World News Roundup: Erdogan vows to make amends after humbling election loss in Turkey; Chinese state media stoked allegation Taiwan's president would flee war and more

It marked the worst defeat for Erdogan and the AKP in their more than two decades in power, and could signal a change in the country's divided political landscape. Indian opposition leader Kejriwal gets further detention in graft case An Indian court renewed detention on Monday for key opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal until April 15 in a graft case, his lawyers said, less than three weeks before voting begins in general elections.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Ukraine says Russia has fired five Zircon missiles at Kyiv this year

Russia has used five of its new hypersonic Zircon missiles to attack Kyiv since the start of the year, the city's military administration said on Monday. The attacks are among more than 180 Russian missile and drone attacks launched against the Ukrainian capital in the first three months of the year, the administration said in a post on Telegram.

Exclusive-Iran alerted Russia to security threat before Moscow attack, sources say

Iran tipped off Russia about the possibility of a major "terrorist operation" on its soil ahead of the concert hall massacre near Moscow last month, three sources familiar with the matter said. In the deadliest attack inside Russia in 20 years, gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons at concertgoers on March 22 at the Crocus City Hall, killing at least 144 people in violence claimed by the Islamic State militant group.

Kremlin dismisses report Russia behind 'Havana Syndrome'

The Kremlin on Monday dismissed a report that Russian military intelligence may be behind the mysterious "Havana syndrome" ailment that has afflicted U.S. diplomats and spies globally. Insider, a Russia-focused investigative media group based in Riga, Latvia reported that members of a Russian military intelligence (GRU) unit known as 29155 had been placed at the scene of reported health incidents involving U.S. personnel.

Israeli troops leave Gaza's Shifa Hospital a wreck in sea of rubble

Israeli forces have withdrawn from Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City after a two-week operation, the Israeli military said on Monday, leaving behind a wasteland of destroyed buildings and Palestinian bodies scattered in the dirt of the complex. Hundreds of residents rushed to the area around the Gaza Strip's largest hospital to check on damage to surrounding residential districts after fighting between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group that administers Gaza.

Turkey election monitors say 'more needs to be done' to ensure freedom of expression

Turkey's local elections on Sunday were competitive and gave citizens many options but took place in a "starkly polarised environment" where more needs to be done to ensure freedom of expression, a European group of observers said on Monday. Turkey's opposition logged a thumping victory over President Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party (AKP) in the local polls, reasserting themselves as a political force. It marked the worst defeat for Erdogan and the AKP in their more than two decades in power, and could signal a change in the country's divided political landscape.

Indian opposition leader Kejriwal gets further detention in graft case

An Indian court renewed detention on Monday for key opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal until April 15 in a graft case, his lawyers said, less than three weeks before voting begins in general elections. In a move that sparked protests last month, India's financial crime-fighting agency arrested Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, over graft accusations related to the city's liquor policy and he was remanded to custody until April 1.

Ukraine's energy system far from collapse despite weeks of Russian strikes

Recent Russian attacks have caused significant damage to the Ukrainian power system, but a total collapse is unlikely, the head of Ukraine's national grid company Ukrenergo Volodymyr Kudrytskyi said on Monday. Since March 22, the Russian forces have been attacking Ukrainian thermal and hydropower stations as well as main networks on an almost daily basis, which has led to blackouts in many regions of the country.

Pakistan court suspends Imran Khan's jail sentence in graft appeal

A Pakistani court on Monday granted former Prime Minister Imran Khan an appeal of his graft conviction and suspended his 14-year jail sentence, his lawyer said, a relief for his embattled party which had won most seats in February's national polls. Just a week ahead of the Feb. 8 elections, Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were both handed a 14-year sentence on charges of unlawfully selling state gifts by an anti-graft court.

Erdogan vows to make amends after humbling election loss in Turkey

President Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Monday to correct any mistakes that led to his party's defeat in Turkey's local elections where the opposition capitalized on economic woes and alienated Islamist voters, casting uncertainty over his reform plans. Sunday's vote marked Erdogan and his AK Party's (AKP) worst defeat in more than 20 years in power, revitalising the opposition party and strengthening Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu's standing as the president's main rival.

Chinese state media stoked allegation Taiwan's president would flee war

Taiwan's outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen plans to flee in a U.S. plane if war erupts with China, according to an unsubstantiated report first published in 2021 and echoed in the run-up to the island's January 2024 general election. Another story said Tsai had given her confidantes VIP "runaway" passes.

(With inputs from agencies.)