The dogs lost weight twice as quickly as researchers had expected. Those fed raw food appeared to burn more body fat, while dogs fed dry food also lost some muscle mass.

Research director Anne Hielm-Björkman said an estimated 50 to 60 percent of dogs in Finland are overweight, while about 30 percent may be seriously obese. Excess weight can cause health problems including diabetes, osteoarthritis and metabolic diseases.

“Dogs suffer from the same diseases as we humans,” Hielm-Björkman said. She added that being overweight causes continuous low-grade inflammation in the body.

One of the dogs in the study was Tilli, a rescue dog from Greece owned by Mervi Koistinen. Tilli weighed 20 kilograms and became easily short of breath. Koistinen described the dog as looking like “a potato with four stick legs” and said it struggled to walk and could not jump onto a sofa.

The study involved 26 overweight dogs of different ages, mostly medium-sized and large pets. The dogs were weighed and given health checks before being divided into two groups.

For 10 weeks, one group ate only ordinary chicken-based raw food, while the other ate only dry food intended for weight loss. The groups then switched diets for a second period of the same length. Each dog received an individually calculated amount of food intended to provide enough nutrition while promoting weight loss.

Researcher Robin Moore said the dogs in both groups reached normal weight during the first 10-week period, which was half as long as expected. When measured only by the number of kilograms lost, there was no difference between the diets.

More detailed analysis, however, showed that the raw-fed dogs appeared to burn body fat more effectively. The dogs fed only dry food also lost some muscle mass.

Researchers have not yet determined whether one diet is better for a dog’s health. Moore said maintaining muscle mass may be particularly important for older dogs, although the matter requires further study.

Tilli lost six kilograms during the study, falling from 20 to 14 kilograms. Koistinen said the raw food given at the beginning of the diet appeared to be more effective for weight loss because the change in food was so substantial.

Moore said the food given after the weight-loss period also matters. The results suggest that continuing with raw food may be healthier for maintaining a stable weight.

The post University study helps overweight dogs reach normal weight in 10 weeks appeared first on Daily Northern.

One of the flares passed close to the helicopter, but neither the crew nor the aircraft was harmed.

Defence Minister Jeppe Bruus called the incident serious and told Ritzau that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would summon Russia’s ambassador for a meeting.

The post Russian frigate fired flares at Danish military helicopter appeared first on Daily Northern.

The figure is 66 per cent. Red Barnet Secretary General Johanne Schmidt-Nielsen called it “shocking” that the number remains so high despite widespread concern about children’s safety online.

The survey covered 12 types of unpleasant online experiences, including hateful or hurtful messages, rumours, threats or extortion, unwanted intimate images, the unauthorised sharing of private images, online bullying, exclusion from social media or games, unwanted contact, being photographed or recorded without consent, altered images or videos, violent content and people pretending to be the child online.

Extortion and violent content

Psychologist Mia Lind Winther works for SletDet, Red Barnet’s free counselling service for young people. She said the cases of digital abuse vary widely.

During an interview with DR, the service received a case involving a boy who believed he had been communicating with a girl of his own age on Snapchat. The contact was later moved to Telegram, and intimate material was exchanged. The boy was then extorted and had tried to resolve the situation by paying money.

It later emerged that the person was a man from another country, Winther said. SletDet advises victims to block the extortionist and document the abuse with screenshots. It also advises against complying with the demands, as the extortion will often continue even if the victim pays.

A 14-year-old boy cited in the survey said he had encountered an image of a dismembered body lying on a toilet floor. The word “LEGO” appeared at the top of the image, which he described as a joke suggesting it was a construction set. He also said he had received videos of a cat being abused.

Calls for stronger age checks

Research, Education and Digitalisation Minister Christina Egelund wrote to DR that the survey confirmed her view that technology companies were not taking sufficient responsibility and were gambling with children’s safety online.

She said Denmark would introduce an age limit for social media to shield children from disturbing content on many platforms. The measure would not solve the problem on its own, she said, but would be an important step towards protecting the next generation.

Egelund also pointed to the introduction of digital literacy as an elective subject in Danish primary schools from 2027, saying it would help children and young people learn to use the internet safely.

The survey found that 65 per cent of children aged nine to 12 use social media and other platforms with a minimum age of 13, including Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Red Barnet said much of the abuse takes place on those three platforms and urged the companies to take greater responsibility. Schmidt-Nielsen called for genuine age verification, saying it was not enough for users simply to tick a box confirming that they were over 13.

DR contacted Snapchat, TikTok and Meta, the company behind Instagram, for comment. Snapchat and TikTok were unable to respond before publication. Meta referred DR to an initiative launched on Instagram in 2025.

The post Red Barnet finds two in three children face harmful online experiences appeared first on Daily Northern.

How a government could be formed remains highly uncertain, according to SVT domestic political commentator Mats Knutson.

Knutson says some governing combinations appear more likely than others, but warns that if the parties’ positions remain unchanged, Sweden may have to prepare for a new election.

The post Andersson faces tough talks to form Sweden’s next government appeared first on Daily Northern.

Pekka Ottavainen, chief executive of Länsirata Oy, the project company established to plan and build the rail link, said the signing would then depend on the schedules of the shareholder municipalities and the Finnish state.

Ottavainen said the only outstanding interim decision concerns appeals filed in Espoo. Decisions have already been issued concerning the other shareholder municipalities.

An interim decision is a separate ruling by an administrative court on an appellant’s request to halt implementation. The court’s consideration of the appeal continues afterwards.

After the shareholder agreement is signed, Länsirata Oy will expand its resources and recruit more planners. Ottavainen said planning the construction will require thousands of hours of work.

He estimates that major construction will begin in 2028 or 2029, with preparatory work starting earlier.

Länsirata Oy’s shareholders are the Finnish state and the cities of Turku, Espoo and Helsinki, as well as Salo, Lohja and Vihti.

The post West Rail company may sign shareholder pact within weeks appeared first on Daily Northern.

Applications for the grant rose by about 11 per cent between January and August compared with the same period last year. By the end of August, applications had been submitted for 33,567 children, up from 30,151 a year earlier.

“Based on the number of applications, it appears that more children will be born this year than last year,” said Anneli Miettinen, Kela’s head of research, in a statement.

The maternity grant is a benefit paid by Kela that can be claimed by people who are pregnant or adopting a child. It can be applied for after about five months of pregnancy and must be claimed no later than two months before the estimated due date.

Applicants can choose either a maternity package or a cash payment.

The post Kela expects more children to be born this year appeared first on Daily Northern.

Younger age groups were the most pessimistic. Among people aged 26 to 35, 62 percent expected the pension system to collapse. Among those aged 36 to 45, 49 percent held the same view.

People approaching retirement were considerably more confident. Only 29 percent of respondents aged 56 to 65 expected the system to collapse.

“Those closest to retirement or already receiving a pension have the strongest trust in the pension promise. Among younger age groups, a majority do not believe the system can keep its promise,” said Sami Metelinen, EVA’s managing editor and the author of the analysis.

Metelinen said the generational divide in confidence posed a serious problem for the system’s legitimacy.

Cutting pensions did not receive majority support in the survey. Overall, 36 percent considered cuts necessary, although support rose to 51 percent among 26 to 35 year olds. Raising the retirement age was supported by 40 percent of respondents.

A statutory cap on pensions was supported by 61 percent, while 72 percent approved restricting the guarantee pension for people who had lived in Finland for only a few years.

“Different age groups more readily accept solutions that do not primarily affect them. Young people are more willing to cut current pensions, while those who have already reached retirement age more readily accept raising the retirement age,” Metelinen said.

Thirty six percent supported a Swedish style pension system in which individuals would decide how to invest part of their pension contributions. Younger respondents were more favourable towards the proposal than older people.

The survey was conducted by Taloustutkimus and received just over 2,000 responses in the spring. Its margin of error was 2 to 3 percentage points in either direction.

The post Finns lose confidence in pension system, EVA survey finds appeared first on Daily Northern.

Cloud cover will increase in western Finland during Tuesday, with showers possible there by evening. Rain will become more widespread in the north and west overnight.

Daytime temperatures will range from about 10 degrees Celsius in the north to around 17 degrees in the south.

On Wednesday, rain will affect areas from western Finland to northern Lapland during the day. Eastern Finland will remain dry for much of the day, but rain will reach the region by evening.

Temperatures will fall to below 10 degrees in the north and close to 15 degrees in the south. Southerly winds will strengthen to moderate levels, and become fresh over sea areas as the rain arrives.

Unsettled weather will continue towards the end of the week, with intermittent rain moving northeast across Finland.

The post Rain spreads across Finland on Wednesday after sunny Tuesday appeared first on Daily Northern.

The three-day exercise involves the police, the Finnish Defence Forces, rescue services and emergency medical services, as well as Poland’s Border Guard Service. Visitors and observers from several countries will also attend.

The exercise is part of the European Union’s efforts to improve the security of critical maritime infrastructure. It aims to strengthen the participants’ ability to respond effectively to challenging situations at sea, such as detecting and taking control of a vessel dragging its anchor.

The post International maritime safety exercise begins off Helsinki appeared first on Daily Northern.

The Capital Area Fire and Rescue Service left at about 9:30 p.m. after checking for any remaining embers and ventilating the building, according to a duty officer.

The police investigation division is now examining the scene and investigating the cause of the fire, which broke out earlier in the afternoon.

The post Police take over investigation after fire at Toppstöðin appeared first on Daily Northern.