World News Roundup: Russian woman loses appeal against detention over bomb that killed military blogger; Sudan evacuations gather pace in fighting lull and more

Yoon's April 24-29 trip is the first state visit to the U.S. by a South Korean leader in 12 years and will mark the 70th anniversary of a partnership that has helped anchor U.S. strategy in Asia and provided a foundation for South Korea's emergence as an economic powerhouse. Taiwan says tracking Chinese carrier off its southeast coast Taiwan's defence ministry said on Monday that a Chinese carrier group led by the Shandong was about 120 nautical miles off the southeast of the island's coast, the same ship that took part in China's war games around the island earlier this month.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Russian woman loses appeal against detention over bomb that killed military blogger

A Russian court denied bail on Monday to a woman charged with terrorism over a bomb attack that killed a pro-war Russian military blogger earlier this month. Prosecutors have accused Darya Trepova, 26, of killing blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, whose real name was Maxim Fomin, by presenting him with an explosive device concealed within a statuette at a public talk he was giving in a St. Petersburg cafe on April 2.

Sudan evacuations gather pace in fighting lull

Europe, China and Japan raced to extract their citizens from Khartoum on Monday and thousands more people took advantage of an apparent lull in fighting between the army and a paramilitary force over the past two days to escape Sudan. The sudden eruption of violence between the military and the well-armed Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group on April 15 triggered a humanitarian crisis and has killed 427 people, U.N. agencies said. Others have expressed fear for their lives as clashes spread through residential areas.

Exclusive-Czech Republic looks to supply Vietnam more aircraft, radars - source

Vietnam is in talks with the Czech Republic for military supplies, including aircraft, radars, upgrades of armoured vehicles and firearms, a Czech government source told Reuters, as Hanoi aims to diversify its mostly Russian arsenal. Security was one of the main topics discussed with Vietnam leaders by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala in a three-day visit last week, the official said, noting that security firms were the largest component of the business delegation that accompanied Fiala.

Russia urges Armenia, Azerbaijan to comply with ceasefire agreement

Russia on Monday urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to comply with a 2020 ceasefire agreement, expressing "serious concern" about escalating tensions between the two countries over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Azerbaijan on Sunday established a checkpoint at the start of the Lachin Corridor, the only road route linking Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh, in what Armenia called a "gross violation" of a Moscow-brokered 2020 ceasefire agreement between the two sides.

Israeli troops kill Palestinian in West Bank raid, Palestinian official says

Israeli troops killed a Palestinian during a raid in the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian official said, and the army said soldiers had shot at suspected militants who fled arrest. The West Bank, among areas where Palestinians seek statehood, has seen a surge in violence over the last year as Israel stepped up incursions following a spate of lethal street attacks in its cities.

Death toll in Kenyan starvation cult rises to 58 - police

Kenyan police have recovered 58 bodies, mostly from mass graves in a forest in eastern Kenya, thought to be followers of a Christian cult who believed they would go to heaven if they starved themselves, the country's police chief said on Monday. The death toll, which has repeatedly risen as exhumations have been carried out, could rise further. The Kenyan Red Cross said 112 people have been reported missing to a tracing and counselling desk it has set up at a local hospital.

Taiwan or China? Paraguay's dilemma puts election race in the spotlight

From Paraguayan capital Asuncion to Taipei and Washington, diplomats, officials - and farmers - are closely watching a tight election race that could determine Paraguay's future ties with Taiwan. Paraguay will vote for its next president on April 30, choosing between a ruling party candidate pledging to extend decades-long diplomatic relations with Taiwan and an opposition rival who favors switching ties to China to boost the landlocked country's farm-driven economy.

S.Korea's Yoon to meet Biden as doubts grow over nuclear umbrella

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol set off on Monday for the United States and a summit with President Joe Biden at a time of rare questioning in South Korea of an alliance that has guaranteed its security for decades. Yoon's April 24-29 trip is the first state visit to the U.S. by a South Korean leader in 12 years and will mark the 70th anniversary of a partnership that has helped anchor U.S. strategy in Asia and provided a foundation for South Korea's emergence as an economic powerhouse.

Taiwan says tracking Chinese carrier off its southeast coast

Taiwan's defence ministry said on Monday that a Chinese carrier group led by the Shandong was about 120 nautical miles off the southeast of the island's coast, the same ship that took part in China's war games around the island earlier this month. Taiwan previously reported that the Shandong, commissioned in 2019, had sailed into waters in the Western Pacific through the Bashi Channel that separates the island from the Philippines ahead of a meeting between President Tsai Ing-wen and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles.

China says it respects sovereignty of ex-Soviet states, after EU uproar over Ukraine comment

China respects the status of former Soviet member states as sovereign nations, its foreign ministry said on Monday, after comments by its envoy to Paris triggered an uproar among European capitals. Several EU foreign ministers had said earlier that comments by ambassador Lu Shaye - in which he appeared to question the sovereignty of Ukraine and other former Soviet states - were unacceptable and had asked Beijing to clarify its stance.