A closeup of Shell's massive, yellow, oil rig the Polar Pioneer. Protestors in kayaks are paddling around its base calling for an end to Arctic drilling.

The Polar Pioneer oil drilling rig during demonstrations against Royal Dutch Shell on May 16, 2015 in Seattle, Washington. Stories about Shell’s abrupt stop to operations in the Alaskan Arctic dominated your most read stories this week. (David Ryder/Getty Images)

Indigenous rights & Shell’s polar saga: Arctic week in Review

On this week’s news round-up, we bring you some of your most read stories from Eye on the Arctic this week:

– The former president of the Sámi Parliament in Finland lashed out at the country this week calling it a “racist” state that “protects Finnishness and the Finnish state and blatantly and unscrupulously tramples on the rights of its own indigenous people and minorities.”

-The last pipe has been laid at the 482 km long Polarled Pipeline, the first Norwegian pipeline stretching north of the Arctic Circle.

-The Barents Observer, an online newspaper that focuses on the Norwegian and the Russian Arctic, responds after their owner was fired on Monday. 

-A look at how Alaska’s economy will be affected by Shell’s decision to pull the plug on its offshore Arctic operations in the state.

-Alaska Dispatch News looks at the factors behind Shell’s decision to pull out of the Alaskan Arctic.

An in our Eye on the Arctic Feature Interview this week, we talk to Inuit rights activist Aaju Peter, to find out about the latest Inuit offensive against the EU seal ban, an NGO formed to represent Inuit seal hunters across the Arctic:

Listen

That’s all from us for now. We’ll be back next week with the latest stories and newsmakers from across the North.

Write to Eilís Quinn at eilis.quinn(at)cbc.ca

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Categories: Economy, Indigenous, International, Politics, Society
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