Newsweek in plain Finnish | Sunday 31.5.2026

The beginning of summer and the end of school. Young people driving. Kalasatama fire. Plain Language Day.

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The beginning of summer and the end of school

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There were a record number of participants in the Finnish Matriculation Examination, more than ever before. Photo: Antti-Petteri Karhunen / Yle

First, news about the start of summer.

The school year ended on Saturday and the summer vacation began for schoolchildren.

Approximately 26,500 new high school graduates graduated. That is over 1,000 more than a year ago.

A record number of young people took the Finnish Matriculation Examinations this year.

Only about 34 percent of new university graduates begin their postgraduate studies in the same year. More than 60 percent of young people take a gap year at first.

The popularity of the gap year has increased.

In addition to new university graduates, tens of thousands of young people also graduated from vocational colleges.

Young people driving

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Many accidents occur at night for young drivers. Photo: Jani Aarnio / Yle

Next, a question about young people driving.

A new law came into effect on Friday, prohibiting young people from driving at night.

The ban applies to 17-year-old drivers who have an exemption on their driver’s license. They are not allowed to drive between midnight and 5 a.m.

The purpose is to improve the safety of young drivers, as many accidents occur at night.

More rules will be added to the law in the fall.

At the beginning of October, a young driver’s car must be marked with a young driver’s badge.

The badge helps the police ensure that young people do not drive at night.

Kalasatama fire

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The fire at the Helsinki fishing port spread from the balcony to the roof. Photo: Mikko Haapanen / Yle

There was a large fire in Kalasatama, Helsinki, last weekend, which has been widely reported in the news.

The fire started on the balcony of an apartment building. The fire was ignited by a gas grill.

The fire quickly spread to the roof of the house through air gaps. Authorities are concerned that the fire was able to spread so quickly.

All residents were able to escape, but the entire house was destroyed by fire, smoke, and firefighting water.

The building has 63 apartments. They are rental apartments from Lumokoti.

All residents of the house now have to live in temporary places for a long time.

Renovating a house takes several months.

Police suspect that the user of the gas grill may have committed a crime because the activity posed a danger to many people.

Authorities are investigating the Kalasatama fire.

Plain Language Day

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Photo: Selkokeskus / Yle

Finally, a piece of news about plain language.

International Plain Language Day was celebrated on Thursday.

The purpose of the day is to remind people how important plain language is.

Plain language increases equality by making information accessible to people who have difficulty understanding plain text or speech.

There are approximately 800,000 people in Finland who need plain language.

Plain language is used, for example, in news, books, and official texts.

This was a news week in plain Finnish. See you again, let’s hear from you!