Japan's ruling party secured a supermajority in the lower house of parliament on Sunday, while a Hong Kong court sentenced media tycoon Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison, and Iranian authorities widened a crackdown on dissent, according to reports from Monday. These events, unfolding across Asia and the Middle East, were juxtaposed with developments in the United States, where the search for Nancy Guthrie entered its second week and figure skater Ilia Malinin made history at the Winter Olympics.
In Japan, the ruling party's victory was attributed to the popularity of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the country's first female leader. The win marked the party's biggest electoral success in seven decades, according to NPR Politics.
Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, the court found 78-year-old activist and publisher Jimmy Lai guilty under China's national security law, sentencing him to two decades in prison. NPR's Emily Feng reported that the conviction stemmed from Lai's alleged violation of the law, which was enacted late last year.
Iran saw its security forces launch a campaign to arrest figures within the reformist movement, widening a crackdown on dissent that followed violent suppression of nationwide protests. Thousands were killed and tens of thousands detained in the earlier crackdown, according to The Associated Press, as reported by NPR Politics.
In the United States, the search for Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, entered its second week. The 84-year-old grandmother was last seen by her family on January 31, according to NPR News.
At the Winter Olympics in Milan, U.S. figure skater Ilia Malinin made history by performing a backflip in his programs, a move that earned him the nickname "Quad God." While his skyward jumps have been celebrated, his backflip has captured the attention of many, as reported by NPR News.
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