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Henri Vanhanen wrote that Finland should close the Russian consulate in Mariehamn after the Russian consul left Åland. According to him, the consulate, established in 1940 at the demand of the Soviet Union, oversaw the demilitarization of Åland, and Russia still had a special status as overseer of Finland's military arrangements in the area. Vanhanen found the situation grotesque and said there was no convincing reason to maintain the consulate in the current security environment. He referred to a previous HBL poll indicating that even 59 percent of Ålanders supported closing the consulate. Vanhanen also believed that the future of Åland's demilitarization should be discussed seriously. He described the islands as a strategically important archipelago located in the critically important Baltic Sea for the security of Finland and Sweden, stating that the starting point for defense should be military necessity. He noted that closing the consulate and dismantling the demilitarization were legally distinct issues, but both deserved a new security policy assessment. Vanhanen wrote that Russia should not dictate how Finland defends its territory. (translated)

I would have voted in favor of the sanctions bill. If the president has a better plan for lowering diesel fuel prices, I would support that. I'm just a bit skeptical whether it will work as the administration hopes. I don't believe we can give Putin the slightest concession," Rogers said. #Trump #Venemaa #Vabariiklased (translated)

Violent protests driven by the rise in living costs spread from France to Italy, where riots and violence occurred in Milan, Turin, and Bologna, resulting in the arrest of over 200 people, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the events, emphasizing the importance of citizens' safety. #rahutused #Itaalia #GiorgiaMeloni (translated)

The new recommendations from the American Cancer Society regarding breast self-examinations raise questions, as they differ from the recommendations of the Estonian Cancer Society for women who should check their breasts monthly. #rinnavähk #rindadeenesekontroll #AmeerikaVähiliit (translated)

Massive protests against the rising cost of living and the deterioration of public services took place in France on Saturday, during which conflicts broke out with the police and buildings and cars were set on fire in the cities, leading to the arrest of 272 people. #protestid #elukallidus #Prantsusmaa (translated)

Eila Westerlund wrote that in her opinion the limit was crossed if the National Agency for Education gave students dress guidelines. She criticized the idea that one should not dress too revealingly so that those who had moved from elsewhere in Finland would not be offended. According to Westerlund, there were no dress restrictions in Finland, and in her opinion, they could not be imposed especially by those who had come here to live with the support of others. #pukeutuminen #koulutus #suomi (translated)

Veli Karimies claimed that Yle had spread false information about the Finns Party on several issues. According to him, Yle had reported that the Finns Party did not come to the morning studio, even though the party had not even been asked about participation. Karimies also said that Yle was claiming that the distribution obligation had not been on the agenda, even though Yle had reported at the end of September that it had been on the table. He believed that the claims were getting through to people with less information and did not consider the incident an innocent mistake. #Perussuomalaiset #media #valeuutiset (translated)

Matti Molari wrote that he would reduce his posting on Threads. He said that a few months of observation had confirmed his belief that the left, in his opinion, had fallen into mass hysteria and lost its sense of reality, which is why he felt that Nazis were seen everywhere. Molari also claimed that the left employed a narcissistic modus operandi and ruled through lies. According to him, nearly everyone was like this. #politiikka #yhteiskunta #keskustelu (translated)

Pekka mentioned that he started the live broadcast of the Roadster unveiling early in the morning before reading the news. He described the presentation as the most impressive product presentation he had ever seen and wrote that Tesla's stock was up about 4 percent. He speculated that the increase might be due to potential cash flows from the Roadster in the future. Pekka wondered what Elon Musk could achieve if he could create a car that drives upside down, jumps, and flies. He believed that the technical capabilities of Tesla and SpaceX were unparalleled and thought that the companies could not be valued using traditional methods. He stated that he owned shares in both companies and was at least satisfied with the presentation. Pekka added that he was not a fan of Tesla or Elon Musk and tried to approach investing neutrally and unemotionally, as it was currently his livelihood. #pekka #sijoittaminen #Tesla #innovaatiot (translated)

Alcohol is estimated to cause 300–400 cancer cases annually in Estonia and it has been proven to be one of the largest preventable cancer risk factors, associated with at least seven different types of cancer, including colorectal and breast cancer. #alkohol #vähiennetus #tervis (translated)

According to the author, the United States tried to get Russia's frozen assets available for Russia's use. He argued that Europe should therefore give at least some of the assets immediately to Ukraine and that they should never be made available for Russia. #Ukraina #Venäjä #KansainvälinenPolitiikka #US #RU #EU #UA (translated)

Jussi Mäkinen wrote that Finnish immigration discussion, in his experience, had focused on the need for workers in low-paying jobs and funding for the pension system. He criticized that councilor Meri was condemned for speaking about what she thought. Mäkinen also pondered whether conclusions could be drawn from the names of those accepted into the Swedish-speaking medical faculty. Mäkinen criticized Marin's government's decision to raise the compulsory schooling age to 18. According to him, the reform had provided state-funded textbooks and school transportation for upper middle-class high school students, but at the same time enrolled youths in education who might not attend classes. He mentioned hearing from acquaintances in vocational schools in the capital region that, for example, selected students in electrical studies had not showed up for school even after the second academic year had started. Mäkinen also claimed that educational institutions received funding based on the names on student lists, even if the student did not show up. Mäkinen wrote that the proportion of those completing secondary education had risen from about 77.9 percent to 79.4 percent among those young people who turned 20 by the spring of that year. He challenged Meri to publish a positive update when the students on the list would have graduated. Mäkinen estimated that nearly 90 percent of those accepted to high school had Finnish backgrounds and nearly 90 percent of those accepted to vocational schools had immigrant backgrounds. He also shared that his friend, a Master's degree holder in business sciences who had come to Finland as a refugee from Kosovo, had said that they had learned better Finnish on a football team than in a classroom with immigrant-background students. Finally, Mäkinen reminded of a previous discussion where it was deemed important to transfer Finnish children from their local school to a school where the majority of students belonged to the S2 language group. He wrote that the backgrounds of the names on vocational school student lists could not yet be discussed. #maahanmuutto #koulutus #suomi (translated)

Henri Vanhanen wrote that he understands Volodymyr Zelensky's frustration with Donald Trump but criticized Europe for not intervening more actively in the negotiations. Vanhanen stated that Ukraine accepted a ceasefire proposed by the United States in the spring of 2025, which Vladimir Putin rejected. According to him, Trump threatened Russia with consequences, invited Putin to Alaska, and continued to seek a deal. Ultimately, according to Vanhanen, Russia's terms for peace were shaped to be acceptable to the Americans, after which Ukraine and European countries had to amend them. Vanhanen compared Putin's negotiation style to the Soviet style, which he associated with Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko: first, a lot is demanded, concessions are rejected, and it is expected that the opposing party will offer more. He assessed that Trump needed a visible agreement more than Putin, which is why, in his opinion, Russia could wait for new initiatives from the United States. Vanhanen criticized Trump for letting Russia's demands influence what Ukraine was pressured to concede. He questioned why Europe had not presented a joint peace proposal with Ukraine or jointly decided how to respond to Russia's next refusal. Vanhanen noted that the United States' influence is undeniable and its participation is necessary, but he believed that Trump should not be given exclusive rights to define the direction of the negotiations. In his opinion, Europe did not need to be ashamed of Trump's lack of historical knowledge or understanding of Russia's negotiating tactics, but Europe's passivity was still harder to defend. https://t.co/qs68FaMyfW #Ukraina #Eurooppa #Trump (translated)

The Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB) arrested Swedish citizen Freddy Lindholm in the Pskov region, who is suspected of organizing terrorist plans and illegally crossing the state border, while Swedish authorities investigate the circumstances. #freddylindholm #venemaaagressioon #rootslanevenemaal (translated)