The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
----------
Dollar rises to near 7-yr-high of lower 125 yen level
TOKYO - The U.S. dollar climbed into the lower 125 yen range Monday, its highest level since June 2015, on prospects of widening interest rate differentials between the United States and Japan following an upward trend in U.S. Treasury yields.
At 5 p.m., the dollar fetched 125.24-26 yen after briefly rising to 125.43 yen, compared with 124.23-33 yen in New York and 124.04-05 yen in Tokyo at 5 p.m. Friday.
----------
BOJ downgrades view on 8 regional economies amid COVID, supply issues
TOKYO - The Bank of Japan on Monday downgraded its view on eight of the nine regional economies, citing the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on service consumption and supply bottlenecks.
The quarterly report on regional economies, the first since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, included comments from Japanese companies fretting about higher energy and raw material costs that pressure corporate earnings and hurt private consumption.
----------
Zelenskyy asks S. Korea to support Ukraine with military hardware
SEOUL - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking to South Korean lawmakers virtually Monday, asked for military hardware to help his country better fight against Russia amid an ongoing war.
"Ukraine needs various military technologies, including planes and tanks, and South Korea can help Ukraine," Zelenskyy said in his virtual address to the National Assembly. "South Korea has the military hardware that can help us fight against Russia."
----------
Japan judo head Yamashita says Putin actions not in spirit of sport
TOKYO - All Japan Judo Federation President Yasuhiro Yamashita on Monday criticized Russian President and judoka Vladimir Putin, saying his country's aggression in Ukraine is against the ethos of the sport.
Putin, 69, previously paid a visit to the Kodokan Judo Institute in Tokyo, the headquarters of the sport's community, and is believed to be well-versed in the martial art created in Japan.
----------
S. Korea's president-elect names 8 cabinet members
SEOUL - South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol has announced nominations for eight Cabinet posts in his new administration to be launched next month, including a former Joint Chiefs of Staff vice chairman, Lee Jong Sup, as defense minister.
Yoon told reporters on Sunday that he nominated Lee for his contribution to the development of the U.S.-South Korean alliance.
----------
Macron, Le Pen advance to French presidential runoff
PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron and far-right nationalist Marine Le Pen will contest the runoff for the presidential election after winning the top two spots in the first round Sunday.
In the runoff on April 24, which will be a repetition of their contest in 2017, voters will choose between the centrist incumbent and the National Rally leader, who have starkly opposing views on topics from France's relationship with the European Union to immigration.
----------
Ukraine's economy to nearly halve due to Russia invasion: World Bank
WASHINGTON - Ukraine's economy is expected to shrink nearly in half this year as economic activity has become impossible in large swathes of the Eastern European country due to Russia's invasion, the World Bank said Sunday.
"The Russian invasion is delivering a massive blow to Ukraine's economy and it has inflicted enormous damage to infrastructure," Anna Bjerde, World Bank vice president for Europe and Central Asia, said as she called for "massive" financial support for Kyiv so that its government can keep running to support its citizens.
----------
Michelin chef collects donations for Ukraine with rice balls
TOKYO - The owner of a Michelin-starred restaurant in Tokyo distributed "onigiri" rice balls to donors Monday in a charity drive to support children in Ukraine suffering from the Russian invasion of the Eastern European country.
Yoshihiro Narisawa, 53, of the renowned two-star eatery in the capital's Minato Ward, handed rice balls wrapped in bamboo leaves to individuals who donated 1,000 yen ($8) or more at the restaurant. Evacuees from Ukraine also joined the drive by making rice balls.
