Japan’s emperor celebrates 20 years on the throne

November 11th, 2009 more images more imagesJapan's emperor marks 20th anniversary on throneTOKYO — Tens of thousands of well-wishers lined the streets of Tokyo on Thursday for a parade on the 20th anniversary of the coronation of Emperor Akihito, who urged Japanese not to forget the lessons of World War II. Officials said they expected more than 50,000 people to gather around the Imperial Palace for the parade, a concert and other events marking Akihito's ascent to the world's oldest hereditary throne.

November 5th, 2009 SYDNEY - Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard has said that there would be no republic in the country while the Queen remained on the throne. Speaking in Sydney, Howard told a lunch marking the 10th anniversary of the failed republic referendum that the greatest threat to the collective will of Australians today were renewed efforts to introduce a Bill of Rights.

October 25th, 2009 LONDON - Michelle Obama has become the subject of a new book that hails her style and wardrobe for influencing the fashion pages. "Mrs O: The Face of Fashion Democracy", published by Hachette, celebrates the US First Lady's closet from the campaign trail to the White House.

October 3rd, 2009 TOKYO - Japanese former finance minister Shoichi Nakagawa has been found dead in his Tokyo home, the Kyodo news agency reported Sunday. Police said the body of the 56-year-old was found face down on his bed and did not appear to have any external injuries.

August 29th, 2009 LONDON - A former traffic officer is being hailed as the Son of God in the Siberian wilderness. Sergei Torop, who calls himself "Vissarion the Teacher" or "Jesus of Siberia", is said to have attracted thousands of followers.

August 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Top Indian chefs have warned Scottish MPs to keep their hands off the rights to chicken tikka masala. Zaeemuddin Ahmad, a chef at Delhi's Karim Hotel, which was established by the last chef of the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, claimed the recipe had been passed down through the generations in his family.

July 8th, 2009 BEIJING - Xanadu, the city built by Mongol emperor Kublai Khan and mentioned by Italian traveller Marco Polo, has been unearthed by Chinese archaeologists who have sketched its layout. "The most exciting findings are the layout of the moat in front of the Mingde Gate to the royal capital in the three-month excavation," said Yang Xingyu, a senior archaeologist.

June 9th, 2009 XI'AN - Chinese archaeologists are preparing for another excavation at the famous terracotta army site, hoping to find more clay figures and unravel some of the mysteries left behind by the "First Emperor". Archaeologists hoped they might find a clay figure that appeared to be "in command" of the huge underground army, said Liu Zhancheng, head of the archaeological team of the terracotta museum in Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province.

June 2nd, 2009 SAO PAULO - A member of Brazil's non-reigning royal family was travelling on the Air France plane that went missing Monday off Brazil's north-eastern coast, the Orleans e Braganca family confirmed in a statement. According to the family's representatives in Sao Paulo, Prince Pedro Luis de Orleans e Braganca, 26, was among the 228 occupants of the airplane that was en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris when it disappeared from radar screens.

May 4th, 2009 LONDON - Prince Harry reportedly passed his helicopter pilot's licence and celebrated his success with a boozy night out in a club. The third in line to the British throne, who is training to pilot the meanest attack machine in the British Army, the Apache, had allegedly flunked a theory exam earlier this year and was given the opportunity to take it again.

April 22nd, 2009 LONDON - A former Royal cop has claimed that police officers stationed at Buckingham Palace spent their night shifts running gambling syndicates, selling hard-core pornography and posed for pictures on the Queen's throne. A jury has heard the extraordinary account of how Royal protection officers slept off hangovers in private palace rooms, smuggled "uninvited and unvetted" guests into Royal garden parties and allowed business associates to park their cars at Buckingham Palace.

March 30th, 2009 TOKYO - Japan's industrial production sank 9.4 percent in February compared to the previous month, the government said Monday, citing seasonally-adjusted data. The drop in the previous month was 10 percent.

March 12th, 2009 TOKYO - Japan's economy shrunk an annualised 12.1 percent in the final quarter of 2008, according to revised statistics released Thursday by the Japanese government. Initial figures had projected a 12.7-percent contraction for the gross domestic product (GDP).

January 6th, 2009 TOKYO - Japanese emperor Akihito Wednesday marked the 20th anniversary of ascension to Japan's throne by visiting his father's grave in Tokyo. As Akihito's reign began with his father's death, Jan 7 also commemorates the 20th anniversary of the death of emperor Hirohito, who is referred to by his posthumous name Showa in Japan.

January 4th, 2009 TOKYO - Japan's domestic sales of new vehicles plummeted to 3,212,342 units in 2008, the lowest level since 1974, as spending was restricted by worsening economic conditions amid global financial meltdown, officials said Monday. The sales have been on a decrease for five years in a row, down by 6.5 percent in 2008 on a year-on-year basis, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said.