Spring weather is advancing rapidly across Finland, with temperatures expected to rise close to 15°C later this week as sunshine returns after a brief cooler spell. According to Foreca meteorologist Kristian Roine, the mild conditions that dominated the weekend will continue through the coming days, although temperatures will dip slightly before warming again toward the end of the week. Over the weekend, southern and eastern parts of Finland experienced unusually warm conditions for early...

United States forces struck military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island as the illegal war of aggression of the United States and Israel against Iran entered its third week. Retaliations of Iran on US assets have resulted in attacks spreading across the Gulf, with a drone strike also hitting a major oil complex in the United Arab Emirates today. The Kharg island handles about 90 percent of Iran’s crude exports and stands at the centre of the country’s oil trade. The US attack targeted military ...

The United States has issued a 30-day sanctions waiver allowing the purchase of Russian oil stranded at sea, prompting sharp criticism from European leaders who warned the decision could increase revenue for Moscow during the war in Ukraine. The waiver, announced by the US Treasury, allows countries to buy Russian crude oil and petroleum products that were loaded onto vessels on or before March 12. The authorisation remains valid until April 11, according to the licence published by the Tre...

Finland’s education ministry has proposed ending religious instruction in primary schools and replacing it with a single shared worldview subject for all pupils, citing equality concerns and rising education costs as student numbers decline. A working group appointed by Finland’s Ministry of Education and Culture has proposed scrapping religious instruction in comprehensive schools and replacing it with a single worldview subject taught to all pupils. The proposal forms part of a wider re...

Young people in Finland report growing pressure over work, studies and the future, while overall life satisfaction has fallen to the lowest level recorded since the Youth Barometer began more than three decades ago. The findings appear in the Youth Barometer 2025, an annual survey examining the attitudes, expectations and experiences of people aged 15 to 29 living in mainland Finland. The latest edition focused on pressures faced by young people and gathered responses from 2,312 participants.

Restaurant Palace in Helsinki has retained its position at the top of Finland’s 50 Best Restaurants list for the seventh consecutive year. The ranking, voted by industry professionals, was announced on Wednesday at the Gastro Helsinki trade fair. The waterfront restaurant in Helsinki’s Eteläranta district has led the national list every year since 2020. The ranking placed Helsinki restaurant BasBas in second position, while Grön secured third place.

The Finnish city of Vantaa will require pupils to keep their faces visible throughout the school day under a new rule that bans face-covering clothing in comprehensive schools. City officials announced the policy to parents through the Wilma school communication system on Monday. The measure will take effect at the start of the next academic year on 1 August. The rule requires pupils in Vantaa’s comprehensive schools to remain identifiable at all times during the school day. The restricti...

NATO and allied forces began a major military exercise across northern Finland, Norway and Sweden on Monday as the alliance increases its focus on Arctic defence and expands its command presence in Finland. The Cold Response 26 exercise, led by Norway, brings together about 25,000 soldiers from 14 countries for nearly two weeks of training in winter conditions across the Nordic region. In Finland, activity centres on the Rovajärvi training area in Lapland.

Thousands of people marched through central Helsinki on Sunday to mark International Women’s Day and call for stronger protection of women’s rights. Police estimated that up to 15,000 participants joined the demonstration, which began at Rautatientori at 14:00 and moved through the city centre before ending at Kansalaistori. The march formed one of the largest public events in the Finnish capital on Sunday.

Finnish food group Fazer has signed a memorandum of understanding with Reliance Consumer Products Limited to examine a partnership that would introduce Finnish chocolate products to the Indian market. The move coincides with a Finnish state visit to India aimed at strengthening trade and economic ties between the two countries. The agreement sets out plans to evaluate the export and distribution of selected Fazer chocolate products produced in Finland. The companies will also assess the cre...

Burnout symptoms have increased and work ability has declined slightly among workers, while concern about the future of employment has grown, according to a new study on working life. The research shows that uncertainty about work prospects has become more common. About 40 per cent of working-age people say they are concerned about how their job will look in the future. Nearly half, 45 per cent, say they cannot predict what will happen in their work. Only 16 per cent believe their job sit...

A surge of warm air and sunshine will lift temperatures across Finland this weekend, with forecasters warning that parts of the country may approach 10°C for the first time this year. Meteorologists say the shift marks a clear step toward spring after a cold start to 2026. Daytime temperatures will rise above freezing across much of the country, including Lapland. According to forecasts from the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the warmest conditions will appear in the south and west.

A United States submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka, killing at least 87 sailors, amid the US-Israeli war against Iran. Sri Lankan authorities said the vessel, identified as the IRIS Dena, went down about 40km off the country’s southern coast after issuing a distress call. The navy recovered 87 bodies and rescued 32 survivors. About 180 people were believed to have been on board. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the strike at a Pentagon briefing.

Finnish police will seek the remand of a 71-year-old man on suspicion of five murders, two attempted murders and aggravated arson after a fatal apartment block fire in Vantaa. The blaze tore through a residential building in the Pähkinärinne district in the early hours of Tuesday 3 March. Five members of a Somali family died. Eastern Uusimaa Police said the suspect will be presented to the district court on Friday morning.

The war between Iran and a US-Israeli alliance intensified on Tuesday, with drone strikes hitting the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia, fresh bombardments reported in Tehran and Beirut, and the death toll in Iran climbing sharply. Saudi authorities said two drones struck the US diplomatic compound in Riyadh, causing a limited fire and minor structural damage. No casualties were reported, but the embassy suspended services and urged American citizens to shelter in place.

Finnair has suspended flights to Doha and cancelled all services to Dubai for the rest of the winter season due to the security situation in the Middle East. The airline said flights to Qatar’s capital will remain suspended until 10 March. All flights to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates have been cancelled until 28 March, marking the end of the current winter timetable. Finnair announced the decision on Monday and said it is contacting affected passengers directly by text message and email.

Finnish Customs seized 2,574 kilos of illegal drugs in 2025. The total stood more than 500 kilos above the year before, despite a fall in recorded narcotics offences. Officers also intercepted record levels of cocaine and drug medicines. The agency identified 147 intoxicating substances during the year and uncovered new synthetic opioids in tablet form. Authorities said organised smuggling remained active.

Iran has begun 40 days of mourning after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in joint United States and Israeli air strikes on Tehran, state media confirmed on Sunday. The attack targeted his compound and senior military officials, marking the most serious assault on Iran’s leadership since 1979. Iranian state television announced Khamenei’s death early on Sunday, hours after explosions struck central Tehran. Satellite images published by Reuters showed heavy damage and black s...

United States President Donald Trump said “major combat operations” had begun against Iran as US and Israeli forces carried out joint strikes on Tehran and other cities, prompting retaliatory missile attacks across the Middle East. Explosions shook central Tehran early on Saturday. Iranian media and verified footage showed smoke rising near government compounds and residential districts. One strike landed close to the office of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Finland’s Immigration Service (Migri) issued 169 deportation decisions against foreign nationals convicted of crimes last year, the highest figure recorded to date. The total marks an increase of more than 30 per cent compared with the previous year. The figures were first reported by Helsingin Sanomat on Friday. The largest groups by nationality were Iraqi, Estonian and Russian citizens. The majority of those ordered to leave the country were men.

United States broadcasting regulators warned television and radio outlets that licences face risk if reporting on the war with Iran contains what officials call distortions, prompting criticism from politicians and press freedom advocates. The warning came from Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr, who wrote on social media that broadcasters that spread “hoaxes and news distortions” about the conflict must change course before licence renewals.

Finland’s Social Affairs and Health Minister Wille Rydman has defended a controversial government proposal on digital technology in elder care while signalling further reductions in funding for social and health organisations, prompting criticism from opposition lawmakers. Speaking on Yle’s Ykkösaamu programme, Rydman rejected claims that the government plans to replace care workers with technology in residential elder care facilities. The proposal would allow staffing requirements in round...

Finland’s main opposition leader Antti Lindtman demanded a halt to government plans that would remove legal restrictions on nuclear weapons from Finnish law, calling for a cross-party review of the country’s nuclear policy after talks with President Alexander Stubb and party leaders in Helsinki on Friday. Lindtman, who leads the Social Democratic Party, said the government should suspend its legislative proposal and allow parliament parties to assess Finland’s nuclear policy through a tempo...

A free food distribution programme in Helsinki will close after more than three decades because surplus food donations from retailers and producers have fallen by about 80 percent, leaving organisers unable to supply the growing number of people who arrive for help. A long running food aid service in the Helsinki district of Myllypuro will close after more than 30 years as supplies of surplus food from retailers and producers drop to levels that organisers say make the programme impossible ...

Three commercial vessels were struck by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday as the war of aggression against Iran, by Israel and the United States, widened across the Gulf and the eastern Mediterranean. Maritime authorities confirmed that a Thai-flagged bulk carrier caught fire after an explosion near Oman. Twenty crew members escaped while three sailors remain missing, according to Thailand’s Marine Department and the vessel’s operator, Precious Shipping.

Dubbed by the Internet as “Epstein Fury” and by the Iranian foreign minister as “Epic Mistake”, Trump's and Netanyahu’s war on Iran has become extremely costly for the global business. Trump’s war on Iran continues to reshape global markets amid ongoing escalations. Global equities lost more than $6 trillion in value since the first strikes and threats around the Strait of Hormuz triggered shock across energy and transport markets. "This is the biggest 'I told you so in history, "Qatar's Fo...

A spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps rejected statements by former United States president Donald Trump and said Iranian forces remain active in the regional conflict. The remarks came in a statement released by the Guard’s public relations office and reported by the Iranian news agency Tasnim. Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naini, spokesman for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, criticised comments by Trump regarding the condition of Iran’s armed forces and the si...

Global stock markets fell sharply on Monday while oil prices surged past $100 a barrel after the United States and Israel expanded military strikes on Iran, raising fears of disruption to global energy supplies. Financial markets reacted with losses across Asia and Europe as traders responded to the risk that the conflict could halt oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a route that carries about one fifth of the world’s crude exports.

An explosion struck the United States embassy compound in Oslo during the early hours of Sunday, prompting a large police response and an investigation into a possible terrorist attack. The blast occurred at about 01:00 local time outside the public entrance to the diplomatic complex in the Huseby district of the Norwegian capital. Authorities reported no injuries, though the explosion caused damage to the entrance area including shattered glass and interior fixtures.

Finland’s housing market recorded fewer transactions in February 2026, yet price indicators in large cities showed signs of recovery after a prolonged decline. Data from the Finnish Association of Real Estate Agencies points to weak consumer confidence while wage growth and lower property values improved affordability for buyers. A total of 4,039 housing transactions took place across Finland in February. The figure marks a decline of 9.4 per cent from the same month in 2025. The data inclu...

The Social Democratic Party has extended its lead over the governing National Coalition Party to the widest margin of the current parliamentary term, according to a new opinion poll published by the Finnish public broadcaster Yle. The survey places the Social Democrats at 25.0 per cent support, unchanged from the previous month. Support for the National Coalition Party fell by 0.9 percentage points to 17.9 per cent.

Finland’s government plans to remove a legal ban that blocks nuclear weapons from entering the country. The proposal links the change to national defence and cooperation with NATO allies. The plan forms part of amendments to Finland’s Nuclear Energy Act. Defence minister Antti Häkkänen announced the proposal at a press briefing in Helsinki on Thursday evening. The current law from the 1980s bans the import, possession, manufacture and detonation of nuclear explosives on Finnish territory.

Finland will organise a state-assisted repatriation flight from Oman to Helsinki for citizens stranded in the United Arab Emirates as fighting between the United States, Israel and Iran disrupts air travel across the Middle East. Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said the charter flight will depart from Muscat over the coming weekend. Seats will be sold to passengers at a cost of about €2,300 each. “Those Finns who wish to leave can buy a seat on this self-funded flight,” Valtonen wrote on ...

An investigation by Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera into the bombing of a girls’ primary school in southern Iran has raised questions over whether the site was deliberately targeted during US and Israeli strikes on the country. Missiles hit Shajareh Tayyebeh school in the city of Minab on the morning of 28 February, killing 165 people, most of them girls aged between seven and 12, according to Iranian authorities. At least 95 others were injured.

A fire tore through a block of flats in Vantaa early on Tuesday, killing five members of the same family and leaving a newborn in hospital. Police suspect arson and are investigating five counts of murder and aggravated arson. Emergency services received the alarm at 5.41am for a building fire on Pähkinärinteentie in the Pähkinärinne district of west Vantaa. By morning, crews had extinguished the blaze.

Oil prices rose by up to nine per cent on Monday after United States and Israeli strikes on Iran and reported attacks on tankers near the Strait of Hormuz unsettled global energy markets. Brent crude climbed to around 79 dollars a barrel in early trading, while US benchmark West Texas Intermediate rose above 72 dollars. Equity markets in Europe and Asia fell as investors reacted to the widening conflict and the risk of supply disruption.

Iran and Israel traded further strikes on Sunday as the region absorbed the impact of the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint United States and Israeli assault. Iranian state media confirmed Khamenei’s death after heavy bombardment of Tehran and other cities. Satellite imagery reviewed by international outlets showed damage to his compound in the capital. The United States has named the campaign Operation Epic Fury and said it aims to dismantle Iran’s military...

Finland enters the weekend under mild and unsettled conditions, with authorities warning of extensive ice on pavements across the south and centre of the country. The Finnish Meteorological Institute said on Thursday that snowfall will weaken in eastern areas and eastern Lapland by the evening, while a new band of snow reaches Northern Ostrobothnia from the west. Over the past two days, up to 15 centimetres of snow has fallen in south-eastern Finland. In southern and central regions, prec...

Pakistan launched air strikes on Kabul and other Afghan cities early on Friday, marking the most serious escalation between the neighbours in months and prompting Islamabad to declare “open war” on the Taliban authorities. Jets struck targets in the Afghan capital at about 1:50am local time, according to Al Jazeera, which cited its correspondent in Kabul. Residents reported loud explosions and anti-aircraft fire over the city. Blasts were also heard in Kandahar and in Paktia province.

An elderly resident pressed an alarm button 11 times within an hour. No one answered. The resident died later the same day at a care home in Espoo. Police now suspect a criminal offence. Western Uusimaa Police said on Thursday that they are investigating the death of an elderly person at the Attendo Olarinpuisto care home in Espoo on 25 January. The case is being examined under the titles of negligent homicide and endangerment. Police have questioned one person as a suspect and will inter...

Prime ministers from the Nordic states and Canada met in Oslo on Sunday to discuss Arctic security, support for Ukraine and cooperation on defence production, as Finland’s prime minister warned that easing sanctions on Russian oil would strengthen Moscow’s war effort. The meeting brought together leaders from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Canada. Norway hosted the talks in its capital. The leaders issued a joint statement that pledged deeper cooperation in security, defence ...

Food delivery company Wolt plans to expand its operations in Finland with the launch of a new employee benefits platform, Wolt Benefits, scheduled for summer 2026. The service will combine common workplace perks such as lunch, sports and culture benefits into one system for employers and staff. The company said the platform aims to simplify the use and management of employment benefits while introducing new competition in a market long dominated by established providers.

Delivery platform Wolt plans new controls aimed at preventing illegal work and account misuse among couriers, including stricter identity checks, a one-account policy and the creation of a dedicated enforcement unit. Food delivery company Wolt has announced a set of new measures designed to prevent grey economy activity on its platform, including stricter identity checks for couriers and a rule limiting users to a single courier account.

The International Energy Agency agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil from emergency reserves after the Iran war halted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and drove global crude prices above $100 a barrel. The decision marks the largest coordinated release of strategic oil stocks since the agency formed in 1974. The International Energy Agency approved the largest coordinated release of oil reserves in its history after the US–Israeli was against Iran disrupted global energy marke...

The European Central Bank has imposed a financial penalty of €2.26 million on Nordea after its Finnish subsidiary incorrectly reported credit risk exposures for several years, breaching European Union banking regulations. The sanction concerns Nordea Finance Finland, a financing company owned by the Nordic banking group. According to the ECB, the subsidiary reported guaranteed receivables incorrectly between 2021 and 2024.

Iran warned it will do the same to its enemies if attacks on its infrastructure continue, as the United States and Israel intensified military operations across the country and the wider Middle East. Officials in Tehran said the war entered a new phase while Washington signalled its largest day of strikes since the conflict began. Israel and the US have increasingly shifted their targets towards civilian infrastructure such as water desalination plants, oil depots, civilian airports, and re...

Finland’s security service warned on Tuesday that extremist violence among young people and attempts by organised crime groups to enter state institutions pose growing risks to national security. The warning appeared in the latest national security review issued by the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service, known as Supo. The report states that Russia remains the central intelligence threat to Finland while new risks arise from social media algorithms, artificial intelligence and increa...

Finnish police say organised crime networks recruited teenagers to carry out a contract killing attempt linked to a drug debt, after a fire in a residential building in Vantaa placed dozens of residents in danger last December. The investigation by Helsinki Police centres on a stairwell fire in the Korso district of Vantaa on 17 December 2025. Authorities suspect two boys aged 15 set the blaze as part of a planned murder attempt targeting a relative of a person who owed money from a drug deal.

The war between the United States, Israel, and Iran intensified on its eighth day as air strikes continued across Iran and retaliatory missile strikes spread across the Middle East. Washington demanded Iran’s unconditional surrender while Tehran vowed to continue resistance and retaliatory attacks against US and Israeli military targets in the region. United States and Israeli forces launched new waves of air attacks across Iran on Saturday as the conflict entered its second week. Explosion...

The Winter Paralympic Games opened in Verona with Russian and Belarusian athletes marching behind national flags for the first time since bans followed the invasion of Ukraine. The moment drew silence from sections of the crowd while volunteers carrying the Ukrainian flag received loud applause inside the Arena di Verona. The ceremony marked the start of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympics and the fiftieth anniversary of the Games. The event took place inside the Arena di Verona, a Ro...

Hundreds of citizens have registered for a government-organised repatriation flight from the Middle East as conflict across the region disrupts air travel and leaves travellers stranded. Foreign ministry officials say demand for the flight far exceeds available seats. The aircraft scheduled to depart on Sunday has space for about 155 to 160 passengers. More than 600 people have already expressed interest in the flight.

Finnish Customs has opened a large investigation into suspected tax fraud linked to used vehicle imports into Finland. Authorities state that more than 3,500 vehicles entered the country through arrangements that avoided value added tax. The suspected loss to the state exceeds €60 million. The investigation centres on purchases of used vehicles from other European Union member states. Finnish Customs reports that the cars carried a purchase value of about €115 million. Investigators state t...

Cleaning and property services firm SOL Palvelut has confirmed that employees were asked to pay for jobs after commissioning an independent review into labour practices. The company ordered the inquiry following public debate last autumn about possible work-related exploitation. The review, carried out between October and December 2025 by the Code of Conduct Company, examined recruitment, induction, payroll processes and reporting channels for misconduct. An anonymous survey was sent to 5...

Donald Trump has criticised Britain and Spain for refusing to fully back US strikes on Iran, threatening to halt trade with Madrid and accusing London of delaying access to military bases. Speaking during an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday, Trump said he was “not happy with the UK” after Prime Minister Keir Starmer declined to join the US-Israeli assault launched at the weekend. “This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with,” Trump said.

French President Emmanuel Macron has ordered an increase in France’s nuclear warheads and outlined plans to involve European allies more closely in the country’s deterrence strategy. Speaking at the Île Longue naval base in Brittany, home to France’s ballistic missile submarines, Macron said the current security climate required a shift in doctrine and a stronger arsenal. “An increase of our arsenal is indispensable,” he said, standing before the nuclear-powered submarine Le Téméraire.

Three United States F-15 fighter jets crashed in Kuwait during combat operations linked to the war with Iran, after Kuwaiti air defences shot them down in what Washington described as a friendly fire incident. The crashes came as fighting spread across the Gulf and Lebanon, with fresh strikes reported in Tehran and Beirut and more than 555 people reported killed in Iran since Saturday.

Demonstrators gathered outside Tampere’s Nokia Arena on Saturday evening calling for a boycott of Eurovision over Israel’s participation, as Finland selected its entry for this year’s contest in Vienna. Between 50 and 100 people assembled near the arena hours before the live broadcast of the UMK ("New Music competition") final, according to Finland’s Interior Police and reports by Iltalehti. Activists waved Palestinian flags and chanted slogans including “Down with Israel”.

Finland’s President Alexander Stubb said the risk of escalation in the Middle East is high after the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran. Speaking to Yle’s Ykkösaamu programme hours after the attacks began, Stubb described the situation as serious and said the coming hours would prove decisive. “The risk of escalation is highly possible,” he said. “We hope the situation calms down, but right now it looks like it is escalating.” According to reports received from ...

Finland’s economy expanded by 0.2 per cent in 2025, according to updated data released by Statistics Finland on Friday, with growth in the final quarter falling short of earlier estimates. Seasonally adjusted gross domestic product rose by 0.4 per cent between October and December compared with the previous quarter. Initial figures published in January had indicated quarterly growth of 0.6 per cent. Statistics Finland said investment and private consumption drove the increase in the final...

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Beijing on 24 February for a two day visit focused on trade, Ukraine and shifting global power balances. He travelled with more than 30 senior executives from Volkswagen, BMW, Siemens and Airbus. The trip marked his first to China since taking office in May 2025 and came amid strain in transatlantic trade relations.