* Republic of Korea's ousted President Yoon Suk-yeol attended his first criminal trial on Monday on insurrection charges. During the first formal hearing, Yoon reportedly denied his insurrection charges and defended himself by testifying in the courtroom for about 80 minutes. The second hearing was scheduled for April 21.
* Gabon's transitional leader Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema has been elected president following Saturday's vote, the Interior Ministry announced on Sunday. Nguema secured 90.35 percent of the total votes cast in the election, Interior Minister Hermann Immongault said.
* The death toll from a Russian ballistic missile attack on Ukraine's northeastern city of Sumy has risen to 34, while 117 people were injured, according to a statement from Ukraine's State Service for Emergencies.
* Iran said on Sunday that its indirect negotiations with the United States held in Oman were focused solely on Tehran's nuclear program and the removal of U.S. sanctions, ruling out any discussion of other issues.
* More than 250 former officials of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency have signed a letter urging the government to immediately end the war in the Gaza Strip and bring about the release of the Israeli hostages still held there, Israel's state-owned Kan TV News reported on Sunday.
* President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan reaffirmed on Sunday the country's strong support for Syria's unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
* The Israeli military issued evacuation orders on Sunday for parts of Khan Younis in southern Gaza after it said a rocket was launched from the enclave toward southern Israel.
* Hamas on Sunday accused Israel of seeking to narrow ongoing ceasefire negotiations to a limited prisoner exchange, warning it would reject any agreement that does not lead to a permanent end to the conflict in Gaza and a pathway to Palestinian statehood.
* Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, claimed on Sunday that its fighters killed and wounded several Israeli soldiers in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.
* Yemen's Houthi group announced Sunday that it had shot down another U.S. MQ-9 drone, the 19th it has downed since November 2023.
* At least 56 people were killed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) between Friday and Saturday in Umm Kadada city in North Darfur State, western Sudan, volunteer groups reported Sunday.
* Japan's total population, including foreign residents, amounted to 123.802 million as of Oct. 1, 2024, data from Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications showed Monday. The data, down by 550,000 from the previous year, marked the 14th straight year of population decline.
* Mongolia announced a two-and-a-half-month ban on fishing to conserve fish stocks in rivers and lakes during their breeding period, the Ecological Police Department said Monday. The fishing ban will remain in force until June 15, the department said in a statement.
* Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) on Monday revised down its full-year GDP growth forecast for 2025 for the country to a range of 0.0 to 2.0 percent, citing the far-reaching impact of sweeping U.S. tariffs on global trade and economic activity.
* Remittances sent by overseas Pakistani workers crossed the 4 billion USD mark for the first time in March this year, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said on Monday.
* Foreign direct investments (FDI) committed to Nepal increased by around 90 percent during the first nine months of the current 2024-25 fiscal year, the Department of Industry said.
* Brunei has recorded a nearly 50 percent increase in agricultural and fisheries production from 525 million Brunei dollars (391.76 million USD) in 2017 to 742 million Brunei dollars (551.58 million USD) in 2024.
