Receive our weekly Newsletterand set tailored daily news alerts Line was originally built in 2020 by Anpap Oy Industrial SharpCell Oy is to install a second airlaid nonwovens machine at a plant in Valkeakoski doubling the family-owned company’s production capacity The line has been purchased from Ascutec which operated it for two years in in Nürnberg It was originally built in 2020 by Finnish company Anpap Oy and will be installed at UPM Tervasaari’s site in Valkeakoski which SharpCell is leasing wastewater treatment and compressed air required to operate the machine but is not involved in SharpCell’s operations beyond providing these services SharpCell and Ascutec are working closely to satisfy customer needs for high quality airlaid nonwovens The machine is expected to start up in the fourth quarter of 2025 “This acquisition will give us the much needed capacity to service our customers both in Finland and abroad,” said Pekka Pollari “We are investing in additional modern and efficient technology to minimise our carbon footprint and ensure efficient production of high-quality airlaid nonwovens.” www.sharpcell.fi Natural alternative for SharpCell nonwovens A group of Finnish theatre professionals and cultural creators from Valkeakoski will be in Riogordo in the east of Malaga province as part of a European Erasmus+ learning mobility programme from Wednesday 23 until Monday 28 April the programme is being hosted in Spain by the non-profit cultural association Augmenters which is based in Riogordo and works to foster intercultural dialogue and community engagement through the arts As part of the visit the group will present 'Musical Greetings from Finland' on Thursday 24 April at 7pm at Casa de la Plaza on the town's Plaza de la Constitución The event promises "a cultural evening of songs and open conversation" and aims to "highlight the cultural exchange between Finland and Spain offering an opportunity for local residents and visitors to experience a taste of Finnish artistic expression," according to the organisers The Finnish delegation consists of artists and cultural professionals involved in theatre During their stay in Riogordo they will meet with representatives from the town's cultural community explore the area's cultural heritage and exchange experiences and practices in community-based cultural work The group will visit Riogordo town hall where they will meet local representatives and the Museo Etnográfico de Riogordo and Museo Municipal de Bellas Artes They will also visit Malaga city where they will see the Roman theatre the Cervantes theatre and watch a flamenco performance by Israel Galván The project is part of the Erasmus+ adult education programme, focusing on learning through culture, nature, and community engagement. For more information visit: www.augmenters.net‪ or call 0034 631 85 99 04. Comentar es una ventaja exclusiva para registrados Registered office Málaga, Avda. Dr. Marañón, 48. Open image viewerThe defendant attempted to cover his face in court Image: Mika kylmäniemi / LehtikuvaYle News4.10.2024 12:13•Updated 4.10.2024 12:14Pirkanmaa district court sentenced a 19-year-old man to life in prison on Thursday for the rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl in the town of Valkeakoski earlier this year The rape and killing of the teenager on a Saturday night in May caused widespread shock across the country named in court as Tuomas Sakari Matias Salminen but admitted to the charges of child rape and aggravated manslaughter Salminen and the victim were not known to each other The prosecutor in the case had demanded that the court sentence Salminen to at least 13 years in prison on the charges of child rape and murder but the court handed down the maximum criminal penalty of life imprisonment a life sentence in Finland rarely leads to a convict spending the remainder of their lives behind bars but instead usually consists of serving time in a closed prison as well as a 'halfway house' The court heard that the victim had spent the evening with friends before making her way home through a forested area Salminen had left the market square in the centre of the town and at some point began following the girl through the woods where he raped her before strangling her to death the court ruled that the act met the requisite criteria to be considered murder the prosecutor noted that Salmen had searched online for material related to violence and sexual crimes before he committed the rape and murder Speaking to the media following the court's ruling Salminen's lawyer Eemeli Saros said that he plans to appeal the verdict Prosecutor Leena Koivuniemi told the court that the victim had been due to come home at 2am on the night of the murder her parents and friends went looking for her and her body was found by one of her friends at about 7am on Sunday morning Koivuniemi noted that Salminen was carrying a knife at the time of the attack Yle reported in the aftermath of the murder that in 2022, the suspect was handed a suspended prison sentence of one year and six months. The charges included robbery, four counts of minor fraud, damage to property and aggravated damage to property. All of the crimes were committed as a young person, meaning Salminen was under the age of 18. Open image viewerCandles have been placed near the spot where the girl's body was found Image: Jorma Vihtonen / YleYle News27.5.2024 16:38The suspect in the killing of a 15-year-old girl in the town of Valkeakoski last weekend had a prior criminal record and was on probation following a 2022 conviction Police detained the 18-year-old man on suspicion of manslaughter and aggravated child rape after the teenage girl was found dead in woodland in the town on Saturday. The suspect has been interviewed by police, but officers were unwilling to give any further details at this time while the preliminary investigation is ongoing. Police will seek to have the suspect remanded into custody at a hearing at Pirkanmaa District Court on Wednesday. "The police have a good idea of what has happened. We have a lot of people working on this high-priority case," Detective Inspector Jari Kinnunen told Yle on Monday morning. Open image viewerValkeakoski is a town of about 21,000 inhabitants, located about 35 kilometres from Tampere. Image: Tommi Pylkkö / Yle, MapCreator, OpenStreetMap Suspect was on probationAccording to records obtained by Yle from Pirkanmaa District Court, the suspect in the Valkeakoski killing was handed a 1 year and 6 months suspended prison sentence in 2022. The charges included robbery, four counts of minor fraud, damage to property and aggravated damage to property. All of the crimes were committed by the defendant as a young person, meaning under the age of 18. The court records also show that he was ordered to pay substantial damages and other compensation totalling more than 35,000 euros in relation to these charges. His sentence was reduced slightly by the Court of Appeal, to a suspended prison sentence of 1 year and 2 months. The probation period is valid until 31 October this year, the court records revealed. Concerns about the girl were raised on Friday evening after she failed to come home from spending time with her friends. A call was made to emergency services after the same friends found the girl's body in a wooded area. Police made clear the friends are not suspected of having committed any crime, but investigating officers did immediately believe the girl had been killed. Police noted at the weekend that rumours have spread on social media that people of foreign origin or immigrants were involved in the girl's death. The police stressed that the suspect has no foreign background. "We remind you to behave appropriately on social media. Refrain from sharing false information and respect the grief of the victim's family," the police said in a press release. Anne Laukkanen, Administrative Director of the City of Valkeakoski, told reporters on Monday afternoon that children of foreign backgrounds have faced racism at school because of the false claims about the case. "Now is not the time for these things. Let us now focus on this grief work and crisis work. Under no circumstances should this situation be turned into a racist exercise," Laukkanen said. Open image viewerLocals left memorial candles near where the girl was found dead. Image: Jorma Vihtonen / YleYle News26.5.2024 18:13•Updated 27.5.2024 12:33Police detained a man in Valkeakoski suspected of manslaughter and aggravated child rape on Sunday. On Saturday, a 15-year-old girl was found dead in woodland in Valkeakoski, in the region of Pirkanmaa. The man, who was born in 2005, has been detained on suspicion of those crimes and on the basis of information uncovered by the police during their preliminary investigation. According to the police, the homicide has been linked to people of foreign origin or immigrants on social media. The police stressed that the suspect has no foreign background. "This is a very serious violent crime against a minor, which is why the police will not specify the manner or place of the crime in order to protect the victim's privacy," said Detective Superintendent Jari Kinnunen, from the Central Finland Police, in a police press release. Kinnunen told Yle in an interview on Sunday afternoon that the police were srtill in the process of interviewing the suspect, and Kinnunen said he does not yet know whether the suspect has confessed to the killing. "Tomorrow [on Monday], the director of the investigation will hold a meeting with the prosecutor and they will determine whether the charge should be changed to a lesser or more serious one," Kinnunen told Yle. The investigation will then continue with further questioning and technical examination. The girl, who had been out for the evening, had not returned home on Friday night. This was reported to the police. The girl's friends who had spent the evening with her found her dead in a nearby forest in Valkeakoski. The friends called emergency services. None of the friends are currently suspected of a crime. Open image viewerThe suspect covered his face with a white t-shirt when he appeared in court STT29.5.2024 14:46Pirkanmaa District Court has remanded into custody an 18-year-old man suspected of the killing and rape of a 15-year-old girl in Valkeakoski on Friday night He was remanded on suspicion of manslaughter and aggravated rape of a child after the 15-year-old girl was found dead in woodland near her home in the early hours of Saturday morning It is standard practice for the initial homicide charge to be manslaughter before prosecutors upgrade to murder or downgrade to negligent homicide The man was clad in black and wearing Crocs at his court appearance covering his face with a white t-shirt during the brief period when photographers were allowed to take pictures Police stated that the suspect has not taken a position on the charges against him At present there are no indications that the suspect and the victim knew each other previously On Tuesday tabloid newspapers reported that earlier this spring the man had posted fantasies about strangling women on the popular Ylilauta messageboard which has been described as a Finnish version of 4Chan He was interviewed by police over those posts The suspect was convicted of robbery and several other crimes in 2022 and handed an 18 month suspended jail term He was also ordered to pay more than 35,000 euros in compensation He was also convicted of possessing objects or substances to harm others as a young person insubordination towards a police officer as a young person and robbery as a young person which amounted to 540 euros based on his income Finland-based line will double company's capacity We serve customers in various industries and our offering includes flexible engine power plants energy storage and optimisation technology and support over the lifecycle of our installations Learn how we have helped our customers in 180 countries to succeed owned by the City of Valkeakoski in southern Finland When the electricity market was deregulated Valkeakosken Energia decided to be a proactive participant in the market by investing in its own combined heat and power production to ensure competitive electricity and district heating prices for their customers Valkeakosken Energia decided to extend their existing boiler house with a Wärtsilä CHP Plant Their decision to self-generate is indicative of the direction in which post-deregulation energy markets are heading 5 May 2022 at 14.00 EEST) – This year marks the 150th anniversary of the beginning of UPM on the riverbanks in Kuusankoski Many UPM mills have been able to reform over the course of time developing their operations to meet the needs of each era Now they will celebrate their 150th anniversary is the oldest company logo still in use in Finland It dates back to a design competition organised by Kymi at the end of the 19th century The winner of the competition was a young artist named Hugo Simberg whose works of art are now treasured in the Finnish National Gallery The oldest branches of the UPM family tree are in the eastern region of Kymenlaakso and the towns of Valkeakoski and Pori The Verla groundwood mill and the Kymi and Kuusankoski paper mills began their operations in 1872 along the Kymi river as well as the groundwood mill and paper mill in Valkeakoski in same year The production in Valkeakoski began the following year Tervasaari paper mill in Valkeakoski was completed in 1872 and the pulp mill Of these historic mills, Verla is now a popular mill museum that, in addition to its 150th anniversary, celebrates its 50th anniversary as a museum and 25 years as a Unesco World Heritage Site UPM-owned Verla invites all to its celebrations on 14 May 2022 A history book entitled "Yesterday lives in Verla" will be published along with an exhibition opening in the event Verla will organise film nights where the public can see archive treasures from the history of Kymenlaakso region’s forest industry Verla mill museum, restaurant, exhibitions and shops are open from 2 May to 30 September. Detailed opening hours can be found on Verla's website. The museum, i.e. the groundwood and board mill, can only be explored with a guide, and tickets for the tour can be purchased conveniently in the museum's online store in advance In Valkeakoski, UPM Tervasaari paper mill will publish a series of stories on its history for both internal and external channels Manager of the Company's Central Archives located in Valkeakoski The Central Archives will also organise an exhibition of the mill and the community that has grown around it Various other events are planned for the mill’s employees and residents The history will be distributed in print to employees and guests at the festivities held in June when also a short video of the sawmill's one-and-a-half century of history will be premiered UPM Seikku has also carried out a birdhouse project together with the students of the Kaarisilta school The project increased the class excursion fund for 9th graders One of the guest speakers at the invitation-only seminar is Jussi Pesonen Photobasket for the media UPM, Media RelationsMon-Fri 9-16tel. 040 588 3284media@upm.com 19.6.2024 08:00:00 EEST | Merus Power Oyj | Yhtiötiedote Sveitsiläinen Alpiq on tilannut Merus Powerilta Valkeakoskelle rakennettavan 30 MW/36 MWh:n sähkövaraston liitettäväksi Fingridin verkkoon Merus Power on tehnyt hankekehitystyön ja vastaa sähkövaraston kokonaistoimituksesta Sähkövaraston ohella osapuolet ovat tehneet sopimuksen huolto- ja operointipalveluista Sähkövaraston toimitus ja käyttöönotto ajoittuu kesälle 2025 Investointi on suuruudeltaan vajaa 20 miljoonaa euroa ja se sisältää option Merus Powerin kaupankäyntipalvelun käytöstä tulevaisuudessa Alpiq on Sveitsin johtava sähköntuottaja ja energiapalvelujen tarjoaja Alpiqin vähähiilinen ja joustava salkku perustuu vahvasti vesivoimaan ydinvoimaan ja uusiutuviin energialähteisiin Valkeakoskelle rakennettavan sähkövaraston päätehtävä on tukea kantaverkon tuotannon ja kulutuksen tasapainottamista osallistumalla Fingridin reservimarkkinoille Sähkövarasto tulee olemaan energiakapasiteetiltaan yksi Suomen suurimpia taajuusreservimarkkinoilla toimivista sähkövarastoista ”Olemme pitkäjänteisesti kasvattaneet Merus Powerin sähkövarastotiimin osaamista ja kehittäneet ratkaisujamme niin että ne pystyvät vastaamaan monenlaisiin markkinavaatimuksiin Sopimuksemme kansainvälisesti toimivan Alpiqin kanssa sekä kertoo sähkövarastostrategiamme toimivuudesta että edistää heidän markkina-asemansa kehittymistä Suomessa” kommentoi Merus Powerin projektikehitysjohtaja Mikko Marttala Yhdessä paremman ilmaston ja toimitusvarmuuden puolesta "Tämä investointi akkuenergiavarastojärjestelmään (BESS) on merkittävä panos toimitusvarmuuden parantamiseen Euroopan ydinmarkkinoillamme ja tukee yrityksemme tarkoitusta Energiasiirtymä edellyttää yhä useamman ajoittaisen tuuli- ja aurinkoenergian kapasiteetin integrointia Alpiq voi tukea tätä prosessia yhdistämällä joustavan tuotannon asiantuntemuksemme BESS-investointeihin" Alpiqin kansainvälinen johtaja ja johtoryhmän jäsen Sähkön tuotannon ja kulutuksen tasapainottaminen on yhä tärkeämpää uusiutuvien energialähteiden yleistyessä sillä uusiutuvat energialähteet tekevät sähköverkon taajuuden vaihteluista nopeampia ja jyrkempiä Valkeakoskelle rakentuva sähkövarasto pystyy reagoimaan näihin muutoksiin millisekunneissa Merus Powerin toimittama moderni sähkövarasto sisältää tehoelektroniikkaa jotka muodostavat korkean teknologian laadukkaan kokonaisuuden Poikkeuksellisen asiantuntemuksen ja teknologiaosaamisen vuoksi Merus Powerilla on mahdollisuus toimia liiketoiminnan koko arvoketjun rakentajana Yhtiö on kotimaansa markkinajohtaja ja kaikki sen tuotteet suunnitellaan ja valmistetaan Suomessa Merus Powerin neuvonantajana Valkeakoskelle rakennettavassa hankkeessa toimii Jones ”Olemme räätälöineet Merus Powerin sähkövaraston ohjelmistot ja palvelut vastaamaan erityisesti asiakkaidemme tarpeita Ohjelmistomme tuottavat asiakkaille varmuutta ja helppoutta laitteiden käyttöön ja koko investoinnin hyödyntämiseen Asiakkaamme voivat myös luottaa laitteiston ja ohjelmiston yhteensopivuuteen ja nopeaan reagointikykyyn markkinamuutoksiin Pystymme ottamaan huomioon tulevaisuuden vaatimukset nykyisissä järjestelmissämme – näin käytettävyys pysyy korkeana niin lyhyellä kuin pitkälläkin tähtäimellä” Jakelu: Nasdaq Helsinki Oy Keskeiset tiedotusvälineet joka mahdollistaa kestävän energian murrosta Suunnittelemme ja tuotamme innovatiivisia sähkötekniikan ratkaisuja sähkönlaaturatkaisuja ja palveluita uusiutuvan energian ja teollisuuden tarpeisiin Skaalautuvan teknologiamme avulla mahdollistamme uusiutuvan energian kasvun sähköverkoissa ja parannamme yhteiskunnan energiatehokuutta Olemme kotimainen innovatiivinen sähkötekniikan erikoisosaaja ja toimimme globaaleilla ja voimakkaasti kasvavilla markkinoilla Henkilöstömme edustaa kansainvälisesti arvostettua insinööriosaamista Liikevaihtomme vuonna 2023 oli 29 miljoonaa euroa ja osakkeemme kaupankäyntitunnus Nasdaq First North Growth Market Finland -markkinapaikalla on MERUS Alpiq on johtava sveitsiläinen energiapalvelujen tarjoaja ja sähköntuottaja joka toimii kaikilla Euroopan suurimmilla markkinoilla Se tarjoaa asiakkailleen kattavia ja tehokkaita palveluja energiantuotannon ja -markkinoinnin sekä optimoinnin saroilla Alpiq on tuottanut ilmastoystävällistä ja kestävää hiilivapaata sähköä sveitsiläisestä vesivoimasta jo yli 100 vuoden ajan Sen tuotantoportfolioon lukeutuu myös osuuksia kahdesta sveitsiläisestä ydinvoimalasta sekä säädettävistä lämpövoimaloista tuulipuistoista ja aurinkosähkölaitoksista Euroopassa Alpiq-konsernissa on noin 1 200 työntekijää ja suurin osa sen osakekannasta on yksityisomistuksessa Se on kokonaan kolmen osakkeenomistajaryhmän Schweizer Kraftwerksbeteiligungs-AG:n (SKBAG) Konsortium Schweizer Minderheitsaktionäre (KSM) ja EOS Holding SA:n Pysy ajan tasalla tilaamalla yhtiötiedotteemme sähköpostiisi Kaikki tiedotteet on koottu uutishuoneeseen Tietosuoja deathsPolice are investigating a teen stabbing in Helsinki and a boy's death near Tampere They say no crime is suspected in the latter case Open image viewerImage: Kalle Mäkelä / YleYle News1.6.2024 16:49•Updated 2.6.2024 13:06A minor was stabbed on Friday evening in Helsinki's Kaivopuisto park A fight involving several people led to one person being stabbed Police were alerted to the scene at 8.30pm on Friday The victim is underage and was treated in hospital following the incident The police on Friday said that the victim's injuries were not life-threatening There were several eyewitnesses to the incident who said they have identified individuals related to the case Central Finland police on Saturday meanwhile said they were continuing their investigation into the case of a teenage boy found dead on Friday in Nokia The body of a teenage boy was found in the town of Nokia on Friday morning leading to police opening an investigation into a suspected homicide The police said they're actively investigating the cause of death of the boy His body was found near the Emäkoski rapids in the town's Koskenmäki neighbourhood police said they no longer suspected any crime in the case They said they had obtained images that clarified the course of events Police said that the investigation was ongoing Pirkanmaa was also the site of another shocking teen death last weekend. Last Sunday a man was detained on suspicion of manslaughter and aggravated child rape after a 15-year-old girl was found dead in a woodland in Valkeakoski. 13.06: Updated with police statement about Nokia death. and plastic swansHelsingin Sanomat is among a number of Finnish newspapers to tell its readers about Ylilauta a website which allows "hate speech to run rampant" Open image viewerThe company behind the Ylilauta platform said it had 2.5 million "active users" last month alone. Image: Matti Kurkela / YleYle News30.5.2024 9:23•Updated 30.5.2024 12:13Helsingin Sanomat takes its readers on a deep diveOpens an external website into Finland's "number one platform for hate speech" The platform has been in the headlines — again — in recent days after reports emerged that the suspect in the killing of a 15-year-old girl in Valkeakoski last weekend had used it to post fantasies about strangling women HS writes that the site is based on anonymity and by its own estimates had about 2.5 million "active users" last month This anonymity allows "hate speech to run rampant" on the platform, University of Helsinki PhD researcher Emilia Lounela tells the paper. This view is also backed up by a Ministry of Justice report published in 2021 which found that Ylilauta was the source of about 96 percent of hate speech on Finnish websites "The typical idea there is that you shouldn't be too sensitive you should be able to make fun of everything and laugh at everything," Lounela explains noting that misogyny is common on the platform extreme right-wing and anti-minority hate speech She further adds that misogynistic and racist attitudes are evident even in the mainstream in Finland but on forums like Ylilauta the rhetoric becomes ever more extreme — and more moderation and regulation of these sites is needed "It is important to add to the research data and create tools so that work can be done with children and young people to dismantle harmful attitudes," Lounela says Finland's Finance Minister and leader of the Finns Party Riikka Purra finds herself at the centre of another brewing racism storm on Thursday morning Purra made international headlines last year just weeks after leading her party into government when racist and violent comments she wrote on a blog some 15 years previously suddenly resurfaced While the signs could be considered quite patronising to foreign students a spokesperson for the school told Yle that they are necessary because some of the students in basic education classes are illiterate or can only read in their own mother tongue Open image viewerThe sign that appeared on the walls of the Omnia adult education centre in Espoo Image: Simo Kymäläinen / YleTaking to social media platform X Purra quoted a line from the article about how the use of the signs "encapsulates something essential about our time" This was clearly something that struck a chord with Finland's finance minister and deputy PM Although it wasn't immediately clear what she meant IL writes that many X users responded to her post by noting the underlying tone of racism noticing her comment had caused a little confusion and a lot of criticism writing in another X post that the toilet signage was not what bothered her the most "It's the idea that ​​attracting mainly uneducated mass migrants from developing countries One of Ilta-Sanomat's most-read stories on Thursday morning tellsOpens an external website of two stranded swans The tabloid explains that a number of people contacted animal welfare services in Turku to report that two swans had been sitting in a field for days the callers were concerned the birds were suffering went to investigate and initially observed from a distance that the swans were sitting in the field they found that the swans were plastic and sent an "all clear" report — with an accompanying selfie — back to HQ Although call-outs by animal welfare authorities are rare plastic swans can be seen around Finland during the spring and summer months "Swans are big and territorial and a bit aggressive so sometimes these plastic swans can be enough for geese and ducks to continue their journey and not stop in a field," Sari Pesonen of Turku's animal welfare agency tells IS Users with an Yle ID can leave comments on our news stories. You can create your Yle ID via this link. Our guidelines on commenting and moderation are explained here The 2022 NHL Entry Draft was held on July 7–8 was drafted in the second round with the No Valkeakoski-born forward talent Jani Nyman played 10 Liiga games and recorded one assist for Ilves last season Nyman spent the majority of the season on loan at Mestis team KOOVEE 17 assists) in 34 games and led the team in points and goals scored The forward also recorded 4 points (2 goals 2 assists) in 3 games for the Ilves U20 team During the season Nyman scored 21 points (11 goals 10 assists) in 21 games for the Finland U18 national team and added one assists in 3 games for the U20 national team The forward was part of the Finland’s bronze-medal team at the 2022 IIHF U18 World Championship that was played in the spring In the spring of 2021 Ilves and Nyman agreed on a 2+1-year deal The contract covers next season and includes an option for the 2023–2024 season Congratulations on behalf of the Ilves organization Daniel Gazda Tšekin MM-joukkueeseen Keltaisten Game Worn -pelipaitojen huutokauppa alkaa perjantaina 2.5. Ilves kiittää Liiga-joukkueestaan lähteviä pelaajia ja valmentajia Yhden aikakauden päätös – Ilves kiittää huoltajalegenda Lasse Laukkasta Tiukka taistelu toi Ilvekselle pronssia Raumalla Pelaajakuvassa Adam Najman Ilves palaa vuoden tauon jälkeen mitalipeleihin – Pronssimitalit panoksena Rauman perjantai-illassa Ilveksen taival katkesi jatkoerässä — KalPa eteni finaaleihin Home International Finnish abuser used Snapchat to prey on 120 girls A serial sexual predator who used Snapchat to prey on more than 100 children was jailed by a Finnish court Thursday Most of the 120 underage girls who brought charges against Jesse Erkkonen were aged between 12 and 16 The court in Pirkanmaa in southern Finland heard the 27-year-old used the social media platform to approach young girls asking them for naked photos and sexual videos It sentenced him to 10 years and a half years in prison for 20 counts of aggravated child sexual abuse as well as other charges including blackmail Most of the victims were from the town of Valkeakoski and surrounding areas Erkkonen persuaded some of his victims to meet up and engage in sexual activity tobacco or cannabis and then threatened to spread his victims’ pictures Erkkonen asked an 11-year-old girl to film her seven-year-old sister and her friend while they were naked in the shower.—AFP © 2025 All rights reserved | Pakistan Observer © 2024 All rights reserved | Pakistan Observer