A warmer winter and improvements in energy production saw emissions fall by 9 percent year-on-year.

County Council elections take place in January 2022. 

The aim is to curb the spread of Omicron in Finland, which is widely expected to be the predominant coronavirus variant.

Fitness tests indicate a decline in endurance, especially among eighth graders

Finland, which has specific rules on who can vaccinate, is exploring how to speed up the roll-out of third doses.

Estimates suggest that e-commerce now accounts for around three percent of the country's overall grocery trade.

"We need to acknowledge that the world already has concrete examples of the tidal wave that's in store if we don't protect ourselves," the Minister for Family and Basic Services, Krista Kiuru, said.

Omicron worries dominate Finnish headlines on Wednesday, but there was other news, too.

Paper union workers could strike in the new year.

While relatively few infection cases so far involve foreign tourists, tourism operators are concerned about the impact tougher measures may have on the sector.

A report on the mostly-sealed case said that the defendant first contacted the victims through social media.

Finland cut training capacity for prison guards a decade ago. 

Meanwhile, a vaccine expert says virtually everyone will eventually be exposed to the new coronavirus variant, adding that vaccinations still protect people from severe forms of Covid-19.

Niinistö expressed grave concern over the tense situation at the borders of Ukraine and stressed the need to find a diplomatic resolution.

Compartment No. 6, directed by Juho Kuosmanen, is in the running for the Golden Globe Award for best non-English-language film.

Most morning papers report a phone conversation between the Finnish and US presidents, and a planned call between Sauli Niinistö and Vladimir Putin.

The report says that while Finland has ambitious climate goals, it needs to implement their plans rather than continue coming up with new ones.

A boss at the Helsinki and Uusimaa hospital district has called for third booster shots of Covid vaccines as well as the use of face masks.

One in three students at universities and universities of applied sciences reported suffering from symptoms of anxiety and depression, with the rate even higher among women.

The jabs will first go to children belonging to risk groups, with a broader roll-out not expected until next year.

Higher costs are being seen by people living in both single-family homes and in apartments.

Each December 13, residents of Europe’s north crown a modern-day light-bringer on St. Lucia’s Day, one of the few saint’s days observed in the Nordics.

The key criteria for the introduction of the emergency brake have already been met, according to a Ministry of Social Affairs and Health official.

Health officials are reported to be urging increasingly tough measures to deal with the surge in coronavirus infections in Finland.

Train traffic between Finland and Russia, which has been on hiatus since spring 2020, re-started on Sunday.

Photos show two locomotives crushed together nose-to-nose, with significant damage to at least one of them.

Administering a mix of different types of vaccine may also improve protection against Covid-19, the European Medicines Agency says.

Police detained 38 people involved in Saturday's protest in the Sörnäinen district.

Negotiations with UPM were to continue on Sunday, but the firm said in an email that they were postponed until Friday, without giving a reason.

The commander of the Defence Forces does not see direct threats to Finland at the moment.