GREENLAND: Prime Minster Mute Bourup Egede said today that “Greenland is ours” and cannot be taken or bought.

The declaration came in defiance of a message from US President Donald Trump, who said he intends to acquire the territory “one way or another” — even though his administration supports the Arctic island’s right of self-determination.

SOUTH SUDAN: South Sudanese soldiers surrounded Vice-President Riek Machar’s home in the capital today, arresting several of his allies after an armed group allied to him overran an army base in the country’s north.

Mr Machar, whose political rivalry with President Salva Kiir has in the past exploded into civil war, said last month that the firing of several of his allies from posts in the government threatened the 2018 peace deal between him and Mr Kiir that ended a five-year civil war.

TUNISIA: A Tunisian court opened a high-profile trial on Tuesday in which 40 people, including leading opposition figures, stand accused of conspiring against state security. Activists protested outside, calling it a baseless case and part of a politically driven crackdown.

In addition to opposition politicians, the accused include former diplomats, business leaders, journalists, lawyers and human rights defenders, with some spending more than two years in pre-trial detention. 

PAKISTAN: Bannu, in north-western Pakistan, observed a day of mourning today after a twin suicide bombing targeted a military base and killed 18 people, including five soldiers on Tuesday.

A group linked with the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing in Bannu, which also left 42 wounded, some critically. Jihadists have targeted the city in the past.