There has been a change in air transport, with unfortunate consequences for both safety and passenger comfort, writes Ilta-Sanomat.
"Disruptive behaviour has increased significantly since the years of the coronavirus pandemic. The phenomenon is global, not just Finnish," says Jari Pöntinen, Director of Aviation at the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom.
The rise in the phenomenon has not been quite as alarming in Finland as in the rest of Europe, but it is still clear trend. In 2020, 93 cases were reported in Finland, compared to 267 last year.
Several aviation industry stakeholders, including the police, border guard, customs and airlines have issued a joint statement on prevention measures which emphasises the reduction of incidents through communication with passengers, staff training and cooperation within the aviation community.
Inspector Miika Laine of the Eastern Uusimaa Police Department says that people are also loitering at airports without any intention to travel.
Various types of intoxicants are part of the problem both at airports and on planes. In Finland, alcohol is the most common contributing factor.
In addition to calming individuals causing a disruption, police measures can include removal from the scene, fines, criminal charges and arrests.
"Inappropriate behaviour includes swearing, insults and shouting. Drinking from your own bottle has become very common," Finnair's director of cabin safety, Ida Flykt, told Ilta-Sanomat.
Gambling law proposal rejected
Parliament's Social Affairs and Health Committee on Wednesday rejected a government proposal that would open gambling in Finland to competition from the beginning of next year.
Helsingin Sanomat reports that a majority of MPs on the committee believe that the government's proposal would increase the harm caused by gambling and responded to the proposal with a call to raise the age limit for all types of gambling to 20 years.
The Committee also stressed that gambling is not a normal consumer product, but a highly harmful and seriously addictive product, saying that the prevention and reduction of gambling-related harm should be the main objective of any new legislation.
Meanwhile, Iltalehti reports that the National Police Board has threatened to slap a 33,000-euro fine on a Finnish social media influencer for promoting commercial online gambling sites.
The influencer had shared links to gambling sites on Twitch and YouTube and broadcast live gambling on Twitch.
In late March, the Helsinki Administrative Court dismissed an appeal by the influencer against the ban on these promotional activities.
By law, the gaming operator Veikkaus has exclusive rights to organise gambling in mainland Finland.
According to the police, the marketing was targeted at Finland and Finns and was intended to promote gambling in Finland. Police welcome the court ruling, saying that gambling marketing is unequivocally prohibited in mainland Finland.
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Changes in postal services
Major changes are coming to postal service deliveries in several Finnish cities.
Verkkouutiset writes that the national postal service, Posti, plans to end daily deliveries and introduce a new delivery model where mail will be delivered every two or three days. Delivery days will alternate, meaning that in practice, mail will be delivered twice one week and three times the next week. In addition, mail will increasingly be delivered in the mornings at the same time as newspapers.
The change will come into force in the Helsinki on 2 June. Leaflets announcing delivery changes have been distributed in Helsinki, Espoo, Forssa, Jyväskylä, Kuopio and Pori.
In addition to the distribution changes, Posti has announced that it will increase the prices of stamps and parcel charges.
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End of term gifts
Many parents are currently thinking about how to show appreciation to teachers at schools and kindergartens as the end of the school year fast approaches.
One popular option, notes Uutissuomalainen is a gift card.
However, USU points out that giving money and gift vouchers to municipal officials, including teachers, is prohibited. In some cases, it can be interpreted as a bribe.
Municipal officials, employees and trustees are prohibited by law from asking for or receiving bribes. It is also a criminal offence to give a bribe to a public official. The law does not define what constitutes an appropriate gift in terms of quality and value and when it is an inappropriate bribe. The purpose of the rules is to safeguard confidence in the impartiality of public authorities.
In its guidance on this issue, the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities does not take a position on whether a gift voucher is an appropriate gift for teachers, or not.
According to Kirsi Lamberg, a lawyer at the association, what kind of gift can be given to or accepted by an official is a case-by-case consideration.
"It is ultimately up to the recipient to decide whether the gift can be accepted in good faith," says Lamberg.
Nina Lahtinen, Head of Education Policy at the OAJ, the professional organisation for teachers, points out that there is a long tradition in the education sector of remembering teachers at the end of the academic year and that this is not intended as a bribe.
The OAJ has no official position on gift cards. According to Lahtinen, however, open cash vouchers should not be given, but vouchers for a specific item or service can be given if the value is reasonable.
Heidi Ruonala, a legal expert at the Finnish National Agency for Education, takes the same approach.
"Small and low-value mementos such as a candle, chocolate or a flower cannot be interpreted as a bribe," she assured Uutissuomalainen.
This is Eurovision week, and from nul points to cha-cha-cha, the All Points North podcast traces Finland's ESC revival as two Finnish acts prepare to take the stage in Basel.
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