High North News - English

Eirik Wikan will take over as acting CEO of the Kimek companies, which are engaged in ship repair and industrial services in Kirkenes, Northern Norway. Kimek AS announces this on its Facebook page.

Former CEO Greger Mannsverk is ill and will be absent from his position indefinitely.

Wikan comes from the position of finance manager at Kimek and has been part of the company's management for 18 years.

The Canadian Coast Guard's largest and most powerful icebreaker, CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent, reached the North Pole on August 16.

The transit supports Canada's efforts to define its continental shelf and map its outer limits under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. During its voyage, the icebreaker collects high-resolution geoscientific and hydrographic data.

“The arrival of CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent at the North Pole is an important milestone that reflects Canada’s enduring commitment to the Arctic. Supported by the expertise of Canadian Coast Guard personnel, this mission advances scientific knowledge, strengthens our presence in the North, and reinforces Canada’s sovereignty and security,” says David J. McGuinty, Canadian Minister of National Defence.

This week, four Belgian F-16 fighter jets and personnel assumed the Iceland Air Defence responsibilities at Keflavík air station. The detachment will remain for a month-long deployment.

The mission was formerly known as Iceland Air Policing and focused mainly on protecting agaist crewed and uncrewed aircraft. With the transition to Air Defence, NATO can now respond more flexibly to a wider range of threats, using a layered, 360-degree approach across all operational domains, according to NATO Air Command.

"The Belgian Air Force’s assumption of this vital mission in Iceland marks a significant move to a single Integrated Air and Missile Defence posture,” says Major General Frank Gräfe, Chief of Staff for NATO Allied Air Command.

The finalists for Norway's Young Farmer of the Year 2026 are now ready, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food announced in a press release.

Ambjørg Skibdalen from Telemark, Joar Straume from Nordland and the farming couple Iselin Mentzoni Eliassen and Jørgen Juul Thomassen from Troms have been selected from over 500 nominees from across the country.

Joar Straume (22) moved from Western Norway to the Helgeland coast in Northern Norway to realize his dream of owning his own farm. He now runs Nordbostad Farm in Mindland in Nordland with his wife Elena.

In Troms, Northern Norway, Iselin Mentzoni Eliassen (27) and Jørgen Juul Thomassen (29) run Buktenes farm in Kvænangen. The farm is the municipality's last dairy farm.

The winner of Young Farmer of the Year 2026 will be announced during Dyrsku'n in Seljord on September 11th.

Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), hosted Gen. Michael Hyldgaard, the Kingdom of Denmark’s Chief of Defence, for strategic visits to key military installations in Alaska, August 12-14.

That is stated in a press release from Alaskan Command Public Affairs.

The multi-day visit focused on combined Arctic operations, airspace defense, operational integration, and interoperability.

"Showcasing our operations in Alaska demonstrates to our Allies the benefit of the NORDIC bridge which ties the US and NATO partners to deter and defend the Northern Approaches and the Arctic as a whole," said Guillot and added:

"Cooperation in this demanding environment ensures our combined forces remain ready to defend our nations at a moment's notice."

The visit began at Eielson Air Force Base on August 13, where both leaders suited up to participate in separate flight profiles in F-16 Fighting Falcons.

On August 14, the defense leaders transitioned to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson for high-level bilateral discussions at Alaskan Command Headquarters. The generals also met with Alaskan defense leaders to discuss shared security challenges, the defense of Greenland, and initiatives to enhance domain awareness across the Arctic.

For the first time in recent times, conscripts have been sent to an exercise in Greenland, where they will practice and train military skills in unfamiliar terrain, participate in operational service during the Arctic Endurance exercise, and collaborate with their Greenlandic colleagues in Arctic Basic Training (Arktisk Basisuddannelse).

This is stated in a press release from the Danish Armed Forces.

Early in August, the first group of 11-month conscripts from the Schleswig Infantry Regiment landed at Nuuk Airport. For the first time, conscripts will participate in operational service during exercise Arctic Endurance, while also training and strengthening their soldier skills.

It is also the first time a team of conscripts has been deployed to Greenland.

Exercise Arctic Endurance is being conducted in close cooperation with the Greenlandic government, Naalakkersuisut. It has been decided to continue and strengthen the effort through 2026 by increasing the Danish Armed Forces' military presence and exercise activity in the Arctic and the North Atlantic. This is being done in close cooperation with several NATO allies, the Danish Armed Forces writes.

Uruguayan rider Guillermo Thomas Silva Coussan (XDS Astana Team) won this year's Arctic Race of Norway. Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto Intermarché) finished second, and Alessandro Pinarello (NSN Cycling Team) took third place.

After a 190.5-kilometer stage starting in Sortland, the race was decided on the demanding final climb up Narvikfjellet. The final ascent was 3.9 kilometers long with an average gradient of 6.2 percent.

For Guillermo Thomas Silva Coussan, the final stage was primarily about defending the lead he had secured with his victory at Storheia on Saturday. He succeeded in doing so, also picking up additional bonus seconds by finishing third in Narvik.

In the end, Silva held a 14-second lead over Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto Intermarché). Alessandro Pinarello (NSN Cycling Team) finished third overall, 25 seconds behind the winner.

Silva Coussan also secured victory in the youth classification. Giovanni Lonardi (Team Polti VisitMalta) won the points classification, while Morten Wang Baksaas (Lucky Sport Cycling Team) won the mountains classification. Unibet Rose Rockets won the team classification.

Overnight into August 13, a person was apprehended in Sør-Varanger municipality in Northern Norway, on suspicion of illegally crossing the border from Russia.

"The person is in police custody and will be questioned later," the Finnmark Police District stated in a press release.

The individual was apprehended in the Korpfjell/Grense Jakobselv area by border guards.

"Border guards detained the person around 1:00 a.m. The apprehension took place without incident. Both the GSV Ranger Battalion and the police maintained an increased presence in the area overnight, utilizing K-9 units, drones, and border patrols. No evidence were found to suggest there were other individuals in the party or in the surrounding terrain," said Chief of Staff Tarjei Sirma-Tellefsen.

The police have declined to provide details about the individual other than stating that they are a "third-country national"—meaning a citizen of a country outside the EU/EEA and the Nordic region.

"Further investigation will aim to verify and clarify the individual's identity, purpose, and movements," Sirma-Tellefsen stated.

Russian authorities have been informed via the Norwegian Border Commissioner in accordance with standard procedures, according to the police.

From September 17 to 20, the film festival Crossings returns to Vardø, Northern Norway. For five years, the festival has taken film out of traditional cinema halls and into unexpected locations across the town.

As Crossings marks its fifth anniversary, Vardø will once again be filled with film, art, food, conversations, and new gathering spaces.

Since its inception in 2022, Crossings has used Vardø as both a festival venue and a starting point. Films have appeared in settings ranging from stockfish drying racks and fishing shacks to bomb shelters, private living rooms, disused premises, and on outdoor walls throughout the town.

One of this year’s flagship projects is "Visual Meanderings", a new site-specific art walk developed especially for the fifth anniversary.

Crossings is an interdisciplinary festival that combines short films, documentaries, feature films, and art films with art projects, conversations, workshops, and communal meals. The common thread lies in the name "Crossings"—intersections and encounters between people, places, cultures, art forms, and perspectives.

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.