November 2013

These last few days in Russia have been awash in joyful news. At time of writing, 26 of the Arctic 30 have been granted bail, though sadly one has bafflingly been denied bail and given three more months of pre-trial detention.

The government has at long last made an announcement on the first wave of marine conservation zones (MCZs) in UK waters. This is long overdue, but frankly fails to deliver. Today’s announcement to designate only 27 sites is a whopping 100 sites short of what the government’s own consultation said was necessary. So what’s going on?

The Arctic 30 detention hearings are continuing today - you can watch the live feed from court and follow the latest updates - and so far, 15 people have been granted bail. Colin Russell is the notable exception, and we'll be appealing that decision.

Here are two videos straight out of St Petersburg - an uplifting message from Faiza, and a powerful statement from Kieron.

The detention hearings are continuing, and so far everyone has been granted bail - apart from Colin Russell, the ship's radio operator. It's inconsistent and unfair, but as you can see from this video filmed yesterday in court, Colin still looks strong and his words are beautiful.

Watch the court proceedings live from St Petersburg, where the detention hearings for the Arctic 30 are taking place. And follow updates from Twitter below - they're coming from Russia and around the world so of course don't necessarily reflect our thoughts or views.

Gazprom, the Russian oil company that claimed the Arctic 30 carried something “resembling a bomb”, are not famous for safety. However, their news site claims that they have implemented “permanent” emergency vessels to deal with an Arctic disaster:

In December last year, 81 Santas ran through a London park, raising over £17,000 to help Greenpeace save their Arctic home.

This year, we’re aiming to get 200 Santas on our team and have set a massive fundraising target of £40,000!