1) Nunatsiaq News commented on the analysis from a report entitled 2020: Setting the Stage for A Poverty Free Canada, which stated that children in Nunavut, a high northern territory in Canada, is suffering the highest poverty rates in the country. The report also suggested measures to alleviate these underdevelopment issues, including fiscal investment, enhancing food supply security, and other policies.
2) According to RÚV, Reykjavik has signed a Brexit deal with London. The agreement secures the future economic relationship between the two countries in the wake of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union on 31 January, as well as other issues, including people-to-people communication and cooperation.
3) The Vladimir Putin government in Moscow, according to the Financial Times, is claiming that Russian economy is sturdy and adapting to adverse conditions; this despite the sanctions from much of the Western world, including the European Union and the United States, after the Crimea crisis in 2014.
4) This week, the Arctic Frontiers conference took place in Tromsø, Norway. Mr Sam Tan, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Singapore, conveyed his concerns at the assembly over climate change and rising sea levels which have the potential to undermine the future of this tropical oceanic nation. The representative of Singapore also noted the potential economic opportunities for Singapore stemming from the Arctic, including infrastructure building and oil and gas exploitation investment, according to The Straits Times.
5) Liquefied natural gas, or LNG for short, may not be an ideal alternative to long-used traditional fuels in marine transportation, since LNG potentially generates even more negative environmental impacts, according to High North News this week.
6) Marc Lanteigne, the chief editor of OtC, attended the Arctic Frontiers conference in Tromsø, Norway, and published his comments on the event.
7) Considering the current outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China, and its spread to other countries, including in Europe, Royal Greenland, a Greenlandic seafood corporation, whose market has expanded to China, expressed its worry over the possible consequences of the outbreak to its business, according to Intrafish.
8) This week also marks the one-month anniversary of our new News Roundup column for Over the Circle. We have had five pieces this month, and we will continue our work in February 2020 to observe and understand the High North and circumpolar regions, from international politics and economic performances, to the livelihood of people living in these areas. Mingming and Marc would like to thank all of you for your readership and your support!
Over the Circle 