The United States on Tuesday designated the Egyptian, Lebanese and Jordanian branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as global terrorists, citing in part what it called their support for Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

The move, which Washington formally set in motion last November, will bring sanctions against one of the Arab world’s oldest and most influential Islamist movements.

The Treasury said it was labelling the three chapters as specially designated global terrorists. It has accused the trio of supporting or encouraging violent attacks against Israel and US partners.

“Chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood purport to be legitimate civic organisations while, behind the scenes, they explicitly and enthusiastically support terrorist groups like Hamas,” the Treasury Department said in a statement.

Egypt’s foreign ministry welcomed the move, describing it as a “crucial step that reflects the gravity of the group and its extremist ideology and what it represents as a direct threat of regional and international security and stability”.

The Muslim Brotherhood’s Lebanese branch, also called Jama’a Islamiya, called the move a political and administrative decision by the United States that has no “legal impact within Lebanon”.

The Muslim Brotherhood won Egypt’s first free presidential election in 2012, but was overthrown by the military a year later after mass protests against its rule and has endured a fierce crackdown by authorities since then.

• FMs of Greenland, Denmark to meet US VP, Sec Rubio tomorrow.
• Greenland residents support Denmark ties, wary of US intervention.
• Danish, Greenlandic ministers seek diplomatic resolution with US.

Nuuk: Residents in Greenland’s snow-covered capital, Nuuk, expressed support for remaining part of Denmark and called for a pause in independence discussions ahead of high-level talks in Washington on Wednesday, as US President Donald Trump intensifies his interest in the Arctic island.

Greenlandic and Danish foreign ministers will meet US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Wednesday after renewed threats of taking control of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen reiterated Greenland’s commitment to Denmark, dismissing the prospect of becoming a US territory.

“We face a geopolitical crisis, and if we have to choose between the US and Denmark here and now, then we choose Denmark,” Nielsen told reporters in Copenhagen on Tuesday, standing alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. “We stand united in the Kingdom of Denmark.”

Greenland’s political landscape appears to be shifting, with leaders and residents focusing on long-term independence rather than immediate autonomy.

“In the current circumstances, I think it would be wise for Greenland to commit to Denmark for a very, very long time and remain under the NATO security umbrella,” said Finn Meinel, a Nuuk-based lawyer.

Some Greenlanders are worried about potential US intervention. Charlotte Heilmann, a pensioner in Nuuk, shared her reservations: “I can’t imagine living as an American. We are part of Denmark, and NATO, so I don’t understand why he keeps saying he wants to take our country.”

Casper Frank Moller, a tour operator, noted how US threats have brought Greenlanders closer together. “Last year, some people were still focused on fast independence. But after what has happened, there’s more unity among us because we have to stand against this possible annexation. Hopefully, tomorrow’s meeting will lead to a diplomatic solution.”

For us, it’s home

Greenland has been moving towards greater self-governance since 1979. However, cabinet minister Naaja Nathanielsen, responsible for business, energy and minerals, acknowledged there is no immediate rush.

“For others, this might be a piece of land, but for us, it’s home,” she said in London. Nathanielsen added that Greenlanders are content being part of Denmark and see themselves as allies of the US, not as Americans.

Trump’s administration has repeatedly claimed Greenland’s strategic importance to US national security. White House officials have been discussing various plans to bring Greenland under US control, including potential use of the US military and lump-sum payments to Greenlanders as part of a bid to convince them to secede from Denmark.

The hardest part is ahead

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt had requested the upcoming meeting in Washington in response to Trump’s remarks. Rasmussen emphasised the importance of addressing disputes diplomatically. “Our aim is to move the discussion into a meeting room where we can look each other in the eye,” he said.

Denmark, which has managed Greenland for centuries, faces growing pressure to bolster Arctic defences to counter geopolitical tensions. Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen plans to meet NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels next week, with multinational NATO exercises in Greenland scheduled by 2026.

Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen acknowledged the challenges presented by the heightened US interest. “It is hard to stand up to the US, our most important ally,” she said on Tuesday. “But the hardest part may still be ahead of us.”

• House panel moves to hold ex-president Bill Clinton in contempt.
• James Comer cites Epstein White House visits, Clinton flights.
• Clintons call subpoenas partisan, accuse probe of political motives.

Bill and Hillary Clinton on Tuesday refused to testify in a Republican-led congressional investigation of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, saying it was a partisan exercise.

“Every person has to decide when they have seen or had enough and are ready to fight for this country, its principles and its people, no matter the consequences,” the Clintons wrote in a letter to Republican Representative James Comer, who chairs the House of Representatives Oversight Committee. “For us, now is that time.”

Comer said the committee will meet next week to hold former Democratic President Bill Clinton in contempt. That could potentially lead to criminal charges.

A committee spokesperson said the panel will also begin contempt proceedings against Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, if she does not appear before the panel on Wednesday.

The Clintons said they had tried to provide what “little information” they had to help with the investigation and accused Comer of shifting focus away from the Trump administration’s actions. Epstein died in jail in 2019, during President Donald Trump’s first term in office, while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide.

“If the Government didn’t do all it could to investigate and prosecute these crimes, for whatever reason, that should be the focus of your work… There is no evidence that you are doing so,” the Clintons wrote.

“There is no plausible explanation for what you are doing other than partisan politics,” they said.

Epstein White House visits and flights

Comer said “most Americans” want Bill Clinton to answer questions about his ties to Epstein. The Kentucky Republican said Epstein visited the White House 17 times while Clinton was in office and that the former president had flown on Epstein’s plane some 27 times.

Clinton has expressed regret about the relationship and has said he knew nothing about Epstein’s criminal activity. No evidence has surfaced that Clinton was involved in sex trafficking.

“No one’s accusing Bill Clinton of any wrongdoing,” Comer said. “We just have questions.”

The US Justice Department has been releasing files tied to criminal probes of Epstein, who was once friends with Trump and the Clintons, in compliance with a transparency law passed by Congress.

A separate letter sent to the committee on Monday by the Clintons’ attorneys said the subpoenas for their testimony were invalid, unenforceable and “nothing more than a ploy to attempt to embarrass political rivals, as President Trump has directed.”