After an unsuccessful presidential bid, European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen will not run in the European Parliamentary elections in June. According to Helsingin Sanomat, she made the decision to stay out of that race before Finland's presidential campaign even started.
"I have been asked to run for office, but this time I will skip the elections," Urpilainen told the newspaper.
The mother of primary school-aged children told the paper that she wants to live daily life in the same country as her children. The family plans to move back to Finland after her term on the European Commission concludes at the end of this year.
She reflected on the recent campaign positively, saying that it was "a great experience in every way". However, she admits that trumping even second-place winner Pekka Haavisto would have meant achieving the near-impossible.
"Haavisto has practically been the number one candidate for centre-left or non-bourgeois Finland for 12 years," she said, adding that he has long been popular amongst SDP voters.
The 48-year-old says she hasn't ruled out a return to domestic politics, but that "right now it doesn't seem likely".
Sex education should start early
Meanwhile, in tabloid Iltalehti's domestic news, sex education is in the spotlight – in particular, the need to teach children about sexual diversity.
In the southern Finnish city of Hyvinkää, Grade 5 teacher Laura Lindholm points out that the 5th year textbooks educate children primarily on human reproduction and heterosexual sex.
She says it's a good introduction, but that children of that age need to learn that sexuality doesn't just exist between men and women. She says she goes to other sources, such as Yle Areena and materials from the NGO Väestöliitto (the Family Federation of Finland) to supplement the textbook.
According to Lindholm, children learn more through social media than their parents or teachers realise. Therefore, it is the teachers' job to correct misinformation. They have discretion to use outside sources, as long as they follow the curriculum.
However, sexual therapist Marja Kihlström says it's a problem when children's sex education is left up to the teacher's discretion, as there is no obligation to teach gender- or sexual diversity.
In Kihlström's view, it's good to develop a child's self-confidence and understanding by talking to them about how families and relationships are different, and how there are more than two genders. She points to recent homophobic discussions about presidential candidate Haavisto as being particularly hurtful to minorities.
"The realisation of sexual rights is linked to political will. It should be protected so that all children get the same information," Kihlström told the paper.
Bring on the (weather) chaos
Thursday will be relatively calm but Friday will bring meteorological chaos, just in time for the start of the ski holiday in southern Finland, according to rural newspaper Maaseudun Tulevaisuus.
A strong weather front will come in from the west, bringing up to 25 cm of snow to parts of the country and sleet and rain to other regions.
This is preceded by a cloudy Thursday for most of Finland, with Lapland getting some glimpses of sun. The forecast is for 1-10 degrees below zero Celsius in the west and 10-15 degrees below zero in eastern and northern Lapland.
The paper warns its readers to be particularly careful if travelling for the ski holiday. The weather is set to settle into rain and drizzle between Friday and Saturday, creating difficult conditions for those on the roads.
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