NATO members weigh up response to Trump's plans for Greenland | Midday News Bulletin 22 January 2026

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NATO members weigh up their response to Donald Trump's plans for Greenland; the future of the National-Liberal Coalition partnership in jeopardy after mass resignations; and in basketball, former NBL player AJ Ogilvy has publicly revealed he is gay.


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TRANSCRIPT

  • NATO members weigh up their response to Donald Trump's plans for Greenland
  • The future of the National-Liberal Coalition partnership in jeopardy after mass resignations
  • Former NBL player AJ Ogilvy has publicly revealed he is gay

Denmark's Foreign Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, says negotiations on the transfer of Greenland to the US are out of the question.

US President Donald Trump says he no longer plans to impose tariffs on European countries that opposed his ambitions to acquire Greenland.

In a speech before world leaders at Davos, Mr Trump also ruled out taking Greenland by force.

After the Davos speech and a meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte, Mr Trump posted a statement on social media, declaring he had reached a framework on acquiring Greenland, without providing details.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told Fox News that the issue of Greenland's sovereignty did not come up in the meeting.

"That issue did not come up anymore in my conversations with the President. We very much focussed on what do we need to do to make sure the huge Arctic region - where are the Chinese and Russians are more and more active. How can we protect it? That was really the focus of our discussions."

UK Defence Secretary John Healey says NATO members are weighing up their response.

"The right approach to Greenland is a calm approach, an approach of discussion between allies. And I take President Trump's speech and his words today as part and parcel of the necessary steps that we take. But as defence ministers, our job and part of our discussions today has been the challenge that we have already been stepping up to play our part in reinforcing security in the High North and the Arctic. That is a matter for NATO."

---

The future of the coalition is in doubt, as Opposition Leader Sussan Ley urges Nationals leader David Littleproud not to resign over the new hate speech laws that passed parliament this week.

Ms Ley accepted the resignation of three Nationals yesterday, but refused to accept eight others, including Mr Littleproud.

The Nationals leader says the tight timeframe meant the normal joint partyroom processes could not be observed but throughout National MPs have communicated clearly their position on the hate speech laws.

He says Ms Ley should have handled the matter better.

"But I sent a letter advising Sussan Ley that if she accepted those resignations, because it would not be appropriate to, given the circumstances we had then the entire ministry would resign. We are not offering our resignation for her to accept, we are tendering our resignation."

---

Flags are being flown at half-mast, as the nation mourns the 15 people killed in December's Bondi terror attack.

As part of a National Day of Mourning, the public is being urged to observe a minute's silence at 7:01 pm, Canberra local time.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has shared a message of grief and hope as commemorations commence.

"It is a solemn opportunity for every Australian to stand with the Jewish community and remember the 15 lives stolen in this deadly attack."

---

Authorities are frantically working to keep surfers and swimmers safe from shark encounters, after a horror 48 hours in which four people were bitten on beaches along New South Wales.

Two people are in hospital in a critical condition.

Meanwhile, calls grow for a shark cull or major overhaul to beach safety protocols.

Senior Marine Life Ranger, David Baxter, has told Channel 9 swimmers and surfers must educate themselves on the conditions for shark activity - including the season, location and weather.

"We know from experience and research that there are certain elements around before a shark encounter happens. Like the attack that unfortunately happened here. Overcast day, drizzly, the estuary next door, the creek was overflowing, the storm water drain. All those things were there, so if there are more than a few elements there I would go, 'you know what, I'm not going to chance it.'"

---

In basketball, former NBL player AJ Ogilvy has publicly revealed he is gay, on the eve of the league's fourth Pride Round.

The former Sydney King and Illawarra Hawk disclosed his story in an interview with Isaac Humphries, who became the NBL's first openly gay player in 2022.

Ogilvy says it was the shifting social attitudes that helped support him to make the decision to come out publicly.

"Part of it is I viewed it as just my business. But the world shifted probably between our generations. When marriage equality rolled around, I was very vocal around that, while still note publicly saying I am a gay man. I just didn't have the personality you have. I don't think I could have carried it the way that you do. I think for a long time, it was I want to be a basketballer. To be a basketballer, I had to be this, I had to present as straight. I have to not show this side of my personality, so."


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