European Central Bank chief Lagarde to leave post in February
First published Thu, Oct 29
Week of October 26
Finnish news agency STT to end wire and photo service and dismiss entire editorial staff
First published Thu, Oct 29
STT, the Finnish news agency, will end its news and picture agency operations in March and has dismissed its entire editorial staff. The agency's news service is being wound down as a whole, not reduced.123
Minister Lulu Ranne said time had passed STT by, and that continuing the operation would have required commitment from its owners.4
Demokraatti.fi described the closure as one more fracture in the nation's shared reality, writing that "the nation's common reality breaks a little more."5
Etelä-Suomen Sanomat's Markus Pirttijoki wrote that STT supplied raw material and room for his own thoughts.6
Israel's election ends in deadlock as Netanyahu's party emerges as the largest
First published Thu, Oct 29
Israel's election has ended in deadlock, with Benjamin Netanyahu's party emerging as the largest single force but no clear path to a governing majority. Finnish outlets reported the result as a stalemate rather than a decisive win for any bloc.12
A government will be hard to form without the support of the Arab parties, according to Demokraatti.fi's account of the result. The left-leaning outlet framed the outcome around that arithmetic rather than around Netanyahu's first-place finish.3
Netanyahu published an AI-generated image of a nuclear bomb in Tel Aviv during the election period, Helsingin Sanomat reported. The image circulated as the vote count was still being settled.1
Finland's finance ministry sets out 8–11 billion euro adjustment options, including index freezes and child benefit cuts
First published Mon, Oct 26
Finland's Ministry of Finance (VM) has published its options for spending cuts and tax increases, with spending exceeding revenue and an adjustment need of 8–11 billion euros. The ministry presented the alternatives on Monday, and a live broadcast of the announcement was starting.12
The package includes freezing index increases and removing child benefits, according to Iltalehti's account of the list. The ministry also put forward billions of euros in index measures, with the budget chief giving figures to Kauppalehti.34
Tax increases on the table cover food, wages and housing, and the package contains an unusual measure on the fuel tax, Ilta-Sanomat reported. The ministry's list was described as harsh in the Finnish press.53
The adjustment need of 8–11 billion euros is the ministry's own figure, published as the government weighs cuts against tax rises. The alternatives were made public on Monday.12
Finnish authority LVV warns care staff over secret videos of dementia patients
First published Tue, Oct 27
Finland's supervisory authority for social welfare and health care, LVV, says care staff have taken videos of dementia patients and other patients without permission, and that some of the material is humiliating and mocking. The authority said the footage was shared onward by care personnel.123
Some of the images distributed by staff showed naked clients, according to Iltalehti's account of the authority's warning. LVV's message to care workers was blunt: do not photograph patients without permission.45
Employers have filed requests with the police for investigation into the filming cases, Ilta-Sanomat reported on the basis of LVV's information.3
The authority's intervention was carried by Finnish outlets across the political spectrum on Tuesday, from the centre-left Demokraatti.fi to the business-oriented medical journal Lääkärilehti, all reporting the same core finding that patients were filmed without consent and that the material circulated among staff.521
Also this week
Published earlier this week and since overtaken by bigger stories. Open one to read it in full.
Data centres forecast to take nearly a fifth of Finland's electricity by 2030Data centres in Finland are projected to consume sharply more electricity by 2030, with their share of national power use possibly reaching nearly one fifth, according to a fresh estimate. The sector is also expected to draw tens of billions of euros in investment, and the buildout is already creating thousands of jobs.
Data centres forecast to take nearly a fifth of Finland's electricity by 2030
First published Wed, Oct 28
Data centres in Finland are projected to consume sharply more electricity by 2030, with their share of national power use possibly reaching nearly one fifth, according to a fresh estimate. The sector is also expected to draw tens of billions of euros in investment, and the buildout is already creating thousands of jobs.123
The forecast has put the scale of the electricity demand in focus: consumption is expected to multiply rather than grow gradually. A professor described Finland's position in the middle of the data centre boom with the phrase "crawling humility."45
The effects are already showing in the housing market, where demand is concentrated on relatively new and fairly large homes, and data centres are visible in that demand now. Investors, meanwhile, are weighing whether some of them will be left empty-handed in the data centre rush.67
Finland's army buys German RGW110 anti-tank weapon in 84.5 million euro dealFinland's Army is replacing its Apilas anti-tank weapon with a new heavy disposable anti-tank system. Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen of the National Coalition Party authorised the Defence Forces to buy the RGW110 system from the German company Dynamit Nobel Defence.
Finland's army buys German RGW110 anti-tank weapon in 84.5 million euro deal
First published Wed, Oct 28 · Updated Thu, Oct 29
Ruled paragraphs are attributed to the outlet named in them, not stated as established fact.
Finland's Army is replacing its Apilas anti-tank weapon with a new heavy disposable anti-tank system. Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen of the National Coalition Party authorised the Defence Forces to buy the RGW110 system from the German company Dynamit Nobel Defence.12
The purchase is priced at 84.5 million euros. Häkkänen said the acquisition significantly develops the Army's short-range anti-tank capability.31
Häkkänen described the deal as part of a broader shift in which the focus of materiel procurement moves to the Army. He said: "The acquisition is part of a wider development in which the emphasis of materiel procurements shifts to the Army."2
Attributed claim: Demokraatti.fi, a centre-left outlet, reported the purchase under a headline linking it to earlier Finnish arms buying from Israeli industry, while Iltalehti and Verkkouutiset reported the system as coming from Germany. The German supplier named in the defence minister's authorisation is Dynamit Nobel Defence.425
UPDATES
· New interpretation
Attributed claim: Helsingin Sanomat reported the new heavy disposable anti-tank system is being bought from a company with Israeli ownership, describing the supplier that way in its headline on the Army's replacement of the Apilas.6
Attributed claim: Other outlets described the same purchase as arms bought from Germany: Ilta-Sanomat reported that Finland's old disposable anti-tank weapons are replaced with German weapons at a price of 84.5 million euros, and Iltalehti headlined that Finland buys disposable anti-tank weapons from Germany.76
Wärtsilä orders jump 33 percent to 2,368 million euros as shares fall on weak targetsThe share fell sharply after the quarterly report. An analyst described the company's new targets as subdued, and the stock decline was the headline across Finnish business coverage on Tuesday.
Wärtsilä orders jump 33 percent to 2,368 million euros as shares fall on weak targets
First published Wed, Oct 28
The share fell sharply after the quarterly report. An analyst described the company's new targets as subdued, and the stock decline was the headline across Finnish business coverage on Tuesday.123
Wärtsilä's order book is filling with power plants, including capacity that should also be built in Finland, according to HS.fi's account of the interim report.4
Chief executive Agnevall raised the possibility of building additional production capacity as the order backlog neared a ten-billion-euro record.5
Kremlin says Putin and Stubb agreed to keep direct contact after surprise callKremlin spokesman said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Finnish President Alexander Stubb spoke by telephone, and that the two leaders agreed to continue direct contact. The call was a surprise, and Prime Minister Petteri Orpo commented on what it was about.
Kremlin says Putin and Stubb agreed to keep direct contact after surprise call
First published Tue, Oct 27 · Updated Fri, Oct 30
Kremlin spokesman said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Finnish President Alexander Stubb spoke by telephone, and that the two leaders agreed to continue direct contact. The call was a surprise, and Prime Minister Petteri Orpo commented on what it was about.12
Bloomberg reported that Putin is planning talks with Stubb and with Norway's prime minister, a report carried by Finnish outlets under the heading of the war in Ukraine.345
Stubb drew immediate criticism from a neighbour over the call, with the critic saying: "I view it with extreme scepticism."6
UPDATES
Helsinki parties agree budget with more school food money and Sunday library hoursHelsinki's parties reached agreement on the city's budget for next year, with school pupils the clearest winners of the negotiations. The deal adds money for school meals, keeps libraries open on Sundays and sets a goal of cleaner metro stations.
Helsinki parties agree budget with more school food money and Sunday library hours
First published Tue, Oct 27
Ruled paragraphs are attributed to the outlet named in them, not stated as established fact.
Helsinki's parties reached agreement on the city's budget for next year, with school pupils the clearest winners of the negotiations. The deal adds money for school meals, keeps libraries open on Sundays and sets a goal of cleaner metro stations.123
The Social Democratic Party secured improvements in services for the unemployed, in education and in women's health in the negotiations. The Left Alliance won better school food and a cheaper dentist visit, and education cuts were rejected.45
Attributed claim: Kansan Uutiset, a left-leaning outlet, framed the outcome around the Left Alliance's gains and the rejection of education cuts, while Helsingin Sanomat, a centre outlet, led on school pupils as the winners of the talks. Both accounts describe the same agreed package of school meal funding, Sunday library opening and metro station upkeep.51
Lula wins Brazil's presidential runoff as Bolsonaro demands the result be annulledLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the second round of Brazil's presidential election. The result gives the left-wing veteran another term as president.
Lula wins Brazil's presidential runoff as Bolsonaro demands the result be annulled
First published Mon, Oct 26
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the second round of Brazil's presidential election. The result gives the left-wing veteran another term as president.123
The defeated candidate, Jair Bolsonaro, does not accept the result and is demanding that it be annulled. Demokraatti.fi reported that the loser is calling for new elections.143
Kauppalehti reported that markets were shocked by the result and that a wave of selling threatens, describing an improbable rise in the Brazilian presidential race. The same outlet reported that major banks had loaded up on Brazil and now face a hard test.56
Serbia's former president concedes defeat to student movement as Belgrade streets fill with celebrationsSerbia's former president has conceded defeat to the student movement, and the right-wing populists have acknowledged their loss, according to Finnish outlets. Celebrations filled the streets of Belgrade after the result.
Serbia's former president concedes defeat to student movement as Belgrade streets fill with celebrations
First published Mon, Oct 26
Serbia's former president has conceded defeat to the student movement, and the right-wing populists have acknowledged their loss, according to Finnish outlets. Celebrations filled the streets of Belgrade after the result.12
Power is changing hands in Serbia, but it is not yet certain who will become prime minister.3
Iltalehti's foreign editor Mikael Shepelenko wrote that Lula's victory in Brazil and Vučić's defeat in Serbia made the weekend a grim one for Trump and Putin, and that the election results in both countries can be seen as part of a wider struggle over the direction of democracy.4
Etelä-Suomen Sanomat framed the vote as Serbia's moment of destiny, asking whether the student movement will bring new winds and why a youth demanding democracy is a dilemma for the EU.5
The Telegraph: Russia may demand NATO troops withdraw from Finland in Ukraine peace talksRussia is pursuing hard goals in the Ukraine peace negotiations and will try to use the next round of talks to weaken NATO's defences, diplomatic sources told the British newspaper The Telegraph. According to the paper's sources, President Vladimir Putin may have a plan for Europe that includes a demand concerning Finland.
The Telegraph: Russia may demand NATO troops withdraw from Finland in Ukraine peace talks
First published Mon, Oct 26 · Updated Tue, Oct 27
Russia is pursuing hard goals in the Ukraine peace negotiations and will try to use the next round of talks to weaken NATO's defences, diplomatic sources told the British newspaper The Telegraph. According to the paper's sources, President Vladimir Putin may have a plan for Europe that includes a demand concerning Finland.123
The reported demand would mean a return to 1997 and the withdrawal of NATO troops from Finland as well, according to the Telegraph account carried by Finnish outlets. Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said on Sunday that Europe should be involved in negotiations alongside Russia, Ukraine and the United States.21
Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt said the Kremlin's announcement draws attention because Putin's top man acknowledged Europe's significance. Henri Vanhanen said Finland's security must not become part of the price of peace in Ukraine.45
UPDATES
Finnish prosecutors charge Vantaa prison leaders over 2022 cell murder of 21-year-old inmateProsecutors in Vantaa have brought official-misconduct charges over the 2022 killing of a 21-year-old man inside a prison cell, saying the prison's director and deputy director knew of serious security failings at the facility. The trial opened in Vantaa this week.
Finnish prosecutors charge Vantaa prison leaders over 2022 cell murder of 21-year-old inmate
First published Mon, Oct 26
Prosecutors in Vantaa have brought official-misconduct charges over the 2022 killing of a 21-year-old man inside a prison cell, saying the prison's director and deputy director knew of serious security failings at the facility. The trial opened in Vantaa this week.12
Two inmates carried out the murder in a transit cell in Vantaa, according to the prosecution account. Noise from the cell carried out while the man was tortured to death, and a guard told the killers to "be nice."34
Guards knew of a serious threat before the killing, the charges state. The case against the prison leadership turns on what the director and deputy director knew about the security shortcomings at the prison.51