While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Jan 17, 2026
· The Straits TimesTrump threatens tariffs on nations that don’t back US takeover of Greenland
US President Donald Trump said on Jan 16 he may slap trade tariffs on countries that don’t support his plans to take over Greenland, part of the territory of NATO ally Denmark.
“I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security,” Mr Trump said at a health roundtable at the White House.
“I may do that,” added Mr Trump.
The threat is the latest pressure tactic by Republican Mr Trump as he steps up his bid to acquire the autonomous Arctic island, a goal that he has threatened to achieve by military means if necessary.
Trump says ‘thank you’ to Iran for not hanging protesters
US President Donald Trump thanked Iran’s leadership on Jan 16 after saying Tehran had called off the executions of hundreds of protesters arrested in a brutal crackdown.
“I greatly respect the fact that all scheduled hangings, which were to take place yesterday (Over 800 of them), have been cancelled by the leadership of Iran. Thank you!” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social network.
Mr Trump repeatedly threatened military action against Iran over the past two weeks to help protesters, where rights groups say Iranian forces have killed thousands of people.
Malaysian actress Nadia Kesuma reported missing after arriving in Jeddah
Malaysian actress Nadia Kesuma has been reported missing after touching down at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah.
According to mStar, her friend and fellow actress Anne Abdullah said Nadia contacted her husband shortly after her arrival to inform him that she had reached her destination, but became untraceable shortly afterwards.
“Nadia texted her husband as soon as she arrived in Jeddah to say she had landed safely. After that, she was supposed to board a flight to London. However, the travel agency informed us that she failed to check in for the London flight,” Anne said.
Ukrainian team heading to US for security guarantee talks, says Zelensky
A Ukrainian delegation is en route to the United States for talks on security guarantees and a post-war recovery package, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan 16.
He expressed hope the documents could be signed on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos next week.
During the talks, Kyiv’s team also hopes to get clarity from the US on the Russian stance towards US-backed diplomatic efforts to end the nearly four-year war, Mr Zelensky said during a news conference in Kyiv alongside Czech President Petr Pavel.
Portugal police officers charged with torturing vagrants and migrants, and sharing images
Two Lisbon police officers have been charged with torturing vagrants and migrants and then sharing images of their acts in an online chat with other officers, triggering a broader inquiry, Portuguese officials said on Jan 16.
The two officers in their 20s, who were arrested in July 2025 and remain in custody, are accused of torture, acts of cruelty and abuse of power, according to the indictment signed by Lisbon prosecutor Felismina Franco last week and seen by Reuters.
One of them also faces charges of rape, robbery and forgery.