Markku Mäkijärvi (left) and Asko Järvinen (right), senior physicians at the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa, flanked Taneli Puumalainen, a senior physician at the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), in a press conference held about the first confirmed case of coronavirus in Helsinki on Wednesday, 26 February 2020. (Markku Ulander – Lehtikuva)

THE CITY OF HELSINKI has a detailed contingency plan to deal with pandemics, assures Sanna Vesikansa (Greens), the Deputy Mayor for Social Services and Health Care.

Helsingin Sanomat reported on Wednesday that Vesikansa was asked in a council meeting how the city intends to guarantee the availability of health care and other crucial services in the event of a possible outbreak of the new coronavirus, officially known as Covid-19.

Toni Jalonen on Tuesday said he has submitted his letter of resignation as the second deputy chairperson of the Finns Party Youth. (Matias Rantala – Lehtikuva)

TONI JALONEN has asked to be relieved of his duties as the second deputy chairperson of the Finns Party Youth, reports Helsingin Sanomat.

Jalonen has garnered a lot of negative publicity over the past couple of days after declaring himself an “ethnonationalist, traditionalist and fascist” – provoking applause from the audience – in a seminar organised in Estonia on Sunday.

Jyrki Hollmén (left), head of labour market affairs at Finnish Forest Industries, and Turja Lehtonen (right), deputy chairperson at the Industrial Union, met at the office of National Conciliator Vuokko Piekkala in Helsinki on 13 February 2020. (Jussi Nukari – Lehtikuva)

THE INDUSTRIAL UNION has called off its strikes, overtime bans and other industrial actions in the mechanical forest industry after striking a new collective bargaining agreement with Finnish Forest Industries.

The agreement is based on a settlement proposal tabled by National Conciliator Vuokko Piekkala.

A WOMAN IN HELSINKI HAS TESTED POSITIVE for the novel coronavirus, becoming the first recorded case in the Finnish capital, reports Yle. The patient is believed to have contracted the virus during a recent trip to Northern Italy, a region that this week has seen a large spike in cases. 

THE CHRISTIAN DEMOCRAT MP PÄIVI RÄSÄNEN has been questioned by the Helsinki Police Department for alleged incitement, over an anti-LGBT+ booklet she published in 2004. The faith-based legal advocacy group ADF International, who is supporting Räsänen, claims that she was subjected to 'lengthy' questioning over the booklet.

Snow from Malmi Ice Hall was used to build a sled hill for the midwinter sliding festival, Laskiainen, in Viikki, Helsinki, on Sunday, 23 February 2020. (Jussi Nukari – Lehtikuva)

PARTS of Southern Finland may finally get their long-awaited cover of snow, possibly a thick one, tells Markus Mäntykannas, a meteorologist at Foreca.

Mäntykannas on Friday wrote in a blog for the private weather forecasting company that the combination of easterly winds and warmer-than-usual sea surfaces may create the right conditions for a days-long snowstorm that could dump piles of snow in, for example, the capital region starting tomorrow evening.

Lundmark's face projected onto a the tower of the coal-fired Datteln power plant (Image: Lehtikuva)

GREENPEACE ACTIVISTS IN GERMANY have projected the Finnish flag and the face of the CEO of Finland's state-owned energy company Fortum, Pekka Lundmark, onto the facade a controversial new coal-fired power plant being partly developed by Fortum in Datteln, Western Germany. 

Ministers Maria Ohisalo (Greens), Sanna Marin (SDP) and Katri Kulmuni talked about the conclusions of the government’s climate seminar, which according to recent reports widened the divide between the Greens and Centre. (Jussi Nukari – Lehtikuva)

PETRI HONKONEN (Centre), a member of the Parliament’s Environment Committee, has urged the government to use common sense also in regards to its ambitious climate objectives.

“Responsible decision makers must also weigh up how the goals can be met in practice and how the measures will be visible in everyday lives – in the daily lives of people and businesses across Finland,” he pleaded in a press release on Sunday.

Maria Ohisalo (Greens), the Minister of the Interior, has voiced her satisfaction that the government has found an agreement to bring in up to 175 refugees from camps in Greece, Cyprus, Italy and Malta. (Mikko Stig – Lehtikuva)

THE FINNISH GOVERNMENT has decided to re-settle up to 175 people from refugee camps in Greece, Cyprus, Italy and Malta.

The Ministry of the Interior on Friday said the decision made by the ruling parliamentary groups enables the government to contribute to alleviating the humanitarian situation of asylum seekers in the member states surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.

Petteri Orpo, the chairperson of the National Coalition, has voiced his bemusement with recent remarks emanating from the ranks of the Finns Party. (Markku Ulander – Lehtikuva)

PETTERI ORPO, the chairperson of the National Coalition, has offered his thoughts on the outrage surrounding the Finns Party, the largest opposition party in the Finnish Parliament.

Orpo on Tuesday drew attention not only to the fascist sympathies of Toni Jalonen, the second deputy chairperson of the Finns Party Youth, but also to the remarks of Member of Parliament Ano Turtiainen (PS) and Member of European Parliament Laura Huhtasaari (PS).

Maria Ohisalo, the Minister of the Interior, spoke to her fellow members of the Green League in Helsinki on Saturday, 22 February 2020. (Mikko Stig – Lehtikuva)

MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR Maria Ohisalo (Greens) has voiced her frustration with the climate policy of the Finnish government.

Ohisalo on Saturday stated to her fellow party members that decision makers should concentrate less on the gross domestic product and more on the effects of their decisions on the environment, climate, equality and public well-being.

A shot from Helsinki's Chinese New Year festival last month (Image: Lehtikuva)

A NUMBER OF CHINESE-OWNED BUSINESSES in Helsinki have told the Helsinki Times that they are struggling to attract customers due to fears of the Wuhan Coronavirus.

A total of 252,000 people were officially registered as unemployed job seekers in Finland in January 2020, according to the Ministry of Employment and the Economy. (Vesa Moilanen – Lehtikuva)

THE TREND of the employment rate and that of the unemployment rate have both increased moderately in Finland.

Statistics Finland on Tuesday revealed that the trend of the employment rate – that is, the employment rate adjusted for random and seasonal variation – stood at 73.4 per cent and that of the unemployment rate at 6.8 per cent at the end of January.

US President and First Lady Donald and Melania Trump outside the Taj Mahal today (Image: Lehtikuva)

IN TODAY'S BEST PHOTOS from around the world, we lead with a shot of the Taj Mahal, which US First Couple Donald and Melania Trump visited today during their state trip to India. We also have the Rio Carnival, 'Free Assange' protests, and the Diamond Princess Cruise Liner. 

Child asylum seekers roam a makeshift camp on the Greek island of Chios (Image: Lehtikuva)

FINLAND'S INTERIOR MINISTRY has agreed to settle 175 asylum seekers currently living in makeshift camps in Greece, Italy, Cyprus, and Greece, with "particularly vulnerable" people from unsafe countries receiving priority treatment.