Trump says he doesn’t need international law amid aggressive US policies
United States President Donald Trump has dismissed international law, saying only his “own morality” can curb the aggressive policies he is pursuing across the world after the abduction of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro. “I don’t need international law. I’m not looking to hurt people,” Trump told The New York Times on Thursday. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Asked whether he needs to abide by international law, Trump said he does, but it “depends what your definition of international law is”. Trump has shown a willingness to use the brute force of the US military to achieve his foreign policy goals. On Saturday, the US launched an early-morning attack on Venezuela, with explosions reported across the capital Caracas and at Venezuelan military bases. US troops ultimately abducted Venezuelan President Maduro from Caracas in what critics say was a clear violation of the United Nations Charter, which prohibits “the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state”. The attack on Venezuela appears to have supercharged the belligerence of the US president, who received the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize Award last month. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, Trump said the US would “run” Venezuela and exploit the country’s vast oil reserves, though his administration has said it would cooperate with interim President Delcy Rodriguez. Still, the Trump administration said it would “dictate” policy to the interim government and repeatedly threatened a “second wave” of military actions if US demands were disobeyed. Advertisement “If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,” Trump said of Rodriguez in a Sunday interview with The Atlantic. Earlier this week, Trump also suggested that the US may carry out a strike against Colombia’s left-wing President Gustavo Petro, and he has escalated his campaign to acquire the Danish territory of Greenland. In June, Trump joined Israel’s unprovoked war against Iran, ordering the bombing of the country’s three main nuclear sites. Trump aide Stephen Miller has criticised the post-World War II international order, saying that, from here forward, the US would “unapologetically” use its military force to secure its interests in the Western Hemisphere. “We’re a superpower, and under President Trump, we are going to conduct ourselves as a superpower,” Miller told CNN on Monday. But experts warn that disregard for international law could have catastrophic consequences for the entire global community, including the US. International law is the set of rules and norms that govern ties between states. It includes UN conventions and multilateral treaties. Margaret Satterthwaite, the UN special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, told Al Jazeera earlier this week that US statements dismissing international law are “extremely dangerous”. Satterthwaite said she is concerned the world may be returning to an “age of imperialism”, stressing that degrading international laws may embolden Washington’s adversaries to launch their own acts of aggression. “International law cannot stop states from doing terrible things if they’re committed to doing them,” Satterthwaite told Al Jazeera. “And I think that the world is aware of all of the atrocities that have happened in Gaza recently, and despite efforts by many states and certainly by the UN to stop those atrocities, they continued. But I think we’re worse off if we don’t insist on the international law that does exist. We’ll simply be going down a much worse kind of slippery slope.” Yusra Suedi, an assistant professor of international law at the University of Manchester, warned against the belief that “might is right” and the trend towards disregarding international law. “It signals something very dangerous, in that it gives permission to other states to essentially follow suit – states such as China, who might be eyeing Taiwan, or Russia with respect to Ukraine,” Suedi told Al Jazeera. Ian Hurd, a professor of political science at Northwestern University, said history illustrates the perils of US policies in Latin America. Advertisement The region has witnessed more than a century of US invasions and US-supported military coups, leading to instability, repression and human rights abuses. “There are innumerable examples historically of this, from Panama to Haiti to Nicaragua to Chile in the ’70s and on and on,” Hurd told Al Jazeera. He added that Trump’s policies in Venezuela are “in line” with how the US has previously attempted to decide how other parts of the Americas are governed. “You can see that in every one of those cases, the US came to regret its choice to intervene. These never work well.” Adblock test (Why?)
Brazil’s President Lula vetoes bill to trim Bolsonaro prison sentence
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has vetoed a bill that would have reduced the prison sentence of his right-wing rival and predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted of plotting a coup. On Thursday, Lula followed through with his promise to block the legislation, which had passed Brazil’s opposition-controlled Congress last year. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “In the name of the future, we do not have the right to forget the past,” Lula wrote in a series of social media posts, saying that it would have benefitted “those who attacked Brazilian democracy”. The veto came on the third anniversary of the 2023 attack on the Three Powers Plaza in the capital of Brasilia, where government buildings representing the presidency, Congress and the Supreme Court stand. On January 8 of that year, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed the buildings in an apparent attempt to provoke a military response that would remove Lula from power. In marking the anniversary of the attack, Lula called on Brazilians to stand up for their young democracy, which began after a period of violent dictatorship in the late 20th century. “January 8th is marked in history as the day of democracy’s victory. A victory over those who tried to seize power by force, disregarding the popular will expressed at the ballot box. Over those who have always defended dictatorship, torture, and the extermination of opponents,” Lula wrote online. “The attempted coup on January 8, 2023, reminded us that democracy is not an unshakeable achievement.” Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, centre, and his wife, First Lady Rosangela da Silva, attend a ceremony marking the three-year anniversary of Brazil’s capital riot, on January 8, 2026 [Eraldo Peres/AP Photo] Bolsonaro’s sentence The January 8 attack caused millions of dollars in property damage and dozens of injuries, as police and protesters clashed in the government plaza. Advertisement The incident evoked comparisons to the violent riot at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, where supporters of President Donald Trump attempted to disrupt the certification of his 2020 election defeat. Likewise, Bolsonaro, a former army captain, had refused to concede his defeat to Lula after a narrow loss in the 2022 elections. Rather, he and his allies had argued that Brazil’s electronic voting machines were susceptible to fraud, and they challenged the election results in court. Their petition, however, was thrown out for its “total absence of any evidence”. Still, many of Bolsonaro’s supporters backed his claims and took to the streets to protest the election results. The weeks surrounding Lula’s inauguration in January 2023 were fraught, with reports of a bomb threat and an attack on police headquarters in Brasilia. Prosecutors later accused Bolsonaro and his allies of leading a criminal conspiracy to overturn the election results. One of the options the defendants allegedly weighed was to declare a “state of siege” in Brazil, which would allow the military to take control and new elections be held. Another option was reportedly to assassinate Lula and his running mate, Geraldo Alckmin. Bolsonaro has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied any wrongdoing, framing the accusations instead as a political hit job. Still, in September, he was sentenced to 27 years in prison after being found guilty on counts including attempting a coup, causing damage to public property, attempting the violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, participation in a criminal enterprise, and the deterioration of a listed national heritage site. He began his prison term in November, after he was found to have damaged the ankle monitor used to ensure he was not a flight risk. Weighing October’s election Conservative politicians, however, have decried the prison sentence as excessive and called for its reduction. Bolsonaro’s son Eduardo has petitioned the Trump administration in the US to intervene on behalf of the imprisoned ex-president, and his eldest child, Flavio Bolsonaro, even hinted he might suspend his 2026 presidential bid if his father were released. On December 10, Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies passed legislation that would reduce the sentences of nearly 1,000 people linked to the January 8 attack, including Bolsonaro. A week later, on December 17, the Senate followed suit, sending the leniency bill to the president for his signature. But Lula had repeatedly pledged to reject the bill, risking the possibility that Brazil’s Congress could override his veto. Advertisement “ This is a bill that really is a litmus test in Brazilian politics,” Gustavo Ribeiro, a journalist and founder of The Brazil Report, told Al Jazeera. “Conservatives overwhelmingly supported it, while liberals are adamantly against it.” Still, Ribeiro described the bill as a compromise between Brazil’s centre-right and far-right forces. “The centre-right tried to work a sort of a middle-of-the-road solution that is not full amnesty but would allow Bolsonaro to leave incarceration after two years, in what we call in Brazil a semi-open prison sentence,” he explained. He sees Brazil’s general election in October as a significant factor in Congress’s passage of the bill, noting that Bolsonaro remains a popular figure on the right. “Because Bolsonaro has such a big clout with conservatives, many in Congress – many right-of-centre lawmakers – fear that if they do not lend their full support to any cause that Bolsonaro espouses, they will lose support,” Ribeiro said. Lula is seeking a fourth term as president in October’s election, and he is expected to face Bolsonaro’s son Flavio at the ballot box. Adblock test (Why?)
Trump says meeting Iran’s ‘Crown Prince’ Pahlavi would not be appropriate
US president signals he is not ready to back the Israel-aligned opposition figure to lead Iran in case of regime change. United States President Donald Trump has ruled out meeting with Iran’s self-proclaimed Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, suggesting that Washington is not ready to back a successor to the Iranian government, should it collapse. On Thursday, Trump called Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah who was toppled by the Islamic revolution of 1979, a “nice person”. But Trump added that, as president, it would not be appropriate to meet with him. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “I think that we should let everybody go out there and see who emerges,” Trump told The Hugh Hewitt Show podcast. “I’m not sure necessarily that it would be an appropriate thing to do.” The US-based Pahlavi, who has close ties to Israel, leads the monarchist faction of the fragmented Iranian opposition. Trump’s comments signal that the US has not backed Pahlavi’s offer to “lead [a] transition” in governance in Iran, should the current system collapse. The Iranian government is grappling with protests across several parts of the country. Iranian authorities cut off access to the internet on Thursday in an apparent move to suppress the protest movement as Pahlavi called for more demonstrations. The US president had previously warned that he would intervene if the Iranian government targets protesters. He renewed that threat on Thursday. “They’re doing very poorly. And I have let them know that if they start killing people – which they tend to do during their riots, they have lots of riots – if they do it, we’re going to hit them very hard,” Trump said. Advertisement Iranian protests started last month in response to a deepening economic crisis as the value of the local currency, the rial, plunged amid suffocating US sanctions. The economy-focused demonstrations started sporadically across the country, but they quickly morphed into broader antigovernment protests and appear to be gaining momentum, leading to the internet blackout. Pahlavi expressed gratitude to Trump and claimed that “millions of Iranians” protested on Thursday night. “I want to thank the leader of the free world, President Trump, for reiterating his promise to hold the regime to account,” he wrote in a social media post. “It is time for others, including European leaders, to follow his lead, break their silence, and act more decisively in support of the people of Iran.” Last month, Trump also threatened to attack Iran again if it rebuilds its nuclear or missile programmes. The US bombed Iran’s three main nuclear facilities in June as part of a war that Israel launched against the country without provocation. On top of its economic and political crises, Iran has faced environmental hurdles, including severe water shortages, deepening its domestic unrest. Iran has also been dealt major blows to its foreign policy as its network of allies has shrunk over the past two years. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was toppled by armed opposition forces in December 2024; Hezbollah was weakened by Israeli attacks; and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been abducted by the US. But Iran’s leaders have continued to dismiss US threats. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei doubled down on his defiant rhetoric after the US raid in Caracas on Saturday. “We will not give in to the enemy,” Khamenei wrote in a social media post. “We will bring the enemy to its knees.” Adblock test (Why?)
Why Trump says getting Greenland is about defence
[unable to retrieve full-text content] President Donald Trump insists the US needs to take over Greenland as a matter of national security. Here’s why.
Cameroon vs Morocco: AFCON 2025 – team news, start time and lineups
Who: Cameroon vs MoroccoWhat: CAF Africa Cup of NationsWhere: Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, MoroccoWhen: Friday, January 9 at 8pm (19:00 GMT)How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 16:00 GMT in advance of our live score and text commentary stream. Few gave Cameroon much of a chance in the Africa Cup of Nations after off-the-field issues marred their build-up to the tournament but the Indomitable Lions stood firm in the face of adversity to reach the quarterfinals in Morocco. The five-time champions are up against the hosts in Friday’s last-eight tie, knowing the pressure is firmly on the North Africans as they look to win a first AFCON title in 50 years in front of their home supporters. With high-profile players such as Brahim Diaz, Achraf Hakimi, Bryan Mbeumo and Carlos Baleba involved, there will be no shortage of talent on display in Rabat. Here’s everything you need to know about Cameroon vs Morocco: What happened in Cameroon’s camp before the AFCON 2025? Cameroon have spent the last 18 months embroiled in a bizarre battle of wills between their federation, headed by four-time African Footballer of the Year Samuel Eto’o, and the sports ministry, which employs the coach. Head coach Marc Brys was employed against Eto’o’s wishes, and the pair sparred publicly throughout the 21 months that the Belgian managed the team. Brys had the backing of the government, which pays the team’s costs, leaving a frustrated Eto’o undermining his coach whenever he could but being unable to get rid of him. Advertisement Ultimately, Cameroon, who have been to more FIFA World Cups than any other African nation, had a dismal qualifying campaign and failed to make the cut for the 2026 edition. World Cup qualification failure, combined with a landslide re-election win for Eto’o at about the same time, saw support for Brys suddenly fade, and he was fired three weeks before the AFCON. In his place, the unheralded David Pagou was appointed new coach, and a squad for AFCON was selected without captain Vincent Aboubakar or goalkeeper Andre Onana, who had previously expressed support for the sports minister. How did Cameroon reach the AFCON quarterfinals? Cameroon finished runners-up in Group F with two wins and a draw. They were tied on seven points with the Ivory Coast, but settled for the second spot on account of fewer goals scored than the table toppers. In the round of 16, Cameroon beat South Africa 2-1, thanks to goals from Junior Tchamadeu and Christian Kofane. For Cameroon, reaching the last eight means their AFCON is already a success after a chaotic build-up [File: AFP] What happened in Morocco’s camp? Despite being tipped as overwhelming favourites, the World Cup 2022 semifinalists faced early criticism after a nervy opening-day win over minnows Comoros and a draw with Mali, before restoring confidence with a convincing 3-0 victory over Zambia in their final group match. Coach Walid Regragui had apologised to frustrated fans for the team’s underwhelming performance, saying, “Moroccans are naturally emotional, they need confidence.” Captain Hakimi urged fans to back them all the way through. “If the fans are behind us we can be champions of Africa together,” he said. How did Morocco reach the quarterfinals? Morocco topped Group A with a similar record, bagging two wins and a draw for seven points. They started their knockout campaign with a 1-0 win over Tanzania in the round of 16. Who will the winner face in the next round? The winner of the Cameroon vs Morocco match will face the winner of the Algeria vs Nigeria match in the semifinals. That game will be held on January 14 in Rabat. Who are Cameroon’s best players? Cameroon have not been among the most free-scoring sides, but a handful of individuals have stepped up to the task. Teenage forward Christian Kofane has been the standout player, scoring twice at the tournament, including a decisive strike in the round-of-16 victory, to underline his growing importance to the Indomitable Lions. Cameroon were also fortunate during the group stage, benefitting from two own goals that helped keep their campaign on track. Advertisement Beyond Kofane, goals have come from Tchamadeu and Etta Eyong, while established star Bryan Mbeumo and emerging talent Carlos Baleba have both impressed, earning Player of the Match awards for their influential displays. Who are Morocco’s best players? Right winger Brahim Diaz has been Morocco’s standout performer at the AFCON 2025. The Real Madrid player is the tournament’s top scorer with four goals, finding the net in each of Morocco’s four matches and underlining his status as their most decisive attacking threat. Striker Ayoub El Kaabi has also caught the eye, with his acrobatic finishes drawing admiration from fans and pundits alike, chipping in with two goals to bolster Morocco’s front line. Achraf Hakimi, widely regarded as the world’s best right-back, missed the first two matches due to an ankle injury, but is back to full match fitness, having made his first start of the tournament in the first knockout fixture. Although all eyes were on their popular right-back Achraf Hakimi before the tournament, it’s Brahim Diaz who has emerged as Morocco’s star performer at AFCON 2025 [Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters] Cameroon and Morocco form guides Cameroon: W-W-D-W-L Morocco: W-W-D-W-W Head-to-head Cameroon and Morocco have met in 13 previous encounters across competitive and friendly games. Cameroon dominate the head-to-head record with seven wins, while four games ended in a draw. Morocco have won only twice. When did Cameroon and Morocco last meet? The teams last met in February 2021 at the Africa Nations Championship, commonly known as CHAN, in a semifinal tie. Morocco won that game 4-0. Have Cameroon ever won an AFCON title? Yes. Cameroon are one of Africa’s major forces in the tournament. They have won the title five times: 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002 and 2017. They are the second-most successful team in AFCON behind Egypt, who have seven titles. Have Morocco ever won an AFCON title? Yes. Morocco won their
US Senate passes measure to restrict Trump’s military actions in Venezuela
Published On 8 Jan 20268 Jan 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share A resolution that would block US President Donald Trump from taking further military action against Venezuela without congressional authorisation has passed in the Senate by a vote of 52-47. With the measure receiving a simple majority in Thursday’s vote, it will move ahead to the House. Days after US forces abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a dramatic military raid in Caracas, senators voted on the latest in a series of war powers measures introduced since the administration ramped up military pressure on the country with attacks on boats off its coast in September. Republicans have blocked all of the measures, but the last vote was just 49-51, as two senators from Trump’s party joined Democrats in backing a resolution in November. Administration officials had told lawmakers at that time that they did not plan to change the government or conduct strikes on Venezuelan territory. More to come… Adblock test (Why?)
Trump says he wants to free up Venezuelan oil flow. What was blocking it?
United States President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio say they want to free up the flow of Venezuelan oil to benefit Venezuelans after US forces abducted President Nicolas Maduro from Caracas. “We’re going to rebuild the oil infrastructure, which requires billions of dollars that will be paid for by the oil companies directly,” Trump said at a media briefing at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida hours after Maduro was seized on Saturday. “They will be reimbursed for what they’re doing, but it’s going to be paid, and we’re going to get the oil flowing.” Then, on Tuesday, the US president said he wanted to use proceeds from the sale of Venezuelan oil “to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States”. Rubio has echoed Trump in his comments in recent days. But what has been holding back the flow of Venezuelan oil, preventing the country from attracting investments and driving the country into poverty? A key reason is one that Trump and Rubio have been silent about: Washington’s own efforts to strangle Venezuela’s oil industry and economy through sanctions, which also have set off a refugee crisis. What has Trump said about Venezuelan oil? In a post on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday night, Trump said Venezuela will turn over 30 million to 50 million barrels of sanctioned oil to the US. Trump wrote: “This Oil will be sold at its Market Price, and that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!” Advertisement Trump added that he had directed his energy secretary, Chris Wright, to execute the plan “immediately”. “It will be taken by storage ships, and brought directly to unloading docks in the United States,” Trump wrote. During the news conference on Saturday, Trump said US oil companies would fix Venezuela’s “broken infrastructure” and “start making money for the country”. Earlier Trump had accused Venezuela in a Truth Social post of “stealing” US oil, land and other assets and using that oil to fund crime, “terrorism” and human trafficking. Top Trump adviser Stephen Miller has made similar claims in recent days. What does it mean for the US to take Venezuelan oil? Oil is trading at roughly $56 per barrel. Based on this price, 30 million barrels of oil would be worth $1.68bn and 50 million barrels of oil would be worth $2.8bn. “Trump’s statement about oil in Venezuela is beyond an act of war; it is an act of colonisation. That is also illegal based on the UN Charter,” Vijay Prashad, the director of the Tricontinental Institute for Social Research based in Argentina, Brazil, India, and South Africa, told Al Jazeera. Ilias Bantekas, a professor of transnational law at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar, told Al Jazeera that the US involvement in Venezuela was “less about Maduro as it is about access to Venezuela’s oil deposits”. “This [oil] is the number one target. Trump is not content with just allowing US oil firms to get concessions but to ‘run’ the country, which entails absolute and indefinite control over Venezuela’s resources.” According to the website of the US Energy Information Administration, the US consumed an average of 20.25 million barrels of petroleum per day in 2023. What has Rubio said about Venezuelan oil? In an interview on the NBC TV network’s Meet the Press programme that aired on Sunday, Rubio said: “We are at war against drug trafficking organisations. That’s not a war against Venezuela.” “No more drug trafficking … and no more using the oil industry to enrich all our adversaries around the world and not benefitting the people of Venezuela or, frankly, benefitting the United States and the region,” Rubio said. Rubio said in the interview that since 2014, about eight million Venezuelans have fled the country, which he attributed to theft and corruption by Maduro and his allies. According to a report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees from May, nearly 7.9 million people have indeed left Venezuela. But he was silent on the US’s own role in creating that crisis. Advertisement What are the US sanctions against Venezuela’s oil? Venezuela nationalised its oil industry in 1976 under then-President Carlos Andres Perez during an oil boom. He established the state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) to control all oil resources. Venezuela continued to be a major oil exporter to the US for some years, supplying 1.5 million to 2 million barrels per day in the late 1990s and early 2000s. After President Hugo Chavez took office in 1998, he nationalised all oil assets, seized foreign-owned assets, restructured the PDVSA and prioritised using oil revenue for social programmes in Venezuela. From 2003 to 2007, Venezuela under Chavez managed to cut its poverty rate in half – from 57 percent to 27.5 percent. Extreme poverty fell even more sharply, by 70 percent. But exports declined, and government authorities were accused of mismanagement. The US first imposed sanctions on Venezuela’s oil in retaliation for nationalising US oil assets in 2005. Under US sanctions, many senior Venezuelan government officials and companies have been barred from accessing any property or financial assets held in the US. They cannot access US bank accounts, sell property or access their money if it passes through the US financial system. Critically, any US companies or citizens doing business with any sanctioned individual or company will be penalised and risk becoming subject to enforcement actions. Maduro took over as president in 2013 after Chavez’s death. In 2017, Trump, during his first term in office, imposed more sanctions and tightened them again in 2019. This further restricted sales to the US and access for Venezuelan companies to the global financial system. As a result, oil exports to the US nearly stopped, and Venezuela shifted its trade mainly to China with some sales to India and Cuba. Last month, the Trump administration imposed yet more
Do Russia and China pose a national security threat to the US in Greenland?
US President Donald Trump sees Greenland as a United States national security priority to deter Washington’s “adversaries in the Arctic region”, according to a White House statement released on Tuesday. The statement came days after Trump told reporters that the US needs Greenland from a national security perspective because it is “covered with Russian and Chinese ships”. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Here’s what you need to know about what Trump said, whether Russia and China are present in Greenland, and whether they do pose a threat to American security. What has Trump recently said about Greenland? “Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on January 4. The White House statement on Tuesday fleshed out further details on how the US would go about its acquisition of Greenland. “The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the US military is always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal,” the White House statement says. Over the course of his second term, Trump has talked about wanting Greenland for national security reasons multiple times. “We need Greenland for international safety and security. We need it. We have to have it,” he said in March. Since 1979, Greenland has been a self-governing territory of Denmark, and since 2009, it has had the right to declare independence through a referendum. Advertisement Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to take control of the island, which hosts a US military base. He first voiced this desire in 2019, during his first term as US president. As a response, leaders from Greenland and Denmark have repeatedly said that Greenland is not for sale. They have made it clear that they are especially not interested in becoming part of the US. On January 4, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said, “It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the US needing to take over Greenland.” “The US has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish kingdom,” she said, alluding to the Faroe Islands, which, like Greenland, are also a Danish territory. “I would therefore strongly urge the US to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people who have very clearly said that they are not for sale,” Frederiksen said. US special forces abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during an operation in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, on January 3. Hours later, Katie Miller, the wife of close Trump aide and US Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller, posted a photo on X showing the US flag imposed on the map of Greenland. Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen hit back in an X post, writing, “Relations between nations and peoples are built on mutual respect and international law – not on symbolic gestures that disregard our status and our rights.” Why does Trump want Greenland so badly? The location and natural resources of the Arctic island make it strategically important for Washington. Greenland is geographically part of North America, located between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean. It is home to some 56,000 residents, mostly Indigenous Inuit people. It is the world’s largest island. Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, is closer to New York City – some 2,900km (1,800 miles) away – than the Danish capital Copenhagen, which is located 3,500km (2,174 miles) to the east. Greenland, a NATO territory through Denmark, is an EU-associated overseas country and territory whose residents remain European Union citizens, having joined the European Community with Denmark in 1973 but having withdrawn in 1985. “It’s really tricky if the United States decides to use military power to take over Greenland. Denmark is a member of NATO; the United States is a member as well. It really calls into question what the purpose of the military alliance is, if that happens,” Melinda Haring, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council Eurasia Center, told Al Jazeera. Advertisement Greenland offers the shortest route from North America to Europe. This gives the US a strategic upper hand for its military and its ballistic missile early-warning system. The US has expressed interest in expanding its military presence in Greenland by placing radars in the waters connecting Greenland, Iceland and the United Kingdom. These waters are a gateway for Russian and Chinese vessels, which Washington aims to track. The island is also incredibly rich in minerals, including rare earth minerals used in the high-tech industry and in the manufacture of batteries. According to a 2023 survey, 25 of 34 minerals deemed “critical raw materials” by the European Commission were found in Greenland. Greenland does not carry out the extraction of oil and gas, and its mining sector is opposed by its Indigenous population. The island’s economy is largely reliant on its fishing industry. Are Chinese and Russian ships swarming Greenland? However, while Trump has spoken of Russian and Chinese ships around Greenland, currently, facts don’t bear that out. Vessel tracking data from maritime data and intelligence websites such as MarineTraffic do not show the presence of Chinese or Russian ships near Greenland. Are Russia and China a threat to Greenland? The ships’ location aside, Trump’s rhetoric comes amid a heightened scramble for the Arctic. Amid global warming, the vast untapped resources of the Arctic are becoming more accessible. Countries like the US, Canada, China and Russia are now eyeing these resources. “Russia has never threatened anyone in the Arctic, but we will closely follow the developments and mount an appropriate response by increasing our military capability and modernising military infrastructure,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said during an address in March 2025 at the International Arctic Forum in the Russian city of Murmansk, the largest city within the Arctic Circle. During this address, Putin said that he believed Trump was serious about taking Greenland and that the US will continue with
Extreme flooding submerges Kosovo cities, villages
NewsFeed Emergency crews in Kosovo carried out a second day of evacuations after the region was devastated by floods. Footage shows people being evacuated from submerged homes as floodwaters slammed several municipalities. Published On 7 Jan 20267 Jan 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Adblock test (Why?)
Saudi-led coalition strikes Yemen, says STC leader al-Zubaidi has fled
DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY, Coalition says it targeted secessionist forces after Aidarous al-Zubaidi failed to board a plane scheduled to take him to Riyadh for talks. The Saudi Arabia-led coalition in Yemen has launched strikes on the country’s southern Dhale governorate, saying it was targeting secessionist forces after their leader fled without boarding a plane scheduled to take him to Riyadh. In a statement issued early on Wednesday, the coalition said the leader of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), Aidarous al-Zubaidi, had been due to fly out from the Yemeni city of Aden on Tuesday night for talks on ending the conflict between his group and the internationally recognised government of Yemen. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list But al-Zubaidi did not board the plane, and “fled to an unknown location,” it said. His whereabouts remain unknown. “During this time, the legitimate government and the coalition received information that al-Zubaidi had mobilised a large force, including armoured and combat vehicles, heavy and light weapons, as well as munitions,” it said. The force left Aden at around midnight and were later located in the Dhale governorate, it said. The coalition launched “preemptive strikes” at 4am local time (01:00 GMT) to disable those forces and thwart al-Zubaidi’s “attempt to escalate the conflict”, the statement added. There was no immediate comment from the STC. The council, which initially supported Yemen’s internationally recognised government against the Houthi rebels who control northern Yemen, launched an offensive against the Saudi-backed government troops in December, seeking an independent state in the south. The group is backed by the United Arab Emirates. Advertisement Their advance broke years of deadlock, with the STC seizing control of broad swaths of southern Yemen, including the Hadramout and Mahra provinces, in defiance of warnings from Riyadh. Hadramout borders Saudi Arabia, while Mahra is close to the border. Together, the provinces make up nearly half of Yemeni territory. Riyadh responded with air strikes on the Yemeni port of Mukalla on December 30, targeting what it called a UAE-linked weapons shipment, and backed a call by the internationally recognised government for UAE forces to withdraw from the country. Abu Dhabi denied that the shipment contained weapons and expressed a commitment to ensure Riyadh’s security. Shortly afterwards, it announced an end to what it called its “counterterrorism mission” in Yemen. Yemeni government troops, backed by Saudi Arabian air attacks, went on to reclaim Hadramout and Mahra, and the STC said on Saturday that it would attend peace talks hosted by Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led coalition on Wednesday said the STC delegation, excluding al-Zubaidi, departed Yemen for Riyadh in the early hours of the morning. The head of the internationally recognised government’s Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, also announced that al-Zubaidi has been removed from the council for “committing high treason”. Al-Alimi said he has asked the country’s Attorney General to launch an investigation against al-Zubaidi and take legal action. Adblock test (Why?)