On Monday morning, nearly every Finnish paper features an image of pop singer Saara Aalto, who this weekend made it into the final five contestants on Britain's wildly-popular TV talent show the X Factor.
The show's Saturday night episode , in which contestants sang hits from the movies, attracted up to 7.2 million TV viewers in the UK. Aalto's stirring rendition of "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic assured her a berth in the final rounds of the competition, which culminates in December.
HBL: Reform school lessons
On a more sobering note, the main Swedish language daily Hufvudstadsbladet looks behind Sunday's headlines about Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services Juha Rehula's formal state apology to those who were mistreated in child protective services between the 1930s and 1980s.
The paper has an in-depth profile of Toni Mäkinen, 44, who was sent at age 11 to the notorious Muhos boys' home, where he was kept – and regularly beaten – for five years in the 1980s. He was among those victims invited to attend Sunday's apology ceremony at Finlandia Hall. After years of psychotherapy, training as a youth worker and work experience at a parish, Mäkinen is now married and a stay-at-home father with two children. Mäkinen says that the key is truly listening to the voices of children and youth in crisis.
SS: Sugar tax, slander trial
Savon Sanomat, based in Kuopio, eastern Finland, predicts that Finland will institute a new sugar tax to replace the current confectionary excise tax, which has been declared anti-competitive by the EU. The government has decided to repeal the four-year-old tax on sweets, soft drinks and ice cream, despite saying in its programme upon taking office last year that it would raise the tax. As a result, prices for these products will drop at the beginning of next year.
There have been calls from many sides for a new sugar tax to replace it and help fend off an expected rise in consumption of unhealthy foods and drinks.
Savon Sanomat has found strong support for such a new law among the leaders of all party delegations in Parliament. Kalle Jokinen, chair of the conservative National Coalition Party bloc, says that such a tax should be instituted during the term of the current cabinet, which still has two and a half years to go. However the chairs of the other two government parties, the Centre and Finns parties, are more cautious about the speed at which replacement legislation could be ratified.
SS also notes that Tampere Finns Party politician Terhi Kiemunki is due at Pirkanmaa District Court on Monday to face charges of incitement against an ethnic group. The prosecutor alleges that Kiemunki slandered and defamed Islam in her blog and social media postings.
Kiemunki herself asked for authorities to look into whether her writings were punishable, but has denied any crime during the preliminary investigation.
The Pirkanmaa region Finns Party board dismissed her from her post as deputy chair due to a "lack of confidence" in her. However Kiemunki remains on the Tampere City Council and in her job as assistant to MP Lea Mäkipää.
HS Metro: Homeless shelters, holiday hype
The newly rebranded HS Metro, a free commuter daily owned by leading daily Helsingin Sanomat, leads off its front page with news that Helsinki Lutheran parishes will take turns offering shelter to the homeless and undocumented. On Monday, Lauttasaari church will be the first to offer temporary housing for a week. Five other parishes will then arrange places to stay on a weekly basis for the rest of the year, in partnership with the Finnish Red Cross and the Deaconess Institute, the Refuhome association and volunteers.
The freesheet also reports on a 23-year-old Finnish woman convicted of fraud. Helsinki District Court has ruled that she bilked two vulnerable people out of nearly 8,000 euros by pretending to be a member of Romania's disadvantaged Roma minority. She was handed a suspended eight-month sentence.
On a cheerier note, Metro's front page carries a large photo of a drum troupe performing during Sunday's opening of Helsinki's designated Christmas shopping street, Aleksanterinkatu. The dazzlingly-lit event drew large crowds despite dark, wet weather that left many wishing it had been held a week earlier when there were bright snowy conditions.