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Good morning.
This is Send7 World News in seven minutes.
I'm Stephen Devincenzi.
Today is Monday, the 9th of February, 2026.
Starting in Asia today.
In Japan, the Liberal Democratic Party of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi won a landslide victory in general elections yesterday.
Early results appear to show that the LDP has won 316 seats, more than two-thirds of the 465 seats in Japan's House of Representatives and the most seats ever won by a single party in Japan's history.
Takeichi became the first ever female Prime Minister of Japan in October, when she was chosen by the LDP as their leader.
In Thailand, there were also elections yesterday.
At the time of recording this podcast, about 90 of votes have been counted and it appeared that the conservative Bumjaitai party had won the most seats, but probably not with a majority.
In Pakistan, there was a mass funeral on Saturday for 32 people killed in a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in the capital, Islamabad on Friday.
Daesh, the Islamic State, has claimed responsibility.
Shia Muslims make up about 10 of Pakistan's population and are often targeted by Islamist jihadists.
In South Korea, cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb accidentally gave away over 40 billion of Bitcoin to its customers this weekend.
Bithumb has said that there was no cybercrime involved and it was just a mistake, and that it had recovered 997 of what was accidentally given away.
In India, at least 27 people have died in an explosion at an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced financial compensation for the victims, and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangamma said that whoever was financing the mine would be brought to justice.
Americas.
In the United States, President Donald Trump has been widely criticised, including by some Republicans, for posting a video on social media which shows former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama as apes.
Tim Scott, who is the only black Republican senator said, quote it's the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House.
End quote.
The post was later deleted and Trump claimed that he hadn't seen the whole video and that one of his staff had posted it rather than him.
I looked at it, I saw it, and I just looked at the first part.
It was about voter fraud in someplace, Georgia.
There's a lot of motor fraud, 20-20 motor fraud.
And I didn't see the whole thing.
I guess during the end of it, there was some kind of a picture that people don't like.
I wouldn't like it either, but I didn't see it.
I just I looked at the first part and it was really about motor fraud and the machines.
How crooked it is, how disgusting it is.
Then I gave it to the people.
Generally, they'd look at the whole thing, but I guess somebody did.
In Venezuela, the opposition politician, Juan Pablo Juanipa, has been freed from prison, according to his son.
Juanipa is an ally of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
Since the United States military entered Venezuela and removed President Nicolás Maduro a month ago, the interim government has released many prisoners from that are generally considered political prisoners, like Wanipa.
Africa.
In Malawi, thousands of businesses are remaining closed in protest against tax policy changes.
Tens of thousands of people have signed petitions against the new electronic invoicing system that business owners say will harm their shops and other businesses.
In Sudan, a doctor's group has said that a drone attack killed 24 displaced people on Saturday in North Kordofan province.
The doctor's group blamed the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, which has been fighting the Sudanese army since the start of the civil war in 2023.
Control of North Kordofan is split between the army and the RSF.
Europe.
In Portugal, the centre-left Socialist Party candidate, Antonio Seguro, has won the presidential election.
In this second round of voting, Seguro received almost double the votes of far-right candidate André Ventura.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has said that the United States is trying to get Russia and Ukraine to agree to a peace deal by the summer and said that Russia and Ukraine had been invited to hold more talks in the United States next week, after holding talks in the United Arab Emirates last week.
Russia attacked Ukraine's energy infrastructure again this weekend using missiles and drones.
In Italy, the first medals have been awarded in the Winter Olympics in some skiing, snowboarding and skating events, as well as in biathlon, which is a sport that combines skiing with shooting rifles.
As of Sunday evening, Norway has won the most gold medals, with three, and Italy has won the most total medals, with nine.
And a small sketch of a foot drawn over 500 years ago by the Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo has sold for over 27 million.
The sketch was made in red chalk during the painting of the Sistine Chapel's ceiling, which Michelangelo painted between 1508 and 1512.
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Tomorrow, you will be with Niall Moore.
Have a great day.
