Japan's Takaichi pledges to resign if ruling bloc loses majority in upcoming snap election

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Monday that she would step down immediately if the ruling bloc fails to secure a majority in the upcoming House of Representatives election.

Speaking at a party leaders' debate held on Monday, Takaichi, who also serves as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), said that an electoral defeat would leave her unable to continue as prime minister or push ahead with her policy agenda.

When pressed to clarify what she meant by "defeat," Takaichi said she would resign at once if the ruling alliance formed by the LDP and the Japan Innovation Party fails to win more than half of the seats in the lower house.

European Parliament delays decision on EU-U.S. trade deal

The European Parliament has delayed until next week a decision on whether to restart work on the EU-U.S. trade deal, after pausing its approval process last week, in protest over U.S. President Donald Trump's push to acquire Greenland and his tariff threats against European allies, according to a senior lawmaker on Monday.

Confirming that no decision was taken on Monday to resume ordinary EU-U.S. legislative procedures, Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade, said in a post on X that the Parliament's negotiating team will meet on Feb. 4 to reassess the situation.

On Jan. 21, the European Parliament decided to put on hold approval of the trade deal between the EU and the United States following U.S. threats of tariffs linked to Greenland.

USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group currently deployed to Middle East

The USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is currently deployed to the Middle East, the U.S. Central Command said on X on Monday.

"Sailors aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) perform routine maintenance as the aircraft carrier sails in the Indian Ocean, Jan. 26," the command said in a post accompanying two photos.

U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that though a "massive" U.S. naval force was heading toward Iran, it may not be used.

"We have an armada. We have a massive fleet heading in that direction, and maybe we won't have to use it. We'll see," Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he returned from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday.

UAE says won't allow its territory to be used for attacks on Iran

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday reaffirmed its commitment not to allow its airspace, territory or waters to be used in any military actions against Iran, according to a statement issued by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The ministry added that the UAE will not provide any logistical support for hostile military operations against Iran.

It reiterated the UAE's belief that dialogue, de-escalation, adherence to international law and respect for state sovereignty constitute the most effective foundations for addressing current crises.

EU imposes full ban to phase out Russian gas by late 2027

The Council of the European Union (EU) on Monday gave final approval to a ban on imports of Russian pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) into the EU, with a full ban entering into force from January 2027 for LNG and from the autumn of 2027 for pipeline gas.

The prohibition on importing Russian pipeline gas and LNG will take effect six weeks after the regulations enter into force, while existing contracts will be given a transition period to wind down. The regulation will enter into force one day after it is published in the EU's Official Journal, according to the press release.

Before authorising gas to enter the EU, national authorities will have to verify the country where the gas was produced, a measure aimed at preventing circumvention.

EU starts investigating Grok, X's recommender systems

The European Commission on Monday opened a new formal investigation into social media platform X under the Digital Services Act (DSA), and broadened an ongoing probe to scrutinize the platform's compliance with EU rules governing recommender-system risk management.

In a press release, the commission said the new case will examine whether X properly assessed and mitigated risks associated with the deployment of Grok's functionalities in the EU, including risks linked to the spread of illegal content such as manipulated sexually explicit images, including content that may amount to child sexual abuse material.

X's Grok AI tool has come under mounting criticism following reports that it was used to generate allegedly illegal sexual content.

Food factory explosion in central Greece leaves 4 dead

Four bodies were found after an explosion at a food factory in the central Greek city of Trikala, one worker remains missing, and several others were hospitalized, Greek national broadcaster ERT reported on Monday.

According to footage broadcast by ERT, the powerful shock wave split the large industrial building into two sections, hurling debris across the site and causing part of the roof to collapse. Firefighters said parts of the structure had been burning since around 4 a.m. (0200 GMT), with occasional flare-ups continuing hours later.

At the time of the explosion, about 12 employees were working the night shift. Rescue teams recovered four bodies from the debris, while one person remains unaccounted for. Search operations are ongoing under difficult conditions due to structural instability and lingering fire hotspots.

18 dead, 24 missing after ferry sinks in S. Philippines

At least 18 bodies were recovered and 24 people remained missing after an inter-island ferry sank early Monday in waters off Basilan province in the southern Philippines, authorities said.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said at least 317 passengers and crew were rescued following the sinking of the M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 before 2 a.m. local time off Baluk-Baluk Island in the municipality of Hadji Muhtamad, along the Sulu Sea.

The ferry was carrying 332 passengers and 27 crew members and was en route to Jolo Island in Sulu province from Zamboanga City when it went down, the PCG said.

Gun attack during soccer match kills 11 in central Mexico

Gunmen opened fire during an amateur soccer match in central Mexico on Sunday, killing at least 11 people and wounding 12 others, local authorities said.

The attack occurred around 5:20 p.m. local time (2320 GMT) at a soccer field in the Loma de Flores community in Salamanca, in the central state of Guanajuato. Witnesses said several armed men arrived in two pickup trucks, got out, and fired indiscriminately at players and spectators.

Municipal authorities said 10 people died at the scene, while another victim died later at a hospital. The injured were taken to nearby medical centers for treatment.

Death toll rises to 28 amid severe winter storm across U.S.

At least 28 weather-related deaths were reported Monday as a massive winter storm dumped snow across dozens of U.S. states over the weekend, causing widespread power outages, flight cancellations and school closures.

The death toll included two people run over by snowplows in Massachusetts and Ohio, and fatal sledding accidents in Arkansas and Texas. In New York City, officials said eight people were found dead outdoors as temperatures plunged at night.

From Massachusetts in the northeast to Texas in the south, roads were frozen slick with ice and buried under often more than 30 cm of snow. In some southern states, residents faced winter conditions unseen for decades.