International news via Reuters:

Greenland residents began voting on Tuesday in an election brought into the international spotlight by U.S. President Donald Trump’s pledge to take control of the mineral-rich island, firing up a debate over its independence.

Since taking office in January, Trump has vowed to make Greenland – a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark – part of the United States, saying it is vital to U.S. security interests.

The vast island, with a population of just 57,000, has been caught up in a geopolitical race for dominance in the Arctic, where melting ice caps are making its resources more accessible and opening new shipping routes. Both Russia and China have intensified military activity in the region.

Greenland is a former Danish colony and a territory since 1953. It gained some autonomy in 1979 when its first parliament was formed, but Copenhagen still controls foreign affairs, defence and monetary policy and provides just under $1 billion a year to the economy.

In 2009, it won the right to declare full independence through a referendum, though has not done so on concern living standards would drop without Denmark’s economic support.

Voting began at 1100 GMT at 72 polling stations across the Arctic island, where 40,500 people are eligible to vote. Polling will close at 2200 GMT and the final result is expected on Wednesday between 0100 GMT and 0300 GMT.

“I’m feeling very excited. I hope that people will vote with their common sense and without greed,” Liv Aurora, a candidate with the ruling Inuit Ataqatigiit party, said at a polling station in the capital Nuuk.

“I hope to make a difference and to make Greenland strong and independent.”

INUIT PRIDE

Trump’s vocal interest has shaken up the status quo and coupled with the growing pride of the indigenous people in their Inuit culture, put independence front and centre in the election.

“The question of independence was put on steroids by Trump,” said Masaana Egede, editor of local newspaper Sermitsiaq. “It has put a lid on everyday issues.”

In the final debate on Greenland’s state broadcaster KNR late on Monday, leaders of the five parties currently in parliament unanimously said they did not trust Trump.

“He is trying to influence us. I can understand if citizens feel insecure,” said Erik Jensen, leader of government coalition partner Siumut.

No polls or exit polls are expected. A January poll suggested a majority of Greenland’s inhabitants support independence, but are divided on timing.

Reuters spoke to more than a dozen Greenlanders in Nuuk, all of whom said they favoured independence, although many expressed concern that a swift transition could damage the economy and eliminate Nordic welfare services like universal healthcare and free schooling.

The island holds substantial natural resources, including critical minerals such as rare earths used in high-tech industries, ranging from electric vehicles to missile systems.

However, Greenland has been slow to extract them due to environmental concerns, severe weather, and China’s near-total control of the sector, which has made it difficult for companies elsewhere to make a profit or secure buyers.

INVESTMENT PLEDGES

Trump initially declined to rule out military force, alarming many Greenlanders, although he later softened his stance, stating he would respect the will of the local people and was “ready to invest billions of dollars” if they joined the U.S.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede has stressed the island is not for sale and advocated for a broad coalition government to resist external pressure. In an interview aired on Monday by Danish broadcaster DR, he dismissed Trump’s offer as disrespectful, expressing willingness to cooperate with other countries instead.

Denmark’s prime minister has said Greenland is not for sale, but made it clear that it is up to the local people to decide their future.

All six main political parties support independence but differ on how and when it could be achieved.

The pro-independence Naleraq party, the leading opposition force, has gained momentum ahead of the election, bolstered by U.S. interest and fresh accusations of Denmark’s historic exploitation of Greenland’s mineral wealth.

    “This is our independence election,” said Qunanuk Olsen, a Naleraq candidate.

The party believes the U.S. attention strengthens Greenland’s position in secession talks with Denmark and aims to bring a deal with Copenhagen to a vote before the next election in four years.

According to Egede, the editor, the party could increase its current five seats, but is unlikely to secure a majority in parliament.

Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; additional reporting by Louise Rasmussen; Editing by Sharon Singleton

International news via Reuters:

Only seven countries met World Health Organization (WHO) air quality standards last year, data showed on Tuesday, as researchers warned that the war on smog would only get harder after the United States shut down its global monitoring efforts.

Chad and Bangladesh were the world’s most polluted countries in 2024, with average smog levels more than 15 times higher than WHO guidelines, according to figures compiled by Swiss air quality monitoring firm IQAir.

Only Australia, New Zealand, the Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Estonia and Iceland made the grade, IQAir said.

Significant data gaps, especially in Asia and Africa, cloud the worldwide picture, and many developing countries have relied on air quality sensors mounted on U.S. embassy and consulate buildings to track their smog levels.

However, the State Department has recently ended the scheme, citing budget constraints, with more than 17 years of data removed last week from the U.S. government’s official air quality monitoring site, airnow.gov, including readings collected in Chad.

“Most countries have a few other data sources, but it’s going to impact Africa significantly, because oftentimes these are the only sources of publicly available real-time air quality monitoring data,” said Christi Chester-Schroeder, IQAir’s air quality science manager.

Data concerns meant Chad was excluded from IQAir’s 2023 list, but it was also ranked the most polluted country in 2022, plagued by Sahara dust as well as uncontrolled crop burning.

Average concentrations of small, hazardous airborne particles known as PM2.5 hit 91.8 micrograms per cubic metre (mg/cu m) last year in the country, slightly higher than 2022.

The WHO recommends levels of no more than 5 mg/cu m, a standard met by only 17% of cities last year.

India, fifth in the smog rankings behind Chad, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, saw average PM2.5 fall 7% on the year to 50.6 mg/cu m.

But it accounted for 12 of the top 20 most polluted cities, with Byrnihat, in a heavily industrialised part of the country’s northeast, in first place, registering an average PM2.5 level of 128 mg/cu m.

Climate change is playing an increasing role in driving up pollution, Chester-Schroeder warned, with higher temperatures causing fiercer and lengthier forest fires that swept through parts of South East Asia and South America.

Christa Hasenkopf, director of the Clean Air Program at the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute (EPIC), said at least 34 countries will lose access to reliable pollution data after the U.S. programme was closed.

The State Department scheme improved air quality in the cities where the monitors were placed, boosting life expectancy and even reducing hazard allowances for U.S. diplomats, meaning that it paid for itself, Hasenkopf said.

“(It) is a giant blow to air quality efforts worldwide,” she said.

Reporting by David Stanway; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan