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Some 1000 parents and children in the Komi Republic have received help through the Barents cooperation program “Children and youth at risk”.

Alexander Stubb, famous in the Barents Region for branding the north as the world´s most sexy region, is put on track to take over after Jyrki Katainen.

With the appointment the Arkhangelsk Governor becomes one of the most influential advisors to President Putin.

“Whatever the pressure, Rakurs will continue to support LGBT community, to provide legal and psychological help. And we are going to challenge this wrongful decision in the court,” says Tatiana Vinnichenko, head of the organization.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin on Saturday posted several tweets from Norway’s Svalbard archipelago. Rogozin is on EU and Norway’s sanction list of individuals not allowed entry.

Norway’s Foreign Ministry sends a crystal clear message to the owners of BarentsObserver.

While election turnout in the neighboring countries is in serious decline, the Swedes still go massively to the polls.   

The European Union is ready to start up talks with Russia about a new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, the Union’s Slovenian Presidency confirms.

Arkhangelsk city hall (Barentsphoto.com)

Amid heavy support from the governor, acting city mayor Viktor Pavlenko failed to win this weekend’s mayor’s election in Arkhangelsk. Larisa Bazanova, a previously unknown businesswoman from Moscow, will be the new mayor of Arkhangelsk, the local election commission confirms.

Medvedev, Barroso (Kremlin.ru)

“We, the leaders of the European Union and Russia, today started the negotiations on a new Russia-EU Agreement, which will replace the existing Partnership and Cooperation Agreement from 1997”, a joint statement from today’s EU-Russia summit reads.

Russian federal subjects

Russian regions are sceptical about the ambitious innovation plans presented by federal authorities. Insufficient state funding and under-developed infrastructure are the main obstacles, they say.

Sarkozy, Barroso, Kouchner (ue2008.fr)

The leaders of the EU have decided to put talks on a new Partnership Cooperation Agreement with Russia on hold until the country backs out of Georgia proper.

Nikolay Kiselyov

Nikolay Kiselyov, the former governor of Arkhangelsk Oblast, will be deprived his current position as the region’s representative in the Federation Council, the upper house in the federal parliament.

Jose Manuel Barroso (ue2008.fr)

In their meeting today, EU leaders failed to agree on when to restart negotiations with Russia over a new partnership agreement. Instead, it was agreed to initiate “a full in-depth evaluation of EU-Russia relations”. The Commission still hopes to resume talks on 14 November.

Vanhanen, Putin (government.ru)

Along with several cabinet ministers, Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen today met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. The meeting comes only one day after Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb went to the Russian capital to meet with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.