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.
The Norwegian writer and researcher Steinar Wikan’s describes in his new book the enormous changes the Russian society experienced during the 1990ties, focusing on the Kola Peninsula. – This is basic knowledge on Russia for those who would like to understand the country better, says Wikan.
The Norwegian border town of Kirkenes is celebrating the Barents Spektakel 2010 festival this week. The festival slogan this year is “Arctic Calling” and the program consists of conserts, theatre, art exhibitions and debates on numerous topics. See a slide-show of photos on this web page.
Halvard Rundberg and Ylva Marie Pavval have no beliefs in rising young enthusiasm through endless speeches and boring seminars. They want to address youth through their own language, with reggae, rock’n roll and focus on human rights. All of this will be displayed in a grand rock tour all over the Barents Region in 2011.
Unemployment figures from both Finland, Sweden and Norway show a growing unemployment. In Finland and Sweden, the unemployment is now close to ten percent of the work force.
A new index on living standards in Russia puts Murmansk Oblast as number 14 of 83 federal subjects. That is the best of the five federal subjects in Barents Russia.
A new programme on cross-border cooperation under the EEA/Norway Grants financial mechanism promotes sharing of experiences and best practices between the Barents Region and the Carpathian region.
The Network of Eastern External Border Regions of the European Union (NEEBOR) meets for dialogue at the northernmost Schengen-Russia border in February.
In eight years the number of inhabitants in the Murmansk Region has decreased by 97 000 people. Depopulation due to young people who migrate south is a huge problem for Murmansk region, says Vice Chairman of the Murmansk Regional Duma, Igor Chernyshenko .
The Pechenga monastery is being rebuilt at the same place where it was founded by the monk Trifon in 1533, by the influx of the Pechenga River into the Barents Sea, 135 km west of modern Murmansk.
