Finland is buzzing following comments made by a foreign policy specialist about the need for reservists to be "physically and mentally fit."
Charly Salonius-Pasternak, a senior researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA), made the comments on Monday in regard to how a second Donald Trump presidency could change Russia's attitude towards Finland.
The Finnish Reservists' Association (FRA) told Helsingin Sanomat that their phone started ringing shortly after these comments, with people curious to decipher Salonius-Pasternak's message.
Salonius-Pasternak, however, said he did not consider it likely that Finland will face a military threat, just that it was possible.
Minna Nenonen, who heads the FRA, said keeping fit is always good idea.
"Moving more is not bad advice for anyone…I wouldn't be concerned at this point about Salonius-Pasternak's comment, as we all know from Trump's previous presidential term that unexpected things can happen," she said, noting that a second Trump presidency wouldn't necessarily be "too positive from a European or Finnish perspective."
Drinking the “Green Poison”
Grocery store chain, the S-group, has strengthened its number one market position in the grocery trade, leaving competitor K-market further behind.
Heikki Peltola, who compiled the Kaupan huiput 2022 (roughly translated as 'top shops') review, told Kauppalehti, "the S–group has had continued growth for a long time and last year was a historically good year."
The S-group is a customer-owned Finnish network of companies, comprising S-markets and Prisma in the food sector.
Back in 2000, K-Citymarkets, K-Supermarkets and K-Markets were the clear market leader, but S-stores have overtaken K-group stores, primarily due to Prisma's strong sales. In 2022, the S-markets and Prisma grabbed a total of 39.4 percent of market share, while the K-group saw 34.8 percent.
Historian Anitra Komulainen suggested the S-group's success is due to the bonuses offered to customers.
"The S card, which K-traders call green poison, attracted large families, who concentrate their purchases in cooperative stores in the hope of large bonuses."
The two chains, K and S, control around 80 percent of the Finnish grocery sector.
The All Points North podcast recently looked into Finland's grocery duopoly. Listen to the episode via this embedded player, on Yle Areena via Apple or Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
All I want for Christmas
Will this be another festive season of sticking a swab up your nose before sitting down to dinner? Ilta-Sanomat says no.
Markku Broas, an infectious diseases specialist at the Lapland hospital district, told the paper that it was not necessary to pre-emptively test unless getting together with unvaccinated elderly family members.
"If symptoms occur, testing is certainly recommended," he added, noting that Covid cases are especially hitting the elderly now, with the median age for Covid deaths being 85 in Finland.
"You can celebrate Christmas at home with your family, even if you have contracted an infection. But if there are unvaccinated individuals who are high-risk, then it's not sensible to be in the same household," Broas told IS.
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