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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto (Greens) spoke at a government press conference in Helsinki on Thursday, 29 September 2022. Haavisto confirmed that the Finnish government has decided to shutter the Finnish border to Russian tourists over concerns about damage to the international reputation of Finland. (Roni Rekomaa – Lehtikuva)
THE FINNISH GOVERNMENT on Thursday issued a resolution to effectively shut down the border to Russian tourists as of Friday, 30 September.
The resolution contains a number of exceptions, including for people seeking entry to study, perform essential work duties or meet members of their immediate family. Entering Finland will be possible also for other justified reasons to guarantee access for members of the opposition, for example.
A ban on studded tyres begins on Lönnrotinkatu. Photo: Roni Rekomaa
The pilot ban on studded tyres will enter into force on parts of Lönnrotinkatu street starting from 28 September 2022. The aim of the three-year pilot is to improve air quality and reduce traffic noise in the area.
The ban on studded tyres on Lönnrotinkatu will apply to the 900-metre section between Mannerheimintie and Hietalahdenkatu streets.
President Sauli Niinistö spoke to Finnish reporters in conjunction with the UN General Meeting in New York City, the US, on 20 September 2022. Niinistö on Wednesday offered his thoughts about the explosions that caused significant damage to the Nord Stream I pipeline in an interview with Helsingin Sanomat. (Kirsti Karttunen – Lehtikuva)
THE SECURITY THREAT across Europe has raised to a new level following the explosions that caused extensive damage to Nord Stream I, an underwater natural gas pipeline connecting Russia and Germany, gauges President Sauli Niinistö.
“In many people’s minds, the threat to their own security or at least their deep concern about it has increased,” he commented to Helsingin Sanomat on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) and Minister of Defence Antti Kaikkonen attended a news conference in Helsinki on Wednesday, 28 September 2022. Marin viewed that the explosions in the Nord Stream I pipeline could be part of a wider effort to de-stabilise the Baltic Sea region and whip up fears in Europe. (Antti Yrjönen – Str / Lehtikuva)
THE FINNISH GOVERNMENT on Wednesday discussed a number of foreign policy issues as part of its informal weekly meeting, the so-called evening class, including the explosions in Nord Stream I.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) stated that she has discussed the explosions with her counterparts from Denmark and Sweden, offering them all the support needed to investigate to investigate the incident.
A man holding a bundle of spring onions in a supermarket in Helsinki on 8 July 2022. Pellervo Economic Research (PTT) on Tuesday said vegetable prices will rise notably in the autumn and winter as high electricity prices add to the cost of greenhouse production. (Mikko Stig – Lehtikuva)
PELLERVO Economic Research (PTT) on Tuesday revealed that it expects food prices to continue on a steep upward trajectory in Finland.
The latest forecast by the independent research institute indicates that inflation will accelerate in the coming months, with the prices of cheese, dairy, eggs and meat set to surge by up to 20 per cent in the final few months of the year.
