Finland's Data Protection Ombudsman, Reijo Aarnio, says he is not surprised by calls from police for expanded online surveillance powers, but he sees potential problems if the same authorities enforcing privacy laws are also empowered to monitor communications.
The head of the Finnish Security Intelligence Service (Supo) has told the business daily Talouselämä that his organization wants increased funding and expanded powers to carry out surveillance of internet traffic.
Sources for a report in the Wall Street Journal say that Microsoft was recently in “advanced talks” to acquire the Finnish smartphone manufacturer's handset unit.
The Finance Ministry predicts that the Finnish economy will shrink by 0.4 percent this year, although in March it was expecting growth of 0.4 percent. It also trimmed its prognosis for 2014.
Highway traffic is expected to become heavy in some areas beginning around midday on Thursday. Public transport follows holiday schedules throughout the weekend.
The Kuopio Dance Festival in eastern Finland ended on a high note – as dancers performed on the 75-metre-high Puijo Tower, to the amazement of spectators below.
Besides delivering babies, the new Lappeenranta hospital will offer treatments for cancer and eye diseases -- with overnight stays at a spa hotel.
The first citizens' initiative to reach Parliament was rejected by a wide margin.
Finland's Minister of Finance Jutta Urpilainen meets French President François Hollande in Paris today to discuss pressing economic issues facing Europe.
Parliament's Constitutional Law Committee has determined that Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen did not break any laws when he ordered a 700,000-euro report without open bidding.
According to an opinion poll carried out by the daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, the Centre Party is currently the most popular political party.
According to the Financial Times, Huawei would consider buying Nokia in a bid to become the world’s smart phone leader.
The mobile phone occupies more and more of the Finns' time, and its use has become more versatile, according to the Yle Finns Online survey.
Permits for wind power plants are being issued under outdated regulations that do not adequately take into consideration the type of noise generated by modern wind turbines.
The former head coach of the Finnish National Ski Team, Kari-Pekka Kyrö, was heard in the perjury trial of ex-skiers Janne Immonen, Harri Kirvesniemi and Jari Isometsä on Tuesday. Kyrö told the court that he ran into doping in the team as early as in 1993.
The OECD's new International Migration Outlook 2013 backs up what earlier studies have shown: immigration has more positive than negative economic effects. In Finland, immigrants contribute more money to national and local governments than they use in public services.
An estimated 400-500 people took part in a march in Helsinki on Tuesday appealing to MPs to approve a citizens' initiative to ban fur farming a day before it comes up for debate in Parliament.
Televised drawings of the national lottery will shift from Yle to the commercial broadcaster MTV3 as of late September, as will most other prize drawings of the Finnish national betting agency Veikkaus.
Finnish-Swedish paper giant Stora Enso will give notice to 650 staff members in Finland.
On average, Finnish men with lower incomes enjoy less retirement time as they die earlier than higher-income earning men.
In an interview with Yle’s A-studio following yesterday’s high-level Finnish conference on foreign and security policy, President Sauli Niinistö said that Finland’s possible NATO membership should be reconsidered, especially in light of the changing world order and cyber-threats.
The city of Pori’s media relations office could not give out the contact details of elected representatives on city council because these people had not given permission for these details to be made public.
More than half of the audiences of home-grown circus companies lay beyond Finnish borders last year.
Global warming, the melting of the Arctic Ocean and new rail lines could open great opportunities for Finland. Its time decision makers wake up to such possibilities, advise future researchers.
Metso Pulp, Paper and Power has concluded consultative talks in Fabrics and Power business. Some 60 employees will lose jobs at Metso’s Fabrics business in Tampere, as the company moves its narrow filter fabric production to Portugal. Tens of Power business workers will also be made redundant in Tampere.
President Sauli Niinistö is hoping that a conference on foreign and security policy will kindle new ideas to address Finland’s position in a changing world. Speaking at the opening of the conference at his summer residence in Naantali, Niinistö said that the current debate has been emotive and fixated.
According to an Yle survey, indifferent attitudes and the infrastructure of older city centres with their narrow streets are the leading causes of cycling accidents in Finland. In Seinäjoki, Southern Ostrobothnia, there are more cycling accidents than in Espoo, which has almost five times as many residents. According to officials, part of the reason may lie in the Ostrobothnian nature – locals don’t care much for other people on the road.
Vandals target roadside traffic cameras several times a year. The theft of an entire traffic camera unit – including the post – can draw charges of aggravated property damage.
The Service Sector Employers PALTA and the Aviation Workers’ Union IAU have reached agreement on working contracts for ground services employees. The precise details of the deal have not been disclosed.
The annual celebration of celluloid known as the Sodankylä film festival has succeeded in attracting a record audience this year. More than 27,000 visitors made the trip to check out the round the clock offering over five days culminating on June 16.
An unprecedented run on membership over the past few years has drained the finances of the Finnish Lutheran Evangelical church. The Church has had to give up 300 properties annually across the country. Financial planners believe that jobs may be next on the chopping block as the church attempts to trim costs.
Police have sketched out a clearer picture of events leading up to an apparent murder-suicide that took place at Helsinki’s west harbour Saturday afternoon. Officers interviewed eye witnesses as well as relatives of the Finnish-Estonian couple.
Finnish President Sauli Niinistö formally opened talks on foreign and security policy at his summer residence Kultaranta Sunday.
The Finnish Meteorological Institute is forecasting the arrival of warm southerly air currents in Finland by the end of the week. Southern and southeast Finland in particular look set to enjoy a scorching Midsummer weekend.
Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja has rejected speculation by the head of Parliament's Defence Committee that Sweden may seek NATO membership following elections in that country next year.
A professor of social pharmacy urges people to consider non-pharmaceutical ways to relieve pain.
The Finnish Environment Institute says the latest leak is serious.
A Finn shot his Estonian partner and then himself before many eyewitnesses in broad daylight.
Nearly a dozen ministers from progressively democratic African states are in Finland to discuss growth, welfare and conflict resolution.
Police have not yet revealed full details of the incident, which left two people dead.
A new cabinet report filed with Parliament notes that the rights enjoyed by different language groups in Finland are far from being on an equal footing. There is lots of room to improve services in Swedish - to say nothing of services for Russian or Sámi speakers.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is to make a working visit to Finland on the 25th of this month.
Can stress, malaise and loneliness be beat by sharing a smile? Saturday the 15th of June is the very first "Good Day" in Finland - billed by organizers as a "revolution of caring". The idea is to have some fun and promote both physical and mental well-being in the spirit of Restaurant Day and Cleaning Day.
The Nordic health care service provider Attendo says it has had only positive experiences with nurses coming from the Philippines. The company plans to recruit more overseas nursing professionals to plug the gap in the Finnish labour market.
Learning a difficult language can be time-consuming, but that shouldn’t put off aspiring learners, says the US State Department’s Foreign Service Institute. According to a freshly-released list Finnish is among the group of languages the FSI considers to be the most difficult for English speakers to learn.
According to a fresh Yle survey, a majority of Finns don’t think that Finland should join the NATO military alliance, even if neighbouring Sweden is on board.
The 75-million-euro project will offer much more than just bookshelves.
Thursday June 13 was the anniversary of the birth of Finnish track legend Paavo Nurmi. Nicknamed “the Flying Finn”, the enigmatic athlete set 22 official world records to place Finland firmly on the map of world athletics.
The networks company Nokia Siemens Networks or NSN has concluded consultative talks aimed at reducing its payroll bill. The job cuts will affect 120 staffers, mainly in Espoo, Oulu, Tampere and Salo.
Finland must be able to attract skilled young foreign workers to move to country on a permanent basis. That’s the basis of the government’s new immigration strategy -- which the main employers’ group has already criticised as a toothless repetition of previous statements.
Heading to the airport on Friday? Departures may be postponed due to a walkout out by ground services firm Airpro.
Swimmers already accustomed to warm waters this summer may be in for a shock.
The South Korean electronics company Samsung plans to hire about 50 specialists in Finland. The new arrival on the Finnish technology scene said it wants to network with research institutions and universities.
According to a new European index, Sweden, Denmark and Finland are the most advanced countries in terms of gender equality in the European Union.
Economic Affairs Minister Jan Vapaavuori says legal issues could arise if the nuclear plant planned by the Fennovoima power consortium is delivered by a supplier not named in its original application to government. Vapaavuori was commenting on reports that the Finnish energy consortium is engaged in talks with the Russian nuclear supplier Rosatom on the proposed Pyhäjoki facility.
Each weekday, we broadcast a five-minute television bulletin of news from Finland and beyond seven days a week at 3.05pm.
You can find older broadcasts at Yle Areena. Listen to radio broadcasts here.
Yle News can be heard on the radio on weekdays at 3.30pm on Yle Mondo (3.29pm on weekends) and at 3.55pm on Yle Radio 1.
In the Helsinki/Uusimaa region, Yle Mondo can be heard at 97.5 FM, with Yle Radio 1 at 87.9 FM.
Pori police called off a search for rogue bear Saturday night. Police had been on the trail of a bear sighted in and around the Tahkoluoto district of the city. Residents were warned of the danger that an aggressive bruin can pose.
Finland’s maternity package system is 75-years-old this year, and the BBC has been looking at just how it has led Finnish babies of all social classes to sleep in cardboard boxes. The story drew a strong response on social media, and was at one point the most-read article on the BBC website on Tuesday.
Five of eight Spanish nurses recruited to work in Vaasa's city hospital have decided to quit the jobs they took up in October and leave the country. The reasons they cite include the high cost of living, the cold climate, and the difficulty of the Finnish language.
The Marimekko pattern known as Metsänväki ("Forest Dwellers") has been used as part of the decor for Finnair long-range flights. The daily Helsingin Sanomat reports that the print was copied from a painting by a Ukrainian folk artist.
Learning a difficult language can be time-consuming, but that shouldn’t put off aspiring learners, says the US State Department’s Foreign Service Institute. According to a freshly-released list Finnish is among the group of languages the FSI considers to be the most difficult for English speakers to learn.
