Author: staff
Despite the attacks on Leo from his allies, Trump himself has also appeared wary of a direct showdown. When asked about the pope in a POLITICO interview, Trump was more keen to discuss meeting the pontiff’s brother in Florida, whom he described as “serious MAGA.” When pressed on whether he would meet the pope himself, he finally replied: “Sure, I will. Why not?” The potential for conflict will come into sharper focus as Leo hosts a summit called an extraordinary consistory this week, the first of its kind since 2014, which is expected to provide a blueprint for the future…
As Donald Trump marches ahead with his no-holds-barred agenda to expand America’s sphere of influence, the European Union is scrambling to find its footing, bogged down by internal divisions and a fear of antagonising the US president. The US operation to remove Nicolás Maduro as Venezuela’s president and Trump’s renewed threats to seize Greenland from Denmark have forced the bloc to confront uncomfortable questions about its decades-long alliance with the world’s largest economy – and the dependencies that relationship has entrenched. At the same time, the EU, a self-proclaimed advocate of the multilateral system, is dealing with growing doubts about…
From construction and energy, to ports and telecommunications, Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard or IRGC dominates large parts of the economy. The IRGC is not simply a military force — it is a parallel power centre with a revolutionary and religious mission. Set up after the 1979 power shift in the country, it seeks to guard the Islamic foundations of the republic and project force abroad. Its economic role expanded during the Iran–Iraq war from 1980 to 1988, when it built independent engineering and logistics capabilities to sustain the conflict. Iran is currently in the throes of ongoing nationwide protests sparked…
Published on 09/01/2026 – 7:00 GMT+1 Two stunning new images of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS – one captured from Earth by the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii, and another taken from deep space by NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft – have been released to the world. The comet made global headlines in 2025 when astronomers confirmed it was passing through our Solar System after forming around a distant star. It is thought to be the oldest comet ever observed – and one of only three interstellar objects ever discovered in our Solar System. The first image was taken on November 26,…
Grönland als Testfall: Wie stabil ist die NATO noch? Ein Gespräch mit Stefanie Babst – POLITICO Skip to main content
But U.S. Vice President JD Vance told reporters Thursday that Trump wants Europe to take Greenland’s security “more seriously,” or else “the United States is going to have to do something about it.” Europeans see finding a compromise with Trump as the first and preferred option. A boosted NATO presence on the Arctic island might convince the U.S. president that there is no need to own Greenland for security reasons. The Danish ambassador to the US and the Greenlandic representative in Washington held intensive talks with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. | Kevin Carter/Getty Images The NATO envoys meeting Thursday floated leveraging…
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…