In response to Donald Trump’s threats to retake control of the self-governing Danish territory, Denmark has sent additional troops to Greenland.
According to public broadcaster DR and other Danish media reports, the Royal Danish Army’s chief, Peter Boysen, and “a substantial contribution” of soldiers made an overnight landing in Kangerlussuaq in western Greenland.
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58 Danish troops reportedly landed in the Arctic, according to a report from TV2’s public broadcaster, along with about 60 others who had already been dispatched earlier to participate in Operation Arctic Endurance, a global military exercise.
Danish armed forces and the Ministry of Defense did not respond to requesting comment right away.
The US president claimed that the vast, mineral-rich Arctic territory is crucial to Washington’s security, but Trump later rejected using military force to overthrow it.
Trump responded to a question about whether he could seize the island by force in an interview with NBC News on Monday, saying, “no comment.”
Trump made the remarks after he informed Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Storer that despite receiving this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, he no longer felt compelled to “think purely of peace.”
Denmark has expressed interest in a more powerful US military presence in Greenland, but it has repeatedly stated that it is not interested in selling the island and that any force-asking would end NATO.
Trump’s insistence that Greenland be brought under US control has stifled US-European relations for the first time in decades and sparked concerns about the potential demise of NATO, the transatlantic security alliance, whose 32 members include both the US and Denmark.
An armed attack on any member of the NATO group is regarded as an assault on all, according to Article 5 of the organization’s charter.
To discuss ideas for strengthening Arctic security, including the establishment of a joint NATO mission in the Danish territory, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte met with Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen and Greenland’s Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Motzfeldt on Monday.
The parties had spoken about the significance of the Arctic to “our collective security” and Copenhagen’s growing investments in its defense capabilities, according to Rutte in a statement.
Rutte promised to keep working as allies on these crucial issues.
Following the discussions, Poulsen emphasized the need for unity.
He thanked our allies for standing up for Greenland and Denmark.
The “trade bazooka” of the EU
Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on Denmark and seven other European nations until a deal is reached on buying Greenland raise the possibility of a full-fledged transatlantic trade war at the same time as his actions are putting security ties in jeopardy.
Retaliatory tariffs and the bloc’s anti-coercion mechanism are among the options being considered at the European Union’s scheduled emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss its response to the crisis.
The bloc would be able to impose severe restrictions on US tech firms’ investment and business activities within the single market by triggering the Anti-Coercion Instrument, also known as the “trade bazooka.”
In a meeting with US diplomats on the sidelines of the Davos summit in Switzerland on Monday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated on the day that she had emphasized the “need unequivocally respect the sovereignty” of Denmark and Greenland.
Von der Leyen remarked, “This is of utmost importance to our transatlantic relationship.” The European Union “continues to work closely with the United States, NATO, and other allies, working closely with Denmark to advance our shared security interests at the same time.”
The UK government has begun a consultation on implementing measures to better protect minors online, including an Australian-style social media ban for children.
A wide range of suggested proposals will be examined by the government, including whether a social media ban for minors would be effective, and how best to make it work, according to the government’s statement on Monday.
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The UK government announced in a statement that UK ministers will travel to Australia, which last month became the first nation in the world to forbid social media use by young people under the age of 16 in order to gain firsthand from the Australian approach.
The government said that the consultation will consider options like extending the digital age of consent, putting in phone curfews to prevent excessive use, and restricting potentially addictive design features like “strikes” and “infinite scrolling.”
The UK’s announcement comes as governments and regulators around the world wrestle with the rapid rise in AI-generated content, which was highlighted this month by reports that Elon Musk’s Grok AI chatbot produced child-friendly images, including those of children.
In a statement released on Monday, the UK stated that it had already made plans for an absolute ban on artificial intelligence nudification tools and that it was working to stop children from downloading, sharing, or viewing nude images on their devices.
According to UK Secretary of State for Technology, “We are determined to ensure that technology enriches children’s lives rather than harming them,” Liz Kendall, “we are determined to ensure that every child receives the education they deserve.”
The UK’s announcement did not mention a specific age for social media use, but it did state that it was considering a ban on using the site for children under a certain age in addition to other measures, such as better age checks and checking whether the 13-year-old digital consent age was excessive.
Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the opposition Conservative Party, has already stated that if it were in power, it would impose a social media ban on under-16s, according to the UK’s PA Media news agency.
After earlier claiming that the Labour-led government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer lacked the “backbone” to impose a social media ban, Badenoch, PA reported, said the planned consultation by his leadership amounted to more delay.
According to Badenoch, the prime minister is still trying to imitate an announcement the Conservatives made a week ago but is still not getting it right.
As a result of a snowstorm, more than 100 vehicles in Michigan collided with each other or slid off the state’s interstate highway.
Michigan State Police closed both I-95 and I-95 directions as a result of the massive pile-up on Monday, as well as more than 30 trailer trucks, as a result of the massive traffic on the highway.
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There were numerous injuries in the crashes, according to Michigan State Police, but none were “believed to be fatal.”
Trucks and other vehicles were piled up along a stretch of highway that was covered in snow, according to images and videos posted on social media and published by local publications.
The most recent impact from a powerful winter storm moving across the nation is the crash.
The US National Weather Service has issued warnings for extreme cold weather or the possibility of winter storms in a number of states, starting in northern Minnesota and continuing eastward through Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York.
Before the pile-up, driver Pedro Mata Jr. claimed he was driving at 32 to 40 km/h (20 to 25 mph) and could barely see the cars in front of him.
He managed to safely stop his pick-up truck before making the decision to cross the median to avoid being struck from behind.
“Just hearing everything, the bangs and booms behind you, made it a little scary.” I observed what was in my immediate vicinity. I was unable to see exactly what was happening behind me, Mata said.
With the winter storm continuing to dump snow on the area and temperatures expected to drop to -22 degrees Celsius (-8 degrees Fahrenheit), officials advised drivers to slow down in the “treacherous” conditions.
On Tuesday, January 20, 2018, this is how things are going.
Fighting
According to reports of explosions in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, ballistic missile launches by Russia had been reported early on Tuesday morning.
According to the city’s mayor, Ihor Terekhov, who posted a message on the Telegram messaging app, Russia also shot Kharkiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine, with missiles on Monday, seriously affecting a crucial infrastructure facility. The type of facility that was struck was not disclosed by Terekhov.
In his weekly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described a new method of air defense that the country’s armed forces are using, involving small groups of interceptor drones.
A Russian soldier is reportedly being executed by Ukraine’s SBU secret service in 2024, according to the Kyiv Independent media outlet.
military assistance
Peace talks
Oleksandr Syrskii, the head of Ukraine’s top military, claimed that Moscow is not exhibiting any signs of interest in discussions involving a peace deal with Kyiv. Instead, he continued, citing a daily goal of 1,000 drones, which it is increasing.
Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s security chief and top negotiator, said that Kyiv has engaged in “substantive” discussions on security and economic issues with Jared Kushner, son of US president Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and Steve Witkoff, as well as other diplomats. Further discussions are anticipated to take place at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos this week.
Zelenskyy stated that his team of negotiators had held several rounds of negotiations in the US and that he hopes to sign documents with the US regarding post-war security guarantees for Ukraine this week.
According to two sources with knowledge of the visit, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, will travel to Davos this week to meet with US delegation members on the World Economic Forum’s agenda.
Politics
A rifle was discovered on his yacht after it docked in the port city of Sochi last June, and an American man was arrested in Russia for five years for illegally transporting weapons, a court announced. Charles Wayne Zimmerman, the man, was identified by the publication, who said he “admitted his guilt in full.” The sentence for the man was not specified, but it stated that an appeal had been turned down.
Energy
In response to Russia’s ongoing assault on Ukraine’s energy sector, Polish pipeline operator Gaz-System announced in a statement that it will increase its capacity for gas transmission between February and April.
As a result of Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital, residents of Kyiv gather around a bonfire to keep warm.
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Dan Roan
sports editor
The independent regulator of English football (IFR) has confirmed that a “ground-breaking” analysis will be conducted in the area of “parachute payments” to relegated clubs.
The watchdog’s proposed scope of its State of the Game report, which it claims will “light up the industry’s financial pressures, governance gaps, and structural risks” has been made public.
It will look at the balance sheets of clubs and how money flows between the top five tiers of the sport. It will also be published in draft later this year.
According to the watchdog, it will be “the most thorough examination of the industry ever conducted.”
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The report will take into account the controversy surrounding the Premier League’s multi-million dollar parachute payments, which are made to relegated clubs over a three-year period.
The English Football League (EFL) wants to get rid of the payments, which are worth tens of millions of pounds, so it can get a bigger share of the wealth that the top flight generates. It believes they distort competition and wants them to be done so.
However, the Premier League claims that making the payments is necessary to give club owners confidence to make investments.
The two leagues have been unable to reach a new financial agreement that would allow more money to flow down the football pyramid despite years of negotiations and political pressure.
If the Premier League and EFL continue to disagree on a financial settlement, the regulator will have “backstop powers” to help shape that decision. The findings of the State of the Game report will also help to determine how much money the Premier League should redistribute.
The independent football regulator’s chair, David Kogan, said: “The game has never been examined this before. The State of the Game report will give football the clarity it deserves, allowing the IFR to make decisions with confidence and for the long-term.
The regulator will be able to access information from clubs and competition organizers using statutory authority.
A four-week consultation will be conducted regarding the State of the Game’s terms of reference, and a 2027 final report is anticipated to be released.
Additionally, it will examine existing protections for club stadiums, crests, and colors in terms of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), fan engagement, and heritage.
In a revealing new documentary about the band, which will be available on Netflix this month, Take That’s full, unrefined story has revealed some dark truths.
Watch the Netflix documentary about the popular boy band Take That.
A defining boy band and a huge pop act of their generation, Take That have enjoyed staggering success since forming in 1990 with 12 Number 1 singles and nine Number 1 albums so far in the UK alone. Now a three piece led by song-writing chief Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen the band also originally contained Jason Orange, and of course, huge solo star Robbie Williams.
A new Netflix documentary out next week will chart the highs of the band but also the lows, with each member of the band enjoying some surprising struggles which in some cases have not been fully expressed before. The three part series features 35 years of rare archive material, never-before-seen footage, and personal material. There are also new interviews with Gary, Howard and Mark and archive interviews with Jason and Robbie to tell the story.
Gary admitted: “Some of it was hard to watch – especially that middle hour, which covers the period after the band broke up. It was just a hard, hard time. I have a good habit of letting things go. I’m not a regretful person, and I was happy to leave it behind. So it was odd to see those memories again being portrayed on television.
* Take That is released by Netflix on Tuesday January 27.
‘ Wasted ‘ Robbie’s vodka binges
The doc begins with the five piece band working hard to gain success with Gary’s songwriting and non stop gigs, sometimes three a day at schools, Under 18 shows, radio roadshows and late night gay clubs. By 1992 it eventually pays off and a cover version of Tavares 1975 hit It Only Takes A Minute goes into the charts at number 16 and they get a Top of The Pops appearance and are now mobbed everywhere they go.
Before manager Nigel Martin Smith makes a ton of money and touring, two enormous albums are released in two years.
“We were a carefree bunch of guys traveling around the world, having fun, not taking anything too seriously,” Gary recalls of the good times. But he also admits things had also changed as they grew bigger. We’re a business now, a really big, important money making machine for a lot of people.”
As things went on, Robbie became frustrated at his lack of songs and the continuing focus on Gary. Robbie left the band in July, shortly after his notorious Glastonbury performance, when his third album Nobody Else was released in May 1995, with a significant tour schedule planned that year.
Looking back he says aside from his differences with management and Gary he was also behaving like an alcoholic, drinking neat bottles of vodka each day in his hotel room. Rob returned from Glastonbury and was completely wasted, according to Mark, who went upstairs and had a minor kip. I think the lack of interest was obvious, and I think that Gaz and Jay got pretty pissed off about that. “
Robbie says:” I’d go into these rehearsals the next day that I wasn’t fit to do because my body would be full of crap, and my head had hurt and I couldn’t take in information at the best of times. You see, something just happened inside of my head? And I went, ‘ well, then I’ll leave’.
“I walked across the room, got to the door, and looked back at them, and I think we’re thinking, “This is it,” I said. And they looked at me, and then I walked through the door”.
Gary says he thought “he’ll be back tomorrow”, but Robbie would not return to the band in any form for decades and went solo.
admission of suicide is heartbreaking
The remaining foursome announced they were splitting in February 1996, and that the band would no longer exist, a year after Robbie left. Gary had suggested the move and was hoping for a big solo career, but some of the other guys were less prepared, especially Howard.
Howard tells the doc: “It hit me the hardest, simply because of the fact that I’m thinking ‘ well, what am I going to do now? ‘ I’ve only been trained to spray some paint and become a pop star. So it hit me quite hard.
You leave and you start to doubt,” you say. I feel like I was the only one that didn’t grow up, and everyone else did, even though I was the oldest. Everybody watched what was happening and prepared themselves for the end, whereas I was in this dream.
“It was almost a depressive state, and I then made the decision to visit the Thames. The state of my mind at that time, I was seriously thinking of jumping in the Thames, thinking I wanted to kill myself, but I’m just too much of a s**tbag to do it”.
In an interview where Howard discussed the footage and the second episode, Howard said, “Episode two was a difficult episode to watch and it did raise the question of why I felt so angry when the band broke up. We were never the sort of people to talk about mental health. I think I’ve processed the emotions I felt around that time, and although those memories came flooding back, I was able to watch it all in one sitting. I was grateful that I had a long-term partner at the time who could help me when I needed him the most.
Howard tried a solo career but did not enjoy it saying he “didn’t have the confidence” in what he was doing. Howard became a father for the first time in June 1999, giving birth to Grace, and he credits this time with allowing him to move on.
Crippling jealousy
Gary immediately began a solo career after Take That, but as they both promoted their singles, their relationship turned quite ugly. On Gary’s single, Robbie said: “I’d love to say it’s not my cup of tea, but in fact, it’s awful”.
Regarding Gary, Gary said, “That was the first bit of serious negativity that went in the brain.” Gary responded to Robbie by picking up on his first single being a cover version, saying: “Let’s hear these songs that are easy to write. I’m dying to hear them”.
Unfortunately for Gary, Robbie released the song Angels just as his career was in flux, and their fortunes suddenly changed. Gary says: “It’s a great song, a great song. That song was it when he had it.
” He was just untouchable from that moment. I remember sat there thinking, ‘ Well, that’s it. That’s not what I can catch. The only way I could see was me going to America, I’ve got to leave the country. And I did that as well. I did a nine month radio tour.
“It started to dawn on me that nothing’s happening here, and all this is happening at home, because the news comes across. Rob is currently an album in the multi platinum format of “this, that, and the others” Gary did eventually return home to the UK, but to the news he was being dropped by his record label RCA. He reflects on his exasperation by saying, “I was incredibly competitive, so I think I was jealous, yes.”
National laughing stock
When Gary returned from his failed America tour, he decided to stay a lot and avoid being seen. This was due to the Robbie effect. He says he felt prepared for everything in the band but afterwards felt lost.
He claims, “That was the part I didn’t expect.” Oh, is that it for the rest of your life? Because that’s it for music now. I don’t want to do that anymore because I can’t even walk down the street right now without someone shouting something at me about Robbie.
He says he watched “all” the TV shows which mocked him including comedy versions of himself played by Matt Lucas, combined with Robbie’s success.
Robbie once famously said, “Sorry, Gary, but I was always the talented member of the band.”
Looking back Gary says: “It was just so excruciating I just wanted to crawl into a hole. And there was a period of about 13 months where I didn’t leave the house once. Additionally, I would start putting on weight, and people would start to reject me more. I thought, ‘ well, this is good’. Living a normal life is what I had been hoping for. And so I went on this mission. If the food passed me, I’d just eat it, and I’d killed the pop star”.
Gary would continue to write music despite having an eating disorder at the time he was trying to write it.
“You get out of bed and you’ve got to go, ‘ Hey everyone, I’m going into the studio now’. And then my father would leave for his day’s work, and I would literally be sitting there listening to the piano thinking, “I used to write big hits on that thing.” Now, the piano was the enemy. I’d sit in there and I’d look at the clock, and I’d come out at four and go ‘ that was a good day’. And I would act like a complete moron while I was in the studio today, pretending to be doing nothing. It is awful and it went on for years”.
dropped by record company
Quiet band member Mark felt the loss of Robbie the most when it happened. Looking back he says: “It was kind of strange, really, because for me, Rob was like a brother. Without him, I had no idea what the band would like, but we already had three weeks to play together.
But after the shows and another year he had enough of the band. He claims he thought “thank God” when Gary suggested they split. But he wasn’t totally prepared for the coming years.
“I just pretty much started writing straight away. At home, I had songs I had written for myself and on my piano. Rob lived in St John’s Wood, and I was recording at Abbey Road. So he stopped by and came back a few times, which was lovely. And Howard came and sang on Clementine and Jason came to the studio, and I remember I was so much wanting to impress Jay that I forgot to eat all day and then fainted. So emotionally, we probably all a little bit, we didn’t have a plan”.
His 1996 solo album Green Man did OK but nothing compared to the highs of the big number one Take That albums. He then stepped out of the limelight for a while but bounced back to win Celebrity Big Brother in 2002 and brought out second album In Your Own Time in November 2003, but further success did not follow. “Eventually I got dropped. You started to feel very negative about yourself,” he admits.
Desperate attempt to get Jason to stay
When the band reformed one of the things Jason Orange insisted on was that Nigel was no longer their manager so they could do things on their own terms having been hurt before.
He probably figured out why it wouldn’t work if we got too big for our boots. So he made us all feel insecure. I didn’t want to feel like that anymore”, Jason recalls.
“I was really proud of Jay,” Mark continues. I remember feeling like, go on, Jason. And I must have been proud, I suppose”?
The band had all changed by this point and were less selfish it seems, thinking of each other and clearly more mature than the boys who began in the band.
Gary says: “I wanted to walk out on stage again. I longed to recite the song. I wanted that audience again. I wanted it all desperately, but we all wanted it to be right. I wanted it to be, to feel good for everyone. And I suppose that was new, because I didn’t really care about anybody else in the 90s, I just wanted it to be all right for me”.
Following their comeback tour, the band released new material, including the smash-hit song Patience. Jason insisted the band got split royalties for tracks, which was not the case before when Gary got all the songwriting cash. He claims that Gary had previously refused to take it into account. Gary says: “When we came back…everyone wanted to write, and I realised this takes pressure off me. Now everybody’s sharing the burden of being creative in a band”.
Although the band had a hugely successful tour under the name Circus, Gary could tell Jason wouldn’t stay forever.
“I knew this was enough for him. Jason was departing, I was aware. I think he’d found it hard coming back. I feel like he’d enjoyed the success, but he didn’t want it forever. We need to get Rob, so I wished I could keep Jason.
Howard adds: “Oh, Jason promoted it quite heavily. the fact that Robbie and he wanted to do this. He worked together, five of us back together, making everything hunky dory”.
The band meet Robbie in America and after a few false starts work on some music together and he joins them on tour. Jason leaves the band at the conclusion of this tour, forming a three-piece.
Howard recalls: “After that last show, Jason sat us all down and said, Listen, I don’t want to be in the band anymore. And I believe I’ve finished. But it was really sad, because Jason felt like one of my best friends. I felt like we had so much in common”.
Mark continues, “We had a big, big moment because we’ve now gone from having five on stage to three.” We’ve lost two members”.
happier times …
Take That reform kick-starts with ‘ tipsy ‘ dance to Pray
Take That manager Nigel Martin-Smith threw the band an unlikely lifeline when he called up Gary in 2005 and told him that Sony wanted to make a film about them.
For Gary it was the encouragement for change he needed. Mark Owen had just done Celebrity Big Brother so was back in the spotlight and Howard hints in the film his money had begun to dry up by this point.
You begin to worry about money. All of a sudden, my money’s dwindling. I’ve got to look after it. He recalled that he had to move to a smaller home.
The four members meet and discuss the band and Robbie and Take That: For The Record centred on a final reunion where Robbie was also invited but didn’t show up. “I got stoned before I went in there because I didn’t know how he was going to handle it,” Howard says.
There was a premiere for the show launched at the end of the year, and the four members posed outside for the first time in around 10 years together to help create a buzz. Despite the documentary being quite staged and awkward in places, it was a huge hit on TV and led to the foursome being offered the chance to reform and go back on stage.
“We didn’t really know what kind of reaction it would have,” Mark admits. After a night drinking together, and even performing the dance to Pray whilst tipsy to see if they could still do it, they agreed to say yes to concert promoter Simon Moran and arena dates sold out in one morning. The band was back, and it would someday take some form of permanent residence.
Trio continue – and are Back For Good
Gary, Howard, and Mark, the trio, made the decision to continue performing on and off going forward, with more live dates coming up in 2026.
Gary says: “These days, that gorgeous audience, I want to go around and kiss one by one, because they’ve loved us and they’ve made us part of their lives for years and years, and they still keep coming”.
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Mark also praises Howard and his importance in the band, despite not singing many songs. “Howard for me is like the backbone of the band. The band is in the song Never forget, which is the most appropriate for him to sing, because it is their first encounter with other lads, slightly nervous and shy, and every outfit, award, take that, every high, every low, Rob leaving, Jay, leaving, has a special resonance in my mind. And when you throw your arms up in the air and you’re never going to forget you are reaching for the freaking sky”.
* Take That is released by Netflix on Tuesday January 27.
