Police released a photo of the object found in the sea off Helsinki. Photo: Police

A metal object found floating in a shipping channel off Helsinki triggered a police and coastguard operation that stopped passenger ship traffic for several hours before authorities determined that the object posed no danger.

Finnish police said the object was most likely a mechanical part from an old shipwreck. The Navy confirmed in its initial assessment that the find was not an explosive.

File photo of a Wolt courier in Helsinki. Photo: Antti Hämäläinen / Lehtikuva

McDonald’s has opened a heated waiting room for Wolt couriers at its Autotalo restaurant in central Helsinki, giving delivery riders a place to sit and charge their phones between orders, Helsingin Sanomat reports.

The room, near Kamppi, includes heating, a bench, a collection counter and an electrical socket. It does not have a toilet. Couriers interviewed by HS said the space becomes useful when they face longer waits between deliveries or work during cold weather.

The Eastern Finland Court of Appeal building, photographed on 25 August 2026. Photo: Lasse Keskinen / Wikimedia Commons

The Eastern Finland Court of Appeal has increased the prison sentence of a British man convicted of attempting to murder a Finnish woman in Joensuu after travelling from Britain and monitoring her movements for several days.

Satinder Minhas, 32, received a sentence of six and a half years, one year longer than the term imposed by North Karelia District Court in January. The appeal court also increased the compensation payable to the victim.

Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen during a plenary session of Parliament in Helsinki on 2 October 2026. Parliament voted during the afternoon session on confidence in Häkkänen and the government as a whole. Photo: Emmi Korhonen / Lehtikuva

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government and Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen retained the confidence of Finland’s parliament on Friday after separate opposition challenges over the government’s Middle East policy and Häkkänen’s visit to Israel.

MPs backed the government by 93 votes to 62, with 21 abstentions. Häkkänen secured a wider majority, winning his confidence vote by 114 votes to 61.

Fuel prices at the St1 petrol station in Tullinpuomi, Helsinki, on 11 September 2026. Photo: Roni Rekomaa / Lehtikuva

Eurozone inflation rose more than expected in September as energy costs pushed consumer prices further above the European Central Bank’s target, leaving policymakers to decide whether the latest surge requires another interest rate rise.

Eurostat estimated annual inflation across the 21-country currency bloc at 3.8%, up from 3.2% in August. A Reuters poll had put the expected rate at 3.6%.

Prices rose 0.6% from August, according to Eurostat’s flash estimate.

President Alexander Stubb (left) and Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen at a ceremony marking the arrival of the Finnish Air Force’s F-35A Lightning II multirole fighters in Rovaniemi on 1 October 2026. Photo: Markku Ulander / Lehtikuva

Finland has marked the arrival of its first F-35 fighter jets with a ceremony at Rovaniemi, beginning a transition that will replace the Air Force’s Hornet fleet by 2031. President Alexander Stubb said the aircraft would strengthen Finland’s defence and deterrence for decades.

The Finnish Air Force presented the F-35A Lightning II at Lapland Air Wing on Thursday. An F-35 and a Hornet took part in demonstration flights after low cloud initially threatened to keep the aircraft on the ground.

High pressure will keep southern and western Finland warm, with temperatures reaching 17–18 °C through Friday. Photo: Heikki Saukkomaa / Lehtikuva

Finland is heading towards colder and wetter weather after a slow start to autumn, raising the risk of icy roads across a growing part of the country. Foreca expects temperatures to fall during the coming week, while overnight frost, fog and moisture on roads are set to create more difficult conditions for drivers.

High pressure will keep conditions warm in parts of southern and western Finland for another couple of days. Temperatures could reach 17–18 °C in the south-west on Thursday and in southern and western areas on Friday, according to Foreca.

Speaker of Parliament Jussi Halla-aho and Deputy Speaker Paula Risikko at a media briefing on a current parliamentary security matter in Parliament’s Hall of State on Thursday, 1 October 2026. Photo: Heikki Saukkomaa / Lehtikuva

Finnish police have opened a preliminary inquiry into suspected unauthorised entries at the homes of some MPs after Parliament reported a series of unexplained signs inside residences. Speaker Jussi Halla-aho said the number of cases was “considerable”, while police said the inquiry is still at an early stage now.

The suspected incidents involve homes used by MPs, mainly in Helsinki, and stretch across a period of about a year. Halla-aho said there were no signs of forced entry and no property had been stolen or damaged.

The newsroom of the Finnish News Agency, STT, in Ruoholahti, Helsinki, on 29 September 2026. Photo: Emmi Korhonen / Lehtikuva

Finnish News Agency STT has started restructuring talks covering 95 employees as financial losses threaten the future of its news and photo operations. The Helsinki-based agency said its current business model could end in March, putting at risk a news service that traces its history to 1887 and supplies media organisations across Finland.

The talks cover almost all STT employees apart from staff at STT Viestintäpalvelut, its press release distribution business. Up to 95 positions could end under the restructuring plan.

National Coalition Party chair and Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, vice-chairs Karoliina Partanen, Antti Häkkänen and Sari Multala, party secretary Maggie Keskinen, party council chair Arto Satonen and parliamentary group chair Jukka Kopra presented the party’s economic policy programme for strengthening public finances during the next parliamentary term in Helsinki on 30 September 2026. Photo: Emmi Korhonen / Lehtikuva

Finland’s National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) has proposed €9 billion in public spending reductions for the next parliamentary term, with the largest savings aimed at healthcare and pensions. The party says €1 billion of the total would fund selected investments and reforms, leaving a net fiscal adjustment of €8 billion.

Prime Minister and party leader Petteri Orpo presented the programme on Wednesday with members of the party leadership.