As a carbon sink, forests are a crucial tool to fighting climate change.

HUS' diagnostics director, Lasse Lehtonen, said the decisive factor will be how well people's vaccinations protect against serious forms of Omicron-caused cases of Covid.

Papers ask questions about mental health and Covid on Friday morning.

Police suspect a man grew and sold cannabis on a professional basis for years, earning some 300,000 euros.

Police suspect three young people aged 15 to 16 of attempted manslaughter.

This week APN asks what the Omicron variant means for Christmas and we hear why an Elon Musk tweet made the Finnish news.

Protecting the population and maintaining healthcare capacity during the pandemic are compelling reasons to justify exceptionally far-reaching government action, the committee said.

Tightening border rules is part of Finland's response to the Omicron variant.

Finland's leading health officials struck a concerned tone at Thursday's weekly Covid briefing. 

The reactor was originally set to begin operations in 2009 but has been set back by repeated delays and cost overruns.

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.

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.