North Korea to convene assembly late June after rare party congressJune 9, 2016 - 10:00 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - North Korea said on Thursday, June 8 that it will convene a session of its parliament in late June, following a rare congress of the country's ruling Workers' Party in May that cemented young leader Kim Jong Un's control of the isolated state, according to Reuters. Delegates to the assembly meet annually to formally adopt the state budget and to approve key appointments and legal amendments, and the venue is also used to formally approve other decisions by the state leadership. The party congress, the first in 36 years, was held amid great attention and elevated Kim to the post of party chairman. He declared that the country was a nuclear weapons state but would not use its arsenal unless first attacked. Kim can put his mark on the parliamentary meeting that may approve personnel changes announced at the last month's congress. "The 4th session of the 13th SPA (Supreme People's Assembly) will be convened in Pyongyang on June 29,” state-run KCNA news agency reported. North Korea has come under growing pressure since its January nuclear test and a space rocket launch in February, which led to a new U.N. Security Council resolution in March tightening sanctions against Pyongyang. But it has defied international pressure and continued a series of weapons-related activities, most recently a failed launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile on May 31. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Erdogan wants “realistic road map” for relations with Armenia Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a “new realistic road map” for relations with Armenia. Armenia-Azerbaijan: Experts launch work on determining coordinates Expert groups from the countries started the process of determining the coordinates based on geodetic measurements. Yerevan says did not expect CSTO in peacekeeping role Pashinyan has declared that the CSTO would be expected to come to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border as an ally of Armenia Henrikh Mkhitaryan wins Serie A title with Inter Inter Milan midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan admits that the team have long been imagining clinching Serie A against AC Milan. |