Briefly

DPRK

Ruling party set to convene key congress

The ruling party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea will convene its ninth congress in late February in Pyongyang, the Korean Central News Agency reported on Sunday. The decision was adopted unanimously on Saturday at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Workers' Party of Korea Central Committee, the KCNA said. The meeting was guided by Kim Jongun, general secretary of the WPK, and presided over by Jo Yong-won, presidium member of the political bureau and secretary of the WPK Central Committee. The Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee decided on the key agenda items concerning the upcoming congress, including qualifications of delegates to the Party congress, the schedule and the documents to be submitted to the congress.

PORTUGAL

Socialist favored in presidential runoff

Portugal began voting in the second round of presidential election on Sunday, with the far right in the runoff and the country battered by deadly storms. While far-right leader Andre Ventura is almost certain to be beaten by Socialist candidate Antonio Jose Seguro, the far-right score will be watched closely, as will the latest of a series of fierce gales that have swept in off the Atlantic since the start of the year. Polling stations opened at 8 am, with 11 million voters at home and abroad eligible to cast their ballots. First exit polls were expected around 8 pm.

UNITED STATES

Protesters held in Minneapolis

Several dozen protesters were arrested on Saturday outside a federal building in Minneapolis, breaking up a protest marking the one-month anniversary of a Minnesota woman's death at the hands of an immigration officer. Renee Good was killed on Jan 7 as she was driving away from immigration officers in Minneapolis. Her death and that of another resident, Alex Pretti, just weeks later have stoked outrage nationwide over the US administration's immigration crackdown. Scores of protesters gathered across the street from the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building around midday. The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office said the arrests began after the crowd started throwing chunks of ice and some property was damaged.

Washington Post CEO resigns after job cuts

Washington Post CEO and publisher Will Lewis said on Saturday he was stepping down, three days after the newspaper said it was laying off one-third of its staff members. Lewis announced his departure in an email to the newspaper's staff, saying that after two years of transformation, "now is the right time for me to step aside". The Post's chief financial officer, Jeff D'Onofrio, was appointed temporary publisher.

Agencies - Xinhua