ARCTIC LIVING Spectacular Views: Kiruna Church Moves to a New City Kiruna, Northern Sweden (High North News): Mining towns are a breed of their own. When the mines were empty, people moved on. In Kiruna, however, the municipality and LKAB see it differently. The city itself has relocated to make room for the iron ore mine. Yesterday, an over 100-year-old church was on the move.
SCIENCE The Arctic of the Past To Illuminate the Future Ice-Free Arctic Ocean On Sunday, the Norwegian research vessel R/V Kronprins Haakon set sail for the Arctic Ocean. Aboard are researchers who will gather geological samples from the past in order to better understand the future of the Arctic.
ARCTIC LIVING Photo Series: Join Us in Old Kiruna Kiruna, Northern Sweden (High North News): The city of Kiruna in Northern Sweden is being relocated to make room for mining under the city, leading the ground to sink and form cracks, which again poses a risk to the building and the inhabitants. Join High North News on a tour of the old and now-abandoned mining city.
POLTICS / 20.08.2025 Strengthens the Finnmark Defense With Artillery "The government is speeding up the announced purchase of K9 artillery guns…
POLITICS / 20.08.2025 Germany's Deputy Defense Minister Visits Greenland Nils Schmid, the Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of…
SCIENCE / 20.08.2025 Rapid Ice-Melting in Svalbard A brand new study shows that around 61.7 gigatons of ice disappeared from…
POLITICS / 20.08.2025 Norway's Arctic Strategy to be Presented on August 26th Norway's Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Kjersti…
POLITICS Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 Sees Flurry of Activity Following Alaska Summit, Including Shipment of Valuable Gas Condensate After months of inactivity Russian gas carriers in the Barents Sea simultaneously lifted their anchors as the Trump-Putin summit took place in Alaska. Then a gas condensate tanker loaded cargo at the Arctic LNG 2 project, a first in 2025.
OPINIONS Knowledge Needs for Navigating the Central Arctic Ocean Op-ed: The Central Arctic Ocean is becoming more accessible for shipping. The ability to navigate at the top of the globe presents new opportunities, risks, and uncertainties. We need more transdisciplinary research to develop proactive responses to shipping growth.
Arne O. Holm says Putin Meeting Trump in the Arctic Has a Purely Practical, Not Political, Reasoning Commentary: At the time of writing, the meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska is only hours away. The meeting takes place in the American Arctic for purely practical, not political reasons. The symbolism, however, is heavy.
Politics Norway to Inspect Sanctioned Tankers in Efforts To Curb Russian Shadow Fleet Norway has announced to begin inspecting foreign-flagged tankers passing through its…
21.05.2025 EU Sanctions Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ Vessels Routinely Passing Through Norwegian Waters, Stopping at Honningsvåg
19.05.2025 Russia to Earn $160bn in Taxes From Northern Sea Route by 2035, Arctic Region Accounts for 7.5 Percent of GDP
07.05.2025 EU Proposes Russian Gas Ban for 2027 But Imports on the Rise Again, Norway Remains Top Supplier
POLITICS French Shipyard Halts Service for Russian LNG Fleet, Leaving Danish Yard as Sole Western Provider A French shipyard’s decision to stop servicing Russian liquefied natural gas vessels…
POLITICS EU Proposes Phase-Out Of Russian Gas by 2027, Currently Spends €1.5bn Each Month on Imports The European Commission announced the details for its proposed ban of Russian gas and…
POLITICS Deliveries of Russian LNG from Yamal Hold Steady, EU Transshipment Ban Showing Little Effect Following the EU’s transshipment ban on Russian LNG it remains business as usual for…
ARCTIC LIVING Convened Participants from 27 Countries in Alaska: "We Feel the Intensity of the Changes" "Building and strengthening global partnerships is more important than ever. And we know that doing that in-person meetings, whether here in Alaska, in Norway, or elsewhere, is imperative," says Rachel Kallander, CEO of Arctic Encounter Summit.
SCIENCE Statsraad Lehmkuhl’s Voyage Was Poorly Planned, Says Researcher The Norwegian tall ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl recently had to cancel a voyage through the Northwest Passage due to ice conditions. The voyage should have taken place in September, when sea ice extent is at its lowest, states a researcher. The expedition leader responds to the criticism.
POLITICS Norway's Minister of Defense: The Establishment of the NATO Air Operations Centre Is on Track Bodø, Northern Norway (High North News): The temporary premises of NATO's third Combined Air Operations Center will be ready at the Armed Forces' base in Bodø already in October. Norwegian Defense Minister Tore O. Sandvik commends the progress.
Business Wants to Assess Possibility of Nuclear Power in Svalbard Svalbard kjernekraft AS has submitted a proposal for assessing the possibility of nuclear power to the Governor of Svalbard.
BUSINESS China Launches 18-Day Arctic Express Containership Route To Europe With Stops in UK, Germany, Poland A Chinese shipping company is set to launch the first liner-type container shipping route via the Arctic. The service will begin in September connecting three ports in China to four destinations in Western Europe.
ARCTIC LIVING The Arctic Encyclopedia Aims to Showcase the Breadth of the Arctic This week, the Arctic Economic Council launched its Arctic Encyclopedia, aiming to showcase the cultural, economic, and emotional breadth of the Arctic. The book features contributions from more than 200 individuals across 36 countries and "reframes how the Arctic is perceived."
POLITICS Putin and Trump With Joint Press Conference in Alaska The summit between Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will begin at 11:30 local time (Alaska Daylight Time), Kremlin confirms. The meeting will take place at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Anchorage, Alaska, and will be followed by a joint press conference.
POLITICS South Korea To Enter Arctic Shipping With Pilot Operations During Summer 2026 South Korea will establish a dedicated Arctic shipping division within its new government and launch pilot operations next summer. The government aims to use Arctic shipping to economically revive the country’s southern ports.
POLITICS Norway's New Arctic Strategy Will Be Launched This Month Bodø, Northern Norway (High North News): The Norwegian government will present Norway's new Arctic strategy in Kirkenes later in August, Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide (Labor) tells HNN. The cooperation with Sweden and Finland will, among other things, be of greater significance.
Newsletter A Geopolitical Hotspot Newsletter: The eyes of the world have turned toward the Arctic – for better and for worse. Trump, Putin, Greenland, Arctic shipping, and Russia's shadow fleet are among the topics making the Arctic a geopolitical hotspot. Here is the latest news from the High North.
SCIENCE Researchers Are Using Catfish to Combat Sea Urchins In the north of Norway, researchers are now transferring catfish in an attempt to combat the sea urchin and its overgrazing of the kelp forests along the Norwegian coast. Overfishing of the sea urchins' natural predators, such as the catfish, has led to the sea urchins consuming almost 5000 km2 of kelp forests since the 1970s.
POLITICS Several Chinese Research Vessels Monitored by US Coast Guard off Alaska On Friday, the US Coast Guard announced that it was monitoring five Chinese research vessels operating in or close to American Arctic waters.
Arne O. Holm says Should We Really Secure Our Own Peace to Speculation in Israeli War Stocks? Comment: For almost two years, the occupying power Israel has attacked and killed civilian Palestinians. At the same time as the ongoing genocide, the Norwegian Oil Fund has systematically cherry-picked stocks in the Israeli war industry. The profit is used to secure our own peace.
POLITICS Alaska Ready to Host Trump’s Meeting With Putin On Friday, the presidents of the USA and Russia will meet in Alaska to discuss the war in Ukraine. State Governor Mike Dunleavy welcomes the meeting. "It's fitting that discussions of global importance take place here," he states.
