* German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will pay an official visit to China from Feb. 25 to 26 at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson announced on Monday.
* The development of the nuclear triad "remains an absolute priority" for Russia, President Vladimir Putin said Monday in a video speech on the Defender of the Fatherland Day. The nuclear triad serves as a guarantee of Russia's security and allows the effective maintenance of strategic deterrence and the balance of power in the world, said Putin.
* Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on Sunday that the autonomous territory of Denmark is not interested in receiving a U.S. hospital ship that U.S. President Donald Trump wants to send to the island.
* Russia said Sunday that it shot down seven HIMARS rockets, five guided aerial bombs and 326 fixed-wing drones launched by Ukrainian forces in the past 24 hours.
* France will summon U.S. Ambassador to France Charles Kushner following comments made by the U.S. Embassy regarding the death of Quentin Deranque, a French far-right activist, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot announced on Sunday.
* Hungary will block the adoption of the European Union's (EU) 20th sanctions package against Russia until Ukraine restarts crude oil deliveries to Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said on Sunday.
* Russia does not pose a threat to Estonia or any other European nations, but it will always take the necessary steps to ensure its own national security, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Sunday.
* U.S. forces have begun withdrawing from the Qasrak military base in Syria's Hasakah governorate and redeploying toward Iraq, Syria TV reported on Monday, not providing further details.
* Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi have highlighted the importance of "constructive engagement and using the path of dialogue" to achieve a sustainable nuclear agreement.
* Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani met on Sunday with the U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack to discuss bilateral relations and the situation in the region.
* Palestinian factions and Yemen's internationally recognized government on Sunday condemned remarks by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee that Israeli has right to claim control over the entire Middle East.
* Pakistan's strikes on areas along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border killed over 80 terrorists, security sources told Xinhua on Sunday.
* Canada on Sunday updated its advisory for travel to Mexico to "a high degree of caution," listing more than a dozen states as areas to "avoid non-essential travel," due to a surge in violence and roadblocks in the country.
* Republic of Korea's export grew in double digits in the first 20 days of February due to soaring demand for locally-made semiconductors, customs office data showed Monday. Outbound shipment jumped 23.5 percent from a year earlier to 43.52 billion USD in the Feb. 1-20 period, according to Korea Customs Service.
* Myanmar attracted over 398 million USD in foreign direct investment (FDI) during the first 10 months of the current fiscal year 2025-26, according to figures released by the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration on Monday.
* Cambodia has reported an 84 percent decrease in malaria cases in 2025, marking significant progress in the fight against the disease, a health official said on Monday.
* Eighteen people, including a foreigner, were killed when a passenger bus en route to Kathmandu from Pokhara plunged into the Trishuli River in central Nepal's Dhading district early Monday, according to local administration. The bus, reportedly with 45 on board, fell off the highway into the river, leading to the fatal accident.
* Severe flooding caused by heavy rainfall has brought widespread destruction to the Greek island of Lemnos in the northern Aegean Sea, local authorities said on Sunday.
* The Thai Meteorological Department on Monday said the country was not affected by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck Borneo. Further details will be provided as soon as possible, the department said in a statement.
