Newsweek in plain Finnish | Sunday 3.5.2026

May Day. Support from organizations. Auer and Ihle found not guilty in the district court. Solar power.

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May Day and political speeches

Crowd in student clothes in Kaivopuisto.

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May Day was traditionally celebrated, for example, on Ullanlinnanmäki in Helsinki. Photo: Sasha Silvala / Yle

May Day was celebrated on Friday. May Day is a celebration of workers, students, and spring. On May Day, political parties give speeches.

Many opposition party chairmen criticized Petteri Orpo’s government.

SDP Chairman Antti Lindtman said that the government’s economic policy has failed.

Minja Koskela of the Left Alliance accused the government of increasing unemployment and inequality.

Sofia Virta of the Greens said that the government’s new cuts will hit the same families.

Antti Kaikkonen of the Centre Party said that there are now many unemployed people in Finland compared to other EU countries.

Ministers from the ruling parties defended the government’s actions.

The Coalition Party’s Minister of Labor, Matias Marttinen, said that the reforms will help low-income entrepreneurs.

Finns’ Minister of Transport Lulu Ranne praised the government’s growth measures and the pension reform for entrepreneurs.

Government cuts subsidies to organizations

A woman is holding a sign that reads "On the surgery list: mothers’ peer support".

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Social welfare organizations’ Now is enough! demonstration in Tampere on April 20, 2026. Photo: Sanni Isomäki / Yle

There has been a lot of talk this week about reducing support for organizations.

Many organizations may have to close down due to lack of funds.

Social and health care organizations, or SOTE organizations, help, for example, poor and sick people. SOTE organizations receive money from the state.

Now the government has decided to reduce funding for social welfare organizations by a total of 190 million euros.

Auer and Ihle were found guilty

Anneli Auer and Jens Ihle are walking outside.

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Anneli Auer and Auer’s ex-boyfriend Jens Ihle (formerly Kukka, right) return from the Southwest Finland District Court last October. Photo: Roni Lehti / Lehtikuva

On Wednesday, a decision was reached in a rare criminal case involving serious sexual crimes.

The District Court dismissed all charges against Anneli Auer and Jens Ihle

The district court said there was no evidence of crimes against children.

In 2013, the Court of Appeal sentenced Auer and Ihle to prison for the same sex crimes. Auer and Ihle were in prison for many years. Auer’s three children spoke out about the crimes at the time.

Now the children have said that they lied earlier and that no crimes occurred.

The new verdict can still be appealed to the Court of Appeal.

Solar power surpasses wind power

Solar power plant with thousands of solar panels. Wind turbines are also visible in the background.

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For the first time, more solar power is being built than wind turbines. Photo: Risto Koskinen / Yle

Then about clean energy.

A record amount of solar power is being built in Finland.

This year, 500 megawatts of new solar power will be built. That’s almost as much as the power of one Loviisa nuclear power plant unit.

For the first time, more solar power plants are being built than wind power plants.

Here was Uutisviikko in plain Finnish. Listen!