In early September, the daily Iltalehti opened an election compass on the US presidential election – a series of 12 policy position statements that readers could agree or disagree with to see which of the two candidates most closely align with their own views.
The question presented on the war in Ukraine asked whether the US should focus its policy on continuing armed support for Ukraine or on pursuing a quick peace.
Tallying up the results to date, the paper reported on Thursday that the difference between answers from tens of thousands of respondents was very slight, but a tiny majority (50.83%) of respondents were in favour of pursuing a quick path to peace, a policy espoused by the Republican candidate Donald Trump.
Iltalehti points out that pressuring Ukraine to come to the negotiating table has been seen, at least among Ukrainians, as supporting Russia's aims.
Although opinion polls in the US are extremely even at the moment, a substantial majority of respondents to Iltalehti's poll, just under 85 percent, favoured the election of Democrat (current Vice President) Kamala Harris.
Three-quarters of respondents to a poll published earlier this week by business lobby Eva said that if it was possible, they'd vote for the Democrat candidate in next week's US presidential election, while just one in ten said they would opt for her Republican rival.
For a weekly roundup of the top stories from Finland, as well as an Yle Areena tip, sign up for Yle's newsletter service with your Yle ID.
Continuing guaranteed care
More than half of Finland's welfare regions plan to continue offering the current primary care guarantee, even though the law will no longer require it from the beginning of next year.
In a survey carried out by the Uutissuomalainen news group, 14 of the wellbeing services counties that provide healthcare and social services in Finland, said they aim to continue to guarantee residents access to non-urgent primary healthcare within a maximum time period of two weeks.
The regions pledging to continue providing the guarantee were those in West-Uusimaa, East-Uusimaa, Vantaa and Kerava, Pirkanmaa, Päijät-Häme, Kainuu, Kymenlaakso, South Karelia, South Savo, North Savo, Central Finland, Ostrobothnia, Lapland and Southwest Finland.
In contrast, in Satakunta and Kanta-Häme, it is estimated that general access to primary care will take longer. Similarly, the City of Helsinki reported that its target is to guarantee access to non-emergency care within 30 days.
Officials in Central Uusimaa, North Ostrobothnia and North Karelia, responded that service levels cannot be determined until next year's budgets are drawn up. The welfare region covering South Ostrobothnia did not take a clear position on whether or not it will continue to provide a care guarantee.
The wellbeing services county of Central Ostrobothnia did not respond to the survey.
Two notes, not one
Ilta-Sanomat carries an STT report that the Russian Embassy in Finland has sent two diplomatic notes to the Finnish Foreign Ministry regarding the confiscation of Russian state property in Finland, rather than the one first reported on Tuesday.
Mikko Kivikoski, Deputy Head of the Foreign Ministry's Department for Asia and Oceania, says that the notes were delivered on Monday and Tuesday. In addition, the Russian Embassy has been in contact with the Foreign Ministry by phone.
On Wednesday, Russia summoned the Finnish Ambassador to Russia, Marja Liivala, for talks in Moscow concerning the seizure of Russian state property in Finland.
According to Kivikoski, Russia raised the same issues in those talks as the Russian Embassy in Finland had previously raised with the Finnish Foreign Ministry and Finland's National Enforcement Authority.
"They have asked for more information about the National Enforcement Authority's actions and presented the protest, which they have also raised publicly in their press releases," Kivikoski told STT.
Hedgehogs under threat
Maaseudun Tulevaisuus tells readers that the global population of hedgehogs, those cute prickly little garden visitors, has declined dramatically and may soon become an endangered species.
The decline in their numbers is due to the deterioration of the their habitats, according to new a report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The paper quotes University researcher Mervi Kunnasranta of the University of Eastern Finland as saying that no precise information available on the number of hedgehogs in Finland. However, reported road fatalities of hedgehogs and observations of hedgehog numbers by hobbyists suggest that their numbers have also sharply declined in Finland.
According to the IUCN report, hedgehog populations have declined in half of the countries where the animals live. Numbers are estimated to have fallen by between 16 and 33 percent over the last ten years.
The fall is the result of habitats being degraded in particular by intensive farming and increased construction.
The hedgehog is a protected species in Finland. The deliberate disturbance, capture or killing of protected animals and interference with nests, dens and eggs of affected species is a criminal offence.
"Miserable driving"
Snow and sleet, sleet and even "a decent snowstorm" are in the forecast for the rest of the week in Finland, points out Iltalehti.
Snowfall is expected especially in the north and central parts of the country, but may also occur in some areas in the south.
The paper describes potential driving conditions are "miserable" for the rest of the week. The traffic management agency Fintraffic has issued a reminder to those setting out on the roads to be aware of the slippery conditions.
"It is a good idea to change to winter tyres at as soon as possible, and to allow more time than normal for travel. Remember to maintain sufficient safety distances on the road to avoid rear-end collisions," says Sanna Piilinen, Head of Fintraffic's Road Traffic Centre.