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Not ours, says Iran of drone found off Bahrain

Tehran on Thursday denied a Bahraini claim it had found an Iranian drone in the sea near Saudi Arabia, and urged Manama to refrain from making "baseless accusations", the ISNA news agency reported. It cited an unnamed foreign ministry source as denying Bahrain's assertion that the downed aircraft was Iranian. "Instead of making baseless claims, it would be better to respond to the legitimate demands of its people," the source said of the Shiite-majority kingdom across the Gulf that is ruled by a Sunni Muslim dynasty.

Twitter tightens security after high-profile breaches

Twitter said Wednesday it was stepping up security measures for the popular messaging service following a series of high-profile breaches by hackers hitting media organizations and others. Twitter said it would implement a new login verification system, "a form of two-factor authentication" which is "a second check to make sure it's really you" when a user signs in.

Mali Tuaregs reject army presence in bastion for July vote

Mali's main Tuareg separatist group said Wednesday it supported the holding of a nationwide presidential poll in July but ruled out allowing the army in its northern bastion of Kidal for the vote. A delegation from the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) held talks in Ouagadougou, the capital of neighbouring Burkina Faso, with the region's lead mediator in the Malian crisis, Djibrill Bassole.

Indonesian 'Hijabers' buy into an Islamic economy

Indonesian event organiser Risti Rahmadi wears an Islamic headscarf, uses halal lipstick and knows that it's time to pray when an app on her BlackBerry emits Koranic verses five times a day. The 37-year-old, who in her 20s would save up for the latest Guess clothes and Revlon make-up, now strictly buys products that show she is a proud Indonesian Muslim -- and she hopes to persuade others to do the same.

IMF chief grilled in Paris court over 2007 payout scandal

French prosecutors were grilling IMF chief Christine Lagarde in a Paris court on Thursday to decide if she should be charged over a state payout to a disgraced tycoon during her time as finance minister. Lagarde has downplayed the investigation, but the stakes of the probe are huge for both her and the International Monetary Fund. Since March, the IMF has not commented on the affair but the board has reiterated its "confidence" in Lagarde. French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici told AFP that Lagarde "retains the full confidence of French authorities and myself".

Turkish restaurant owner freed in Afghanistan

A Turkish restaurant owner kidnapped 11 days ago in Kabul was freed in an overnight raid by elite commandos from Afghanistan's intelligence agency, officials said Thursday. The National Directorate of Security (NDS) said it had rescued the man from a house on the outskirts of the capital and handed him over to the Turkish embassy. He was taken hostage at gunpoint on May 12 in Taimany, a district of Kabul popular with foreign residents.

Obama approval ratings remain steady, riding through the ups and downs of economy, controversy

WASHINGTON - The economy is recovering, the White House is dealing with multiple controversies, and President Barack Obama appears generally unaffected either way. He's getting no significant uptick in approval from gains in housing, jobs and the stock market. Likewise, he has so far seen no downtick from the recent storms over the terror attack in Benghazi, Libya, the targeting of conservative groups by the IRS and a leak investigation that has swept up the phone records of Associated Press journalists.

France backs call to put Hezbollah armed wing on EU terror list

PARIS (Reuters) - France is ready to support a British initiative to put the armed wing of Hezbollah on the European Union's list of terrorist organizations, an official said on Thursday, confirming comments by Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. Paris has traditionally been cautious about backing steps to sanction Hezbollah, fearing it could destabilize Lebanon and potentially put U.N. peacekeepers at risk, but in recent weeks it has said it would consider all options.

Abe confident Japan's resolve to be conveyed to N. Korea leader Kim

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday he believes his strong intention to solve the long-standing abduction issue with North Korea will be conveyed to its leader Kim Jong Un following a recent Pyongyang trip by his advisor. "It is not easy to demonstrate our resolve" to Kim, but this time "it is due to be conveyed" as the advisor, Isao Iijima, met with the country's No. 2 leader, Kim Yong Nam, during his four-day trip last week, Abe told a Diet committee session when asked about the contentious move.

S Korea-China-NK envoy

SEOUL, May 23 (Yonhap) -- China had tipped South Korea off in advance that a special envoy of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would be visiting the neighboring nation, a South Korean official said Thursday, an unusual move that may suggest a shift in Beijing's policy on Pyongyang. North Korean Vice Marshal Choe Ryong-hae arrived in Beijing Wednesday and met with Wang Jiarui, a top Chinese Communist Party official. Choe, a close aide to the North's leader, was widely expected to pay a visit to Chinese President Xi Jinping during the trip.
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