President Donald Trump has announced an agreement with Greenland, in which the U.S. will take permanent control of the Arctic island’s security. The deal comes after months of negotiations between America and Denmark after the U.S. president threatened to seize the territory by force earlier this year. President Trump said he would “immediately begin the process of developing a large Military presence in the appropriate part of Greenland” after announcing the deal. Reports suggest the agreement means the U.S. will not have outright control and ownership of Greenland, but will give the US permanent access to the island and permission to build military bases there without Danish approval. It must be passed by the Danish parliament in order to be ratified. President Donald Trump has announced an agreement with Greenland, in which the U.S. will take permanent control of the Arctic island’s security (Getty Images) “I am pleased to announce that the United States of America has entered into an Agreement with The Kingdom of Denmark, and Greenland, that gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our many U.S. concerns,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Friday evening.The president has eyed Greenland since before he returned to the White House in January 2025, arguing that the U.S. needed to control the semi-autonomous Danish territory for national security purposes. Trump said that the agreement means the U.S. “will FOREVER have the complete ability to do what is necessary in Greenland in order to secure and defend the security of Greenland, and the United States of America.”The full detail of the deal is unclear, but the U.S. president said the agreement means adversaries such as Russia and China will need his approval to work with Greenland militarily and economically. “From now on, no U.S. adversary can EVER have a base in Greenland, have a military presence in Greenland, or make sensitive investments in Greenland, without our express written approval,” Trump said.The president had warned Russia and China would take Greenland if he didn’t step in. “It’s so strategic. Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” Trump claimed during a press gaggle aboard Air Force One in January. “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security — and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.” The president has eyed Greenland since before he returned to the White House in January 2025, arguing that the U.S. needed to control the semi-autonomous Danish territory for national security purposes (Getty Images) Trump boasted about his role in the new agreement with Greenland that he said would be “cherished by the American People.”“For over 100 years, Presidents have known the strategic importance of Greenland, but NONE of them were able to do anything about it. I am proud to be the President that permanently and conclusively addressed this very important situation,” he wrote on Truth Social. “We will immediately begin the process of developing a large Military presence in the appropriate part of Greenland, of which there are many. We will work with the people of Greenland in its development and construction,” he added.Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, and the leader of Greenland’s government, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, released statements on Friday night saying that the agreement was expected to be signed at the UN General Assembly next week.”It is encouraging that we are about to make an agreement that will ensure and strengthen the security of Greenland, the Kingdom of Denmark, the United States, and the Western Alliance. The agreement recognizes Greenland’s interests and our place in the international cooperation. It is to the benefit of us all,” said Nielsen.Frederiksen added: ”I am glad that we are about to make a great agreement for Greenland, the Kingdom of Denmark, and the United States. An agreement which strengthens our common security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic Area and therefore is great for NATO and Europe as well. And an agreement which at the same time recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination.” Since Trump began pushing to acquire Greenland, he has been met with opposition, not just from the people of the Arctic island and Denmark, but also from America’s European allies. A joint statement from seven European leaders published earlier this year read: “Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.” As part of the agreement, Trump said U.S. adversaries such as Russia and China will need his approval to work with Greenland militarily and economically (AFP via Getty Images) In the January 6 statement, leaders from France, Germany, the United Kingdom and other U.S. allies said: “We and many other Allies have increased our presence, activities and investments, to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries.”They said that since Denmark is a part of Nato, “security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively…by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders.”Days later, Trump threatened to impose a 10 percent tariff on imports from European allies, several of which were part of the earlier joint statement, “until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.”Trump quickly backed down from his tariff threats, claiming to have “formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland” with NATO chief Mark Rutte. Fifty-eight percent of Americans opposed a U.S. takeover of Greenland in a January poll, when tensions between America and Europe were at a high over the issue (Getty Images) Even with the new agreement between government officials, it is doubtful that Trump will sway those in Greenland opposed to American intervention. The day Trump threatened tariffs against European nations if he did not strike a deal to acquire Greenland, protesters in Nuuk held Greenlandic flags and a banner that read “Make America Go Away” and “We Are Not Property!”“I think he should mind his own business,” Greenlander Lars Vintner, a heating engineer, told the Associated Press in January. “What’s he going to do with Greenland? He speaks of Russians and Chinese and everything in Greenlandic waters or in our country,” he said. “Every summer we go sailing and we go hunting and I never saw Russian or Chinese ships here in Greenland.”A majority of Americans are also not sold on the idea of gaining control of Greenland. Fifty-eight percent of Americans oppose a U.S. takeover of the Arctic island while 21 percent favor it and 20 percent are unsure, according to a Pew Research Center poll from January. This article originally appeared on The Independent at https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-us-greenland-denmark-deal-b3052755.html

Russia has intensified attacks against Ukraine as its full-scale invasion grinds through its fifth year (Oleksandr GIMANOV)US President Donald Trump signed a bill on Friday authorizing new sanctions designed to pressure Russia over its war in Ukraine, after Congress gave its approval after months of delay.Washington is pushing to revive a mediated path towards ending the conflict as Moscow intensifies attacks against Ukraine, even though much of its attention — and munitions — are focused on the ongoing war against Iran.The legislation, which US lawmakers approved this week, takes aim at Russia’s energy and defense sectors, alongside President Vladimir Putin and other senior officials.It also targets Moscow’s so-called shadow fleet of tankers used to evade Western sanctions, and allows Trump the authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on major buyers of Russian oil and gas.That could potentially cover China and India, and furthers efforts to cut off revenue financing Moscow’s war.The Republican-led House of Representatives passed the package by a 262-159 vote on Wednesday.The bill would also target companies and foreign actors supporting Russia’s military, and extend sanctions involving Iran.But the broad powers to impose tariffs sparked an unusual split among Democrats, who largely support Ukraine but have resisted handing Trump wider authority over trade.- Tougher pressure -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier hailed the legislation as “symbolic” and thanked US lawmakers.The bill is “an extremely powerful tool that can stop this terrorist war and bring Russia to the point where it has to make peace,” Zelensky wrote on X.”Sanctions must be strong so that all efforts for peace — including our joint diplomatic efforts with the United States, Europe, and our other friends — can succeed,” he added.India said on Thursday it would continue buying oil “through diversified sourcing.”New Delhi — which counts Russia as one of its most important strategic partners — has navigated the energy crisis sparked by the US-Iran conflict in part by turning to Moscow, despite pressure from Western countries.Supporters of the legislation argued that tougher economic pressure is needed against Moscow, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.The Congress vote was celebrated by pro-Ukraine activists, who pointed to continuing Russian attacks, including drone strikes on Wednesday on civilian transport in the south that officials in Kyiv said killed five people.Trump has generally preferred to retain control over sanctions and tariffs rather than have Congress dictate policy, helping delay the measure for more than a year.The president’s signing of the bill comes a week before he is due to meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Washington.bys/jgc/cms/holThis article originally appeared on AFP at https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-signs-bill-authorizing-sweeping-072411806.html

Saudi Arabia warned of a “hostile aerial threat” and issued a string of emergency alerts across the kingdom, including in its capital, late Friday and early Saturday. Also Saturday, Iran’s state TV reported that a man was executed after being convicted on charges of spying for Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad. Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Saturday. Full coverage is available here. Alerts sound across Saudi Arabia for aerial threat Saudi Arabia warned of a “hostile aerial threat” after issuing a string of emergency alerts across the kingdom late Friday and early Saturday, and at least one explosion was heard in the capital, Riyadh. The alert heard in Riyadh was the first for the Saudi capital since the latest escalation with Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. No casualties or damage were reported after the alerts were lifted. Saudi authorities didn’t say what prompted the alerts or the cause of the audible explosions, but they previously reported intercepting incoming Houthi missiles and drones. UN Security Council condemns Houthi missile attacks against Saudi Arabia and commercial vessels The U.N.’s most powerful body said late Friday that the Houthis’ military escalation, attacks and threats “risk further expanding the conflict, threatening maritime security and international trade” while undermining regional and international efforts to secure peace in Yemen. It warned that continued escalation would exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation in the country. The council’s 15 members called for “practical cooperation” to prevent the Iran-backed Houthis from acquiring arms, military training, financing and other military-related assistance needed to carry out their attacks. They stressed that all countries must enforce the U.N. arms embargo against the rebel group. Iran executes man accused of spying for Israel Iran’s state TV reported on Saturday that a man identified as Hossein Pedram was executed after being convicted on charges of spying for Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad. The report said Pedram passed on to Israel classified information on “sensitive military sites” in Iran’s Isfahan province. It didn’t say how he accessed the classified information. Pedram was reportedly arrested after those sites, which included missile bases, were targeted in the 12-day air war by the U.S. and Israel against Iran in June last year. A recent surge of executions in Iran prompted an international outcry by human rights groups. Iran files charges against race manager for allowing women to run without headscarves Iran’s state TV reported Saturday that the Tehran prosecutor’s office filed charges against race organizers after women participated without covering their hair because “legal and Islamic Sharia” wasn’t observed. The country’s ruling theocracy requires women to wear scarves that cover their hair and loose-fitting clothes that hide their entire bodies. Footage circulated online showing many women running the 10-kilometer (6-mile) race without the mandatory hair covering. Habib Sotoudehnejad, head of Tehran’s sports department, said Saturday that about 5% of participants violated race rules. The race was run separately for men and women. Hardliners in Iran seek harsh penalties against women who appear in public without covering their hair. ___ This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.This article originally appeared on Associated Press at https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/saudi-arabia-issues-alerts-across-071122788.html

WASHINGTON (AP) — It could be much worse. When President Donald Trump launched his war against Iran in late February, energy analysts issued dire warnings that oil prices could more than double during a protracted conflict and urged investors and motorists to buckle up for a bumpy ride. The war grinds on and oil prices certainly remain volatile. But the most dire projections have not yet come to pass six months into a conflict that has no end in sight. Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is making a much-anticipated state visit to Washington next week, could make a credible argument that the world has his country’s energy strategy to thank for that. It’s unclear how much the two leaders will discuss Iran during the visit, which comes as Trump’s Republican Party faces pressure from voters over high gasoline prices, and as China’s buffer is being further tested as the conflict in the Middle East spreads. Trump, who has sought to keep a fragile trade truce with Beijing intact, has been careful in public comments about differences with Xi over the country’s relationship with Iran. “We’ve been free-riding off Beijing in a weird way,” said Rosemary Kelanic, director of the Middle East program at Defense Priorities, a Washington think tank. “China’s doing it because they understand that they’re on the train that Trump is driving off a cliff. If oil prices go way up, that hurts the global economy. If it hurts the global economy, it hurts them.” China’s stockpiles helped Xi weather the storm — so far Beijing spent years and billions of dollars amassing the world’s largest oil stockpile, building its strategic reserve to about 1.4 billion barrels by the end of last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s estimates. To protect China from foreign supply risks, Xi made energy self-reliance a part of the country’s latest five-year plan. Drawing from the massive stockpile allowed China, the world’s second-biggest oil consumer and Iran’s top buyer, to dramatically cut crude imports once the U.S. and Israel began their bombardment and Tehran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz. The country was also helped by its shift toward electric vehicles in recent years and increasingly tapping into other energy alternatives. China’s oil import diet in turn helped ease global demand, softening the upward price effects for the United States, Europe and beyond. “The Chinese deserve credit,” said retired U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, an analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish Washington think tank. “They did in 10 years what took us 25 years after the 1973 oil crisis to do: really build a kind of strategic petroleum reserve that could allow you to weather this.” But that resilience faces new challenges. Attacks by Iran-backed militias this month led Saudi Arabia to temporarily shut a vital pipeline that transports crude across the kingdom to ports on the Red Sea. The Yemen-based Houthis have also seized two strategic islands in the southern Red Sea, bolstering the Iran-backed rebels’ ability to disrupt a key maritime shipping route. Planned talks among Gulf nations focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which were supposed to take place earlier this week, have also been put on hold. Before he meets Xi, Trump is set to meet Tuesday with leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council in New York, on the sidelines of the annual United Nations General Assembly. The group includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain. Oil industry experts say the moment remains tenuous Analysts at Bank of America last week forecast oil at $83 a barrel for the second half of the year “in light of more persistent disruptions to Hormuz,” but said they still expected shipping through the strait to gradually pick up. But if violence escalates and keeps a chokehold on traffic, prices could reach $95 to $120 a barrel, while damage to major energy infrastructure could produce spikes of up to $150 a barrel, the analysts wrote. Brent crude averaged about $69 per barrel last year and currently is hovering around $100. Brent crude briefly peaked in late April, touching $126. How China has weathered the volatile oil market caused by Trump’s war is ultimately seen by Beijing as “a vindication of Xi’s last five-year plan and his focus on self-reliance,” said Jonathan Czin, a former senior CIA analyst who is now at the Brookings Institution. Deep differences between Trump and Xi on Iran persist The war in Iran — and its impact on the global economy — is expected to be on the agenda for the Trump-Xi talks. But the prospects of the world’s two biggest powers coming up with a breakthrough appear dim. Over the course of the conflict, the Trump administration has faced resistance when urging Beijing to use its considerable economic leverage to press the Islamic Republic to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Chinese officials, who have expressed strong opposition to the U.S. war, also have bristled at more recent administration threats to ratchet up economic pressure on nations and entities still doing business with Iran. To be certain, analysts say there’s little altruism in how China came to sit on its massive stockpile of oil. Experts believe Beijing was driven by contingency planning for potential military action to take over the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which China considers its own territory. Tapping the reserves now has been far from ideal for Beijing — but seeing global oil prices skyrocket was not ideal, either. Trump treads carefully on differences with China over Iran The leaders last met in Beijing just four months ago, and could meet twice more later this year. After the talks in May, Trump claimed Xi agreed with him that a nuclear-armed Iran is a bad idea and that the Strait of Hormuz must be reopened. Chinese officials have neither affirmed nor denied Trump’s telling of the private conversation. The U.S. administration has also warned China not to aid Iran’s military effort. But earlier this week, Trump downplayed a Wall Street Journal report that Chinese entities had supplied Tehran with satellite images of a Jordanian military base ahead of an Iran strike in July that killed three U.S. soldiers working there. “You know, when they say that China spies on us, I say you’re right, and we spy on them too,” Trump told reporters. Trump at the outset of the war called the conflict a “little excursion” that would last a matter of weeks. He also has repeatedly predicted that oil prices will quickly plummet once the conflict ends. Less than three months into the conflict, he even declared “everybody was wrong” because the most dire projections for oil prices didn’t come to pass. The White House did not respond to queries on whether Trump credits China’s actions with helping keep oil prices from hitting the worst-case levels. But energy analysts credit Beijing’s slashing imports as having the single greatest impact on moderating prices since the start of the war. China’s crude imports averaged just 8.1 million barrels per day in the second quarter. That’s almost 4 million barrels per day, or 32% lower than in the first three months of the year, according to U.S. data. “It’s remarkable how China managed the market,” said Michael Lynch, president of Strategic Energy and Economic Research, a firm providing consulting services and analysis in the oil and gas industry. “They didn’t panic and by turning to their inventories they kept the price down for everybody.”This article originally appeared on Associated Press at https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/oil-prices-high-could-much-040833336.html

Google said it did not consider the unauthorized logins to rise to the level of misalignment, the AI industry term for software going rogue or not following instructions. (David Paul Morris / Bloomberg via Getty Images file)Google on Friday disclosed the first known instance of its artificial intelligence software, Gemini, carrying out an undirected computer hack, weeks after similar disclosures by AI firms Anthropic and OpenAI raised security alarms about AI models going beyond the instructions of their human creators.Google said in a statement that in May its AI model gained unauthorized access to three outside systems during a test by either guessing login information or using login credentials it found in a public repository.Heather Adkins, a Google vice president for security engineering, said in the statement that the AI model thought that the outside computer systems “were part of the test,” but she said in all three instances, the model stopped before doing anything further with its access.“In a standard evaluation, the model found public information online and guessed credentials to access websites it thought were part of the test,” she said.Google said it did not consider the unauthorized logins to rise to the level of misalignment, the AI industry term for software going rogue or not following instructions. Instead, the company said the intrusions resulted from mistaken identity, where Gemini thought it was operating within a test but was actually connected to the real internet. Google said the model corrected itself and the company believed the intrusions did not cause any damage.“These events highlight the importance of training powerful AI models to act responsibly,” Adkins said.Fears about AI agents going rogue have spiked in recent months since OpenAI said in July that one of its agents had hacked an AI startup, Hugging Face. OpenAI has continued to disclose what it calls examples of other “unexpected or concerning” behavior by AI agents, and Anthropic has described similar behavior by its AI software, Claude.The OpenAI headquarters in San Francisco. Fears about AI agents going rogue have spiked in recent months. (David Paul Morris / Bloomberg via Getty Images)Sydney Von Arx, CEO of Nightingale Collective, an organization focused on AI safety, questioned why Google did not disclose the intrusions sooner.“At this point I think it’s clear we cannot expect companies to voluntarily come forward and publicly disclose when their agents go rogue, escape, and hack companies,” she said.She also said she believed Google was too hasty to say that the incidents don’t rise to the level of misalignment. “That’s exactly what Anthropic said after their incidents,” she said.Anthropic later said its “preliminary analysis was constrained due to our desire to disclose incidents in a timely manner.” Google said the company did not learn about the intrusions until July, when Irregular, an AI-focused cybersecurity company that was carrying out the tests on Gemini when the intrusions occurred, reviewed its work to look for incidents similar to the Hugging Face disclosure.Google said it then investigated, informed the organizations behind the websites of the intrusions and told federal authorities about the hacks.Irregular said it did not believe the incident to be a “sophisticated cyber action” and “there are no current open issues.” It said it planned to release a paper in a few weeks “to share best practices for containment and securely running cyber evals.”The intrusions were reported earlier Friday by The Wall Street Journal.AI safety concerns have now reached a fever pitch, with a handful of AI researchers resigning from their jobs and a diverse array of people calling for coordinated action to protect the security of vital systems. Those calls, though, have met with skepticism from the White House and in the Chinese government.This article was originally published on NBCNews.comThis article originally appeared on NBC News at https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/google-says-ai-model-gained-unauthorized-access-three-systems-rcna598651