* Vote counting began across Benin on Sunday after polling stations closed in the country's combined legislative and municipal elections. Polling stations opened nationwide at around 7:00 a.m. local time (0600 GMT). In line with Benin's newly enacted Electoral Code, voting lasted 10 hours from the opening of each polling station.
* The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss Ukraine, according to a published UN Security Council schedule. The meeting will start at 3 p.m. local time (2000 GMT) on Monday, according to the schedule.
* Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will pay an official visit to China from Jan. 14 to 17 at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson announced on Monday.
* Malaysia has temporarily blocked access to Grok, an AI chatbot developed by xAI, citing concerns over the generation and dissemination of obscene and sexually explicit content, the country's communications and multimedia regulator said on Sunday.
* The Afghan Border Force have thwarted human trafficking attempts and taken into custody 507 individuals over efforts to sneak into neighboring Iran illegally, said a statement of the national army stationed in the western region on Sunday. The statement said the Afghan Border Force would spare no efforts to ensure security along the borders.
* The Venezuelan people must trust their political leadership in the face of actions that may seem "hard to understand," given the current complexity of the Venezuelan political environment, Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez said on Sunday. In a televised address, she also called for national unity, which includes all political and social sectors.
* Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Sunday said Cuba is a free, independent and sovereign nation, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump's accusations that the island country provided "security services" to Venezuela in exchange for oil.
* U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday once again claimed that the United States will acquire Denmark's Greenland "one way or the other." Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump said that with regard to Greenland, he was not considering leasing or short-term arrangements, but "acquiring" the territory.
* Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Sunday criticized recent U.S. actions in Venezuela and what he described as "threatening rhetoric" toward Denmark and Greenland, warning that such moves undermine international law and increase risks for smaller countries.
* German Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said on Sunday that the future of Greenland is a matter solely for Denmark and Greenland to decide.
* British Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander did not rule out the possibility of British troop deployment to Greenland when questioned Sunday about reports of potential British military deployment to the Arctic island, Sky News reported.
* U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that his administration is weighing "some very strong options" including potential military action against Iran.
* Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned on Sunday that Tehran would view U.S. and Israeli bases and facilities in the Middle East region as "legitimate targets" if Washington takes military action against Iran.
* Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that the Iranian government is determined to address the economic problems facing the people, urging Iranians to refrain from any "destructive actions."
* Israel and Germany signed a joint declaration on Sunday to expand cooperation between their security authorities and set a framework for closer coordination on counter-terrorism, cyber defense and advanced technologies.
* Israel on Sunday urged the European Union to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said.
* The U.S. Federal Reserve confirmed late Sunday that the federal prosecutors are investigating Fed Chair Jerome Powell over the central bank's multi-billion-dollar project to renovate its headquarters.
* Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Sunday vowed to proceed with the disarmament of armed groups across the country, including in areas north of the Litani River, stressing that the process will continue despite ongoing Israeli attacks.
* Tunisia recorded over 1 billion dinars (about 350 million USD) in financial losses at 11 public institutions and companies last year, according to an official report cited by the Tunisian presidency.
* A total of 62 people were killed and 81 injured as a result of wildlife attacks in Zimbabwe in 2025, according to the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks).
* Several wildfires continued to rage across South Africa's Western and Eastern Cape provinces on Saturday, with more than 100,000 hectares of land burned in the Western Cape and further evacuations underway, authorities said.
