Briefly

DPRK

Top leader oversees weapons system test

The top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea oversaw a ground jet test of an upgraded solid-fuel engine, the Korean Central News Agency reported on Sunday. The engine has a maximum thrust of 2,500 kilonewtons and is made from a composite carbon fiber material, the KCNA said, adding the test is part of the national defense development plan under the new five-year plan. Kim Jong-un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs, called the test an event of "strategic significance".

GREECE

22 migrants die after 6 days at sea

Twenty-two migrants hoping to reach Europe from North Africa have died off the coast of Greece after six days at sea in a rubber boat, survivors said on Saturday. The coast guard said late on Friday that 26 people were rescued by a European border agency vessel off the island of Crete. "During the journey, the passengers lost their bearings and remained at sea for six days witho               ut food or water," the coast guard said.

AZERBAIJAN

Capital Baku sees record rainfall

Azerbaijan's capital Baku and the surrounding Absheron Peninsula were hit by record-breaking rainfall on Friday, with precipitation levels exceeding seasonal averages. The National Hydrometeorological Service said on Saturday that the region recorded 120 millimeters of rain within Friday, which represents 508 percent of the monthly norm. The agency said the closest comparable daily maximum over the past 100 years occurred on March 21, 1988, when 36.8 mm of rain fell, accounting for 156 percent of the monthly norm.

Xinhua - Agencies