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Two hundred kilometres above the Arctic Circle hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers are finding a new life in northern Norway, but recently the doors have been shutting on those desperate to start fresh in the High North.

With the Arctic becoming an object of steadily growing attention, Murmansk Oblast establishes the “Arctic University” to prepare Barents students for jobs in Arctic oil and gas projects. 

As Syrian refugees in the hundreds cross over from Russia, capacities in Kirkenes reach the limits. Now an abandoned military compound is turned into refugee reception center.

The BarentsObserver editor gets compensation from Barents Secretariat board.

Suenjel Skolt Sámi community archive

UNESCO places the Suenjel Skolt Sámi community archive onto an important register of world heritage.

The environmental organization Bellona Murmansk was on Monday dissolved as a NGO after it was declared a «foreign agent» by Russia’s Justice Ministry earlier this year. 

The situation around the Norwegian tanker that was reported to be adrift in the Barents Sea yesterday, is under control, ship-owner Marine Supply says.

Russia will establish a major new media resource aimed at promoting Russian national interest in the Arctic.

Finland’s Finance Ministry says Finnish public finances will remain in deficit until the end of the decade, even if government implements proposed deep spending cuts.

 “This sends a clear message to Russia that things aren’t so good when it comes to basic journalistic values in Norway either” The firing of BarentsObserver’s Editor Thomas Nilsen has led to massive reactions from journalists and other protectors of press freedom. 

”We will continue to publish good Barents stories as long as we can”

They first refused to give the newspaper editorial freedom. Today they followed up with the dismissal of Editor Thomas Nilsen.

70 years ago, on September 25 1945, the last Soviet troops left Norway, nearly one year after they liberated the region from Nazi occupation.

The Nenets organization Yasavey Manzara is the first indigenous peoples´ organization in the Barents Region to be declared as “foreign agents”.