Russia Plants Arctic Flag

Canada, Russia, the US, Norway and Denmark all have some overlapping claims throughout the Arctic, each hoping to secure a big share of the rich oil, gas and mineral reserves believed to rest under the ice. “Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a country can secure rights to seabed territory reaching far beyond the 200-mile limit if it can prove that a portion of the ocean floor is geologically linked to its continental shelf,” writes journalist Randy Boswell for CanWest News Service. Scientists are mapping those shelves, but Russia is impatient. Two small Russian subs descended to the sea floor beneath the North Pole, specifically to place a Russian flag, protected in a titanium cases. “The dive is widely seen as a symbol of Russia's determination to claim ownership, under the UN Law of the Sea,” explains Boswell. The North Pole is now designated “high seas." Canadian leaders offered a cool response, describing the Russian feat as mere “show.” A quandary could emerge for all countries should their geological links and continental shelves happen to merge at the disputed point. – YaleGlobal