'We Have the Highest Wages in Europe'
Iceland's Central Bank raises its key rate to 7.75% to curb 5.2% inflation; Governor Ásgeir Jónsson warns that Europe's highest wages are driving overheating and threatening stability.
The Arctic Century
An independent non-profit organization devoted to studying the Arctic
The Arctic Century
The Arctic Century is an independent non-profit organization established by
joint efforts of the international experts. We cover the most recent
developments in science, business, and technologies, as well as key
political and economic trends across the Arctic in the form of news,
features, opinions, and articles.
EU and US Are Dividing Greenland Right Now
Overshadowed by the Middle East crisis, the Greenland issue returns to the fore with a New York Times investigation and a speech by the European Commissioner ahead of the Future Greenland conference.
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12 minutes
Norway's Arctic Military Buildup Plan Is Behind Schedule
The Norwegian Armed Forces have withheld the concept selection report for the new Finnmark Brigade, which is to grow from 1,500 to around 5,000 soldiers by 2032, citing security policy considerations.
Hormuz Crisis Clouds Sweden's Economic Growth Outlook
The recovery of the Swedish economy hinges on whether the Strait of Hormuz reopens, says Nordea's chief analyst Torbjörn Isaksson. A summer reopening would limit the damage; delay risks rising inflation and interest rate hikes.
Greenland Reacts to New American Approaches
The Greenlandic government is ready to hold concrete discussions about American bases in southern Greenland, says chairman Jens-Frederik Nielsen, after reports that the US has proposed three new bases on Greenlandic territory.
Norway Is Accelerating Its Oil and Gas Industry
Following the US and Israeli attack on Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Norway has announced a major push to expand offshore oil and gas extraction—reopening three shuttered North Sea gas fields and opening 70 new exploration blocks despite warnings from its own environmental agency.
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14 minutes
The Airship Norge Flew Over the North Pole in May 1926
One hundred years after the airship Norge crossed the North Pole, Norwegian and Italian participants gathered in Ny-Ålesund to mark the milestone—and to reckon with how much the Arctic has changed since.
A Vision of a New North Atlantic Superpower
BNP Paribas Nordics CEO Eirik Winter proposes a North Atlantic economic bloc of the Nordics, UK, Netherlands, Switzerland, Poland, the Baltics, and Canada—an idea The North Observer reads as a flight of pure reason detached from political and economic reality.
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8 minutes
A Decent Broker: The Identity of the Mysterious American Has Been Revealed
Sermitsiaq met Clifford Stanley, the 86-year-old American collecting signatures in Nuuk for Greenland to join the United States. He denies being sent by anyone and presents himself as an independent broker.
Big Fuss in Greenland: Americans May Be Bribing People to Join the US
An elderly American man offered Nuuk residents $200,000 each in January 2027 to sign a petition for Greenland to join the United States, prompting a Greenlandic police investigation and condemnation from the Speaker of the Greenlandic Parliament.
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9 minutes
