The tabloid Ilta-Sanomat has published an interview with Finance Minister Matti Vanhanen (Cen), following Saturday's news that he would be stepping down and handing the reins to Centre Party leader and current Science Minister Annika Saarikko.
Vanhanen, who began his political career as a member of Espoo city council over 40 years ago, issued warnings about the polarisation of politics today.
"I am concerned about identity politics. Everyone is retreating deeper and deeper into their own corner and the ability to build a genuine majority with a common mission is becoming more difficult," he told Ilta-Sanomat.
Vanhanen also urged reforms to curb household debt, telling IS that "indebtedness is a flashing red warning light for the macroeconomy."
The former prime minister also called for foreign students and foreign labour to help solve the problems caused by Finland's ageing population.
"Due to our demographic structure, we only have about half the growth potential of what they have in the other Nordic countries," he told the paper.
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Can Helsinki city centre bounce back from Covid?
That's the question at the heart of an interview in Monday's Maaseudun Tulevaisuus.
The farmers' union paper reports on comments by Stockmann CEO Jari Latvanen, who told the paper the city's Aleksanterinkatu shopping street had been withered by the impact of lockdowns and remote working.
"So many shops and services have disappeared around this that it should worry people other than just me," Latvanen told the paper.
The Stockmann boss called on politicians to change transport policies, claiming that customers needed to travel by car as well as public transport.
"Accessibility must be ensured. It cannot be based on just one mode of transport. We each have the right to choose how to travel, be it by bus, scooter or car," he said.
One bright spot in the pandemic's economic impact has been the growth of interest in countryside living and leisure, MT writes.
"The cottage market is getting hot and now even people who have not been to a cottage before are renting them. The countryside is being seen with new eyes. The development is also visible in the department store - electric bikes are sold out and all outdoor and leisure equipment now sell like hot cakes," Latvanen told MT.
Finnish pilots concern over Belarus grounding
The chair of the Finnish Pilots' Association (FPA) has told Helsingin Sanomat of his concern over reports that Belarus forced a foreign passenger jet to land on Sunday.
A Ryanair flight travelling from Athens to Vilnius was reportedly forced to land in Minsk by a Belorussian fighter jet, where a journalist travelling onboard the plane was detained by authorities.
"This raises questions as to whether the entire state is a safe and reliable place for civilian traffic to operate at all," FPA chairman Akseli Meksanen told HS.
The Finnish Foreign Ministry condemned the incident on Sunday, tweeting "A full clarification from the Belarus authorities and a thorough international investigation are urgently needed, as well as a strong EU reaction."
Tram fever sweeps Europe
Lastly today, Suomen Kuvalehti goes inside Europe's northernmost tram factory, in Otanmäki, Kajaani.
As European countries look to cut their carbon emissions, trams are being seen as a climate-friendly way to keep people moving, SK writes.
"The implementation of climate targets is currently reflected directly in the development of electric public transport," Juha Vierros, CEO of the Škoda Transtech factory told the magazine.
That trend is seen in places like Berlin, which plans to build over 70km of tram tracks in the next 15 years. The Otanmäki factory is currently producing some of the trams that could ply those routes, SK writes.
However, according to Suomen Kuvalehti, in spite of the renewed interest in trams, the factory's workforce is undergoing co-determination negotiations due to a gap between two major projects: building vehicles for the new Tampere tram system, and building those scheduled to run on Helsinki's planned "Raide-jokeri" light rail system.
