A government working group wants to reduce child home care allowances and daycare fees and fastrack children into preschool. The group hopes to ease the burden of junior care on low income families, develop early childhood education and accelerate mothers’ return to the workplace.
A major reform of health and social care by Finland's government has been rejected as unconstitutional by a parliamentary committee. The reform will now have to be changed substantially before it can proceed, further delaying a controversial transformation that has long been in the works.
Yle pounded the pavements of Helsinki to bring the story of Harald, a Finnish panhandler who’s taken to the streets to supplement his meagre income. Although Harald believes there is an increasing number of cash-strapped Finns soliciting money in the capital, one Helsinki University researcher insists that these are "isolated cases".
Police are probing a possible murder-suicide involving a family in eastern Helsinki. On Wednesday police discovered the bodies of a man and his wife in a flat in Vuosaari. They also stumbled upon the couple’s toddler, who was said to be physically unharmed.
A Finnish NGO has launched a new gender-neutral symbol for use on bathroom doors. The organisation says the symbol is meant to indicate that people who identify as either male or female or neither can feel free to use the amenities.
Thursday's papers include stories about the wealthy retired Finns living in Portugal, a(nother) troubled project to extend the Helsinki metro system, and a novel way to combat a labour shortage in south-west Finland.
Finland's battle for gender equality took a step forward last year, when for the first time ever more men were sterilised than women.
Turku shipyard, which is owned by the German firm Meyer, has a two-tier labour market, according to reports from regional authorities seen by Yle. According to the reports some foreign workers are paid lower salaries, and not adequately compensated for overtime.
It might not be the warmest summer on record, but Finland is set to finally see the end of the winter ice on one of its most famous lakes this week. Kilpisjärvi still had about 67 centimetres of ice on 10 June, but that should go in the coming days.
Wednesday's newspapers include stories on Finns in London worried about Brexit, a mass grave re-discovered recently dating back to the Civil War, and difficulties for small businesses as customers delay payments over the summer.
Finland will adopt new age restrictions for setting up social media accounts from 2018. Officials hope the move will help rein in the wild west of social media usage among underage children.
Finnish police abandoned an attempted deportation on Monday after dozens of people turned up at the airport to protest against the removal. Activists say the flight captain also decided to remove the deportee after objections from a passenger.
A comparison of beaches across the world has found that Finnish coastal resorts are among the most expensive in the world, especially when it comes to buying a beer.
Finnish immigration authorities plan to deport two Turkish Kurds facing lengthy prison sentences in their home country over charges of engaging in terrorism. Researchers have pointed out that immigration officials used dated information to support their decision to deny asylum to the duo.
Tuesday's newspapers include stories on wrangling in the government, problems with home care, a jump in alcohol prices in Estonia and hockey legend Teemu Selänne's elevation to the NHL Hall of Fame.
Helsinki police are evicting anti-immigration demonstrators from their makeshift encampment at Helsinki’s Central Railway Station. Police said that the "Finland First" (Suomi Ensin) protesters were ordered to leave the area by 6.00pm Monday following cases in which passersby were allegedly assaulted by members of the group.
A former aide to Labour Minister Jari Lindström says he was only following orders when he called on ministry officials to cut funding to NGOs that assist immigrant children. According to daily Helsingin Sanomat, officials prevented ex-ministerial aide Sakari Puisto from pulling financial support from a total of six NGOs.
Police have held two men on suspicion of involvement in a fire at a pizzeria in Espoo on Sunday night. Investigators have not yet revealed how the fire was set, but say they believe it was an act of arson.
Monday's papers include more on the government's long-running reform of social and health care, the difficulty of coaxing teenagers out of the city for the summer, and Finnish basketball star Lauri Markkanen's baptism of fire in Chicago.
The flammable cladding used in the Grenfell Tower has not so far been linked to any fires in Finland, according to the Interior ministry. The insulation material is not banned in Finland, but there are strict rules surrounding its use—and these are due to be tightened next year.
A new report shows that homicides are at a historic low in Finland, continuing a downward trend that began in the mid-1990s. One possible reason is widespread mobile phone ownership, according to one of the authors of the report.
Police report that the Midsummer weekend has passed off relatively peacefully, with callouts mainly due to domestic incidents and rowdiness. As of Sunday morning six drownings had been reported, a reduction on the figure from Midsummer 2016.
Finnish speakers in Sweden are protesting about what they say is language-based discrimination. The group of activists wrote an op-ed in Dagens Nyheter claiming that use of Finnish in everyday life in Sweden is being hampered by petty rules and official obstruction.
Finnish Midsummer is a legendary celebration, but is it really all about boozing? Do more people drown at Midsummer? And do people really get more amorous around the summer solstice? We ask the experts about all the big Midsummer stereotypes.
Finland's young ice hockey players had a good night in Chicago on Friday, with six selected in the first round of the NHL draft. The highest Finnish pick was HIFK defenceman Miro Heiskanen, who went to Dallas Stars with the third pick.
As of Friday afternoon two people had died during the Midsummer holiday, with traffic slightly busier than expected.
This year's Midsummer holiday is taking place in cooler-than-average temperatures, with Lapland some ten degrees cooler than usual. In many places water in lakes and rivers is actually warmer than the temperature on dry land.
The government led by Juha Sipilä has a smaller majority following the defection of Ritva 'Kike' Elomaa back to the Finns Party, away from the breakaway Blue Reform group that has joined the coalition government. Elomaa had left the Finns Party group last week after the election of hardliner Jussi Halla-aho as leader.
Finnish basketball star Lauri Markkanen is to play next season with the Chicago Bulls after he was picked seventh in the NBA draft on Thursday. No Finnish player has ever been picked higher than that in the American league's annual event held to allocate new arrivals to NBA clubs.
Finland is in the middle of its 100th anniversary of independence and various celebrations of the country's cultural history and achievements abound. A new photography exhibit at the National Museum, The Public and the Hidden Finland, takes a look at some less glamorous - but clearly historically-significant - events that have shaped the country during the past century.
The Salvation Army in Finland has launched a multimedia fundraising campaign with a theme about poverty - and how it could potentially suddenly afflict anyone. The campaign features a striking photograph of a despondent-looking Tarja Halonen (the nation's former President) wearing threadbare clothing, sitting on a granite step, by a graffiti-scribbled concrete wall.
Finnish Parliament has approved a change to Finland's Postal Act which will permit the national postal service Posti to reduce mail deliveries to three times per week in some urban areas. Parliament voted 97 -79 to approve the law change on Wednesday.
Guest contributor Joel Willans takes a look at the fun and frolics around Finnish Midsummer.
After meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Finland's Prime Minister Juha Sipilä said that EU defence cooperation negotiations must eventually lead to concrete actions. The two leaders met in Berlin on Wednesday and will continue discussions at an EU summit in Brussels on Friday.
After three consecutive years in which consumers spent decreasing sums on their annual summer holidays, the economic upswing has seen households in Finland increase their vacation spending. According to a survey by Nordea Bank however, the spending boost is a modest 20 euros per household.
Yle's monthly party support poll shows the winners among government's parties in June are the National Coalition Party, which received the support of 21.3 percent of respondents - the party's best results in more than five years. But given the recent interparty - and dramatic - upheaval, the remaining Finns Party members are likely pleased about the support they received.
The papers on Thursday reported on the murder of a young woman in southern Finland. One paper examines a human smuggling operation which attracts customers through a Facebook page. Another newspaper reports that police suspect two individuals of identity theft crimes that affected at least 70 people in southern Finland.
Shop stewards at state-owned oil company Neste have called off a planned work stoppage to protest government plans to reduce its stake in the firm. The industrial action would have suspended deliveries of fuel for a week starting on Monday.
Finland’s Finance Ministry has doubled its economic forecast for this year to 2.4 percent. During the spring, ministry economists projected that the economy would grow by a relatively modest 1.2 percent.
The long Midsummer weekend will bring some changes to business hours for monopoly liquor retailer Alko as well as banks, supermarkets, service stations and post offices. It will also usher in special holiday schedules for public transportation services -- as well as for Yle News.
Even though the calendar day on which the Midsummer holiday falls is this coming Saturday, actual midsummer - or summer solstice, the day of the year with the most hours of sunlight - is today, Wednesday, June 21.
Terror and threats were two of the main words splashed across Finnish dailies Wednesday. Papers delved into the details of a national security operation to foil a suspected terror attack in Helsinki earlier in the week and provided new insights into the drama. Running a close second in the race for media real estate is a breakthrough agreement among government MPs to loosen restrictions on alcohol sales.
Police will join Helsinki’s annual pride parade this year at the official invitation of the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman. Officers will be looking to prevent hate crimes against sexual minorities.
The reconstituted coalition government led by Prime Minister Juha Sipilä survived its first confidence vote in Parliament Tuesday afternoon. The coalition — which now comprises Sipilä’s Centre Party, the National Coalition Party led by Finance Minister Petteri Orpo and the breakaway Finns Party faction Blue Reform — won the support of 104 MPs, while 85 opposed it.
Finland's state railways company VR has announced extensive disruption to services over the Midsummer weekend. Maintenance work around Tampere will disrupt rail travel across the country, with some 366 replacement bus services planned to get rail passengers to their destinations.
The latest round in a convoluted case involving Finland’s biggest crime thriller-turned-reality began in the Helsinki Court of Appeal on Tuesday. Former Helsinki drug squad chief Jari Aarnio is appealing against a 10-year prison sentence for drug offences and official misconduct.
Shop stewards at Neste oil, a state-owned oil firm, are to suspend deliveries of fuel from Monday 26 June until Sunday 2 July. Unions say the action is to protest against the government's plan to drop the state-owned stake in the company from 50.1 percent to 33.4 percent.
Finnish police mobilised Monday evening in an operation aimed at heading off a possible terror attack in the capital Helsinki. Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation said it had received information suggesting preparations for a possible strike.
Tuesday's papers include a welter of stories on Timo Soini's new grouping in parliament, a merger of two giants in the Finnish building trade, and the draw for Finnish football teams playing in European competition this summer.
A team of four British men who competed in last weekend’s Jukolan viesti orienteering competition were held by Finnish border guards after they illegally crossed the border into Russia on Sunday. The men apparently could not resist the temptation to cross the frontier for a few quick beers.
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The breakaway group of Finns Party MPs briefly known as the New Alternative have registered as an association known as Blue Reform. The move takes the group one step closer to becoming a bona fide political party.
Interior Ministry Permanent Secretary Päivi Nerg has expressed concern about the fate of some unaccompanied minors who have been granted asylum in Finland. Roughly 100 children and youths are still living at reception centres and awaiting placements in Finnish municipalities.
Monday's newspaper coverage has a distinctly downtime summer feel, with dailies focusing on puzzling changes to domestic rail travel, Latvia emerging as a new travel destination for booze buffs, brighter prospects for lakeside holidaymakers and the often-inevitable clashes that occur between parents and grandparents.
The exhibition boasts classic pieces by Moomin creator Tove Jansson, and rare gems on display for the first time.
The Finnish Meteorological Institute predicts temperatures will hover between 10–15 degrees.
Guest contributor Joel Willans takes a look at the fun and frolics around Finnish Midsummer.
Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipilä of the Centre Party and Finance Minister Petteri Orpo, who heads the National Coalition Party, have announced that there is no common ground for cooperation with the Finns Party under newly-minted leader Jussi Halla-aho.
Finnish police mobilised Monday evening in an operation aimed at heading off a possible terror attack in the capital Helsinki. Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation said it had received information suggesting preparations for a possible strike.
As many people resident in Finland already know, May was an exceptionally cold month. According to the Finnish Meteorological Institute FMI, the last time May daytime temperatures were this low was in 1969.
A team of four British men who competed in last weekend’s Jukolan viesti orienteering competition were held by Finnish border guards after they illegally crossed the border into Russia on Sunday. The men apparently could not resist the temptation to cross the frontier for a few quick beers.
