Author: The Tundra Drums Staff

Meta has begun a global rollout of new advertising tools on WhatsApp, introducing features that promise to avoid disrupting private chats. The company will not place ads inside users’ message inboxes or use encrypted conversations to shape the advertisements they see. Instead, WhatsApp ad changes rely on public user data like city, country, language, and behavior with existing channels and ads. Users who connect WhatsApp to Facebook or Instagram will receive more personalized ads based on Meta’s broader ecosystem data collection. These new ad formats will appear in a redesigned “Updates” section at the bottom of the app, away from…

The man behind one of Alaska’s most significant oil discoveries is confident he’s found another in uncharted territory. Bill Armstrong, the Colorado-based geologist who discovered the giant Pikka field in 2013, believes the Sockyey-2 oil discovery could reshape the eastern North Slope. The well lies roughly 100 miles east of Pikka near ExxonMobil’s Point Thomson field and close to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Armstrong’s company, Lagniappe Alaska, partnered with Apache and Santos to drill the Sockeye-2 well earlier this year. The 325,000-acre leasehold is on state land, meaning Alaska could fully benefit from future royalties if development proceeds—the well-produced…

The Alaska school funding crisis intensified after Governor Mike Dunleavy vetoed over $50 million in education funds, blindsiding school districts statewide. This controversial move followed lawmakers’ override of his previous veto of a permanent school funding formula increase.  Superintendents and local officials now face a difficult choice of either slashing spending plans or gamble on a January override by the Legislature. Many fear waiting will leave schools in disarray. Kuspuk School District Superintendent Madeline Aguillard believes this is an emergency. Her district stands to lose $254,000 and is already $2 million short. She warned of potential teacher furloughs, reduced staff…

Oil prices rose after the Israel-Iran conflict, sending shockwaves through financial markets and sparking concerns about broader economic consequences worldwide. Last week’s missile and drone exchange between Israel and Iran triggered immediate turbulence in global oil markets and investor sentiment.  Brent Crude, the leading international benchmark, initially surged to over $78 per barrel on Friday. While it has since dipped to $74.50, the price remains $10 higher than just one month ago. Oil prices frequently shift in response to global tensions, but experts say the recent increase stands out for its timing and potential ripple effect. Though the current price…

Tensions between Israel and Iran have sharply elevated following a second night of heavy cross-border attacks, resulting in mounting civilian casualties and threats of further military action. Sirens sounded across multiple Israeli cities overnight as Iranian missiles targeted central and northern regions, prompting Israeli air defenses into action.  In the Palestinian-majority town of Tamra, a house partially collapsed after being struck, while in Bat Yam near Tel Aviv, a 10-storey residential building was heavily damaged. At least six people have been confirmed dead in Bat Yam under rubble as rescue operations continue. In response, Israel launched a wave of retaliatory…

Israel launched Operation Rising Lion early Friday, unleashing over 200 fighter jets to strike Iranian military and nuclear sites. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said the preemptive strike targeted Iran’s top commanders, atomic enrichment sites, and missile stockpiles. IDF spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin confirmed Iran had responded by launching more than 100 drones toward Israel’s territory. He stated that Israeli air defenses intercepted many drones and would continue to neutralize any incoming threats. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel acted to prevent Iran’s “growing threat” and to stop its race toward nuclear weapons. Netanyahu vowed the military operation would…

Governor Mike Dunleavy signed Alaska’s budget into law Thursday after vetoing $122 million, with education taking the most brutal hit. He removed $50 million from Alaska’s per-student formula and axed funding for critical school maintenance projects statewide. Legislators said they won’t consider overriding the education budget veto until January, prolonging uncertainty for school leaders. Anchorage Superintendent Jarrett Byrantt warned that districts may face emergency school closures to meet sudden budget shortfalls. Dunleavy announced his decision without holding a news conference and immediately refused to respond to emailed media questions. In a pre-recorded video, he said falling oil prices forced cuts,…

Donlin Gold mine construction paused after a federal judge ruled that serious flaws in government-issued permits must be addressed. On Monday, US District Court Judge Sharon Gleason ordered the US Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Land Management to reassess risks. She directed them to evaluate the possibility of a catastrophic failure of the mine’s proposed tailings dam. Gleason’s order follows a lawsuit filed by six tribal governments from the Kuskokwim region, which argues that the project threatens traditional lands. The tribes oppose Donlin Gold’s plan to build a 471-foot dam to contain toxic tailings waste from gold mining.…

An Air India 787 Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad claimed the lives of all 242 passengers and An Air India 787 Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad claimed the lives of all 242 passengers and crew members on Thursday. The London-bound aircraft exploded shortly after takeoff, slamming into a medical college hostel near the airport in Gujarat’s capital. Black smoke and flames engulfed the site as firefighters struggled to douse the wreckage and surrounding buildings with water. Eyewitnesses described scenes of horror with scattered fuselage parts and charred bodies visible across the crash zone. Indian army teams rushed to assist firefighters and local…

Alaska may soon double its space launch capabilities as officials pursue a Poker Flat spaceport license for commercial use. On Tuesday the University of Alaska´s Geophysical Institute signed a five year collaboration deal with the Alaska Aerospace Corporation. Though the document does not directly mention licensing state budget drafts reveal the university’s plans to obtain FAA approval. The license would transform Poker Flat Research Range from a research only site into a commercial orbital spaceport. Poker Flat has operated since 1969, launching sounding rockets to study the upper atmosphere and aurora phenomena near Fairbanks. This new license would authorize it…

Over the weekend, the federal immigration crackdown resulted in 42 men being sent to the Anchorage Correctional Complex by ICE. The Alaska Department of Corrections confirmed that these men were arrested outside Alaska and transported to the facility under a federal agreement. Two men, Ronaldo Alberto Calderson from El Salvador and Jose Gonzalez-Montes from Peru, were shifted to Washington state within 24 hours of arriving. Department spokesperson Betsy Holley stated that the remaining 40 detainees are expected to be held in Anchorage for about a month. The detainees, originating from 22 countries, including India, Mexico, Afghanistan, and Egypt, were not…

Officials confirmed that significant job cuts under the Trump administration have drastically reduced NOAA’s scientific capacity, putting Alaska seafood harvests at risk. Since January, NOAA Fisheries’ Alaska regional office has lost 28 employees, nearly a quarter of its staff, director Jon Kurland told a recent council meeting. Kurland explained that the cuts severely impact NOAA’s ability to manage fisheries sustainably, affecting permitting, data analysis, and quota oversight. He noted that their IT systems, crucial for tracking real-time seafood catches, now operate with less than a skeleton crew. Director Robert Foy said that NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center, which supports research…