2015 it has been relegated to the opposition. A prominent supporter of Swedish-language rights and interests in Finland, the SPP has traditionally received the support of Finland's Swedish-speaking minority, which makes up about five percent of the population.
 This week's APN asked journalist  Sam Kingsley  and political commentator  Sini Korpinen  about the prospects for the SPP now that the Swedish-speaking voter base is shrinking.
 Kingsley and Korpinen said that the party's unclear platform and apparent unwillingness to take strong stands on several recent controversial issues is proof that it is looking to keep its options open, in terms of potential future coalition cooperation.
 Yle's  latest poll  put SPP support at around four percent. Party chair  Anna-Maja Henriksson  has said she hopes the party will gain 11 seats in the April elections, two more seats than the party holds now.
 Turku University researcher  Matti Välimäki  also contributed to the conversation, noting that SPP has profiled itself as a pro-immigration party. He said in addition to SPP's support for European integration, that effectively means joining a coalition with the anti-immigrant Finns Party would be impossible.
 Cannabis, conscription and a mosque attack top the news
 Every Friday in our podcast, we take a look at the most popular stories of the past week. This week, Yle News readers were drawn to a report about commercial  gardeners in Finland hoping to make medicinal cannabis the country's next big export hit . Their announcement came on the heels of a recent decision made by the EU last month to distinguish medicinal cannabis from other uses of the plant. Currently, growing cannabis under any circumstances is illegal in Finland.
 The next-most popular story was a report about Parliament  overturning a law that previously allowed male Jehovah's Witness members to skip military or civilian service without facing penalties.  The exemption had been in effect since 1987 and has long been controversial. Last year, the Helsinki Court of Appeal ruled that the Finnish practice of allowing male Jehovah's Witnesses to avoid conscription was discriminatory.
 And finally, our readers were drawn to a story about  a smoke bomb being thrown through the window of an Islamic prayer room in the city of Oulu . Imam  Abdul Mannan  said that the attack was the ninth time that the facility had been vandalised within the past year. Oulu is currently home to an estimated 3,000 Muslims. The city has recently been dealing with a number of  suspected child sex abuse  cases allegedly carried out by individuals from the Middle East.
 If you have any questions, or would like to share something on your mind with All Points North, 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  Zena Iovino  and  Pamela Kaskinen , with additional reporting by  Denise Wall . Our producer was  Anna   Ercanbrack ,and the sound engineer was  Anttoni Wikström.

All Points North #42: Platforms, promises and platitudes - Swedish People's Party


Summary: Antti Rinne returns to the campaign trail with his party leading the polls. Tabloids, however, suggest Rinne's condition was more serious than publicised.

The main opposition Social Democratic Party launched its election campaign more than a month ago, but the party's parliamentary group met for the first time this year with the party leader on Friday.
 The parliamentary delegation held a coffee reception on Friday morning to welcome  Antti Rinne  back to work after an  extended sick leave.
 Rinne also appeared before a TV camera for the first time this year, interviewed briefly by a reporter for Yle's morning chat show, Aamu-tv.
 Rinne, 56, fell ill with pneumonia while on holiday in Spain around Christmas. After returning to Finland on January 11, he was also diagnosed with a coronary thrombosis, which was treated with a balloon angioplasty. Rinne says that his condition was also worsened by a hospital-acquired infection.
 Rinne aims for premiership
 The SDP kicked off its election campaign in late January,  led by deputy chair Sanna Marin , a first-term MP. The SDP says it aims to become the nation's biggest party and to make Rinne the next prime minister. The party has held firmly onto the number-one spot in Yle opinion polls since last summer.
 Alongside an interview with the tabloid Ilta-Sanomat last week, Rinne released a physician's statement saying that he did not have any illness or injury that would "prevent him from continuing as a Member of Parliament or other corresponding work as of 1 March 2019”.
 Also last week the former union boss said in a Facebook post that he felt “good and enthusiastic”.
 IL: Seriousness concealed
 On Thursday the tabloid Iltalehti reported that Rinne's condition had been much worse than reported by the party, saying that he had been in an induced coma for at least two weeks and was medevacked back to Finland in that condition.
 The paper suggests that the party had deliberated tried to conceal the seriousness of his illness, suggesting that there was a power struggle behind the scenes, with some hoping to replace Rinne as the party's prime ministerial candidate.
 Advance voting for the next Finnish Parliament begins on 3 April ahead of Election Day on 14 April, followed by the European Parliament election on 26 May.

SDP chair Antti Rinne returns to work after 2 months' sick leave


Summary: Print readership is tumbling in Finland, according to MediaAuditFinland, which collates data on print and digital media in the country.

Digital subscriptions have not been able to replace dwindling print readership for most newspapers, according to the latest  figures  from MediaAuditFinland, which tracks the circulation of Finnish print and digital newspapers.
 Swedish-language daily Hufvudstadsbladet (HBL) lost more readers than any other newspaper last year in Finland. Between 2017 and 2018, Hufvudstadsbladet lost some 14,000 readers, bringing circulation down to 51,000 from 65,000. Meanwhile HBL's digital subscriptions also fell from 71,000 to 57,000.
 Circulation for the country's main daily, Helsingin Sanomat, fell from 569,000 to 562,000.
 Niche papers enjoy upsurge
 Meanwhile, papers focusing on local or specific sectors experienced an uptick.
 Agricultural sector newspaper Maaseudun Tulevaisuus saw print readership rise from 306,000 to 322,000 while Österbottens Tidning, a regional Ostrobothnian paper, gained 3,000 readers.
 The business daily Kauppalehti saw its print readership drop by nearly 12 percent, but its digital readership was more than twice as high, rising by four percent to give the paper overall growth.
 Turun Sanomat, a traditional broadsheet from the southwestern city of Turku, also saw good growth in digital readership offsetting losses on the print side. So did regional dailies such as Kouvolan Sanomat, Länsi-Savo and Etelä-Saimaa, which all saw digital growth of well over 25 percent. Itä-Savo and Salon Seudun Sanomat did even better, with digital growth of more than 35 percent.

Readership continues to decline for Finland’s print papers


Summary: Of those looking for work for at least half of a calendar year, 39 percent were seen as at risk of poverty.

Nearly four out of 10 long-term jobseekers and a third of students are at risk of poverty in Finland, suggests a study released on Friday.
 The data published by Statistics Finland dates back to 2017. The agency says that about 39 percent of people who were jobless for at least half the year were households considered to be "at risk of poverty". The same was true for some 31 percent of adult students.
 The central statistics office's long-term data from the past three decades shows a growing gap between various population groups in the rate of poverty risk, especially since the severe recession of the 1990s. It says that wage-earners are now "very rarely at risk of poverty".
 Students living solo most at risk
 About half of students lived in households with wage-earners, typically parents or spouses, and these were at lower risk of poverty. Overall, about one fifth lived alone and an equal number with a spouse or partner. However half of low-income students lived alone.
 Among those aged 18-24, nearly 28 percent lived in low-income households. Two thirds of low-income young adults were students, while 87 percent had moved away from their family homes.
 Overall in this age group, roughly 40 percent still lived with parents or guardians, with 60 percent basically responsible for their own finances. Those living independently were five times as likely to be low-income than those still residing at home.
 Ex-farmers most at risk of retirement poverty
 The risk of poverty among the nation's nearly 1.4 million pensioners also varies. Almost half are former salaried employees, who are rarely at risk of poverty.
 Among former lower-level employees, more than eight percent are at risk of poverty. The highest risk of poverty, around 38 percent, is among retired farmers.
 As Statistics Finland defines it, a household is at risk of poverty if its disposable monetary income per ‘consumption unit’ – i.e. resident – averages less than 60 percent of the national median income.
 In 2017, the at-risk-of-poverty threshold for a one-person household was 14,750 euros per year, or 1,230 euros per month after taxes.
 Since the turn of the millennium, less than one fifth of those in risk households were in the highest-risk group, having income under 40 percent of the median.
 In 2017, that 'poverty line' for individual disposable monetary income was 9,830 euros a year or 820 euros a month per month.

Students, jobseekers most at risk of poverty in Finland


Summary: A lower reporting threshold and frustration with a dead-end process may explain the rise in threats against reception centre staff, says one Migri official.

The Finnish Immigration Service Migri received 173 reports of threats against reception centre staff in 2018. While officials say it is a small proportion of the 1,000 reports of irregularities recorded at the centres last year, it is double the number registered in 2017. One Migri official has attributed the change to a lower threshold for reporting the out-of-the-ordinary and frustration  among some groups of asylum seekers .
 The majority of residents in Finland’s asylum seeker reception centres arrived in the country during 2015 and 2016. The majority of the people who have applied for refugee status in Finland have by now received at least one negative decision, according to  Olli Snellman , head of Migri's reception centre operation.
 Rejected asylum seekers typically appeal the authorities’ rulings and also file a new application for asylum based on new grounds. This process tends to extend the amount of time that applicants spend in reception centres.
 Officials have noted that the majority of asylum seekers who have arrived in Finland come from Iraq,  a country that has refused to accept nationals  who do not voluntarily return to the country. This means that Finnish police are not able to deport them when their asylum claims are rejected.
 The end result is that reception centres may be full of people from conflict areas with little hope of resettling as refugees, but who  nevertheless cannot be deported.
 "Traditionally, the reception centre system has operated so that the process has a beginning and an end. Now not everyone has that end in sight. Their dreams have been dashed but they also cannot be returned to their home countries," Snell man explained.
 The immigration official said that it is difficult to say whether or not the atmosphere at reception centres has significantly deteriorated.
 Raised voices and verbal threats
 Figures obtained by Yle suggest that reception centre residents are increasingly prone to vent their frustrations by adopting aggressive behaviour toward the staff.
 Reception centre operators report irregularities to Migri, and in 2018 the agency received 1,000 such notifications. Just 173 represented some kind of threat aimed at reception centre personnel. However that is twice the number reported in the previous year, although there are thousands fewer residents living at the facilities.
 "Some of the notifications include cases such as addressing staff with raised voices, throwing items at the wall or issuing verbal threats," Snellman noted.
 "This type of behaviour is not acceptable under any circumstances. But we have no reports that personnel have been attacked," he added.
 The immigration official added that only a small number of residents have engaged in threatening behaviour and pointed out that there are currently 10,000 people living in reception centres across the country.
 According to Snellman, the rise in the number of threats recorded by immigration authorities may be attributed to a lower threshold by reception centres to report incidents. He added that at the beginning of 2018, Migri revised its guidelines with respect to reporting such cases.
 "It could lead to more reports being filed."
 Police have also said that they have not detected any major changes in the security situation at reception centres.
 Wide range of incidents reported
 Other reports of irregularities at reception centres include everything from disputes among residents, to accidents, power outages, self-harm among residents or threats of self-harm.
 Police have maintained however that they cannot describe the security situation at reception centres as having deteriorated. They added that the centres are not occupying more of their resources than usual.
 "The fundamental view of the police is that the number of calls has remained the same. They are coming in at a steady rate but are not by any means an unusual number," National Police Board Inspector  Marko Heikkinen  observed.
 Heikkinen added that asylum seeker reception centres account for a marginal number of the calls police receive. As a result police officials dropped the practice of tracking reception centre alerts, a procedure that began in 2015.
 "There was no reason to attach any special attention to it. It could be that staff are sensing increased tension in the atmosphere [there]," he noted.

Dead-end asylum process likely behind rise in reported threats against reception centre staff, says Migri official


Summary: A group of close friends and relatives bid goodbye to the troubled former ski champion at an intimate ceremony on Saturday.

Close friends and relatives gathered in Jyväskylä on Saturday for the funeral service of  deceased Finnish ski jump Olympian  Matti Nykänen .
 German  Jens Weissflog , who represented East Germany when he competed against Nykänen in the 80s and early 90s, also attended the funeral service.
 Other dignitaries included Finnish ski jumper  Janne Ahonen  and cross country ski star  Juha Mieto . European, Culture and Sports Minister  Sampo Terho  laid a wreath on behalf of the state, which also  funded the funeral .
 European, Culture and Sports Minister Sampo Terho (right). Jonna Karjalainen / Yle
 Members of the public were also present, but remained outside the cemetery chapel where the funeral service took place. Before Nykänen’s coffin was placed in the hearse, his mother  Vieno Nykänen , sister  Tuija Nykänen  and widow  Pia Nykänen  said their final goodbyes to the late ski champion.
 Nykänen’s mother Vieno Nykänen (left) and sister Tuija Nykänen. Jussi Nukari / Lehtikuva
 People also lined the route of a procession from the chapel to Nykänen's final resting place, a family grave.
 Members of the public turned out to pay their final respects. Jonna Karjalainen / Yle
 Nykänen  died in early February . He racked up a total of five Winter Olympic medals, nine World Championship medals and 22 Finnish Championship medals during a decade-long career.

Finnish ski legend Matti Nykänen laid to rest in Jyväskylä


Summary: Most Left Alliance and the SDP candidates backed higher income taxes over cuts to services and benefits. A majority of NCP candidates rejected the idea.

Two out of three candidates running in parliamentary elections due on 14 April said they would prefer to increase taxes on earned income rather than cut services or social benefits, according to the Uutissuomalainen news consortium.
 The news agency’s finding was based on an analysis of responses election candidates provided to election compass surveys conducted by the Keskisuomalainen news group and the regional daily, Karjalainen.
 Uutissuomalainen’s analysis found that most candidates running on the tickets of the Left Alliance and the Social Democratic Party supported increasing taxes on earned income, while National Coalition Party candidates were most opposed to the proposal.
 Candidates were asked to respond to the claim, "It is better to cut services and benefits than to hike taxes on earned income."
 All of the Left Alliance candidates and 95 percent of SDP election hopefuls disagreed with the assertion. A majority of Greens' candidates also rejected the idea.
 NCP candidates meanwhile most strongly opposed raising income taxes. Three out of four of the party’s candidates indicated that they would prefer to spend less on services and benefits than to hike income taxes.
 However Finns Party candidates were divided on the issue, with half backing steeper income taxes, while the other half preferring to scale back services and benefits to avoid higher taxes.
 Candidates from the Christian Democratic Party, the Seven Star Movement, the Centre Party and the Blue Reform all fell in the middle of the spectrum of views on the issue.

Daily: Majority of election candidates would hike income taxes to maintain services, benefits


Summary: Motorists in parts of Ostrobothnia in the west and Karelia in the east will have to contend with snow flurries and high winds on Saturday.

Motorists venturing onto the roads in parts of Finland are being advised to expect winds gusting at speeds of up to 20 meters per second.
 "Wind warnings have been issued across a narrow zone from southern Ostrobothnia to southern Karelia but winds are high and gusts may also reach storm readings on the south coast and in coastal regions in Ostrobothnia," said Yle meteorologist  Kerttu Kotakorpi .
 During Saturday night the stormy weather system is expected to move across the country towards the southeast. Meanwhile maritime traffic between Finland and Estonia may be affected by powerful crosswinds. By Saturday afternoon gusts were expected to reach 25 metres per second in Emäsalo, off the coast of Porvoo in the south.
 According to Kotakorpi, the winds are expected to subside by Sunday morning.
 Heavy snow, frosty night
 Snow flurries were also forecasted to move east across southern and central Finland on Saturday. Heavy snowfall was expected to create poor driving conditions, with roads worst affected in the east. In addition to the gusty winds, motorists are advised to brace for swirling, powdery snowfall that will likely impair visibility.
 "On Saturday afternoon 17 centimetres of snow had already fallen in Puolanko, Kainuu for example. During the evening the snowfall may also extend to the south coast," Kotakorpi noted.
 Meanwhile overnight temperatures on Saturday are expected to fall to -10 degrees Celsius in the south and further to -30 degrees in Lapland as the snow front migrates to the east.
 Although Sunday will be sunny and warmer, daytime highs will still remain below freezing. According to Kotakorpi the week will usher in variable conditions.
 "Temperatures down south will be just below zero degrees and colder in Lapland. Children beginning their ski holidays in northern and eastern Finland can look forward to sunny days with lots of snow," Kotakorpi added.

Stormy winds, snow flurries to hamper motorists


Summary: Forecasts by mortgage lender Hypo indicate that Finland will soon have just three urban growth centres as expansion in former hotspots slows.

According to specialist mortgage lender Hypo, Finland will soon have just  three urban areas experiencing genuine expansion:  Helsinki, Tampere and Turku.
 A fresh regional population forecast that the lender commissioned suggests that Finland will soon experience a wave of urbanisation, the era of the mega city. Many urban areas which have been growing up to now will see their populations shrink in the 2030s, Hypo projected.
 The forecast calls for greater consolidation among cities to outlive the declining population trend. In the provinces too, growth centres will move from rural to urban areas. At the same time, cities will expand internally, meaning that their central districts will flourish while the outskirts will contract.
 According to Hypo chief economist  Juhana Brotherus , the next government will need to ensure that enough housing is available during the wave of expansion in the growth triad that includes Helsinki, Turku and Tampere.
 "There is a lot of construction ahead because the need for new builds will continue, we need to see turnover in ARA homes, we will need assistance for relocation in the future as well as reliable transportation between the growth trio to ensure mobility of the workforce," Brotherus advised in a statement.
 ARA is the state-owned Housing Finance and Development Center that is largely responsible for bankrolling affordable and so-called social housing.
 Rising housing prices only in growth areas
 Housing prices across Finland fell in 2018, according to Hypo. The institution said that prices rose only in urban growth centres in the Uusimaa, southwest Finland and Tampere regions in the couth of the country.
 According to the lender’s data, prices fell for half of properties last year, meaning that half a million homes lost value.
 The Hypo group’s forecast indicates that the rise in housing prices will stop this year and decline by 0.5 percent next year. It expects buyers to see price gains of two percent this year and 1.5 percent in 2020.
 The only exception to the projection will be in the Helsinki region, where the institution expects housing prices to continue to climb, with demand especially high in the three-kilometre radius from the capital’s Central Railway Station.
 Competition for housing is also stiff in Turku in the southwest, where prices are rising in tandem with economic growth.

Lender: Urban growth to centre on Helsinki-Turku-Tampere axis


Summary: According to local media two Finnish citizens were killed when the tuk-tuk in which they were travelling was hit  by a car.

Two Finns have reportedly died following a traffic accident in Cambodia, Finland’s Foreign Ministry confirmed to news agency STT on Saturday.
 Cambodia media had previously reported that the two Finns died in a collision in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh.
 "The Foreign Ministry is aware of and is attending to the case of two Finns who died in Cambodia," ministry spokesperson  Harri Kilpi  told STT.
 According to reports by Cambodian media and the discussion forum Cambodia Expats Online, the Finns were travelling in a tuk-tuk moped taxi when a passenger car crashed into them. The Cambodian tuk-tuk driver was also killed in the collision.
 The Foreign Ministry declined to disclose any details of the incident and also refused to confirm or deny the media reports.
 "Unfortunately we cannot comment on the details due to personal privacy and consular confidentiality considerations," Kilpi commented.
 The accident was first reported by Finnish tabloid dailies Iltalehti and Ilta-Sanomat.

Two Finns killed in traffic accident in Cambodia


Summary: The Finnish transport agency advises British drivers living in Finland to swap their UK licenses for a Finnish version soon, in case of a no-deal Brexit.

British people living in the EU may have to take new driving tests after a no-deal Brexit, if they do not exchange their UK license for a European one before 29 March, says the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom.
 A no-deal Brexit would affect UK license validity in the European Union, so the agency advises British drivers in Finland to swap their licenses sometime before the planned Brexit date arrives.
 "It's a good idea to switch your driver's license now, especially if it includes entitlements to drive heavy vehicles. After a possible withdrawal from the EU, driver's licenses issued in the UK will be categorized as a license from a so-called third country, or 'contracting state' in terms of the law, which would mean that those who are now qualified to drive a lorry, bus or coach would have to complete a new professional driving qualification, for example," says Traficom's development manager  Päivi Wood .
 Even some expired licenses can be exchanged
 EU citizens can exchange their UK driver's license for a Finnish license by submitting a valid UK license and showing proof of identity, and if necessary, providing two new photos to create the new card.
 Traficom says an exchange for a Finnish driver's license is possible even if the UK license has been expired for a maximum of two years; or for a maximum of one year for holders of heavy vehicle entitlements. Those seeking a professional driving qualification must also provide a medical certificate.
 British drivers in Finland whose UK licenses have been expired for longer than these cut-off periods must first retake the driving examination, which includes a theory and driving test, to receive a Finnish driver's license.
 The UK driver's licenses can be exchanged at any of the Ajovarma service points working with Traficom. The authority recommends  booking an appointment  at the closest Ajovarma location ahead of time.
 The Traficom website features  more information  on the Brexit situation and how it will affect private individuals and commercial operators when it comes to transport and communications in Finland.

Brits in Finland urged to switch driver's licenses before 29 March


Summary: The tabloid Ilta-Sanomat reports that the stabbing occurred in child protection facilities in the Helsinki district of Haaga.

Helsinki Police have announced on Twitter that two adults have been stabbed and three children injured by a male assailant on Santavuorentie in Helsinki's district of Haaga. Law enforcement says no bystanders were in danger.
 The police say they believe they know the identity of the assailant and are conducing a manhunt for the suspect. The 34-year-old is believed to be the former spouse of one of the adult victims and father of the three children.
 Police say the victims have been transported to the hospital, but there is no more detailed information about their condition.
 The tabloid Ilta-Sanomat was the first to report on the incident. The tabloid reports that the stabbing took place at child protection facilities that have since been put on lockdown.
 Updated at 4.50pm with more information about the attack and the suspected assailant.

Police: Two adults stabbed, three children injured in Helsinki attack


Summary: The prime minister used time during a regular radio interview to explain his controversial comments on proposals to cut back on Finnish forest harvesting.

Finnish premier Juha Sipilä used part of his regular radio interview on Sunday to respond to former Green Party chair Ville Niinistö's claim that Sipilä had lied in a newspaper interview.
 Niinistö referred to a  Uutissuomalainen  news agency interview with Sipilä, in which he said that the "Red-Green side would in practice prohibit the use of forests entirely".
 Upon reading the article, the former Greens leader tweeted that all of the political parties have been discussing what would be a sustainable amount of logging in Finland in light of biodiversity, the environment, and carbon capture. He pointed out that talk of possible decreases have been limited to reductions of ten percent or so.
 "No bans on felling have been presented," Niinistö said, adding that "Lying is an ugly habit".
 "Logging creates steady work"
 Sipilä responded in the Sunday by saying that 95 percent of Green MP candidates in the upcoming elections have said they would like to reduce forest harvesting immediately. The PM said one Green MP even proposed banning logging in Finland altogether during a parliamentary question hour.
 "If we should cut down our use of forest products right away, then it is warranted to ask just where the Greens and Left would be willing to shut down the first mill. That's what it means, in practice," Sipilä said.
 Sipilä said he is a staunch defender of Finland's sustainable forest management and use of forest resources. He says that increased wood use is sure to attract foreign investors and is essential for balanced development of the country's economy.
 "Logging also creates steady work throughout Finland. The Centre Party will stand firm on this," he said.
 Sipilä said he bases his party's position on studies from the Natural Resources Institute (Luke), the Finnish Environmental Institute (Syke) and the Technical Research Centre (VTT) that conclude that harvesting of 80 million cubic metres annually would be sustainable. He points out that at this rate, calculations have shown that Finland would still be carbon neutral by 2030.

PM Sipilä defends Centre Party stand on continued logging


Summary: The result of Finland's general election on 14 April will shape the country’s direction for at least the next four years.

On 14 April voters will choose a new  parliament  and  government  in Finland, with 200 MPs to be elected.
 The current three-party government coalition is led by Prime Minister  Juha Sipilä 's Centre Party, with the National Coalition Party (NCP) and the Blue Reformparty also holding ministerial posts in the cabinet. Those parties currently control 104 of the 200 seats in the Finnish parliament.
 This is a thin majority for a country used to relatively broad-based coalitions; the previous government elected in 2011 included six of the then-eight parties in parliament. The electorate is divided into 15  regional constituencies  that each elect MPs using a proportional system.
 Governments need at least a simple majority to implement its legislative programme.  Lasse Isokangas / Yle Uutisgrafiikka
 Sipilä's three-party coalition has been more ideologically coherent, with market-based reforms and austerity dominating the agenda. The Sipilä government took office in 2015 pledging four billion euros in  annual spending cuts , and ended up cutting education and social security budgets while forcing through an increase in working time for most employees.
 The April election could see a big shift in policy if Sipilä and his Centre Party do not do well enough for him to continue as premier.
 What are the issues?
 The government’s  controversial and unfinished reform of health and social care (‘sote’)  is one of the biggest issues facing the country, but few voters fully understand it.
 A spate of recent scandals about  standards at care homes  has pushed that issue to the top of the political agenda, ensuring that parties are now discussing tightening the rules for operators of facilities for the elderly.
 After recent alarming news about climate change, the Green Party is framing this year's vote as the last chance to save the world,  hoping for a ‘climate election’ . The nationalist Finns Party meanwhile is pushing to make immigration a central theme of the election campaign, especially after a  series of sexual abuse cases in Oulu  in which the suspects were asylum seekers or immigrants.
 Who’s likely to win?
 The  Social Democrats  have been leading the polls and hope to emerge from the election as the biggest party.
 The party that wins the most MPs in the 200-member parliament gets the opportunity to form a government. To do that it will need to form a coalition with other parties commanding at least 101 MPs between them.
 If they get the mandate to negotiate, the SDP is likely to look to the  Green Party  as a potential coalition partner, as well as the  Left Alliance . Those three parties have been consistent critics of the current government’s austerity budgets and labour market reforms.
 The Greens have been pushing to break into the ‘big three’ of Finnish politics (the NCP, SDP and Centre), as their poll numbers rose after the last election before dipping again. They recently changed leader, electing former presidential candidate  Pekka Haavisto  to replace  Touko Aalto , after  Aalto took extended sick leave .
 Those parties are unlikely to constitute a majority, however, so the NCP or Centre Party may be asked to join the new administration along with a smaller party like the  Swedish People's Party  or  Christian Democratic Party,  or even the Blue Reform party that split from the Finns Party in 2017.The winning parties are likely to face  tough choices  in creating a working coalition, however, as the electoral arithmetic might not throw up an obvious, ideologically-coherent combination.
 President Sauli Niinistö is not up for re-election. Florian Wieser / EPA
 What about President Niinistö?
 Finland’s  popular president   Sauli Niinistö , who  brought together Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin last year , is not up for re-election having won a second term in 2018. His role is in foreign policy and diplomacy, as the president acts as a figurehead rather than getting his or her hands dirty in domestic politics.
 It is unlikely any coalition government would have big disagreements with Niinistö, who has been president  since 2012  and was formerly a member of the National Coalition party.
 What happens next?
 Coalition negotiations can drag on: In 2011 it took  more than two months  from election to confirmation of  Jyrki Katainen  as Prime Minister.
 Horsetrading and political wrangling aside, it's a big year for elections in Finland. New MEPs are due to be elected on 26 May, and new regional assemblies may (or may not) be elected as part of the troubled ‘sote’ reform.
 A recent economic upswing might well run out of steam in the coming years, leaving the incoming administration less room to manoeuvre than they might like.
 Lasse Isokangas / Yle Uutisgrafiikka
 A really simple guide to the main parties
 The  Centre Party  is a centrist party that enjoys strong voter support in the countryside. It has liberal and traditionalist wings. The centre-right  National Coalition  is an economically liberal party that is popular in cities and among higher-income groups. The  Blue Reform  split from the Finns Party after a hardliner took over as party chair in June 2017. The coalition partners objected and kicked the Finns Party out of government, but eventually accepted the Blue Reform ministers and MPs who broke with the Finns Party back into the coalition. The  Finns Party  is a right-wing populist party that is opposed to immigration and the EU. The  Social Democratic Party  is a centre-left party with strong links to Finland's trade unions. The  Green Party  is an environment-focused party founded in the 1970s with a growing supporter base among young, urban voters. The  Left Alliance  is a left-wing group with roots in the Communist party and strong links to the labour movement. The  Swedish People's Party  is a liberal party advocating for Finland’s Swedish-speaking minority. The  Christian Democrat Party  is a small, socially conservative party with links to Christian religious groups.

A really simple guide to Finland's 2019 parliamentary election


Summary: Election results from Estonia, major defense exercises, and warnings of thin ice are among the items in Monday's newspapers.

Most dailies on Monday looked across the Gulf of Finland at the results of voting in Estonia's parliamentary elections where the opposition Reform party registered a win, but the biggest gains were made by the far-right Ekre party.
 Turku's  Turun Sanomat  writes that Ekre, which polled 17.8% of the vote, has gathered growing support by using a formula common to populist parties throughout Europe - stirring up fears over immigration. This seems to have worked on many Estonian voters, even though Estonia is not faced by major immigration.
 The paper quotes the director of Estonia's foreign policy institute  Kristi Raik  as saying that Ekre is unlikely to join a government coalition, however. Raik points to the generous campaign promises made by the party as evidence that it is not serious about taking government responsibility.
 Turun Sanomat also notes that although voters cast ballots at polling stations on Sunday, many had voted electronically in advance. Estonia is the only country in the world where online voting in national elections is possible. Around 40 percent of voters there took advantage of voting "from their sofas", as Turun Sanomat put it.
 Soldiers on the streets
 The Finnish Army is conducting local defence training exercises that will bring soldiers into parts of urban areas starting on Monday.
 Aamulehti  reports from Tampere that the exercises, which kicked off in Kemi, Oulu, and southwestern Finland last week include some 3,400 soldiers and 500 military vehicles, tanks and armoured personnel carriers, as well as police and emergency services units.
 As of Monday, the exercises are expanding into Tampere, Kouvola and the Helsinki region. Focusing on surveillance and protection tasks and missions, military activities is likely to be seen especially in the vicinity of airports, harbours and rail facilities.
 Helsingin Sanomat  tells its readers to not be upset if soldiers in full battle gear carrying automatic weapons appear in their neighbourhoods this week.
 The paper reports that army units are expected to be seen around the capital region in Pasila and Tikkurila. The other areas on the paper's list are Pitäjänmäki, Koskela, Etelä-Haaga, Myllypuro and Isosaari, as well as Jokiniemi and Koivukylä in Vantaa.
 SMBs down but recruiting
 The economic and business daily Kauppalehti reports on a  slowdown in production  by small and mid-sized businesses in Finland over the past year.
 According to a survey commissioned by the paper, many of these companies are also less optimistic about the future, but even so most are holding on to staff.
 Kauppalehti's survey shows that a good third of SMBs in the country are doing well and showing growth. On the other hand, over half reported that output has either remained static or dropped over the past 12 months. Small and mid-sized industries and retailers registered the largest falls in business. The service sector continues to show the best performance.
 The results of the survey bode well for employment. One out of four SMBs plan to recruit more employees. A mere 3 percent said they intend to downsize their payrolls. The highest demand for workers looks to be in the building sector.
 Capital "chaos"
 Swedish-language daily  Hufvudstadsbladet  warns of the possibility of "traffic chaos" in the capital as road works shut one of Helsinki’s main thoroughfares, Hämeentie.
 The section under renovation is being closed to private vehicles, but will remain open to pedestrians, cyclists and public transport.
 However, trams in the area will be rerouted.
 The tabloid  Ilta-Sanomat  notes that common sense dictates that the works will cause significant disruption and strained nerves. The paper reports that the Helsinki Region Transport authority has put extra resources into communication services because of the expected confusion. In addition to its  regular reports on traffic changes , the authority has set up a  Facebook page  devoted specifically to updates on the Hämeentie project.
 Thin ice and more snow
 Jyväaskylä's Keskisuomalainen carries a  cautionary tale  today of two cyclists being rescued after the ice gave way on a local lake they were crossing on Sunday.
 Local emergency authorities issued a reminder that ice cover is thin in many areas. For example at the site of Sunday's incident the ice, hidden under a heavy covering of snow, was only around one centimetre thick. Ice cover is especially thin where there are underwater currents.
 Thin ice does not, however, mean the immediate arrival of spring. Iltalehti is among the papers reporting that  winter weather is continuing , and southern coastal areas can expect heavy snowfall Monday night and Tuesday morning.

Monday's papers: Estonian elections, war games, thin ice


Summary: The man convicted of planning a mass attack at Helsinki University allegedly sought accomplices on the dark web, prosecutors say.

A man convicted for  plotting mass murder at the University of Helsinki  in 2014, also planned to rob a Helsinki gun store, according to prosecutors.
 The man allegedly sought accomplices for the crime on the Tor network, which is also known as the Dark Web and used for anonymous communications.
 However his scheme was outed when an undercover police officer responded to his request for a partner in crime.
 The suspect is currently facing charges of aggravated plotting to endanger life or health, which were filed last December over suspicions that he was behind  another plot to commit mass violence .
 He has also been charged with drug offences as well as being in possession of objects or substances designed to inflict harm.
 The man and a female accomplice had  previously served a three-year prison sentence  for his earlier conviction on charges of plotting mass killings at the university. The woman later  had her sentenced overturned  on health grounds.

Prosecutor: Helsinki uni mass attack planner also plotted gun store robbery


Summary: A local nature conservation group in Raasepori is calling for authorities to curb SuperShe’s plans to expand construction on the women-only retreat island.

SuperShe, an exclusive women-only island resort in Finland's south-western archipelago,  opened for business in Fjärdskär last summer . But now German-American entrepreneur  Kristina Roth  has petitioned authorities to expand building rights on the island from 340 to 690 square metres.
 Roth said she wants to build more cottages in order to house up to 30 people on the island at a time, up from the current 10. The island off the coast of Raasepori caters to "supershes," affluent women looking to network, relax, and congregate at all-inclusive luxury resorts. A one-week stay at Fjärdskär sets visitors back 4,000 euros.
 Conservation group Raaseporin Luonto said expanding Roth’s building rights would be unfair to other landowners in the area in terms of equal treatment. SuperShe Island is some three hectares in size and the group wants Roth to adhere to the same zoning rules as other small island owners in the archipelago.
 Burden on island
 In a letter to the city of Raasepori, the nature conservation group said green lighting Roth’s shoreline construction plans would bring exploitation of the archipelago to a whole new level.
 Meanwhile  Sven Holmberg , who heads the zoning board for the city of Raasepori, said Roth’s plans are too expansive in terms of the island’s size, emphasising that the potential environmental overload is a real concern.
 Raaseporin Luonto said up to 400 people could stay on the island, leaving a significant environmental footprint. The water surrounding Fjärdskär, home of SuperShe, is of poor quality, placing high demands on waste water purification to prevent further pollution as the island is not hooked up to municipal sewage.
 The local zoning board in Raasepori said Roth’s shoreline building plans can’t go ahead in their current form as they so greatly differ from acceptable zoning rules in terms of the number of dwellings, their maximum size and placement.
 SuperShe v Finnish authorities
 This is not the first time Roth has been at loggerheads with Finnish authorities. Roth's SuperShe island project has drawn widespread international attention —  and criticism  — for catering to elites and even sparked an inquiry from Finland’s Ombudsman for Equality which launched an investigation into whether a women-only business classifies as illegal discrimination. The office later found that the private island venture did not violate gender equality laws.
 Last year she told Yle she was scrapping plans to make further investments in Finland.
 "My experience as an outsider and investor in this beautiful country led me to reconsider future plans," she said, telling business daily Kauppalehti that Finland was a "negative country that sucks energy and money."

Raasepori locals slam SuperShe’s supersized building plans


Summary: Nearly half of all Finnish residents are reluctant to bring an action in court because they fear that a trial can become too expensive.

Over the past two years, nearly two-thirds of people in Finland have wrestled with some kind of legal issue or dispute. Even so, according to a report by the U.S.-based World Justice Project only a mere seven percent turned to the police and the courts to seek a settlement.
 This is one of the lowest rates of legal action in the world. The only countries where citizens bring suits at a lower rate are Mongolia, Senegal, Nepal, Georgia and Hong Kong.
 The primary reason so few disputes come to court is the fear of high costs. The latest survey by the Association of Finnish Lawyers shows that 45 percent of people said they are afraid to bring their cases to court because of high legal costs. Other reasons included the long times cases can take, a sense of shame or ignorance of rights and insufficient access to legal counsel.
 Of the 1,000 respondents between the ages of 15 and 70 polled, about half had some form of legal expenses insurance, but policies that rarely cover all costs that can arise during a legal process.
 Google doesn't have all the answers
 Professor  Tuula Linna , who chairs the Association of Finnish Lawyers, says that the most common disputes people consider for legal action are associated with living conditions and usually involve problems with neighbours.
 "Over a quarter have disputes over noise, pets, rubbish or parking spots," she says.
 But Linna adds that what is more disturbing than unresolved problems with neighbours are cases of people who have not received the healthcare or social benefits they may be entitled to. Other potential cases that often don't go to court involve consumer complaints, accidents, employment and family disputes.
 So, since Finnish residents tend to not seek out professional legal advice, where do they turn? To Google, of course.
 "I'm astounded that nearly half of Finns, 47 percent, turn to the internet and media sources for legal advice. That can sometimes be a problem. The information found is too general and is never about one’s own specific case. Someone seeking help can go astray and there can be misunderstandings," Tuula Linna points out.
 According to the World Justice Project, over 20 percent of people who look for answers to legal complaints via search engines eventually give up and give in to their problems, for example by moving or relinquishing their rights.
 More free legal aid
 Legal costs have risen especially in cases of litigation, a fact which affects many people especially with regard to disputes concerning housing purchases, as well as family and inheritance issues.
 In many litigation cases, the principle is that the losing party is responsible for the costs. In addition to their own costs, the losing party must therefore reimburse the winning party's expenses.
 The Association of Finnish Lawyers would like to see more people eligible to receive free legal aid, not just low income citizens.
 "A normal middle income earner is not part of the group that can receive free legal aid," notes the association's executive director,  Jore Tilander .
 On Monday, the Association of Finnish Lawyers launched a campaign with the slogan "Everyone has the right to justice". The main thrust of the campaign is to highlight problems within the legal system and proposals for improvements.
 The association emphasises that the state should invest more money in legal services, expand the possibility of receiving free legal aid and develop legal expenses insurance so that such policies can offer a proper level of protection.
 In addition, the Association of Finnish Lawyers wants to develop alternative methods for resolving disputes, such as mediation and arbitration.

High trial costs give many in Finland pause


Summary: The government reportedly collapsed over a final failed attempt to see through a controversial social and health care reform package.

Prime Minister Juha Sipilä planned to ask President Sauli Niinistö to dissolve the Finnish Parliament on Friday morning, according to a statement from the government.
 The government planned to host a press conference at the prime minister's residence, Kesäranta, later Friday morning.
 Yle had previous reported on Friday that the administration's contentious flagship social and healthcare reform package, colloquially known as "sote" had run into an insurmountable obstacle over proposed regional government elections.
 The regional governments were to take over responsibility from local municipalities for providing social and health care services.
 More to come.

Government dissolves over failed social, health care reform


Summary: A man suspected of stabbing two adults and three children in Helsinki on Sunday is still on the loose, according to police.

Police said they are treating the incident which occurred in Helsinki’s Haaga district as a case of attempted murder, manslaughter and aggravated battery.
 The 34-year-old assailant stabbed two adults, one of whom is his former spouse and mother of his three children, whom he also stabbed. One of the child victims is under school age. Police said the victims’ injuries were not life-threatening.
 Jari Koski , the officer in charge of the investigation, said charges may change as the investigation moves forward.
 While law enforcement officials said they know the identity of the suspect, they are still investigating the motive.

Man who stabbed family still on the run


Summary: Defence Minister Jussi Niinistö says that the military needs hundreds of new professional career personnel.

Described as a "farewell wish" before April's parliamentary elections, Defence Minister  Jussi Niinistö  has called for the creation of 605 new career jobs in the defence forces, largely in information technology.
 "The change in the security environment has required the development of preparedness and the creation of new capabilities, one of which can be mentioned is cyber [capability]," Niinistö told the opening of a national defence course in Helsinki on Monday.
 In addition to expanded capabilities in intelligence gathering, Niinistö also mentioned the need for more investment in basic operations such as conscript training and reserve exercises.
 Budget increase needed
 According to Niinistö,  changes in surveillance legislation  will increase staff needs in the military, as will expanding international cooperation.
 Trained personnel is not expected to be immediately available, but the Defence Ministry and general staff estimates look to filling hundreds of new positions by the mid-2020s at a price tag of around 45 million euros.
 "This will require additional funding so that personnel, operational, and material costs remain in balance," stated the defence minister. "The issue will have to be raised by the next government."
 Without more resources, Niinistö argued, national defence cannot maintain credibility.
 Swords into buildings
 The commander of the Finnish Defence Forces, General  Jarmo Lindberg , also took up funding issues on Monday, and growing costs for facilities. At present, 10 percent of the military's operational budget is spent on real estate related costs. In practice, these payments are made to the state-owned Senate Properties company. Lindberg complained about costs rising even though the number of facilities rented by the defence forces has declined.
 According to Lindberg, the current model is even degrading the operational efficiency of the defence forces, since more money is going into rents at the expense of training, preparedness and material acquisitions.
 "We are beating swords into buildings," is how Lindberg expressed it.
 Lindberg added that rental charges for state-owned facilities should not be tied to market prices, rather directly to costs. Other security organisations are also wrestling with the same problem, he said.

Outgoing defence head calls for new army jobs