Canada, which has 16, 000 of the 20, 000 to 25, 000 polar bears left in the wild, says polar bear populations are not threatened and the animal does not meet the Appendix 1 criteria.

CNN: World rejects new protections for polar bears

The ProShares VIX Short-Term ETF (VIXY) is up 11.02% this week as investors bet on wild swings in the bull-bear battle playing out on Wall Street at the moment.

FORBES: Despite Sell-Off, China Internet Stocks Still Beat Gold

Wild reindeer, Arctic fox and polar bear are a regular presence in the town's hinterland, even as Svalbard is littered with reminders of the hunting expeditions which for centuries drove many Arctic species to the brink of extinction.

BBC: Drawing near to the North Pole