The Left Alliance plans to submit a no-confidence motion against Minister of Economic Affairs Wille Rydman (Finns Party), according to party leader Jussi Saramo.
Helsingin Sanomat reports that the proposal may be brought forward during Thursday's parliamentary session, adding that the Green party also backs the no confidence motion.
In 2022, HS revealed allegations that Rydman had used his political position to gain access to young women and girls.
The minister was accused of offences including aggravated defamation, breach of personal privacy, and confidentiality breaches related to his ex-partner. Prosecutors dropped the cases against Rydman earlier this month citing insufficient evidence.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) said on Wednesday that Rydman — a former NCP MP — could not serve as a minister for his party. However, he added there a "long tradition" where each party chooses its own ministers.
Rydman resigned from the National Coalition Party parliamentary group in the summer of 2022 and from the party about half a year later. In January 2023, he joined the Finns Party.
Finns party leader Riikka Purra meanwhile declined to comment on Rydman's position in the cabinet or within the party's parliamentary group.
The Left Alliance previously called for a confidence motion against Rydman last autumn when his private, racist messages were exposed. Rydman survived the confidence vote by 106-65.
Costly commute in the capital
The Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (HSL) is planning a significant increase in ticket prices, which could see fares on average becoming eight percent more expensive at the beginning of next year.
This means the price of a two-zone single ticket could rise from the current 2.95 euros to 3.19 euros.
In addition, the cheapest monthly travel card would cost 71.93 euros compared to the current 66.60 euros, while a three-zone monthly ticket would cost over a hundred euros.
Helsingin Sanomat reported that the HSL board discussed the matter on Wednesday in relation to its 2025–2027 operational and financial plan.
In the plan, HSL's acting CEO Vesa Silfver justified the price hikes by citing reduced public transport usage, attributed to the growing prevalence of remote work.
The municipality's costs are also impacted by the increase in the VAT rate for public transport from 10 percent to 14 percent at the beginning of next year.
After consulting with municipalities, the HSL board will make the final decision on the proposed increases in October.
Chair of the board Matias Pajula (NCP) considers the increases likely.
"HSL ticket prices have lagged significantly behind the development of the consumer price index in recent years, so in practice, prices have decreased relative to inflation," he told HS, adding that even the proposed increases by officials would not bring prices in line with the consumer price index.
At the beginning of this year, HSL reduced the prices of single tickets and two-zone season tickets by about four percent in a bid to accelerate the growth of passenger numbers and improve finances.
Tampere tickets set to rise too
Meanwhile, Tampere public transport service provider Nysse also plans to increase ticket prices from next year, according to an Aamulehti report.
Nysse director Mika Periviita estimated that the prices of Nysse tickets will rise by 7-8 percent. Currently, an adult single ticket for two zones costs 2.70 euros. With the increase, the price would rise to about 2.90 euros.
Periviita noted that the pressure for an increase is due to the tightening VAT on public transport and the reduction in state support for public transport.
Nysse ticket prices have been raised several times recently. In February, ticket prices rose by four percent, and before that, they were hiked by five percent in 2023.
More dads taking parental leave
Fathers are increasingly taking parental leave, according to the latest statistics from Finland's social benefits agency Kela.
Around 137,000 individuals received parental leave benefits in 2023, as reported by Swedish language daily Hufvudstadsbladet.
The proportion of days men received compensation increased to nearly 16 percent in 2023, up 3.4 percentage points from the previous year.
"The increase suggests that fathers increasingly want to share childcare responsibilities while their child is young. To what extent this increase is due to the family leave reform that came into effect in 2022, however, remains unclear," Kela's research director Anneli Miettinen said.
In total, Kela paid out 2.862 million euros in family benefits in 2023. This includes child allowances, maternity grants, adoption allowances, parental leave benefits, childcare allowances, and maintenance support.
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