Market turbulence poses first serious test for Abenomics

By William Mallard TOKYO (Reuters) – This week's turbulence in Tokyo markets exposes a key risk of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's all-in strategy to revive Japan's economy – if investor confidence falters, the government and the Bank of Japan may be left with few options to turn the tide. On Friday, the Nikkei share average had another tumultuous session, traversing a 7.1 percent range between positive and negative territory before ending up 0.9 percent. The violent moves kept investors on edge after a 7. …

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Russia says Syrian government agrees in principle to conference

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia said on Friday the Syrian government had agreed in principle to attend an international peace conference proposed by Russia and the United States, and criticized what it called attempts to undermine peace efforts. “Damascus has expressed its readiness in principle to participate in the international conference in order for Syrians themselves to find a political path to a solution,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said. …

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China says hopes visit of North Korean envoy can ease tension

Choe, director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army of North Korea, walks at Pyongyang airport before leaving for ChinaBEIJING (Reuters) – China hopes that a visit by a senior North Korean envoy can ease tension in the region and help spur efforts to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Friday. “We hope that this visit can ameliorate the present tension on the Korean peninsula and give new impetus to pushing for the denuclearization of the peninsula,” ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a daily briefing. …

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