Transport strain, ultra race and AI glasses debate

News from Troms and Finnmark over the past 48 hours has been dominated by regional transport difficulties, a new edition of the Tromsø Backyard Ultra and a local debate over smart glasses. More than 500 boat and ferry departures were cancelled in Finnmark, while 166 runners set off on an endurance event in Tromsdalen on Saturday morning (NRK Tromsø / Finnmark).

Tromsø / Finnmark news: ferries and regional flights under strain

In Finnmark, more than 500 boat and ferry departures have been cancelled, reports NRK Tromsø / Finnmark. Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Marianne Sivertsen Næss describes the situation as serious and holds the county and the transport companies responsible. The cancellations affect daily services connecting coastal communities in northern Norway.

The file on regional air routes, the "FOT-rutene", also remains sensitive. Following the publication of a report by the Oslo Economics consultancy, one of the scenarios proposed removing several air routes in Northern Norway. Minister of Transport Kamzy Gunaratnam had to respond. The government says it wants to preserve the flight offer and make it cheaper, but local elected officials are calling for more (NRK Tromsø / Finnmark).

"The worst thing is that every attempt to fix the air routes only makes the situation worse," says Vidar Thom Benjaminsen, mayor of Vågan (a Lofoten Islands municipality), quoted by NRK Tromsø / Finnmark. The two counties, once again Troms and Finnmark following their separation in 2024, rely heavily on these short connections for daily travel.

Tromsø Backyard Ultra: 166 at the start, a sharp rise among women

The Tromsø Backyard Ultra began on Saturday at 09:00 in Tromsdalen. According to NRK Tromsø / Finnmark, 166 participants committed to this ultra-endurance event in which runners must complete a 6.7 km loop in under an hour, to be repeated every hour until they drop out. When NRK contacted the organisers, the ninth loop was under way and 116 runners were still in the race.

The event is organised for the second year by the Midnight Sun Marathon (MSM). "Runners really appreciate the set-up so far," organiser Nils I. Hætta tells NRK Tromsø / Finnmark. The split between women and men is roughly 50-50. "There are surprisingly many young girls taking part. We are seeing an explosive rise among women who run," he adds. He sees this as part of a global running trend.

AI glasses: a political debate in Tromsø

The deputy mayor of Tromsø, Sigrid Bjørnhaug Hammer (SV), believes there is an urgent need to ban AI glasses. She tells iTromsø that these glasses — also called "Meta-briller" — pave the way for filming people in vulnerable situations. They include a camera, a microphone and use artificial intelligence (NRK Tromsø / Finnmark).

According to the elected official, their use is particularly problematic in health services and in barnehager (kindergartens). "It's about the municipality of Tromsø taking a stance," she tells iTromsø. The Arbeiderparti (Labour) party in Tromsø had announced in September that it wanted to ban these glasses.

Culture, economy and local initiatives

The programme Norge Rundt is celebrating its 50th anniversary, with 2097 episodes, 12,000 reports and 133,000 participants since its launch (NRK Tromsø / Finnmark). Media studies professor Gunn Enli compares it to "a tree at the bottom of the garden, with deep roots". Simon Haugen, from Oldervik in Troms, is among those whose lives have been filmed: a nine-year-old in 2004, he had emptied his piggy bank to buy his own sjark (fishing boat) for 1000 kroner (around 120 euros at the time) from a local man named Roar. "I was called the youngest fisherman in Norway, and I still carry that name," he says.

In Finnmark, iFinnmark reports that Efthymia wants to bring Greek culinary culture and breakfast pastries to the town. The same outlet covers the journey of Johan Mathis, who has moved from slaughterhouse worker to manager: he is taking charge of organising the great bonfire (bålbrenningen). In Tromsø, iTromsø also mentions the return of Mats (24), who is settling in and looking for a new job, and the victory of volleyball club BKT over Førde.

📌 Local briefs

A fire broke out on Saturday evening in a single-family house in Vadsø, on the second floor; the fire service had not brought the blaze under control by around 23:30 (NRK Tromsø / Finnmark). In Salangen, a fire affected the toilets of a grocery store in Sjøvegan at around 19:00; the premises were evacuated and the fire was quickly brought under control, and police said they had identified a minor suspected of having started the blaze (NRK Tromsø / Finnmark).

Sources: NRK Tromsø / Finnmark, Nordlys, iTromsø, iFinnmark, The Local Norway — Period: 03 October 2026 and 04 October 2026