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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.

Oslo asks Moscow for an explanation after BarentsObserver earlier today reported that Russia’s sanctioned Deputy Prime Minister suddenly appeared on Svalbard.

When Natalia Kolesnik left work this evening, she closed the doors of Murmansk’s only independent youth house behind her for the last time.

Russia and the WTO (illustration by BarentsObserver)

Russia is unlikely to succeed with its much-announced intention to become member of the World Trade Organization in the course of 2011.

Conservative leader Erna Solberg forms a minority government with the Progress party with parliament backing from the Liberals and Christian Democrats based on an agreement not to open for controversial Arctic oil drilling.

Andrey Krainy

With Vladimir Putin as Russia’s prime minister, the federal ministries are bolstered with a number of new powers, while agencies and services lose independence. Among the losers is the State Committee of Fisheries.

United Nations Convention on Law of the Seas (UNCLOS) has never been ratified by USA. During the Arctic Ocean Conference on Greenland, USA has given clear indications that they might change view on this issue.

Head of the Russian State Duma’s Committee of International Affairs says Russia and the EU will be ready to open up for visa-free travel in three years.

Photo: barackobama.com

U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Barrack Obama calls for a review of Russia’s bid to join the World Trade Organisation following the country’s intervention in the South Ossetia conflict this week.

Photo: Amund Beitnes

Climate change is changing all the rules in the Arctic, a region which increasingly is becoming a scene of commercial and territorial conflict, the New York Times writes in today’s editorial.

Carl Bildt (wikipedia)

-The strategic partnership of the EU and Russia has been based on common values. It is most obvious that we are not in such a situation now. We can still talk about common interests, but not common values, Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt says.

Dmitrii Medvedev

In a video address, Russian President Dmitrii Medvedev yesterday said Russia should do what it can to get maximum benefits from the world financial crisis. He believes the crisis can make Russia stronger.

Photo: kremlin.ru

EU Council President Nicolas Sarkozy in last Friday’s EU-Russia summit said that the two parts should elaborate on the possible establishment of a common economic area. In the meeting, EU also expressed openness towards the Russian proposal on a new pan-European security treaty.

Støre, Lavrov (mid.ru)

During their meeting in Moscow today, the foreign ministers of Russia and Norway expressed their intention to strengthen cooperation in the Euro-Arctic Barents Council and the Arctic Council.