The report came a day after South Korea and Japan said they detected the North firing multiple short-range ballistic missiles, adding to a streak of weapons displays that have raised regional tensions.
The central bank of the world’s fourth-largest economy raised short-term interest rates to around 0% to 0.1% from -0.1%, ending the world’s last negative rates regime.
While the result offered little surprise, the Russian leader did make rare news at his triumphant post-election news conference in response to an NBC News question.
The hot-air balloon took off from Melbourne’s northern suburbs early in the morning and was in the air for about 30 minutes before the man fell from the basket.
The Russian leader received 87.3% of the vote, authorities said Monday after more than 99.9% of ballots had been counted in an election orchestrated by the Kremlin to legitimize Putin's rule.