International
Russia's Medvedev vows to boost Arctic exploration
(Vladimir Isachenkov/AP via Yahoo! News, 11 November 2011) -- President Dmitry Medvedev said Friday that Russia must invest more in the Arctic amid tough competition from other nations for the region's mineral riches. Medvedev said in televised remarks to workers in the fareastern city of Khabarovsk that Russia will take the necessary security steps and other moves to protect its interests in the polar region. "We simply must continue our research of the Arctic Ocean and the Arctic in general, because if we fail to do that other countries will take control," Medvedev said. "It's our shores, and it's our sea." "We will defend our interests in the region, naturally including security issues," he added. Russia, the United States, Canada, Denmark and Norway have all been trying to assert jurisdiction over parts of the Arctic, believed to hold up to a quarter of the Earth's undiscovered oil and gas. With shrinking polar ice opening up new opportunities for exploration, Russia, Canada and Denmark have said they would file claims with the United Nations that an undersea 1,240-mile (2,000-kilometer) mountain range that crosses the polar region called the Lomonosov Ridge is an extension of their respective territories.
Posted 13 November 2011; 11:22:50 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Governance, International, Research, Russia
VIDEO: Call to recognise Arctic convoy veterans
(Robert Hall/BBC News, 12 November 2011) -- There are calls for recognition for the sailors on the WWII Arctic Convoys who risked their lives to transport crucial supplies and munitions from Scotland to Russia. Although the bravery of the crews is not disputed, the men who served on the ships have never been officially recognised with a British campaign medal.
Posted 13 November 2011; 11:15:11 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar History, Circumpolar News, International, November11, People
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