News Headlines - 29 April 2013

▽BBC News - Japan and Russia agree to resolve island dispute

Japan and Russia have agreed to hold talks to end a territorial dispute which has prevented them from signing a formal treaty to end World War II.

▽Inose's remarks on NY Times stirs issues -NHK WORLD English-

Tokyo Governor Naoki Inose made disparaging remarks about his city's 2 rivals to host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games, according to a report in The New York Times.

▽Eight dead in Pakistan bombing, including son of Afghan cleric - The Independent

A bomb killed eight people in Pakistan on Monday, including the son of an influential Afghan cleric, and wounded about 45 in the northwestern city of Peshawar, officials said.

▽Netherlands: Queen Beatrix Handing Power To Son

Millions of revellers are expected on the streets of Amsterdam today as Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands abdicates and her eldest son Willem-Alexander becomes the new monarch.

▽Spanish sale lands Lloyds with ￡250m loss - Scotsman.com

Lloyds Banking Group, which is expected to unveil a sharp rise in underlying profits today, has agreed to sell its loss-making Spanish retail arm for up to €104 million (￡87.8m). The state-backed lender said the sale of the division to Banco Sabadell was in line with its strategy of “rationalising its international presence and ensuring best value for shareholders”. However, it will book a ￡250m loss on the cash and shares deal. As part of a strategic review launched two years ago, Lloyds is cutting its international presence from 30 countries to fewer than 15 by the end of 2014. In the past year it has sold operations in Dubai, Japan and Uruguay.