North Korea Congress Meeting

North Korea was to convene a session of its legislative assembly today, with observers looking for more details to emerge of a new economic plan announced at a rare party congress in May.

North Korea's ruling party is preparing to bestow a new title on leader Kim Jong Un, another clear sign that the third heir to North Korea's dynasty of Kims is firmly in control despite his country's deepening international isolation over one of his key ambitions, to keep developing more and better nuclear weapons.

North Korea's first ruling party congress since 1980 moved into a second day Saturday, after leader Kim Jong-Un opened with a defiant defence of his nuclear weapons programme and amid fresh signs Pyongyang is readying a fifth nuclear test.

North Korea slowly lifted the curtain today on the first full congress of its ruling party since 1980, bringing foreign journalists to the venue without immediately letting them in, or revealing just how leader Kim Jong Un will make use of possibly his greatest spotlight yet.

The White House said Friday that a top Saudi envoy "welcomed" the recent nuclear deal with Iran in a meeting with President Barack Obama, after months of skepticism.

President Barack Obama will hold his first summit with President Xi Jinping in California next month, with Sino-US relations rattled by alleged Chinese cyber spying and tensions in the Pacific.

North Korea was to convene a session of its legislative assembly today, with observers looking for more details to emerge of a new economic plan announced at a rare party congress in May.

North Korea's ruling party is preparing to bestow a new title on leader Kim Jong Un, another clear sign that the third heir to North Korea's dynasty of Kims is firmly in control despite his country's deepening international isolation over one of his key ambitions, to keep developing more and better nuclear weapons.

North Korea's first ruling party congress since 1980 moved into a second day Saturday, after leader Kim Jong-Un opened with a defiant defence of his nuclear weapons programme and amid fresh signs Pyongyang is readying a fifth nuclear test.

North Korea slowly lifted the curtain today on the first full congress of its ruling party since 1980, bringing foreign journalists to the venue without immediately letting them in, or revealing just how leader Kim Jong Un will make use of possibly his greatest spotlight yet.

The White House said Friday that a top Saudi envoy "welcomed" the recent nuclear deal with Iran in a meeting with President Barack Obama, after months of skepticism.

President Barack Obama will hold his first summit with President Xi Jinping in California next month, with Sino-US relations rattled by alleged Chinese cyber spying and tensions in the Pacific.