The decision, based on political group negotiations, includes renovating the main library and constructing a combined indoor sports and event facility on the site of the old bus station. The package also covers renovations to a youth centre and a commitment to establish a collection centre for museums.

During the council meeting, new proposals emerged for various parts of the original motion, leading to separate votes. Most counter-proposals came from the National Coalition Party. The Left Alliance’s Mona Koski proposed an amendment to relocate the indoor sports and event facility to Pori’s Isomäki district.

In the final vote, 47 councillors supported the original motion, seven opposed it, and five abstained.

Despite the prior negotiation result, the decision divided opinions. The National Coalition Party stated it would have preferred a larger sports and event facility at Konepajaranta instead of the combined facility at the old bus station.

Christian Democrat chair Simo Korpela drew laughter with his dry assessment of the compromise’s fragility: “Did we just make a decision that no party wanted?”

National Coalition Party councillor Aaron Michelin, who spoke multiple times, also expressed dissatisfaction, calling the decision “historically bad.” He argued that an alternative Osala plan would have been cheaper and created hundreds of jobs.

Local event organisers have been particularly disappointed with the approved proposal.

The post Pori city council approves contested property investment compromise appeared first on Daily Northern.

Initially treated as non-suspicious, the case shifted after a 16-year-old boy turned himself in Friday evening, followed by the arrest of an 18-year-old. Both have been charged with murder, accused of beating, kicking, and strangling the victim before holding his head underwater.

The two suspects, known to the victim, admitted to severe violence but denied murder. Police believe a dispute may have triggered the attack, which occurred between 02:00 and 03:30 Friday. Neither suspect had a prior record of serious crime, according to lead investigator Flemming Nørgaard.

With no surveillance cameras at the bridge, authorities are reviewing footage from nearby areas, tracing the suspects’ suspected route from the city center. The 16-year-old remains in secure youth detention, while the 18-year-old is held in standard custody until July 10.

Randers Mayor Rosa Lykke Yde (SF) called the killing “senseless and horrifying,” expressing condolences to the victim’s family. Local officials have increased street presence to monitor youth concerns, though they emphasized the city remains safe.

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The painting, created by artist Timo Vuorikoski, depicts Kummola with Tampere Arena and the Näsinneula observation tower in the background. Vuorikoski, a professor, has painted portraits of all Tampere mayors and city council chairs.

Kummola served as mayor from 2023 to 2025 and has been council chair since 2025. He requested the arena be included in the portrait, citing his significant role in its long-awaited realization.

Current mayor Ilmari Nurminen noted the portrait captured Kummola’s gentle gaze, while Kummola himself remarked it was “better than the original.”

The portrait will join others on display on the second floor of Tampere City Hall. The city has a tradition of commissioning portraits for all mayors and council chairs.

The post Portrait of former Tampere mayor Kalervo Kummola unveiled appeared first on Daily Northern.

Jiwan Mall arranged or attempted to arrange work-based residence permits for the individuals between July 2024 and January 2025, according to the court. Eleven people entered Finland under the fraudulent permits, while 39 attempts remained at the planning stage.

The applications relied on forged qualifications and employment certificates for welding, pipework, and metalwork, with contracts tied to a Lithuanian subcontractor at Meyer Turku shipyard. The company later confirmed the workers, bar one, were unskilled and the documents appeared fake.

Mall, who operated with a Pakistani consultancy, played a central role in creating false documents and providing misleading information. The scheme was systematic and involved an organised criminal group, the court found.

Fees for the service ranged from €1,000 to €3,000 per person, depending on factors such as family size. The court estimated total criminal proceeds at €50,000, with Mall’s share at €34,000—a lower figure than the €90,000 previously ruled by the Itä-Uusimaa District Court, which had sentenced him to three years in prison.

The case was uncovered in October 2024 at Helsinki Airport when a man detained during border control admitted to purchasing his residence permit from a Pakistani company. The investigation was led by the Finnish Border Guard’s Gulf of Finland maritime unit.

An appeal to the Supreme Court is possible.

The post Man jailed for smuggling unskilled workers into Finland with forged documents appeared first on Daily Northern.

Caroline Tang Madsen, a sixth-semester medical student at the university, says AI has become a regular part of her academic routine, though she initially used it sparingly. Now, she and 84% of her peers use AI weekly or daily, but uncertainty over the rules creates anxiety.

“When you read the guidelines, you quickly become unsure of where the line is,” she says. “Even if you use AI with good intentions, just as a sparring partner, you fear ending up expelled.”

Thomas Ryberg, head of the Institute for Advanced Study in PBL at Aalborg University, acknowledges the ambiguity. “Our general policy is that you may use AI—unless you may not,” he says, emphasizing that students must check their study regulations and consult teachers regularly.

Prorector Anne Marie Kanstrup calls the students’ concern a sign of responsibility. The university is reviewing its guidelines to clarify gray areas, she says, adding that the survey highlights a need for clearer instruction.

The post Over half of Aalborg University students fear false AI cheating accusations appeared first on Daily Northern.

If the deal is signed on Friday in Switzerland, oil shipments will resume through the Strait of Hormuz, easing fuel costs. The 95E grade, which averaged €2.09 per litre in May, may fall to around €1.90 by late summer, according to Hanna Kalenoja, lead transport expert at the Chamber of Commerce.

However, the timeline depends on how quickly shipping restarts. Insurers remain cautious, as coverage terms for vessels in crisis zones—including the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf—are still unclear.

Anssi Kujala, CEO of the Finnish Transport and Logistics Association (SKAL), expects diesel prices for heavy transport to reflect the drop only in autumn. He notes that Finland, unlike Sweden, has not secured EU permission to tax fuel below the bloc’s minimum rates.

Rising costs have already forced some operators out of business. Tomi Noponen, a Kokkola-based transport entrepreneur, shut down his company after fuel expenses consumed 45–50% of his revenue. “There’s no point when you’re digging into your own pocket just to keep going,” he said.

The post Petrol price could drop to €1.50 per litre if Iran and US sign peace deal appeared first on Daily Northern.

The line, set to launch next year, will produce specialty pressboard—a material in high demand due to global electrification. It will create 20–30 new jobs.

This marks the first entirely new paper or board production line built in Finland since the 1990s. Tervakoski Oy’s CEO Christopher Diesen cited soaring global demand for pressboard, used as insulation and structural support in large transformers, as the driving force behind the investment.

The mill has also spent €50 million in recent years electrifying its steam production, now powered by what it calls the world’s largest steam heat pump—a 13 MW unit paired with a 50 MW electric boiler. The system, with an efficiency exceeding 100%, recovers excess energy and has allowed the plant to phase out fossil fuels.

Test runs on the new line are planned for August 2027, with full production expected by September. Management acknowledges it may take up to a year to reach optimal efficiency, though quality standards will be prioritized from the start.

Energy manager Petri Malkamäki noted that the shift to electrification was made possible by Finland’s growing wind power capacity, making electricity a competitive energy source. The electric boiler, when operating at full capacity, consumes 50 MWh per hour—enough to power 2,000 average homes annually.

For workers like operator Pekka Tamminen, a fifth-generation employee, the investment is a rare positive development in an industry dominated by closures. Forest economist Marjo Maidell of Pellervo Economic Research confirmed that while paper production has declined, the forest industry has increasingly diversified into other products.

The post Tervakoski builds new €100 million production line amid paper mill closures appeared first on Daily Northern.

The region has launched a targeted campaign to reach vulnerable women, who are disproportionately missing screenings. Mette Guul, manager of Reden, a day centre for marginalised women in Odense, supports the initiative, citing a lack of awareness and anxiety as key barriers.

“I think women lack information, and I think they’re worried. The women we work with don’t show up for screenings,” Guul said.

Reden, part of the YWCA’s social work, serves around 600 women, including those with substance abuse issues, mental health struggles, or social isolation. Julie Christine Jensen, a nurse at the centre, said many women face practical and psychological obstacles.

“These women don’t have the same opportunities as others. They don’t know what mammography is, they don’t check their digital mail, they lack transport, and they don’t prioritise self-care for these checks,” Jensen said.

Anja, a Reden user, admitted she often ignores screening invitations in her digital mailbox, assuming they’re unimportant or stressful. “I think, ‘No, no, I can’t open this’—it’s usually just bad news or bills. And then there’s something like mammography, and you just don’t open it,” she said.

Jensen recalled accompanying a woman to her first screening, easing her fears. “She was afraid it would hurt. She didn’t know what to expect, but we went together, and she came out with her arms raised, all smiles.”

The campaign includes multilingual flyers and partnerships with municipalities and organisations like Reden. Region Syddanmark’s screening program, running since 2009 for women aged 50–69, detected breast cancer in 0.62% of the 133,329 participants in the latest round. Attendance was 83.3%.

Screenings are offered at fixed locations in Odense, Svendborg, Fredericia, Esbjerg, Grindsted, Haderslev, Tønder, and Sønderborg. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the Western world, with risk increasing after age 50.

The post One in five women skip life-saving breast cancer screening in Region Syddanmark appeared first on Daily Northern.

Taustalla oli aiempi välikohtaus, jossa nuori mies poistettiin jumalanpalveluksesta häiritsevän käytöksen vuoksi, kun sateenkaaripari kuulutettiin avioliittoon.

Setan pääsihteeri Kerttu Tarjamo sanoo, että sateenkaari-ihmisiin kohdistuva häirintä on lisääntynyt Suomessa viimeisen vuoden aikana. Kirkollisissa tilaisuuksissa häirintä on kuitenkin harvinaista.

– Nähdäkseni on poikkeuksellista, että häiritään kesken jumalanpalveluksen ja halutaan tuoda esiin sateenkaarivastaista viestiä, Tarjamo sanoo.

Helsingin yliopiston väitöskirjatutkija ja teologi Milla Heinonen pitää välikohtausta poikkeuksellisena. Hänen mukaansa monissa hengellisissä sateenkaaritilaisuuksissa on nykyään varotoimenpiteenä vartija paikalla koventuneen keskustelun vuoksi.

Tarjamo huolestuu asenteiden koventumisesta. Hänen mukaansa vihamielinen ilmapiiri johtaa myös tekoihin.

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Parliament’s second reading of the bill takes place today. The proposal would shift full financial responsibility for emergency transport from the Social Insurance Institution (Kela) to the wellbeing services counties, funded by state allocations.

Pohde would lose the most, followed by South Savo at €1.3 million. Northern regions like Kainuu and Lapland would receive the highest per-capita funding under the new model.

Under the change, wellbeing services counties would set their own patient fees for ambulance transport. Currently, patients pay a €25 co-payment. Pohde’s acting emergency services director Mirja Annala said fees could rise to around €40, though no decision has been made. Fees would count toward the patient’s annual out-of-pocket maximum.

Annala noted the cuts affect Pohde’s overall funding, not just emergency services. The county is currently in redundancy negotiations, with the impact on emergency services still unclear.

Most provisions would take effect in early 2028.

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