Author: staff
Anyway, the Mercator Projection is great when it comes to navigation but it does distort world maps by making certain parts of the globe appear larger than they are, including Greenland. Which begs the question, does Trump really want Greenland for its untapped oil and gas reserves and its rare earth minerals (which aren’t really rare, so why don’t we call them ‘earths’?) or does he just fancy taking over an island that’s large but not quite as large as he thinks it is? Answers on a postcard to the White House. The reality is that Trump tends to get…
Trump, when asked why he wanted the U.S. to control Greenland, said: “Because that’s what I feel is psychologically needed for success. I think that ownership gives you a thing that you can’t do with, you’re talking about a lease or a treaty. Ownership gives you things and elements that you can’t get from just signing a document.” The U.S. president also told the Times he did not feel answerable to international law and was constrained only by his own conscience. “My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me,” he said. “I don’t need…
The 1992 UNFCCC serves as the international structure for efforts by 198 countries to slow the rate of greenhouse gas emissions. It also underpins the system of annual COP climate conferences. The U.S. will be the only country ever to leave the convention. Reform UK has led in U.K. polls for nearly a year, but the country’s next election is not expected until 2029. A theoretical U.K. exit from the UNFCCC would represent an extraordinary volteface for a country which has long boasted about global leadership on climate. Under former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the U.K. hosted COP26 in…
Published on 08/01/2026 – 14:36 GMT+1 •Updated 17:10 Soldiers must engage without awaiting orders if anyone were to invade Danish territory, including US troops attempting to seize Greenland, according to a 1952 military directive that Denmark’s Defence Ministry has confirmed remains in force. The standing order requires Danish military personnel to “immediately take up the fight” against any attack on Danish territory without waiting for commands, even if commanders are unaware of a declaration of war, the Defence Command and Ministry told Danish newspaper Berlingske. The directive has gained attention after US President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened to take control…
The flurry of ideas underscores a growing European concern around U.S. intentions on Greenland. This week, the White House ratcheted up its claims on Greenland, and repeatedly refused to rule out a military takeover. Europe is scrambling to placate the latest Trump threats and avoid a military intervention that Denmark has said would mean the end of the alliance. A compromise with the U.S. president is seen as the first and preferred option. The request for proposals just days after the White House’s latest broadside reflects how seriously Europe is taking the ultimatum and the existential risk any incursion onto…
It seems European leaders frantically trying to find ways to save Greenland from Donald Trump can hope for support from the US Congress. Over the past several days, opposition to the White House’s threats to seize the Danish territory has been growing on both sides of the aisle. While it comes as no surprise that Democrats have largely condemned Trump’s designs on Greenland, particularly any use of military force to seize the island, the fact that even leading Republicans are publicly breaking with their president on this issue is highly unusual. With the November midterm elections coming into focus, this…
Iranian human rights group Hrana said at least 34 protestors and two state security officers had been killed by Tuesday, with at least 2,000 protestors arrested. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday appealed to security forces not to target protestors. Hours after Wadephul’s appeal, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola also backed the protestors. “We know the change is underway,” she said. “The people of Iran are not protesting. They are crying out. Europe hears them, the world hears them, and they will only get louder.” “To the people of Iran, your pride and dignity as a people determined to build…
Clashes between government and Kurdish forces in a contested area of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo intensified on Thursday after authorities ordered civilians to evacuate. Syrian authorities opened a corridor for civilians to evacuate for a second day and tens of thousands fled the city. The government of Aleppo province gave residents until 1 pm local time to leave in coordination with the army. State news agency SANA, citing the army, said the military would begin “targeted operations” against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the neighbourhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh and Bani Zaid half an hour after…
An Elysée official said the deal would bring “limited benefits” to the EU economy and that it doesn’t sufficiently protect European farmers. The announcement comes hours before a key vote by member countries on the deal. Alongside Poland, France has been the fiercest opponent of the deal — but it lacks the numbers to stall it on Friday, especially if Italy backs it. If the deal is approved, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will fly to Paraguay to sign the accord as next week. The Mercosur bloc’s other members are Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.
The United States could run Venezuela and tap into its oil reserves for years, President Donald Trump said in an interview published on Thursday, less than a week after toppling its leader Nicolás Maduro. “Only time will tell” how long Washington would demand direct oversight of the South American country, Trump told The New York Times. But when asked whether that meant three months, six months or a year, he replied: “I would say much longer.” The 79-year-old US leader also said he wanted to travel to Venezuela eventually. “I think at some point it’ll be safe,” he said. US…