Canada and the US dismissed Russia's flag-planting at the North Pole on Thursday, with Ottawa calling it a "15th century" stunt that does not bolster its disputed claim to the resource-rich Arctic.
"Look, this isn't the 15th century. You can't go around the world and plant flags and say: `We're claiming this territory,'" Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay told broadcaster CTV.
Washington said Russia's move to plant its flag on the seabed under the North Pole has no bearing on claims for rights to the mineral-rich subaquatic territory.
"I'm not sure of whether they've put a metal flag, a rubber flag or a bed sheet on the ocean floor," said State Department spokesman Tom Casey, in response to news that Russia had deposited a banner of rust-proof titanium as a symbol of its right to a vast expanse of the Arctic floor.
"Either way, it doesn't have any legal standing or effect on this claim," Casey said.
The spokesman added: "It certainly to us doesn't represent any kind of substantive claim, and I certainly haven't heard anyone else make the argument that it does."
The reactions came after six Russian explorers successfully descended to the ocean floor in two Mir mini-submarines to plant the flag.
Billed as the first successful expedition to reach the ocean floor under the North Pole, the explorers hope to establish that section of seabed as an extension of Russia's landmass.
But the claim has been greeted with derision in much of the world, including in Washington.
Casey noted that Russia's claim is based on its role as a signatory to the Law of the Sea Treaty, and observed that the US has not yet signed the agreement.
Even under that accord, Russia's case was thin at best, he said.
"This is a claim that I understand is based on their attempt to prove that certain underwater ridges really represent the outline of their continental shelf," Casey said.
"That's an issue that's going to be decided based on the technical merits, not on any kind of particular markers laid down."
Russia has said its expedition is scientific in nature, focusing on climate change questions in the polar regions.
But the effort also supports its claim, dating back several years and already submitted to a technical body under the Law of the Sea Convention, that its continental shelf extends beyond the generally accepted 200-nautical-mile (370km) limit.
"There are some fairly technical arguments that they've made," Casey said.
But the State Department spokesman added, "I don't think that ... whether they went and spray-painted a flag of Russia on those particular ridges is going to make one iota of difference."
Archeologists in Peru on Thursday said they found the 5,000-year-old remains of a noblewoman at the sacred city of Caral, revealing the important role played by women in the oldest center of civilization in the Americas. “What has been discovered corresponds to a woman who apparently had elevated status, an elite woman,” archeologist David Palomino said. The mummy was found in Aspero, a sacred site within the city of Caral that was a garbage dump for more than 30 years until becoming an archeological site in the 1990s. Palomino said the carefully preserved remains, dating to 3,000BC, contained skin, part of the
TRUMP EFFECT: The win capped one of the most dramatic turnarounds in Canadian political history after the Conservatives had led the Liberals by more than 20 points Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney yesterday pledged to win US President Donald Trump’s trade war after winning Canada’s election and leading his Liberal Party to another term in power. Following a campaign dominated by Trump’s tariffs and annexation threats, Carney promised to chart “a new path forward” in a world “fundamentally changed” by a US that is newly hostile to free trade. “We are over the shock of the American betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons,” said Carney, who led the central banks of Canada and the UK before entering politics earlier this year. “We will win this trade war and
‘BODIES EVERYWHERE’: The incident occurred at a Filipino festival celebrating an anti-colonial leader, with the driver described as a ‘lone suspect’ known to police Canadian police arrested a man on Saturday after a car plowed into a street party in the western Canadian city of Vancouver, killing a number of people. Authorities said the incident happened shortly after 8pm in Vancouver’s Sunset on Fraser neighborhood as members of the Filipino community gathered to celebrate Lapu Lapu Day. The festival, which commemorates a Filipino anti-colonial leader from the 16th century, falls this year on the weekend before Canada’s election. A 30-year-old local man was arrested at the scene, Vancouver police wrote on X. The driver was a “lone suspect” known to police, a police spokesperson told journalists at the
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has unveiled a new naval destroyer, claiming it as a significant advancement toward his goal of expanding the operational range and preemptive strike capabilities of his nuclear-armed military, state media said yesterday. North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim attended the launching ceremony for the 5,000-tonne warship on Friday at the western port of Nampo. Kim framed the arms buildup as a response to perceived threats from the US and its allies in Asia, who have been expanding joint military exercises amid rising tensions over the North’s nuclear program. He added that the acquisition
RSS