Atle Staalesen

Murmansk says 1/3 of its population might be immune to COVID-19

We see that a collective immunity is being formed, regional healthcare officials say
September 15, 2020

Clean sweep for United Russia in Murmansk elections

But the opposition accuses the government-loyal party of fraud.
September 14, 2020

Fraud and intimidation as local opposition groups challenge Putin's elites in regional vote

Growing discontent in regions could lead to a political reshuffle in towns and municipalities across Russia. In the country's far northern district of Pechenga, a wide coalition is formed to overthrow the long-ruling United Russia party. 

September 11, 2020

Putin's grand target for Arctic shipping will not be met

Developers of the Northern Sea Route admit that shipments will not reach 80 million tons by 2024.
September 11, 2020

Economic benefits from new Barents oil could be negative, says government agency

New oil and gas projects in the Barents Sea might not bring positive economic gain for society, a report from the Norwegian Environmental Agency warns.
September 09, 2020

Next to abandoned Air Force base could come mine for rare earth minerals

The Afrikanda-1 used to house a powerful air force unit for protection of the Kola Peninsula. Now the abandoned military base could be site for a big dig of titanium and rare earth metals.
September 09, 2020

Northernmost Russian town is epicenter in unprecedented Arctic heatwave

Average temperatures in Dikson were more than 5°C above normal this summer.
September 08, 2020

Amid looming crisis in Arctic LNG, construction of new icebreaking tanker fleet underway

A fleet of at least 15 top ice-class tankers is built to carry liquified natural gas from Russia's new Arctic giga-project.
September 07, 2020

New giant crater is found on Russian Arctic tundra

The more than 20 meter wide hole is the 17th of its kind discovered in the far northern Yamal region since 2014.
September 04, 2020

The north Norwegian summer that was saved by Finnish tourists

A big number of travelers from Finland helped prevent a tourism crisis in northern Norway.
September 04, 2020

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Atle is journalist and Publisher of the Independent Barents Observer.

In 2002, he founded the Barents Observer. He was editor until 2009 and later worked as journalist and project coordinator for several European cross-border cooperation projects. In late 2015, following a conflict over editorial rights, he re-established the Barents Observer as an independent and non-profit stock company along with the rest of the newspaper crew.  

Atle has a degree in Russian studies from the University of Oslo and studied journalism at the Moscow State University.

atle@thebarentsobserver.com
@atlestaalesen