High North News - English

The Swedish government is standing by its decision to grant the mining company Boliden an extraction permit for the planned copper mine in Laver, outside Älvsbyn municipality in northern Sweden, reports SVT.

The decision was originally made in September 2025 but was appealed by two environmental organizations.

The government has now rejected the appeal, ruling that the national interest in valuable metals outweighs considerations for nature conservation and reindeer herding.

According to Arctic Today, the Trump administration has decided to end federal support for the annual climate report Arctic Report Card, published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Since 2006, the report has served as a key research-based overview of climate change in the High North, focusing on sea ice, temperatures, and impacts on local communities and Indigenous peoples, among other topics.

The decision leaves researchers and scientific institutions in a difficult position, forcing them to attempt to continue the report independently without federal coordination and funding.

Critics and environmental organizations warn that the cut weakens critical data collection at a time when the Arctic is undergoing rapid warming.

On September 14–17, the Arctic Innovation Festival will be held in Brønnøysund, in Northern Norway, for the very first time.

The festival will gather entrepreneurs, technologists, researchers, and innovators from across the Arctic to explore how artificial intelligence, open data, and digital infrastructure can create new solutions and drive value creation in the North.

The event is a joint collaboration between Kunnskapsparken Helgeland, the Brønnøysund Register Centre, and the Swedish research institute RISE.

Participants can look forward to a rich program featuring keynote talks, workshops, a hackathon, and a pitch competition, along with social events and networking opportunities.

William "Billy" Long is the new US Ambassador to Iceland. Long presented his credentials to Icelandic President Halla Tómasdottir on Monday this week.

Long is from the state of Missouri and for 12 years he represented Missouri's 7th District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

"Iceland and the United States share a long history of partnership, from security, defense, and business, to art, literature, and exploration," Ambassador Long said in a statement on the Embassy's Facebook page.

"I look forward to working alongside the people of Iceland to deepen our cooperation and strengthen the bonds between our two nations," he added.

Long was nominated by President Donald Trump to the position in September 2025.

The Government of Greenland has received inquiries that cruise ships sailing in certain fjord areas are perceived as a burden on the local population and the affected natural areas. The inquiries concern, among other things, the impact on wildlife, noise pollution and the desire to preserve the areas' natural and recreational values.

This is stated by the Greenland government, Naalakkersuisut, in a press release.

In the statement, the government writes that it views positively the growing interest in Greenland as a travel destination and recognizes that cruise tourism contributes significantly to the development of the tourism industry, but also emphasizes that tourism development occurs on a sustainable basis and with respect for the local population, nature and wildlife.

Against this background, the Government of Greenland recommends that cruise ship navigation in fjord areas be avoided or limited as much as possible.

"The purpose of the recommendation is to limit the impact on vulnerable natural areas and wildlife, and to accommodate the wishes of the local population to preserve the areas' recreational values ​​and opportunities for hunting and fishing."

The Arctic football team Bodø/Glimt won 3-2 against Union Saint-Gilloise on Tuesday evening in the second leg against the Belgian team. The aggregate score ended 6-5.

With the victory, playoff in the Champions League against awaits, and Glimt will meet the Dutch team NEC on August 19 in the Netherlands.

From August 13 to 16, a number of road sections in Ofoten and Vesterålen in Northern Norway will be affected by the Arctic Race of Norway cycling event.

This year, the Arctic Race stages will take place in both Nordland and Troms counties.

The E10 and Rv. 85, as well as various county and municipal roads, will be affected and completely closed to traffic for periods lasting several hours.

The race consists of four stages:

Stage 1, Thursday, August 13: Evenes – Myre

Stage 2, Friday, August 14: Bø i Vesterålen – Andenes

Stage 3, Saturday, August 15: Stokmarknes – Storheia (Melbu)

Stage 4, Sunday, August 16: Sortland – Narvik

Here you can find maps showing road closures for each stage.

View a map showing the entire route.

Police, ICE-SAR search and rescue teams, Fire and Rescue Service on the Reykjanes peninsula and Grindavík Fire Brigade will be on heightened alert because of the total solar eclipse on Wednesday, 12 August.

An announcement from the police says that because of the large number of people expected to watch the total eclipse on the Reykjanes peninsula, emergency services will increase their level of preparedness.

An incident command centre will be activated in Reykjanesbær and three on-scene command posts will operate in the area to ensure effective coordination between emergency services and an efficient response to any incidents.

The EU is imposing new sanctions on five individuals linked to Russia's military-industrial complex, according to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.

This is reported by News Agency NTB.

Kallas states that the sanctions are a response to recent Russian air strikes on Ukraine, but she has not specified which individuals are being targeted.

Major General Lars Lervik has been appointed Lieutenant General and new Chief of the Norwegian Intelligence Service.

This is stated in a press release from the Norwegian Armed Forces on Friday.

Lervik is currently the Chief of the Norwegian Army and takes on the role after Vice Admiral Nils Andreas Stensønes, who is retiring after leading the Intelligence Service since 2020.

"I am very pleased that Major General Lars Lervik has today been appointed as the new Chief of the Intelligence Service. Congratulations on the promotion to Lieutenant General and a new and important position. I am confident that the Intelligence Service has the right chief to lead and develop the organization further. At the same time, I would like to thank Vice Admiral Nils Andreas for his service and the enormous effort that has been made since he took office as Chief of the Intelligence Service," says Norway's Chief of Defence Eirik Kristoffersen about the appointment.

Lervik will assume the position from the date determined by the Norwegian Ministry of Defense.

Statistics Greenland recently published new numbers for the population on the massive Arctic island.

According to the agency, there is a record high mid-year population.

On July 1st, 2026, 56.945 people lived in the country. That is 114 more than on April 1st this year.

20,384 people now live in Nuuk, which is 299 more than on the same day, last year.

The population statistics are based on data from the Central Population Register (CPR), which records all individuals who are officially registered as residents of Greenland at a given point in time.

"It should be noted that information about individuals who emigrate from the Kingdom of Denmark is often reported with a delay. Therefore, the number of foreign nationals in the statistics may be higher than the actual number," Statistics Greenland informs.

Norwegian Minister of Defense Tore O. Sandvik had his first telephone conversation with the new British Secretary of State for Defence, Wes Streeting, on Thursday,

During the telephone meeting, security challenges in the High North and closer defense cooperation were high on the agenda, the Norwegian Ministry of Defense reports in a press release.

"Norway and the United Kingdom have strong cultural, geographical and historical ties. Together we have stood shoulder to shoulder throughout the 77 years of NATO's existence. We are now well underway in expanding our already strong and close defense cooperation," says Norway's Minister of Defense Tore O. Sandvik, adding:

"Together we are strengthening NATO's defense flank in the Arctic and the High North to secure Norway and our allies in turbulent times."

One of the main topics discussed was the further strengthening of the strategic defence cooperation between the UK and Norway through the Lunna House Agreement. This was signed in December 2025 and is the most comprehensive defence cooperation agreement that Norway and the UK have entered into in recent times.

Sandvik and Streeting also spoke about the need for continued support for Ukraine and European contributions to NATO, and the North European security cooperation Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF).

Iceland's population reached 396,500 at the end of the second quarter of 2026, according to fresh figures from Statistics Iceland, which report an overall population increase of 1,450 people from the previous quarter.

The demographic breakdown shows that by the end of the quarter, the island was home to 203,080 men, 193,180 women, and 230 individuals identified as non-binary or other.

The growth was driven by both natural increase and net migration. A total of 1,130 children were born during the quarter, while 590 people died.

Total net migration reached 930 people, with more men emigrating than women during this period.

A foreign hacker has been calling residents in Greenland using the official phone number of the Human Rights Council of Greenland (IPS), the council announced in a Facebook post on Monday afternoon.

"If you receive a call from the Human Rights Council, mobile number 22 95 00, between 4:00 AM and 8:00 AM, it is not us calling," the statement read.

The council further noted that they have been in contact with telecom provider Tusass, who explained that the incident is a spoofing attack, a technique allowing hackers to mask their real identity and make calls appear as though they originate from another number.

As a result, the council has chosen to shut down the phone line during evenings and overnight hours.

The Sámi kindergarten in Kiruna, Northern Sweden, is experiencing high demand and long waitlists this autumn, reports SVT News.

To comply with the Swedish National Agency for Education's guidelines of a maximum of 15 children per section, available spots are limited strictly to the openings left by children moving on to school. With only 11 spots opening up this autumn, an equal number of children have been left without a place for the 2026/2027 school year.

Principal Katarina Sixten Inga told SVT that demand has been unusually high over the past two years. Despite the premises currently being disrupted by ongoing renovations and expansion, every family on the waitlist has chosen to keep their spot in line.

Many parents are relying on temporary solutions, such as municipal kindergartens or help from grandparents, while they wait. The principal is therefore encouraging families to apply for a placement as early as possible.

In 2025, 61 per cent of young people in Northern Norway between the ages of 15 and 22 had a summer job. This is almost 10 percentage points more than in 2015 and well above the national average of 53 percent, according to the Knowledge Bank in SpareBank 1 Northern Norway.

Furthermore, 44 per cent of young immigrants had summer jobs compared to 71 per cent of Norwegian-born with two Norwegian-born parents.

The proportion of young people with summer jobs also varies significantly between municipalities. Beiarn (85 percent) and Båtsfjord (79 percent) had the most young people with summer jobs while Nesna (39 percent) had the fewest.

Canadian forces are now conducting Operation Nanook-Qimaavivut to enhance their ability to move personnel and equipment and provide operational support in the Arctic.

The operation, which will last until September, involves engineering reconnaissance and infrastructure assessments near Resolute Bay in Nunavut, survey of airfield conditions across the Canadian Arctic and site assessment salong the Labrador coast.

Information collected during the operation will support future operational planning and identify engineering, mobility, and sustainment requirements for conducting year-round operations in remote northern environments.

"Nanook-Qimaavivut is about enabling operations today and into the future. By improving access, mobility, and sustainment in challenging environments, we are improving how the CAF supports operations across the North while respecting local conditions and communities,” says Brigadier-General Marc Parent, Commander, Joint Task Force North.

In September, British Lieutenant General Nick Perry will be appointed general and the new commander of NATO Joint Force Command Norfolk (JFC Norfolk) in Virginia, USA.

JFC Norfolk is responsible for the security of the Arctic and the High North, as well as for protecting strategic lines of communication across the Atlantic. Its area of responsibility includes all the Nordic Arctic countries and the United Kingdom.

Perry's appointment is part of a process of change in NATO's command structure in which European allies are taking over leadership roles from the United States. Italy will take over command of JFC Naples, and Germany and Poland will share command of JFC Brunssum. The US will lead NATO's three component commands of air, land and maritime.

The Norwegian Public Roads Administration has awarded Johs. J Syltern AS the task of building the E10 Evenes airport junction in Northern Norway. Work will start just over the summer.

The contractor from Åfjord in Trøndelag, Mid Norway, won the contract in competition with northern Norwegian Leonhard Nilsen and Sons AS (LNS) and Hæhre AS in Southern Norway.

"Syltern came out best on all criteria in the competition", says project manager Geir Hartz Jørgensen.

In addition to price, the bidders have competed on the quality criteria of organization, offering key personnel and describing the implementation of the project.

The junction with the exit to the airport on today's E10 is dangerous and therefore has reduced speed. Among other things, those who walk and cycle must use the shoulder of the road on the E10 to and from the hotel and business area east of the airport.

The upcoming development will provide new and safe access for everyone going to and from Evenes Airport, hotels and the commercial area. Through traffic on the E10 will be lifted up and away from the intersection on its own bridge.

The airport and the commercial areas to the east will have a common access further north on the current E10 with a 100-meter exit lane in each direction.

Syltern AS has undertaken to do the job for NOK 285.2 million. Construction is expected to start in the summer of 2026 and the new intersection will be completed in December 2028.

The Norwegian Armed Forces have applied for the establishment of a permanent restricted area over the Norwegian Arctic island Jan Mayen. This is reported by the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority.

The area will be activated when necessary through the issuance of the Notice To Airmen (NOTAM) safety message. This will happen directly from the Norwegian Armed Forces to the Icelandic NOTAM office, the Norwegian Armed Forces propose in the application.

The Norwegian Armed Forces believe that they have an operational need to be able to use the entire airspace over Jan Mayen.

Until now, the Norwegian Armed Forces have applied for the establishment of a temporary restricted area when necessary, but consider this procedure to be less appropriate, as this would impose extra administrative work on them.

The establishment of temporary restricted areas could affect civil aviation, but the Norwegian Armed Forces specify in the application that this will only apply for a shorter period of time.

The consultation is open to everyone, with a consultation deadline of 10 July 2026.