Protestors hold up signs reading 'Black Lives Matter' at Helsinki's Senate Square today (Image: Lehtikuva)

THOUSANDS OF PROTESTORS GATHERED at Helsinki's Senate Square this evening to demonstrate against racism and anti-black police brutality, inspired by the current protests that are gripping the US. 

Snus tobacco products are regularly brought into Finland from Sweden (Image: Pixabay)

A GROUP OF SCIENTISTS IN SWEDEN has begun conducting research into the possibility that snus, the Swedish tobacco product that enjoys widespread popularity in Finland, may offer some protection from coronavirus infection. 

The site of the explosion in Mäkkylä, Espoo today (Image: Lehtikuva)

DOCUMENTS FROM THE WESTERN UUSIMAA DISTRICT COURT have revealed that the deceased person found at the scene of an explosion in an apartment block in Espoo last night was facing severe financial difficulties, with three debt convictions in just over a year.

Concept art for one of the nominated designs, named Beacon (Image: Lehtikuva)

THE FINAL SIX DESIGNS FOR A SPRAWLING NEW OFFICE COMPLEX in the heart of Helsink'si Katajanokka Harbour have been announced. Once completed in 2023, the carbon-neutral building will house the global headquarters of the Finnish paper giant Stora Enso. 

People gather in Helsinki's Dallapenpuisto last night (Image: Lehtikuva)

UNEXPECTEDLY WARM TEMPERATURES AND SUNNY SKIES drew Helsinki residents out of their homes and onto the beaches and parks of the city across the weekend. With temperatures peaking at around 18 degrees, this weekend was one of the warmest of the year so far for the Finnish capital. 

A shot of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate earlier this month (Image: Lehtikuva)

THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT HAS ANNOUNCED THAT people arriving in Germany from Finland are no longer required to observe a mandatory two-week quarantine. The decision comes as a number of EU countries prepare to relax travel restrictions in anticipation of the summer tourist season.

Thunberg at an EU climate summit in Brussels in March (Image: Lehtikuva)

THE SWEDISH CLIMATE ACTIVIST GRETA THUNBERG has shared a letter from her 'Friday's for Future' organization accusing the Finnish government of a 'double standard' over the decision of the state-owned energy firm Fortum to open up a coal-fired power plant in Germany. 

A trained sniffer dog at the University of Helsinki's Viikki Campus (Image: Lehtikuva)

RESEARCHERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI have begun trials exploring the use of trained sniffer dogs to detect instances of coronavirus infection in the general population. It is hoped that the method will prove more effective than current testing tools.

Horses race past empty stands at the Joensuu Racecourse (Image: Lehtikuva)

JOCKEYS DONNED FACEMASKS and raced their horses in front of empty audience stands last night at Joensuu Racecourse, marking the first competitive horse racing event to take place since the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered tracks across the country. 

The interior of a modified Finnair A330 plane today (Image: Lehtikuva)

FINNAIR HAVE BOOSTED THEIR CARGO CARRYING CAPACITY by removing the economy seats from two of their Airbus A330 passenger aircraft. The additional cabin space will be used to transport essential supplies into Finland during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.