| "It's clear that the president has this wish of conquering Greenland, and we made it very, very clear that this is not in the interest of the kingdom." So said Danish foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen following a meeting with US officials yesterday. The kingdom in question is Denmark and the president is, of course, Donald Trump. Rasmussen and Greenlandic foreign minister Vivian Motzfeldt had travelled to the White House to address consistent comments from Trump and others that the US plans to "acquire" their territory. Rasmussen stressed that he wanted to lower the temperature and that talks with his country's long-term ally were constructive. But he made it plain that "fundamental disagreement" remains. And sure enough, Trump's imperialist rhetoric has already resumed. The situation raises many questions. Why does Trump see his claim on Greenland as legitimate? What has made him make a play now? And what can Denmark's allies in Europe do about it all? Ian Manners, whose specialisms include EU relations with Denmark, explains that the world can currently be viewed and analysed within four broad frameworks, each of which helps us understand what is happening with Greenland. But in Manners' view, only one of the four frameworks offers a path forward. Unrest continues in Iran, where some reports suggest hundreds (and maybe even thousands) of protesters have been killed by the government in the past two weeks. Given the repressive nature of the regime in Tehran, it's notoriously difficult to gauge public opinion on anything. Why, after all, would you risk your life to take part in a survey? Yet a team of academics has been able to carry out large-scale polling without jeopardising the safety of their participants. They've found that there is consistent majority support for regime change. In fact, roughly 70–80% of people across ages say they would not vote for the Islamic Republic. But, in a sign of the difficulties to come if the government were to be toppled, there is very little consensus on what should happen next. After years of negotiation, the EU is on the brink of signing a landmark free-trade deal with the South American Mercosur bloc (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay). French farmers are protesting but many others are convinced it's a good deal. What will change and who will be the winners and losers as this massive trade agreement finally comes into effect? All explained here. And as concern grows about the trade of cocaine in Europe, we're looking at the role money laundering plays in this illicit economy –– and what money laundering actually entails. | 
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