According to the statement, Ebookers’ website, mobile app, and loyalty programme will no longer be available in Finland after that date. However, existing bookings will remain unaffected.

New travel reservations can still be made through Ebookers until the end of October, provided the trip concludes before early November. After 2 September, new hotel bookings will be redirected to Hotels.com, which is part of the same brand family as Ebookers.

Bookings for flights, car rentals, holiday packages, and activities will no longer be possible through Ebookers after the shutdown date.

The announcement was first reported by Finnish public broadcaster Yle.

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Speaking at the reception, Xi stated, “We should be partners, not rivals,” emphasising cooperation over competition.

WHO confirms eight hantavirus cases linked to Atlantic cruise

The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed eight cases of hantavirus among passengers connected to a recent Atlantic cruise. Three additional suspected cases are under laboratory investigation.

Large-scale Russian attack on Kyiv

Explosions were reported in Kyiv after Russia launched a major aerial assault on the Ukrainian capital overnight, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko. In a Telegram post, Klitschko wrote that “the enemy is attacking Kyiv with drones and ballistic missiles.”

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The Tidö coalition—a centre-right alliance of the Moderates, Christian Democrats, and Sweden Democrats—has dropped 1.5 percentage points since February, with statistically significant losses among men. Support among male Tidö voters fell by 4 percentage points in May alone, according to Verian’s opinion chief Per Söderpalm.

“Voter shifts are moving toward both the opposition and non-voting, as well as parties outside parliament,” Söderpalm said.

Meanwhile, the opposition bloc of Social Democrats, Left Party, Greens, and Centre Party now leads by 10.7 points, bolstered by gains in the Stockholm region, where red-green support surpasses the Tidö parties by nearly 15 points. The Green Party saw the sharpest rise, climbing 1.8 points to 7.9 percent, while the Centre Party fell 1.3 points.

Gender divides deepen as female voters increasingly undecided
The poll also reveals growing uncertainty among women, with nearly 20 percent now undecided—up significantly since April. Opposition parties, however, are gaining ground with male voters.

“While opposition support rises among men, we see a growing share of women not committing to any party,” Söderpalm noted.

The survey, conducted April 27–May 10, included roughly 3,000 interviews with participants aged 18–84 from Verian’s representative panel of 85,000 Swedes. Responses were weighted to reflect demographics such as gender, age, region, education, and past voting behaviour.

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The child’s mother, identified only as Marie, told Yle that the city failed to arrange a suitable placement despite repeated requests and submitted expert evaluations. The boy, diagnosed with ADHD, Tourette’s syndrome, speech and language development disorders, and specific learning difficulties, previously attended a special school in Helsinki but has been without schooling for the entire spring term.

Marie said she first contacted Espoo’s education authorities in December 2025—before relocating to the city—to secure a school place for her son. After moving in January, she applied to the local school in February, providing medical assessments outlining his need for a calm environment and small-group instruction. Weeks passed without progress, and she was told a school doctor’s examination could not be scheduled until a placement was confirmed.

By April, a new neuropsychological evaluation from HUS Children’s Psychiatry reaffirmed the boy’s need for small-group learning due to sensory overload in larger settings. Marie submitted the report to the school, but administrators only offered to provide a primer and homework notebook. No formal placement decision was issued.

“This is terrifying. I feel uncertain and hopeless about the future,” Marie said. “I just want my child to get the support he needs so things can move forward.”

The Finnish National Agency for Education told Yle that cases of students lacking placements are “very rare”, typically linked to inter-municipal moves, shortages in special education capacity, or child welfare placements. Espoo’s basic education director, Juha Nurmi, acknowledged delays can occur when assessing support needs, awaiting evaluations, or if guardians withhold requested documents or reject proposed placements.

Nurmi emphasised the importance of tailoring support to the child’s needs—”sufficient but not excessive”—to avoid placing them in overly demanding environments. He noted families sometimes relocate abruptly without updating their address, further complicating placements.

Marie, who regrets moving to Espoo, said her son has missed social interaction and peer connections. The family now faces uncertainty as the school year ends, with the boy set to advance to second grade in autumn.

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In a statement posted on X, Anwar confirmed he had conveyed Malaysia’s protest directly to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in a phone call. He emphasised that Malaysia had fulfilled all contractual obligations since the 2018 agreement, while Norway had failed to extend the same courtesy.

The withdrawal “will undoubtedly have broader consequences for the regional balance of power,” Anwar wrote, adding that it undermines Malaysia’s coastal combat vessel modernisation programme and its overall defence capabilities.

He reserved particular criticism for European defence suppliers, accusing them of treating signed contracts as disposable: “Signed contracts are solemn instruments. They are not confetti to be scattered about so capriciously.”

Norwegian authorities have not yet publicly commented on the decision.

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The date of the holiday shifts annually, always falling 40 days after Easter Sunday. According to the Bible, Jesus appeared to his disciples during this period before completing his earthly mission, after which his followers continued spreading his teachings.

While Ascension Day has been officially observed since the 4th century, its significance in Finland has diminished over time. Once a major religious feast, it is now primarily treated as a secular public holiday.

The Finnish name for the holiday, helatorstai, originates from Swedish—hel meaning “holy”—rather than directly referencing the ascension, as in most other languages.

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National mediator Mats Ruland confirmed at 1:45 AM that the two sides—Norsk Nærings- og Nytelsesmiddelarbeiderforbund (NNN) and NHO Mat og Drikke—had reached an agreement. Without a deal, 887 employees at 32 breweries and mineral water plants across Norway, including major brands like Coca-Cola, Ringnes, Grans, Mack, and Hansa, would have walked out.

The union and employers had been in voluntary negotiations since late April before entering state-mediated talks on Wednesday. The deadline for an agreement was midnight before Thursday.

While NHO Mat og Drikke had described the strike risk as real, the parties ultimately secured a compromise, avoiding disruptions to Norway’s traditional 17 May festivities.

The post Beer and soft drink strike averted ahead of Norway’s Constitution Day appeared first on Daily Northern.

President Alexander Stubb and Suzanne Innes-Stubb will focus on bilateral relations, defence and technology cooperation, and Russia’s war in Ukraine during the visit.

On Thursday, Stubb will hold official talks with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and meet Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė for a working lunch. The day will conclude with a state dinner hosted by the Lithuanian presidential couple.

On Friday, the presidents will visit the Lithuanian-Belarus border to observe border security operations.

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Education Minister Simona Mohamsson (Liberal Party) called the reform the “most significant change to the independent school system since its introduction.” The proposal, outlined in a new legislative referral, includes a ban on profit distribution—referred to as a “value transfer prohibition”—for the first five years after a school’s establishment, three years following a change of ownership, and two years after regulatory intervention.

“If a school fails in quality and does not operate in the best interests of children, it should not be allowed to extract profits,” Mohamsson said during a debate on the public broadcaster’s Aktuellt programme.

Anders Ygeman of the opposition Social Democrats welcomed the move as a “small step” but dismissed it as insufficient to prevent profit extraction from the school system. “This does not solve the underlying problems,” he argued.

The government’s proposal also tightens conditions for independent schools in what the Liberal Party describes as a “complete overhaul” of the system. Further details of the debate are available on SVT Play.

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Under the proposed changes, which take effect on 16 June, the majority of letters will be delivered every three days instead of the current two-day standard. The share of letters required to arrive on time will also drop from 95% to 85%.

Civil Minister Erik Slottner (Christian Democrats) told the newspaper that most people will notice little change, as letter volumes have plummeted by 70% since 2000. By 2030, deliveries are expected to decline by 90% compared to earlier levels.

PostNord, 60% owned by the Swedish state, had previously requested the easing of delivery frequency rules. Slottner acknowledged that maintaining the previous pace was no longer feasible.

“Most people understand that we can’t sustain the same frequency of postal deliveries as before,” he said.

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