October 2026

European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde will leave the central bank in February, stepping down before the end of her term. The departure was reported as a surprise exit.

STT, the Finnish news agency, will end its news and picture agency operations in March and has dismissed its entire editorial staff. The agency's news service is being wound down as a whole, not reduced.

Israel's election has ended in deadlock, with Benjamin Netanyahu's party emerging as the largest single force but no clear path to a governing majority. Finnish outlets reported the result as a stalemate rather than a decisive win for any bloc.

Finland's Ministry of Finance (VM) has published its options for spending cuts and tax increases, with spending exceeding revenue and an adjustment need of 8–11 billion euros. The ministry presented the alternatives on Monday, and a live broadcast of the announcement was starting.

Finland's supervisory authority for social welfare and health care, LVV, says care staff have taken videos of dementia patients and other patients without permission, and that some of the material is humiliating and mocking. The authority said the footage was shared onward by care personnel.

Ukraine carried out a large drone strike on Russia, setting fires and causing power cuts in St Petersburg. The attack drew a Kremlin response that one account described as a sign that real damage is now being done.

The Finns Party presented a savings list of 9 billion euros in adjustments, and the package would abolish the Ministry of the Environment. Party leader Riikka Purra said the party might also put Sitra and the Finnish National Agency for Education into history. The proposal lands in a public-finances debate where the National Coalition Party has already put forward its own nine-billion-euro list, which contains no tax increases and targets social and health care spending.

Finland's government has sent parliament a proposal for a tax rebate on professional diesel used by heavy transport, with the reform now proceeding to the legislature. The Ministry of Finance and the government presented the measure on Thursday, and it would apply only to certain vehicles.

Finnish outlets carried a warning that the coming winter will be "extremely difficult" on energy prices, with the same quote running across Ilta-Sanomat, Iltalehti, Uusi Suomi and cedarnews.net. The warning concerns electricity prices specifically, and Kauppalehti reported that the price of electricity jumps sharply on Tuesday.

Unemployment in Finland has started rising again, a reversal that economists describe as growth and joblessness climbing side by side. Economists interviewed on the subject explain why the two are now moving together rather than in opposite directions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused US President Donald Trump of admiring Russian President Vladimir Putin, a charge a researcher at Tampere University assessed as accurate. The accusation marks a further public deterioration in relations between Kyiv and Washington.

US President Donald Trump froze newly approved sanctions on Russia, citing the American national interest. A Kremlin representative called the move a "historic moment".

Left Alliance leader Minja Koskela has presented a major reform of state finances and said she is prepared for billion-euro cuts. She also proposes restoring the tax deduction for trade union membership fees at double the previous level.

The Finnish Defence Forces imposed a short temporary restriction on aviation and maritime traffic in the eastern Gulf of Finland. The restriction was lifted, and no drones reached Finland, according to the headline of Helsingin Uutiset.

A 16-year-old opened fire at a primary school in Oregon in the United States, killing three children and a teacher. Five people died in the shooting, with children among the dead, CNN reported. The teacher tackled the attacker.

Prime Minister said France cannot be indifferent to the concerns of high school students. The statement was made amid the ongoing protests.

Finland's Ministry of Defence blocked a real estate transaction in which a Russian millionaire sought to buy a remote barracks area on the country's eastern border. The ministry said the purchase would have enabled intelligence activity.

Finland's Ministry of Finance (VM) has proposed raising the retirement age to 70 and eliminating the home care allowance. The proposal would affect people born in 1967 and later. Under the ministry's model, the retirement age could rise to nearly 74.

The National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) has presented a savings list totaling nine billion euros aimed at public finances and social and health care services, and the package does not include any tax increases. The party now wants two billion euros in pension cuts, a goal that Helsingin Sanomat's centre-right outlet reports will almost inevitably hit current pensioners. The savings list outlines specific cuts targeting new billion-euro reductions in public finances and social and health care.

Russia is facing international demands for additional information about suspected plague cases, with the World Health Organization reportedly encountering problems in its handling of the situation. Media reports indicate a second possible plague case has emerged in the country.

Finland and five other EU member states have issued an ultimatum to the European Union, threatening not to approve the EU budget unless it includes spending cuts amounting to hundreds of billions. The demand was first reported by the Financial Times and covered by Finnish outlets including Yle, Iltalehti, and mtvuutiset.fi.

The National Coalition Party has presented a savings list totaling nine billion euros, aimed at public finances and social and health care services. The package does not include any tax increases.

Russia is significantly increasing its military spending, with the defense budget swelling to record levels and additional personnel being added to the armed forces. The expansion is part of a new directive from President Vladimir Putin.

Russian drone strikes hit Kyiv, setting fire to the building of the science academy. People escaped from the windows of the building as the fire spread.

A survey by the Finnish Centre for Pensions (Tela) found that 60 percent of Finns do not believe their pension will be sufficient to cover living expenses in 2050. The finding was reported by Yle, Iltalehti, Ilta-Sanomat, MTV Uutiset, and Verkkouutiset.