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Japan PM Hails 'Lessons of History' on Anne Frank Visit

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the Anne Frank museum in Amsterdam on Sunday, hailing the lessons of history ahead of his first meeting with South Korean President Park Geun-Hye.

"We would like to face historical facts in a humble manner and we would like also to pass on the lessons and facts of history to the next generation," Abe said during the visit to the Jewish girl's former hideout.

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Saudi Clerics Urge Faithful to Shun 'Islamic' Superhero Series

Saudi Arabia's top clerics have declared an Islam-inspired cartoon series, which earned praise from U.S. President Barack Obama, a "work of the devil" that Muslims should not watch.

The television version of superhero comic book "The 99" is being aired by Saudi-owned satellite channel MBC3, based in Dubai in the neighboring United Arab Emirates.

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John Lennon's Artwork Coming to NYC Auction

A collection of John Lennon's drawings and manuscripts is going up for auction.

The "You Might Well Arsk" sale of the late Beatles' material is scheduled to take place June 4 in New York, Sotheby's said.

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Indian Guru Aims for World Record with Mass Yoga Event

An Indian guru said Friday he hopes to set a world record this weekend by practicing yoga with millions of other people, including opposition election frontrunner Narendra Modi.

Swami Ramdev, who heads a huge yoga empire and is a household name in India, has thrown his support behind Modi, the prime ministerial candidate for the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, tipped to win the polls due to kick off next month.

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Word Lovers Rejoice as OK Celebrates 175 Years

Whatever you're doing this Sunday, wherever you might be, take a moment to reflect on the most popular word in the English language, OK?

It will be 175 years since OK -- or, as some prefer, okay -- first appeared in print, on page two of The Boston Morning Post, then one of the most popular newspapers in the United States.

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Kenya Legalizes Polygamy without Wife's Consent

Kenya's parliament has passed a bill allowing men to marry as many women as they want, prompting a furious backlash from female lawmakers who stormed out, reports said Friday.

The bill, which amended existing marriage legislation, was passed late on Thursday to formalize customary law about marrying more than one person.

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German Panel Rejects Claim on Nazi-Era Relics Sale

A German panel ruled Thursday against the heirs of Jewish collectors seeking to recover a trove of precious medieval church artifacts, saying its sale in 1935 was not made under Nazi duress.

The dispute centers on the Guelph Treasure or "Welfenschatz" of gold, silver and gem-studded relics believed to be worth hundreds of millions of euros (dollars) in total.

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French Chefs Wake up to Australia's 'No Boundaries' Cuisine

Australia's new wave cooking has long been admired in the English-speaking world, and now it seems chefs from the land of haute cuisine are finally waking up to its uninhibited charms.

Drawn by a no-holds-barred culinary culture that has produced creative East-West blends, French Michelin-starred cooks have been travelling to Australia for stints at kitchens Down Under.

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Norwegian Museum Agrees to Return Looted Matisse

A Norwegian museum says it has agreed to return a Matisse once looted by Hermann Goering to the family of Jewish art dealer Paul Rosenberg.

The 1937 painting, Woman in Blue in Front of a Fireplace, has been among the highlights of the Henie Onstad Art Center near Oslo since the museum was established in 1968 through a donation by shipping magnate Niels Onstad and his wife, Olympic figure-skating champion Sonja Henie.

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Japanese Company to Digitize Rare Vatican Library Manuscripts

Ancient manuscripts in the Vatican library penned from East Asia to the Pre-Colombian Americas will be digitized by a Japanese company as part of a global project to make the collection available for free viewing by the public.

Japan's NTT DATA will digitize 3,000 historical works and put them online over a four-year period in an initiative costing 18 million euros ($22.6 million), the company said at a press conference in the Vatican on Thursday.

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