A study from the University of Turku has found that experiencing bullying activates the brain’s emotional and stress regulation systems in both adolescents and adults. The research, conducted by the Turku PET Centre and published in the Journal of Neuroscience, used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine how the brain responds to social aggression.| Helsinki Times
French President Emmanuel Macron has formally recognised the State of Palestine during a joint conference with Saudi Arabia at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. France joins the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Luxembourg, Andorra, San Marino, and Malta in a coordinated move to endorse Palestinian statehood. These recognitions follow years of stalling within the Western bloc and come amid widespread international concern over Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.| Helsinki Times
A widespread technical failure disrupted the start of Finland’s autumn matriculation exam period on Monday, halting the mother tongue reading comprehension test in at least 20 upper secondary schools. The problem emerged shortly after 9am, when exam supervisors began receiving error messages from the digital examination system warning that server disk space was running out.| Helsinki Times
THE DISTRICT COURT of Western Uusimaa on Tuesday found Aleksanteri Kivimäki, 26, guilty of a slew of offences linked to Vastaamo Psychotherapy Centre. Kivimäki was sentenced to six years and three months in prison for aggravated computer break-in, 9,231 counts of disseminating information violating personal privacy, 20,745 counts of attempted aggravated extortion and 20 counts of aggravated extortion.| Helsinki Times
Aleksanteri Kivimäki, convicted of thousands of cybercrimes linked to the Vastaamo data breach, has been released from custody by the Helsinki Court of Appeal. The decision followed two days of testimony from Kivimäki, who denied all charges. The court cited his prolonged pretrial detention as the reason for release. He has been in custody since February 2023. His trial will continue through November.| Helsinki Times
Helsinki Times is an independent weekly newspaper covering news and events in Finland. Available on annual subscription, and on sale at R-kioskis, bookstores and newsstands.| Helsinki Times
Finland knocked Serbia out of EuroBasket 2025 with a 92–86 win in the Round of 16, ending the title hopes of one of the tournament’s main contenders. The result marked Finland’s first victory over Serbia since 2009. It also confirmed back-to-back quarter-final appearances for the Finnish national team, known as the Susijengi. Lauri Markkanen scored 29 points and collected 7 rebounds, but the decisive shots came from Elias Valtonen, who added 8 of his 13 points in the final two minutes.| Helsinki Times
Finland’s government has delayed the start of formal budget negotiations after a row erupted over remarks made by senior members of the Finns Party. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo appeared alone at the opening press conference, stating that no fiscal agreements would be reached before coalition leaders addressed issues of language and conduct within the government. The unusual move signalled a deepening divide inside the four-party coalition, which gathered in Helsinki’s Smolna state residen...| Helsinki Times
The Finns Party MP and deputy party chair Teemu Keskisarja has drawn widespread criticism across Finland’s political spectrum after claiming on national television that the country is experiencing a “population replacement” and receiving “low-quality” immigrants. Speaking on Yle’s A-studio, Keskisarja described immigration as a “partially realised catastrophe” and argued that Finland had accepted “hundreds of thousands of mostly low-quality arrivals” over a single generat...| Helsinki Times
Riikka Purra said mass immigration poses an existential threat to Finland’s welfare system and national identity. Speaking at the Finns Party’s parliamentary summer meeting in Oulu, the finance minister said she personally pushed for an additional €1 billion in spending cuts ahead of the government’s autumn budget session. “If I had not proposed the cuts, they would not be on the table now,” Purra said. “The welfare state is at its end. Mass immigration is the end of the Finnish...| Helsinki Times
The United States has deployed advanced F-35 fighter jets to the Caribbean and is weighing military strikes inside Venezuela, prompting President Nicolás Maduro to order a mass mobilisation of paramilitary forces and warn of armed resistance. President Donald Trump confirmed on Friday that ten stealth fighters are being sent to Puerto Rico to support ongoing operations against Latin American drug cartels, which Washington has labelled “narco-terrorist” organisations. The move follows the...| Helsinki Times
A DAMAGED CABLE has been confirmed as the cause of the failure detected in Estlink 2, an electricity transmission link between Finland and Estonia, on Wednesday, report YLE and Helsingin Sanomat. Finnish authorities revealed yesterday at a news conference that the damage is believed to have been caused by Eagle S, a Cook Islands-flagged oil tanker that is understood to be part of the so-called shadow fleet of Russia.| Helsinki Times
The captain of the Eagle S tanker has denied all criminal responsibility in a Helsinki court after the vessel damaged five undersea cables while sailing through the Gulf of Finland on Christmas Day 2024. Davit Vadatchkoria, a Georgian national, faces charges of aggravated criminal damage and serious interference with communications. Prosecutors are seeking at least two-and-a-half years of imprisonment for Vadatchkoria and two senior officers aboard the Cook Islands-flagged vessel.| Helsinki Times
A group of Palestinian researchers in Finland are at risk of deportation following a legal change that invalidates Palestinian passports as accepted proof of identity in residence permit applications. The Finnish Union of University Researchers and Teachers (Tieteentekijät) said on Friday that the situation affects multiple doctoral researchers at Finnish universities. The union is calling on the Ministry of the Interior and the government to intervene immediately.| Helsinki Times
Helsinki Times is an independent weekly newspaper covering news and events in Finland. Available on annual subscription, and on sale at R-kioskis, bookstores and newsstands.| Helsinki Times
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Finland’s economy is set for weak growth in 2025, with a fuller recovery not expected before 2026, according to a new economic outlook released by Danske Bank. The bank forecasts a 0.9 percent increase in GDP next year, followed by 2.0 percent growth in 2026. It identified high unemployment, weak consumer confidence and global trade tensions as main obstacles to faster recovery.| Helsinki Times
Karol Nawrocki, President of Poland, will visit Finland on 9 September for a working meeting with Alexander Stubb, President of Finland. The visit will take place at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki. The two heads of state will hold official talks focused on bilateral cooperation between Poland and Finland. The agenda also includes Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and other regional security issues.| Helsinki Times
Buyers in the Helsinki region are prepared to pay far more for homes than buyers elsewhere in Finland, according to new figures from Oikotie. While half of prospective homeowners across the country are budgeting no more than €200,000 for a home, only a quarter of those looking in the capital region are doing the same. Among Helsinki region buyers, 26 percent are looking for properties priced between €200,000 and €300,000.| Helsinki Times
Members of the Finnish Parliament will receive increased salaries from 1 October, following a decision by the parliamentary remuneration committee. The adjustment includes rises for ministers, deputy speakers, and the Speaker of Parliament. First-term MPs will see their monthly pay increase by €500 to €7,637, a rise of 7%. Those in their second or third term will receive €7,944. MPs with more than 12 years of service will receive €8,393, up from €7,993.| Helsinki Times
Support for Finland’s Social Democratic Party (SDP) has climbed to 25.8%, the highest level recorded in two decades, according to Yle’s latest monthly poll. The figures, gathered by Taloustutkimus between 11 August and 2 September, show a 1.1 percentage point rise for the opposition party compared to the previous month. SDP, led by Antti Lindtman, now holds a lead of over six percentage points ahead of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's National Coalition Party (Kokoomus), which remains steady...| Helsinki Times
More people in Finland are turning to food aid, but there is less food to give, according to a new report by the national food assistance platform Ruoka-apu.fi. The Ruoka-avun tilannekatsaus report, published this week, found that 73% of food aid providers saw an increase in demand during 2024. Families with children, young people, and immigrants, including those who fled the war in Ukraine, were identified as the fastest-growing user groups.| Helsinki Times
Food delivery platform Wolt is asking Finland’s Supreme Administrative Court to annul its recent ruling that classified Wolt couriers as employees, not independent entrepreneurs. The company claims the decision misapplied legal principles and failed to consider relevant EU case law. Wolt confirmed on Tuesday it had filed for annulment of the May ruling, which reshaped the legal landscape for platform-based work in Finland. The decision found that Wolt’s couriers operate under conditions t...| Helsinki Times
New figures from the Finnish Immigration Service show that Estonia leads the nationality breakdown of foreign nationals ordered to leave Finland due to criminal convictions this year. Between January and July 2025, Migri issued 136 deportation decisions based on criminal grounds. Of these, 23 involved Estonian citizens, the highest of any nationality. Iraq and Russia followed, with 18 deportation decisions each. Other nationalities in the top group included Albania, Iran, Somalia, Afghanistan...| Helsinki Times
Finnish police and the Defence Forces are conducting an extended search operation at a private residence in the Voikkaa district of Kouvola. The operation has continued for over a week and is connected to an ongoing criminal investigation, according to the Southeast Finland Police Department. According to Ilta-Sanomat, authorities are searching the property for firearms and explosives.| Helsinki Times
Helsinki Times is an independent weekly newspaper covering news and events in Finland. Available on annual subscription, and on sale at R-kioskis, bookstores and newsstands.| Helsinki Times
Helsinki has completed an entire year without a single traffic-related fatality, according to city and police officials. The last recorded death occurred in early July 2024 in the Kontula district. Authorities described the milestone as exceptional and credited long-term planning, targeted infrastructure changes, and lower speed limits. “A lot of factors contributed to this, but speed limits are one of the most important,” said Roni Utriainen, traffic engineer with the city’s Urban Envi...| Helsinki Times
On a quiet Baltic archipelago better known for seal hunting and ferry routes, one man has built a weapon that links traditional Nordic gun culture to American-inspired 3D firearm design. Elias Andersson, 28, lives on the Åland Islands, an autonomous Finnish region with a population of about 30,000. From a workshop in the capital Mariehamn, Andersson has created the Printax 001, a 3D-printed firearm named after the islands’ country-code domain “.AX”.| Helsinki Times
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The Finnish Data Protection Ombudsman has imposed a €1.1 million fine on Yliopiston Apteekki for violating data privacy laws by sharing sensitive customer data with external technology companies. An investigation by the Ombudsman’s sanctions board found that the pharmacy chain used website tracking tools that passed prescription and over-the-counter medication data to Google and Meta. The breach occurred through cookies and other embedded technologies on its online store.| Helsinki Times
