World Business Report

Leaders of European countries have reacted angrily to the threat of additional tariffs by the US. Donald Trump says he'll first put 10% then 25% extra import tax on nine countries including Germany, France and the UK as he increases the pressure on his claim for Greenland to be sold by Denmark to the United States.
China reports 5% GDP growth, but weak demand and falling birth rates signal deeper challenges for the world’s second-largest economy.
And winners crowned on and off the pitch at football's African Cup of Nations.

Presenter - Bisi Adebayo
Editor - Justin Bones

China and Canada strike a trade deal after a high stakes meeting between the Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Xi.
And Europe and South America sign a trade deal after twenty five years. The EU-Mercosur agreement will require the approval of the European parliament within the next few months.
(Picture: Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney receives flowers upon his arrival in Beijing on January 14, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Carlos Osorio)

The agreement, between the South American trade bloc Mercosur and the European Union which is set to be signed this weekend, has been 25 years in the making.
The deal will eliminate import taxes or tariffs on more than 90 percent of goods traded between Europe and the South American nations. Europe hopes to boost its exports of cars, machinery and medicines, while South American farmers see a huge new market for their crops and produce.
Meanwhile, Canada and China have also been making a deal of sorts, what they call a new strategic partnership.
And research in Kenya has shown that many young people would choose to be a Tiktoker or a YouTuber over a more conventional job, like a doctor or a lawyer.

Two years on, one of the world’s biggest shipping companies - Maersk - says it’s preparing to return to the Red Sea — and in aviation, Chinese-made passenger jets may be edging closer to European skies.
Also today — new data suggests Iran’s internet blackout has cost the economy around 260 million dollars in lost business activity.
(Picture: A Maersk Line container vessel crosses the Strait of Gibraltar from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea on January 8, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)

Several governments have been piling pressure on Musk’s AI company, xAI, after Grok was used to generate a flood of sexually explicit and non-consensual images, including of women and children.
X says it will now geo-block the creation or editing of images showing people in bikinis, underwear or similar clothing in countries where that content is illegal and restrict image generation on Grok to paid subscribers only.
Talks between the US, Denmark and Greenland have been called "frank but constructive", resulting in what the Danish foreign minister described still as a "fundamental disagreement" over the future of Greenland.
And Wikipedia turns 25, we hear from it's founder.