Tribal Issues Hold Up Domestic Violence Act. Democrats and advocacy groups are slamming a House Republican bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, saying it could actually cause more harm than good to victims of domestic violence. The tribal issue is the most thorny of three top concerns by the coalition of advocacy groups, which agreed on a Tuesday conference call to lobby fiercely against the House bill, spurning overtures from House Republicans and a managers' amendment designed to address their concerns. At stake on the tribal issue is a loophole for crimes committed on tribal lands that shields some domestic violence perpetrators from prosecution. Criminals have learned to target the loophole, leading to alarmingly high rates of domestic violence in Indian Country, experts say. Congressional Quarterly

Arctic Harbor Discussions Underway. Murmansk authorities and ZAO Olympic City are revising investment options for the project that involves contribution of both state and private funds. Last year, the project was included into a "preparation plan of activities" related to the oncoming centennial anniversary of the city of Murmansk. Accordingly, Russia's federal budget allots RUB 1.159 bln, Murmansk regional budget joins the project with RUB 130 mln, while ZAO Olympic City as a private investor drops RUB 2.9 bln into the piggy bank. Barents Nova 

Activists Protest Arctic Ocean Exploratory Wells. Activists in Washington, D.C. are urging President Barack Obama to stop Shell Oil from drilling exploratory wells in the Arctic Ocean this summer. They organized a small protest at the White House Tuesday. APRN 

Satellite to Monitor Ice in Arctic Ocean Shipping Lanes. The forecasting company Weathernews Inc. unveiled a micro satellite Tuesday that it developed to monitor Arctic Ocean ice for purposes of guiding ships through the area in summer. The 10-kg cube-shaped satellite, jointly developed by Tokyo-based AXELSPACE Corp., is scheduled to be launched from the Yasny Cosmodrome in Russia on Sept. 28. It will be the first attempt by a private company to use a satellite to monitor ice in the Arctic Ocean, Weathernews said. Japan Times

[Canada] Scientists Exaggerating Risk of Cuts to Federal Research Programs: Goodyear. Concern about cuts to two federal science programs, which are being described as a "disaster" by senior researchers, has been overblown, says the minister in charge of the Harper government's research policy. Minister of State for Science and Technology Gary Goodyear took issue Tuesday with the way scientists and Postmedia News have depicted the cuts, saying the government is spending more money than ever on science. Goodyear said in an interview that focusing on problems with the two specific programs overlooks the more important point that government spending on science and technology is now at "historic levels". Windsor Star

The Institute of the North hosts Arctic-related events. For details, go here. Three upcoming events, all in Anchorage, AK are: (a) Commercial Applications of Northern Airships, July 31-Aug 2, Federal Research: Priorities and Processes, August 13, and Northern Energy Technology and Science Fair, August 15.

15th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, August 5-10, 2012. This event is sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Society for Circumpolar Health, and the International Union for Circumpolar Health.  The forum will consider community participatory research and indigenous research; women's health, family health, and well-being; food security and nutrition; social determinants of health; environmental and occupational health; infectious and chronic diseases; climate change health impacts; health service delivery and infrastructure; and behavioral health. Click here.

98th meeting of the US Arctic Research Commission. Aug. 9-10. Fairbanks, AK. More info coming soon. 

Arctic/Inuit/Connections: Learning from the Top of the World , October 24-28, 2012.  The 18th Inuit Studies Conference, hosted by the Smithsonian Institution, will be held in Washington, DC. The conference will consider heritage museums and the North; globalization: an Arctic story; power, governance and politics in the North; the '"new" Arctic: social, cultural and climate change; and Inuit education, health, language, and literature.