Newsweek in plain Finnish | Sunday 19.7.2026

Parliament reconvenes from summer recess. Stabbing death and explosion death. Tax refunds. Cube deaths. British Prime Minister.

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Parliament suspends summer recess

First, domestic politics.

The Government will convene in an extraordinary general session on Monday. The Government will discuss a communication on the Helsinki Garden Hall project.

The government previously decided to allocate 35 million euros in conditional support for the project. The opposition has criticized Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and the decision.

Parliament will meet to discuss the communication on Tuesday.

Parliament is therefore suspending its recess. A parliamentary session has only been suspended 7 times in Finnish history.

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The multi-purpose hall would be built on the plot next to the ice rink, which currently has a parking lot. Photo: Jade Silpo / Lehtikuva

Deaths on the street and in the gunpowder factory

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An ambulance in the area of Nammo’s Vihtavuori factory. Photo: Jaana Polamo / Yle

A woman in her 80s has died in a stabbing in Kontula, Helsinki.

The incident took place on Saturday in a public place in front of a metro station.

Police arrested a 50-year-old man who fled the scene.

One person died on Wednesday in an explosion at Nammo’s Vihtavuori gunpowder factory in Laukaa.

The Accident Investigation Board says the explosion was caused by sawing a pressure pipe. The deceased was a representative of an external contractor.

The factory is on summer break.

Tax refunds

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Account numbers are especially lacking among young first-time users. Photo: Henrietta Hassinen / Yle

Now the news about taxes.

Tax refunds are at risk of being delayed for nearly 33,000 people due to a lack of an account number.

The refunds amount to almost 2.2 million euros.

Account numbers are especially lacking among young first-time users.

The account number must be reported in MyTax by July 27th at the latest. If the account number is missing, the tax refund must be claimed later from Nordea Bank.

Cube deaths

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Dead Saimaa ringed seal inside a catfish on the beach. Photo: Metsähallitus

Then about endangered species.

The 9th Saimaa seal pup, or cub, has died in fishing gear this summer. Last weekend, a boater found a dead cub in a pond in Pitkä Pihlajavesi.

Over the past 10 years, an average of 6 seals have died in fishing gear per year.

A total of 37 dead seals have been reported this year. Metsähallitus has no information on the cause of the increase in deaths in traps.

The Saimaa ringed seal is critically endangered. It lives only in Lake Saimaa in Eastern Finland.

Britain’s new Prime Minister

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British Labour Party leader and future Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Photo: Henry Nicholls / AFP

Still from abroad.

Andy Burnham has been elected leader of the Labour Party in Britain.

He will become Britain’s next prime minister on Monday. The previous prime minister, Keir Starmer, resigned last month.

Burnham is already the 7th British Prime Minister in the last 10 years.

This was Uutisviikko in plain Finnish. See you again, bye!