Briefly

UNITED NATIONS

High seas treaty to be adopted finally

The world's first international treaty to protect the high seas was due to be adopted on Monday at the United Nations, a historic environmental accord designed to protect remote ecosystems vital to mankind. The landmark treaty establishes a legal framework to extend swathes of environmental protections to international waters, which make up more than 60 percent of the world's oceans. Following more than 15 years of discussions, including four years of formal negotiations, UN member states finally agreed on the text for the treaty in March after a flurry of final marathon talks. The text, since frozen, has been pored over by the UN's lawyers and translators to make sure it matches the body's six official languages.

DPRK

Ruling party pledges 2nd satellite launch

Democratic People's Republic of Korea's ruling Workers' Party of Korea appreciated that the strategic force of the nation has made progress in a high-level meeting on Monday, state media Korean Central News Agency reported. On the other hand, it reviewed the shortcomings that were revealed in some fields and that cannot be overlooked. The meeting reviewed the failure of the military reconnaissance satellite launch on May 31. The committee also reiterated a pledge to soon successfully launch another satellite. KCNA said a report to the meeting "bitterly criticized the officials who irresponsibly conducted the preparations for (the) satellite launch".

JAPAN

5 killed after truck collision in Hokkaido

Five people were killed and 12 others taken to hospital after a truck collided with a bus in Hokkaido in northern Japan, according to local media reports. Police said the truck might have strayed into oncoming traffic, Kyodo News agency reported. The bus was carrying 15 passengers at the time of the accident, which occurred on Sunday. The drivers of both vehicles died in the crash, Kyodo said. The bus was traveling from Sapporo to Hakodate, and the truck was carrying pigs from Hakodate to Yakumo, Kyodo said.

QATAR

Embassies in Doha, Abu Dhabi resume

Qatar and the United Arab Emirates' respective embassies reopened on Monday to resume work after the two Gulf states agreed to restore diplomatic ties, Qatar's foreign ministry said. The restoration of ties comes amid a broader regional push for reconciliation and more than two years after Arab states ended a boycott of Doha that had shattered the Gulf Arab bloc. The Qatari ministry said in a statement that the two foreign ministers, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan, had held a phone call as the two embassies reopened on Monday.

Agencies Via Xinhua