Russia’s crack-down on foreign funded groups have reached Nordic Council’s information office in Kaliningrad. Carl Bildt and the other Nordic Foreign Ministers lodge sharp protest.
EU’s Economic and Social Committee recommends in its Arctic Policy opinion that key civil society partners should be given a stronger advisory role in the Barents Euro-Arctic Council.
Politicians from northern Russia will come for the Barents Parliamentarian Conference starting in Harstad on Monday, but will meet only one single colleague from the north. Troms Governor Pia Svensgaard says the county councils in northern Norway are not invited.
“…feminism is very dangerous…,” says Patriarch Kirill in a statement the same day as Russia’s Parliament overwhelmingly passes a bill targeting those who offend believers’ feelings.
Meeting in St. Petersburg, the two Prime Ministers agree to encourage business cooperation in the new Kirkenes-declaration to be signed at the Barents top-meeting in June.
Murmansk Governor Marina Kovtun today offered head of the regional branch of the Communist Party Gennady Stepakhno position as Deputy Governor responsible for the region’s agriculture sector.
Indigenous right activist Pavel Sulyandziga had to withdraw his candidature after pressure as Moscow and gas-hungry Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District urged the candidature of State Duma deputy from United Russia Gregory Ledkov.
MURMANSK: Regional Duma member Pavel Sazhinov believes a permanent participation from parliamentarians will counter the reduced interest for Barents Regional Council.
Norwegian and Russian naval forces will soon be ready to start the annual POMOR exercise. Norway’s frigate “KNM Helge Ingstad” today arrived at the Northern Fleet’s main base of Severomorsk.
KIRUNA: the Arctic Council’s biodiversity group today released the “Arctic Biodiversity Assessment”, a report containing the best available science on the status and trends of Arctic biodiversity and accompanying policy recommendations for biodiversity conservation.
After having been on the verge of bankruptcy, the Northland Resources now confirms that it has the funding needed for continued development of the great Kaunisvaara iron mine project in northern Sweden.
World Wildlife Fund has launched a web-based map showing natural resources and updated overviews of activities like shipping or oil drilling in the Arctic.
In a rapidly changing Arctic, the region's indigenous people are standing at the forefront of climate change and resource development – a situation that's putting them increasingly in the international spotlight and raising questions about their role in Arctic policy making.
10 Barents Spektakel festivals in a row in Kirkenes calls for a one year festival break for the organizers in the art curator group "Pikene på Broen". The next festival will probably be held in the winter of 2015.
Russia’s crack-down on foreign funded groups have reached Nordic Council’s information office in Kaliningrad. Carl Bildt and the other Nordic Foreign Ministers lodge sharp protest.
EU’s Economic and Social Committee recommends in its Arctic Policy opinion that key civil society partners should be given a stronger advisory role in the Barents Euro-Arctic Council.
The town of Kirkenes on the border to Russia was blessed with unusual nice weather on this year’s National Day. Have a look at how the towns’ people celebrated “syttende mai”.
Last Thursday people all over Russia celebrated Victory Day, which marks the capitulation of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union in the Second World War. BarentsObserver brings you photos from the celebrations in Murmansk, Nikel, Arkhangelsk and Litsa.