China dramatically expanded its Arctic presence last summer, with ships including ice-breaker sent as research vessels. It is the country’s largest polar deployment to date. The flotilla included Xue Long 2, Jidi, Tan Suo San Hao, Shen Hai Yi Hao, and Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di, operating across the Bering Sea, Bering Strait and waters north of Alaska. One part of the mission will make surveys supporting “sustainable” Arctic development. In the 19th century such research ships were used in the European and USA drive to control the resources of the Pacific Ocean and is coastal states. In the present the USA state has become concerned, its officials say China’s scientific activities are liable to have “Dual-use applications along side research, a precedent being Spanish research ships attempting to militarily grab back guano islands of the Pacific. China describes itself as a “near Arctic state”, while last month US Senators introduced legislation aimed at requiring foreign government research vessels to obtain US permission before doing such research in or near the US Exclusive Economic Zone.Now both “superpowers” are keen to control possible resources in both polar regions, as witnessed by US threats to Greenland , and as previously reported in this column US-Argentine militirized naval forces are patrolling the Antarctic The same Chinese vessels heading to the Arctic’ returned earlier this year from China’s Antarctic research campaign.
Honduran authorities have arrested former Tocoa mayor Adan Funez on suspicion of orchestrating the 2024 killing of environmental defender Juan López, an anti-corruption campaigner who opposed an open pit iron oxide mining project in the Colón region. The project is linked to Inversiones Los Pinares S.A. de C.V., Inversiones Ecotek S.A. de C.V. and Alutech, all subsidiaries of Grupo EMCO Holding. López had warned that the project threatened forests, waterways and protected areas, and was a vocal critic of Funez, who supported the mining operation. The companies reportedly face criminal proceedings brought by the Honduran Public Prosecutor’s Office over alleged environmental damage linked to the mine, initiated shortly after López’s killing.
Israeli settlers are accelerating their use of violence and “administrative “ laws to grab Palestinian land in the West Bank ahead of Israeli general elections in which the Netanyahu government and its settler-backers might lose power. Since one of its members Ben-Gvir was made “national security” minister at the end of 2022, Palestinians have no recourse to the law,. From the beginning of 2025 this de fact annexation this acceleration has used the violently created farm outposts. The organisation Peace Now reports that such ”outposts” control more than 100,000 hectares, that is some 18% of the West Bank land mass, and that nearly one third of that Grab took place in 2025 alone.