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Russia recently planted a flag under the North Pole. (Reuters: Reuters Television) Norway has called on countries with land bordering the Arctic region to stop the race to claim sovereignty over the region's vast mineral resources. Two weeks ago, a Russian mission to the North Pole planted a Russian flag on the Arctic sea-bed, while Denmark and the United States have sent expeditions to the region. But Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere says there are established procedures to deal with the issue. "If anybody is under the belief that we solve this by racing up there with flags or...

Russia and Australia intend to sign a bilateral agreement on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy during the Russian president’s upcoming visit to the “green continent,” the Australian ambassador to Moscow said Thursday. Australia to sell uranium with safeguards to India

Fueled by billions in oil wealth, it looks to reclaim the USSR's status as a global military power. Moscow As a newly self-confident, oil-rich Russia teams up with China in joint military exercises Friday, it is moving to reclaim the former Soviet Union's status as a global military power. A seven-year, $200-billion rearmament plan signed by President Vladimir Putin earlier this year will purchase new generations of missiles, planes, and perhaps aircraft carriers to rebuild Russia's arsenal. Already, the new military posture is on display: This summer, Russian bombers have extended their patrol ranges far into the Atlantic and Pacific...

A company that Rosneft recently sold to a U.S. entrepreneur bought Yukos' international unit at a forced auction Wednesday, as former Yukos managers vowed to pursue a legal challenge to salvage part of what was once the country's largest oil firm. Promneftstroi, recently acquired by businessman Steven Lynch, won the unit, Yukos Finance, for 7.8 billion rubles ($305 million) after five minutes of bidding. The winning bid fell well below the $2.7 billion value that former Yukos managers place on the unit, and was just 240 million rubles ($9 million) above the starting price. Rosneft has acquired nearly all the...

-- A new Cold War between Russia and the United States seems to be breaking out in all earnest. Who will be the ultimate victor in this war? -- (Karaganov) -- It's not a Cold War - just increasing competition between Russian and the USA, or between Russia and Europe. I think the competition between Russia and Europe might even be stronger. Over the past decade, the world has seen some fundamental transformations in the energy sector: ten years ago, 80% of the world's energy reserves belonged to private corporations, mostly Western corporations. These days, almost 80-90% belong to state-owned...

It seems to be a terrible shame that such a wealth of goodwill has been so cavalierly wasted. If the Bush administration hadn’t been so intent on pushing its global weight around to fulfill a neocon agenda of full spectrum dominance we might have enjoyed a world where major powers worked together for the good of all. Together they could have striven toward alleviating poverty and disease, reducing conflict and tackling climate change. Instead, untold billions will go toward weapons of death and destruction. This is Cold War Mark II folks — a deadlier sequel to Mark I now that...

The evacuation order for residents of the Paradise Road community is downgraded. Paradise Road, the Los Prietos Boys Camp, and the Rancho Oso Guest Ranch are now under an evacuation warning. Firefighters made a critical turn in the direction of the fire. It is no longer headed in the direction of the Paradise Road community. However, the lower Santa Ynez River campgrounds, trails, and day use areas remain closed. Firefighters made significant progress this weekend, thanks in part to a new tool called in today to help battle the Zaca flames. A DC-10 Airtanker, contracted to the state through Cal...

So far, Nunn-Lugar has deactivated 6,982 nuclear warheads, all previously aimed at the United States, and destroyed more than 1,500 long-range missiles. The program also secures and destroys chemical and biological weapons, and seeks to re-employ scientists in peaceful research so they won't be tempted to sell their skills to rogue states or terrorist organizations.

The B.C. Forest Service is fighting to keep a wildfire from crossing into the United States, southeast of Trail. The Pend d'Oreille fire, covering 120 hectares, was 100 metres from the Canada-U.S. border. It started over the weekend and grew rapidly, driven by strong winds. "The patrol that looked at the fire this morning stated there is [also] substantial growth of the fire to the north and the east," Julie Castonguay, a fire information officer, told CBC News Monday afternoon. Air tankers and 34 firefighters were on site to fight the fire. The biggest concern is protecting a power line...

The Russians have landed in Greece, touting their firefighting airplanes as opposed to Canadair offerings. Russia had earlier turned down a request for equipment, but now sees a business opportunity. THE RUSSIAN amphibious aircraft Beriev Be-200 landed at Elefsina airbase on July 29 and reignited a public debate about its possible purchase by Greece. Russia has been quick to point out the Beriev's advantages compared with the Canadair aircraft, which for two decades have spearheaded Greek firefighting efforts.

The Times is reporting that British teens may have to endure another six-months of practice with instructors and the 'rents before they'll be able to go it alone on UK roads. The proposal would increase the minimum training period to 12 months from six, effectively requiring prospective drivers to wait until they're 18 before they can secure a license. The move comes after recently released studies show that while crash rates have dropped overall, there has been an increase in novice driver crashes over the same period. The reason for the increase in time is to get new drivers more...

The international battle for Arctic territory may look like a Wild West brawl but the real fight for supremacy is more likely to revolve around legal arguments and seismic data than showdowns between ice-breakers or submarines.

New York Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, in an article in the Washington Post, calls Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal for NATO-Russian cooperation on missile defense a bold initiative. He says cooperation on a joint missile defense system could be the forerunner for cooperation on other global issues. VOA's Susanne Presto talked with Kissinger on his views about this issue in New York. Click on the link below to see the entire interview.

Montenegro’s Prime Minister Zhelko Sturanovic has thanked Russia for its help in extinguishing forest fires. He received the crew of the world’s biggest water plane IL-76, which is now returning to Moscow after the 10-day work in Montenegro. IL-76 can carry 42 tons of water, and it is thanks to the IL-76 water plane that the fire that approached Montenegro’s capital Podgorica and the Adriatic Sea resorts was put out. Earlier Russia’s planes and helicopters were used to put out forest fires in Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia, and Greece.

MOSCOW, August 9 (RIA Novosti) - Russian gas giant Gazprom could become the richest company in the world, a Russian first deputy prime minister said in an interview with a German magazine Thursday.

It was a testament to the ruggedness of the IL-76, but we’ll let others decide what it says about the crew flying it. According to a Transport Canada incident report published by Canadian Defence and Geopolitics, the Silk Way Airways plane was headed for Canadian Forces Base in Trenton, Ontario, in early June when it encountered poor visibility (half mile in fog, vertical visibility 500 feet, RVR 600, temperature and dew point 12 degrees Celsius) at the military base. The crew elected to try an instrument approach. The massive plane, loaded with military hardware from the Canadian Forces operation in...

, Oleg Deripaska, the owner of Russia's biggest aluminium maker, has acquired a stake in General Motors of just under 5 per cent, say two people with direct knowledge of the matter. The Russian tycoon's stake in the world's largest car company, worth more than $900m (£445m) at yesterday's share price, is said to be a personal investment and unrelated to Gaz, the vehicle manufacturer he controls.

VIENNA, Austria - Moscow has warned Iran that it will not deliver fuel to a nearly completed Russian-built nuclear reactor unless Tehran lifts the veil of secrecy on suspicious past atomic activities, a European diplomat said Tuesday. Separately, a U.S. official told The Associated Press that the Russians are not meeting other commitments that would allow the Iranians to activate the Bushehr nuclear reactor, and suggested the delays were an attempt to pressure Tehran into showing more compliance with U.N. Security Council demands. Both men demanded anonymity in exchange for speaking to the AP because their information was confidential.

Russia’s Maria Sharapova has emerged victorious from a Women’s Tennis Association’s competition which has just closed up shop in San Diego, California. In the finals Maria outplayed Switzerland’s Patty Schnieder 6:2, 3:2 and 6:0 in her first major title won this year.