International Glance
Denmark's intelligence service for the first time has described the United States as a potential threat to its and the wider European region's national security because of the Trump administration's apparent willingness to use economic and military coercion and pressure "to enforce its will," even against allies.
"The world's great powers are increasingly prioritizing their own interests and use force to achieve their goals," the NATO country's military intelligence agency said in its annual threats assessment, published on Dec. 10. The Danish Defense Intelligence Service named Russia and China among the chief nations posing challenges to Denmark and Europe. But in an unusual move, it also singled out the United States because of what it said was "uncertainty" about "the role of the United States as a guarantor of European security."
"The United States uses economic power, including in the form of threats of high tariffs, to enforce its will and no longer excludes the use of military force even against allies," the report said.
The U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen referred all questions on the Danish intelligence report to the U.S. State Department, which did not immediately respond to a comment request.
Tensions between Copenhagen and Washington have soured amid President Donald Trump's stated interest in taking control of Greenland, a resource-rich, strategically important Arctic island that's part of the kingdom of Denmark.
Torrential rain swept across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, flooding hundreds of tents sheltering families displaced by two years of war and leading to the death of a baby girl due to exposure, local health officials said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday hinted at a referendum for Ukrainians to decide whether to cede land to Russia to help end Russia’s invasion.
On Monday, Paramount Skydance launched a $108bn takeover bid for Warner Bros Discovery, the entertainment giant that owns Hollywood movie studios, along with CNN, HBO and other media businesses. The bid is led by David Ellison, son of the tech billionaire Larry Ellison – a prominent Donald Trump supporter and Republican donor.
In Melekino, near Russian-occupied Mariupol, Russian soldiers who refuse to fight (refusniks) have reportedly been held for months in a basement.
In one of the last remaining cities under Ukrainian control in the country's eastern Donetsk region, once a powerhouse of industry, life gets more difficult — and dangerous — as Russian forces inch closer.
