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Metro
6 days ago
- Metro
Moment Dutch Queen appears to mock Donald Trump caught on camera
President Donald Trump's photo op with Dutch royals took something of a strange turn during a NATO summit in The Hague this week. While cameras flashed and rolled, Queen Máxima was seemingly caught mocking the way that the US president speaks. The moment, now circulating widely online, occurred shortly after Trump arrived at the event and posed with the king and queen of the Netherlands outside the Huis ten Bosch Palace (Picture: Polling USA) Trump stood between King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, flashing a thumbs up and announcing to everyone, 'That's the picture we want!' The King kept things formal, responding, 'I hope you slept well.' Trump answered with a grin, 'It was great,' and offered up his thanks (Picture: Getty) As the exchange ended, Queen Máxima was seen turning toward the cameras - but not before appearing to mimic President Trump's mouth movements. That subtle moment has sparked online speculation that the queen was rather sardonically parodying the visiting US leader (Picture: PPE/SIPA/Shutterstock) Clips of the moment quickly spread across social media, where users chimed in with their takes on what they'd seen. 'This is hilarious! I've never been a fan of our stiff monarchy, but Queen Maxima rocks it! Treat him like a baby,' one Dutch user wrote on X (Picture: Polling USA) Others weighed in too, including media figures. CNN News 18 deputy editor Vani Mehrotra posted: 'Did she really do that? Queen Maxima of the Netherlands is believed to be mocking US President Donald Trump, per this video and social media comments' (Picture: PPE/SIPA/Shutterstock) The incident comes as Trump re-enters the global political arena, raising questions about how foreign leaders are reacting to his presence, as well as issues including the introduction of tariffs and the bombing of three key nuclear sites in Iran (Picture: Shutterstock) It's not the first time Trump has been at the center of a rather awkward NATO moment. Back in 2019, world leaders including Boris Johnson, Justin Trudeau and Emmanuel Macron were caught on camera appearing to joke about Trump's long press briefings during a London summit (Picture: NATO TV/AFP via Getty Images) At this week's summit in The Hague, NATO members signed off on a major pledge to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP over the next decade - a shift that could reshape the alliance's future priorities. That figure of 5% was one suggested quite forcefully by President Trump (Picture: Haiyun Jiang-Pool/Getty Images)
Metro
6 days ago
- Metro
This country will be underwater by 2050 — and citizens are entering a bleak competition to escape
Residents of an island described as an 'unspoiled corner of the Pacific' are bidding on tickets to escape their sinking homeland before it's too late. Some 2,600 miles west of Hawaii and more than 3,000 miles from mainland Australia, the island nation of Tuvalu faces an uncertain future. Scientists at Nasa have predicted that the majority of land and critical infrastructure in Tuvalu will sit below the current high tide level by 2050. The tiny Oceanic enclave is just 10 square miles, and, behind Vatican City, is the second least populated country in the world. But more than a third of residents on the island have now gambled on their future, entering a dystopian ballot for a climate visa, which would allow them to flee and permanently migrate to Australia. Only 280 visas will be awarded from a random ballot each year, distributed among the nation's 10,643 residents. The price of safety? £11.93 per ballot. The visa programme, spearheaded by Australia's Foreign Affairs Department, would provide permanent residency in Australia and the right to travel freely in and out of the country. Visa holders would also have access to Medicare (Australia's state-funded health system), childcare subsidies and the right to study at Aussie schools. Essentially, the visa is a golden ticket to a new life. At the same time, Australia and New Zealand have been funding construction in Tuvalu to fortify land being claimed by the sea and create new raised areas of land to tackle the threat of rising sea levels. The Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project is working to protect the country's rapidly shrinking shorelines, as waters continue to rise. Minister for Home Affairs, Climate Change, and Environment, Dr. Maina Vakafua Talia, said: 'We believe this work can provide valuable lessons for other atoll nations worldwide dealing with the adverse impacts of climate change.' But even as governments are working to save Tuvalu and essentially evacuate residents with ballot visas, the island nation is still being touted to tourists as an 'untouched corner of the Pacific'. The government's tourism board advertises the island as 'timeless', but the clock is ticking for Tuvalu, and other atoll nations. By 2050, scientists warn that around 80% of the Maldives could become uninhabitable. Male, the Maldivian capital which sits in the Indian Ocean, has been aware of the threat of rising sea levels, and has even reportedly begun building a floating city to deal with it. But rising sea levels still pose a serious threat and could submerge the city. The Netherlands is also sinking. It's no surprise – its lowest point is 22ft is below sea level. The Netherlands are part of the Low Countries, as they sit low, flat and close to the North Sea. But although the Dutch are known for their flood defence techniques, sea levels are currently rising more than twice as fast as they were in the 20th century. And they're in a better position than most of the Pacific nations facing climate change issues – each household in the Netherlands has $248,599 in net wealth, meaning they could easily move if the climate situation worsened. Wealth is a different question in the Pacific island nations, where much of the nation relies on industries like agriculture, fishing and tourism for a livelihood. check our news page.
Metro
6 days ago
- Metro
This island will be underwater by 2050 — and locals are competing to escape
Residents of an island described as an 'unspoiled corner of the Pacific' are bidding on tickets to escape their sinking homeland before it's too late. Some 2,600 miles west of Hawaii and more than 3,000 miles from mainland Australia, the island nation of Tuvalu faces an uncertain future. Scientists at Nasa have predicted that the majority of land and critical infrastructure in Tuvalu will sit below the current high tide level by 2050. The tiny Oceanic enclave is just 10 square miles, and, behind Vatican City, is the second least populated country in the world. But more than a third of residents on the island have now gambled on their future, entering a dystopian ballot for a climate visa, which would allow them to flee and permanently migrate to Australia. Only 280 visas will be awarded from a random ballot each year, distributed among the nation's 10,643 residents. The price of safety? £11.93 per ballot. The visa programme, spearheaded by Australia's Foreign Affairs Department, would provide permanent residency in Australia and the right to travel freely in and out of the country. Visa holders would also have access to Medicare (Australia's state-funded health system), childcare subsidies and the right to study at Aussie schools. Essentially, the visa is a golden ticket to a new life. At the same time, Australia and New Zealand have been funding construction in Tuvalu to fortify land being claimed by the sea and create new raised areas of land to tackle the threat of rising sea levels. The Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project is working to protect the country's rapidly shrinking shorelines, as waters continue to rise. Minister for Home Affairs, Climate Change, and Environment, Dr. Maina Vakafua Talia, said: 'We believe this work can provide valuable lessons for other atoll nations worldwide dealing with the adverse impacts of climate change.' But even as governments are working to save Tuvalu and essentially evacuate residents with ballot visas, the island nation is still being touted to tourists as an 'untouched corner of the Pacific'. The government's tourism board advertises the island as 'timeless', but the clock is ticking for Tuvalu, and other atoll nations. By 2050, scientists warn that around 80% of the Maldives could become uninhabitable. Male, the Maldivian capital which sits in the Indian Ocean, has been aware of the threat of rising sea levels, and has even reportedly begun building a floating city to deal with it. But rising sea levels still pose a serious threat and could submerge the city. More Trending The Netherlands is also sinking. It's no surprise – its lowest point is 22ft is below sea level. The Netherlands are part of the Low Countries, as they sit low, flat and close to the North Sea. But although the Dutch are known for their flood defence techniques, sea levels are currently rising more than twice as fast as they were in the 20th century. And they're in a better position than most of the Pacific nations facing climate change issues – each household in the Netherlands has $248,599 in net wealth, meaning they could easily move if the climate situation worsened. Wealth is a different question in the Pacific island nations, where much of the nation relies on industries like agriculture, fishing and tourism for a livelihood. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Keir Starmer: Even in summer, I'm working to bring energy bills down MORE: The UK is now 20 times more likely to see a 40°C summer MORE: I love living in London — but it sucks in the summer
