Nokia on Tuesday said it has invited employee representatives to consultative negotiations with a view to shedding roughly 350 jobs in Finland in 2019. (Credit: Mikko Stig – Lehtikuva)

NOKIA on Tuesday announced it will seek to improve the profitability of its operations by cutting approximately 350 jobs in Finland in 2019.

The Finnish network equipment manufacturer revealed that the redundancies will be carried out at all of its units in the country, with the exception of its manufacturing facility in Oulu, North Ostrobothnia.

Quick loan companies have become serious problems for the society, but are goldmines to their owners. OPR Finance's CEO's earnings were €1,8 million last year. The company runs Ostosraha (shopping money) a quick loan, high interest operation.

Asiakastieto Group has announced that there is now a record number of 382 000 persons with payment defaults in its consumer credit information register, i.e. 7 700 more than a year before. Each registered subject has on average 15 payment defaults. In 2018, approximately 1,6 million new payment default entries were registered to consumers. 

”The number of persons with payment defaults is increasing, even though the economic development is positive and the employment is on the mend as well.

Kai Mykkänen (NCP), the Minister of the Interior, says the National Coalition is not prepared to raise fuel taxes in order to compensate for its proposal to abolish the car tax. (Credit: Jussi Nukari – Lehtikuva)

THE NATIONAL COALITION is not prepared to raise fuel taxes in order to compensate for the roughly 950 million in lost tax revenue caused by the abolition of the car tax – a proposal it made in its newly published climate and environment policy programme.

The car tax is collected upon the first registration of a motor vehicle in Finland.

Antti Kaikkonen (right), the chairperson of the Centre Parliamentary Group, and Antti Lindtman (left), the chairperson of the Social Democratic Parliamentary Group, spoke to reporters after a meeting of all parliamentary groups over the suspected sex crimes in Helsinki and Oulu. (Credit: Heikki Saukkomaa – Lehtikuva)

ANTTI Kaikkonen, the chairperson of the Centre Parliamentary Group, announced yesterday all parliamentary groups have agreed to expedite three legislative projects in response to recent revelations about sex crimes against children in Helsinki and Oulu.

The proposals aim to prevent and introduce tougher punishments for sex crimes.

This week, temperatures could drop to their lowest levels yet this winter in various parts of Finland, views Markus Mäntykannas, a meteorologist at Foreca. (Credit: Heikki Saukkomaa – Lehtikuva)

PEOPLE in Finland should brace for very low temperatures over the next couple of weeks, says Markus Mäntykannas, a meteorologist at Foreca.

Mäntykannas on Sunday wrote in a blog for the private weather forecasting company that the mercury may plummet as low as -25ºC in southern and -35ºC in northern parts of the country as soon as this week.

The District Court of Helsinki on Thursday sentenced a former member of the Iraqi Ground Forces to a suspended prison term of one year and six months for war crime. (Credit: Mikko Stig – Lehtikuva)

AN IRAQI MAN has been handed a suspended prison sentence of one year and six months for war crime by the District Court of Helsinki.

Helsingin Sanomat reveals that the middle-aged man decapitated a dead member of the so-called Islamic State (IS) while serving in the Iraqi Ground Forces in Al-Karmah, Iraq, in March 2015. His actions were captured on video and the video later published, with the consent of the man, on Facebook, according to the newspaper.

Three people were brought into custody during a house search in Roihuvuori, Helsinki, on Saturday, 12 Saturday. (Antti Aimo-Koivisto – Lehtikuva)

HELSINKI Police Department has shed further light on the investigation as part of which three people were brought into custody in an eastern area of the Finnish capital on Saturday.

A police spokesperson said yesterday two of the three men have been released after it was determined there is currently no reason to suspect them of any involvement in the suspected sex crimes against children.

Ilta-Sanomat reports that police conducted a house search in Roihuvuori, Helsinki, on Saturday. Police said the operation is part of an ongoing investigation but declined to confirm reports it is related to the sex crimes investigation. (Credit: Antti Aimo-Koivisto – Lehtikuva)

THREE MEN of immigrant backgrounds were arrested on suspicion of aggravated rape and aggravated child sexual abuse in Helsinki on Saturday, Pekka Korhonen, a detective chief inspector at Helsinki Police Department, has confirmed to Helsingin Sanomat.

The offences are believed to have taken place between 1 November 2018 and 9 January 2019, according to a press release from Helsinki Police Department.

Jussi Halla-aho’s Finns Party has continued to make gains in polls. YLE on Thursday reported that support for the opposition party rose by 2.1 percentage points to over 10 per cent between December and January. (Credit: Markku Ulander – Lehtikuva)

POPULAR SUPPORT for the Finns Party has increased considerably, according to the latest opinion poll commissioned by YLE.

The public broadcasting company reported yesterday that support for the populist, right-wing opposition party surged by 2.1 percentage points to 10.2 per cent between December and January, representing the first time it climbed above the 10 per cent-mark since mid-2018.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and Finnish President Sauli Niinistö (right) inspected the guard of honour in Beijing, China, on Monday, 14 January 2019. (Credit: Markku Ulander – Lehtikuva)

FINLAND and China have announced their intention to increase co-operation in a number of sectors in conjunction with the meeting between Presidents Sauli Niinistö and Xi Jinping in Beijing on 14–15 January.

The Finnish Ministry of Culture and Education and Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Monday signed a letter of intent to enhance co-operation on culture and cultural tourism.

A police van parked outside Valkea Shopping Centre in Oulu on 6 December 2018. The local police has pleaded with the public not to harass or threaten people who appear to be of foreign origin. (Credit: Timo Heikkala – Lehtikuva)

POLICE are investigating four new sex crimes against under 15-year-old girls in Oulu, North Ostrobothnia, Finland.

Oulu Police Department on Friday reported that three men of foreign backgrounds have been brought into custody for probable cause of rape, aggravated child sexual abuse and child sexual abuse in connection with the pre-trial investigations.

Major General Sampo Eskelinen is suspected of neglecting his duty to open a pre-trial investigation into suspected offences by a former commander of the Karelia Air Command. (Credit: Martti Kainulainen – Lehtikuva)

MAJOR GENERAL Sampo Eskelinen, the commander of the Finnish Air Force, will be charged with either service offence or negligent service offence, according to the Office of the Prosecutor General.

The charge is related to a case against a former commander of the Karelia Air Command, who is suspected of abuse of superior position, service offence and defamation over events that took place during a voluntary military refresher organised in Inari, Lapland, in September 2017.

Prime Minister Juha Sipilä (Centre) was surrounded by members of the media at the Oulu City Hall on Saturday, 12 January 2019. (Credit: Timo Heikkala – Lehtikuva)

THE FINNISH GOVERNMENT will hold an extraordinary meeting today due to the “inhumane and condemnable” events that have transpired in Oulu, North Ostrobothnia, Prime Minister Juha Sipilä (Centre) said on Sunday.

Another similar meeting has been scheduled for Friday, according to Sipilä.

Mikko Ilmari Hallikainen (first from right), Rain Lin, Liang Yue, Yu Cun and Mia Waire in the Red Gallery

The opening reception of Finland-China International Contemporary Ink Art Exhibition was successfully held at Red Gallery on 15th December 2018. The exhibition is a diverse and international / intercultural event presenting works of artists from different countries.

Li Andersson (Left Alliance), Sanna Marin (SDP), Pekka Haavisto (Greens) and Juha Sipilä (Centre) took part in a climate debate hosted in Helsinki on Wednesday by Maaseudun Tulevaisuus. (Credit: Markku Ulander – Lehtikuva)

THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY came under pressure to clarify its position on forest harvesting in Finland at a debate event organised on Wednesday by Maaseudun Tulevaisuus and the Central Organisation of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK).

Antti Rinne, the chairperson of the opposition party, stirred up concerns about the future of planned pulp mills in the country last autumn by stating repeatedly that the logging volumes cannot be raised.