The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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All Olympic public viewing events in Tokyo canceled due to COVID
TOKYO - Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said Saturday that all mass public viewings of this summer's Olympics and Paralympics in the Japanese capital will be canceled as part of precautions against the coronavirus.
After holding talks with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga for about an hour, the governor told reporters that some of the six venues planned to be used for the screenings will instead be offered as COVID-19 vaccination sites.
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Iran elects hard-liner Raisi as new president
TEHRAN - Iran elected a conservative hard-liner as its new leader in Friday's presidential election, with local media reporting that the three other contenders, including one moderate candidate, conceded their loss on Saturday.
Judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi, who Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei backs, will replace relatively moderate President Hassan Rouhani, who cannot serve a third consecutive term after eight years in office.
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Japan mulls dropping plan to procure U.S.-made anti-ship missiles
TOKYO - Japan is considering scrapping its plan to procure U.S.-made long-range anti-ship missiles with standoff capabilities for the Air Self-Defense Force's F-15 fighter jets, government officials said Saturday.
The plan to change its policy is due to ballooning costs, according to the officials, who declined to be named as a formal decision has not yet been made.
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U.N. raps Myanmar military over coup, violence against protesters
NEW YORK - The U.N. General Assembly on Friday adopted a resolution denouncing the Myanmar military "in the strongest terms" over its February coup that ousted elected leaders as well as its continued use of violence against anti-government protesters in the country.
The resolution, agreed in a majority vote, also seeks to "prevent the flow of arms" into the Southeast Asian country, while calling "for the immediate release" of former leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other detained leaders.
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North Korea's Kim vows to draw serious lesson from defects exposed in 2021
BEIJING - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has stressed the need to draw "a serious lesson from defects revealed in the first half of the year," state-run media reported Saturday, as his country's economy has deteriorated amid the coronavirus pandemic.
On the final day of a four-day plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, Kim also pointed out that "serious problems" have been revealed "in the work and life of the members" of its leadership organ, according to the media.
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U.N. chief Guterres clinches 2nd term, vows to push multilateralism
NEW YORK - U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres pledged to promote multilateralism in addressing global challenges such as the coronavirus pandemic and climate change as he secured a second term Friday, with the General Assembly unanimously endorsing his bid to continue in the top post.
"All of this requires a reinvigorated multilateralism for the new era, based on principles of equity and solidarity," the 72-year-old said at a press conference.
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Man arrested after 32-hr hostage standoff at internet cafe near Tokyo
SAITAMA, Japan - A 40-year-old male customer at an internet cafe near Tokyo was arrested Friday night after holding a female worker hostage for more than 32 hours in a small room, police said.
The worker in her 20s was released with no visible injuries. Police officers broke the door's lock with special tools and stormed into the room after confirming the man had fallen asleep.
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Baseball: Shohei Ohtani blasts 20th, 21st home runs in big win for Angels
ANAHEIM, California - Just hours after announcing his entry in the All-Star Home Run Derby, Shohei Ohtani crushed a pair of homers Friday in the Los Angeles Angels' 11-3 dismantling of the Detroit Tigers.
The two-way star blasted his 20th home run of the year against Detroit starter Jose Urena (2-7) in the fifth, then followed up with No. 21 against reliever Joe Jimenez in the bottom of the eighth at Angel Stadium.
