A view of the Pasila Train Factory area. The object of the competition, the Electric Train Building property on Teollisuuskatu, is featured in the middle. Photo: Ufacik & Partners Oy

A hotel and headquarters quality office facility are being planned to replace the Electric Train Building of the Pasila Machine Shop Area. You can share your views on the competition proposals in the Voice your opinion service until 23 October 2022.

A hotel and an office facility are being planned to replace the Electric Train Building, located on Teollisuuskatu in the Pasila Machine Shop Area.

A view of Jupiter's icy moon Europa captured by NASA's Juno spacecraft on September 29, 2022 from a distance of about 1,520 km. Color-composite of JunoCam data acquired through RGB filters, upscaled and adjusted to approximate natural color. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS / SwRI / Jason Major

Europa is more than just one of Jupiter's many moons; it's also one of the solar system's most promising locations for searching for extraterrestrial life. There is a liquid water ocean under 10 kilometres of ice that could support life. It is, however, one of the most inhospitable places in the solar system, with surface temperatures of -180 degrees Celsius and extreme levels of radiation. Exploring Europa may be possible in the coming years as a result of Georgia Tech's research into silicon-germanium transistor technology.

An almost empty session hall in the Parliament House in Helsinki on 16 September 2022. Almost 90 per cent of Members of the Finnish Parliament also have a seat on a municipal council. Such dual mandates give rise to possible conflicts of interest, says Libera, a politically unaffiliated think tank based in Helsinki. (Seppo Samuli – Lehtikuva)

THE NUMBER of Finnish decision-makers who hold political offices at several levels of governance has grown election after election since 1996, reports Libera, a politically unaffiliated think tank in Helsinki.

Such “superpoliticians” are a prominent feature especially in the newly established well-being services counties.

Members of the European Parliament take part in a voting session on the Radio Equipment Directive for a common charger for electronic devices during a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, on October 4, 2022. LEHTIKUVA / AFP

Common charger for mobile devices will soon be a reality as the European parliament on Tuesday passed a new law requiring USB Type-C to be the single charger for all mobile phones and tablets from 2024, a press release by the EU Parliament read.

The new law, adopted by plenary on Tuesday with 602 votes in favour, 13 against and 8 abstentions, is part of a broader EU effort to reduce e-waste and to empower consumers to make more sustainable choices.

LEHTIKUVA

Finland is a great country to live in and this is certainly true when you think about Helsinki more closely. Not only is it a safe, enjoyable place to spend time, but there is so much to do here. You not only have lots of great public spaces to check out but also masses of shops, bars, cafes and restaurants as well.

In terms of entertainment, the city also has a lot to offer.

After discovering acidity levels increasing three to four times faster in the western region of the Arctic Ocean than in any ocean waters elsewhere, an international team of researchers has sounded new alarm bells.

The team, which includes University of Delaware marine chemistry expert Wei-Jun Cai, also identified a strong correlation between the accelerated rate of melting ice in the region and the rate of ocean acidification, a perilous combination that threatens the survival of plants, shellfish, coral reefs and other marine life and biological processes throughout the planet's ecosystem.

With the opening of 6 new locations with a total of 100 new stalls over the last few days, Tesla owners in Europe now have access to over 10,000 Superchargers, spread over 30 countries and nearly 900 stations. About a fifth of these stalls have been built in 2022. In fact, the network has already grown more in 2022 than any other year, with still 3 months to go. From a few 2-stall stations in 2013, to sites with dozens of chargers ranging from retail locations to hotel chains, the Supercharger network continues to stay ahead of the fast-growing EV fleet.

LEHTIKUVA

The Kela.fi address and the site’s contents will remain the same, but the site has undergone a redesign. E-services will not be impacted.

A new and improved version of the Kela.fi website has been launched. The purpose of the new website is to improve the customer service experience and to offer added support to e-service users. The new launch will also allow a series of further changes at Kela.fi that will improve the site’s usability and accessibility.

Wang Tongqing, Chinese Ambassador to Finland

It comes again the golden season of the year. The Chinese people have just celebrated the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival, and will soon embrace the 73rd National Day on 1st October.

Since its founding in 1949, the People’s Republic of China has made remarkable development achievements in various social domains. A moderately prosperous society in all respects has been built.

Minister of Finance Annika Saarikko (Centre) spoke to members of the media after a ministerial working group meeting on issues such as food security and electricity supply in Helsinki on Thursday, 29 September 2022. Saarikko on Monday viewed that criticism of measures taken by central banks to rein in inflation is unwarranted, reports YLE. (Roni Rekomaa – Lehtikuva)

PRIME MINISTER Sanna Marin (SDP) has kindled a debate about the role of central banks with a tweet that seemingly questions the approach to inflation taken by the European Central Bank (ECB).

Marin on Sunday quoted a contribution to Suomen Kuvalehti by Antti Ronkainen, a doctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki. “There is something terribly wrong with the prevalent monetary policy ideas when central banks are protecting their credibility by pushing economies into a recession,” the quoted section reads.

Finnair aircraft at Helsinki Airport in September 2021. The Finnish majority state-owned company said last week it will reduce up to 200 jobs globally. The cuts, it added, will not affect crew or other operational employees. (Emmi Korhonen – Lehtikuva)

FINNAIR on Thursday announced it will begin consultative negotiations with its staff over the termination of up to 200 jobs globally, including 120 in Finland.

The Finnish majority state-owned airline said the negotiations will concern about 770 employees working in executive, expert and managerial roles in Finland. They will not, however, concern crew or other operative employees in any of its countries of operation.

Wren Eleanor, is a blonde, blue-eyed girl, who has over 17.4 millions followers and over 570 million likes on TikTok. Her videos are nothing extraordinary. She dances, sings, tries different cloth on and plays. What is noteworthy about Eleanor is that she is 3 years old and her account is managed by her mom Jacquelyn. She is a toddler and does ordinary toddler stuff, considered sweet by most adults.

Chairpersons Silja Paavola of the Finnish Union of Practical Nurses (Super) and Millariikka Rytkönen of the Union of Health and Social Care Professionals (Tehy) attended a protest against a government bill in Helsinki on 16 September 2022. Super and Tehy on Monday agreed to put to bed their protracted labour dispute with Local and County Government Employers (KT). (Vesa Moilanen – Lehtikuva)

NATIONAL CONCILIATOR Anu Sajavaara on Monday revealed that an agreement has been found in the protracted labour dispute between Local and County Government Employers (KT), and the Finnish Union of Practical Nurses (Super) and Union of Health and Social Care Professionals (Tehy).

The two nursing unions have thereby called off all industrial actions and halted preparations for mass resignations.

Pedestrians in rainy Helsinki on 14 September 2022. MDI, a regional development consultancy based in the Finnish capital, expects urbanisation to return closer but not reach pre-pandemic levels. (Mikko Stig – Lehtikuva)

THE FUTURE of Finnish welfare society depends on work-based immigration, indicates a demographic forecast published by MDI, a regional development consultancy based in Helsinki.

MDI on Friday viewed that internationalisation is the best remedy for the challenges of labour shortage and population ageing, with immigration likely a requirement for producing the services needed by the ageing population.

The visitor entrance to the Ministry of Justice in Helsinki in March 2021. The Ministry of Justice has finalised a bill that provides protection to, for example, current and former employees reporting misconduct by their employer. (Heikki Saukkomaa – Lehtikuva)

THE GOVERNMENT of Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) last week presented its proposal for implementing the whistleblowing directive of the European Union, reports Helsingin Sanomat.

The directive is designed to detect and prevent misconduct and breaches of laws and regulations; to establish confidential and secure reporting channels to protect whistleblowers from retaliation; and to protect and enable whistleblowers to raise concerns without fear of retaliation.