NewsHour

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says "Europe won't be blackmailed", as she and other European leaders continue to weigh their response to US President Donald Trump's tariff threats over Greenland. Trump says he will impose new taxes on eight European nations, including Denmark, in February if they oppose his proposed takeover of Greenland.

Also on the programme: The Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have agreed an immediate ceasefire after nearly two weeks of fighting; and we hear about revolutionary treatment for people with an aggressive form of leukaemia, or blood cancer, which is being offered to patients in the UK.

(Photo: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen speaks at a press conference in Copenhagen, Denmark on the 13th of January 13, 2026. Credit: Liselotte Sabroe/Ritzau Scanpix/via REUTERS)

European Union ambassadors will hold an emergency meeting later today in Brussels to discuss their response to Mr Trump's threat of tariffs on European countries opposing his plan to acquire Greenland. The US president has said that he will introduce a 10% levy on goods produced by eight countries.

We speak to the former foreign minister of Germany, Annalena Baerbock.

Also in the programme: government forces make advances after two weeks of fighting in Syria; and the world's only nocturnal parrot comes back from the brink of extinction.

(Photo: woman waves a Greenlandic flag during protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's annexation demands on January 17, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Marko Djurica).

Donald Trump says he'll impose 10% tariffs on eight European allies including Germany, France, Britain, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and the Netherlands who are opposed to his plan to purchase Greenland. These would come into force from February 1st and remain in place until a deal is done on the autonomous Danish territory. Trump said the levies would go up to 25% from June 1st. The US president says the vast Arctic Island is critical to America's national security.

Also in the programme: We hear from Uganda's sports minister on President Museveni's re-election; and more reaction to the appointment of a Gaza "Board of Peace."

(Picture: US President, Donald Trump. Credit: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo)

Uganda’s opposition leader, Bobi Wine, has urged his supporters to hold non- violent protests following presidential elections on Thursday. In a video posted on X, Wine questioned the credibility of the vote, saying results could not be verified after members of his party were arrested amid an ongoing internet shutdown.

Also in the programme: the new ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza; and US politicians visit Denmark amid tensions over Greenland.

(Photo: A man cycles past a campaign billboard of Uganda's President, following the general elections in Kampala, Uganda January 16, 2026. CREDIT: REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya)

Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's last shah (king), has pledged to return and lead his country into democracy. We speak to one of his supporters.

Also on the programme: Ugandan opposition leader and presidential candidate Bobi Wine has been forcibly removed from his house and taken to an unknown location in an army helicopter, according to his party; and there is growing excitement in Morocco, as the hosts approach the final of the football Africa Cup of Nations.

(Photo: Reza Pahlavi calls for regime change in Iran at the National Press Club in Washington. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

President Xi Jinping stressed that both sides should respect each other's sovereignty and integrity. Canadian PM Mark Carney described China as a realistic and respectful trading partner. He added that it was also more predictable than Washington. We explore what this signifies for the world.

Also on the programme: Iran's most prominent historian, Ervand Abrahamian, assesses the current wave of protests which have engulfed the country. And Helen Macdonald, the author of the much-loved memoir, and forthcoming movie, "H Is For Hawk," discusses nature, mourning and the difficulties of seeing yourself portrayed onscreen.

(Picture: Canada's PM Mark Carney and China's President Xi Jinping. Credit: Reuters)

Nato soldiers are arriving in Greenland as the Trump administration continues to insist that the US must own the island. We hear from a former senior French Nato official.

Also in the programme: Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corina Machado meets President Trump; and Rome's new speed limit comes into force.

(Picture: A Royal Danish Air Force plane carrying personnel in military fatigues lands at Nuuk airport Greenland, January 14, 2026. Credit: Reuters)

The Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has said his government has no plans to hang people arrested for taking part in protests. President Trump has threatened to take "very strong action" should Iran begin carrying out executions, but later said he had been told on good authority that the killing of protesters had stopped.

Also in the programme: Nato troops start arriving in Greenland as the Trump administration underlines its ambition to own the island, the BBC uncovers evidence of a split in the upper echelons of the Taliban in Afghanistan; and the writer Julian Barnes will be discussing AI and his last ever novel!

(Photo: President Triump. Credit: Getty Images)

The foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland say there's still a fundamental disagreement with the United States over Greenland, after high- level talks in Washington they described as frank but constructive. Denmark's Lars Løkke Rasmussen said it was absolutely not necessary for the US to seize Greenland. He also insisted that there was no immediate threat from China or Russia. President Trump earlier said the US needed the autonomous Danish territory for national security and anything less than complete US control was 'unacceptable'. The Trump administration has not ruled out taking Greenland by force.

Also in the programme: how Ukrainians are coping with repeated Russian assaults on energy infrastructure; and music from the Indian composer known as the Mozart of Madras.

(Photo: A ship sails outside Nuuk's harbour, Greenland, January 13, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Marko Djurica)

Relatives of 26-year-old Erfan Soltani, who was detained last week, told BBC Persian he was due to be executed today. It is unclear whether this has taken place. A representative from the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights also told the BBC that they had never witnessed a case move so quickly.

Also on the programme: China has announced a record trade surplus despite the US's tariffs; and we hear from the organiser of Australia's largest free festival, Adelaide Writers' Week, which was called off because of a row over censorship.

(Photo: Undated image of Erfan Soltani. Credit: Hengaw Organization for Human Rights/X)