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The Newshour team is in Taiwan covering the presidential election. We hear reaction to the victory of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's leader, William Lai. He's promised to protect the island from Chinese intimidation. We discuss the implications for relations with China who still see Taiwan as part of their territory.Also on the programme, on the hundredth day of the war with Israel and Hamas, we talk to one woman with relatives still held hostage in Gaza. And we go to Denmark where Queen Margrethe is signing the official declaration of her abdication.(Photo: Supporters of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as they celebrate during a rally, following the victory of William Lai Ching-te in the presidential elections, in Taipei, Taiwan. Credit: Reuters)

The ruling Democratic Progressive Party's leader William Lai is set to become Taiwan's next president after winning the election. In his victory speech he said he hoped Beijing would understand that "only peace" would benefit both sides. China, which claims the island as its own, has insisted Taiwan's reunification with the mainland is inevitable and hasn't ruled out using force. Also on the programme: US President Joe Biden says he has sent a private message to Iran about the Houthis in Yemen following US airstrikes against the group; and we investigate whether social media was manipulated to influence the recent elections in Serbia. (Picture: William Lai gestures during a rally after winning the presidential elections in Taiwan. Credit: DANIEL CENG/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

William Lai, the candidate from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), is set to be Taiwan's next president, after his closest rival, the opposition Kuomintang, conceded defeat.Lai has been labelled a ‘troublemaker’ by China, while the Kuomintang (KMT) had promised better ties with Beijing and peace in the Taiwan Strait. Also in the programme: As this weekend marks 100 days since the Hamas attacks of 7 October, we revisit the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza; and hear about the Cup of Nations, Africa's leading football tournament, which kicks off in Ivory Coast today. (Picture: Taiwan President-elect William Lai holds a press conference, following the victory in the presidential elections. Credit: Reuters)

US-UK military strikes targeted Houthi positions including command centres, munitions depots and air defence systems. The Houthis say the attacks in Yemen will not go without 'punishment or retaliation'. The Iran-backed group has pledged to continue attacking ships in the Red Sea.Also on the programme: at the International Court of Justice, Israel rejects South African accusations that it's committing genocide in Gaza; and we hear from the Ecuadorean president after the US announces it's sending law enforcement officers to the country to deal with gang related violence.(Image: Supporters of the Houthi movement rally to denounce air strikes launched by the U.S. and Britain on Houthi targets in Sanaa, Yemen, on 12 January 2024. Credit: Reuters/Khaled Abdullah)

For the last three months or so, Yemen's Houthi militia have been attacking commercial ships sailing through the Red Sea. Early on Friday, the US and UK military hit back. We'll hear from a Houthi supporter how the militia may now respond. Also on the programme: Israel argues its case at the International Court of Justice against the charge of genocide in Gaza by South Africa; and Newshour's Celia Hatton is in Taiwan as people there prepare to vote in an election with huge significance for relations with China. (Photo: RAF Typhoons launched from RAF Akrotiri to conduct strikes against Yemen's Houthi rebels, who have been targeting merchant vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden with missiles and drones; Credit: MoD Crown Copyright via Getty Images)

Israel's prime minister has described accusations of genocide against his government as being based on hypocrisy and lies. Benjamin Netanyahu was speaking after South Africa began a case at the International Court of Justice, alleging that Israel was attempting to destroy Gaza. Mr Netanyahu said listening to the first day of arguments was like being in "an upside down world". He insisted that his country was in fact battling genocide by Hamas. Israel will outline its defence at the court in The Hague on Friday. Also in the programme: Iran seizes an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman; and Germany’s Chancellor condemns alleged far-right meeting. (Photo: Members of the Israeli delegation hold a press conference after the end of the genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). CREDIT: EPA/ROBIN UTRECHT)

Lawyers for the South African government have told the court that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and wants to destroy the territory. We'll hear a response from the Israeli government and examine the potential impact of the case. Also in the programme: two of Sweden's most senior defence officials are urging the country to prepare itself for the possibility of war with Russia; and the extra-ordinary new plants and fungi discovered by scientists last year. (Photo: South Africa's Minister of Justice, Ronald Lamola, speaking to the press outside the International Court of Justice following the first day of the case accusing Israel of genocide)

The president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, has said that his country is at a state of war after the deadly attacks, kidnappings and prison riots that shocked the country in the past few days. The government says the violence is a reaction to the president's plan to build a new high security prison for gang leaders. We hear from Esteban Torres Cobo, a vice-minister in the government. Also on the programme: the daughter of the Nigerian megachurch leader TB Joshua tells us how she too became of a victim of his abuse; and the Oregon school teacher who found the panel that blew off an Alaska Airlines planes in his back garden.(Image: Police officers stand outside of El Inca prison amid the ongoing wave of violence around the nation in Quito, Ecuador, on 10 January 2024. Credit: Reuters/Toro)

The armed forces in Ecuador say there will be no negotiations with the criminal gangs behind a wave of violence. President Daniel Noboa authorised the military to "neutralise" a number of armed groups after gunmen stormed a television studio in Guayaquil during a live broadcast. Also today: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken talks to the Palestinian Authority as Israel continues to pound Gaza; and how a TV drama sparked calls for justice and forced the British government to make changes in the real world.(Photo: Soldiers in an armoured vehicle patrol the city's historic centre following an outbreak of violence a day after Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency following the disappearance of Adolfo Macias, leader of the Los Choneros criminal gang, from the prison where he was serving a 34-year sentence, in Quito, Ecuador, January 9, 2024. Credit: REUTERS/Karen Toro TPX)

Global average temperatures for 2023 were the hottest ever recorded according to figures from the European climate monitoring organisation, Copernicus.Also in the programme: Ecuador gripped by gang violence; and US Senator Chris Van Hollen on the Israel/Gaza war.(Picture: Extreme hot weather and high ocean temperatures in Florida, Miami Beach, USA - 30 Jul 2023. Credit: Photo by CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)