New and very cold war: Battle for the Arctic

A new cold war could be on the horizon in the Arctic.

A new cold war might be heating up, as the US, Russia and other world powers are making claims for ownership of some Arctic assets.

With global warming looking like less and less of a myth, massive ice melt in the Arctic North is allowing for easy oil and mineral extraction. Some say that this race for resources up north is a “cold rush,” but with some heavy-hitters throwing their hat in the ring for ownership of Arctic land, things stand to get only more serious with time.

Representatives from the US, including Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, recently dropped by the Arctic Council in Nuuk, Greenland, marking the first time high-ranking officials from America have bothered to attend. Only weeks earlier, the US had a small fleet of nuclear-powered submarines patrolling the Arctic, 150 miles off of American land.

And with the US, Russia, Canada and others all concerned over who owns what, some are scared that a new cold war — an actually cold, cold war — could be on the horizon.

Aqqaluk Lynge tells The Guardian that he is “nervous” about the developments happening in the Arctic. Lynge is the former chairman of the indigenous peoples' forum, the Inuit Circumpolar Council, and notes that "There is a military build-up and an increase in megaphone diplomacy.”

“We do not want a return to the cold war,” adds Lynge.

In the meantime, the US is just now showing interest in the Arctic, with Russia having already increased missile testing in the area and the nation of Norway recently moved its main military base to the far north as well. Canada and the US have separately been in discussion for years now on an increased naval presence in the Arctic too.

In 2007, Russian explorer Artur Chilingarov placed a flag of his country in Arctic turf, telling reporters that "The Arctic is Russian. We must prove the North Pole is an extension of the Russian landmass." That didn’t sit too well with Canada, however, who took the gesture as provocative.

Paul Berkman of the Arctic Ocean geopolitics program at the Scott Polar Research Institute tells The Guardian that he believes that this increase isn’t anything to shrug off . "You have to ask why are these alarming and alarmist headlines being written and it may be there is unfinished business from the Cold War,” he say.

Muslim woman barred from school parents' event for wearing veil - Good Decision

A British Muslim woman was asked to leave a school's parents' night in Manchester for wearing the veil. The college cited "safety" and "security" reasons. (SW: No one is above the Law)

Maroon Rafique was stopped from entering Manchester College by security staff, who told her that for the security of teachers and pupils, there was a ban on any kind of face covering.

Although she offered to sit anywhere in the room where as few people as possible would see her, she was not allowed onto the campus.

“I’m born in this country and British. Why should what I wear offend anyone?” she told the British newspaper the Daily Mail. “I didn’t want to make any fuss. All I wanted was to find out the information to help my son go to university.”

The 40 year-old has worn the face veil, or niqab, for the last seven years.

Rafique eventually had to phone her husband to take her place.

A college spokesman defended the policy. “At all times we need to be able to identify all individuals easily in order to maintain safety and security and therefore we ask that faces are clearly visible while indoors. Our dress code is reviewed through our quality improvement group and we will take this situation into account at the next review.” He added that the school took Rafique's concerns “very seriously.”

A spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain told RT that it considers the decision to be authoritarian.

“Wearing the face veil is not obligatory, and is a freedom of choice issue. We understand if teachers are forbidden from wearing it as it can sometimes interfere with communication during the lesson. Children may also have to follow a particular dress code, but for a parent to be stopped doesn’t make sense.”

In March of this year, a Muslim woman was stopped from sitting on a UK jury in a murder trial because the judge ruled her facial expressions could not be seen.

Britain, unlike France, has not yet introduced a nationwide ban on face veils.