Japanese Emperor Akihito has started a day of ceremonies in the Imperial Palace as he prepares to step down from the throne on Tuesday.
It'll make him the first monarch to abdicate in more than 200 years.
His son, Crown Prince Naruhito, will ascend the Chrysanthemum throne the next day.
Akihito had expressed a desire to abdicate in 2016 due to his age and declining health.
Trump says deal reached to disarm Hamas, Israeli support for plan remains uncertain
US President Donald Trump said talks in Cairo between mediators and Hamas leaders on Thursday have led to a phased disarmament agreement in Gaza.
Kuwait says Iranian attack hits Chinese company building, kills one
Kuwait's Ministry of Defence said an Iranian attack targeted a building belonging to a Chinese company in the north of the country on Thursday, killing one worker and causing extensive material damage to the facility.
Japan quake snarls auto and chip supply chains as toll hits 34
A powerful earthquake that struck southern Japan this week has exposed the vulnerability of the country's manufacturing supply chains, a decade after a devastating quake in the same region triggered widespread industry disruption.
Death toll rises to at least 34 after blast at Pakistan coal mine complex
An explosion that buried parts of a mining complex has killed at least 34 miners in Pakistan's Balochistan province, Pakistani officials said on Friday.
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai's Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, was received by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain on Friday.
UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan shared his thoughts on regional developments during a telephone call with Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa on Friday.
The UAE has strongly condemned the drone attack targeting two vessels at Damietta Port in Egypt on Wednesday.
