The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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2 men die in Japan after receiving dose of suspended Moderna vaccines
TOKYO - Two men died after each was administered a dose of Moderna Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine that was among lots later suspended from use following the discovery of contaminants, the health ministry said Saturday.
The two men, 30 and 38, died within days of receiving their second shots this month. No foreign matter was found in either of the vials of vaccine used on the two men, and it remains unknown if there is any causal relationship between the vaccination and their deaths.
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Paralympics: Uda, Yoneoka win Japan's 1st triathlon medals ever
TOKYO - It was a historic day for Japanese triathlon on Saturday as Hideki Uda won a silver medal in the men's PTS4 class, the country's first-ever Paralympic medal in the sport, and Satoru Yoneoka won bronze in the men's PTVI class.
Uda clocked 1-hour, 3-minute, 45-second time and Yoneoka finished in 1:02:20 alongside his guide Kohei Tsubaki at Odaiba Marine Park. Each man's medal was his first at the Paralympic Games.
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Japan airlifts 14 Afghans from Kabul to Islamabad
TOKYO - Japan has transported 14 Afghans aboard a Self-Defense Forces aircraft from Kabul to Islamabad in neighboring Pakistan as part of its operation to evacuate Japanese nationals and others from Afghanistan, government sources said Saturday.
The airlift took place on Thursday, a day before the evacuation of a Japanese national aboard an SDF plane from the war-torn country, where the Taliban militant group has returned to power. It was the first SDF airlift of foreign nationals to another country as part of a mission to evacuate Japanese citizens.
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Thousands flock to walk-in youth vaccination site in central Tokyo
TOKYO - Thousands of people swarmed a walk-in COVID-19 vaccination site, newly set up in central Tokyo for young people, on Saturday morning, hoping to get tickets for about 300 shots offered for the day.
The Tokyo metropolitan government conducted the vaccine lottery after disarray on the first day of the program Friday when a line began to form from early morning, and people snapped up some 200 vaccination slots provided on a first-come, first-served basis well before registration was scheduled to start.
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U.S. strikes IS in retaliation for deadly attack near Kabul airport
WASHINGTON - The U.S. military said Friday it had launched a drone strike against the Islamic State in Afghanistan after an attack claimed by the group killed 13 American service members and over 100 Afghans near Kabul's international airport.
The U.S. Central Command said the "counterterrorism operation" was conducted against an "ISIS-K planner," referring to an affiliate of the Islamic State extremist group.
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China's ex-Prada brand ambassador faces punishment on tax evasion
BEIJING - Chinese actress Zheng Shuang, who served as a brand ambassador of Italian luxury fashion brand Prada, faces a whopping 299 million yuan ($46.1 million) in fines and back taxes due to tax evasion, according to state-run media.
The case has attracted attention in China as it is echoes that of Fan Bingbing, one of the country's highest paid and most popular actresses, who in 2018 was ordered to pay more than 880 million yuan in overdue taxes and fines.
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Sight-impaired Paralympian hit by autonomous bus in athletes' village
TOKYO - A visually impaired Paralympian has been left with injuries that will take about two weeks to heal after being hit by a Toyota Motor Corp. autonomous bus running in the athletes' village, police said Friday.
The Paralympian, Japanese judoka Aramitsu Kitazono, competing in the men's 81-kilogram division, will miss his match scheduled for Saturday, his coach said.
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Suspect in Tokyo acid attack arrested in Okinawa
TOKYO - A man wanted by police following an acid attack earlier in the week at a Tokyo subway station was arrested Saturday in the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa, investigative sources said.
Hirotaka Hanamori, 25, is suspected of throwing sulfuric acid at a 22-year-old man at Tokyo Metro's Shirokane-takanawa Station in the capital's Minato Ward on Tuesday night.
