Experts are concerned that the COVID- 19 pandemic could have long-lasting effects on the psychological wellbeing of individuals, eventually culminating in a public mental health crisis. 

COVID- 19 and the subsequent panic, uncertainty and isolation have led to a widespread rise in cases of anxiety and depression. Mental health professionals warn that given current conditions, everyone is at risk for these diseases. 

The Finnish government has committed to halving emissions from transport by 2030 and eliminating them entirely by 2045. (Vesa Moilanen – Lehtikuva)

A TASK FORCE at the Ministry of Transport and Communications says Finland should raise its target for the number of electric vehicles on its roads significantly and increase the cost of carbon dioxide emissions from cars – one way or the other, report YLE and Helsingin Sanomat.

The task force published its report on measures to halve emissions from transport from the levels of 2005 by 2030 and eliminate them entirely by 2045.

Patria, a Finnish state-owned military equipment maker, test drove its armoured modular vehicle in Hämeenlinna, Finland, on 14 March 2019. (Heikki Saukkomaa – Lehtikuva)

LACK OF TRANSPARENCY in Finnish arms exports makes it difficult to evaluate the arms export policy of Finland, states a report by SaferGlobe.

STT on Monday said the Helsinki-based peace and security think tank states in its newly published report that the transparency of arms exports is being eroded by the fact that the export licence applications are granted and communicated separately by various authorities, each with their own communication protocols.

Pedestrians crossing the road in Helsinki on 23 May 2020. Over 70 per cent of Finns view that it has been fairly or very easy to cope with the restrictions adopted to fight the coronavirus outbreak, according to a new Eurobarometer. (Vesa Moilanen – Lehtikuva)

FINNS have tolerated the various restrictions on movement and social life adopted to fight the coronavirus outbreak better than people in other parts of Europe, indicates a Eurobarometer released in October.

As many as 73 per cent of Finns estimated that coping with the restrictions has been fairly easy or very easy – even to the extent that the restrictions have improved their quality of life.

Psychotherapy Centre Vastaamo recently announced its database was hacked almost two years ago, possibly compromising the personal privacy of tens of thousands of its clients. (Emmi Korhonen – Lehtikuva)

NEARLY 10 MILLION EUROS’ WORTH of the assets of Ville Tapio, the newly fired chief executive of Psychotherapy Centre Vastaamo, and his parents has been seized as a precautionary measure, report Ilta-Sanomat and MTV Uutiset.

The seizure order was issued at the request of the majority owner of the service provider, PTK Midco, by the District Court of Helsinki.

Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo has voiced her dismay with the hacking and leak of sensitive information from the database of Psychotherapy Centre Vastaamo. (Jussi Nukari – Lehtikuva)

THE HACKING of Psychotherapy Centre Vastaamo and other cybersecurity questions will be on the agenda as the Finnish government convenes for its so-called evening class on Wednesday, tells Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo (Greens).

Ohisalo on Sunday described the hacking as an extremely exceptional, shocking and condemnable act, according to Helsingin Sanomat.

A photograph of a blackmail message sent to an individual following the hacking of Psychotherapy Centre Vastaamo. (Emmi Korhonen – Lehtikuva)

THE NATIONAL BUREAU of Investigation (KRP) has revealed it has received 13,500 reports of an offence in connection with the hacking and blackmailing case revolving around Psychotherapy Centre Vastaamo.

“That number is from late Tuesday afternoon, and it’s rising all the time because of delays in recording,” Tero Muurman, a detective chief inspector at KRP, told Helsingin Sanomat on Wednesday.

A girl studied at home in Espoo on 27 April 2020. (Vesa Moilanen – Lehtikuva)

CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE in Finland engaged in considerably less physical activity during the coronavirus-disrupted spring than previously, reports the UKK Institute.

The Tampere-based private research organisation reported today that it monitored the activity levels of 255 children in years one, three, five, seven and nine of basic education with wearable motion sensors during the first week of May.

Robin Lardot (left) and Marko Leponen (right) of the National Bureau of Investigation (KRP) on Sunday held a press conference to shed light on the hacking of Psychotherapy Centre Vastaamo. (Heikki Saukkomaa – Lehtikuva)

THE NATIONAL BUREAU of Investigation (KRP) and Psychotherapy Centre Vastaamo have provided more information on a newly detected malicious hacking that is believed to have compromised sensitive data on tens of thousands of psychotherapy clients in Finland.

Vastaamo on Saturday told that the data may have been compromised in “at least two separate hackings” between late 2018 and early 2019.

Autumn landscape with wooden jetty, forest and lake in Finland

A DRY WIND is set to descend from the mountains of Norway, bringing unusually warm temperatures to Finland next month.  
According to the forecast from Foreca, low pressure will result in steady rainfall and mild weather this week. Temperatures are expected to reach 1-3° C in Lapland and 3-6° C in the South and Central regions. 

Ville Tapio was relieved of his duties as the chief executive of Psychotherapy Centre Vastaamo on Monday 26 October 2020. (Jukka Gröndahl – HS)

THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE of Psychotherapy Centre Vastaamo knew about the hacking of the service provider’s server provider for 18 months before the hacking was made pubic, Tuomas Kahri, the board chairperson at Vastaamo, revealed to Ilta-Sanomat on Monday.

Vastaamo, he added, has also relieved from duties its first and only chief executive, Ville Tapio. Tapio had been suspended from his duties about 10 days earlier.

An office of Psychotherapy Centre Vastaamo in Malmi, Helsinki, on 26 October 2020. (Emmi Korhonen – Lehtikuva)

THE CEO of Intera Partners, the Finnish equity capital firm that acquired Psychotherapy Centre Vastaamo in mid-2019, on Tuesday revealed to Helsingin Sanomat that the acquisition would not have taken place had the firm had knowledge of the data breaches and data security problems at Vastaamo.

CEO Jokke Paananen told the newspaper that neither the majority owner nor the board of executives of the psychotherapy service provider was informed of the hacking that took place in March 2019.

Miniature pigs, also known as mini-pigs, pot-bellied pigs and teacup pigs, are pigs that are bred to be relatively small in size. The animals have witnessed a surge in popularity in the country, with a growing number of Finns adopting them as pets. 

According to Iltasanomat, the number of pet miniature pigs in the country is currently estimated at 1,600.

Psychotherapy Centre Vastaamo says a cybercriminal is trying to blackmail it into paying 450,000 euros after allegedly obtaining sensitive information on tens of thousands of its clients. (Markku Ulander – Lehtikuva)

THE NATIONAL BUREAU of Investigation (KRP) has opened an inquiry into a case where an unknown attacker claims to have obtained sensitive information on tens of thousands of psychotherapy clients in Finland.

The data was allegedly obtained from Psychotherapy Centre Vastaamo. The Helsinki-based service provider has confirmed on its website that the breach has led to the leak of confidential information.