Details are emerging about a very friendly meeting on February 20th between top Canadian and Russian officials in Moscow.  The meeting is said to have been about the two countries working together to achieve a level of cooperation on Arctic issues that has not been seen in the past.  more »

Last week in a report released by the Canadian Senate standing committee on fisheries and oceans, it was recommended that the Defense Department give Canadian Rangers, it’ part-time reservist group, more control to patrol Arctic land and waters, making them  “an integral part of the Canadian reserves”. more »

Ken Salazar, U.S. secretary of the interior, announced on Friday that a Bush administration policy on the protection of polar bears in the Arctic will not be altered.  more »

The three year plan developed by Royal Dutch Shell PLC to look for oil in the Beaufort Sea in Alaska has been dropped.  The company cites environmental groups challenging oil exploration projects in the Arctic as one of the main obstacles facing oil companies attempting to explore and develop oil in the region. more »

At the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, Texas a panel of experts has stated that gas and oil exploration in the Arctic may still be a niche but the area continues to be one of importance.  And even though the oil industry is experiencing not only regulatory, but technological challenges, the significance of Arctic gas and oil will most likely increase. more »

Henry Sykes, president of the Tiny MGM Corps, has announced that his company will no longer be drilling in the Arctic.  The company will not resume drilling until a decision on the construction of the stalled project is made. more »

While Russia’s recent announcement that it is not planning on militarizing the Arctic may have pacified Canada somewhat, environmentalists are now concerned with the fact that Russia seems to be planning on putting a fleet of floating and submersible nuclear power stations in the Arctic to help make the most of the natural gas and oil reserves in the region. more »

China, Italy, South Korea and the European Union (EU) were all denied permanent membership to the Arctic Council on Wednesday due to the current dispute between the EU and Canada over the Canadian seal hunt. more »