A New Cold war in the Caribbean?
The significance of the Izvestia bluster isn’t that the Russians could be coming again — Moscow’s Defense Minister later said any air force arrangement in Cuba would most likely involve stops for fuel rather than actual bases — but that they’ve returned to the idea of using the Caribbean [...]

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China and Russia are challenging the US for dominance in Latin America by pursuing trade and military deals
During a visit to Beijing in November, Correa said China could turn the Manta base into a transit port from which to exploit the riches of the Amazon. China, which is engaged in a headlong rush for timber, [...]

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In return for allowing the Chinese to cart away more than half a billion pounds’ worth of minerals a year, Mr Mugabe not only makes a vast personal fortune for himself and his henchmen, but is given all the arms he needs to keep his criminal regime in power, including guns, jet fighters and military [...]

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Coastal Nations Grab for Ocean Floor Riches
Vast quantities of resources may be hiding beneath the ocean floor. But who owns it? Countries on the coasts are laying claim to ever larger chunks of seawater. But many of the claims are disputed. By SPIEGEL Staff more…

Photo Gallery: The World’s Last Gold Mines
Black Gold under the Ice: [...]

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And the correlation between oil and violence is likely to grow stronger, since as Ross points out, countries in Africa, the Caspian basin, and Southeast Asia will soon become “significant oil and gas exporters. Some of these countries, including Chad, East Timor, and Myanmar, have already suffered internal strife. Most of the rest are poor, [...]

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It has fuelled a 17-year economic boom in which truck drivers can earn £60,000 a year, property prices have soared and there are not enough pilots to fly desperately needed mining engineers into dusty desert camps.
Australia is growing rich from China’s insatiable appetite for raw materials, selling billions of pounds worth of iron ore, coal [...]

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China’s Vice-Premier Zeng Peiyan has completed a brief tour of the South Pacific, showing how important the region is to Beijing.
China is competing with Taiwan for diplomatic recognition as well as access to vast reserves of fish, minerals and timber.
But there are concerns that this fierce rivalry is unsettling and that bribes are making the [...]

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