Good morning.
Donald Trump has linked his repeated threats to seize control of Greenland to his failure to receive the Nobel peace prize, according to an extraordinary letter sent to the Norwegian prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre.
The US president said in the letter – whose authenticity was confirmed by Støre to the Norwegian newspaper VG on Monday – that after missing out on the prize he no longer felt compelled to think “purely of peace”.
“Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace,” Trump wrote, adding he could now “think about what is good and proper” for the US.
In a subsequent written statement, Støre stressed that the Nobel peace prize was not awarded by the Norwegian government. “I have clearly explained, including to President Trump, what is well known – the prize is awarded by an independent Nobel committee,” he wrote.
What else has Trump said about Greenland this weekend? The US president on Saturday threatened to impose a 10% tariff on imports from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland from 1 February until the US is allowed to buy the Arctic island.
How have those countries responded? The EU is weighing up retaliatory tariffs on US goods and even the use of its most severe economic sanctions as European leaders lined up to criticise Trump’s threat, which one minister described as “blackmail”.
Pentagon readies 1,500 troops for potential Minnesota deployment, officials say
The Pentagon has placed about 1,500 active-duty soldiers stationed in Alaska on prepar-to-deploy orders for a potential mission to Minnesota amid large protests against the government’s immigration deportation drive, according to US officials.
The army units were readied in case violence escalated in the mid-western state, the officials said, though it was not clear whether any of them would be sent.
The move comes after Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy military forces if Democratic officials in the state do not stop protesters from impeding immigration officials after a sharp rise in Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents into the region.
How has the city’s mayor, Jacob Frey, responded? He said on Sunday that any military deployment would be “ridiculous” and would only exacerbate tensions in Minnesota’s largest city, where the Trump administration has sent 3,000 immigration and border patrol officers who have faced largely peaceful protests.
High-speed train crash in southern Spain leaves 39 dead
At least 39 people have been killed and 12 are in intensive care after two trains collided in southern Spain last night in what the prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, called “a night of deep pain for our country”.
A high-speed Iryo train travelling from Málaga to Madrid derailed near the municipality of Adamuz in Córdoba province at about 7.40pm on Sunday, crossing on to the other track where it hit an oncoming train, Adif, Spain’s rail infrastructure authority, posted on X. The second train, which was operated by the state rail company, Renfe, also derailed and went down an embankment, authorities said.
“Approximately 300 people were onboard at the time of the accident,” Iryo said. “The derailment affected cars six through eight. The Guardia Civil and firefighters are currently working intensively at the scene to evacuate all passengers and have set up a joint emergency response team.
How many people have been injured? This morning, emergency services in Andalucía said 122 people had been treated for their injuries and 48 people were still in hospital, of whom 12 were in intensive care units.
In other news …
Nearly a month after CBS News editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, ignited controversy by shelving a 60 Minutes segment about Venezuelan prisoners, telling staffers that it needed more reporting, the piece finally aired last night.
A 16-year-old was among protesters sexually assaulted in custody by the security forces in Iran during a nationwide uprising that has left thousands dead, according to a human rights group.
Scientists have warned of a potential “regime shift” in the oceans, as the rapid growth of huge mats of seaweed appears to be driven by global heating and excessive enrichment of waters from farming runoff and other pollutants.
An 83-year-old Ohio man is due to be sentenced tomorrow after being convicted of murdering an Uber driver he mistakenly believed was trying to rob him.
Stat of the day: ‘Brazen’ political influence of rich laid bare as wealth of billionaires reaches $18.3tn, says Oxfam
A record number of billionaires were created last year, amassing a collective wealth of $18.3tn, as global efforts stalled in the fight against poverty and hunger. Oxfam’s annual survey of global inequality found that most governments were failing ordinary people by yielding to the increasingly blatant influence of the wealthy.
Building power: ‘They’re here to antagonize us’ – trans advocates say hostility at rallies is up as supreme court hears key case
As the US supreme court heard arguments last week in a case that could determine whether transgender children may participate in school sports – and potentially impact LGBTQ+ civil rights protections more broadly – rival groups of activists rallied in Washington DC. Advocates said the protests this week appeared to show a noticeable shift in the size, tone and aggression from the crowd opposing trans rights.
Don’t miss this: My week avoiding ultra-processed foods: ‘Why is it this hard?’
Ultra-processed foods have been linked to various health issues. In 2025, a global report linked UPFs to multiple adverse health outcomes, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease and depression. But are a ubiquitous part of the modern western diet. Can Guardian reporter Emma Joyce avoid them for a whole week?
Climate check: The fate of the planet’s coastlines depends on how fast Antarctica’s ice sheets melt. We don’t know what’s coming
If global heating of the oceans melts Antarctica’s ice sheets from below, they could become unstable, allowing the ice to slide more rapidly into the sea and drive global sea levels up by several meters. The continent’s most vulnerable regions contain enough ice to raise sea levels by about 15 meters if they were to melt entirely, though researchers still do not fully understand the consequences of such a collapse.
Last Thing: Never-before-seen home video is first known footage of Martin Luther King – ‘What a gift!’
In a brief scene captured on camera in May 1950, an undergraduate known as ML stands beside his then girlfriend, a white woman named Betty Moitz. The clip stands – unless the King family has previously unreleased home videos – as the earliest known film recording of Martin Luther King Jr in motion.
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