Summary: The charges related to the agency's procurement of faulty personal protective equipment (PPE) worth about 5 million euros in March 2020.

A prosecutor has decided not to proceed with charges against three former officials of the national stockpile agency NESA over the procurement of faulty masks at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
 The abuse of an official position charges against the agency's former Managing Director  Tomi Lounema , former Administrative Director  Asko Harjula  and former Department Manager  Jyrki Hakola  involved the acquisition of approximately 5 million euros worth of respirators and surgical masks in March 2020.
 Harjula and Hakola were  fired by the agency  over the failed purchase, while Lounema  resigned .
 In spring 2020, as the pandemic was taking hold in Finland, the National Emergency Supply Agency (NESA)  agreed to purchase  two million masks and 230,000 high-grade respirators from payday loan operator  Onni Sarmaste  and plastic surgery business owner  Tiina Jylhä  in a deal worth a total of about 10 million euros.
 However, the VTT Technical Research Centre lab in Tampere found that the equipment did  not meet minimum standards for use in Finnish hospitals  and the amounts were found to be less than promised.
 Despite this, the agency paid Sarmaste's company about 5 million euros for the equipment while the initial payment to Jylhä’s company was frozen by her bank.
 However, in its ruling the prosecutor said that, based on the preliminary investigation, there was no evidence to suspect any crime had been committed by the agency's officials.
 Former Managing Director Lounema said at the time of his resignation he regretted that there had not been enough time to conduct a comprehensive background check on the parties offering the equipment, due to the urgency of the unfolding crisis.
 In a statement from Lounema's lawyer following the prosecutor's ruling, the former managing director stated that the agency was forced to adjust its normal procurement procedures in order to hurriedly obtain the equipment in a very difficult market situation.
 The statement added that the agency officials brought all information related to the deal to the attention of the ministries as well as the agency's board. There were no objections or comments on the deal until the matter was reported in the media, the statement added.

Prosecutor drops mask procurement charges against stockpile bosses


Summary: Joel Marin was sentenced to life imprisonment last year after being found guilty on one charge of murder and 20 counts of attempted murder.

The Eastern Finland Court of Appeal has upheld the  decision  by North Savo District Court to hand  Joel Marin  a life sentence on one charge of murder and 20 counts of attempted murder.
 Marin  attacked his victims  with a longsword at Savo Vocational College in October 2019, in a classroom located in a Kuopio shopping centre. A young Ukrainian woman died while 10 other people - including the suspect - were injured in the incident.
 In his application to the Court of Appeal, Marin argued that he should be found guilty of a lesser charge and that his sentence should be reduced from a life sentence to a fixed prison term.
 The longest fixed prison term in Finland is 12 years, while a "life" sentence means an average of 14-15 years behind bars.
 However, the Court of Appeal ruled on Thursday that no new evidence or information had emerged since the original trial that would lead the court to reach a different verdict.
 In addition to the perpetrator's appeal, six victims had also appealed the district court's verdict and asked for increased compensation for the injuries that they suffered in the attack, which the appeal court granted.
 Marin may still have leave to appeal the latest decision to the Supreme Court, with a deadline for submitting the appeal set for 3 January 2022.

Appeal Court upholds life sentence for Kuopio sword attacker


Summary: Changing weather conditions and alcohol use are key risk factors for accidental drownings in Finland.

According to preliminary statistics from the Finnish Swimming Teaching and Lifesaving Federation (FSL), 10 people drowned in Finland in October.
 STT reports that five of the deaths recorded last month were related to water transport and one occurred during a diving event. The circumstances of the other four remain unclear.
 The FSL has said that changing weather conditions and cold water temperatures are currently the primary risk factors for drowning. Finland reported 141 deaths related to drowning between January and October this year.
 The country witnessed 40 more drownings in 2021 compared to the same period last year—the highest number since 2010. On an average, Finland sees 100–150 accidental drowning deaths every year. About half of these are related to alcohol use, according to the FSL.

Finland sees highest number of drownings since 2010


Summary: Yle News is the English-language news department at Yle.

Yle News  was established in 1999 - the first year Finland held the rotating EU Presidency. The time was ripe for a  news service that would deliver comprehensive English-language coverage about Finland  for television, radio and online audiences.
 The first  Yle News television bulletin  aired on TV Channel 1 on June 7, 1999, and the final television broadcast went out on 26 February 2017. Prior to Yle News, Radio Finland produced multilingual radio programming, including news in English.  Finland’s first English-language radio news  aired during World War II.
 The unit now focuses on serving  foreigners in Finland  and Finland-interested audiences abroad online, on the radio, and via social media.
 The  Yle News site covers the top domestic stories of the day in Finland , from political and business news to issues of special interest to visitors and foreigners living in Finland. The site, which draws some 200,000 monthly readers, is updated from 07.00am to 7pmpm weekdays and from 10am to 6.30pm on weekends.
 Listeners can hear  All Points North , our weekly podcast, at  this link .
 Every day we record a  three-minute radio bulletin  summarising the main news. This goes out on Radio Mondo at 15:30 and at 15:55 on Radio 1 frequencies throughout the country. Yle Radio 1 can be heard at 87.9 or 90.9 FM. The latter is also available  online .
 Go to Yle Areena to listen to our  radio broadcasts  from the last month, which can also be accessed as a  podcast .
 Yle domestic news and weather in English is also available on  teletext pages  190-194 or by clicking on  this link .
 Contact Yle News
 You can send your questions, comments and suggestions to yle.news@yle.fi, and you can reach us on WhatsApp via +358 44 421 0909, on Facebook and Twitter.
 Mailing address:
 Yle News
 PL 1
 00024 YLEISRADIO

Yle News: About us


Summary: The coronavirus pandemic continues to take a heavy toll on the mental well-being of students even after a return to Finland's university campuses.

Demand among university students for mental health services this autumn has been higher than total annual levels in the past, according to the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS).
 In September, about 3,300 students were assessed for the need for mental health services, and in October the number was almost the same, according to the medical director of FSHS' mental health services,  Tommi Väyrynen . Earlier this year, an average of 2,100 of these assessments were made per month.
 Some 85 percent of visits to student mental health service units are related to anxiety and depression, Väyrynen said.
 A sharp rise was seen as early as last year when the number of students seeking help with mental health issues went up by a quarter compared to 2019.
 "The return of students to campuses has not alleviated the situation, but rather had the opposite effect," Väyrynen stated.
 He added that in some localities, students have to wait two to three months to get treatment at FSHS service units. In other places, access to professional care is faster.
 "That's a long time to wait. I recommend that students familiarise themselves with the various self-care programmes available, as these are an important part of treatment as a whole. Exercise, maintaining normal sleep rhythms and social contacts, as well as eating healthily promote recovery," Väyrynen said.
 He also emphasised that work is already being done to shorten the queues.
 "FSHS has received a state grant to take additional measures, and we have opened an anonymous chat service and further facilitated the assessment of the need for care with these chats. We are awaiting a decision on new government grants so we can hire more staff," the director said, adding that the issue cannot be solved by health care alone.
 "It is important that students receive support and other welfare services, for example through their universities. We provide more if that is not enough," Väyrynen said.
 "A big problem set to explode"
 Johanna Rita , a 29-year-old student in Tampere, has collected dozens of  personal stories  from university students about how the coronavirus pandemic has shattered students' physical and mental well-being. Rita is writing a book based on these experiences.
 This autumn, Rita herself was able to return to contact teaching.
 "It has had an absolutely incredible effect on my own motivation and joy in life, when I can get out of bed every morning, do my makeup, go to school, see people and talk to them spontaneously," is how Rita described the change.
 On the other hand, she said she found that the corridors are not as crowded as they were before the pandemic.
 "Not everyone is as enthusiastic about going back to school, which is a little sad. Now that people are used to being at home, it can be pretty hard to leave. That, I think, is the next thing that needs to be dealt with," Rita explained.
 She further noted that this may be due to some people preferring distance learning to contact teaching. However, while writing her book, she has heard countless stories about how detrimental the effects of distance learning have been, and how mental health services have been backed up for months.
 "I think this is a big problem set to explode," Johanna Rita warned.
 Expanded service
 As of this year, FSHS's student health care services have included not only university students but also vocational college students.
 Following the change, FSHS's services now cover about 270,000 students in higher education, and it has expanded the number of its service units.
 Anne Komulainen , who is the medical director for dentistry at the Finnish Student Health Service, told Yle that most of the pressure is currently on FSHS telephone services, from which students are directed to care services.
 "Of course, there is an increased demand for mental health services. In the field of oral health, vocational students in particular have been very active in applying for services," she said.
 However, it is difficult to estimate how much of the increase in demand is related to the coronavirus situation and how much to the expansion of services, Komulainen noted.
 "Perhaps there is now a lower threshold for seeking treatment."
 There have been some individual delays in access to treatment, Komulainen added, mainly due to staff recruitment delays in the spring, but work is ongoing to clear backlogs and facilitate smoother access to healthcare services for students.
 "We try to avoid time-wasting referrals to the wrong professional. Based on the assessment of the student's need for care, each area's team determines what kind of help he or she needs. When a callback comes to a student, it comes directly from the right professional," Komulainen explained.

Growing demand among students for mental health services


Summary: The All Points North podcast asks why a Helsinki resident struggled so much to access emergency HIV prevention drugs.

The All Points North podcast explores why someone seeking emergency HIV prevention medication said he was turned away from the Emergency Department at Haartman Hospital in Helsinki. This individual also told APN he was given incorrect information about accessing the drug by HUS' medical helpline, which told him to book a private doctor.
 You can listen to the full podcast using the embedded player here, via Yle Areena, Spotify or Apple Podcasts or on your usual podcast player using the RSS feed.
 Article continues after audio.
 "This person has gotten the wrong information. I'm sorry for his sake for that. He has not gotten the correct information. PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) is a very effective way of preventing HIV when it's done correctly,"  Jussi Sutinen , an infectious disease specialist at Helsinki University Hospital, explained.
 PEP, however, needs to be taken within 72 hours of potential exposure to the virus.
 "I think you can work in Finland as a nurse for years and years without hearing about PEP, or you don't hear about HIV issues," said  Jenny Tigerstedt ,who works with HIV prevention at Hivpoint.
 She, however, noted that the nurses at Haartman should have consulted with a doctor before telling the man that the emergency room did not stock PEP.
 Women helping women
 APN also caught up with  Caroline Bondier  of International Working Women of Finland (IWWOF). The Finnish Refugee Council recently recognised the volunteer group for its work in promoting the inclusion of foreign women in Finland.
 She claimed companies in Finland pay a lot of attention to how applicants present their skills compared to employers in other countries.
 "About 45 percent of women of foreign background in Finland don't have work at the moment, which is a huge number, and we know that many of them are actually very interested to be in the workplace, so that's what we try to help them with," Bondier told APN.
 Join the conversation
 This week's show was presented by  Zena Iovino  and  Mark B. Odom , who alsoproduced the show. The audio engineer was  Laura Koso .
 If you have any questions or would like to share your thoughts, just contact us via WhatsApp on +358 44 421 0909, on our Facebook or Twitter accounts, or at yle.news@yle.fi and allpointsnorth@yle.fi.

APN podcast: Haphazard healthcare and Finland's CV secrets


Summary: The country currently has an exceptionally low number of troops deployed for peacekeeping and crisis management operations

Finland’s role in global peacekeeping missions has reduced significantly over the past few decades. The country currently has 330 people deployed in peacekeeping and crisis management operations across the world.
 A large majority of these—around 200—are in Lebanon, which is currently facing a humanitarian crisis. Small peacekeeping troops have also been deployed in Kosovo, Iraq and Mali. Additionally, Finland has naval forces in the Mediterranean Sea.
 Despite a long history with peacekeeping and crisis management missions, which first began in 1956, Finland has an exceptionally low number of peacekeepers at present.
 "We are, to some extent, at a historic low in peacekeeping [mission numbers]," says Colonel  Vesa Valtonen , the Commander of Pori Brigade, a unit of the Finnish Army. According to Valtonen; however, the phenomenon is not exclusive to Finland, as countries such as Sweden have also drastically reduced their peacekeeping activity
 The overall number of peacekeeping troops has decreased significantly, especially since the end of NATO-led operations in Afghanistan. However, the number of Finnish peacekeepers deployed in Afghanistan was already relatively small, and had dropped to a few dozen in recent years.
 Story continues after photo
 Mirwice Sahel / EPA
 Finland’s Minister of Defence  Antti Kaikkonen  (Cen) has stated that the need for global peacekeeping operations has reduced significantly compared to previous decades, and there are currently substantially fewer troops engaged in crisis management.
 "We also need to consider resources. We no longer have the extensive resources to contribute that we did in previous years,” he said.
 Africa likely the next destination for peacekeeping activities
 While peacekeeping and crisis management missions have traditionally been led by the UN, various associations, including the EU and NATO, spearhead operations today. In Finland, protocol dictates that the country can agree to participate in a peacekeeping mission only once it receives an official request for the same.
 "We have various offers on the table, but we cannot accept several of them," said Kaikkonen. According to the minister, the Parliamentary Committee for Crisis Management has discussed Finland’s future policies, and while no official decisions have been made regarding new destinations, committee members have unanimously set their sights on Africa.
 "Ensuring stability in Africa is in Europe’s best interest. If Africa experiences unrest, it could lead to a huge flow of immigrants to Europe. We would withstand this pretty badly," Kaikkonen added.
 Intensive training for peacekeeping continues
 While the number of Finnish troops deployed in peacekeeping missions is exceptionally low, soldiers are still undergoing intensive training for the field. Around 600 members of the Pori Brigade have signed up to receive training in peacekeeping and crisis management this year.
 Reserve units are constantly given guidance on existing operations, and the brigade occasionally organises specialised courses. Valtonen said he believes the content of the training could be easily adapted to fit upcoming needs, but hopes that any political decisions made during a crisis would be conveyed in a timely manner.
 "Setting up a new operation after a political decision is made would take two months," he explained.

Finland seeks to expand peacekeeping presence with missions in Africa


Ministers had set a target of four in five over-12s to be vaccinated to end restrictions.
 Finland could reach its stated target of 80 percent vaccination coverage among the over-12s on Friday, but health officials say that won't be enough to end the pandemic.
 Earlier this year the government set a target of 80 percent vaccination coverage to end Covid restrictions. The majority of restrictions, however, were removed before vaccination coverage reached that level.
 Health authorities criticised the decision, but the government justified the move by saying it was necessary to open up society because people were no longer willing to abide by Covid restrictions.
 Soon after, case counts and the number of patients in hospital began to rise. Restrictions on bars, nightclubs and restaurants remained in place in the worst-affected areas until mid-November at least.
 Still plenty of unvaccinated people
 There are still some 693,000 unvaccinated people aged twelve or above. Including those aged 11 or under, vaccination coverage is around 70 percent.
 Finland has not made any decisions about vaccinating the under-12s, with the working group tasked with considering the issue set to report at the end of November. Even if they decide to vaccinate younger children, there could be delays before immunisation is rolled out.
 "If we decide to vaccinate 5-12-year-olds then the vaccine is different to those already used for over-12s," said THL vaccine expert Mia Kontio at the regular Covid briefing on Thursday.
 "As the vaccine does not have a license in Europe for younger children, Pfizer-BioNTech has not yet estimated what delivery times for the vaccine might be. We may be able to get them this year, but that is not yet certain."
 The 80 percent target was imposed in the belief that vaccination rates could reduce the number of infections.
 Vaccinations have reduced the number of serious Covid cases and infections this autumn, but the number of infections has over the last few weeks been between 4,000 and 4,600 per week.
 Covid patients in hospitals still require treatment for long periods, even though the burden has been reduced through vaccination. As long as the virus is present in the population, new infections are possible.
 Even vaccinations don't offer 100 percent protection against Covid, with one percent of those vaccinated in Finland suffering a so-called 'breakthrough infection'.
 Target re-evaluation?
 THL Chief Physician Otto Helve said on Thursday that Finland should aim to have as large a percentage of the population vaccinated as possible.
 According to Helve, having 80 percent of the population vaccinated changes nothing — the virus remains in circulation and patients are still in hospital, and the situation won't change in the coming weeks.
 "This situation won't change at all tomorrow, it won't change in the coming days or weeks," said Halve. "That's why we are targeting vaccine coverage above 80 percent, as high as possible."
 There are also large differences in vaccination coverage between municipalities and regions. This week the 80 percent threshold has been reached in several hospital districts.
 Eastern Finland has seen greater coverage than western Finland, which THL officials say is problematic and offers a 'refuge' for the virus.

Finland's Covid vaccination rate soon to hit 80% of over-12s, but that won't end the epidemic


Summary: Jyväskylä's Keskisuomalainen reports on former local guards at the Finnish embassy still hoping to be evacuated from Afghanistan.

In August, Finland evacuated employees of a company that had provided security services as a subcontractor to the Finnish Embassy in Afghanistan, along with their families.
 However,  several dozen Tahiri Protection Risk Management Consulting employees were excluded from the evacuation decision  and are still hoping for help. Many of them fear for their lives,  writes Friday's Keskisuomalainen .
 The paper spoke by phone with one Afghan man who worked at the embassy for six years, and he told KSML that he does not understand why Finland offered protection to only some of the employees.
 According to the man, whose identity has been withheld for his own safety, the company's employees were promised protection by the embassy.
 Keskisuomalainen says it has seen the man's employment records and his Finnish embassy pass, although his documents do not specify his duties.
 According to the interviewee, there are currently nearly forty people who worked for the security company in hiding in Afghanistan. He added that he had recently lost contact with former colleagues and has no information about the whereabouts of his former co-workers or whether they are even alive.
 Due to Taliban threats, the man and his family have fled to Pakistan.
 Under the decision made by the Finnish government in August, only the employees of the company involved in personal bodyguard duties were evacuated.
 According to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, this group does not include persons who worked as guards in the mission area, for example guarding buildings, and did not provide personal security for diplomats inside or outside the mission area.
 Veikko Kiljunen , Director for the Unit for South Asia at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, told the paper that the evacuation of security workers who were left behind, and some other individuals, has been discussed but no new decision on evacuation is being prepared.
 Vaccination variation
 As Finland approaches the  target of a coronavirus vaccination rate of 80 percent  of over-12 year-olds, tabloid Ilta-Sanomat looks at a study showing large variation in rates according to profession.
 The report by the Helsinki Graduate School of Economics (GSE) compared vaccine coverage between employees in different industries.
 It found, for example, about a quarter of those working in the construction sector have not been vaccinated, while only seven percent of those working in the financial and insurance sectors have not yet had a jab.
 Vaccine coverage in the health and social care sector has been a topic of debate in recent weeks. According to this report, just over 10 percent of employees in these jobs are unvaccinated.
 "The results were interesting and worrying in the sense that there were so many industry-specific differences,"  Mika Kortelainen , Professor of Health Economics at the University of Turku, told Ilta-Sanomat.
 It was already known that vaccination rates in the immigrant community are not as high as among the general population. This, IS notes, has in part been attributed to a younger age structure than the rest of the population, a lack of adequate language skills or a low level of trust in the authorities.
 The paper points out that a large proportion of foreign workers in the construction industry come from the Baltic countries, where the coronavirus situation is currently poor.
 Digital divide
 Helsingin Sanomat carries an article examining the problems older people are facing as services increasingly move into the digital domain.
 The piece features  Hilkka Syväniemi , a retired piano teacher from Hämeenlinna, who says she is already agonising over the challenge she will face buying a bus ticket to Helsinki to attend a Christmas concert.
 Syväniemi has a computer on which she uses e-mail, does her online banking and accesses her medical records. In addition, she reads the news on it it and transfers photos from a digital camera to the computer, using detailed instructions written down by her brother.
 When she has a problem, she turns to her sister's son-in-law for help. Syväniemi also has a smartphone, but hasn't learned to use it properly, and the tiny screen is hard to read.
 Sakari Taipale , Assistant Professor from the Centre of Excellence for Ageing and Nursing Research at the University of Jyväskylä, told HS that the range of digital skills of elderly people is very wide, but because older age groups are so big, the digital difficulties described by Hilkka Syväniemi affect a large number of people in Finland.
 While the goal of society is to keep older people in independent life and able to function for as long as possible, increased digitisation sometimes has the opposite effect.
 Taipale says that more systematically funded and organised digital coaching for the elderly is needed. At present, teaching and support is fragmented.
 "They should have places where they are comfortable and where they could embrace the technologies and skills from their own starting points so that they can keep up," Taipale said.
 If the elderly can't or won't embrace digital skills, Taipale added, essential services will have to provide alternatives.
 Not quite used to trams
 The city of Tampere saw  the opening of its first two tram lines  in early August, and both motorists and pedestrians are seemingly still trying to adjust.
 The daily Aamulehti reports that so far, while serious personal injuries have been avoided, trams have been involved in five major accidents, including a collision between a tram and a van on August 30 that is expected to have cost a five-figure sum once it's all totalled up.
 Altogether there have been 27 accidents involving trams and 35 close calls with pedestrians.
 Aamulehti reports that trams operators on Thursday were concerned about indifference, and a lack of respect for traffic regulation in the city.
 A major worry is what the paper called the "cardinal sin" of Tampere residents – ignoring red lights.

Friday's papers: Abandoned security guards, digital age divide, Tampere adjusting to trams


Summary: The state will receive more tax revenue than expected this year as the Finnish economy has recovered quicker and at a higher rate from the Covid crisis.

The government has submitted a proposed supplementary budget, the fourth this year, to Parliament which aims to reduce the need for net borrowing by about 2.2 billion euros.
 The draft proposal includes a revenue increase of around 1.9 billion euros as well as a 249 million euros reduction in expenditure.
 According to the government, the changes to the budget are necessary as Finland's economy has recovered from the Covid crisis quicker and at a higher rate than had been expected.
 "Economic growth has recovered relatively strongly in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, which is also reflected in the tax revenues received by the state," the government's report stated.
 Estimates of this year's tax revenue will therefore increase by about 1.5 billion euros, with 1.2 billion of that figure coming from taxes on income and capital income.
 Tax revenues from tobacco and motoring are however lower than expected.
 More money for police, Border Guard
 On the expenditure side, the supplementary budget proposal includes more than 30 million euros for Finland's police force and also plugs the gap created by state gambling monopoly Veikkaus'  declining revenue .
 In addition, the Border Guard will receive an additional 65 million euros for the acquisition of two patrol vessels, increasing the total value of the acquisition to a maximum of 325 million euros by 2026.
 The previous budget allocation was not enough to cover the purchase, mainly due to the increase in the prices of raw materials and components.
 According to the government's proposal, the amount of net government borrowing this year is 11.7 billion euros and government debt is estimated to be around 136 billion euros by the end of this year.

Government prepares fourth supplementary budget to reduce net borrowing


Summary: A set of operational guidelines for institutes of higher education is currently being drawn up in light of concerns about the growing threat of espionage.

Conversations in Chinese echo though the corridors of LUT University's Lahti campus as the autumn term's new bachelor's students pour out of their lecture halls.
 Most of LUT's Lahti campus undergraduate students, and about half of the teachers, come from China. The bachelor's programmes that started this autumn are also the first to be implemented in Lahti. The programmes are jointly offered by Finland's LUT University and the Hebei University of Technology HEBUT. When the students complete their studies, they will receive a diploma from both universities.
 This cooperation has generated a lot of excitement on the Lahti campus.
 "We just had a Teams meeting with our Chinese partners. The venture has got off to a really good start," says  Janne Hokkanen , Strategy Director at LUT University.
 At the same time, a good hard look is being taken across Europe at the risks and threats involved in university and research collaboration with Chinese partners and how these potential issues can be tackled. Various projects are under way in the EU to ensure safer cooperation, and the first EU-wide recommendations are scheduled to be published within a matter of days.
 In Finland, too, guidelines are being drawn up for universities. According to the Finnish Security Intelligence Service (Supo), the level of risk related to China has increased here as well.
 Cooperation offers cannot be ignored
 China is becoming -- if it is not already -- the world leader in a number of scientific disciplines. Offers of collaboration cannot be ignored if an institution wants to stay at the cutting edge.
 This is why Finland is also preparing its own guidelines for the university and science community. These are being drawn up by the Ministry of Education and Culture in co-operation with universities and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The paper is being finalised with a publication target date in December.
 Finnish Security Intelligence Service headquarters in Helsinki. According to security officials the level of risk related to China has increased in Finland. Silja Viitala / Yle
 The aim of the guidelines is to raise awareness of the potential challenges related to cooperation with China, says  Mari-Anna Suurmunne , a senior specialist in education and science at Finland's Embassy in Beijing.
 "The starting point is better and more informed cooperation," she explains, adding that it has to be borne in mind that China's social system and values differ from those in Europe.
 Competition for the top spot in the world of science may take place under a different set of rules.
 Supo: Research must not fall into the wrong hands
 All the higher education experts interviewed by Yle for this article phrase their responses diplomatically when it comes to assessing the risks associated with cooperation with Chinese partners. There seems to be an air of concern that speaking bluntly could fracture the good relations between the Finnish and Chinese worlds of higher education.
 Interviews with Yle did not reveal any problems with Chinese students, researchers or teachers at Finnish universities. However, there have been cases of suspected espionage elsewhere in Europe, and in the United States.
 According to the Finnish Security Intelligence Service the risk is also real in Finland.
 "Authoritarian states are increasingly prepared to use a wide range of means to achieve their own goals. In the pursuit of national strategic interests, the battle for technologies is especially emphasised," says Supo communications specialist  Aishi Zidan .
 Supo points out that Finland conducts a lot of research related to the development of the kind of high technology which, if it were to fall into the wrong hands, would be detrimental to the nation's scientific and economic interests.
 "The Chinese government typically funds research activities that benefit its long-term strategic goals. Together, these development expenditures have also increased the risks associated with research collaboration," Zidan notes.
 Should students see their Chinese classmates as potential spies?
 "Of course not. International cooperation is useful and important in many ways in the world of research and higher education. This also applies to cooperation with China," Supo's Zidan replies.
 A power in the world of science
 China is aiming to become the world leader in sciences by the middle of the century. The country has invested increasing amounts in research and education in recent years, and this is clearly evident.
 According to the Chinese Ministry of Education , the country spent 1,346.4 billion yuan on higher education in 2019. According to the exchange rate at that time, the sum totalled 170 billion euros. By comparison, Finland's entire state budget that year was 55.5 billion.
 China's ranking has taken great strides in international university comparisons. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings currently classes six universities from mainland China or Hong Kong among the top 100. The figure doubled in a single year. The highest placing by a Finnish institution of higher education was for the University of Helsinki, ranked 101st.
 The number of Chinese scientific publications and citations of Chinese scholars is also growing rapidly.
 25 percent of foreign students enrolled at LUT University come from China. Petri Niemi / Yle
 In 2019, a total of almost 200,000 Chinese students completed lower or upper university studies in the EU. During that same year, there were about 15,000 Chinese doctoral students at EU universities, or just over 20 percent of all international doctoral students.
 This academic year, 25 percent of the foreign students enrolled at LUT University will come from China. Chinese students are also the largest single group of international students at the universities of Helsinki and Turku, for example.
 Academic freedom not compromised
 There is not much concern about the risk of espionage at LUT University, at least with regard to HEBUT cooperation, as this involves bachelor's degree studies, not sensitive advanced research.
 However, according to LUT's Janne Hokkanen, every researcher and teacher needs to understand that China can have ulterior motives.
 "The Chinese state works differently than we do. It seems that people there often put the interests of the state ahead of their own," he says. "Care must be taken as to what files are accessible to outsiders. However, this applies to everyone, not just the Chinese."
 Hokkanen considers disagreements related to research ethics, such as the countries' different perceptions of academic freedom, to be a more realistic risk than espionage.
 "Of course, our starting point is that academic freedom is upheld. And, it has not been a problem," Hokkanen says.

Intelligence service concerned about espionage at Finnish universities


Summary: Three Helsingin Sanomat employees have been charged with disclosure of state secrets or attempted disclosure of state secrets.

A legal process involving three Helsingin Sanomat employees must be as transparent as possible, the Council for Mass Media in Finland (JSN) and the Association of Editors (PTY) have demanded.
 The three  have been charged  with disclosure of state secrets or attempted disclosure of state secrets.
 The charges relate to an article published by Helsingin Sanomat in December 2017 about the activities of the Finnish Intelligence Research Centre, a unit conducting military intelligence operations.
 The article — which was based on classified documents — was intended to be the beginning of a series of stories about the centre and more broadly about Finland's military intelligence and national defence.
 The allegations of attempted disclosure therefore stem from the articles that had been planned but were not published.
 Very little information had previously been made available to the public about the centre.
 Call for transparency
 The JSN calls for particular transparency as to the grounds on which merely considering the publication of a story or preparing an article for publication could be punishable, without the story being published.
 The PTY has echoed the JSN's position.
 "All journalistic work up to the final publication of the story is preparation, in which it can also be decided not to publish the story," the association's press release said. "Therefore, the prosecutor's decision that an unpublished article would be an attempted crime is strange from the editors' point of view."
 The JSN added that it is particularly concerned about the possibility that the trial may lead to a restriction on freedom of speech or expression because of security concerns.
 In a statement, the council said that freedom of expression is a crucial part of a functioning democratic society.
 Similarly, the Association of Editors stated that freedom of the press — including transparent coverage of the trial — is a key cornerstone of an open society. The association further noted that only an openly transparent trial will allow for a fact-based societal debate on the subject.

Media bodies call for transparency in investigation into HS journalists


Summary: Police say no part of the city is immune to the influx of designer drugs, cocaine, and illicit prescription pills.

It's past 11 in the evening. Two people walk towards each other in a supermarket parking lot. They meet, shake hands and quickly leave in opposite directions.
 It is a familiar sight in both the centre and the suburbs of Tampere. Even the time of day doesn’t have that much of an effect on whether a bag changes hands.
 "Walking just from the police station to the Koskikeskus shopping centre, you can see all kinds of things going on along the way," says Detective Chief Inspector  Ari Luoto  of the Central Finland Police Department.
 There are plenty of dealers, since drug users often sell in order to finance their own use. The trade has heated up to the point that customers can order as little as half a pill to be delivered to their door.
 Roving dealers
 Even in the drug trade, the country is increasingly a single market. According to Luoto, for example, professional dealers monitor online demand and move accordingly.
 "If they are in Oulu and the word is circulating that there is a need in Tampere, they will come to Tampere by train or car and sell here," Luoto explains .
 If sales wane, dealers move on to yet another city.
 When there is demand, there is supply. A lot of drug offers can be found online, with the quantities available varying from a single dose to a kilo package.
 And, the packages can contain anything whatsoever. According to Luoto, there are a lot of scams in the drug trade. Either the substance delivered is of inferior quality or it is not a drug at all.
 At the same time, getting involved in a drug deal is risky. Luoto notes that many investigations of violent crime involve either the buyer or the seller getting robbed.
 Size makes no difference
 Police intervene in all drug offences, regardless of the size of the deal or how much is being dealt.
 If there were more police officers in the field, the drug trade would no longer be so visible. The goal though is to catch up with the bigger players so that the impact of arrests is also greater.
 The police are interested in all tips and details about drug deals.
 "Even if the seller is not a very big operator, there is always someone higher up who sells more. And, above him, there is an even bigger guy. That's how investigations progress," Luoto points out.
 Most tips to the police are about cannabis, as it is so easily identifiable from the smell. Most of the items on the market right now are designer drugs and narcotics, but also a white powder that's been around for decades
 "At the moment, the demand for cocaine seems to be strong," says Luoto.

Surge in illicit drug trade in Tampere


Summary: Transgender high jumper Jade Nyström describes the hate speech aimed at her, as the heated conversation around the status of trans-athletes in professional sports continues.

The messages received by 17-year-old high jumper,  Jade Nyström , are frightening, if not downright vile.
 "You'll never be a real woman. You don’t have a uterus, you don’t have ovaries. You are a homosexual man, and the artificial hormones you take act as the ultimate mockery of nature’s perfection.”
 When Nyström expressed her support for  Laurel Hubbard  last summer, her Instagram was instantly flooded with messages. Hubbard had made history moments earlier by competing as the first transgender woman at the Olympics.
 "I probably received close to 50 messages in just one minute. Adults, who have families, berating me. It became apparent how childish grown-ups can be," says Nyström.
 The following message, however, is not childish, it is repugnant. This is what the uncensored life of a teenage trans-athlete looks like: Hate speech, harassment, anger.
 "Too much is too much. You’ll buy a rope, tie a noose, put it over your neck and dive into the cold abyss."
 A sister's encouragement changes the course of a life
 One ordinary weekday morning, it finally happened. Eighth-grader Nyström had long been observing her big sister Erica from the sidelines, as she applied her makeup for school.
 Nyström told her sister that she wished she could go to school with makeup, too.
 Erica replied: What’s stopping you?
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 Sisters Jade and Erica Nyström. Yle/Sebastian Backman
 Jade Nyström had played with dolls and dress-up as a child, while other boys in the village of Pukaro in Lapinjärvi were playing war games in the forest. This all ended when she heard that boys don’t wear dresses or behave like that.
 It is hard to stand out in a small town. She knew this when she left for school wearing makeup. She has been stared at and ridiculed. Bullying has been a part of her daily life throughout her youth.
 Over the years, she has hardened. Insults hurled at her no longer hurt. She has decided that she has the right to be herself.
 After turning 17 last winter, Nyström came out as a transgender woman. Last summer, the three-time Finnish boys' champion made her debut in the Kaleva Championships in the men's series, remaining in the qualifiers.
 Professional athletics are not safe from bullies. Nyström says she has heard every insult under the sun.
 "I don't think sports are a tolerant environment in any way. At the Youth Championships, the other contestants cheered each other on, saying 'Jump well so that Jade doesn't win,'" she recalls.
 Nyström won.
 "Everyone is an individual"
 The debate over the status of transgender contestants in sports has intensified since Laurel Hubbard participated in women’s weightlifting in Tokyo.
 The conversation is largely a matter of trans-athletes’ – in practice, primarily trans-women’s – rights to take part in competitive sports. Should they be allowed to compete in the women’s series and under what conditions?
 Linda Sällström , the all-time top scorer of the national football team, and  Anni Vuohijoki , a weightlifter in the Rio Olympics, have followed the heated debate, including the exaggerated reactions to it.
 "People want to simplify a complex issue. Even those who know nothing have strong opinions. I encourage everyone to get acquainted with the facts before saying anything," Sällström says.
 "The debate is terribly base. People are scared when talking about something that is not understood. The trans discussion has revealed our narrow-mindedness. We should learn to understand each other’s differences – then we wouldn’t have these confrontations," adds Vuohijoki.
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 National football player Linda Sällström.  Yle/Magnus Eklöv
 In considering the role of transgender women in top sports, at least three different perspectives must be taken into account: inclusion, fairness and the safety of athletes.
 Testosterone levels serve as a starting point for sports regulations. The male athlete has an average of about 10 to 40 nanomoles of testosterone per litre in his body, while the corresponding figure for women is less than 2.
 According to the current rules of the International Olympic Committee, a trans-athlete’s testosterone levels must remain below 10 nanomoles for the duration of a year to be allowed to compete. Gender reassignment is not required. It is sufficient that the athlete has identified as a woman for a sufficient period.
 According to Nyström, the current legislation works, citing Hubbard as an example.
 "I do not see it as unfair, nor as her having an advantage. Everyone is an individual and everyone has their own advantages," she says.
 Vuohijoki: I couldn’t compete against a man
 The rules keep changing and vary from sport to sport.
 The IOC has been trying to update its rules for some time, but due to internal disagreements, no decisions have been made. The plan is for the update to come next year, but it was originally scheduled to be announced a couple of years ago.
 In athletics (track and field), a trans-woman's testosterone limit is five nanomoles per litre. Rugby is the only sport to ban transgender women from its professional series, citing the safety of the players.
 "You shouldn’t discriminate against human rights, but sports must also be fair and safe. This is such a complex issue that I don’t think there is an easy solution that fits all sports across the board," Sällström says.
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 Olympic weight-lifter Anni Vuohijoki Yle/Sebastian Backman
 Scientific studies have found male puberty to be the watershed moment. Athletes who have gone through puberty receive benefits that are not offset by hormone treatments and lower testosterone levels.
 Vuohijoki says that she could not successfully compete against a man of her size, who’s in serious training.
 "In weightlifting, the difference in the world record between men and women is about 30 percent. After just one year of lowering your testosterone, a fair starting point will not be achieved," Vuohijoki says, adding that a year is a short time for a person with a strong athletic background.
 "I suspect even trans-women would like to compete in the women's series without the heated debate. The rules and regulations should be established as such, so that any debate is unnecessary," says Vuohijoki.
 Researcher: There is no way to end discrimination
 It is simply not possible to find a solution that satisfies everyone. This is what  Tommy Lundberg , a Finnish researcher at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, claims.
 According to Lundberg, studies clearly show that the effect of hormone therapy is very small, in the grand scheme. Muscle mass decreases by about five percent per year. Therefore, a year is far from sufficient in levelling the playing field.
 "Many sports federations are talking about how to strike a balance between inclusion and fairness. The truth is that it is completely impossible. Sports must choose which value to prioritise and who is discriminated against, either transwomen or cis-women," he says.
 The most extensive study on the subject, to date, was completed this autumn in the UK. Its conclusion is that the best – or, least terrible - solution is to create a new, open competition class.
 This would mean, in plain terms, that trans women would not be able to enter into the women's series but would compete against men in the "open" series.
 This would apply to sports where men have a physical advantage over women. Not all sports are included here, but most are.
 "It is important to emphasise that I have never met anyone who thinks that trans athletes should not have the right to play competitive sports. But we are talking about the right to choose the series in which to compete. And that is a completely different conversation," Lundberg says.
 "It is really important to understand that this is about the rights of transgender people, but also about the right of cis-girls and women to a fair competition. And open series do not work in most sports. That's just the way it is, unfortunately," he adds.
 A loophole for totalitarian states?
 Critics have expressed concern that overly lax regulations would flood women’s series with men whose hunger for success would make them identify as transgender.
 There is no evidence that this is even a likely scenario. Trans women have been allowed to participate in the Olympics since 2003, but before Hubbard, no one has taken advantage of that opportunity.
 However, Vuohijoki sees an opportunity for fraud. In weightlifting, she has seen up close how certain totalitarian states are trampling human rights in order to win medals. She believes, however, that this is not the case in Western countries.
 "In contestants from certain countries, you can see the systemic doping of children and young people competing in weightlifting. These athletes have no human rights. Imagine what it might look like when they realise this is an option to them. That is when we will wrestle with even bigger human rights issues," says Vuohijoki.
 But in the end, trans athletes are people who love sports and want to do what they love. This is emphasised by both Vuohijoki and Sällström.
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 Jade Nyström.  Yle/Sebastian Backman
 A beautiful woman smiles in the mirror
 Nyström turns 18 in January and is on the verge of some tough decisions. As an adult, it is possible for her to start the process of gender reassignment.
 As a high jumper, her goals haven’t changed. She still aims to enter major championships, specifically in the men's series. In the near future, her goal is to exceed the two-metre limit, from which she is five centimetres away.  Ella Junnila 's women's record in Finland is 196.
 "I probably won't change categories, but I haven't made any decisions about it yet," Nyström says.
 Even if she decides that she wants to change series, it won’t happen at the drop of a hat. She has noticed that many assume that one course of hormones is enough to change series.
 "That is not how it works. It is a multi-year project, which would mean a break from sports for several years," Nyström states, pointing out, among other things, the long queues for admittance to the trans clinic, after which the long-term hormone treatments can begin.
 Nyström knows she wants hormone therapy. It would help her feel more feminine, even though she is already at peace with her own self.
 "When I look in the mirror, I see a beautiful woman. I’m really happy about that, because when I was younger this seemed like an impossible notion."

Trans athletes face hate speech on and off the field


Summary: Vaccination coverage is close to 80 percent, the goal set by the government in early autumn, yet hospitals are filling up with Covid patients.

Suomen Sosialidemokraattinen Puolue (SDP)

The government’s target of 80 percent vaccination coverage, in people aged 12 and over, is nearing completion, but the Covid epidemic shows no signs of slowing down.
 In an interview with Ilta-Sanomat, Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services  Krista Kiuru  (SDP) painted a bleak picture of the Covid situation in Finland. According to Kiuru, Finland has ended up among the countries where the epidemic is out of control.
 In an interview with Yle, Prime Minister  Sanna Marin  (SDP) commented on Kiuru's assessment of the epidemic situation.
 "The way I understand Minister Kiuru’s statement is that the epidemic is spreading among the unvaccinated. There are more cases of the disease among those who have not been vaccinated and they make up most of the burden placed on hospitals. I worry about that myself," Marin says.
 According to Marin, the government aims to raise the vaccination coverage target to 90 percent, emphasising everyone’s individual responsibility to get vaccinated.
 "It would be good to reach - or even exceed - 90 percent vaccination coverage. We want the vaccination coverage to be constantly increasing. The best way to protect yourself, your fellow humans and the capacity of our health care system is to get the vaccine. It is an act of responsibility," said Marin.
 Within the government, hospital capacity and the worsening Covid situation have been cause for concern. According to information received by Yle, the governing parties have demanded that the Prime Minister gather the entire government to negotiate the Covid situation.
 According to Marin, the government will review the Covid situation next Wednesday.
 "We will assess whether or not it is possible to lift the restrictions, or if we are able to extend restrictions in regard to restaurants and the Covid passport. We are also looking at ways to expand the use of the passport," she said.
 It has been two weeks since the government received their last Covid update, said Marin, adding that the situation has also been reviewed by the  sote  ministerial group.

PM Marin concerned over Covid infections among unvaccinated


Summary: "It seems that when people hear the name Gleb, they immediately think that talking to that person is harder than talking to a Finn," 18-year-old Gleb Shumaev explained.

Twenty-six-year-old  Alexandra Myagkova  and 18-year-old  Gleb Shumaev  have things in common — they both have Russian roots and they both want to build their lives in Finland.
 Myagkova moved from Moscow to the Finnish city of Joensuu just three months ago and is still confident about her decision to do so.
 "I am studying to be a baker and confectioner and want to find work here," she said, adding that she's not homesick.
 Meanwhile, Shumaev has lived much of his young life in Finland, moving with his parents from the city of Petrozavodsk ( Petroskoi  in Finnish) when he was just five years old. He thinks Finland is a safe and free place to live.
 "Finland supports its citizens, and what I can say about politics at the age of 18 is that I feel this country is right for me," Shumaev explained.
 However, despite their different backgrounds, he and Myagkova share something else — they've both realised that truly getting into Finnish society is not exactly a trouble-free endeavour.
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 Alexandra Myagkova Ari Haimakainen / Yle
 Despite Shumaev having attended Finnish schools, fluently speaking the language and being very familiar with Finnish society and culture, he still often feels like an outsider.
 "It seems that when people hear the name Gleb, they immediately think that talking to that person is harder than talking to a Finn," he explained.
 Myagkova began studying the Finnish language while she was still in Moscow and said that speaking it can be stressful but still manages daily life using it.
 "I try to talk, talk and talk. It is important to me to be able to speak Finnish well," she said.
 However, when dealing with Finnish authorities, the language barrier is still high, and interactions with them are not made any easier due to the differences between the way things are done in Finland and Russia.
 Largest foreign minority
 According to Statistics Finland, more than 90,000 people with Russian or Soviet Union backgrounds lived in Finland at the end of last year, which makes that population demographic the largest foreign minority in the country.
 Even though the Russian-background population is larger than that of the entire population of the city of Pori, the group is often left on the margins of society, according to research.
 A couple of years ago, a study from the University of Helsinki found that merely having a Russian surname makes it more difficult to get invited for a job interview than it is for people with Finnish names.
 For nearly two decades,  Olga Davydova-Minguet , a professor of Russian and border studies at the University of Eastern Finland, has studied migration, the eastern border as well as Finnish and Russian media.
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 Olga Davydova-Minguet Heikki Haapalainen / Yle
 She has noticed that tensions between Finns and Russians in Finland have increased, most recently due to the Covid-19 epidemic.
 Prior to the global outbreak, traffic across the eastern border was brisk in both directions. But now, travellers need a valid reason as well as proof of being free of the disease. Infection rates in Russia have been high, which has also made it easy for people to think that everyone crossing the border could be infected, according to Davydova-Minguet.
 History also weighs in
 Although Finland gained independence more than a century ago, the Independence Day holiday reminds citizens and residents alike about the sacrifices of war heroes and victims. At the same time, the image of Russians as being an enemy of Finland is renewed every 6 December.
 Similar memories lurk on the other side of the border, according to Davydova-Minguet, who said that the occupation and concentration camps in Russia's Republic of Karelia are being highlighted.
 In contemporary terms, the professor said that Russian speakers in Finland live under two conflicting views of the world. They often follow news from Russian outlets and social media, with vastly different values offered by Western media and social platforms.
 "If there was an elephant in the room during the Crimean crisis in 2014, then now there are several elephants," she said, adding that Russians in Finland have learned to avoid discussing difficult topics.
 A multicultural advocacy group in Joensuu, called Jomoni, aims to help immigrants realise their legal rights as well as ensure their voices are heard in society.
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 Ari Haimakainen / Yle
 The outfit has organised a discussion group for young people with Russian backgrounds and youth counsellor  Nella Niemi  said peer support for this group is important because a large proportion of them live alone in Finland without nearby family members or a safety net.
 Sometimes they don't even know where to reach out for help, she explained.
 "If you're left alone and can't find your place [in society], exclusion can happen very easily," Niemi said, adding that the Jomoni group is a place where people can ask for guidance.
 Katja Radkevich , who leads the group of Russian-background youths, said the topics of discussion can be very mundane, like what to do if you get sick or how to get a library card.
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 Katja Radkevich Ari Haimakainen / Yle
 "I help them find the information and they talk about their experiences," she said.
 The group often discusses things that young people from Finland also would, according to 18-year-old Gleb Shumaev.
 "We are all human beings, we have the same needs and feelings. Boundaries drawn up by others don't separate us," Shumaev said.

Young Russians face hurdles, prejudice living in Finland


Summary: Restaurant restrictions were meant to expire on Monday.

The government decided last night to extend current restaurant restrictions, a move which the Finnish Hospitality Association MaRa condemned as "unnecessary" and "unreasonable".
 Restrictions were originally scheduled to expire on Monday, however Minister for Family Affairs and Social Services  Krista Kiuru  (SDP) said that a  surge in infections  and inconsistent use of the Covid passport has meant that restaurants will need to keep operating at a limited capacity.
 Speaking on Yle's talk show A-studio on Wednesday evening, Kiuru criticised pubs and clubs for their 'loose' approach to the passport.
 Hospitality sector interest group MaRa responded in a  press release , claiming there is no legal basis for extending restrictions as they are neither necessary nor reasonable, both conditions required by the Constitution and the Communicable Diseases Act.
 The group said that the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare (THL) considers restaurants to be as safe as retail shops, barbers and hairdressers while restrictions on nightclubs, on the other hand, result in gatherings being moved to private premises where the observation of rules cannot be monitored.
 Read more about the current pandemic situation on our  coronavirus news blog .

Hospitality Association: extension of restrictions unreasonable


Summary: Two holidays fall on Saturday, but there are few significant changes to schedules.

Saturday is a dual holiday in Finland, with the dominant Evangelical Lutheran Church observing All Saints' Day and Finnish Swedish Heritage Day honouring the nation's largest linguistic minority.
 In Finland, All Saints' Day, also known as the Feast of All Saints, All Hallows' Day or Hallowmas, is a day for remembering loved ones who have died, especially during the past year.
 Many Finns visit cemeteries to light candles and place flowers or wreaths at family graves. The custom became more common in Finland after the Second World War.
 The Christian holiday All Saints’ Day is usually observed on November 1, but the Finnish and Swedish Lutheran churches have celebrated it on the nearest Saturday since the mid-1950s. The feast day may fall anywhere between 31 October and 6 November, often the darkest time of the year, before snow cover in most of the country.
 While the Finnish All Saints' Day could be seen as a more solemn counterpart of the Latin American Day of the Dead. Some here also still celebrate  kekri , a pre-Christian harvest celebration that is closer to the Gaelic festival Samhain. In recent decades, celebrations of the American Halloween have become more mainstream and commercialised in Finland.
 With the holiday on a Saturday, there are few schedule changes. Most public transport runs on Sunday timetables, with extra busses to cemeteries. Some public services that might otherwise be open on Saturdays are closed, as are Alko shops.
 Swedish Day festivities broadcast from Åland
 Flags also fly on Saturday to mark Finnish Swedish Heritage Day, celebrating the nation's main linguistic minority.
 Yle broadcasts the main  Svenska Dagen festivities  from Mariehamn, capital of the Swedish-speaking province of Åland, beginning at 6pm on Saturday.
 The gala, including prize ceremonies and music, is hosted by the Swedish Assembly of Finland (Svenska Finlands Folkting), a consultative parliament.
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 Folkting logo Yle
 " We've chosen to organise the Swedish Heritage Day celebration in Mariehamn since Åland is celebrating 100 years of self-governance this year. It's especially fun to now be able to arrange a celebration with the audience present after a long break," Folkting spokesperson  Stina Heikkilä  told Yle.
 According to Statistics Finland, as of the end of last year 5.2 percent of the population spoke Swedish as their native language. Fifty years ago it stood at around 6.6 percent. That share has gradually declined over the past century or so, following the end of Swedish rule over Finland in 1809 – even in officially monolingual Åland.
 Finland's second largest minority language is Russian, spoken by about 1.5 percent of residents, followed by Estonian at 0.9 percent and Arabic at 0.6 percent.

Candles and songs as Finland observes All Saints' Day and Swedish Heritage Day


Summary: So far only about 30 Finns have said they plan to leave the war-torn nation.

Ministerit, ministeriöt ja valtioneuvosto

The Finnish Foreign Ministry has urged all Finns in Ethiopia to leave the country immediately. Since the announcement on Friday, about 30 Finns have notified the ministry that they plan to leave the country within the next few days.
 So far none of them have requested official assistance in leaving, as commercial flights are still departing from Ethiopia.
 The East African country is sinking deeper into civil war as rebels approach the capital, Addis Ababa. A state of emergency has been declared in the country. The war, which has killed thousands of people and forced more than two million from their homes, has intensified in recent weeks.
 According to the ministry, some 90 Finns had earlier filed notifications of plans to travel to Ethiopia.
 The ministry is monitoring developments in the country with concern, said  Helena Airaksinen , Deputy Director-General of the ministry's Department for Africa and the Middle East, served as Finland's ambassador to Addis Ababa from 2016 until last year.
 "Situation may deteriorate unexpectedly"
 "If people take up arms [against the rebels] at the prime minister's urging, it may lead to very nasty situations," she told Yle on Friday.
 On Friday, an alliance of Ethiopian opposition factions set a goal of bringing down Prime Minister  Abiy Ahmed  by force or negotiation before forming a transitional government. Finnish President  Sauli Niinistö  met with Ahmed, a Nobel peace prize laureate, during an official visit to Ethiopia  two years ago .
 With the chaotic  evacuation from Afghanistan  fresh in memory, the ministry on Friday described the situation within the country as "very unstable".
 It noted that "developments in the country are difficult to predict and the security situation may deteriorate unexpectedly". The ministry statement added that internet and SMS connections are often disrupted, while travel is hampered by roadblocks and violent protests.
 Signs of hope
 The EU, the UN and Finland are calling for an end to hostilities, the free movement of humanitarian aid, and the investigation of possible war crimes.
 Finland has provided development aid to Ethiopia since the early 1960s. According to Airaksinen, it has been very effective and ongoing projects will be continued.
 "We have continued water cooperation and direct assistance to schools, because we know that the assistance goes directly to its destination," she said.
 Airaksinen sees Ethiopia's future as bleak, but adds that there have been hopeful changes in society.
 "When the transition from an authoritarian to a more open system took place in 2018, many of the problems of the previous regime were left unaddressed. There was no reconciliation commission, although it might have been needed," Airaksinen said.
 "I hope that the cycle of violence can be broken and that we can return to the path of reform, even if it seems difficult. However, the crisis resilience of Ethiopians is incredibly strong. I hope that this will be resolved as soon as possible."

Finland urges citizens to leave Ethiopia immediately


Summary: Ähtäri Zoo has run into financial difficulties. The city-owned company must decide the fate of two giant pandas by next summer.

Kasvitieteelliset puutarhat, eläintarhat ja luonnonpuistot

Two giant pandas loaned by China arrived at Ähtäri Zoo in western Finland in 2018. Given the Finnish names Lumi (Snow) and Pyry (Blizzard), they quickly became public favourites, but their maintenance costs the facility about a million euros annually. Now the zoo in South Ostrobothnia faces financial trouble due to last year's drop in visitors due to coronavirus restrictions.
 The zoo was promised 1.5 million euros in pandemic support by the state last year, but says it only received 200,000 euros from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in July this year.
 The zoo is almost entirely owned by the town of Ähtäri, which has a population of 5,500. Mayor  Jarmo Pienimäki  is closely involved in the company, have served as its acting CEO last summer when the actual CEO was on sick leave.
 According to Pienimäki, the zoo's financial situation is serious. The lack of state support is not the only reason, but it is crucial in regard to the pandas' situation, he told Yle.
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 Ähtäri Zoo attracted about 150,000 visitors annually before the pandemic. Antti Kettumäki / Yle
 Now Lumi and Pyry may have to be returned to China as soon as the turn of the year if the park does not receive financial support, commercial broadcaster MTV reported on Friday.
 The zoo, which is nearly 50 years old, has long faced financial difficulties. A possible return of the pandas was last suggested in mid-2020.
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 A giant panda eats bamboo in Ähtäri. Pandas had to be returned from Canada to China when bamboo could not be delivered for the animals due to Covid restrictions. Birgitta Vuorela / Yle
 The town owns 99.6 percent of the zoo's shares. Pienimäki says that financing must be secured by next summer at the latest, but if the options are either returning the pandas to China or letting the company go bankrupt, the choice would be clear.
 "There is only one option in my role here, and that is that we won't allow the company to go bankrupt," he said.
 So pandas may go back to China?
 "Yes, it is unfortunately a real option, if no other solution is found," he told Yle on Saturday.
 The city has approached private financiers, but according to Pienimäki, despite dozens of negotiations, no help has been found for the financial distress.
 Pienimäki suspects that state aid regulations have been an obstacle to receiving 1.5 million euros in subsidies approved in last year's fourth supplementary budget. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry looked into the matter for a year, but decided that only 200,000 euros could be allocated to the zoo since it operates as a joint-stock company.
 In contrast, Helsinki's Korkeasaari Zoo is based on a foundation model, which has made it easier for it to gain state support.

Pandas may have to be returned to China, warns Ähtäri mayor


Summary: Commenting on the appearance and behaviour of women in the media is a daily hobby for some. Why do women in the public eye irritate so many people?

It was a beautiful September morning, and journalist  Maria Veitola  had poured herself her second cup of coffee. She opened her laptop and, as usual, logged on to Twitter to read the comments in which she had been tagged.
 So much for that nice morning.
 "I don’t have to put up with this," she thought. At the stroke of a button the Twitter account was gone. Veitola felt liberated, relieved…boisterous even.
 It has been a little over a year since her decision and one she hasn’t regretted for a single moment. Veitola had one single reason for deleting the tool that Finnish journalists are told is imperative to their work: Misogyny.
 A well-known fact in the media industry is that women attract more flak than men, but why does a woman on TV elicit rage?
 "Witch and feminist whore"
 Veitola is used to the fact that no matter what she does, someone will feel provoked. Few journalists in Finland evoke as much emotion as Veitola.
 "The evil witch, feminist whore who ruined  Tomi Metsäketo ’s life," is how Veitola describes the most typical comment she used to receive on Twitter.
 The Metsäketo reference is related to the pop singer getting fired from the  Tähdet, Tähdet  TV-programme in 2017. Veitola became the scapegoat for his firing after collecting testimonials from women about possibly inappropriate behaviour by Metsäketo, for which he publicly apologised (four of his accusers were later fined for defamation).
 Veitola says she frequently receives private messages about what a nauseating person she is. That's what it's like to be Maria Veitola, along with all the colourful photos and nights with celebrities for her MTV3 show  Yökylässä Maria Veitolan kanssa . It has featured revealing interviews with the likes of Prime Minister  Sanna Marin  (SDP) and Foreign Minister  Paavo Haavisto  (Green).
 Veitola inventories the insults so matter-of-factly that it sounds like they don’t even hurt. Can one get used to the wrath or strangers?
 The answer is no. In August, Veitola released a public update on Facebook and Instagram, saying she had been the target of a social media attack that made her frightened, anxious and discouraged: "My sin: I am an independent woman. I dress the way I want; I say what I want."
 Leena-Maija Rossi , a docent in gender studies at the University of Helsinki, says that this is precisely the issue. Behavioural standards for women have always been different than for men. There is less wiggle room in terms of behaviour or even how to dress.
 Sometimes there is no wiggle room at all. For example, if a female expert smiles, she is unprofessional. If she doesn’t, she’s too serious.
 Misogyny may sound like a strong term, but if a gender is the cause of bitterness and disgust, that is its definition. Rossi has also decided not to follow posts tagged with her name on social media. Writing about feminism is too explosive.
 Racism and hatred of women go hand-in-hand
 Racism and hatred of women also led human rights activist and journalist  Ujuni Ahmed  to delete her Twitter account. Ahmed produced Somali-language coronavirus news for Yle in the spring of 2020 and also served as a news anchor.
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 Ujuni Ahmed Yle
 In addition to critique from the mainstream Finnish population, she also received unpleasant comments from her own community: Both focused on her appearance. The comments from the minority community focused on her overly Western standards of dressing. They felt Ahmed was not giving a proper image of women.
 The comments from the majority population criticised her for wearing a headscarf and focused their wrath on Ahmed’s cultural heritage.
 "In today's society, being a Somali is a curse. I feel the feedback was different for me than for other non-native speakers," says Ahmed.
 Even In this case, few reacted to the actual content of the news. The mere fact that Ahmed was on television caused outrage. It felt particularly deflating, as Ahmed herself had pitched Somali-language news to Yle, so that Finns with an immigrant background could receive important information about the pandemic.
 The agency of a woman has always been limited and precisely defined. Failure to follow the rules will result in punishment, says  Tuija Saresma , Associate Professor of Cultural Studies and Gender Studies at the University of Jyväskylä. The modern form of punishment is commenting on social media.
 "The norm is still a straight, white man. Therefore, Ujuni Ahmed, as a woman from a Somali background wearing a headscarf, was too much for many," says Saresma.
 In the midst of the deluge of comments, Ahmed felt alone. The onus was on her to gather messages and tweets and file criminal reports, when she was running on fumes. The workplace did not have adequate resources to deal with the anger directed at her.
 Veitola also says that the people at the top, such as producers and bosses, "stick their heads in the sand" when hostile feedback is at its worst. There is no know-how and no means to protect women, she says.
 "It’s very lonely, " Veitola concludes.
 Who is entitled to the public sphere?
 Reetta Räty  has seen the dirty side of TV production. The most interesting phenomenon, to the experienced journalist, is who has a right to the public sphere. Räty hosted fan-favourite  Uutisvuoto  (Yle's version of the UK quiz show  Have I Got News For You ) in 2019. In her case, the comments were mostly focused on damage to her teeth caused by a car accident, her age, her voice and the speed at which she spoke.
 Article continues after photo
 Reetta Räty Antti Haanpää / Yle
 Räty says her feelings and experiences are ultimately irrelevant, but that she wants to point out the misogyny in Finnish culture, so that things can change. According to Räty, women are viewed as having forced themselves into their roles on television or into power positions, while men are there by nature.
 "Women annoy people to the point of fury just by existing: by doing or not doing, laughing or being serious. It’s hard for me to imagine that we shouldn’t talk about it," she says.
 Women's experience is downplayed
 Experience is almost always downplayed if a woman is a public figure, has risen to a leadership position or an expert role. The uproar over Marin's background as a shop cashier and the term "lipstick government" for her predominantly young, female cabinet are good examples of this.
 It feels like a woman has to be constantly justifying her own position and presenting her resume.
 This is an issue that irritates Veitola. She has published two books and worked as a journalist for magazines, television and radio since 1994, including three years as editor-in-chief of Radio Helsinki – yet she is not always considered a serious journalist.
 Where Veitola noticed the most glaring difference was in the attention paid to the three journalists hosting the  Veitola, Enbuske & Salminen  programme on MTV.  Tuomas Enbuske  and  Roope Salminen  would often be praised for insightful questions and thorough interviews, while even the positive feedback for Veitola was always related to her appearance.
 If the people disparaging you are your colleagues, it feels worse.
 After an interview with Veitola in the journalists' union publication  Journalisti  last year, rock critic  Arttu Seppänen  tweeted: "Wait a minute, I’m confused, at what point did Maria Veitola become a journalist?"
 "The tweet was poorly worded and I didn't know about Veitola's background," Seppänen later tweeted.
 A change for the better?
 Without safety nets, none of these interviewees believes they would have survived. Women supporting each other in the industry comes as a great comfort to female journalists. Räty, for example, was contacted by several other women working in television, even before the flood of criticism began. They warned her that the feedback would be horrible, but support is there and can always be reached.
 Veitola has also seen a change for the better in the overall work culture. Women have reached leadership positions and many of them understand that women who are caught in the middle of hate speech should not be left alone.
 However, the night before this story was first published in Finnish, Veitola sent a message: "The way this autumn has progressed, I find that I'm afraid for my safety." For the first time, Veitola had given in to her fear.
 It turns out misogyny does not just go away. Neither will women.
 Based on an  article  by Iida Rauhalammi, published by Yle's Kulttuuricocktail TV programme on 31 October.

Yle probe: Why do women in the public eye elicit rage?


Summary: According to the Helsinki Maritime Rescue Centre, the ship's crew extinguished the fire and the cargo was not in danger. As of Sunday evening, the MSC Shannon was still south of Raseborg.

The Finnish Coast Guard reported a potentially dangerous emergency situation in the Gulf of Finland on Sunday morning due to a fire in a cargo ship's engine room. The Coast Guard received a report of the fire from the Panamanian-flagged cargo ship MSC Shannon shortly after 2 am.
 The cargo ship was in international waters but in the Finnish maritime rescue area, about 11 nautical miles south of Jussarö Island, part of the municipality of Raseborg (Raasepori). According to the ship's report, the crew had gained control of the fire and there was no need for outside assistance.
 The 240-metre container ship MSC Shannon is en route from St Petersburg, Russia, to Le Havre, France. The 30-year-old ship is carrying 24 crew members and cargo containers weighing a total of 1,283 tonnes. The contents of the containers include flammable liquids as well as oxidising, corrosive and toxic substances.
 According to the Helsinki Maritime Rescue Centre, the cargo was not in danger.
 As of Sunday evening, the  MarineTraffic  website still showed the MSC Shannon located south of Raseborg.
 Gale-force winds
 After sunrise around 8 am, surveillance aircraft checked the area and found no signs of any oil or other leakage into the sea.
 The Gulf of Finland Coast Guard said it geared up for a potential disaster, preparing to scramble two maritime rescue helicopters as well as the Maritime Incident Response Groups of the Helsinki and Southwest Finland Rescue Services, and three patrol vessels.
 A rescue helicopter made a reconnaissance flight to the area, then landed in Hanko to wait on standby. Two patrol ships, Turva and Uisko, headed toward the ship and prepared for potential emergency towing.
 The Finnish Meteorological Institute on Sunday issued a wind warning for most sea areas including the Gulf of Finland, with north to northeast gale-force winds of up to 18 metres per second.
 18.28 Updated with details throughout.

Fire aboard ship carrying flammable liquids on Gulf of Finland


Summary: A minor earthquake, described by one resident as "a proper jerk",  shook Rovaniemi.

A mild earthquake hit Rovaniemi, capital of Finnish Lapland, on Saturday evening. The temblor was measured at a magnitude of 1.5 at a depth of about five kilometres. No serious damage was reported.
 According to the University of Helsinki's Institute of Seismology, it was located five kilometres east of Santa Claus Village, a popular tourist attraction on the Arctic Circle.
 "We have received numerous observations from locals about the case. A more detailed analysis will be completed on Monday," the institute said in a statement.
 The quake was detected by seismic stations more than 400 kilometres away. With the nearest one at the University of Oulu's Sodankylä Observatory less than 10 kilometres from the epicentre, "the case is very clear", the institute said.
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 Aerial view of central Rovaniemi in 2019.  Raimo Torikka / Yle
 One of those who felt the temblor was  Tuija Laine , who felt it at home in Rovaniemi's Rinteenmäki suburb around 6.30 pm.
 "It was a proper jerk. The windows rattled. It felt like a car had crashed into the house," she told Yle.
 Kuusamo seismologically active in recent years
 Dozens of earthquakes are observed in Finland every year. Typically, however, they are relatively weak, with a magnitude of less than 4.
 The most powerful earthquake in Finland measured with modern instruments took place in Lappajärvi, Southern Ostrobothnia, in February 1979. It was measured at 3.8 on the Richter scale, and caused some cracks in buildings.
 Earlier, an earthquake of magnitude 4.5 broke windows in Jyväskylä in 1931, and one with a magnitude of 4.0 occurred in Salla, Finnish Lapland, in 1960.
 Finland's strongest quake in the 21st century was measured in Kuusamo, Northern Ostrobothnia in September 2000. It had a magnitude of 3.5. There were also quakes in Kuusamo in 2011 and  this past March , signs that it is one of Finland's most seismologically active areas.

Earthquake rattles Santa Claus Village


Summary: Ilta-Sanomat examines growing tensions within the cabinet, while Helsingin Sanomat looks at problems in telecommuters' homes.

The Helsinki tabloid  Ilta-Sanomat points out  that in any long-term relationship, partners may sometimes find themselves badly at odds.
 The paper says that in the case of the present coalition government headed by  Sanna Marin  (SDP) - at least on the basis of media reports – the partner parties are at odds with each other all the time.
 It notes that in the last parliamentary elections, the Centre Party suffered a defeat at the polls and reluctantly left the government. In trying to raise its profile, the Centre has targeted the Greens. In turn the Greens have fired back, not only at the Centre, but also at its coalition partner, the SDP and even the prime minister has not been spared from criticism for slow action on climate change.
 Add internal clashes within the parties and departures from government policy, and Ilta-Sanomat says it's no wonder that the coalition is having a hard time.
 Even so, the paper points out that the government has been able to deal well with the coronavirus pandemic and a number of other measures. In a way, it writes, the pandemic saved the government, but now that other issues are coming to the fore, its ability to act is once again being put to the test.
 While ideological differences over  environmental action and debt management  are causing problems, perhaps the most important factor affecting the government’s ability to function is the lack of a strong, decision-making insider circle within the coalition, writes Ilta-Sanomat.
 The paper notes that Sanna Marin may have already given signs of future change by saying in a recent interview with Helsingin Sanomat that the National Coalition Party could also be a suitable government partner if enough common ground can be found.
 Home office blues
 When a home also turns into an office, the situation can become unbearable for family members,  writes Helsingin Sanomat .
 A Monday morning article in the paper looking at this state of affairs was inspired by a reader's letter saying that because of their spouse's telecommuting, they felt they no longer had a home.
 The reader said they had suffered from loneliness and anxiety caused by the situation for almost two years. "Does my spouse’s employer have the right to take my own home from me and turn it into an office?"
 Virpi Ruohomäki , a senior researcher at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, told Helsingin Sanomat that she understands the plight of the reader. A growing body of research has established some of the conflicts and disadvantages of telecommuting.
 The contradictions and disadvantages of everyday life caused by telework have also emerged in studies, as have various strategies to deal with these problems.
 Some people have simply walked out. Some have managed to resolve the situation by acquiring a larger apartment.
 Others hope their spouse would rent a separate office or take work outside the home to a coffee shop or a library.
 Many try to balance the situation by staying away from home on days when their spouse is working remotely.
 Ruohomäki says that there are things that both telecommuter and their spouses can do to make the situation more tolerable. She provided Helsingin Sanomat with a list of suggestions ranging from finding a separate workplace to minimise disruption to the lives of other family members, to discussing the family situation with employers and demanding they respect the right of the employee's family to their own home.
 Almost there
 Back to the pages of Ilta-Sanomat which  carries a short report by the STT news agency  that coronavirus vaccine uptake, the number of residents over 12 years of age who have had two doses, on Sunday stood at 79.9 percent – just a hairbreadth from the  official target of 80 percent .
 According to the report, the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) said on Sunday that just over 3.9 million people have already received their second dose of the vaccine.
 A first dose of vaccine has been given to 86 percent of the population aged 12 and over.
 Also, according to THL, 2.2 percent of the vaccinated population in Finland had received a third dose of a coronavirus vaccine as of Sunday.
 Human compost
 Iltalehti reports  that a weekend congress of the youth wing of the National Coalition Party approved a motion calling on the government for a change in legislation to allow for human bodies to be composted.
 "We see no reason why freedom of choice could not applied to burials, as well,"  Matias Pajula , chair of Youth of the National Coalition Party stated in a press release.
 Composting human remains is legal in Sweden. According to Pajula, Finland should follow the lead of its western neighbour.
 The NCP youth group pointed out that the law already requires respect for the wishes and beliefs of the deceased.
 "Composting the human body is more ecological than cremation or burial," Pajula explained.

Monday's papers: Government tensions, downside to telecommuting, human compost


Summary: A fresh survey shows that lack of English as an in-company working language is a factor in the hiring practices of almost 40 percent of Finnish employers.

Finnish companies are suffering  an all-time shortage of skilled workers . Despite this, large numbers of companies say that they won't risk hiring employees from abroad.
 The problem in these cases is not bureaucracy or tough immigration laws, but rather the poor English language skills within the companies themselves.
 "About half of Finnish companies already have foreign employees, but almost 40 percent have a rather weak capacity to hire them. The biggest challenge is the employer's own [English] language skills," says  Elina Koskela , international recruitment director at Barona, Finland's largest private employment agency.
 These figures come from a survey commissioned by Barona which mapped the workforce situation, views and attitudes of over 500 private and public organisations. The international labour force examined refers to both employees recruited directly from abroad, as well as foreigners living in Finland who do not have fluent Finnish language skills.
 Story continues after the graph.
 Close to 40 percent of employers in Finland do not use English as a working language.
 Hiring non-Finnish speakers seems particularly difficult for those organisations that are not otherwise accustomed to using English, or have no previous experience of recruiting employees from abroad.
 "Of course, there are jobs where Finnish language skills are essential, such as nursing and caregivers' work, but we want to challenge companies a bit now. Are we expecting too high a level of language skills from ourselves instead of boldly moving ahead, even with slightly weak skills?" asks Koskela.
 Half of the employers surveyed said they suffered from some degree of labour shortage. Koskela argues that employers should start actively looking for a solution to their labour shortages among for those who do not speak fluent Finnish.
 "For some, internationalisation is already familiar, but a surprisingly large group has not identified an international workforce as a solution to their shortage of skilled employees at all," says Barona's CEO  Lassi Määttä .
 There are ways to overcome the language barrier available to both sides.
 "It's not that difficult. Of course, there are many steps to be taken before employment, but help is available for all stages and problems can be solved," Koskela points out.
 Officials recognise key problems
 For larger companies, bureaucracy and residence permits are the biggest issues in tapping into international labour, says  Laura Lindeman , chief specialist and team leader at Finland's Ministry of Employment and the Economy.
 Additionally, employment for a spouse and children’s schooling have to be considered. Companies find it difficult to exercise any influence in these matters, Lindeman adds.
 She also points to language as a challenge for many employers. If a company or organisation uses only only Swedish and/or Finnish on the job, it can be difficult to hire an English-speaking employee who doesn't speak the main working language. So, either the working language needs to be changed or a significant investment should be made in language training for the newcomer.
 "There are also very human fears about how it affects conversations in the coffee break room," Lindeman concedes.
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 Managers in small companies do not have the experience or resources to efficiently use international labour, says Laura Lindeman. Marko Melto
 Many smaller companies, on the other hand, are still lacking the expertise and resources needed to recruit and employ foreign workers.
 "Recruitment often takes place through networks, and these companies do not know how to find skilled workers," Lindeman says.
 Then, there is the very real issue of discrimination . Studies have shown that even a foreign-sounding name means that some companies will not invite the applicant for an interview, no matter how qualified he or she may be.
 Lindeman is quick to point out that her ministry and a number of other actors are working to support change in the Finnish labour market.
 From Bali to a warehouse in Vantaa
 Fluency in the Finnish language is not a prerequisite for employment in the warehouse operated by Barona in in the city of Vantaa. People representing dozens of different nationalities work at the site.
 Story continues after the photo.
 While looking for a job, Juliana I Nengah had time to notice that work is not easy to come by without some proficiency in Finnish. Esa Syväkuru / Yle
 Service Manager  Christine Hagman  says that if the workers speak Finnish or English, they manage quite well. The work is also organised in such a way that learning the job is easy even without special language skills.
 One of the workers is  Juliana I Nengah , a 30-year-old from Bali, Indonesia.
 In Bali, Nengah had studied for a career in the hotel industry and worked in the field for nine years. He, too, found that employment without language skills is hard to come by. Job interviews always included questions about his Finnish skills.
 "At first I thought about the hotel industry, but because of the coronavirus it was difficult to get a job."
 Nengah found a traineeship that led to the present warehouse job that he says he enjoys while improving his language skills.
 "I manage with English in this company, but I try to speak Finnish with my foreman and colleagues," says Nengah.

Study: Reluctance to hire foreigners often reflects employers' lack of English


Summary: An investigation by Yle's MOT unit has uncovered the use of illegal restraining measures at mental health units, including the tying of a young boy to a chair using duct tape.

A report by Yle's investigative journalism unit MOT has revealed serious shortcomings in the treatment of people with intellectual disabilities at some facilities around the country, and a failure by management or authorities to prevent the mistreatment.
 MOT reviewed a total of 64 cases related to the use of restrictive measures which had been referred to Regional State Administrative Agencies (Avi) and to the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health Valvira. In 56 of the cases, the measures used were criticised.
 In one case, from a mental health facility run by private social and healthcare provider Mehiläinen in the city of Hämeenlinna, a young male resident was continually restrained by being tied to a chair with duct tape. He was also tied to his bed at night.
 One employee, who wished to remain anonymous, told MOT that workers were instructed to prevent the boy from hurting himself by restraining him by any means possible.
 "The boss's instructions were to tie him to the chair with duct tape, which was just awful," the worker said. The practice of restraining the boy in this manner continued for about five years, until it ended in 2019 after a doctor visited the facility and discovered its use.
 The underage patient — who suffers from severe autism as well as an obsessive-compulsive disorder — was also subjected to physical abuse over the course of a number of years.
 This included one male former worker sitting on the boy to stop him from hitting his head against a wall, and a former female worker hitting him in the face on two separate occasions in 2016. She was later ordered by a court to pay 50 income-linked day fines.
 The male worker was not reprimanded for his actions, which employees interviewed by MOT said was just one of a number of different violent acts committed by the man against the underage resident, even though management were aware of the incidents.
 Employees of the unit reported grievances to local authorities, bypassing Mehiläinen's senior management after repeated failures on their part to act. The private provider admitted to MOT there had been failures in the treatment of the boy.
 Whistleblowers considered "awkward" by management
 Former workers interviewed by MOT described trying for years to highlight the issues at the facility, including escalating complaints on several occasions to both the regional Avi and the city.
 When attempts were made to resolve grievances with management, the interviewees said, the result was often only a reprimand for the employee raising the issue.
 Story continues after the photo.
 The boy was tied to his bed at night. MOT-toimitus
 Several interviewees also reported that "awkward" employees knew in advance that making a complaint would lead to management making their working life very uncomfortable.
 "There was a kind of threat that if you don't do this or that, the manager will not be flexible, for example by not agreeing to shift list requests. So you really have nothing to hope for. It was such an incredible humiliation," one worker said.
 Other interviewees reported being issued with inappropriate warnings.
 When talking to the unit’s management led nowhere, some employees also raised concerns with occupational health or other units.
 However, they later discovered that information provided during the supposedly-confidential meetings ended up with management.
 "Shocked"
 Sari Vuorilampi , a senior inspector with Valvira, told MOT that she is "shocked" by the boy's treatment.
 Tying him to a chair with duct tape was a completely illegal restraint measure, she said, adding that the use of the practice at the facility requires further investigation.
 "This is really sad. It is completely inhumane from the perspective of people with intellectual disabilities and indeed from the perspective of just about anyone," Vuorilampi said, adding that this seems like a matter for the police.
 Story continues after the photo.
 Valvira Senior Inspector Sari Vuorilampi. Terhi Liimu / Yle
 MOT also approached Mehiläinen — which took over the running of the facility in 2015 — as well as the former owner.
 Mehiläinen did not wish to be interviewed for the story but the company's Quality Control Manager  Mikko Purhonen  responded to questions by email. The former owner did not reply to MOT's request.
 "We apologise for what happened," Purhonen wrote. "Corrective measures have been taken in cooperation with relatives and the city more than two years ago and the activities of the unit are closely monitored."
 He added that changes to the unit were made after the 2019 assault conviction.
 "Extensive corrective measures have been taken: the people involved in the situations no longer work in the unit, the management of the unit has been strengthened and guidelines and operating models have been reviewed more effectively," Purhonen wrote.

MOT probe reveals "shocking" restraining methods at mental health facilities, failures by management