MP Talk gives members of parliament the opportunity to share their views on Finnish society with an international audience. The opinions expressed in this column are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Helsinki Times.

Finland is globally well known for its equal, high-quality, cost-effective and productive education system. The reputation is well deserved and we, as a country, are proud of it.

In July 2017, the total of 122 member states to the United Nations (UN) voiced their support for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, or the Nuclear Ban Treaty. The Treaty will be open for signatures on September 20th, 2017. It will enter into force 90 days after 50 states have ratified it.

The treaty comprehensively prohibits every type of activity related to nuclear weapons or nuclear explosive devices. This ranges from development to possession, transfer or stationing on the territory of those states that have signed the treaty.

When the 75th anniversary of WorldCon was announced, the big question was: “Where will it be held?” There were a few options in mind, but the most popular one - the option promoted by A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin - was none other than Helsinki. Be it Martin’s influence or not, the vote indeed went to Helsinki, and so the local convention center, Messukeskus, became host to over 6,100 eager fans of science fiction and fantasy.

While the Finnish constitution emphasises free education for all, post-comprehensive school education can produce a significant financial burden on low-income families. Save the Children Finland has received overwhelming numbers of subsidy requests from families who cannot afford textbooks and other supplies that are required for the completion of upper secondary school. Now, the NGO is calling for urgent action from the authorities.

MP Talk gives members of parliament the opportunity to share their views on Finnish society with an international audience. The opinions expressed in this column are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Helsinki Times.

The Committee for the Future at the Finnish Parliament is quite a unique institution. There are only a few countries and parliaments with a similar kind of committee.

Some authors manage to grasp you by the collar and never let go, and Scott Lynch is one of those. With his stories often described as “Ocean’s Eleven, but fantasy,” Lynch has proved to be top-notch at writing exemplary characters, as well as fantastic plots and plot twists. When his name appeared on the WorldCon 75 guest list, we knew that we couldn’t let the week go by without having a few words with him.

As one of the most well-known female authors working within the fantasy genre, Robin Hobb stood out on the WorldCon 75 guest list as one of the authors to whom we were most interested to speak. With the final installment of the Fitz and the Fool trilogy recently released back in May, we took a few minutes to talk to her about writing worlds, diverse characters, and more.

By one measure, it’s the eighth most dynamic city in the world. It has achieved this success not by the isolated-tech-campus approach of Silicon Valley. Rather, Wuhan has become a fast-growing hotbed for tech, education, and innovation by fostering a symbiotic environment that draws upon academia, industry and culture.

Ask any CEO or mayor what the greatest asset of their company or city is and “people” is the word that most will offer first.

MP Talk gives members of parliament the opportunity to share their views on Finnish society with an international audience. The opinions expressed in this column are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Helsinki Times.

At the start of this millennium at the latest, the European Union took on a leading role in the global fight against climate change.