* Romania's Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) on Sunday rejected the candidacy of Calin Georgescu, a leading figure in the country's previous presidential race, for the 2025 presidential election.
* The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Sunday denounced the large-scale joint military exercises conducted by the United States and South Korea, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Monday.
* Russian forces have regained control of three settlements in the Kursk region, the Defense Ministry said Sunday.
* U.S. President Donald Trump declined to rule out the possibility of the U.S. economy falling into a recession in an interview with Fox News broadcast on Sunday.
* Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Sunday reiterated the need for European to enhance its self-reliance in defense, emphasizing the continent's security interest amid shifting geopolitical dynamics.
* Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned on Sunday that Canada faces an "existential challenge" from the United States.
* Russian Foreign Ministry decided to strip two British diplomats of accreditation and ordered them to leave Russia within two weeks, Russian broadcaster RT reported Monday.
* Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated on Sunday that Iran has never sought nuclear weapons, citing a religious decree by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei that prohibits such arms.
* Israel announced Sunday that it was halting the electricity supply to the Gaza Strip to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages.
* Israel is working to establish a "migration administration" to advance the relocation of Palestinian residents from the Gaza Strip, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Sunday.
* Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed Sunday to hold accountable those responsible for recent violence in the coastal region, particularly "remnants of the former regime" whom he accused of orchestrating attacks on security forces and civilians.
* Syria's neighboring countries on Sunday pledged support for Syria's unity and stability, announcing the establishment of a joint operations center to combat the Islamic State (IS) militant group.
* Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem reaffirmed on Sunday that the group will not permit any Israeli presence in southern Lebanon, emphasizing Hezbollah's enduring strength and commitment to Lebanon's defense.
* Libya's Government of National Unity (GNU) on Sunday refuted reports alleging that Libya plans to resettle undocumented immigrants within the country, saying the reports are "misleading" and "completely false" in an official statement.
* China's average life expectancy reached 79 years in 2024, a health official said Sunday.
* The Indonesian government announced on Monday that the country is set to achieve 100 percent waste management by 2029, a target outlined in its 2025-2029 National Medium-Term Development Plan.
* China's employment has got off to a good start this year, as indicated by the situation in the first two months of this year, an official said Sunday.
* Cambodia's foreign trade volume reached 9.44 billion USD in the first two months of 2025, up 16 percent from 8.12 billion dollars over the same period of 2024, said an official report released on Monday.
* Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Philippines declined by 85.2 percent year over year in December 2024, amounting to 110 million USD, the Philippine central bank said Monday.
* New Zealand's next major mining operation is set to begin commercial production by 2026, toward the government's goal of doubling mineral export revenue to 3 billion NZ dollars (1.71 billion USD) by 2035.
* The death toll from the intense storm that struck the southern Argentine port city of Bahia Blanca on Friday has risen to 15, local authorities said Sunday.
* Fourteen forest and steppe fires have been registered across Mongolia since the beginning of this year, burning 71,495 hectares of forest and grassland, the country's National Emergency Management Agency said Monday.
