The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Okinawa hit by record infections seeks to be part of emergency areas
TOKYO - Okinawa on Wednesday asked the central government to add it to areas under a COVID-19 state of emergency as the southern island prefecture saw a record number of infections.
The prefecture reported 203 daily new infections among its population of 1.5 million, up from 168 the previous day, with Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki saying the local health care system is in a "crisis situation."
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IOC ready to send medical staff to Tokyo Olympics
TOKYO - International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said Wednesday his organization is prepared to send medical staff to the Tokyo Olympics as part of efforts to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking at the outset of a three-day virtual meeting between Japan and the IOC's Coordination Commission, Bach said, "The IOC has offered to the organizing committee to have additional medical personnel...to support the medical operations and the strict implementation of COVID-19 countermeasures."
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Japan to ban foreign VIPs from meeting athletes at Olympics
TOKYO - The Japanese government plans to ban foreign VIPs from meeting their countries' athletes during this summer's Tokyo Olympics as a measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, officials said Wednesday.
The Foreign Ministry presented the plan to a panel of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, as the government continues its efforts to host the Olympics and Paralympics amid the pandemic.
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China receives photos from Mars: state-run media
BEIJING - China's space authorities have received photos from Mars after the country's unmanned probe safely landed on the surface of the red planet earlier this month for the first time, state-run media reported Wednesday.
One of the photos showed the separation of the lander and rover. Another was taken by the rover after landing, the official China Global Television Network quoted the China National Space Administration as saying.
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Actress Aragaki, singer-songwriter Hoshino to marry
TOKYO - Popular Japanese actress Yui Aragaki and singer-songwriter Gen Hoshino are set to marry, their agencies said Wednesday, after co-starring in a 2016 TV drama in which they played a couple that entered into a contract marriage.
"We hope that we can support each other and spend a lot of prosperous time together," the couple said in a joint statement.
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India reports 4,529 COVID-19 deaths, single-day record
NEW DELHI - India on Wednesday reported a record 4,529 COVID-19 deaths over a one-day period, bringing its total fatalities from coronavirus infections to 283,248, the third most in the world after the United States and Brazil.
While India marked record deaths on Tuesday and Wednesday, daily cases have dropped below 300,000 for the third consecutive day, with 267,334 new cases reported Wednesday, according to the country's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
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Man told to pay damages for hateful posts on late Terrace House star
TOKYO - A Japanese court on Wednesday ordered a man to pay about 1.29 million yen ($12,000) for causing emotional distress to the family of a reality TV show "Terrace House" cast member as he posted hateful messages about her after her death.
Kyoko Kimura was awarded the damages in the suit filed with the Tokyo District Court in January over the man's Twitter posts following the death of her daughter Hana Kimura, 22, in May last year.
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U.S. House speaker urges world leaders to boycott Beijing Olympics
WASHINGTON - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday called for world leaders to boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics over China's alleged human rights abuses, including against the Muslim Uyghur minority in its Xinjiang region.
"Here's what I propose...a diplomatic boycott," Pelosi told a congressional hearing to examine the implications of holding the Olympics in China, adding, "Let's not honor the Chinese government by having heads of state go to China."
