5 questions about Donald Trump's interest in buying Greenland, answered - CNN

That is not a sentence from an Onion article, although you could be forgiven if you made that mistake. This President, the most unorthodox resident of the White House in modern history, is actually, apparently, interested in buying Greenland -- the world's largest island currently owned by Denmark.

This raises all sort of questions -- like, literally, dozens -- but I've boiled it down to five key ones, which I will now attempt to answer.

It makes sense to get the big one out of the way first, right? Why would the US President want to purchase an island that is 80% covered by an ice sheet and where less than 60,000 people actually live? Trump himself hasn't said -- yet -- but there are a few obvious reasons.

The first is because Greenland is widely believed to be hugely rich in natural resources -- including iron ore, lead, zinc, diamonds, gold, rare earth elements, uranium and oil. And much of it is currently untapped, due to the fact that, well, 80% of the country is covered by an ice sheet. But due to global warming, that ice sheet is melting rapidly -- this summer NASA scientists observed two of the largest melts in the history of Greenland -- and that erosion of the ice sheet is expected to make the mining of Greenland's natural resources more doable.

The second is for geopolitical reasons. The United States already has a foothold in the country -- Thule Air Base -- and, as The Wall Street Journal, which broke the Greenland purchase story, notes:

"Located 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle, it includes a radar station that is part of a U.S. ballistic missile early-warning system. The base is also used by the U.S. Air Force Space Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command."

Third, Trump is a man very interested in his legacy in office. Buying Greenland would be a major bullet point on his presidential resume.

2. Is Greenland for sale?

Seems like no!

"#Greenland is rich in valuable resources such as minerals, the purest water and ice, fish stocks, seafood, renewable energy and is a new frontier for adventure tourism," tweeted the country's government on Friday morning. "We're open for business, not for sale."

Denmark owns Greenland, but the country has its own autonomous government. The country was granted home rule by the Danes in 1979 and in 2008 voted via referendum for even more autonomy from Denmark.

3. Is this crazy?

Nope -- despite what Twitter might make you think.

The United States has actually pursued the purchase of Greenland before, according to a Danish historian named Tage Kaarsted. In 1946, US Secretary of State James Byrnes -- serving under President Harry Truman -- broached the idea with the Danish foreign minister at a United Nations meeting in New York. Nothing ever came of it. Almost 100 years before that, Secretary of State William Seward -- fresh off the US's purchase of Alaska -- apparently looked into buying Greenland from the Danes.

4. Does the US buy a lot of other countries?

One of the last times the United States bought land from a foreign country was in 1867, when Seward orchestrated the purchase of Alaska from the Russians for $7.2 million. It didn't work out so well -- and has gone down as "Seward's Folly" in the history books. The US also purchased the Philippine islands from Spain in 1898 for $20 million and the Virgin Islands from Denmark in 1917 for $25 million.

The most famous land acquisition by the United States came earlier -- 1803 to be exact -- when we agreed to the Louisiana Purchase with France. The US paid $15 million at the time for land that makes up almost one-quarter of America's current territory.

5. How does that saying go about Greenland and Iceland?

It goes like this: Greenland is actually icy and Iceland is actually green. And it's generally true! Blame the Vikings for the names!

The Point: Donald Trump has a lot of wild ideas as president. Buying Greenland may be one of the most unorthodox. But it's also not one of his worst.

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correctly state the history of US land purchases.

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/16/politics/greenland-donald-trump-denmark/index.html

2019-08-16 16:26:00Z
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Hong Kong protesters call for 'Mulan' boycott after star went public in support of police - CNN

Liu Yifei, the Chinese-born actress starring in Disney's upcoming live-action "Mulan" remake, waded into the Hong Kong protest controversy on Thursday by expressing support for the city's police, who anti-government demonstrators accuse of using excessive force to quell unrest.

"I support the Hong Kong police. You can all attack me now. What a shame for Hong Kong," she posted on Weibo, a Twitter-like Chinese social media platform.

Immediately, people began posting #BoycottMulan on Twitter -- which is banned in China. Hours later, the hashtag was trending in Hong Kong and the United States with 37,700 tweets posted at time of writing. Twitter users accused the actress of supporting police brutality, and called out the fact that she's an American citizen.

"Liu is a naturalized American citizen. It must be nice. Meanwhile she pisses on people fighting for democracy," one person tweeted.

On the flip side, she also received plenty of praise on Weibo, the dominant platform in China. Nearly all the comments on her post echoed support for the Hong Kong police and Beijing.

"Believe in the government, believe in the Chinese central (government), believe in the country," one comment wrote.

The protests, which began in June as largely peaceful mass demonstrations against a now-suspended extradition bill, have morphed into something much darker and more violent, with frequent clashes between protesters and police.

Liu isn't the only Chinese celebrity who's weighed in -- Jackie Chan, martial arts film icon and native Hong Konger, called for peace on Thursday in an interview with China's broadcaster CCTV. He, too, was blasted on Twitter for the nationalist tone of his message -- at one point, he says in Mandarin, "I feel the pride of being a Chinese everywhere. The five-starred red flag is respected everywhere."

Other public figures, actors and singers like Tony Leung Ka-fai and Daniel Chan have spoken out against protester violence and vandalism. Pop star Denise Ho came out in strong support of the protesters -- she even gave a speech about the protests at a United Nations meeting last month.

Celebrities outside of Hong Kong and China have also chimed in. Kim Eui Sung, a South Korean actor who starred in the cult 2016 zombie apocalypse film "Train to Busan," expressed support for the protesters on Instagram, writing, "We are watching you, praying for you. #freehongkong." After being bombarded with critical and pro-Beijing comments, he posted another photo -- the infamous Tank Man shot from the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Sports drinks brand Pocari Sweat was also cheered by protesters and boycotted by the opposition after the company pulled ads from a local broadcaster perceived as pro-Beijing. Even bubble tea has been caught in the mix, with a Taiwanese chain urging solidarity with protesters.

And with the unrest showing no end in sight, both sides are settling in for the long haul.

"So disappointed," said one Twitter user of Liu's Weibo post. "Was so excited for Mulan too."

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2019-08-16 13:37:00Z
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Greenland: Trump warned that island cannot be bought from Denmark - BBC News

Greenland has said it is "not for sale" following reports that US President Donald Trump has spoken about buying the world's biggest island.

The president is said to have discussed the idea of purchasing Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, during dinners and meetings with advisers.

But Greenland's foreign ministry dismissed the idea, saying: "We're open for business, not for sale."

Mr Trump's reported plans have also been quickly dismissed by politicians in Denmark. "It must be an April Fool's Day joke...but totally out of [season]!", tweeted former Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), which first reported the news, said Mr Trump had spoken about the purchase with "varying degrees of seriousness".

Sources quoted in other media differed over whether the president was joking or seriously hoping to expand US territory.

The White House has not commented on the reports.

Where is Greenland?

Greenland is the largest island in the world (after Australia, which is defined as a continent in its own right). It is an autonomous Danish territory, located between the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans.

It has a population of about 56,000 people concentrated around the coastline. Almost 90% are indigenous Greenlandic Inuit people. It has a limited self-government and its own parliament.

More than 80% of the island is covered by an ice cap. Global warming is feared to be causing the ice cover to melt increasingly quickly but has also increased access to its mineral resources.

Greenland Premier Kim Kielsen has not commented publicly on the reports about Mr Trump.

Why would it be appealing to Trump?

Mr Trump has reportedly taken an interest in Greenland, in part, because of its natural resources, such as coal, zinc, copper and iron ore.

But while Greenland might be rich in minerals, it currently relies on Denmark for two thirds of its budget revenue. It has high rates of suicide, alcoholism and unemployment.

Two people briefed on the discussions told the New York Times the president was also interested in Greenland's "national security value" because of its location.

The US has long seen the island as being strategically important and established a radar base there at the start of the Cold War.

Republican Representative Mike Gallagher described Mr Trump's reported idea as a "smart geopolitical move".

"The United States has a compelling strategic interest in Greenland, and this should absolutely be on the table," he tweeted.

Is Greenland up for sale?

As Greenland's foreign ministry pointed out, the island is not on the market.

"Greenland is rich in valuable resources such as minerals, the purest water and ice, fish stocks, seafood, renewable energy and is a new frontier for adventure tourism. We're open for business, not for sale," it said in a statement shared on social media.

Greenland MP Aaja Chemnitz Larsen also dismissed the president's reported interest.

"No thanks to Trump buying Greenland!", she wrote on Twitter, adding that a "better and more equal partnership with Denmark" was the way forward.

Politicians in Denmark have ridiculed the idea of a possible US acquisition.

"If he is truly contemplating this, then this is final proof, that he has gone mad," foreign affairs spokesman for the populist Danish People's Party, Soren Espersen, told national broadcaster DR.

"The thought of Denmark selling 50,000 citizens to the United States is completely ridiculous."

"Out of all things that are not going to happen, this is the most unlikely. Forget it," Danish Conservative MP Rasmus Jarlov wrote on Twitter.

The WSJ reported that it was "unclear" how the US would go about acquiring Greenland if Mr Trump was serious.

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who took office earlier this year, has not commented on the reports.

She is set to visit Greenland this month and has said she is "very much looking forward" to it.

Mr Trump is scheduled to visit Denmark in September but there is no indication that the possible acquisition of Greenland is on the agenda.

Can countries buy territories?

Historically, countries have acquired territory not only through military conquest but also financial deals.

Under the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, the US acquired about 827,000 sq miles (2.1m sq km) of land from France for $15m (£12.3). In 1867, the US reached a deal with Russia to purchase Alaska for $7.2m.

The US later purchased the Danish West Indies in 1917 and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.

However, law professor Joseph Blocher wrote in 2012 that the "market for sovereign territory seems to have dried up".

"To be sure, there is still an active market for proprietary interests in public land... But borders - sovereign territory, rather than property - do not seem to be for sale."

"Sovereign territory was bought and sold throughout much of American history... But no such market currently exists," he wrote in his paper Selling State Borders.

Has the US ever tried to buy Greenland before?

Mr Trump is not the only US president to have had a reported interest in buying Greenland.

In 1946, Harry Truman offered Denmark $100m for the territory.

He had earlier toyed with the idea of swapping land in Alaska for strategic parts of Greenland, according to AP.

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2019-08-16 12:27:17Z
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Israel will allow Rashida Tlaib to enter country but maintains ban on Ilhan Omar - CBS This Morning

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2019-08-16 11:26:54Z
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Israel will allow Rep. Rashida Tlaib to enter country for humanitarian visit - CNN

"Congresswoman Tlaib has sent tonight a letter to Minister Deri in which she committed to accept all the demands of Israel to respect the restrictions imposed on her in the visit, and she also promised not to advance boycotts against Israel during her visit," Interior Minister Aryeh Deri said Friday in a statement announcing his decision.

The request from Tlaib of Michigan came a day after the country barred her and Omar, a freshman Democrat from Minnesota, from entering because of their support of a boycott against Israel. Israel's decision to bar their entry was encouraged by President Donald Trump in a remarkable step both by the US President and his ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to punish political opponents.

Tlaib had asked Deri for access so that she could visit her relatives, "and specifically my grandmother, who is in her 90s and lives in Beit Ur al-Fouqa. This could be my last opportunity to see her."

"I will respect any restrictions and will not promote boycotts against Israel during my visit," Tlaib promised in the letter.

The boycott movement, formally known as the Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, aims to end international support for Israel because of its policies toward Palestinians, as well as its continued construction of West Bank settlements, considered a violation of international law.

Tlaib and Omar have been vocal critics of Israel and have supported the boycott movement, voting against a House resolution condemning the movement, which received broad bipartisan support.

Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan, who leads Israel's fight against the boycott movement, tweeted Friday morning, "The request from Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib to visit her grandmother should be approved. Especially in light of her commitment to abide by Israeli law and not advance boycotts against us."

Erdan is one of the members of the forum who met on Wednesday to discuss whether to allow Reps. Tlaib and Omar to enter the country.

Ban came after Trump intervention

The announcement Thursday to prohibit the congresswomen from visiting Israel came shortly after Trump said Israel would be showing "great weakness" by letting them in.

Trump has criticized the two lawmakers -- who are the first two Muslim women elected to Congress -- in harsh and sometimes racist terms. But his move to call for their ban in Israel reflects a new chapter in his grudge and a further erosion of presidential norms, which in the past sought to avoid instilling partisanship in foreign affairs.

Trump's comments left Israel with little wiggle room, especially for Netanyahu, who has never publicly disagreed with Trump.

"The plan of the two Congresswomen is only to damage Israel and to foment against Israel," Netanyahu said in a statement following the decision.

Omar responded to the decision Thursday slamming it as "an insult to democratic values."

"It is an affront that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, under pressure from President Trump, would deny entry to representatives of the U.S. government," Omar said in a statement. "Trump's Muslim ban is what Israel is implementing, this time against two duly elected Members of Congress."

Omar went on to say, "As a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, it is my job to conduct oversight of foreign aid from the United States of America and to legislate on human rights practices around the world. The irony of the 'only democracy' in the Middle East making such a decision is that it is both an insult to democratic values and a chilling response to a visit by government officials from an allied nation."

Israel's decision to deny entry to the two freshmen congresswomen was a turnaround of a position taken last month when the country's Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer said the pair would be permitted to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories.

CNN's Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Abeer Salman and Michael Schwartz contributed to this report.

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2019-08-16 10:19:00Z
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Trump Shows Interest in Buying Greenland, But Denmark Won't Sell - Bloomberg

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1. Trump Shows Interest in Buying Greenland, But Denmark Won't Sell  Bloomberg
2. Trump has asked aides if it's possible to buy Greenland, sources say  CNN
3. President Trump Eyes a New Real-Estate Purchase: Greenland  The Wall Street Journal
4. Trump has expressed serious interest in buying Greenland: report  Fox News
5. Trump aides look into U.S. purchasing Greenland after directives from president  The Washington Post
6. View full coverage on Google News

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-16/trump-s-interest-in-buying-greenland-met-with-dismay-in-denmark

2019-08-16 05:53:00Z
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HK Billionaire Li Ka-Shing Breaks Silence Over Protests - Bloomberg Politics

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2019-08-16 05:26:11Z
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