Donald Trump considers the use of the US military to acquire Greenland | Midday News Bulletin 7 January 2026

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Donald Trump considers the use of the US military as a potential option to acquire Greenland; Australia set to experience the worst heatwave since the black summer bushfires; and in tennis, Australia advances to the United Cup quarter-finals.


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TRANSCRIPT
  • Donald Trump considers the use of the US military as a potential option to acquire Greenland
  • Australia set to experience the worst heatwave since the black summer bushfires
  • And in tennis, Australia advances to the United Cup quarter-finals
The White House says President Donald Trump is considering the potential use of the US military to acquire Greenland.

In a statement, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says the use of US troops is among the range of options on Greenland that is being considered by Mr Trump and his team.

Greenland has repeatedly said it does not want to be part of the United States.

Republican Congressman Don Bacon has told CNN that the Trump administration's approach on Greenland needs to change.

"So they're (Greenland is) a proven ally. The way we are treating them is really demeaning. And it has no upside. All it does is make our NATO allies angry. It is creating distrust. We're NATO allies. We have bases there - we could build on that. So this is one of the silliest things I have heard come out of the White House in the last year. And it is unacceptable. And I hope other Republicans line up behind me - and make it clear to the White House that it is wrong."

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Colombia's Foreign Minister says she is prepared to defend the country and its people, if there were any military action against Colombia by the United States.

The statements come days after the audacious US military operation in Venezuela that captured Nicolás Maduro.

US President Donald Trump has since made threats of similar military action in Colombia for what he has described as the country's involvement in the global sale of cocaine.

Colombia's Foreign Minister, Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio, says officials will meet with the U-S ambassador in Bogota to present a formal complaint over the recent threats.

"We have also been clear that the defense of our sovereignty—for which we have a highly trained, well-prepared army under the command of the head of state, President Gustavo Petro—will have to defend our populations, should that situation arise, which we hope will not be the case."

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Australians are being urged to heed fire warnings as a severe heatwave pushes temperatures to levels not seen since the Black Summer bushfires.

The Bureau of Meteorology says the South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT and New South Wales are forecast to endure oppressive heat into the weekend.

The bureau's Miriam Bradbury say the conditions could be the most extreme since the 2019–20 bushfire season, which killed more than 30 people and burned millions of hectares.

"We can see plenty of clear skies across much of western, southern and eastern Australia. It will be hot though we've got a low pressure trough moving east from Western Australia, and that's going to drive significant heat across those southern and south eastern states, with severe heat waves, building."

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Renters received no relief in 2025 as tightening vacancy rates drove prices ever higher.

Rents rose 5.2 per cent over the year, pushing the national median to $681 a week, property data firm Cotality revealed in its latest Quarterly Rental Review released this week.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, renters have experienced a dramatic deterioration in affordability.

The data from Cotality shows the rental index surged by 42.9 per cent over the past five years, amounting to an extra $204 per week to the median rental value, .

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In Tennis, Alex de Minaur has made the call to sit out a Davis Cup tie for the first time since debuting for Australia almost a decade ago.

De Minaur will miss Australia's qualifying tie against Ecuador next month, the week after the Australian Open final in Melbourne.

The 26-year-old says dealing with a chronic hip injury over the last year, means he is listening closely to his body's signals on what his capacity is at the moment.

Australia has advanced to the quarter-finals of the United Cup, after beating the Czech Republic.

Alex de Minaur says it was a great partnership, playing with Storm Hunter.

"I obviously played a pretty good level in the singles. And you know, I just wanted to fulfil my dream to play mixed doubles with Storm Hunter. Yes."

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