Japon:
- An explosion and subsequent fire at a chemical plant, in the Japanese city of Fuji, has caused up to 14 injuries, local media report. An evacuation has been ordered in nearby areas.
- Japan’s Emperor “Akihito” will step down, on April 30, 2019, the prime minister announced, Friday. This is the first retirement in more than two centuries in the world’s oldest imperial family. PM Shinzo Abe said he was “deeply moved” at the “smooth decision” taken at a special meeting of the Imperial Council to decide on the date for the popular 83-year-old to step down for health reasons. Akihito’s eldest son, 57-year-old Crown Prince Naruhito, is expected to ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne the next day, “AFP” reported.
Russia :
- A war breaking out on the Korean Peninsula is one of the scenarios considered by the Russian military, so it would not be blindsided in case it actually happens, the head of Russia’s Security Council said, advocating a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
- Russian Security Council Secretary, Nikolai Patrushev, said, on Thursday, that Moscow was already preparing to withdraw its forces from Syria. Last week, Chief of the General Staff Army, General Valery Gerasimov, said Russia’s military force in Syria would likely be significantly reduced and a draw-down could start before the end of the year.
- A senior lawmaker says the State Duma could bar U.S media from accessing the lower chamber of Russian parliament in retaliation for the withdrawal of a Kremlin-funded television station’s credentials in the United States.
- In a combative mood hours before the World Cup draw, Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Vitaly Mutko, defended himself and his country amid an ongoing Olympic doping scandal.
Iran:
- At a press conference in Italy, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif blasted US President Donald Trump for moving to renege on the Iran nuclear deal, as well as American policy, in the Middle East region in general.
- An earthquake with a magnitude of up to 6.3 has hit eastern Iran near the city of Kerman, seismological centers report.
China:
- A new oil deposit holding more than a billion tons of crude has been found in China, reports the official Xinhua News agency. The discovery was made by the Chinese National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) in the Juggar Basin in the Xinjiang region.
- China will not export its political system, President Xi Jinping told a forum for foreign political groups, on Friday, as the ruling Communist Party seeks to boost its global image and take a more assertive international role.
India:
- India’s coast guard is searching for 42 fishermen who are thought to be lost at sea after a cyclone.
Germany:
- The leader of Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) said on Friday he ruled out no option in helping to form a new government but stressed that a re-run of the outgoing “grand coalition” with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives was not a done deal.
