Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will dissolve parliament on Friday, triggering an early general election on 8 February to seek a public mandate for her government.

The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has appointed presidents for 71 district units in Tamil Nadu as part of its organisational drive, Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan, ahead of Assembly elections due this year.

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has called an early lower-house election for February, aiming to capitalize on a 78% approval rating to strengthen her coalition or restore the LDP’s lost majority, party scandals and a newly unified opposition bloc.

The Election Commission of India extended Kerala’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) electoral roll claims-and-objections window to January 30, Supreme Court advice to consider an extension and a request from the state’s Chief Electoral Officer. CPI(M) alleged errors in the draft roll and urged the EC to ensure voters are not burdened for clerical mistakes.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off India’s first Vande Bharat Sleeper Train on the Howrah–Guwahati (Kamakhya) route from Malda Town, cutting travel time by about 2.5 hours and positioning the fully air-conditioned service as an airline-like experience at economical fares. He also announced rail and road infrastructure works in West Bengal worth about Rs 3,250 crore ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off India’s first Vande Bharat sleeper train from Malda Town station, starting service between Howrah and Guwahati (Kamakhya).

Quebec Premier François Legault announced he will resign, saying many Quebecers want a change, and he will stay on until the Coalition Avenir Québec appoints a new leader ahead of a provincial election scheduled for the fall.

The BJP–Shiv Sena combine neared the winning figure in the 227-seat Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation election, ending Uddhav Thackeray’s party’s more than 25-year control while Shiv Sena (UBT) won 64 seats and consolidated the Marathi vote bank.

Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar dismissed BRS disqualification petitions against MLAs Kale Yadaiah and Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, leaving three similar petitions pending.

Vote counting for the 151-member Nagpur Municipal Corporation showed the BJP leading on 84 seats, Congress ahead on 41, and AIMIM candidates leading on four seats.

South Korea’s former president Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to five years in prison for obstruction of justice tied to efforts to prevent his arrest and delete investigation documents.

South Korea’s impeached ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to five years in prison for abuse of power, obstructing justice and falsifying documents connected to his failed 2024 martial law attempt.