Kauppalehti explores why Finland joined Pax Silica, a US-led strategic partnership to secure AI supply chains.
Finland broke from the EU line and leaned toward Washington mainly to protect networking giant Nokia, according to Kauppalehti, which looks at the US-led Pax Silica initiative.
Pax Silica aims to secure supply chains for semiconductors, critical minerals and artificial intelligence infrastructure, according to the Finnish government.
The paper suggested that Finland’s participation in the initiative was sparked by news that Swedish telecom firm Ericsson joined the group.
An arrangement backed by Donald Trump, Pax Silica ties access to advanced AI, chips and investment to geopolitical alignment. The idea is to lock in US and allied dominance in key tech supply chains. Countries outside the bloc risk being sidelined and dealing on weaker terms, KL explains.
The approach has not gone down smoothly across the European Union, where many see it as protectionist.
Teacher resistance
Education Minister Anders Adlercreutz‘s (SPP) proposal to move school summer vacations to later in June has had a lukewarm reception.
MPs from governing parties told Helsingin Sanomat that they doubt plans to reschedule the school summer holidays will advance during the current term.
MP Mia Laiho (NCP) suggested that the minister was getting a jumpstart on next year’s elections.
Adlercreutz has floated the idea of introducing an additional holiday week in April and postponing the start of the summer break.
The idea faces resistance from teachers. A survey by the teacher trade union OAJ found that 78 percent of teachers oppose delaying the holidays.
Elder care exposed
Ilta-Sanomat‘s most-read story follows a reporter with a nursing background who went undercover in an eldercare home in the Turku area, where she was hired on the spot, even though no positions had been advertised.
After just six days working in a care home, the reporter described a system under strain.
There was a shortage of staff, IS writes. Shifts were filled in a near-constant scramble, with care workers routinely stretching themselves over double shifts.
IS also describes indifference. One resident who had fallen out of bed was reportedly referred to as a ‘panda’, while some staff appeared more absorbed in their phones than in those they were meant to care for.
Basic equipment, too, was lacking or poorly used. Alarm devices had no working batteries, and resuscitation equipment was stored hundreds of metres away.
