Latest news with #Greenlandic
Epoch Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Epoch Times
If US, Europe Don't Move on Greenland's Minerals, the Island Could Partner With China: Minister
A Greenlandic official has raised the stakes in the contest for its minerals, suggesting that the Danish territory could turn to China if the United States and Europe do not move fast enough. Greenland's minister for mineral resources, Naaja Nathanielsen, hinted at that possibility in an interview with the Financial Times published on May 27.
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Inuit mother in Denmark suffers pain of separation from child
Zammi was only two hours old when Danish social workers separated her from her mother, an Indigenous Inuit woman deemed unfit to raise the child after a contested parental aptitude test. The baby's mother, Keira Alexandra Kronvold, clearly remembers that day in November 2024. "I breastfed her. I prepared a bag for her journey. Her clothes... teddy bear. It smelled of me," she told AFP. "And a letter... A letter to foster parents saying 'her name is Zammi' and begging them to take care of my daughter. Protect her," she continued through sobs. Since then, Kronvold, 38, only has the right to see her daughter for one hour a week, under supervision. She says the decision to remove her child is because of her Greenlandic heritage. Denmark has fraught relations with the native peoples of Greenland, the Arctic island it rules as an autonomous territory recently in the spotlight after US President Donald Trump's threats to seize it. Danish authorities have previously faced backlash for an experiment that took Greenlandic children from their families in the 1950s to socialise them in Denmark, and for forcing thousands of Inuit women to use IUD contraceptive devices from the 1960s to 1990s. It is unclear how many Inuit children have been taken from mothers deemed unfit in parental aptitude tests in Denmark. But children born to Greenlandic parents are five to seven times more likely to be taken by social services than children born to Danish parents, according to a 2022 study. AFP was unable to view the decision in Kronvold's case, and Danish social services do not comment on individual cases. "I don't drink, I don't use drugs, I don't have any illnesses," said Kronvold, who works in a fish processing factory. According to reports in Danish media, which have obtained copies of the document, the municipality of Thisted believes that as a Greenlander, Kronvold "will have difficulty preparing the child for the expectations and instil social codes necessary to thrive in Danish society". While pregnant, she had to take a parental competence test, called "FKU". "A lot of the time these examinations happen for really good reasons," Ditte Munch-Jurisic, an associate professor at Copenhagen University, told AFP. But they are discriminatory, she said. "These tests have been developed in Western countries, with Western subjects, so this means that you'll always be at a disadvantage if you have a minority background," she said. In Kronvold's case, the tests were conducted without an interpreter, even though Danish is not her native language. The exam is largely based on images the subject is asked to evaluate. "There are many misinterpretations from parents," said Laila Bertelsen, president of MI, an association that supports Greenlandic parents whose children have been placed in foster care. "If you don't know what Santa's elves look like or a certain type of horse depicted in the images, you might end up describing something completely different, perhaps based on Greenlandic myths." Starting on May 1, the Danish government prohibited the use of "FKU" tests to evaluate parents of Greenlandic origin. But the decision in Zammi's case still stands. Reuniting a child with their parent after placement requires "significant improvements in conditions for the parents or the child", Lars Sloth, the municipality's director of social services, told AFP. It also includes evaluating "if returning home is in the best interest of the child", he added. Kronvold's lawyer has appealed against the decision, but the appeal was denied in the first instance. "They believe there are reasons to think that Keira cannot take on her responsibilities," said the lawyer, Jeanette Gjorret. The ordeal has brought back painful memories for Kronvold. Before Zammi, she had two other children, who were both placed in care following an initial "FKU" test nearly 11 years ago. "If you are in this system, if you get pregnant, you get two choices: forced abortion or child removal," said Kronvold, who was raised in western Greenland and has lived in Denmark for 18 years. "A previous placement decision can be a significant factor in the evaluation regarding a newborn or an unborn child," Sloth said, while stressing that each case is studied individually. Nolan, Kronvold's 11-year-old son, lives with his grandparents and father. Her eldest, Zoe, is now 20 years old. Zoe recently accompanied her mother to the Danish Parliament to try to gather support. She was nine years old when she was placed in care, severing her from her roots. "She wasn't allowed to talk about me," Kronvold said, adding that when her daughter would say she wanted to go back to her mother, she was told "to go talk to the dog". Today, her daughter struggles to embrace her Greenlandic roots. "She is confused about her identity. She looks like a Greenlander. But she was raised to be Danish," Kronvold said. cbw/ef/jll/jhb
Local Norway
5 days ago
- Politics
- Local Norway
Norway 'in solidarity' with Greenland and Denmark after US threats
Trump has repeatedly said the US needs the strategically located, resource-rich Arctic island for security reasons, and has refused to rule out the use of force to secure it. "You can be fully certain that we stand by you and by Denmark in solidarity," Store told Greenland's prime minister at a meeting of Nordic prime ministers in Turku, Finland. "We will say this message everywhere, if it's asked in Washington or Brussels or Beijing or everywhere else," he said. "The Arctic is a regulated area. The Law of the Sea applies, the responsibility of coastal states applies, and we will stand by any community that is feeling pressure on those values," Store said. Danish and Greenlandic leaders have insisted that the autonomous territory, where a majority are in favour of independence in the long term, must decide its own future, and have repeatedly said Washington "will never get Greenland". Trump's threats to take over the island have sparked jitters in other parts of the far north, including in Iceland and Norway's Svalbard archipelago. In addition to Trump, Beijing and Moscow have also become increasingly active in the Arctic as climate change opens up sea routes. Advertisement "Iceland is just below Greenland. We are a small country," Iceland's Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir said. "It's very important for us that there's a strong message from this region that international law is abided by, and that might makes right doesn't become the rule of law," she said.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Greenland grants 30-year anorthosite mining licence to Greenland Anorthosite Mining
Greenland Anorthosite Mining, a Greenlandic mineral exploration company, has been granted a 30-year exploitation licence by the Government of Greenland for anorthosite mining at Piiaaffik Itersarmiut Allit, north-east of Qeqertarsuatsiaat in west Greenland. This development follows a series of investments in the project, including in the mineral resource estimate and several metallurgical studies to plan and verify the resource processing. The mining initiative has included extensive logistical planning and research to develop economic studies and impact assessments focusing on social and environmental factors. The development is backed by the collaboration between Greenlanders, the Greenland Anorthosite Mining team and investors from French investment firm the Jean Boulle Group. The investors include state investment funds from Greenland and Denmark, the Greenlandic Pension Fund SISA and the Danish SIFI (systemically important financial institution) bank Arbejdernes Landsbank. Greenland Anorthosite Mining chairman Wayne Malouf said: 'I am pleased the Ministry of Mineral Resources shares our vision of the economic and social potential that this project presents. We are proud to pave the way for responsible natural resource development in Greenland after a sustained investment in patient and diligent activities during the preceding 20 years. 'The project will generate significant benefits for the local community and support the region's economic and social development for many years by facilitating the responsible supply of raw materials to serve global customers.' Anorthosite is a grey-white rock composed mainly of aluminium, silicium and calcium. Greenland Anorthosite Mining's anorthosite resource was discovered by the Jean Boulle Group's exploration team in Fiskenæsset on Greenland's west coast. Analysis by technical mining consultancy SRK and analytics company ALS has confirmed that the material from the company's deposit is of exceptionally high quality, with notably low alkali content, making it ideal for use in E-glass. This material is crucial for the transport, construction and green energy sectors, which are experiencing significant growth. The mining and processing of anorthosite is noted for its simplicity and low energy consumption, resulting in no harmful waste. Furthermore, anorthosite facilitates the production of fibreglass and aluminium through processes that are considerably more environmentally friendly than conventional production methods, which typically utilise materials such as kaolin and bauxite. The beneficiation by-products include crushed rock, which can be used in road building or stored safely, and minor metallic by-products that are sought after for recycling. Greenland, which is considered abundant in minerals, oil and natural gas, has long been regarded as a potential resource frontier and has attracted international attention since US President Donald Trump indicated an interest in acquiring it earlier this year, reported Reuters. "Greenland grants 30-year anorthosite mining licence to Greenland Anorthosite Mining" was originally created and published by Mining Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Greenland wants more out of US defence agreement, minister says
By Lili Bayer BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Greenland wants to benefit more from a defence deal struck decades ago with the United States, the territory's foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, told Reuters on Thursday while also calling for closer cooperation with the European Union. U.S. President Donald Trump has floated the idea of acquiring Greenland, refusing to rule out taking the island by force. The idea has been rebuffed both by leaders in Greenland and Denmark, which governs the island. A 1951 agreement between the U.S. and Denmark gave the U.S. the right to move around freely and construct military bases in Greenland as long as Denmark and Greenland are notified. "We want to get more out of this agreement," Greenland's Motzfeldt said in an interview, adding that Greenland wants to expand cooperation with the U.S. on climate change, education and business. The minister, who was visiting Brussels for talks with senior EU officials, also said that Greenland wants to build stronger ties to the bloc and diversify its economy. "We want to have more bilateral and direct cooperation with the EU," she said, noting that she wants the relationship to be more visible and pointing to critical minerals as an area of cooperation. Greenland and the EU signed a memorandum of understanding in 2023 on a strategic partnership to develop sustainable raw materials value chains. In March, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, on a visit to Greenland which stoked deep unease, accused Denmark of not doing a good job keeping the island safe and suggested the United States would better protect it. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said this month the people of Greenland should be able to make their own choices free from external pressure. "Under the circumstances of what [is] happening in the United States, we have the EU that stands for us," Motzfeldt said. "The future of Greenland is up to the Greenlandic people," she said.
