Following are the top foreign stories at 1700 hours

FGN27 CHINA-IRAN-TRUMP

China rejects Trump's call to break away from Iran deal Beijing: China on Thursday rejected US President Donald Trump's call to "break away" from the Iranian nuclear deal and work for a new one, saying the agreement is a "hard won outcome" adopted by the UN and "all parties" should abide by it. By K J M Varma

FGN22 UK-LD ROYALS

Britain stunned as Prince Harry & Meghan 'step back' from royal roles London: UK's Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle have announced quitting their front-line roles to focus on the "next chapter", stunning the monarchy and drawing sharp criticism from the British media which has been reporting of a widening rift within the Royal family. By Aditi Khanna

FGN24 WB-LD INDIA

Growth in India projected to 'decelerate' to 5% in 2019-2020: World Bank Washington: India's growth rate is projected to decelerate to five per cent in 2019-20 amid enduring financial sector issues, according to a World Bank report, which said the country's GDP was likely to recover to 5.8 per cent in the following financial year. By Lalit K Jha

FGN13 US-INDIA-LD OFFICIAL

Trump admin doesn't want to degrade India's defence capabilities: US official on CAATSA Washington: The Trump administration does not want to degrade India's defence capabilities, a senior US official has said, asserting that there will be a case-by-case analysis on where punitive measures under the CAATSA could be applied on countries buying significant military equipment from Russia. By Lalit K Jha

FGN6 AUS-BUSHFIRE

Australia bushfire crisis: 24 killed, over 6 mn hectares of land burned Melbourne: Australia's raging bushfire crisis, one of the worst in its history, has killed 24 people, burned over six million hectares of land, reduced to ashes hundreds of homes and pushed many species towards extinction, officials said on Thursday. By Natasha Chaku

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