Establish Medical Co-operatives
The hens are clucking again
UK, Germany Discuss NATO Forces In Greenland To Calm US Threat
By Alberto Nardelli, Alex Wickham and Michael Nienaber Bloomberg January 11, 2026
Jan 11, 2026 (Bloomberg) –A group of European countries, led by the UK and Germany, is discussing plans for a military presence in Greenland to show US President Donald Trump that the continent is serious about Arctic security and to try to tamp down American threats to take over the self-ruling Danish territory.
Germany will propose setting up a joint NATO mission to protect the Arctic region, according to people familiar with the plans. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has separately urged allies to step up their security presence in the High North and recently reached out to leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to discuss the issue.
The US raid to capture the leader of Venezuela this month, as well as heightened rhetoric from the Trump administration on possibly using military force to control Greenland, has forced European leaders to quickly cobble together a strategy. They want to show that Europe and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have the region’s security under control, as they try to undercut Trump’s argument for taking over Greenland, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul will meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week, when he’ll address the issue of Greenland and what role NATO can play in the region’s stability.
“Because security in the Arctic is becoming increasingly important, I also want to discuss on my trip how we can best bear this responsibility in NATO — in view of old and new rivalries in the region by Russia and China — together,” Wadephul said in a statement on Sunday. “We want to discuss this together in NATO.”
While Trump has long mused about making Greenland a part of the US for national security reasons, his focus on the self-governing island has intensified in recent days following the US raid to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
That action sparked new fears among allies over Trump’s willingness to deploy the military to achieve his foreign policy goals. His fiery rhetoric over Greenland has spurred a flurry of diplomatic activity as officials try to ascertain his intentions.
Speaking about Greenland on Friday, Trump told reporters, “I would like to make a deal, you know, the easy way. But if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way.”
Germany will propose establishing a NATO mission called “Arctic Sentry” to secure the region, according to the people. The alliance’s “Baltic Sentry” mission, which was launched a year ago to shield critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, would serve as a blueprint.
Starmer’s view is that Britain and Europe are best served by persuading Trump of their soft and hard power utility to the US on issues from Russia’s war in Ukraine to American security closer to home, people familiar with the matter said. It contrasts with the more publicly critical stance adopted by countries like France, which this week warned that Europe was under threat from American coercion.
Starmer spoke with Trump last week and “discussed Euro-Atlantic security and agreed on the need to deter an increasingly aggressive Russia in the High North,” Downing Street said. “The NATO alliance needed to step up in the region,” Starmer told Macron and Merz.
For now, Denmark is still hoping a diplomatic trip to Washington this coming week can temper Trump. The foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland, Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Vivian Motzfeldt, are aiming to confront what Copenhagen says are persistent factual errors and exaggerated security claims driving the debate.
While the president has said he won’t rule out military force to acquire the Arctic island, Rubio late Tuesday told lawmakers the aim is to buy Greenland rather than staging an intervention that could test the future of NATO.
“The legitimate interests of all NATO allies, but also those of the inhabitants of the region, must be at the heart of our considerations,” Wadephul said. “Of course, this also applies to Greenland and its people.”
https://gcaptain.com/uk-germany-discuss-nato-forces-in-greenland-to-calm-us-threat/
Cuba Defiant After Trump Says No More Venezuelan Oil Or Money
By Dave Sherwood and Marianna Parraga Reuters January 11, 2026
HAVANA/HOUSTON, Jan 11 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday said no more Venezuelan oil or money will go to Cuba and suggested the Communist-run island should strike a deal with Washington, ramping up pressure on the long-time U.S. nemesis and provoking defiant words from the island’s leadership.
Venezuela is Cuba’s biggest oil supplier, but no cargoes have departed from Venezuelan ports to the Caribbean country since the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by U.S. forces in early January amid a strict U.S. oil blockade on the OPEC country, shipping data shows.
Meanwhile, Caracas and Washington are progressing on a $2 billion deal to supply up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil to the U.S. with proceeds to be deposited in U.S. Treasury-supervised accounts, a major test of the emerging relationship between Trump and interim President Delcy Rodriguez.
“THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA – ZERO! I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Sunday.
“Cuba lived, for many years, on large amounts of OIL and MONEY from Venezuela,” Trump added.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel rejected Trump’s threat on social media, suggesting the U.S. had no moral authority to force a deal on Cuba.
“Cuba is a free, independent, and sovereign nation. Nobody dictates what we do,” Diaz-Canel said on X. “Cuba does not attack; it has been attacked by the U.S. for 66 years, and it does not threaten; it prepares, ready to defend the homeland to the last drop of blood.”
The U.S. president did not elaborate on his suggested deal.
But Trump’s push on Cuba represents the latest escalation in his move to bring regional powers in line with the United States and underscores the seriousness of the administration’s ambition to dominate the Western Hemisphere.
Trump’s top officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have made no secret of their expectation that the recent U.S. intervention in Venezuela could push Cuba over the edge.
U.S. officials have hardened their rhetoric against Cuba in recent weeks, though the two countries have been at odds since former leader Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution.
CUBA DEFENDS IMPORT RIGHTS
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said in another post on X on Sunday that Cuba had the right to import fuel from any suppliers willing to export it. He also denied that Cuba had received financial or other “material” compensation in return for security services provided to any country.
Thirty-two members of Cuba’s armed forces and intelligence services were killed during the U.S. raid on Venezuela. Cuba said those killed were responsible for “security and defense” but did not provide details on the arrangement between the two long-time allies.
Cuba relies on imported crude and fuel mainly provided by Venezuela, and Mexico in smaller volumes, purchased on the open market to keep its power generators and vehicles running.
As its operational refining capacity dwindled in recent years, Venezuela’s supply of crude and fuel to Cuba has fallen. But the South American country is still the largest provider with some 26,500 barrels per day exported last year, according to ship tracking data and internal documents of state-run PDVSA, which covered roughly 50% of Cuba’s oil deficit.
Even before Maduro’s capture, Cuba had been struggling to keep the lights on. Vast swaths of the island live without electricity for much of the day, and even the capital Havana has seen its economy crippled by hours-long rolling blackouts.
Shortages of food, fuel and medicine have put Cubans on edge and have prompted a record-breaking exodus, primarily to the United States, in the past five years.
MEXICO BECOMES KEY SUPPLIER
Mexico has emerged in recent weeks as a critical alternative oil supplier to the island, but the supply remains small, according to the shipping data.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum last week said her country had not increased supply volumes, but given recent political events in Venezuela, Mexico had turned into an “important supplier” of crude to Cuba.
U.S. intelligence has painted a grim picture of Cuba’s economic and political situation, but its assessments offer no clear support for Trump’s prediction that the island is “ready to fall,” Reuters reported on Saturday, citing three people familiar with the confidential assessments.
The CIA’s view is that key sectors of the Cuban economy, such as agriculture and tourism, are severely strained by frequent blackouts, trade sanctions and other problems. The potential loss of oil imports and other support from Venezuela could make governing more difficult for Diaz-Canel.
https://gcaptain.com/cuba-defiant-after-trump-says-no-more-venezuelan-oil-or-money/
"We only want what's best…"
>>24110789
>>24110792
He dead
Florida man executed for 1987 killings of a man and his girlfriend during home invasion
Nation Dec 18, 2025 6:51 PM EST
STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A man convicted of fatally shooting a man and his girlfriend during a home invasion robbery was put to death Thursday evening in a record 19th execution in Florida this year.
Frank Athen Walls, 58, was pronounced dead at 6:11 p.m. following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. Walls was convicted of two counts of murder, two counts of kidnapping, burglary and theft and sentenced to death in 1988. The Florida Supreme Court later reversed the conviction and ordered a new trial, and Walls was again convicted and sentenced to death in 1992.
Before the injection began, Walls apologized, according to a spokesman for Gov. Ron DeSantis.
"Good evening, everyone. I appreciate the opportunity to say what's on my heart. If any of the members of the family are here, I am sorry for all of the things I did, the pain I caused, and all of that you have suffered all these years," Walls said, shortly before the drugs began flowing.
No complications were reported during the execution, DeSantis spokesman Alex Lanfranconi said.
Court records indicate Walls broke into the Florida Panhandle mobile home of Eglin Air Force Base airman Edward Alger and his girlfriend, Ann Peterson, in July 1987. Walls tied the couple up, but Alger managed to break free and attack Walls. Walls cut Alger's throat and then shot him in the head when the airman continued to fight. Walls then attacked Peterson and shot her as she struggled.
Walls was arrested the day after the bodies were found when his roommate tipped off police about Walls' odd behavior. During a search of the home, investigators reported finding items from the crime scene, and Walls later admitted to the killings.
After Walls' conviction, DNA evidence linked him to the May 1987 rape and killing of a woman, Audrey Gygi. Walls pleaded no contest, avoiding another trial and possible death sentence. Walls also admitted responsibility for the killings of Tommie Lou Whiddon in March 1985 and Cynthia Sue Condra in September 1986 as part of a deal with prosecutors.
DeSantis, the Republican who signed the death warrant, has ordered more executions in a single year than any Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in the U.S. in 1976. The previous state record was eight executions in 2014. DeSantis said earlier this year that his goal is to bring justice to victims' families who have waited decades for the death sentences to be carried out.
The U.S. Supreme Court denied Walls' request for a stay of execution on Thursday afternoon. Earlier in the day, Walls met with one visitor as well as a spiritual adviser and had a meal of steak, chicken and cheesecake, authorities said.
Including Walls, a total of 47 men have died by court-ordered execution so far this year in the U.S., and more than a dozen other people are scheduled to be put to death in 2026. Florida has executed more people than any other state this year, followed by Alabama, South Carolina and Texas with five each.
All Florida executions are carried out by an injection using a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the state Department of Corrections.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/florida-man-executed-for-1987-killings-of-a-man-and-his-girlfriend-during-home-invasion