Morning Bird: Denmark strengthens its army in Greenland, Trump is preparing an expansion there. The economic situation in Bohemia has been improving for three years now
Denmark is strengthening its military presence in Greenland at a time when President-elect Donald Trump of the USA labeled the country as an area for expansion. The financial situation of Czechs is improving according to long-term surveys. Protests are taking place in Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime due to an attack on a Christmas tree of a Christian minority. A crocodile known from the movie screen died, he was over 90 years old.
Trump wants to expand into Greenland, Danes are strengthening their army here
The Danish government announced a huge increase in defense spending for Greenland a few hours after elected US President Donald Trump reiterated his desire to buy this Arctic territory. Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the package represents a "double-digit figure" in Danish crowns, at least 1.5 billion dollars (approximately 33 billion CZK).
He referred to the timing of the announcement as an "irony of fate". On Monday, Trump claimed that ownership and control of the huge island is an "absolute necessity" for the USA. Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, is home to a large American space facility and is strategically important to the US as it is on the shortest route from North America to Europe. It also has large reserves of mineral raw materials, the BBC wrote.
Czech household incomes have been rising for three consecutive years
This year, 32% of Czechs report that they have experienced financial success, compared to approximately a quarter of the people in the country last year, according to a survey reported by the CTK agency. The financial situation of Czechs has been improving for three years in a row in other measured indicators as well.
"The current financial situation among Czechs is improving, but surveys and our internal data also indicate that people are still cautious. They behave more reasonably, thinking about their investments, creating financial cushions and not borrowing for unnecessary things,"
The survey was commented on by the chief analyst of Provident Financial, Petr Javůrek, who was involved in its processing.
Protests in Syria against the burning of a Christmas tree
Two weeks after the dramatic overthrow of dictator Bashar al-Assad, demonstrators took to the streets all over Syria on Tuesday to protest against the burning of a Christmas tree. Protests emerged after a video spread on social networks showing two masked men setting a Christmas tree on fire on Monday evening in the main square of the town of Sukaylabiya in Hama province, where mainly Christians live.
In footage on social media, masked men can be seen dousing a Christmas tree with an unknown liquid the night before Christians in Syria were preparing to celebrate Christmas Eve. It was unclear whether they were trying to extinguish a fire or assist in its spread. In videos of the aftermath of the fire, a religious leader of the ruling rebel group HTS reassured the gathered crowds that the tree would be repaired by morning, BBC reported.
Crocodile known from the big screen died
Burt, a huge crocodile who gained fame in the film Crocodile Dundee and who still amazes visitors with his temperamental nature and dominance, has died. Burt passed away over the weekend, according to the Crocosaurus Cove reptile aquarium in Darwin, Australia. He was at least 90 years old.
Burt was a saltwater crocodile, and his length was estimated to be more than 5 meters. He was caught in the 1980s in the Reynolds River and became one of the most famous crocodiles in the world, according to Crocosaurus Cove, AP agency reported.
Sources: AP, BBC, CTK
