Summary: The number of people being treated in hospital for the virus has risen from 89 two weeks ago to 112 on Wednesday, with 33 patients in intensive care units.

The Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health,  Kirsi Varhila , told Yle on Wednesday that she believes coronavirus restrictions in Finland were lifted too soon.
 Her comments come as figures published by public health agency THL show the number of people being treated in hospitals for the virus has started to increase from 89 two weeks ago to 112 on Wednesday.
 The restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of the virus were originally intended to be gradually relaxed once vaccination coverage  reached 80 percent , but the majority of remaining measures — such as those on  bars and restaurants  as well as on  public events  — were lifted last week.
 As of Wednesday evening, just over 63 percent of the entire population of the country have received two doses of a coronavirus vaccine, while the figure for the population aged 12 years and older stands at 71.9 percent.
 "Restrictions were eased at quite a fast pace," Varhila said. "By the time we got to early October, almost all of the restrictions had already been lifted."
 Currently, the only remaining restrictions apply to bars and restaurants located in regions considered to be in the accelerating phase of the pandemic. All other measures are recommendations.
 "Yes, we in the ministry were very strongly of the opinion that the restrictions should not have been lifted on such a large scale," she said, adding that decisions on new restrictions are now difficult to make, even though infection rates are rising.
 _ Yle's dashboard  contains all the latest regional, national and international Covid data._
 Covid-related hospitalisations on the rise
 In addition to the infection rate, the number of patients being treated in hospitals for the virus has also started to increase.
 According to the latest figures published on Wednesday by THL, there are currently 112 coronavirus patients in hospital, compared to 89 two weeks ago.
 Furthermore, the number of patients in intensive care units has also risen, to 33 as of Wednesday evening. This figure does yet not put a strain on healthcare services, as the nationwide threshold is estimated to be around 40 patients receiving ICU treatment.
 However, Professor  Matti Reinikainen  from the University of Eastern Finland told Yle that the number of ICU patients is not evenly distributed, and the capacities of ICU's in individual hospitals may already be stretched to their limits.
 The treatment of coronavirus patients requires more resources than the treatment of conventional intensive care patients, Reinikainen pointed out.
 "This is because it is typically a very severe respiratory failure, which in itself requires quite a lot of treatment. But in addition to this, patients must be isolated from other patients, and staff are required to wear protective clothing," he said, adding that the increase in the number of coronavirus patients is "worrying".
 "In practice, this means that non-urgent surgical procedures have to be postponed in order to have enough staff involved in intensive care duties," Reinikainen said.
 Vaccine coverage in Finland below EU average
 During the summer, Finland's vaccination rate was well above the EU average but the pace of the rollout has slowed during the autumn, and the rate has now fallen below the average of other EU member states.
 A  report  published last week by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said that Finland's relatively low vaccine coverage increases the risk of a sudden uptick in the number of new infections.
 This in turn increases the need for hospitalisation and can also lead to more deaths, the ECDC report outlined, further adding that the easing of restrictions when vaccine coverage is at or below the EU average creates a high risk that the virus will spread.
 The sharp rise in the number of infections also increases the risk of fully vaccinated people contracting a serious illness from the virus, the report added.

Health ministry official says restrictions lifted "too soon" as hospitalisations increase


Summary: Helsinki police arrested 123 climate protesters late on Wednesday after they blocked one of the city's main bridges.

Protesters from  the Finnish branch of the environmental group Extinction Rebellion , known as  Elokapina , blocked traffic from crossing the Pitkäsilta bridge near the centre of Helsinki for several hours late on Wednesday.
 Police announced in a Twitter posting that 123 of the protesters had been taken into custody.
 According to the daily  Helsingin Sanomat , the Elokapina organisation had announced in advance it would be staging an event on Wednesday near Parliament, so the protest that closed the bridge came as a surprise to police.
 HS reporter  Katja Kuokkanen  wrote that just after the demonstration started, dozens of protesters were sitting on the road at both ends of the bridge. The bridge is a main route in and out of the city centre for both private and public transport. Buses were unable to pass through and turned back. A number of trams were also blocked from crossing.
 Police estimated that between 100 and 200 protesters were present. According to HS, Elokapina said that a maximum of 250 people took part in the protest, including 25 researchers from Finnish universities.
 Clash over conservation
 Helsingin Sanomat  also reports  that new nature protection legislation being proposed by the government is being met by strong opposition from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the forestry industry.
 If passed, the new law will provide more protection of waterways, some natural land features and nesting birds. The legislation has been drafted in line with the current government's programme, which aims to implement measures to halt the loss of biodiversity in Finland.
 According to the Ministry of the Environment, one in nine Finnish species and almost half of habitats  are endangered , so additional measures and protection are urgently needed.
 The proposal extends the current prohibition on the deliberate killing or destruction of birds during the breeding season. What is news though, is a year-round ban on destroying the nests of endangered species.
 In practice, in addition to large birds of prey, an estimated 20 species would be covered by the ban.
 The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the forest industry oppose this section of the draft legislation, saying that landowners cannot be required to know and identify the nests of all endangered species, let alone which are in continuous use .
 Farm prices crisis meeting
 The Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK)  said on Wednesday  that farm yields have fallen to "catastrophic" levels in some parts of the country, and over all, production costs for fertiliser, animal feed and energy have all risen rapidly and unpredictably during the past year, significantly increasing production costs.
 In addition, the drought brought about by Finland's unusually warm summer has reduced yields across the country.
 The farmer's union paper Maaseudun Tulevaisuus reports that according to calculations by MTK, a 10 percent increase in production costs, combined with fixed purchasing agreements, has cut incomes in the sector by one-fifth.
 The paper further reports that Minister of Agriculture and Forestry  Jari Leppä  (Cen)  has now announced  that he is convening a "crisis meeting" on Friday of representatives of agricultural producers, trade and industry to examine agricultural production profitability.
 Maaseudun Tulevaisuus says pork producers are right now the hardest hit as feed costs have risen sharply, consumption has fallen and production continues to rise.
 All of the country's major retail food trade groups, the K and S groups and Lidl have been invited to Friday's talks to look at producers' profitability and how domestic food production can be sustained.
 Present purchases do not currently allow for price changes during the contract period. Primary producers have direct sale contracts for vegetables only, other products are usually sold through wholesale operations.
 Charge up
 The economic and business daily  Kauppalehti  reminds readers that it probably won't be long before morning temperatures are well below freezing, and that can cause problems in getting one's car started. The most common cause, it writes, is poor battery performance.
 A car battery can lose up to 35 percent of its effective charge when the temperature drops below zero, and up to 50 percent when the temperature drops further.
 The past summer's unusually hot weather may also have damaged some batteries through evaporation. In addition, driving short distances, as is common in urban areas, poses a risk of battery problems because repeated engine starts and shutdowns put a strain on the battery.
 The paper suggests avoiding battery problems by recharging regularly.
 According to  Pasi Ahola  of the battery management solutions company CTEK, using starter cables after the battery is discharged and driving long distances or idling to charge the battery are common, but not necessarily good habits. Jump-starting can cause power surges, damaging the electronics of either vehicle, and unnecessary driving puts a strain on nature and your wallet.
 A safer way to get your car moving is with a mains-independent fast charger.

Thursday's papers: Climate protest, farmers' crisis, charging your battery


Summary: The latest voter poll shows very small changes in support for most of Finland's political parties, but the Left Alliance benefited from a dip in Green Party backing.

Yle's latest monthly voter survey sees the opposition National Coalition Party (NCP) retain its lead at the top of the poll, but Prime Minister  Sanna Marin 's Social Democratic Party (SDP) has closed the gap.
 Although still the most popular party, the NCP saw its backing among voters drop in the monthly survey for the first time since June's municipal elections — down 0.4 percent to leave the  Petteri Orpo -led party on 20.9 percent support.
 Meanwhile the SDP saw a reverse of a recent slide in support, with a 0.6 percent increase leaving the governing party on 19.3 percent.
 Research Director  Tuomo Turja  of polling research firm Taloustutkimus told Yle that the NCP are still benefiting from a good showing at June's municipal poll.
 "Since the municipal elections, the NCP has been the clear leader in all party support polls. It is noteworthy that the situation has been very stable for the third month in a row, at least for the top parties," Turja said.
 The third-placed Finns Party has stayed at the same level — around 17.7 percent — for the fourth consecutive poll, demonstrating that the  change in party leadership in August  does not seem to have had any significant effect on party support.
 The SDP's main governing coalition partner, the Centre Party, remained in fourth place on 12.6 percent, with a slight uptick in support of 0.4 percent.
 Greens lose support to Left
 However, another governing party — the Greens — saw a significant dip in support of one full percentage point compared to last month's poll, while coalition partner the Left Alliance saw an increase in voter backing by exactly the same amount.
 "The Greens are clearly losing support, especially to the Left Alliance. The leak in the direction of the SDP is also larger than in previous polls," Turja said, adding that previous polls have shown that support tends to see-saw between the two parties.
 Both the Greens and the Left called for more effective climate action during the government's budget negotiations, which occurred during the latest polling period, but eventually accepted a compromise in which climate action will be discussed during next spring's budget talks.
 A Green Party  call for an end to the 'prohibition' of cannabis  in early September also divided opinion and led to  dozens of members resigning  from the party.
 The Greens named MP  Iiris Suomela  interim party chair last week, replacing current leader  Maria Ohisalo  while she is on maternity leave.
 Among the smaller parties, backing for the Swedish People's Party (SPP) and the Christian Democrats dipped very slightly to 4.1 percent and 3.2 percent respectively, while Movement Now saw its support among voters fall by 0.8 percentage points to 1.7 percent.
 Taloustutkimus interviewed 2,538 people between 1 September and 5 October 2021 for the survey. Altogether 1,754 voters revealed their party affiliation and the margin of error was +/- 2 percentage points.

Yle poll: NCP remain top, Green support leaks to Left


Summary: Tytti Yli-Viikari also faces charges of payment fraud and misconduct in a public office over the use of Finnair Plus flight bonus points.

Tytti Yli-Viikari , who was  dismissed from her role as auditor general  by Parliament in June, has been charged with aggravated abuse of office.
 Another employee of the National Audit Office (VTV), the agency's director  Mikko Koiranen , has also been charged with the same crime.
 The charges relate to an agreement between Yli-Viikari, Koiranen and an agency official, in which the official received a salary for two years despite having no work obligation.
 Finland's Parliamentary Ombudsman has declared the agreement illegal.
 Yli-Viikari also faces charges of payment fraud and misconduct in a public office over the use of Finnair Plus bonus points.
 The charge is related to Yli-Viikari's suspected use of frequent flyer bonus points — accumulated from business trips — for her own personal trips, even though the points belonged to her employer.
 Yli-Viikari has denied the charges and has also  appealed her dismissal  from the role of Auditor General to the Administrative Court.
 Koiranen, who is currently suspended from his position with the VTV, has also denied having committed any crime.

Sacked Auditor General charged with aggravated abuse of office


Summary: Shops may now drop mask requirements in areas where health authorities no longer recommend their use indoors.

Finland's retail trade sector is relaxing restrictions put in place to slow the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
 The Finnish Commerce Federation, a nationwide umbrella group for retailers, and the Finnish Grocery Trade association announced on Thursday that the use of the masks in shops should no longer be necessary in areas where the authorities have lifted recommendations for the use of masks in public indoor spaces.
 According to the Commerce Federation, 15 of the country's 21 hospital districts on Wednesday still recommended  the use of the masks in indoor facilities  such as shops. So far, indoor mask recommendations have been lifted in only six hospital districts.
 "It is possible to relax coronavirus protection practices, as vaccine coverage has improved, the government has updated its hybrid strategy, and the health authorities have issued new guidelines," Commerce Federation CEO  Mari Kiviniemi  stated in a Thursday press release.
 Even though restrictions are being eased in some areas, the Commerce Federation has urged retailers to consider continuing mask requirements nationwide when shops are busy, there are queues, and in close-quarters service situations lasting more than 15 minutes.
 In accordance with the Communicable Diseases Act, retail shops are still required to provide customers with hand disinfectant facilities on their premises, to communicate safety instructions to customers, and to continue enhanced cleaning practices.

Retailers relax Covid guidelines


Summary: The announcement follows similar suspensions by other Nordic countries due to concerns over possible side effects.

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) has recommended that the Moderna coronavirus vaccine not be administered to men aged 30 and under.
 Speaking at the weekly coronavirus briefing on Thursday morning, THL Director of Health Security  Mika Salminen  said that younger men had a slightly higher risk of developing myocarditis — an inflammation of the heart muscle — from the vaccine.
 The inflammation can reduce the heart's ability to pump blood and can also lead to rapid or abnormal heart rhythms.
 "Most cases of myocarditis are mild and pass quickly, requiring a couple of days of patient monitoring," Salminen said, adding that the greatest risk appears to be for young men receiving their second dose of the vaccine.
 THL's recommendation follows announcements by authorities in both Sweden and Denmark on Wednesday that they will suspend use of the Moderna vaccine for younger age groups due to reports of possible side effects.
 Salminen said that fewer side effects have been reported in Finland than in other Nordic countries, citing Norway as one example.
 "But for this reason, in accordance with the precautionary principle, THL's instructions are that the Moderna vaccine should not be given to men and boys under the age of 30 for the time being, but that the Pfizer vaccine should be used instead," he told the press briefing.
 If men under the age of 30 have already received the Moderna vaccine as their first dose, they can be given the Pfizer vaccine as their second.
 "It is important that the second vaccine is still taken," Salminen added.
 Finland has received about 1.35 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, of which an estimated one million have so far been administered.
 Finland's vaccination rollout slowing
 Also speaking at Thursday morning's briefing, THL specialist  Mia Kontio  said that Finland's rate of vaccination has slowed in recent weeks.
 About 20,000 people have received their first doses over the past week, while approximately 120,000 have got their second jab, Kontio said. These figures are lower than usual, and Finland's vaccination rate has  now fallen below the average  of other EU member states.
 Kontio said this was due to Finland's relatively long interval between first and second doses, which was once as long as 12 weeks, but has been "closing all the time".
 She added that, according to THL's latest figures, there are about 775,000 unvaccinated people in Finland aged 12 and over.
 "Vaccination coverage has not yet reached such a large number of people, and widespread transmission of infections is still possible," she said.
 However, the government's target of 80 percent vaccination of those aged 12 and over can still be achieved by the end of October, according to THL's estimates.
 Infections rising
 As the vaccination rate slows, the number of lab-confirmed coronavirus cases being reported in Finland is on the increase,  Pasi Pohjola  of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health told the press briefing.
 In total, 3,826 cases were reported last week, which is about 800 more infections than were reported the previous week.
 Finland's incidence rate currently stands at 123 per 100,000 inhabitants over the previous 14 days, and the percent positive — the percentage of coronavirus tests performed that are actually positive — has risen to 4.9 percent from 3.5 percent last week.
 "In particular, unvaccinated people who have symptoms should apply for tests," Pohjola said.
 He added that while the majority of cases were detected among younger age groups during the summer, infections are now more widely spread across different age groups.
 Most people become infected at home or via someone in their close circle, but social events such as meetings and parties are the second most common source of infection, Pohjola said. These sources are also much more difficult to trace, he added.
 "Unvaccinated people are at significant risk of getting infected through these [situations]," he said.
 Three out of four Covid patients are unvaccinated
 As infections increase, so too are the number of people being treated in hospital for the virus.
 By the end of last week, there were a total of 105 patients being treated in hospital for the virus, THL said, of whom 33 were in intensive care units. A week earlier, the corresponding figures were 56 patients in hospital, with 25 of them in intensive care.
 THL's figures revealed that the risk of hospitalisation is highest among unvaccinated people aged between 50 and 79 years of age, which is 18 times higher than for people of the same age who have received both doses of the vaccine.
 The agency added that of the people hospitalised during the month September, 74 percent were unvaccinated.

THL recommends suspending use of Moderna vaccine for young men, boys


Summary: Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) responded to health officials' concerns about the lifting of Covid restrictions and renewed a call for the public to get fully vaccinated.

Prime Minister  Sanna Marin  (SDP)responded to critics on Thursday, saying that Finland has not been overly hasty in lifting restrictions rolled out to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
 Marin made her comments on the issue at a press conference presenting her Social Democratic Party's regional election programme.
 "We have not opened up society too early. We still have some restrictions in place, and when we have 80 percent vaccination coverage, hopefully this month, we will lift those [remaining] restrictions," she said, referring to the government's goal for the population aged 12 and over.
 Critical voices
 Restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of the virus were originally intended to be gradually relaxed  once vaccination coverage reached 80 percent  of 12-and-overs, but the majority of remaining measures — such as those on bars and restaurants as well as on public events — were lifted last week.
 On Wednesday, the Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health,  Kirsi Varhila , told Yle that she believes coronavirus restrictions in Finland were lifted too soon.
 She presented her view as figures published by public health agency THL showed  the number of people being treated  in hospitals for the virus had risen from 89 two weeks ago to 112 on Wednesday.
 Furthermore, the director of the THL's Department for Health Security,  Mika Salminen , has voiced the same concern, saying on Thursday morning that the highest risk situations in social settings such as bars and nightclubs still pose a danger of spreading infections, especially for the unvaccinated.
 PM: Target will be reached soon
 PM Marin appealed on Thursday to people who have not yet had a second jab, for one reason or another, to get fully vaccinated.
 "I would send a clear message to people that it is a responsible act to get vaccinated, to protect themselves, to protect our fellow human beings and society as a whole," she stated.
 According to Marin, Finland cannot afford to have the strain on healthcare services that would be the result of a low vaccination rate.
 She went on to point out that the government is implementing its hybrid strategy and lifting restrictions accordingly as it progresses. However, new restrictions may have to be introduced regionally if the situation so requires.
 Vaccination coverage in Finland  is currently at the low end of the EU average. According to Marin, this has been affected by the long interval between the administration of the first and second doses of the vaccine.
 "It helps to explain why we are not yet at 80 percent for two doses. But I would think that in a few weeks we will reach it," she said. "I hope we can get rid of all the restrictions within a few weeks."

PM Marin rejects claims restrictions lifted too early


Summary: Parliament will consider a motion of no confidence proposed by the opposition Finns Party and Movement Now.

The small Movement Now political grouping joined the opposition Finns Party on Thursday in sponsoring an interpellation aimed at forcing a vote of no confidence in the government over its immigration policies.
 According to  Harry Harkimo , the chair of Movement Now, national legislation should promote controlled immigration and minimise any unwanted side effects associated with it. He criticised proposed government policy as doing the opposite.
 "We need to learn to talk about both humanitarian and work-related immigration without immediately turning the conversation into a discussion about discrimination," Harkimo stated in a Thursday press release.
 The filing to move to a vote of no confidence is focused on a draft bill put forward by Interior Minister  Maria Ohisalo  (Green) amending the Aliens Act to make it easier to reunite families.
 If passed, it would mean that family members of persons receiving international or temporary protection would not need to fulfil the requirement for sufficient financial resources to receive a residence permit in situations where the family was established before the sponsor’s arrival in Finland.
 NCP rep also backs interpellation
 Although the other main opposition party, the National Coalition (NCP) has not signed on to back the motion filed on Thursday, one of its MPs,  Heikki Vestman , also issued criticism of the government's bill. It would make a negative residence decision possible for family members of a minor who has been granted international protection – but only if family reunification is considered to be against the best interests of the child.
 "The Marin government seems to be living in a different reality than the security authorities and the rest of Europe, which is slowly closing its borders to asylum seekers and tightening humanitarian immigration for security reasons," Vestman wrote in a release.
 Finns Party leader  Riikka Purra  justified opposition to government immigration policy by arguing that its proposals would further a breakdown in economic, social and security aspects of the Finnish system.
 "Why are the Greens allowed to hang around in government and decide on their own about on such serious and fundamental issues for our country?" Purra asked.
 The motion filed Thursday is also aimed at a vote of no confidence in the government's economic policy.
 Announcing the interpellation on Sunday, Purra said on Twitter that her party "does not accept the government’s planned easing of immigration policy". She called for "precise economic policies in which spending targets are prioritised" in order to tackle debt growth, deficits and other undesirable trends.

No-confidence vote sought over government's immigration policy


Summary: Former Oulu councillor Junes Lokka, who proposed "death patrols", was convicted of ethnic agitation for a third time and fined 420 euros.

Former city councillor  Junes Lokka  has been convicted of incitement against a group of people for a speech to the Oulu City Council in February 2020.
 According to the prosecutor, his speech publicly threatened asylum seekers and immigrants.
 Lokka submitted a proposal to the Oulu City Council, both in writing and orally, in which he proposed that the "Safe Oulu" project be rejected, and that the money be used to encourage people to move away from the city and to hire "death patrols".
 The meeting was broadcast live on the council's YouTube channel but later removed from the site.
 Lokka, who lost his council seat in the June municipal elections, also faces charges relating to four counts of defamation and invasion of privacy.
 Prosecutor sought probation, court opted for fine
 The prosecutor had demanded at least two months' probation for Lokka for incitement against an ethnic group. However, the Oulu District Court ruled that the case could be resolved with a fine, ordering Lokka to income-linked day fines totalling 420 euros.
 Prosecutors had argued that fines were no longer sufficient, as Lokka had been convicted of similar offences in the past.
 Lokka has previously been convicted of incitement for videos published on his YouTube channel in 2016 and 2017. District and appeals courts ruled that the videos insulted and slandered Muslims and immigrants on the basis of their religion or origin.
 He still has the right to appeal this latest judgement.
 The Moroccan-born Lokka, 42, says he moved to Finland in 2005.
 He and his fiancé, a current Oulu councillor, have their own political group called  Aito suomalainen yhteislista , which translates roughly as "the genuine Finnish constituency association".
 The tabloid Iltalehti was first to report on his latest conviction.

Ex-Oulu politician convicted of ethnic incitement for third time


Summary: The virtual project combines art and science in an effort to help people weigh the emotional impact of the pandemic.

Finland's government has announced the launch of a 'Museum of Contemporary Emotions', which seeks to help people reflect on and recover from the Covid pandemic.
 "The Museum of Contemporary Emotions is designed to support citizens in recovering from the crisis while recording extraordinary times in an exceptional way," the project's Head of Communications  Päivi Tampere  stated in a government press release, adding that it aims to "help our society anticipate similar events in the future."
 Combining aspects of science and art, the  virtual museum  journey begins with the declaration by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in March 2020 that the Covid-19 outbreak was a pandemic.
 The tour then charts the timeline of subsequent key events throughout 2020 — including people's battles with insomnia, the move to remote learning and an unexpected baby boom — with a special emphasis on self-reflecting on pandemic-era emotions.
 People's emotions during the crisis were tracked by analysing statistics, search engine and social media trends, and research surveys, among other methods.
 30 photographers, 6 artists featured
 The museum's images were provided by about 30 photographers who captured everyday life in Finland during the pandemic, while six artists were commissioned to create a series of emotionally themed artworks.
 A series of reports and surveys throughout the pandemic have highlighted the impact the crisis has had on people's mental health, including on  immigrants living in Finland  and  young adults .

Finland launches Museum of Contemporary Emotions to aid Covid crisis recovery


Summary: Yle News' podcast gets the lowdown on data leaks, sex crimes and climate change.

As climate protesters return to Helsinki's streets, the All Points North podcast asks what are the costs of acting on climate change, and how they compare to the costs of not taking sufficient action now.
 Finland's government has argued this autumn about whether to ask agricultural businesses to reduce emissions, in the face of opposition from farmers' lobbyists who said they couldn't afford to do so.
 Marita Laukkanen , an economist from VATT research Institute, said she wasn't sure that is the best way to balance the decision.
 "Overall, I would summarise that the models tell us that the costs are likely to be higher than the cost of doing something about it now," said Laukkanen. "Of course then there is the intergenerational question that costs will be borne largely by future generations. So, how do we want to think about it? Do we just think about possibly some costs to ourselves of mitigating climate change now or do we not want to do that and instead sweep it all ahead so that our children and grandchildren have to face the consequences and pick up the tab?"
 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.
 Foreigners' over-representation in sex crime statistics was in the news again last week, with Yle News and others reporting that  nearly 40 percent of rapes were committed by people of foreign background .
 The stat seemed familiar, and it was — these figures had been reported more than a year earlier by Statistics Finland, and then used as part of a literature review by a new study on measures to prevent sex crimes.
 APN asked  Markus Kaakinen , one of the authors of the new report, what his study showed.
 "First of all it's worth remembering that committing sexual crimes is very rare," said Kaakinen. "So both in the population and in any social group, only a tiny proportion of individuals is ever suspected of or convicted of sex crimes. So even if we say in the report that having a background of social disadvantage, it still means that people with that background are very unlikely to be sex offenders."
 The report found that struggling to establish and maintain meaningful relationships with people and social disadvantage were risk factors, and that early interventions were crucial in preventing sex crime offences.
 Also on the show this week we find out more about how Yle journalists handled the Pandora Papers data leak and learn more about Finns implicated in the scandal.
 Join the conversation!
 This week's show was presented by  Egan Richardson  and  Zena Iovino . The producer was  Veronica Kontopoulou  and the audio engineer was  Anders Johansson .
 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: Can Finland afford not to act on climate change?


Summary: The Coast Guard says there are about 10 suspects linked to smuggling in migrants via Belarus. All are permanent residents of Finland.

The Gulf of Finland Coast Guard has launched seven human trafficking investigations linked to Belarus. Ilta-Sanomat was the first to report on the matter on Thursday.
 Since the spring, an exceptional number of migrants and refugees have arrived at the EU's border with Belarus. Some have been smuggled through transit countries to Finland as well, according to Finnish Coast Guard.
 It says there are about 10 suspected smugglers involved, with the operations bearing the hallmarks of organised crime.
 The suspects are permanent residents of Finland. Some of them have been detained.
 Captain Lieutenant  Jukka Tekokoski , the head of the Coast Guard's crime investigation unit, says that individuals have paid the smugglers up to 15,000 dollars for transport to Finland.
 "The price range seems to be between 5,000 and 15,000 dollars," he told Yle.
 Tekokoski said that more than 10 people have been smuggled into the country in recent months, most of them Iraqis. Many Iraqis have arrived in Belarus this year and travelled onward, hoping to seek refuge in the EU.
 Those smuggled to Finland have arrived in various ways, including hidden in the trunk of a car aboard a ferry from Estonia. Others have been brought to Finland by plane from Poland and by ship from Germany.
 "Most of them have come into Finland normally with the flow of passengers. There have been attempts to bring people in hidden in the trunks of vehicles. This is particularly dangerous," said Tekokoski.
 Estonia steps up border checks
 Due to the migration crisis in Belarus, Estonia has intensified its border controls. All vehicles and passengers departing for Helsinki are inspected carefully in the Port of Tallinn.
 The Coast Guard has cooperated with authorities in the Baltic states to investigate the smuggling. Some of the suspects are being held in pre-trial detention.
 Poland, Lithuania and Latvia have reported sharp increases in migrants from countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq crossing their borders from Belarus. The European Union accuses Belarus of pushing asylum seekers across its borders as a form of hybrid warfare designed to put pressure on the EU over sanctions against Minsk after the disputed presidential election.
 In August, the European Commission said it was ready to bring new sanctions against Belarus if the situation in the country continues to deteriorate.

Coast Guard: People smugglers charge up to $15,000 for illicit transport into Finland


Summary: Despite an increase in Covid hospitalisations, Helsingin Sanomat finds no backing among key MPs for vaccination mandates in Finland.

The Helsinki tabloid  Ilta-Sanomat looks at the latest figures  for Covid hospitalisations in Finland, pointing out that at a Thursday press conference,  Pasi Pohjola  of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health said that non-vaccinated people accounted for 74 percent of coronavirus patients receiving hospital care in September.
 "The epidemic situation has clearly deteriorated, affecting, of course, the unvaccinated population and, to some extent, those who are only protected by one dose. This raises questions about what measures can be taken to reverse the situation," Pohjola said.
 Over the past two weeks, according to the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), unvaccinated 12-79-year-olds have been hospitalised 14 times more often than people in the same age group who have had two doses of a coronavirus vaccine.
 Last week, 22 new Covid patients were rushed to intensive care, IS noted. Pohjola estimated that nationwide, Finland has the capacity to provide about 50 intensive care units for coronavirus patients. Once that critical point is exceeded, a lack of hospital resources would begin to be reflected in other medical treatments requiring intensive care, he added.
 IS further writes that Helsinki University Hospital Chief Physician  Asko Järvinen  told the paper earlier this week that he does not yet know of a single fully vaccinated person who has been  treated in an intensive care unit  in his hospital.
 "No" to vaccination mandate
 Finland's largest circulation daily,  Helsingin Sanomat , reports that even with an upswing in infections and the slowing pace of vaccination uptake, the nation's main political parties are not in favour of  reimposing restrictions .
 HS asked MPs from the six largest parliamentary parties what measures should be taken to deal with the worsening situation.
 The paper posed the question of what should be done to ensure that citizens who are hesitant and critical of vaccines also take two doses of a coronavirus vaccine.
 Antti Lindtman , chair of the SDP's parliamentary group: "More measures are needed to keep the vaccination threshold as low as possible, more walk-in points and vaccine buses are needed. Enhanced, targeted information is needed for groups and areas where vaccination coverage is still low."
 Ville Tavio ,  c hair of the Finns Party's parliamentary group: "No action is needed. It is a voluntary choice for every adult whether or not to take the vaccine. News about the coronavirus has been reported every day of the year, so I find it quite unlikely that anyone does not know that vaccination is recommended."
 National Coalition MP  Mia Laiho : "Vaccinations must be available, at a low threshold in places where people move about. This needs to be intensified. It is important to provide information about the benefits, but also the side effects of the vaccines, so that there is a wider understanding of how few side effects there are in relation to the number of people vaccinated in the world."
 Juha Pylväs , chair of the Centre Party's parliamentary group: "We need to educate people more about vaccines and make vaccination as easy as possible. Add pop-up points where you can get vaccines constantly and easily."
 Emma Kari , chair of the Greens parliamentary group: "There is a need for more encouragement and imaginative campaigns to get unvaccinated people to take the jabs. The dissemination of false information must be addressed."
 Jussi Saramo , chair of the parliamentary group of the Left Alliance: "Raising awareness is the most important thing, because there is so much misinformation circulating."
 Should compulsory vaccination be introduced?
 SDP’s Lindtman: "Coercion wouldn't work in this situation. I am afraid that it would change attitudes towards vaccines."
 Tavio of the Finns Party: "It is not necessary."
 NCP's Laiho: "As a matter of principle, the National Coalition Party does not support mandated vaccinations, but it is necessary to assess whether vaccinations could be required for those in jobs working with people at risk."
 Centre Party's Pylväs: "The Centre has a negative attitude towards compulsory vaccinations."
 Greens' Kari: "We want to trust that people want to take care of each other and take the vaccines. I would not move towards forced vaccination."
 Left Alliance's Saramo: " I do not support mandated vaccination."
 Climate demos to continue
 "We do not do it because we think it's fun, but because we have to," Elokapina climate activist spokesperson  Kaisamaija Uljas  told the Swedish-language daily  Hufvudstadsbladet  when asked about the recent protests blocking traffic in the capital.
 A protest by the group -- which is the the Finnish branch of the environmental group Extinction Rebellion -- on Wednesday,  blocked traffic for several hours on a bridge  near the city centre. The action came without warning.
 "It was quite spontaneous. We did not want the police to get there before us, so that we could block the road properly and reach out with our message to more people," Uljas explained.
 Hufvudstadsbladet writes that this week the movement sent out invitations to a number of politicians asking them to meet for discussions on climate issues.
 None of those invited came.
 This week's episode of All Points North asked if Finland afford not to act on climate change. 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. Paper review continues after audio.
 "Unfortunately, our message has not been received the way we wanted. That is why we must continue to protest," Uljas told the paper, adding that Elokapina has plans for more actions like the protest closing the bridge in Helsinki on Wednesday.
 While she did not provide details to Hufvudstadsbladet, when asked if similar protests will be seen on Friday or over the weekend, Uljas replied, "Yes, we can promise that."
 A total of 123 people were arrested in connection with Elokapina's protest on Wednesday. Hufvudstadsbladet reports that about 1,000 people say they are active participants in the protest movement.
 Firewood vending machines
 The  Oulu-based Kaleva  tells readers the tale of how  Valto Vaaraniemi , a project worker at the Centre for Sustainable Development, came up against a not uncommon problem when stopping at a camp site while canoeing on the Äkäsjoki river.
 "We were all wet and found that there was no firewood at the campfire site at all. It was cold and we would have liked to roast some sausages. At that moment, we thought that we would have been willing to pay for some wood," Vaaraniemi recalls.
 At first it was a joke, the idea of a firewood vending machine at campsites. Soon after, however, the matter was under serious design planning at the Centre for Sustainable Development, and the City of Oulu gave a green light to the proposal.
 Last winter, the hardware was created, and Oulu University of Applied Sciences student  Juho Kettunen  devoted his thesis to designing the software to run it.
 The first public firewood vending machine was installed at a camping site in Oulu this week. The site previously had supplies of wood on hand for campers, but they tended to get stolen as soon as they were delivered.
 Purchases are made by mobile phone, entering the vending machine code and choosing a payment method, causing a door to pop open revealing a stack of firewood.
 A large "armful" of ready firewood costs 3.95 euros. The vending machine has 30 hatches, and the device notifies the Centre for Sustainable Development when the wood starts running low.
 The plan is now to test the machine to see how well it functions during the cold winter months, and if a success, to install them at more sites in and around Oulu.

Friday's papers: Covid upswing, climate protests and a firewood vending machine


Summary: Police have filed for a court order for the sequestration of assets of the association supporting the Elokapina climate protest movement over suspected violations of fundraising laws.

Helsinki District Court on Wednesday took a police filing under consideration which calls for the sequestration of assets of Elonvaalijat, the registered association which organises the activities of the Elokapina climate protest movement - the Finnish branch of the environmental group Extinction Rebellion.
 Police say that they have reason to suspect the association of violating fundraising laws.
 The sum of assets which police have asked the court to sequester is not yet known. A decision in the case is expected on 12 October.
 Elokapina is an activist group that has organised protests to pressure the government to declare a climate emergency in Finland. It has  blocked streets in Helsinki  during several demonstrations to draw attention to its demands for action against climate change.
 Two suspected violations
 Police suspect that the Elonvaalijat association has exceeded its maximum number of approved fundraising notifications which are required before public collections can be legally made.
 Two separate suspected fundraising violations are under investigation. According to the police, one took place in Helsinki between 26 April to 18 June 2021, and the other on 15 September, also in Helsinki.
 The head of the investigation, Detective Chief Inspector  Juha-Matti Suominen  has declined to say which of the association's representatives are under investigation, nor has he revealed the sum of assets that police have asked the court to sequester.
 The action is likely to target to a few thousand euros, as the maximum sum that may be collected through the type of small fundraising declaration used by the association is 10,000 euros.
 Sequestration of assets is a standard procedure in the investigation of suspected crimes. It is aimed to ensure that if a crime is proven, any criminal proceeds can be seized.
 Last week, the newspaper Iltalehti reported that Helsinki Deputy Police Chief  Heikki Kopperoinen  had refused to allow investigators to apply for the sequestration of Elonvaalijat assets.
 In an interview with the paper, Kopperoinen said his decision was about "coordinating" the activities of the police department. During the same week, the police were making preparations to deal with a protest by climate activists which included a plan to block Helsinki's main central thoroughfare.

Police suspect climate group of fundraising violations


Summary: Under the proposed changes, jobseekers would meet with an employment specialist every two weeks and would be expected to submit an average of one job application every week.

The government has submitted to Parliament a proposal to introduce a 'Nordic model' of providing employment services in Finland, which would require jobseekers to submit an average of one job application per week or four per month.
 This could lead to about 14 million job applications being submitted every year, according to the draft proposal's estimates.
 Speaking at a press conference announcing the proposal, Minister for Economic Affairs and Employment  Tuula Haatainen  (SDP) said she is not concerned that the proposed changes would lead to an 'application conveyor belt'.
 "We trust the person knows what kind of jobs they are applying for," Haatainen said, adding that jobseekers should apply for jobs they could reasonably assume to get.
 Exceptions to the quota of job applications could be made, for example if the jobseeker’s working capacity had deteriorated or there were very few vacancies available in the area.
 However, failure without reasonable cause to fulfil the quota of applications could result in the jobseeker temporarily losing unemployment benefits. Actively looking for employment has always been a condition for receiving the benefit, but the 'Nordic model' proposed by the government would provide a "more reasonable" system of sanctions.
 In practice, this would mean that the jobseeker would receive a "reminder" after the first incidence of failing to submit the requisite number of applications, followed by a 5 day sanction for the second occurrence and 10 days for the third.
 The draft law also recommends shortening existing sanction periods. For example, if a jobseeker refuses a job offer, the sanction period would be halved to 45 days. Currently, sanction periods for refusing a job offer can last between 15 and 90 days depending on the circumstances.
 The Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK) has criticised the proposed changes to the current system of sanctions, citing concerns that state expenditure on unemployment benefits will increase.
 The draft proposal's own estimate suggests that the change could lead to the government spending an additional 33 million euros every year on unemployment benefits.
 Meetings with specialists every two weeks
 The reform also proposes increasing support for jobseekers, including the introduction of a provision for a jobseeker to have a meeting with a specialist within five working days of the start of their job search. Currently the time period for that first meeting is within two weeks.
 Following this first meeting, the jobseeker would then meet a specialist from either the local TE-office or participating municipality every two weeks for a period of three months.
 "During the meetings, the jobseekers’ need for services, their skills and ability to look for work would be individually assessed. If the skills to look for work or to be employed were found to be lacking, the jobseeker would get access to services quicker," the draft proposal outlines, adding that this would lead to an estimated 2.3 million appointments per year for jobseekers.
 Currently, about one million such meetings are held per year.
 The draft model therefore proposes hiring about 1,000 new employees for TE-offices and municipalities, at an additional cost to the state of an estimated 70 million euros. If this provision is passed into law, staff numbers at TE-offices would increase by about 40 percent.
 Story continues after the photo.
 Minister for Economic Affairs and Employment Tuula Haatainen of the Social Democratic Party. Jorge Gonzalez / Yle
 The proposal is one of the largest employment measures undertaken by the current government, and aims to increase employment by about 9,500 to 10,000 people by the beginning of 2025.
 This figure does not include the 1,000 new TE-offices employees required to support jobseekers.
 Draft bill raises questions
 However, the Council of Regulatory Impact Analysis, which aims to improve the quality of government draft bills, has queried a number of the claims made in the proposal.
 For example, the council requested a more detailed breakdown of exactly how the reform would save an estimated 140 million euros per year in public expenditure, as promised in the draft proposal.
 The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment told news agency STT that small technical additions were made to the draft bill on the basis of the council's feedback.
 If the proposal is passed into law, the changes are scheduled to come into effect from May next year.

Government submits 'Nordic Model' employment services draft bill to Parliament


Summary: Friday is the tenth day of Elokapina's Syyskapina ('Autumn Rebellion'), which is calling on Finland's government to declare a climate emergency.

Police have broken up a demonstration by climate activists from the Elokapina protest movement — the Finnish branch of the environmental group Extinction Rebellion — after protestors chained and glued themselves to the entrance of the Government Palace building in downtown Helsinki on Friday morning.
 Initially police ordered the estimated 200 protestors to leave the area, as the protest was not organised in accordance with the Assembly Act and the organisers had not given advance notice. About half complied with the order and the remainder were removed one-by-one by police.
 In a statement, the group said that police told the protestors they were being held on suspicions of aggravated invasion of public premises.
 Story continues after the photo.
 Protestors from the Elokapina climate action movement outside the Government Palace building in Helsinki on Friday morning. Petteri Bülow / Yle
 The group also demanded a meeting with Minister of Finance and chair of the Centre Party  Annika Saarikko . They said they have met with representatives from other parties, but not from the Centre.
 Saarikko has previously said that she does not consider it appropriate to declare a climate emergency. Elokapina spokesperson  Iokis Laisi  told Yle that the protesters were prepared to wait all day at the doors of the Government Palace for the minister to meet with them. However, police had removed all of the protestors by 2.30pm.
 Story continues after the photo.
 The protestors are demanding that Finland's government declare a climate emergency. Petteri Bülow / Yle
 Police informed the protestors shortly after the demonstration began that occupying the exits of the Government Palace building was not acceptable.
 There were also reports of Elokapina demonstrations taking place on the steps of the Parliament building as well as on Ritarikatu, close to Senate Square, where an estimated 30 protestors had gathered.
 Friday is the tenth day of Elokapina's  Syyskapina  ('Autumn Rebellion') which began last week when  protestors blocked Helsinki's main thoroughfare Mannerheimintie  and continued this week with the  blocking of traffic  on the capital's Pitkäsilta bridge.
 The 'August Rebellion' calls on Finland's government to declare a climate and environmental emergency, and to create binding legislation that will achieve carbon neutrality by 2025, a decade ahead of the government's current goal of 2035.

Climate activists detained after protest at government building


Summary: Industrial production also rose sharply in August compared to the same month last year.

The value of new orders in manufacturing were up by 48 percent in August this year compared to the same month last year, according to preliminary figures published by Statistics Finland.
 The number-crunching agency added that during the first eight months of this year, from January to August, orders grew by 30 percent and increased in all major industries.
 "New orders grew most in the metal industry, where the value of orders was 62.3 percent higher than in the previous year," the agency's press release stated "In the industry of the manufacture of paper and paper board products, orders grew from the previous year by 30.5 percent and in the chemical industry by 15 percent."
 Industrial production also rose sharply, according to the agency's figures.
 In August, seasonally adjusted industrial output grew by 1.4 percent compared to July and working day adjusted industrial production rose by 4.4 percent from August last year.
 However, the Central Chamber of Commerce's Chief Economist  Jukka Appelqvist  said that the level of new manufacturing orders in August last year was low, so the comparison level is coming from a lower base.
 "The reading is still genuinely strong, and the sharp rise cannot be explained by the slowness of the comparison year [August 2020] alone. The value of new orders is currently being strongly boosted by both rising prices and growing order volumes," Appelqvist said.

New manufacturing orders rise by 50 percent in August


Summary: The Finnish Hospitality Association is filing an official complaint over the tightening of restaurant restrictions in Päijät-Häme and continuing restrictions in the Helsinki region.

The hospitality industry has voiced sharp criticism of the tightening and continuation of restrictions on the operations of bars and restaurants in some parts of the country.
 A week ago,  the government lifted restrictions  on opening hours alcohol sales and customer numbers for bars and restaurants areas in classed as being in the acceleration phase of the coronavirus pandemic. Päijät-Häme was still in the acceleration phase last week, but now it has been reclassified as being in the community transmission phase.
 As of Friday, 8 October, restaurants in the area will have to stop alcohol sales and close their doors earlier again, as well as limit the number of customers on their premises. Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa have also been classified as being in the community transmission phase, according to changes announced on Thursday.
 The industry's interest group, the Finnish Hospitality Association MaRa, argues that the authorities are treating hospitality businesses in an unequal manner in relation to many other sectors of the economy. According to  Timo Lappi , CEO of MaRa, it is not in the spirit of the government's hybrid strategy for bar and restaurant restrictions to be tightened while other parts of society are being opened up.
 According to the association, the renewed restrictions in Päijät-Häme and their continuation in the Greater Helsinki area cannot be justified by data on the spread of the coronavirus.
 "[Thursday] THL announced at its briefing that only 1.8 percent of the infections in Helsinki are definitely from restaurants. If suspected infections are taken into account, the figure is only 5.4 percent. In our view, such low infection rates do not in any way justify spreading phase restrictions in the municipalities of the Helsinki metropolitan area at the moment," says Lappi.
 Complaint to the Justice Chancellor
 The public healthcare organisation for Päijät-Häme region said last Monday that the need for hospital care in the region is again approaching the peak of the epidemic period, and that the coronavirus situation has deteriorated significantly. Health officials there believe that a large number of infections involve visits to restaurants.
 As in the whole country, the vaccination take-up rate has slowed in the region. According to the government, the opening hours of restaurants and the number of customer permitted are to be lifted when there is sufficient vaccine coverage. From the point of view of the hospitality industry, business owners are now indirectly shouldering the responsibility for the carrying capacity of hospitals and the actions of non-vaccinated individuals.
 "The vaccination system is slow and some people are not taking the vaccine, even if there is no medical reason not to. It is completely unreasonable that the price for this is currently being paid by restaurant owners, employees and their families," says Timo Lappi.
 The Hospitality Association is filing a complaint with the Chancellor of Justice over restrictions in Päijät-Häme and the Helsinki region. The association has  several similar complaints  already on file on behalf of members in other parts of the country.

Hospitality union: Bars, restaurants pay the price of the unvaccinated


Summary: The 18-year-old defendant was convicted on charges of aggravated negligent homicide, aggravated drunk driving and aggravated traffic safety endangerment.

Pirkanmaa District Court has sentenced an 18-year-old man to five and a half years in prison for his involvement in a car crash that killed three people.
 The defendant had faced three murder charges related to the single-vehicle crash in Nokia, near the city of Tampere, just after 1am on 16 August 2020. The car veered off the road and  collided with a tree , instantly killing the three teenage passengers. The driver survived with minor injuries.
 The court ruled that the defendant was guilty of three aggravated negligent homicides committed as a young person, as he was a minor at the time of the crash.
 He was also found guilty of aggravated drunk driving and aggravated traffic safety endangerment as a young person.
 The court ruled that the act did not meet the definition of manslaughter as the reaction of the defendant after the crash demonstrated that he did not consider it possible that the consequence of his actions could be three deaths.
 "A voice in the background of the emergency centre call recording can be heard shouting "they can't be dead, they can't be dead". The accused was in shock, was crying hard and asked why he did not die and what he could now say to the mother," the court's ruling stated.
 The court further found that a prosecution claim that the defendant was suicidal at the time of the crash was not proven.
 Instead, the defendant was guilty of aggravated negligent homicides because he drank alcohol before driving and had also used his mobile phone while behind the wheel. Homicide convictions related to traffic accidents are very rare in Finnish history.

Court jails driver over crash that claimed three lives


Summary: The EU Commission decides this autumn if nuclear power will be classified as sustainable.

Finland's government has agreed to lobby the EU to declare nuclear power a sustainable energy source, but kept the decision secret.
 If nuclear power gets the so-called 'green label', financing for nuclear projects will be easier to come by and the terms of any loans will be softer than for other energy projects.
 As a power source that produces virtually no carbon emissions during operations, nuclear has gained the approval of some experts as a sustainable energy source that can help countries transition to a carbon-free energy system.
 The International Energy Agency categorises nuclear as a source of low-carbon electricity, considering each plant's lifetime emissions of including construction, fuel mining and supply transport.
 Finland's decision was reached at a meeting of ministers on 9 July, but not announced publicly. Yle's sources say that parliament's Grand Committee, which sets the parameters of Finland's EU policy, has not been informed of the change.
 Yle requested the memo from the meeting, which was provided after publishing a report on the decision on Thursday.
 Greens divided but relaxed
 Finance Minister  Annika Saarikko  (Cen) said that she did not see a reason to keep Finland's view on nuclear power secret, and that the decision was reached in order to influence the EU decision-making process.
 The EU has already granted solar and wind power projects the green 'sustainable' stamp of approval, but postponed decisions on gas and nuclear.
 The decision was made in 'a good spirit', according to Yle sources. The Green League has previously left government twice over nuclear policy, but was happy to sign up to this line.
 Greens emphasise that there are still different views on nuclear within the party, but it has now adopted a 'technology neutral' stance on fighting climate change, according to Yle's sources.
 There are bigger divides within government over forest use policy, with the Greens wanting tighter rules and the Centre keen to allow forest owners to sell more timber.
 On Thursday Iltalehti  reported  that Prime Minister  Sanna Marin  (SDP) raised the matter of nuclear policy with EU Commission President  Ursula von der Leyen  in Helsinki on Monday.
 10.10: Corrected statement that nuclear "produces no carbon emissions".

Finland lobbied EU to declare nuclear power sustainable after unpublished cabinet decision supported by Greens


Summary: The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Transport and Communications are looking at proposals and will report back next year.

Finland is looking to force streaming providers including Netflix to produce shows in Finnish, under an EU directive that came into force this year.
 The Audiovisual and Media Services directive covers linear television and streaming content, and allows EU member states to set conditions for audiovisual content providers operating in their territory.
 In practice, the directive allows countries to demand a minimum level of investment in Finnish productions from streaming services like Netflix or HBO.
 Nine countries have already brought in such rules, and Finland has now established a working group to examine how it might work in practice and what the effects could be.
 The directive would allow Finland to mandate spending of between 6 and 20 million euros each year either on productions or streaming rights directly, or contributions to a national fund dedicated to supporting Finnish productions.
 The working group is to report back by the end of August 2022.

Finland to look at mandatory Finnish productions for Netflix


Summary: The number of suspected rapists of foreign background was a lot smaller than Statistics Finland originally reported, because police erroneously recorded one case.

Yle reported on 30 September that figures from 2020 show that the proportion of rape suspects of foreign background was nearly 38 percent.
 It has emerged that police statistics contained a mistake that distorted the figures.
 Read more:  Mistake in foreigner sex crime story, proportion of foreigners among rape suspects smaller than first reported
 According to Statistics Finland , in the 2020 figures there was one case in which a suspect was suspected of 141 sex crimes. The case had been reported incorrectly in the police crime reporting system.
 The matter was reported  first by Iltalehti , and the National Police Board confirmed it to Yle.
 According to Iltalehti the case involved a man who was suspected of raping his wife 141 times. Police had recorded 141 rapes in their statistics, but according to their statistical guidelines the case should have been recorded as one rape with 141 instances.
 Iltalehti has calculated that the correct numbers suggest that people of foreign background accounted for 27.2 percent of all rape suspects in the figures from 2020.

Mistake in foreigner sex crime story, police amend their records


Summary: A border guard surveillance camera in Kainuu recorded a female bear and four cubs heading for hibernation.

Kainuu Border Guard on Friday  tweeted  an image it had captured of a mother bear and four cubs walking along a lakeshore to their hibernation spot.
 Jouko Kinnunen , captain of the Vartius border crossing point in Kuhmo on the Finnish-Russian border, tweeted the picture.
 "Sometimes our technical surveillance captures some nice nature and animal shots," he said.
 Kinnunen, who said it was rare to see this many bears at one time, explained the bruins feasted on both sides of the border.
 "But we believe this group was on its way to hibernate."
 Bears generally start settling down for their winter sleep between September and November.
 Studies of collared bears indicate sows (female bears) usually begin hibernating around 12 October, according to  Ilpo Kojola , a research professor at Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).
 Several cameras monitor the area surrounding the Vartius border crossing point. In addition to bears, the station has captured footage of other forest dwellers, including wolves, wolverines, foxes, lynxes, elk, reindeer and deer.
 "Nature doesn't know borders and wild animals come and go as they please," Kinnunen said.

Surveillance camera captures bears marching off to winter slumber


Summary: Joe Biden has nominated a telecom executive to be his new envoy to Finland.

US President  Joe Biden  on Friday announced his intent to nominate  Douglas T. Hickey  as his new ambassador to Finland.
 The Associated Press reports that Hickey is a prominent Democratic fundraiser and telecom executive.
 Hickey has "30 years of operational experience holding senior-level positions in the telecom, Internet and technology industries," a White House  release  stated.
 During former President  Barack Obama 's administration Hickey served as the United States Commissioner General at Expo Milano, the 2015 World's Fair.
 Like other political appointees, Hickey's nomination must be confirmed by the United States Senate before he can take up office in Helsinki.
 The US Embassy in Finland currently has a Chargé d'Affaires ad interim.
 Following Biden's inauguration earlier this year, Finnish President  Sauli Niinistö  said he hoped for  stronger US ties  under the new administration.

US President nominates new Finland ambassador


Summary: Finnish schools will be breaking for autumn holidays during the next few weeks.

Autumn holiday travellers should think twice before booking a trip to the Baltics, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) warns.
 Case numbers have been rising in the area exponentially; the incidence rate in Estonia alone has shot up to 1,200 cases a day.
 Viking Line's communications director  Johanna Boijer-Svahnström  said that the ferry company is yet to see a noticeable surge in cancellations, but at the same time added that bookings to and from Estonia have recovered the slowest of the company's various travel routes.
 "Cancellations can be carried out according to our regular cancellation policies, so there are no special policies. It just depends on the trip destination and time as well as how early in advance the cancellation or changes are made," the communications director said of customers' ability to alter bookings in light of the deteriorating situation.
 Latvia's sharp rise in infections also saw the country re-declaring a three-month state of national emergency.
 THL said that an already burdened healthcare system operating at the limits of its capacity could potentially mean trouble for tourists in case they need to seek medical care.
 Fully vaccinated people can, however, travel with relative peace of mind while following safety precautions such as good hand hygiene and avoiding crowded places, THL professor  Hannu Kiviranta  said.
 The professor added that travellers that have not received the vaccine should wear a mask as much as possible and be more cautious overall when travelling.

THL urges caution for Baltic travellers due to worsening Covid situation


Summary: Vastaamo's estate manager has proposed a one-time compensation of 2,500 euros to patients of the hacked therapy centre.

The bankruptcy estate of hacked therapy centre Vastaamo has proposed capping victim compensation at 2,500 euros. Thousands of people have sought damages from the bankruptcy estate.
 The estate proposed the 2,500-euro payment in a statement it sent out to creditors. At this point, the sum is a merely a suggestion and there is no certainty that victims will receive this amount.
 "This estimate is not the estate manager's final position," Vastaamo estate manager  Nina Aganimov  told Yle.
 Tomi Voutilainen , a public law professor at the University of Eastern Finland, said victims should accept the 2,500-euro compensation, should it become a reality.
 "In court this sum could shrink, or there may be no compensation awarded at all," he said.
 Thousands of people have sought compensation from the bankruptcy estate, and police have received some 25,000 criminal reports in connection with the hacking of Vastaamo's patient database.
 Vastaamo went into liquidation earlier this year, following a  hacking and blackmail scandal . In its  bankruptcy filing  in February, the company listed assets of some 2.2 million euros but debts of nearly six million euros.
 Victims can seek damages for emotional suffering or financial loss stemming from the misuse of personal information.
 Victims' claims range from 1,000-10,000 euros, according to  Joni Siikavirta , whose law firm  Potilasvahinkoapu  ("patient injury aid") is representing a group of Vastaamo victims.
 "I think the estate manager's suggested compensation is realistic," Siikavirta said.
 If the bankruptcy estate and victims are unable to agree on compensation, the case will progress to the courts.
 Bankruptcy estates in Finland typically pay creditors in descending order. Helsingin Sanomat previously reported that Vastaamo's debts to the OP Financial Group alone exceeded the company's funds.
 Vastaamo has sold its remaining business to Verve, a provider of occupational welfare services.

Vastaamo bankruptcy estate caps victim compensation at €2,500


Summary: Hospitals report some unvaccinated Covid patients are also sceptical of medical therapies to treat the disease.

Meilahti Tower Hospital in Helsinki says some of its patients unvaccinated for coronavirus are also refusing to accept medical interventions to treat Covid.
 Respiratory specialist  Hanna–Riikka Kreivi  told Yle that a year ago Covid patients were willing to accept any necessary care.
 Today nearly every one of Kreivi's Covid patients is unvaccinated.
 "The same group that's resisting vaccines is also often sceptical of medication," she said.
 Meilahti's 18-bed heart and lung centre is currently treating more Covid patients than a year ago. Since the start of the autumn coronavirus patients have occupied five to fifteen beds at the unit.
 "From a broader perspective, there's a risk that the misinformation that's spread in relation to coronavirus and Covid vaccines will erode general trust in both medical science and authorities," Kreivi said.
 Her unit is also studying the efficacy of medical therapies on Covid. The aim is to discover treatments to keep patients out of intensive care.
 "Patients' suspicion and fear are driving their reluctance to take part in Covid medical studies," said Kreivi, who is one of the doctors in Finland researching Covid candidate drugs in global clinical trials, known as 'Solidarity trials' run by the World Health Organization (WHO).
 Research professor  Kari Tikkinen , who is running Finland's Solidarity study on Covid therapies, told Yle that this sort of scepticism towards the medical establishment also extends beyond the capital region. He said more people are turning down participation in the Solidarity study than signing up for it.
 "Some unvaccinated young individuals felt that they didn't need the jab because their risk of becoming seriously ill was small," Tikkinen said, adding that he had also heard of Covid patients regretting their decision to not get vaccinated.
 He noted that some Covid patients arriving at hospitals are immediately admitted to ICU because of difficulty breathing.
 Men aged 40-60 typical Covid ICU patients
 The most typical ICU Covid patient is an unvaccinated man between the ages of 40 and 60, according to  Stepani Bendel , who heads the intensive care unit at Kuopio University Hospital.
 "There are many patients whose only risk factor is being unvaccinated," he said.
 The past few weeks have seen a slight uptick in the number of Covid patients in Finnish ICUs. On Saturday 171 Covid patients were hospitalised, an increase of 67 patients in the past two weeks.
 Finland has been treating Covid patients in intensive care over the past 18 months. As of Saturday, just over 73 percent of the population over the age of 12 was fully vaccinated.
 "As long as we have this amount of unvaccinated people, we'll be seeing similar ICU numbers through the winter, possibly even longer," Bendel said.

Some hospitalised anti-vaxxers also refuse drugs, doctors say


Summary: Accounts differ as to whether officials were redirected or "evacuated" from government HQ during a protest by Elokapina.

Top officials have disputed a police account of events surrounding a  demonstration  by climate protestors outside the Government Palace on Friday.
 Members of Elokapina, the Finnish branch of Extinction Rebellion, staged a sit-in outside the building, demanding a chance to discuss their call for a climate emergency with Finance Minister  Annika Saarikko  (Cen).
 In a bulletin released on Saturday evening, police said that security was judged to have deteriorated to such a degree that the president, ministers and other officials were told to leave the building through alternative routes after a meeting of the Council of State.
 Niinistö, Andersson and Saarikko deny re-routing
 However, President  Sauli Niinistö  told the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat that he was not directed to follow a different route when leaving the Government Palace.
 Education Minister  Li Andersson  (Left) also said that she had left the building in the same way as always and didn’t "recognise these dramatic descriptions".
 "The evacuation, at least for my part, is not true or I didn’t notice it," she wrote in a Saturday-evening tweet.
 Saarikko's staff, meanwhile, told the paper Ilta-Sanomat on Saturday night that she too had left the Government Palace on the Aleksanterinkatu side as usual and did not face the protesters.
 Elokapina and police disagree on whether access to the building was blocked. According to Detective Chief Inspector  Juha-Matti Suominen , it was.
 "Passage through at least two doors was blocked by the Elokapina demonstration. One did not dare to [try to] pass through, so Government security personnel directed [officials] elsewhere. It is known that the entry of at least one person into the Government Palace was concretely blocked, even though they had an urgent matter and an agreed meeting," Suominen said.
 Police said that 52 people were taken into custody during the demonstration. Four were released as they were minors.
 "The remaining 48 were detained, as there was reason to suspect that they would continue to engage in criminal activity," police said late Saturday, adding that they aimed to release all protesters soon.
 Preliminary criminal charges include obstruction of a meeting, insubordination against police, and aggravated breach of public peace, but these may change as the investigation progresses.
 Elokapina also criticised police for holding protesters for more than 12 hours. According to the Police Act, an "apprehended person may be kept in custody only for as long as the disturbance is likely to recur, but for no longer than 12 hours".
 "We act according to the law, and the law provides grounds for detention. There is no problem with this in the matter," Suominen told Yle, adding that the arrests were based on the Coercive Measures Act.
 He declined to comment on whether any of the protesters had been remanded.

President, ministers dispute police report of re-routing due to climate protest


Summary: The British musician, who moved to Finland in the '60s, helped revolutionise Finnish rock music with Wigwam and Blues Section. He also worked with Hurriganes, Maarit, Riki Sorsa and many others.

British musician  Jim Pembroke , an important, long-term influence on Finnish rock, has died at the age of 75. Pembroke died on Saturday in the US, where he had lived since the mid-90s.
 Pembroke was born in London, where he played in blues bands before moving to Finland. He first came to Finland to visit a Finnish girlfriend around May Day (Vappu) in 1965, moving here soon after that.
 The keyboardist and singer-songwriter helped to revolutionise and internationalise Finnish rock music with two significant bands.
 In 1967, he co-founded Blues Section with saxophonist  Eero Koivistoinen , guitarist  Hasse Walli , bassist  Måns Groundstroem  and drummer  Ronnie Österberg . They released one record, considered the first album of original Finnish rock.
 On the road with Wigwam, Gong and Hurriganes
 The following year he and Österberg formed the progressive rock group Wigwam, with Pembroke as lead singer and lyricist. Later members included acclaimed bassist  Pekka Pohjola  and guitarist  Jukka Tolonen , who both achieved international acclaim as solo artists.
 The band had some international success during its decade-long career, including a UK tour with Virgin Records labelmates Gong, but broke up in 1978.
 Pembroke later wrote lyrics for another successful prog band, Tasavallan Presidentti, featuring Tolonen and Groundstroem. He also wrote or co-wrote five Finnish Eurovision entries for the likes of  Kojo ,  Maarit  and  Riki Sorsa .
 Article continues after photo
 Pembroke (upper right) as a member of Riki Sorsa's band, which represented Finland at the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest (also featuring Pedro Hietanen and Jukka Orma). Håkan Sandblom / Yle
 He also composed songs for the rock band Hurriganes, and played keyboards with them live, including on a tour of Sweden.
 "Keep the good times rolling"
 In 1996 Pembroke performed a few reunion gigs with Blues Section, celebrating its 40 th  anniversary. In late 2018 he returned to Finland for a brief Wigwam 50th anniversary reunion tour.
 His daughter  Emma Pembroke  told Yle that her father had suffered from long-running health problems. He died peacefully at home with his wife in Kansas City.
 "He wanted to wish all his friends all the best and told them to 'keep the good times rolling'," Emma Pembroke said.

Jim Pembroke dies at 75, helped internationalise Finnish rock


Summary: Police back-pedalled after the president and ministers disputed their account of the protest.

Helsinki police have admitted that they failed to correctly assess the security threat posed by the Elokapina climate demonstration at the Government Palace on Friday, and that there were failures in their communications about the event.
 The Deputy Commissioner of the Helsinki Police,  Heikki Kopperoinen , told Yle on Sunday that the police view of the situation differed from that of the Council of State's emergency preparedness unit on Friday afternoon.
 "Police officers working outside made their own observations and the people inside the Palace have made their own. Misunderstandings must have arisen when information was exchanged, or the situation was assessed to a different degree," Kopperoinen said. He said that police now have a clearer picture of the security situation.
 "Everything was peaceful inside the Palace, and there was no concrete threat," conceded Kopperoinen.
 Police detained 52 people during the demonstration.
 President, ministers denied re-routing
 The statement came after top officials  disputed a police account  of events surrounding the  protest .
 Members of Elokapina, the Finnish branch of Extinction Rebellion, staged a sit-in outside the building on Helsinki's Senate Square. They requested an opportunity to discuss their call for a climate emergency with Finance Minister  Annika Saarikko  (Cen).
 The NGO has been carrying out a rolling series of protests since the beginning of October.
 On Saturday evening, police issued a statement saying that security had deteriorated to such a degree that the president, ministers and other officials were told to leave the building through alternative routes.
 However, President  Sauli Niinistö , Education Minister  Li Andersson  (Left) and Saarikko's staff all quickly denied the report, saying they had left the building normally after a meeting of the Council of State.
 Niinistö's office said that his regular meeting with the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy (known as Utva) was held in a different location than usual, resulting in a different exit route.
 According to Yle sources, the venue had already been decided before the start of Friday's demonstration, which was not pre-announced.
 Statements "probably inaccurate and inappropriate"
 Kopperoinen blamed the contradictory communication on misunderstandings.
 "I do not feel that anyone lied or deliberately provided false information. Rather, it was a matter of information flow and careless statements. The information was probably inaccurate and inappropriate," he said.
 Statements by the Helsinki Police differed from those by the Government Situation Centre at the Palace.
 While the demonstration was taking place on Friday, the preparedness unit told Yle that it did not consider the situation threatening or dangerous.

Helsinki police admit failure in assessing Elokapina security threat


Summary: Domestic media explores how Finland is stretching its public finances, among other topics.

Kela subsidies for private healthcare may soon be history, writes  Iltalehti .
 The tabloid maintains that the government has already set Finland on course to stop subsidising private care. IL notes that the budget framework hammered out in 2020 aims to slash 40 million euros from private health subsidies starting in 2023.
 Prime Minister  Sanna Marin 's (SDP) centre-left cabinet argues that savings in this area would help public healthcare  hire more nurses .
 Today Kela reimburses 16 euros for a 110-euro visit to a private doctor.
 Government-commissioned studies have shown that reducing Kela reimbursements has not significantly increased the uptake of public services, according to the tabloid.
  Star pupil?
 Finland has had the lowest proportional incidence of positive coronavirus test samples in Europe during the pandemic, reports  Helsingin Sanomat , which drew on figures compiled by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and Our World in Data, an open access online publication.
 Since the spring of 2020, some 2.6 percent of Finnish residents have tested positive for Covid. This is the lowest infection rate among the 45 countries included in the study.
 HS suggests that Finland's relative success stems from the timing of Covid mitigation efforts, the progression of the vaccination rollout and the economy's moderate health during the pandemic.
 Fare evasion
 Helsinki Region Transport’s (HSL) plan to upgrade its smartcard readers is  Hufvudstadsbladet's  top-read story on Monday morning. The new machines will be able to read payment cards in addition to mobile app QR codes
 The upgraded technology targets transit system fraud, according to the Swedish-language daily.
 Cases have emerged of teenagers sharing static QR code tickets with each other—something more difficult to achieve with the introduction of dynamic codes.

Monday's papers: Shrinking public funding for private services, Finnish Covid rates, and tram ticket cheats


Summary: Finland had some 121,000 children living in low-income families in 2019, a figure that specialists say has likely increased during the pandemic.

The Covid pandemic has led to a noticeable increase in the number of families with children in Finland seeking welfare assistance, according to the Finnish branch of the international NGO Save the Children.
 Workers from many different sectors have been made redundant, laid off or temporarily furloughed during the crisis, Save the Children volunteer  Susanna Lankinen  told Yle, meaning that the range of families in need of help has widened significantly.
 "In the past, many of those seeking help were either long-term unemployed or in a family where there was an illness. Now just about any family could be in a situation where they have to accept outside help," Lankinen said.
 When the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the Covid outbreak was officially a global pandemic in March 2020, Save the Children Finland launched a food aid project, the purpose of which was to help families with children in distress due to the unfolding crisis.
 Since then, the NGO has helped more than 10,000 families and almost 27,000 children via food donations and grocery store vouchers, according to the organisation's own figures.
 In the city of Kirkkonummi, where Lankinen volunteers, a total of about 30,000 euros worth of food aid has been distributed among a population of 40,000 inhabitants, with the offer of assistance advertised in local newspapers, via social media channels and through local social welfare offices.
 Although the number of food aid applications has decreased slightly in recent weeks, the need for help in many families has not ended even as the pandemic has subsided, Lankinen pointed out.
 Child poverty increasing
 Figures  published  by Statistics Finland at the end of last year revealed that there were 121,000 children in Finland living in low-income families in 2019.
 This equated to about 11.6 percent of all under-18-year-olds, but the pandemic has likely led to even more families with children dropping below the poverty line, according to  Liisa Partio , the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare's Director of Communications and Fundraising.
 "The number of low-income families has probably increased, as the coronavirus pandemic has both widened and deepened the number of children living in poverty," Partio said, adding that it is also likely that the families that were already living in poverty before the pandemic are probably doing even worse now.
 Partio also chairs the European Anti-Poverty Network Finland (EAPN-Fin), which published a report called ' Poverty Watch ' earlier this month, an annual insight into Finland's poverty rate.
 The increase in poverty among families with children due to the coronavirus pandemic was one of the key themes of the report, as the report outlined how the crisis has led to cutbacks in services as well as increases in redundancies and lay-offs.
 "On average, families with children do well in Finland, but 'on average' is never enough. There are children in a very good situation and then children in families facing a multitude of problems. Poverty is one of the things that affects a child's life the most," Partio said.
 Asking for help is not a sign of failure
 Save the Children Finland's nationwide food aid project, which involves the distribution of food gift cards, is scheduled to continue until the end of 2021.
 "Asking for help is not easy and for many it involves shame. That is why distributing aid in this way has been a good solution," Lankinen said, adding that many people want to be self-sufficient and be responsible for their own family's livelihood and well-being.
 Story continues after the photo.
 Susanna Lankinen works as a volunteer for the NGO Save the Children Finland in the city of Kirkkonummi. Antti Lähteenmäki / Yle
 Asking for and receiving help may therefore seem wrong to many people.
 "People may have the feeling that they themselves have failed somewhere. However, it is good to remember that this exceptional situation has affected so many people that if you have to ask for help, it is quite normal," Lankinen said.
 The pandemic motivated people to help others
 In addition to Save the Children, many other organisations have also helped families facing additional difficulties because of the pandemic.
 For example, in 2020, the charity Hope has assisted more than 9,000 families with an estimated 22,300 children or young people since the pandemic began.
 The Mannerheim League for Child Welfare and the Finnish Red Cross, in a cooperative project with Yle, meanwhile aim to raise 2.5 million euros this year in order to distribute food gift cards worth 70 euros each to 36,000 families. The collection will begin in November with a target of helping even more families than last year, when gift cards were distributed to 25,000 families.
 Partio told Yle that she is pleased the pandemic has motivated people to help others, but she wants more decisive action from decision-makers to overcome child family poverty.
 "It seems that the rate of child poverty has long been stagnant. It is a structural and political issue that should be tackled more effectively," she said, adding that even if the pandemic ends soon, many families will not immediately be able to return to their pre-pandemic lifestyles.
 There are a lot of families whose need for help will continue for a long time to come, Partio said.
 "We learned from the recession of the early 1990s just how long consequences and effects on children can last," she said.

Covid crisis increasing Finland's child poverty rate, experts say


Summary: The company wants to achieve annual savings of about four million euros.

Iconic Finnish department store Stockmann has announced the beginning of codetermination talks aimed at cutting up to 60 jobs.
 The negotiations will affect the working times and conditions of a total of 210 employees in Finland, according to a report by news agency STT.
 "The goal is to streamline processes by eliminating duplication between operations and between different countries and by lowering the hierarchy, which will speed up and improve our service and reduce fixed costs," Stockmann's Chief Transformation Officer  Mikko Huttunen  said in a company press release.
 A planned operating model reform will affect the entire staff of the Stockmann department store division in all three operating countries — Finland, Estonia and Latvia — and the effects of the reform will extend to all operating countries when implemented, the company added.
 Codetermination talks are scheduled to begin on Friday, with the company planning to implement the agreed measures during the first quarter of next year as it seeks to achieve annual savings of almost four million euros.
 Stockmann's department store division employs a total of more than 1,700 people, of whom 1,120 work in Finland, 366 in Estonia and 249 in Latvia.
 The entire Stockmann Group employs more than 5,900 people in 19 countries.

Dozens of jobs threatened as Stockmann begins codetermination talks


Summary: A man walking his dog near Lauhanvuori national park was bitten on the hand after encountering an animal in the forest on Saturday night.

Police in Southern Ostrobothnia are investigating a report that a person walking a dog near Lauhanvuori national park was bitten on the hand by a wolf on Saturday night.
 "This matter was reported to the police over the weekend," Ostrobothnian Police Department's Communications Manager  Mikael Appel  confirmed to Yle.
 The report to police detailed how the owner and dog were walking in the area when the dog became agitated - growling and trying to free itself from the leash. The owner spotted the figure of an animal just in front of them, and the animal then attacked the man, who lifted up his hand in order to defend himself.
 He received a minor injury as a result of the incident, police said, and was able to make his own way home before filing a report.
 Police began conducting an investigation into the incident at the scene on Sunday alongside representatives from the Finnish Wildlife Agency, but no traces of a wolf were found during the initial stages of the probe.
 According to police, investigation of the site was hampered by overnight rain as well as by the movement of hunters in the same area on Sunday morning, but the investigation is ongoing and no further information will be provided at this stage.
 Jarkko Latvanen , chair of the Kauhajoki hunting group that operates in the area, told Yle that wolves are known to roam in the region and therefore incidents such as Saturday evening's suspected attack are "essentially possible".
 A specialist project called Life BorealWolf ( LifeSusi  in Finnish)  issued a warning  to hunting groups and dog walkers earlier this year that the chances of hunting dogs encountering a wolf in Finland's forests this autumn have increased significantly compared to last year.

Police investigate suspected wolf attack in western Finland