ON GUARD: A soldier holds a machine gun as he patrols the Russian northern military base on Kotelny island, beyond the Artic circle on Wednesday. The Russian military base dubbed the “Northern Clover”, home to 250 soldiers on the island of Kotelny, beyond the Arctic Circle, is to serve as a model for future military installations in the Arctic, a strategic region for Moscow that continues to strengthen its presence with the new perspectives offered by global warming. — AFP