* The Republic of Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol will not attend the first hearing of his impeachment trial, scheduled for Tuesday, for safety concerns, Yoon's defense counsel said Sunday.
* China and the United Kingdom have agreed to further expand economic and financial cooperation, as the two sides held the 11th China-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue in Beijing on Saturday.
* Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto met with Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru on Saturday, with the two leaders agreeing to enhance cooperation in various sectors.
* Political leaders across Greenland have unequivocally rejected U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's renewed interest in acquiring the Danish territory, emphasizing their commitment to greater self-determination and firmly opposing the idea of becoming part of the United States (U.S.).
* The agreement on mutual visa recognition between Belarus and Russia came into force on Saturday, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said.
* Over 700 climate activists were arrested on Saturday during a demonstration on a motorway near The Hague as they blocked the road and refused to leave, Dutch police reported. Among those detained, 12 individuals faced charges for criminal offenses such as sedition and assault and were taken to police stations.
* The Afghan caretaker government's national procurement commission has recently endorsed 17 projects worth 3 billion afghani (about 42 million USD), the office of the acting deputy prime minister for economic affairs has said in a statement on Saturday.
* Sri Lankans working in other countries remitted over 6.57 billion USD in 2024, which is a 10.1 percent increase compared to 2023, the latest data by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka showed. In 2023, Sri Lankans remitted around 5.97 billion dollars.
* The black box of a passenger jet that crashed in the Republic of Korea's southwestern airport late last month failed to work for the last four minutes, the transport ministry said Saturday. The ministry's aviation railway accident investigation committee planned to identify the cause of the data not being stored.
* President of South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) Cyril Ramaphosa said on Saturday that the renewal of the ANC remains the number one priority for the year of 2025.
* African nations on Saturday adopted a new strategy to advance agricultural development and food systems, a key source of livelihood for the continent's population.
* South Australia (SA) has become the first Australian state to ban junk food advertisement on public transport to tackle obesity and promote healthy diet.
* Algeria said on Saturday that it has no intention of escalating tensions with France, despite a "vindictive" and "hateful disinformation campaign" led by "the French far-right," according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Community Abroad, and African Affairs.
* At least 20 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded on Saturday in Israeli airstrikes on various areas of the Gaza Strip.
* Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday instructed a senior delegation to depart to the Qatari capital Doha to continue advancing a deal with Hamas to release the Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip.
* The Lebanese army announced on Saturday that its units have completed their deployment in several towns and villages in southern Lebanon's western and central sectors, in parallel with the Israeli army's withdrawal.
* Syria's de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, pledged neutrality in Lebanon's affairs during a joint press conference with visiting Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Saturday.
* Yemen's Houthi group said in a statement Saturday night that it had launched a new missile and drone attack against the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in the northern Red Sea in the past 24 hours, claiming the attack lasted nine hours.
* The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced plans on Saturday to reopen its embassy in Lebanon following a phone call between UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his Lebanese counterpart, Joseph Aoun.
* Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has unveiled a new underground missile base, state-run IRIB TV reported.
* The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) on Saturday recaptured Wad Madani, the capital city of Gezira State in central Sudan, from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the office of the SAF spokesperson said in a statement.
* The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) expressed its readiness on Saturday to send specialized rapid reaction teams, rescue equipment, and trained personnel to the United States in response to the wildfires raging through Los Angeles County.
* At least 16 people have been killed by blazes as thousands of firefighters race to battle spreading wildfires across Los Angeles County, the most populous U.S. county, local authorities said Saturday.
* Two trams collided on Saturday evening in the eastern French city of Strasbourg, leaving several dozen people injured but no fatalities, confirmed Jeanne Barseghian, the mayor of Strasbourg.
* Angola has registered 170 cholera cases as of 6 p.m. local time (1700 GMT) on Saturday, the Ministry of Health said on Saturday. In the past 24 hours, three cholera deaths and 51 new cases have been reported. And the outbreak has now spread to two additional municipalities in the capital province of Luanda.
* About 14,700 confirmed mpox cases, including 66 deaths, were reported in 20 African countries from January 2024 to Jan. 5, 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday.
