Donald Trump's announcement of a 'framework of a future deal' regarding Greenland has been met with deep scepticism from people in the territory, though it was welcomed by European leaders and boosted markets. The US president made the declaration after weeks of intensifying threats of military intervention, posting on social media to announce the framework and withdrawing the threat of tariffs against eight European countries.
The Danish foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, said: 'The day ended better than it started. Now, let's sit down and find out how we can address the American security concerns in the Arctic while respecting the red lines of the kingdom of Denmark.' Nato secretary general Mark Rutte, who negotiated the vague framework with Trump, said there remained 'a lot of work to be done' and that the issue of Greenland's sovereignty had not come up.
According to media reports, the deal could result in the US being granted sovereignty over small pockets of Greenland where its military bases are. However, Aaja Chemnitz Larsen, a Greenlandic member of the Danish parliament, said the idea that Nato should have any control over Greenland's sovereignty or minerals was 'completely out of the question'.
In other news, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained a five-year-old Minnesota preschooler, Liam Ramos, and his father on Tuesday, using the child as 'bait' to see if anyone else was home, according to school officials. The family has an active asylum case and arrived at an official crossing point. Liam is one of four children in the school district detained by federal immigration agents in the last two weeks.
A new analysis has shown that half the world's 100 largest cities are experiencing high levels of water stress, with Beijing, New York, Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro and Delhi among those facing extreme stress. About 1.1 billion people live in major metropolitan areas in regions experiencing strong long-term drying, while 96 million are in cities experiencing strong wetting trends.
Israeli forces killed at least 11 Palestinians on Wednesday, including two 13-year-old boys and three journalists, hospitals in Gaza say. Health authorities said at least 466 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza during the ceasefire.
