Denmark sends conscripts to Greenland as Arctic tensions grow

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By Reuters | Posted by TOE  For the first time in recent history, Danish conscripts have been deployed to Greenland, as Denmark moves to bolster its presence in the Arctic ​after U.S. demands to acquire the territory. U.S. President Donald Trump has ‌repeatedly sought  to acquire  the semi-autonomous Danish island, citing national security concerns and accusing Copenhagen of neglecting Arctic defence. Denmark and Greenland have firmly rejected the idea. The conscripts are part of the ​first cohort under Denmark’s new  extended conscription programme , aimed at producing soldiers able to ​operate in one of the kingdom’s most strategically important and challenging ⁠regions. “It shows presence that we’re here and not just thinking of our own ​skin. And also thinking of the people in Greenland,” 19-year-old conscript David told Reuters. Copenhagen ​has pledged billions of dollars to strengthen Arctic defences after Denmark’...
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Trump says ‘Cuba is next’ in speech touting US military successes

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By Steve Holland and Gram Slattery Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said “Cuba is next” during ‌a speech at an investment forum in Miami during ‌which he touted the successes of U.S. military action in Venezuela and Iran.

While ​the president did not specify what precisely he plans to do with the island nation, he has frequently said he believes the government in Havana, facing a severe economic crisis, is on the ‌verge of collapse.

His administration ⁠has opened up negotiations with elements of Cuba’s leadership in recent weeks, while Trump himself has hinted ⁠that kinetic action could be possible.

“I built this great military. I said, ‘You’ll never have to use it.’ But sometimes you have to use ​it. ​And Cuba is next by the ​way,” Trump told the ‌conference on Friday.

“But pretend I didn’t say that. Pretend I didn’t.”

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has acknowledged that the country is in talks with the U.S. in a bid to avert potential military confrontation. Cuba’s economy has been battered by disruptions in oil imports, ‌which it relies on to run power ​plants and transportation.

Prior to the U.S. ​operation to capture now-deposed ​Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in January, Venezuela had ‌provided much of Cuba’s oil needs, ​but Caracas’ new ​government, under pressure from Washington, has ended those shipments.



from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/OfnmSUY

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