The Arctic Century

A gallon of gasoline cost $26.82 in Shungnak on Friday, likely the most expensive fuel in the United States, after low water on the Kobuk River forced two air deliveries this summer. Regional officials expect prices to climb further once the fall barge fuel arrives.

The chairman of the Greenlandic government, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, says Greenland is ready to contribute more to the defense of the region, but insists on equality in Nordic cooperation. Greenland has partially boycotted the Nordic Council after being kept out of several meetings on security policy.

Britain's 2023 Arctic strategy was written before Trump's return, before Washington's claims on Greenland and Canada, and before the Strait of Hormuz crisis. Three years on, London's Arctic priorities are shifting towards Scandinavia, while Canada learns that Britain cannot serve as a counterweight to the US and Russia remains the designated adversary.

The Danish Defence Materiel and Procurement Agency is buying an anti-drone command and control system from Terma, which the government calls a first step toward a drone shield over Denmark. The system should be operational this year, but the weapons needed to actually shoot anything down have yet to be purchased.

The first plane carrying Swedish inmates landed at Ämari air base on Tuesday, but Estonia had already rejected more than half of the group of 18 that Sweden proposed for Tartu Prison. Up to 600 prisoners are to follow by next summer, with Sweden paying Estonia between 31 and 61 million euros a year.

The billionaires have packed their bags and gone to Switzerland, and many now fear that Norway has lost them for good. Politicians point to the wealth tax, which owners must pay even when their companies run a deficit.

Up to 200 people gathered in Kalix on National River Day to demonstrate against uranium exploration, after the Riksdag lifted the ban on uranium mining and stripped municipalities of their veto.

New textile fibers were supposed to become a Finnish export product, but a drastic change in the market is putting plans on hold. The trail leads to China.