Icy Reception: Greenlanders Vote Amid US ‘Threat’
NEED TO KNOW
Icy Reception: Greenlanders Vote Amid US ‘Threat’
GREENLAND
After Greenland was unwillingly thrust into the spotlight in January by US President Donald Trump’s desire to acquire it, Greenlanders sprang into action.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Bourup Egede called for an early parliamentary election on March 11 to win a mandate for his platform. Parliament passed a bill banning foreign or anonymous donations because of concerns over external influence in Greenland’s election campaigns, and capped private donations – political campaigns are subsidized by the state.
Now it’s considering holding a referendum on independence.
“We are in the middle of a challenging period, a period like we have never experienced in our country,” said Egede. “We have to come together.”
The strategically located and resource-rich Danish territory, with a population of about 57,000 who are mainly Indigenous, is roughly three times the size of Texas. It has its own government but Denmark controls its foreign and security policy. It was a Danish colony for centuries until 1953 but as part of the Danish Commonwealth, has the right to negotiate its independence.
Greenland also hosts the US military, which is permanently stationed at Pituffik Space Base and is critical for its ballistic missile early-warning system. For years, the US has seen the island as strategically important and more recently has grown concerned as China’s military cooperation with Russia in the Arctic has grown: Over the past five years, the pair have been conducting regular joint air and marine patrols.
As a result, even before Trump took office on Jan. 20, he openly talked about buying Greenland.
“Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation,” Trump said recently. “We will protect it, and cherish it, from a very vicious outside World. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!”
That campaign set off worries in NATO ally Denmark, which increased its funding and defense of the Arctic island and made a point of elevating it on its coat of arms. The Europeans and also the Russians are also concerned.
Last week, the Danish intelligence service (PET) said it was looking into possible foreign influence from Russia on parliamentary elections in Greenland. The PET said Russia had an interest in creating divisions within NATO, and that “increased American influence in Greenland is not in its interest.”
Meanwhile, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Egede have insisted that Greenland is not for sale but that Greenlanders have a right to decide their destiny.
Egede since January has repeatedly said Greenlanders “don’t want to be Americans.” A recent poll showed that 85 percent of Greenlanders oppose becoming part of the US. However, voters were split on seeing the US interest as an opportunity versus a threat.
At the same time, all five political parties in parliament have said they do not want Greenland to become part of the United States.
Now, as they go to the polls, voters will decide on Greenland’s aspirations to be independent and its relationship with Denmark and the United States.
A majority of voters support independence, according to the poll. However, the number of people who would vote against independence rose when asked if their living standards would be negatively affected – from 28 percent to 45 percent.
Greenland, rich in untapped mineral resources used for technology, relies heavily on fishing and grants from Denmark to fund its government. Recently it said that it is open for business. It also just opened a new international airport. Even so, tourism doesn’t play a significant role in its economy.
US officials are worried, however, that if Greenland were to become independent, the island could become more politically unstable – and more open to Russian and Chinese influence. It would also likely lose its NATO status. Trump reiterated his threat to “control” it last week.
Greenland’s ruling social-democratic Siumut party plans to hold a vote on independence following the election on a yet-to-be announced date because officials say that Greenland needs to be independent from Denmark to be able to negotiate its future.
Regardless of any future independence vote, chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, Sara Olsvig of Greenland, says it was a wise move of the prime minister to call the election now.
“This election will both be as elections usually are, but also different,” she said. “We are seeing interest in our nation in a way we have not seen before, and we should all constantly be aware of the possible foreign attempts to influence us and our choices as a people. May we all…. show that it is the people of Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland) that controls our nation’s future and destiny.”
THE WORLD, BRIEFLY
Russia Emboldened, Ukraine Pounded, After US Cuts
UKRAINE
At least 25 people were killed in Ukraine following two nights of heavy Russian strikes over the weekend, days after the US suspended military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv, the BBC reported.
The escalation comes amid growing international concerns over Washington’s shifting stance on the war, with President Donald Trump signaling he is pressuring Ukraine into a peace deal even as he threatened new sanctions on Russia.
The deadliest attack occurred in Dobropillya, in the eastern Donetsk region, where Russian ballistic missiles struck eight residential buildings and a shopping center late Friday, killing at least 11 people and injuring more than 50, including seven children.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of intentionally targeting rescue workers responding to the initial strike, calling it a “deliberate act of terror.”
Russian drones and missiles also struck other regions, with three people were killed in Bohodukhiv, Kharkiv Region, while five were injured in Kherson.
Ukrainian officials warned that the death toll could rise as emergency workers search for people in the rubble.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk blamed the strikes on international inaction, saying, “This is what happens when someone appeases barbarians. More bombs, more aggression, more victims,” the Associated Press noted.
The attacks follow a halt by the US of military aid and intelligence assistance to Ukraine, limiting Kyiv’s ability to strike Russian targets and defend itself against incoming attacks. The White House also cut Ukraine’s access to satellite imagery, according to US space technology company Maxar, CNN wrote.
Trump, who held a tense meeting with Zelenskyy late last month, has justified the pause by saying Ukraine needed to show a willingness to negotiate.
On Friday, Trump suggested he was considering large-scale economic sanctions on Russia to force a peace agreement, stating that he wanted both sides to “get to the table right now,” added NBC News.
However, he also said he found it “more difficult to deal with Ukraine” than with Russia, adding, “Putin is doing what anybody else would do.”
Zelenskyy responded by calling for tougher measures against Russia and continued Western support, emphasizing that Ukraine has been working toward peace since the beginning of the war.
On Monday, he met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia ahead of peace negotiations with Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff.
Meanwhile, Russian forces continue their advance in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops have been fighting inside Russian territory since they advanced into the region in August.
Military analysts warn that Kyiv’s hold on the area is weakening, with Moscow deploying 12,000 North Korean troops to bolster its positions.
So Close, So Far: Hamas Offers Truce; Israel Relocation
ISRAEL/ WEST BANK AND GAZA
Hamas proposed a five-to-10-year truce with Israel, offering to lay down its arms and withdraw from ruling Gaza during that period, an offer that is part of intensifying ceasefire negotiations and comes as Israel opens an agency to manage the relocation of Gaza’s Palestinians, NPR reported.
The proposal – according to US hostage affairs envoy Adam Boehler who spoke on Sunday – marks the first time Hamas has set a specific timeframe for a ceasefire.
The United States would play a role in ensuring that no Hamas tunnels or militant activity would reemerge in the territory, according to Boehler. Neither Hamas nor Israel has commented on the offer, but Boehler expressed optimism that a deal could be finalized within weeks.
Ceasefire talks are set to resume in Qatar this week. Meanwhile, Egypt has proposed a separate two-month ceasefire that would prioritize the release of American hostages. Israeli officials say Hamas currently holds 24 living hostages and the bodies of 35 Israelis.
Meanwhile, as negotiations continue, Israel is increasing pressure on Gaza, wrote the broadcaster.
On Sunday, it cut electricity to a desalination plant that provides drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people. This follows a broader blockade on food, fuel, and aid supplies, a strategy aimed at forcing Hamas into a ceasefire agreement.
At the same time, Israel’s far-right coalition is moving forward with plans to depopulate Gaza, the Washington Post noted.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the creation of an “Emigration Authority” under the Defense Ministry and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. The new office will be tasked with coordinating the mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, and seeking destination countries to accept them.
Smotrich, who visited Washington last week, claimed to have support from Trump administration officials: “Various officials in the (Trump) administration told me again and again, ‘We will not allow 2 million Nazis to live just beyond the fence,’” he said, referring to Palestinians.
Right-wing Israeli lawmakers said the displacement plan is voluntary, citing polls suggesting many Gazans would leave if given the opportunity. However, Arab nations have strongly opposed the proposal and presented an alternative reconstruction plan last week that does not involve the forced relocation of Gaza’s population. They have also ruled out accepting Gaza’s Palestinians in their countries.
The developments come as Netanyahu faces mounting political pressure, with his coalition at risk of collapsing over budget disputes and disagreements on military conscription for ultra-Orthodox men.
The war in Gaza began after Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people and saw more than 250 others taken hostage. Israel’s response has resulted in more than 48,000 Palestinian deaths, according to health officials in Hamas-controlled Gaza.
Canada’s New Leader Fights ‘Bullies’
CANADA
Canada’s Liberal Party on Sunday elected former central bank leader Mark Carney to replace former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau amid US tariffs and annexation threats and an upcoming federal election looming, the Associated Press reported.
With decades of financial experience but limited political expertise and until recently, running behind other candidates in the polls, Canadians hope Carney is the right person to confront US President Donald Trump’s trade war, CBS News reported.
He said this weekend he stands up to bullies, referring to Trump: “Canada never, ever will be part of America in any way,” he said.
Trudeau announced his resignation in January after polls showed his support tanking as living costs rose. He will remain in office until Carney – who won in a landslide with 85.9 percent of the votes – is sworn in in the coming days.
During the Liberal Party leadership campaign, Carney also emphasized the importance of a strong domestic economy to respond to Trump’s threats of tariffs and annexation and called Canada’s current economy “weak” and in need of major reforms to stabilize it.
He also said that if elected, he would impose dollar-to-dollar reciprocal tariffs on US imports and leverage Canada’s importance as a key energy and uranium supplier to the US to strengthen its position.
The retaliatory tariffs Canada placed on the US will remain in place “until the Americans show us respect,” said the newly-elected prime minister. He reassured Canadians that he knows “how to manage crisis” and “build strong economies” and won’t let Trump succeed in his goals.
Among fears of a broader trade war, Trump has postponed 25 percent tariffs on many Canadian and Mexican goods for one month.
Canadians have been booing the American anthem at NHL and NBA games, canceling trips south of the border, and boycotting American goods in a clear display of fury over Trump’s threats.
This surge in Canadian nationalism strengthened the Liberal Party’s chances in the parliamentary election expected to be triggered soon, either by Carney or through a no-confidence vote from the opposition.
DISCOVERIES
Vacation, Stay-cation, Mars-cation
Mars may have once boasted sunlit shores and rolling ocean waves, a far cry from the barren, dust-choked landscape we see today, according to a new study.
Data collected from China’s “Zhurong” rover showed evidence of underground rock formations in an area known as Utopia Planitia that resemble coastal deposits on Earth – hinting at strong evidence that a vast Martian ocean once existed.
“We’re finding places on Mars that used to look like ancient beaches and ancient river deltas,” said co-author Benjamin Cardenas in a statement. “We found evidence for wind, waves, no shortage of sand – a proper, vacation-style beach.”
The Zhurong rover, which landed in 2021 as part of China’s Tianwen-1 mission, was equipped with ground-penetrating radar that allowed it to scan beneath the red planet’s surface.
As it traversed 1.2 miles of terrain, the radar uncovered thick, sloping layers of material pointing toward a suspected ancient shoreline that looked identical to beach deposits found on Earth.
“The orientation of these features are parallel to what the old shoreline would have been,” Michael Manga, another study author, explained in a statement. “They have both the right orientation and the right slope to support the idea that there was an ocean for a long period of time to accumulate the sand-like beach.”
The findings suggest that water persisted on Mars for much longer than previously thought: Based on the thickness of the sediment layers, researchers estimated the ocean may have existed for millions of years, creating conditions that could have been favorable for microbial life.
“Shorelines are great locations to look for evidence of past life,” Cardenas noted. “It’s thought that the earliest life on Earth began at locations like this, near the interface of air and shallow water.”
The new study provides new insights into the decades-long debate as to whether Mars once had oceans.
NASA’s Viking orbiter images from the 1970s hinted at an ancient shoreline, but its uneven topography cast doubt on the idea. More recently, research has suggested that Mars’ massive Tharsis volcanic region may have shifted the planet’s rotation, distorting what was once a level shoreline.
But now, Zhurong’s data has provided direct underground evidence of preserved coastal deposits.
“This strengthens the case for past habitability in this region on Mars,” co-author Hai Liu of Guangzhou University said in a statement.