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'I'm still alive' jokes Britain's 90-year-old Queen Elizabeth

Britain's Queen Elizabeth, who turned 90 in April, has not lost her sense of humor, joking that she was still alive.

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Keepers of the flame: Taiwan keeps the art of fire fishing alive

Under the darkness of the night sky, a small group of Taiwan fishermen set sail off the northeast coast, light a fire on the end of a bamboo stick using chemicals and wait for the fish to come.

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Japan revamps child welfare, but tens of thousands still institutionalized

The director of the institution, nurses scurrying busily around him, says he would like extra time and staff to pay more attention to the 70 babies and toddlers under his care, but it's not going to happen.

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Japan revamps child welfare, but tens of thousands still institutionalized

The director of the institution, nurses scurrying busily around him, says he would like extra time and staff to pay more attention to the 70 babies and toddlers under his care, but it's not going to happen.

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Britain's next PM to be appointed by Sept 2

Britain's next prime minister will be appointed by Sept. 2 at the latest under a timetable put forward on Monday.

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Disney sues Chinese companies over copyright infringement

Walt Disney Co has taken three Chinese firms to court over concerns local animation "The Autobots" copied elements from Disney's own hit movie "Cars", as the U.S. firm looks to protect its drive into the world's second-largest economy.

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Whitney Houston, Prince memorabilia to hit auction block

From costumes to instruments, a selection of music memorabilia will go under the hammer in Beverly Hills this week, including items belonging to late singers Whitney Houston and Prince.

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Saudi heritage revival too late to save many cultural treasures

If Rijal Almaa, a stone village tucked into a fold of Saudi Arabia's southern mountains, showcases the polished end-point of new efforts in the kingdom to preserve cultural heritage, the hamlet of Watan Emsoudah represents the difficulties faced.

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Virtual vintners have legs in China, toppling traditional importers

Wu Zhendong sees himself as something of a wine buff. The 25-year-old lawyer from China's western city of Chengdu is a member of his local wine club, likes to drink Chateauneuf-du-Pape - and now, like many of his peers, buys most of his wine online.

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Fewer Japanese seek marriage amid worries over income

With a dip in the rate for women as well and it still being relatively rare for children to be born out of wedlock in Japan, the figures point to a potential obstacle for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's key policy of boosting the nation's low birth rate.

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Paris exhibition displays Chirac-like 18th century Japanese masks

Three antique Japanese theater masks that bear a striking resemblance to former French president Jacques Chirac will go on display from Tuesday in a Paris museum he set up 10 years ago and that will now bear his name.

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Out of fashion: how men could fall off the catwalk

Menswear shows, traditionally held months before the women hit the runways later in the year, are being slowly airbrushed from the fashion industry's calendar and folded into the women's events, almost as an accessory.

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Less is more as Japanese minimalist movement grows

Fumio Sasaki's one-room Tokyo apartment is so stark friends liken it to an interrogation room. He owns three shirts, four pairs of trousers, four pairs of socks and a meager scattering of various other items.

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Jewelry, sneakers and lots of paper towels at 'Whitey' Bulger auction

Some of former Boston mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger's preferences were made well known during the years he ruled the city's underworld: He didn't like snitches and expected absolute obedience from members of his gang.

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Britain's Prince William appears on gay magazine cover

Prince William will appear on the July cover of Attitude speaking out against homophobia, the first time a British royal has been photographed for the front of a gay publication, the magazine said on Wednesday.

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Canadian lawmakers vote to make national anthem gender neutral

Canadian lawmakers voted on Wednesday to alter the country's national anthem to make the lyrics gender neutral, a move that comes as the new Liberal government focuses on being more inclusive toward women.

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As gates open in Shanghai, Disney already adding to $5.5 billion park

Even as gates open to the public this week, it's still building to keep customers keen.