The main defendant (left) and his brother at the Varsinais-Suomi District Court in Turku on 11 September 2026. The man, in his 80s, is accused of freezing and storing his parents’ bodies for decades in Turku. Photo:

A Finnish court has fined an 81-year-old man nearly €2,000 for keeping his parents' bodies in freezers for almost three decades at a property in Turku. The Varsinais-Suomi District Court convicted him of three offences involving the improper treatment of human remains and the violation of a grave. His 70-year-old brother also received a fine for his involvement in unauthorised digging at a family burial plot.

Finnish passport. Photo: Lehtikuva

Finland will introduce a citizenship test from 1 March 2027, requiring most applicants aged between 18 and 64 to demonstrate knowledge of Finnish society, laws and history before obtaining citizenship. The Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) announced the arrangements on Friday as part of changes to the country's Citizenship Act.

The amendments will enter into force on 1 January 2027, but a two-month transition period means the test requirement will apply only to applications submitted from March.

Pedestrians with umbrellas in rainy weather in Helsinki. Photo: Vesa Moilanen / Lehtikuva

Finland faces heavy rainfall, strong winds and possible snowfall as a low-pressure system moves across the country on Friday, 9 October, with the first measurable snow of the autumn expected in parts of the northeast by Saturday morning.

The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) said on Thursday that the weather system would bring widespread rain to southern and central Finland, with precipitation reaching 30–40 millimetres in some areas.

The Finns Party’s tent at the Hakaniemi farmers’ market in Helsinki on 4 October 2026. Photo: Heikki Saukkomaa / Lehtikuva

The Finns Party has overtaken Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s National Coalition Party (NCP) in Yle’s latest opinion poll, marking the first time the two governing parties have exchanged positions during the current parliamentary term.

The poll, published on Thursday, 8 October, puts the Finns Party in second place with 16.5 per cent support, ahead of the NCP on 16.3 per cent. The opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) retains its lead with 22.7 per cent.

File photo of Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen (National Coalition Party) during Parliament’s oral question time in Helsinki on 24 September 2026. Photo: Markku Ulander / Lehtikuva

Finland has rejected six applications involving buyers from outside the EU and European Economic Area seeking to acquire properties in four municipalities, with one transaction blocked over concerns about national security and security of supply.

Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen issued the decisions on Wednesday, covering properties in Kotka, Viitasaari, Miehikkälä and Imatra.

Finland’s Ministry of Finance Permanent Secretary Juha Majanen speaks at the ministry’s press conference in Helsinki on 7 October 2026, with Strategy and Research Director Olli Kärkkäinen in the background. Photo: Emmi Korhonen / Lehtikuva

Finland’s finance ministry has proposed raising the minimum retirement age to 70 and abolishing the home-care allowance as part of a programme aimed at strengthening public finances by €8–11 billion during the next parliamentary term. The proposals have drawn opposition from trade unions, while business representatives have backed parts of the plan.

The ministry published its policy paper on Wednesday, setting out options for the government that will take office after the next parliamentary election.

The Finnish Immigration Service logo at the agency’s office in Helsinki. Photo: Migri

Finland’s Immigration Service has imposed financial penalties on six employers for employing third-country nationals who were staying in the country illegally. The largest penalty reached €30,000 after authorities found that a construction employer had continued the practice despite previous intervention.

The Finnish Immigration Service, known as Migri, issued the penalties during summer 2026. None of the decisions has yet gained legal force.

File photo of Ukrainian refugees. Photo: Kevin Bückert

The Finnish Refugee Council will start change negotiations covering 21 employees as the organisation prepares for cuts to state funding. Up to 15 employees face dismissal, while the duties of another six workers could change as part of a restructuring.

The negotiations will begin on 8 October and affect employees whose positions depend on grants from the Funding Centre for Social Welfare and Health Organisations, known as STEA.

Wind damage expected across almost the entire country today. Photo: Heikki Saukkomaa / Lehtikuva

Strong autumn winds swept across Finland on Tuesday, cutting electricity to thousands of households and bringing gusts above 20 metres per second to western parts of the country. Forecasters expect colder air to follow the storm, while another low-pressure system is due later this week.

More than 5,000 households were without electricity at around 11am, according to an electricity outage map maintained by Finnish Energy. The Ostrobothnia rescue service had received 12 damage-prevention assignments by that point.

Photo: Heikki Saukkomaa / Lehtikuva

The share of young boys starting ADHD medication in Finland has more than doubled since 2017, with use remaining above comparable levels in Sweden and Norway, according to data published by Finland’s Social Insurance Institution, Kela.

In 2025, 3.1% of boys aged six to eight started ADHD medication, up from 2.9% in 2024 and 1.4% in 2017.