The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.

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U.S. scientist Manabe, German, Italian win Nobel physics prize

STOCKHOLM - Japanese-born American scientist Syukuro Manabe, 90, has won this year's Nobel Prize in physics for modeling the Earth's climate and reliably predicting global warming, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said Tuesday.

Italian Giorgio Parisi, 73, was awarded half the prize, with Manabe, who works at Princeton University, sharing the other half with Klaus Hasselmann, 89, of Germany.

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Fumio Kishida starts work as Japan's prime minister

TOKYO - Fumio Kishida got to work as Japan's prime minister on Tuesday, holding talks with foreign leaders, a day after taking office and forming a Cabinet to meet challenges including reviving an economy battered by COVID-19.

"I have a sense of tension like the one I feel just after a playball announcement in baseball," Kishida told reporters at the prime minister's office after holding a teleconference with U.S. President Joe Biden.

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Japan PM Kishida gets Biden's "strong" commitment on Senkaku defense

TOKYO - Japan's new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday he received "strong words of commitment" from U.S. President Joe Biden on Washington's promise to defend the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

China claims the Japan-administered uninhabited islets and calls them Diaoyu, one of several areas of concern among the United States and its allies over Beijing's growing assertiveness in regional waters.

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China's Xi instructs army to increase military pressure near Taiwan

BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping has instructed the country's army to increase military pressure in the southwestern region of Taiwan, sources familiar with the matter said Tuesday.

Xi's instruction came at a recent meeting of the Central Military Commission, China's highest military authority, after six democratic nations including the United States and Japan carried out joint military drills near Taiwan earlier this month involving three aircraft carriers.

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Kishida Cabinet's approval rate at 55%: Kyodo poll

TOKYO - The approval rating for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's newly launched Cabinet stands at 55.7 percent, a Kyodo News survey showed Tuesday, suggesting the public have mixed feelings on the new leader heading into a general election this month.

The result compares with an approval rating of 66.4 percent for the Cabinet of the previous premier, Yoshihide Suga, upon its formation in September last year.

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Tokyo reports 144 daily coronavirus cases as downtrend continues

TOKYO - Tokyo confirmed 144 new daily coronavirus cases Tuesday, a day after the figure dipped below 100 for the first time since last November, reflecting a steady drop in the number of infections in the capital.

The decline in new infections from a record 5,773 cases on Aug. 13 prompted the government last Friday to lift a state of emergency covering the capital and 18 prefectures.

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Singapore passes controversial bill to prevent foreign interference

SINGAPORE - Singapore's parliament has passed a controversial bill to prevent foreign interference by authorizing the government to control the internet such as by blocking content.

The Foreign Interference Countermeasures Act, which was passed with 75 legislators in support and 11 opposed at midnight Monday, sparked concern among opposition lawmakers, human rights activists and journalists about the possible abuse of power over information.

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Japan to consider when to restart "Go To Travel" tourism campaign

TOKYO - Japan's new tourism minister said Tuesday he will consider when to resume the government's "Go To Travel" subsidy program for the promotion of domestic tourism that has been hit by the coronavirus pandemic, following the full lifting of the COVID-19 state of emergency last week.

"We will consider the situation regarding novel coronavirus infections and consider when to resume the program," said Tetsuo Saito. "It is a program crucial for the recovery of tourist sites and local economies."