European leaders have voiced strong support for Greenland's right to self-determination, following provocative comments from a senior official in Donald Trump's camp who suggested the vast Arctic territory should belong to the United States.
European Unity Against US Expansionism
The political storm was ignited when Stephen Miller, former White House adviser and a key figure in Trump's expected administration, asserted that Greenland should "obviously" be part of the US. He controversially claimed that "nobody is going to fight the US" over the future of the island, which is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. In response, a coalition of European nations has firmly backed Denmark's sovereignty, viewing the comments as a significant threat to regional stability and the integrity of the NATO alliance from within.
Global Ripples: Ukraine and Venezuela
In other significant international developments, the UK and France have reportedly agreed in principle to deploy military forces to Ukraine should a future peace deal be struck, signalling a long-term Western commitment to the country's security. Meanwhile, in Venezuela, the regime is working to consolidate its authority following the US-led capture of former president Nicolás Maduro. Opposition leader María Corina Machado has vowed to return to the country, despite being labelled "unfit" to run it by Donald Trump.
Domestic Front: Protester Criticism and Political Challenges
In Australia, a 53-year-old woman detained by police in Sydney's CBD for wearing a jacket bearing the slogan "globalise the intifada" has argued she should never have been arrested. She claims officers told her the slogan was unlawful but could not cite any specific law banning its use. On the political stage, Victorian Liberal upper house MPs Moira Deeming and Ann-Marie Hermans are facing preselection challenges, with senior party figures reportedly sounding out a former journalist to run against sitting MP Renee Heath.
In sporting news, Neil Harvey, the world's oldest living Test cricketer and the last surviving member of Sir Donald Bradman's legendary 1948 'Invincibles', has said he would "love to bat" against what he described as today's "poor" international teams. The 95-year-old Australian legend also expressed his dislike for England's aggressive 'Bazball' approach and praised fast bowler Mitchell Starc as one of the game's greats.
Other key stories include a major review of Australia's animal research code, a warning that war in Europe increases the likelihood of conflict in the Indo-Pacific, and a tragic update from Switzerland where a bar fire that killed 40 people in Crans-Montana had not been safety inspected for five years.
