A plenary Central Committee meeting of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) has continued for the third day in a row, state media reported on Monday, amid attention being paid to whether it would announce follow-up measures to implement a new partnership treaty with Russia.

The third day of the 10th plenary meeting of the WPK’s eighth Central Committee was held on Sunday “to work out detailed and practical measures for successfully fulfilling the tasks for 2024,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

“The participants are intensifying the discussion while conducting an in-depth study of the draft resolutions to be submitted to the plenary meeting and thoroughly exploring ways to carry out the tasks for the second half of the year entrusted to their sectors and units,” the KCNA said as reported by Yonhap news agency.

The plenary meeting began on Friday, with five agenda items approved by all members of the WPK Central Committee, the KCNA said, without further disclosing other details.

On the second day, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended the meeting to “discuss and decide on a series of important immediate issues arising in maintaining the upturn in the comprehensive development of Korean-style socialism,” it said.

North Korea usually holds a party plenary meeting for a few days in June. But this year’s meeting has drawn more attention due to the possibility that it could discuss detailed measures to expand cooperation with Russia following its signing of a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty with Moscow.

Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a summit in Pyongyang on June 19 and clinched the treaty that calls for providing military assistance to each other without delay if either side comes under an armed attack. AGENCIES

North Korea fired two ballistic missiles in an eastward direction on Monday, South Korea’s military said, after warning of countermeasures against a joint military exercise held by South Korea, the US and Japan. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said one short-range ballistic missile was launched from the Jangyon area in South Hwanghae province at about 5:05 a.m. in a northeastern direction. Another unidentified ballistic missile was launched at around 5:15 a.m.

It did not provide further details, such as how far the missiles flew, Yonhap news agency reported.

“While strengthening our monitoring and vigilance against additional launches, our military is maintaining a full-readiness posture while sharing North Korean ballistic missile data with US and Japanese authorities,” the JCS told the media.

On Sunday, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry denounced the three-day multi-domain “Freedom Shield” exercise, saying the country would take “offensive and overwhelming” countermeasures against what it called an attempt to strengthen a military bloc.

The drills, which ended on Saturday, involved fighter jets and warships, including a US aircraft carrier.

The latest launch came five days after North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Wednesday.

North Korea claimed the next day to have successfully conducted a multiple warhead missile test, but South Korea has dismissed the claim as “deception”, saying the launch failed as the missile exploded in midair.

North Korea has ratcheted up cross-border tensions in recent weeks, launching trash-carrying balloons to South Korea in a tit-for-tat move against anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent by North Korean defectors and activists in South Korea.

The latest launch also took place amid growing concerns over deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a “comprehensive strategic partnership” treaty during a summit last month in Pyongyang.

The pact includes a pledge for the two countries to come to each other’s aid if attacked. AGENCIES

 North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile eastward on Monday, South Korea’s military said, marking its second launch in a week.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the launch but gave no further details, saying an analysis is underway.

The latest launch comes after North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Wednesday, Yonhap news agency reported.

North Korea claimed to have successfully conducted a multiple warhead missile test, but South Korea has dismissed the claim, saying the launch failed as the missile exploded in the air. AGENCIES

 The ruling Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) secured a narrow majority in regular parliamentary elections, as confirmed by the official results from the General Election Commission (GEC).

“The results from the hand-counted ballots matched those from the voting machines. Therefore, the GEC has approved a resolution confirming 126 candidates who have been declared winners as members of parliament,” the GEC said in a statement, reported Xinhua news agency.

A total of 1,341 candidates from 19 political parties and two coalitions, along with 42 independents, competed in the elections for the State Great Khural, the country’s parliament.

The MPP won a total of 68 seats, while the main opposition Democratic Party secured 42 seats. The Hun Party, translating to “Person” in Mongolian, obtained eight seats. Additionally, the Civil Will-Green Party and the National Coalition, consisting of the Mongolian National Democratic Party and the Mongolian Green Party, each secured four seats.

In May 2023, the State Great Khural passed amendments to increase the number of legislators from 76 to 126.

The elections were conducted under a mixed electoral system, with 78 legislators elected through majority representation and 48 through proportional representation.

Mongolia’s unicameral parliament operates on a four-year term. AGENCIES

 The Palestinian presidency has rejected any foreign presence on Palestinian lands, in response to Israeli statements calling for the handover of the Gaza Strip to international forces.

In a declaration carried by the official news agency WAFA, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for the presidency, said on Sunday that “there is no legitimacy for any foreign presence on Palestinian lands, and only the Palestinian people can decide who governs and manages their affairs”.

He stressed that the Israeli government “is delusional if it thinks it can decide the fate of the Palestinian people and cement the occupation by bringing in foreign forces” as reported by Xinhua news agency.

The Spokesperson called the Palestine Liberation Organisation the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, which “has legal authority over all of Palestine’s territory, including Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem”.

He emphasised that “the Palestine issue is about land and statehood, not just humanitarian aid; it is a sacred issue and the central cause for Arabs”.

On Friday, Israeli public radio Kan reported that Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant discussed the transitional phase plan for Gaza during his visit to the US days ago.

The plan would be overseen by a steering committee led by the US and involving moderate Arab countries, according to the radio.

The international forces, possibly including soldiers from Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Morocco, would oversee security in Gaza while the American side would handle leadership and logistics from outside the strip, likely in Egypt, it reported.

The plan will be implemented in stages from north to south Gaza and aims for the gradual transfer of local security responsibilities to Palestinian forces, the report said.

It noted that the plan assumes that Hamas’s military capabilities have been sufficiently reduced, rendering the group unable to conduct large-scale attacks.

Israel’s National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said last Tuesday during a conference at the Reichman University in Herzliya that “the post-war plan for Hamas and Gaza has been prepared in recent weeks, and we will soon see practical steps towards this”.

He added, “We do not have to wait for Hamas to disappear, as it is a long process,” explaining, “We cannot eliminate Hamas as an idea; we need an alternative idea.”

Hanegbi believes that establishing an alternative to replace Hamas is essential for achieving long-term victory, saying that the alternative should be a government supported by local residents who wish to live alongside Israel, with backing from moderate Arab countries.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had faced widespread criticism from within and outside Israel for not presenting a clear post-war plan for Gaza.

Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage. AGENCIES

The driver and the passenger of a motorcycle were killed after their vehicle was hit by a sport utility vehicle in Cavite province, south of Manila, police said on Monday.

The police said the male and female victims, aged 26 and 30, were travelling along a road in General Mariano Alvarez town on Sunday afternoon when the SUV crashed into them, tossing the victims off the motorcycle and running them over, reports Xinhua news agency.

Rescuers rushed the victims to a local hospital, but they succumbed to their injuries.The police detained the SUV driver, who is facing criminal charges. AGENCIES

Australia’s new Governor-General has been sworn in as the official representative of the British monarch in the country.

On Monday, Samantha Mostyn was sworn in as Australia’s 28th Governor-General at an official ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra, reports Xinhua news agency.

A prominent business and community leader, Mostyn becomes the second woman to serve as Australia’s Governor-General.

Speaking after the ceremony, she vowed to bring kindness, care and respect to the role.

“These testing times call for an unstinting focus on kindness, on care and on respect,” Mostyn said.

“I will be an optimistic, modern and visible Governor-General, committed to the service and contribution that all Australians expect and deserve from the holder of this office.”

As the representative of the British monarch, currently King Charles III, the Governor-General performs constitutional duties, including formally appointing the Prime Minister and other ministers, ordering elections and giving royal assent to bills passed by the parliament.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced in April that Mostyn would replace David Hurley, whose five-year term ended on Sunday.

Mostyn, 59, started her career as a lawyer before serving on the boards of several companies, including NGOs, the Climate Council and mental health support organisation Beyond Blue.

Prior to being appointed as the governor-general, she was the chair of the government’s Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce.

She said on Monday that Australia is facing great difficulties in climate change, the cost-of-living crisis and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic but that she feels tremendous optimism about the country’s future. AGENCIES

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the lineup of his new national executive cabinet, comprising ministers from various political parties that form the Government of National Unity (GNU).

Ramaphosa on Sunday finally made the long-awaited announcement after protracted negotiations that nearly collapsed when the main opposition party within the GNU demanded additional ministerial positions, reports Xinhua news agency.

The announcement came more than a week after Ramaphosa’s inauguration on June 19 for his second presidential term. His re-election came with a reduced majority, forcing his party, the African National Congress, to share power for the first time in three decades.

This led to the formation of the GNU with ten opposition parties, such as the Democratic Alliance (DA), Inkatha Freedom Party, and Pan Africanist Congress of Azania, among others.

In his late-night televised national address, Ramaphosa declared that the economy and the stability of the government would be of top concern to the new cabinet.

“The incoming government will prioritise rapid, inclusive and sustainable economic growth and the creation of a more just society by tackling poverty and inequality,” said the President.

The DA, which garnered over 21 per cent in the recent elections, was allocated six cabinet posts. The party’s leader, John Steenhuisen, 48, was appointed minister of agriculture.

Some minor parties also saw their leaders receive cabinet posts. AGENCIES

A natural gas explosion in Turkiye’s western province of Izmir killed five people and injured at least 60 others.

According to state-run TRT broadcaster, the explosion occurred at 2:43 p.m. local time (1143 GMT) on Sunday at a business on the ground floor of a building in Torbali district.

At least 10 of the injured are in critical condition, reports Xinhua news agency.

Izmir Governor Suleyman Elban told TRT that the explosion damaged 11 buildings in the vicinity.

“As a precautionary measure, the gas supply has been cut off, and the area is being evacuated. Our security forces have taken necessary actions,” Elban said.

Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said on X that an investigation has been launched into the explosion, with the coordination of two public prosecutors. AGENCIES

The UN on Monday released proposals to share the use of “digital sequence information on genetic resources (DSI)” — the DNA sequences of plants, animals and microbes — to support communities supporting nature.

The documents are published six weeks before nations meet in Montreal, Canada, from August 12-16 for final negotiations within the DSI intergovernmental negotiating group before the matter comes up for decision at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 16) in October in Colombia, US.

The goal is to equitably share revenues from products such as drugs, cosmetics, and agricultural biotechnology. However, agreement is needed on several questions, including which industrial sectors using DSI should share its benefits.

According to Co-Chairs of the negotiations, Mphatso Kalemba of Malawi and William Lockhart of the UK, the sectors that depend most on DSI generate from “one to a few trillion dollars annually;” just 0.1 per cent of US $1 trillion would yield $1 billion for the global fund; 1 per cent would amount to $10 billion.

The funds will support the conservation and sustainable use of nature, including related activities of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, and building capacity worldwide to generate and use DSI.

“The world has been presented with an opportunity to mobilise additional resources for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use whilst enhancing benefits from the use of DSI through this mechanism and its fund. I hope that delegates will work hard in Montreal to unpack that solution to the world,” Kalemba said. AGENCIES