JD Vance has told Denmark it has “not done a good job” with Greenland during a visit to the territory – as President Donald Trump repeated his call for the US to take over the island.
Vice President Vance, his wife Usha and other senior US officials arrived at an American military base in Greenland, the semi-autonomous territory that has been a part of Denmark for more than 600 years.
“Our message to Denmark is very simple: you have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” Mr Vance said.
“You have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass filled with incredible people.
“We need to ensure that America is leading in the Arctic.”
Shortly before Mr Vance spoke from Greenland on Friday, Mr Trump continued his threats of taking over the territory, saying: “We need Greenland, very importantly, for international security.
“We have to have Greenland. It’s not a question of you think we can do without it – we can’t.”
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‘We need Greenland’ says Trump
Lars-Christian Brask, deputy speaker of the Danish parliament, told Sky News that Mr Vance was “not welcome” by Greenlanders on his visit.
“It’s a NATO country demanding a piece of another NATO country, which is highly unusual and there is a lack of respect,” he said.
The one-day visit to the US Space Force outpost at Pituffik – located on the northwest coast of the territory – has avoided violating potential diplomatic taboos of a state sending a delegation to another country, without an invitation.
The trip had been scaled back after locals were angered that the original itinerary was made without consulting them – particularly in light of Mr Trump’s repeated claims that the US should control Greenland.
Speaking to soldiers at the US base, Mr Vance claimed Denmark – and Europe by extension – has failed to protect the region.
Image: JD Vance tours the US military’s Pituffik Space Base in Greenland. Pic: Reuters
He said: “This place, this base, this surrounding area, is less secure than it was 30-40 years ago, as some of our allies have not kept up…
“Europe (has) not kept pace… with military spending, and Denmark has not kept pace in devoting the resources necessary to keep this base, to keep our troops, and in my view to keep the people of Greenland safe from a lot of aggressive incursions from Russia, China, and other nations.”
Mr Vance said Mr Trump was “a president of peace”, adding: “We respect the self-determination of Greenlanders, we believe in the self-determination of the population of Greenland.”
Asked if plans have been drafted to use military force to take over Greenland, he indicated the White House planned to wait for the people of the territory to vote for self-determination before acting.
“What the president has said… is that we need to have more of a position in Greenland,” he added.
Image: JD Vance and his wife have lunch with soldiers at Pituffik Space Base in Greenland. Pic: AP
Greenland is the world’s largest island, with a population of 57,000, and is also a founding member of NATO.
Straddling the Arctic circle between the US, Russia and Europe, the island offers a unique geopolitical advantage that America has eyed for more than 150 years.
Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was not surprised the US wants control of Greenland given its long-time interest in the mineral-rich territory.
“It can look surprising only at first glance and it would be wrong to believe that this is some sort of extravagant talk by the current US administration,” Mr Putin said.
They became trapped as they fled their sixth-floor apartment in the country’s second biggest city of Mandalay – near the epicentre of the earthquake – and ran for the emergency stairs.
Image: The two girls and their grandmother were trapped amongst the rubble
The girls’ father initially believed his daughters and mother had died and appealed for help on social media to retrieve their bodies.
But they were alive – and had grabbed their phones in the moments before the building collapsed.
Writing on Facebook, he said: “My daughters recorded videos on their phones, thinking that if they and grandma died, their phones might be found, and their father and mother, would see them.
“They even unlocked their phones.”
He said his family could hear others trapped underneath them in the wreckage of the Sky Villa apartment block.
“They called out to each other from above and below, but there was no sound from the outside. As hours passed, they became disheartened and held hands with grandma, crying,” he said.
Rescuers eventually found them and used a hammer to make a small hole to pass them water, but they had to leave to get more equipment.
Left alone for some time, the girls took matters into their own hands and used the hammer to make a gap for them to escape.
“They wanted to make a bigger opening for grandma, but the large stones were too heavy, and both sisters couldn’t move them,” said the man’s post.
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Bangkok building collapses after earthquake
‘Gasping for breath’
Rescuers returned and managed to pull the girls out.
Their 75-year-old grandmother was “gasping for breath” and could not fit through – but was also later rescued.
“I am deeply grateful to my mother and my two daughters for enduring this ordeal with such strong spirits,” the man wrote.
“These are the words my daughters shared with me after their trauma had subsided.
“At a time when all hope was lost, I bow my head in reverence and gratitude to the Lord Buddha for allowing our family to survive together.”
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Before and after: Myanmar earthquake
More than 1,700 people are now said to have died in Myanmar following the quake, according to state media on Sunday.
Eighteen were also killed in Thailand but dozens more remain unaccounted for. Hopes of people surviving in rubble diminish after 72 hours.
The UN is rushing aid supplies to survivors in Myanmar but the rescue effort is complicated by the fact that many roads, bridges, rail lines and airports have been damaged.
The country is also in the middle of an ongoing civil war that has taken a heavy toll on the health system and displaced more than three million people.
The first orbital rocket launched from mainland Europe took off from Norway on Sunday – but crashed into the sea and exploded 40 seconds later.
The unmanned Spectrum rocket blasted off from the Arctic Andoeya Spaceport, on Sunday at 12.30pm local time before it was terminated less than a minute later.
Isar Aerospace, the German company that built the rocket, had warned that the launch could end prematurely. It maintained that despite being short, the flight had produced extensive data that its team could learn from.
“Our first test flight met all our expectations, achieving a great success,” Daniel Metzler, Isar’s chief executive and co-founder, said.
Image: Isar Aerospace test rocket Spectrum lifts off for a test flight. Pic: Isar Aerospace via AP
“We had a clean lift-off, 30 seconds of flight and even got to validate our flight termination system.”
Spectrum is a two-stage launch vehicle specifically designed to put small and medium satellites into orbit.
Its maiden voyage was aimed at kickstarting satellite launches from Europe.
Several European nations, including the UK and Sweden, have said they want to be an active player in the growing market of commercial space missions.
Image: The flight was terminated after 40 seconds. Pic: Isar Aerospace via AP
Big global companies already ahead in the satellite launch game include Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which launches from the US, and French company ArianeGroup, a joint venture between Airbus and Safran that uses a spaceport in South America’s French Guiana.
Mr Musk’s SpaceX also operates the Starlink satellite service, a communications network that can provide much of the globe with access to the internet.
Image: Isar said the flight was a success despite it crashing into the sea. Pic: Isar Aerospace via AP
Germany’s BDLI aerospace industries association said Isar’s first flight would lead to further progress.
BDLI managing director, Marie-Christine von Hahn, said: “Europe urgently needs to ensure its sovereignty in space. Elon Musk’s Starlink is not without alternatives – nor should it be.”
Sweden, with its Esrange launch site, and Britain with its SaxaVord Spaceport in the Scottish Shetland Islands, are the nearest rivals to the Norwegian site, all of which aim to give Europe greater autonomy in space flights.
SaxaVord, which suffered a setback when a rocket engine exploded during a test last year, is planning its first satellite launch later this year.
A British explorer has become the first woman to complete a solo traverse of Canada’s Baffin Island.
Camilla Hempleman-Adams, 32, pulled a sledge 150 miles in temperatures as low as -40C and winds as high as 47mph.
She finished the trek from Qikiqtarjuaq to Pangnirtung in 13 days – a day ahead of schedule.
Image: The Briton completed the challenge a day faster than expected. Pic: PA
The largely uninhabited Arctic island is the fifth largest in the world and is in far northwest Canada – between the mainland and Greenland.
Speaking from the Inuit hamlet of Pangnirtung, Ms Hempleman-Adams said: “I’m feeling pretty exhausted, I have very sore feet, but it’s nice to be back in civilisation, just slowly settling back in.
“It’s been a really tough two weeks, but an incredible two weeks.”
“When you go in by yourself, you just have a mindset to keep going,” she said.
“You adapt, you have the mindset that you can’t give up. There is no giving up in those conditions.”
She admitted she had been looking forward to a hot shower.
Image: Ms Hempleman-Adams was met at the finish line by her father. Pic: PA
Her father, adventurer Sir David Hempleman-Adams, flew out to meet her at the finish line.
He said he’d been “really, really worried” due to the strong winds – which increase the chance of frostbite.
“Being solo, you’ve got to be really on top of your game the whole time. If you just lose concentration for five minutes, it’s a real problem,” he said.
Sir David added: “It’s a fantastic advertisement for females. I mean, we are big, ugly and strong, but she’s half my weight and did it twice as fast as I did.”
Ms Hempleman-Adams also became the youngest British female to ski to the North Pole when she was just 15.