Not everyone in Finland is celebrating the death of Iran's leader, Ali Khamenei, killed in strikes last weekend.
The imam of the Mellunmäki mosque in Helsinki, Abbas Bahmanpour, did not want to comment on developments in Iran to Helsingin Sanomat.
The mosque is operated by the Resalat Association, which is known to have received funding from Iran and Iraq.
Following the death of Khamenei, Bahmanpour changed his Facebook profile picture to a black square and shared excerpts from the Koran, alongside criticism of Israel and the United States.
In 2023, HS published an extensive report on the mosque and its activities. Those interviewed described, among other things, messaging said to run counter to democracy and women’s rights. One interviewee remarked that they did not consider the Mellunmäki mosque a safe place.
Who gets care?
In an interview with Iltalehti, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) argues that Finland must define what constitutes essential healthcare.
In the next parliamentary term, the country faces fiscal adjustments estimated between 8 and 11 billion euros. Health and social services spending already accounts for roughly a third of the state budget.
A bill outlining the principles of the service basket is due before parliament in the spring. The proposal is, however, not expected to yield savings and, according to many respondents in the consultation process, would do little to alter the status quo.
For now, Finland's wellbeing services counties — and individual physicians — retain broad discretion over what treatment is offered, and to whom.
Squeezed retirees
A recent nationwide survey by the Finnish Pensioners' Federation finds that more than half of Finland's pensioners are struggling to make ends meet.
Recent talk of further cuts is compounding their anxiety, reports Maaseudun Tulevaisuus.
For many retirees, rising living costs have already eroded modest fixed incomes.
More than half of the respondents to the survey reported difficulties in making ends meet. Nearly 15 percent said they have been forced to cut back on everyday essentials, including food, medicines and housing.
At the same time, as many as 80 percent of respondents felt that pensioners have been treated poorly or belittled in politicians' public remarks
