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BEIJING, May 7 (Xinhua): China and Japan will hold their 11th round of high-level consultations on maritime affairs in Otaru, Japan, from May 10 to 11, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

Spokesperson Geng Shuang told a routine news briefing that officials from foreign ministries, defense ministries, maritime law enforcement and management departments of both counties will attend the talks.

China expects to fully exchange views with Japan on maritime issues of common concern to strengthen mutual understanding and trust with Japan, Geng said.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s president says the Islamic Republic will keep its excess enriched uranium and heavy water, setting a 60-day deadline for new terms for its nuclear deal.

Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that if that deadline passes without better terms, Iran will begin higher enrichment of uranium.

He made the comments in a live address on Wednesday, the anniversary of President Donald Trump pulling America out of the accord.

BEIJING, May 7 (Xinhua): China on Tuesday expressed sincerity towards continuing economic and trade talks with the United States, saying the Chinese side does not evade conflict.

"Negotiation itself is a process of discussion, and it is normal for the two sides to have differences," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang at a press briefing.

Geng said China always believes that mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit are the premise and basis for reaching an agreement, and that adding tariffs will not solve any problems.

ST. PETERSBURG, May 7. /TASS/: Paleontologists from the St. Petersburg State University found in Yakutia’s Suntar Region remains of giant herbivorous dinosaurs, and this finding may change the current view on ancient lizards, the University’s expert Pavel Skuchas told TASS on Tuesday.

The remains are about 130 million years old. Those were very primitive species, and similar animals in southern regions had died much earlier, the scientist said.

MOSCOW, May 7. /TASS/: The investigation has revealed a group of companies that delivered contaminated oil to the Druzhba pipeline, four people have been detained in the case, Russia’s Energy Minister Alexander Novak said at a government meeting.

RIO DE JANEIRO, May 6 (Xinhua): Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is considering traveling to the U.S. state of Texas where he may meet with Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, his spokesperson said Monday, days after he canceled a trip to New York City.

Plans for a potential trip by Bolsonaro to Dallas city for an event scheduled for May 14-16 are still being finalized, spokesperson Otavio Rego Barros told a regular press briefing.

BEIJING, May 7 (Xinhua): China announced a targeted cut in reserve requirement ratio (RRR) in its latest attempt of using structural tools rather than an across-the-board stimulus to help cash-strained small businesses.

On Monday, the central bank announced that it would apply a relatively low RRR, or the amount of money banks must set aside as reserves, for some small and medium-sized banks starting from May 15.

ANKARA; 7 May 2019; AA: Turkey has condemned Washington's recent statement on Ankara-led drilling activities in the eastern Mediterranean continental shelf.

"Turkey has made its position explicitly clear regarding its continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean since 2004," said a Foreign Ministry statement on Monday.

7 May 2019; AFP: A former Goldman Sachs banker pleaded not guilty Monday in New York to bribery and other charges in the multi-billion-dollar 1MDB scandal after being extradited from Malaysia.

Malaysian Ng Chong Hwa, 51, a former managing director at the bank charged in both Malaysia and America over the 1MDB fraud, was extradited to the US on Friday, Malaysian attorney-general Tommy Thomas said.

SAN FRANCISCO, May 6 (Xinhua): Facebook announced Monday a series of updates that will change its video ranking system to focus on original content and loyal viewership.

The ranking updates, which will roll out over the next few months, will further prioritize original videos that people seek out, and help both creators and publishers succeed with their videos on Facebook, said David Miller, product management director at Facebook.