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Japan's emperor to abdicate on April 30, 2019

Japan's government has chosen April 30, 2019 as the date for Emperor Akihito's abdication, and the following day to be Crown Prince Naruhito's accession, NHK reported, after a meeting by the Imperial House Council ended.

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U.S. approves possible $15 bn sale of THAAD missiles to Saudi Arabia

The U.S. State Department has approved the possible sale of a THAAD anti-missile defence system to Saudi Arabia at an estimated cost of $15 billion (11.48 billion pounds), the Pentagon said on Friday, in a statement citing Iran among regional threats.

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Thai court issues second arrest warrant for former PM

A Thai criminal court has issued a second arrest warrant for former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who fled the country weeks ago before she was sentenced to jail in absentia, police said on Thursday.

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Indian protests after 'godman' convicted of rape kill 29

Violent protests erupted in India’s Haryana state on Friday, killing at least 29 people, after a court convicted a self-styled “godman” of raping two women, angering thousands of his supporters who said he was innocent, the state chief minister said.

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Kushner stresses Trump's Mideast peace optimism but details scant

U.S. President Donald Trump remains committed and optimistic about achieving Israeli-Palestinian peace, his son-in-law and senior adviser told the sides on Thursday during his first visit to the region since last month's surge of violence.

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Moon Jae-in vows to prevent war on Korean Peninsula

South Korean President Moon Jae-in vowed to prevent a war from breaking out again on the Korean Peninsula on Tuesday, while he was speaking at a ceremony marking the 72nd anniversary of the country's liberation from the 1910-1945 Japanese colonial rule.

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China drone maker steps up security after US Army ban

Chinese drone maker SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd is tightening data security for its drones after the US Army ordered its members to stop using DJI drones because of "cyber vulnerabilities," a company official told Reuters on Monday.

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Britons should be given second Brexit vote, says former foreign minister

Former British foreign minister David Miliband called on Saturday for voters to be given a second referendum on whether Britain should leave the European Union.

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Merkel rejects electric car quota pushed by German election rival

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday rejected a proposal made by her Social Democrat rivals to introduce quotas for electric cars in Europe, arguing the implementation of such targets would prove too complicated.

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Minutes from missiles, Guam islanders get to grips with uncertain fate

Fourteen minutes is not long to prepare for a potential catastrophe. That's the estimated time taken from a launch of a mid-range ballistic missile in DPRK until impact on Guam, where residents seem resigned to the belief that their fate is out of their control.

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Iraq's Kurds stick to independence vote despite U.S. request to postpone

Iraq's Kurds are sticking to a plan to hold an independence referendum on Sept. 25, despite a U.S. request to postpone it, a high-ranking Kurdish official told Reuters on Saturday.

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Turkey's Erdogan says Berlin relations to improve after German election

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that tension with Europe was due to European domestic politics and relations with Berlin would improve after Germany's parliamentary election in September.

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Russia probe counsel wants to interview senior White House officials: NY

The special counsel investigating whether Russia interfered in the U.S. presidential election and possible collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign wants to speak with current and former senior White House officials, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

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European shares head towards their worst week this year

A sell-off in heavyweight basic resources stocks prompted a third day of losses for European shares on Friday, putting them on track for their worst week this year.

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IEA says strong oil demand growth helps market's rebalancing

Global oil demand will grow more quickly than expected this year, helping to ease a glut despite rising crude production from North America and weak OPEC compliance with output cuts, the International Energy Agency said on Friday.

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India in talks with Myanmar, Bangladesh to deport 40,000 Rohingya

India is in talks with Bangladesh and Myanmar about its plan to deport around 40,000 Rohingya Muslims it says are living in the country illegally, a government spokesman said on Friday, with state governments told to form task forces for the purpose.

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Israel warns Hamas not to foil its anti-tunnel Gaza wall

Israel warned Gaza's Hamas rulers on Thursday not to try to foil its construction of a border wall designed to stop tunnels between the two sides.