Briefly

DPRK

Kim oversees strategic cruise missile test

Kim Jong-un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, oversaw the test-fire of the newly developed submarine-launched strategic cruise missile "Pulhwasal-3-31" on Sunday, the official Korean Central News Agency reported on Monday. The DPRK navy test-fired two cruise missiles that flew above the eastern waters for 7,421 seconds and 7,445 seconds respectively before hitting the island target, the report said. The test-fire had no impact on the security of any neighboring country and had nothing to do with the regional situation, it said.

ARMENIA

Nonaggression pact proposed to Azerbaijan

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Sunday that he has proposed the signing of a nonaggression pact to Azerbaijan, pending a comprehensive peace treaty between the arch-foe Caucasus neighbors. Yerevan and Baku have fought two wars — in 2020 and in the 1990s — over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. He also said Armenia must revise its security arrangements. Last month, Armenia and Azerbaijan swapped prisoners, a first step toward normalizing relations. The prisoner exchange raised hopes for reviving face-to-face talks between leaders of the two countries.

FRANCE

Paris wants EU law changes for farmers

France wants a decision this week to change European Union nature law regulations regarding agricultural surfaces, which have to remain fallow under new biodiversity rules, in order to help the country's farmers, French farming minister Marc Fesneau said on Monday. Fesneau also told France 2 TV that the government, under pressure from nationwide farmers' protests, was still working on other concessions they could give to farmers in the coming 48 hours to improve their working conditions.

TURKIYE

IS claims responsibility for attack on church

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack on a Roman Catholic church in Istanbul during a Sunday Mass that killed one person. The extremist group said in a statement late on Sunday that it attacked a gathering during a polytheistic ceremony in Istanbul. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said shortly before midnight that two men he described as members of the Islamic State group had been arrested in the attack.

Agencies - Xinhua