High North News - News, analysis and debate about politics and business in the North

Jens Frederik Nielsen, leader of Demokraatit in Greenland. (Photo: Demokraatit)

Greenland's Incoming PM Stresses Building Stronger Partnership with Denmark

"We have a strong partnership with Denmark, and that is what we are going to build on until the day we can be sovereign,” says Greenland's incoming prime minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen (Demokraatit).

Jannicke Mikkelsen fra Svalbard (andre f.v.) skal fly i polar bane rundt jorda sammen med Eric Philips (Australia), Chun Wang (Kina/Malta) og Rabea Rogge (Tyskland). (Foto: SpaceX)

First Human Spaceflight Over the Earth’s Poles Currently in Flight

The first human spaceflight over the Earth's polar regions is currently in flight. The crew will explore Earth from a polar orbit and conduct research designed to help advance humanity's capabilities for long-term space exploration. One of the crew members is Norwegian Jannicke Mikkelsen from Svalbard.

Skjermbilde rakettoppskyting

The First Rocket Launch at Andøya: Exploded on The Ground Seconds After Launch

Shortly after the launch of the first test rocket at Andøya Spaceport in northern Norway, the rocket fell and exploded on the ground. Andøya Space has set up a crisis team.

Notices

POLITICS / 24.03.2025

President of Iceland on state visit to Norway in April

At the invitation of Their Majesties King Harald and Queen Sonja, the…

POLITICS / 24.03.2025

Strong Resistance Toward Graphite Mine in Kiruna

In January, the Swedish Government gave the green light for a graphite…

POLITICS / 24.03.2025

US Tariffs Threaten Indigenous Tourism Rebound in Northern Canada

US tariffs threaten the Indigenous tourism rebound in Northern Canada,…

BUSINESS / 24.03.2025

First Test Launch From Andøya Space

Isar Aerospace was planning a launch of its rocket Spectrum from Andøya…

Dr. Rasmus Leander Nielsen at the University of Greenland

Greenland’s Previously Strong Focus Toward the US Is up for Change Moving Forward

Bodø (High North News): With strained relations with the US, the Greenlandic government may be revisiting relationships with alternative international partners—likely looking back east to Europe and other partners to a greater extent, says Associate Professor Rasmus Leander Nielsen at the University of Greenland.

Increase in Satellites Pollutes Our Night Sky and Atmosphere, Says Researcher

Bodø (High North News): Space activities are increasing at an exponential pace, also above the Arctic. From about 2,000 satellites in 2015 to 12,000 today, satellites represent significant light pollution of the Arctic and global sky. "If the sky for our children and grandchildren is a sky of satellites, they would be losing the connection with the universe," says Canadian legal scholar Michael Byers to HNN.

Is the Arctic Prepared for a Large-Scale Cruise Ship Incident?

Bodø, Northern Norway (High North News): Cruise tourism is ever-growing in the Arctic, but is the region prepared for a large-scale cruise ship incident? The short answer is no, but we're getting there, says preparedness experts at the Arctic Council's Arctic Emergency Management Conference.

High North News investigates: The Russian Gas Flow

How Russia’s Security Service FSB Gained Control Over the Yamal LNG Fleet Reportedly Setting Up Covert Cargo Operations

A targeted operation by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) successfully pushed…

Also see

EU Fails to Act on Russian LNG As Some Member States Discuss Restart of Gas Imports After War

Germany Can’t Shake Russian Gas: LNG Purchases from Arctic Yamal Project Skyrocket

EU Ukraine sanctions

EU Paid Near 300% More for Russian LNG in 2024 Compared to Early 2021

Not only is the EU importing record levels of LNG from Russia, it is also paying a…

Höegh Esperanza floating LNG import ship at Germany’s Wilhelmshaven LNG terminal.

EU Countries Spent Close to €7bn on Russian LNG in 2024

Europe cannot shake its addiction to Russian liquefied natural gas. Throughout 2024…

Belokamenka yard Novatek

Russia’s Novatek Eyes India as Market for Sanctioned Arctic LNG

Russian liquefied natural gas producer Novatek continues to scour the globe for…

Dwayne Ryan Menezes, Arctic Circle 2021

Formation of New Coalition in Greenland

"The coalition agreement could not have come at a better time as it will signal to the Vances the unity forged in defiance of Trump’s aggressive rhetoric and their ill-timed visit", writes "Dr Dwayne Ryan Menezes, Founder and Managing Director of Polar Research and Policy Initiative and Human Security Centre.

Anchorage

Alaska House of Representatives Opposes Restrictive US-Canada Trade Measures

The Alaska House of Representatives has passed a resolution opposing restrictions on cross-border trade between the US and Canada.

Arne O. Holm says

Arne O. Holm

The Noise of Boring Taxes Debate Cannot Drown Out the Gravity We’re Facing

Comment (Narvik): In October last year, I sat in Reykjavik and wrote about how contradictory it was that Russia's war against Ukraine created optimism in the Arctic. The defense industry was a new area of investment. The question that remained unanswered was whether the business sector in the North was to connect to the "new" industry.

Dwayne Ryan Menezes, Arctic Circle 2021

JD Vance to Accompany Wife on Greenland Trip

Disrespecting the people of Greenland by saying the US will acquire it “one way or the other” is unhelpful and counter-productive as a tactic, says Dr Dwayne Ryan Menezes, Founder and Managing Director of Polar Research and Policy Initiative and Human Security Centre .

F-35 på Evenes

"The Important Thing is that the Allied Air Operations Center is Actually Placed in Norway”

Several regional NATO headquarters responsible for military operations are to be established in the Nordic countries. "In Norway, the debate about the regional air headquarter has revolved around its location. We have seen too little of what this entails in a comprehensively Nordic and allied framework," says Professor Håkon Lunde Saxi at the Norwegian Defence Command and Staff College.

The Combined Air Operations Center, an Abbreviated History

Op-ed: US Army Veteran Mike Thornton shares his perspective on Combined Air Operation Centers (CAOCs) in light of the ongoing location debate surrounding the Norwegian CAOC. "The modern CAOC is a place where a group of assigned military people will come together to think, coordinate and collaborate to plan and execute a variety of air operations," he writes in this op-ed.

Dwayne Ryan Menezes, Arctic Circle 2021

Trump’s Plan to Send New Delegation to Greenland

Statement by Dr Dwayne Ryan Menezes, Founder and Managing Director of Polar Research and Policy Initiative, on the visit of Second Lady Usha Vance with a US delegation to Greenland from 27-29 March 2025.

Fra forsvarsministerens besøk til Bodø

NATO Air Operations Centre to be Located in Norway: MoD Visits Northern Candidate

Bodø (High North News): The Norwegian MoD, Tore O. Sandvik, says both Norwegian cities Bodø and Rygge have what it takes to make NATO's third Combined Air Operations Centre work. During a visit to the North, he specified that major investments would be made whether Bodø or Rygge received the allocation.

Arctic Security Researcher Troy Bouffard Strives for Real-World Relevance in His Work

Bodø, Northern Norway (High North News): Dr. Troy Bouffard, Assistant Professor of Arctic Security at the University of Alaska, strives to make his research meaningful and relevant to the real world. "If I wanted my research to matter, I had to find out how Arctic security was connected to national security," he says to HNN.

How Russia’s Security Service FSB Gained Control Over the Yamal LNG Fleet Reportedly Setting Up Covert Cargo Operations

A targeted operation by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) successfully pushed out Western officers from the Yamal LNG fleet in favor of Russian personnel, a HNN investigation has uncovered. The FSB action establishes significant Russian control over the vessels in support of a possible covert cargo operation between European ports and the Sabetta terminal.

Security for Our Sea Lanes of Communication in the High North

Op-ed: US Army Veteran and Historian Mike Thornton takes a look at the vulnerability of the High North's undersea cables and the dangers of hybrid warfare. "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance," he writes in this op-ed.

Rasmus Gjedssø Bertelsen

The Geopolitical Development in the Arctic Reflects the World Order, Says Researcher

UiT Researcher Rasmus Gjedssø Bertelsen rejects the idea of 'Arctic exceptionalism' and believes the Arctic mirrors the global power struggle between the East and the West. He believes this Arctic divide will likely only escalate. The US with Trump in the forefront will also impact this relationship, but the country will still have major security policy interests in the region, he says to HNN.

Andreas Raspotnik og Andreas Østhagen

The World of Yesterday: Time for a Joint Nordic Approach to the High North

Op-Ed: European unity has never been more important than since the end of the Cold War. It is time for the Nordic states to amplify their focus on the High North.