Power lines, street signs, trees and blocks of flats in Vantaa in October 2020. Latest statistics on property sales and housing loan drawdowns indicate that the house market has continued to contract sharply in Finland. (Heikki Saukkomaa – Lehtikuva)

THE PROPERTY MARKET in Finland has continued to cool down rapidly.

Statistics Finland on Wednesday reported that the number of old dwellings in blocks of flats and terraced houses sold with the help of real estate agencies decreased by 29 per cent year-on-year in October.

The extension from Matinkylä to Kivenlahti includes five new stations. The photo is from Espoonlahti. Photo: City of Espoo

The new metro extension from Matinkylä to Kivenlahti opens on Saturday 3 December. The metro brings many new opportunities to Espoo and ensures that the city will maintain its vitality.

The metro serves residents by improving transport connections and attracts housing, services, jobs and innovation clusters to areas close to the tracks.

A child at home in Helsinki in September 2017. Rising consumer prices have resulted in some 30,000 more children living in poverty in Finland, according to an expert interviewed on YLE Radio Suomi. (Antti Aimo-Koivisto – Lehtikuva)

THE SURGE in consumer prices has increased the number of children living in poverty and families who rely on food aid, according to experts who discussed the issue on YLE Radio Suomi on Monday.

“Price increases have indeed had a radical impact on families with children,” said Tiina Ristikari, the development director at the Itla Children’s Foundation.

A border official looked at the site of an upcoming fence on the border between Finland and Russia in Imatra, Southeast Finland, on 18 November 2022. YLE on Tuesday reported that many Russians are believed to have overstayed their visa after fleeing military call-ups to the Schengen Area. (Lauri Heino – Str / Lehtikuva)

SOME OF THE THOUSANDS of Russians who rushed into Finland as rumours of a military call-up became reality earlier this autumn have stayed unlawfully in the Schengen Area, writes YLE.

Matti Pitkäniitty, the director of international affairs at the Finnish Border Guard, on Tuesday stated to the public broadcasting company that he believes “thousands” of Russians remain in the Schengen Area.

Garden of Lapinlahti Hospital. Photo by Yiping Feng and Ling Ouyang. Helsinki Partners

The City of Helsinki continues to plan the future use of the Lapinlahti Hospital area in interaction with city residents and the users of the area. The aim of the planning is to find a sustainable solution for the renovation of the culturally and historically significant property in cooperation with NREP. The intention is to keep the current size of the park area, and there will be no new construction in the area.

A clear majority (70 %) of Finns say that they have not considered the environmental effects of their internet use at all. Changing internet subscriptions or limiting one’s use of the internet for environmental reasons is also rare, and the advantages of different network connections are not yet known very well, according to a survey published today by Valokuitunen Oy.

In many respects, Finns are environmentally aware, but few have considered the environmental burden of different internet connections.

LEHTIKUVA

Students who have registered as attending a traditional university or a university of applied sciences must pay a healthcare fee to Kela each term. The 2023 rate of the student healthcare fee is EUR 36.80 per term. Students can pay the fee starting now.

In 2023, the student healthcare fee in higher education is 36.80 euros per term.

Black Friday kicked off the Christmas season in e-commerce. Posti delivered over 1.4 parcels during last week.

Even though Black Friday was officially on November 25, sales campaigns took place throughout the week. Many stores started their campaigns already on the pervious Friday.

Accommodation in a Finnish Immigration Service reception centre in Helsinki. LEHTIKUVA

The Finnish Immigration Service is preparing to set up new reception centres due to the increased need to provide accommodation for people fleeing Ukraine. By 28 November 2022, those fleeing Ukraine due to the Russian military attack had submitted 45,267 applications for temporary protection.

At present, Finland has altogether 92 reception centres, their secondary branches and service points for people in private accommodation, as well as eight reception units for minors.