Briefly

PAKISTAN

7 soldiers killed in terrorist attack

Seven soldiers were killed when terrorists targeted security forces in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, an army statement said on Sunday. The Inter Services Public Relations, the media wing of the Pakistani military, said an improvised explosive device exploded near a vehicle of the security forces in the Lakki Marwat district of the province, killing seven army personnel, including a senior officer. A clearance operation was carried out to eliminate any terrorists found in the area, the statement said.

JAPAN

Q1 economy revised to 1.8% contraction

Japan's GDP shrank an annualized real 1.8 percent in the January-March quarter, revised up from the preliminary reading of a 2 percent decline, government data showed on Monday. The negative growth was the first contraction in two quarters due to sluggish domestic demand and the effects of a safety data-rigging scandal at a Toyota Motor group that dented production and exports, according to the Cabinet Office. Meanwhile, the transport ministry on the same day conducted an on-site inspection of Honda Motor's headquarters in Tokyo, local media reported.

IRAN

Presidential election candidates unveiled

Iran announced on Sunday the names of six qualified candidates for the country's early presidential election scheduled for June 28. The final nominees include current parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Teheran Mayor Alireza Zakani and Vice-President Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi. After the announcement, the candidates can start their electoral campaigns, which can last until June 27. The 14th presidential election, originally scheduled for next year, was brought forward due to the unexpected death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on May 19.

BULGARIA

Conservatives lead in 6th vote in 3 years

Barely a third of Bulgarians voted in the country's sixth parliamentary elections in three years on Sunday, with the party of conservative former prime minister Boyko Borissov coming in first. Borissov's GERB party won almost 25 percent, according to projections published by polling institutes on Sunday on the basis of a partial count. Reformist grouping PP-DB slumped to between 14 and 15 percent, down from the almost 25 percent they got in the last snap polls last year. The vote was held alongside EU elections. Both votes were marked by apathy that kept turnout at a record low of about 30 percent.

Xinhua - Agencies