The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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"Developing Asia" to grow 5.2% in 2022 but Ukraine war looms, ADB says
MANILA - The Asian Development Bank said Wednesday that developing and newly industrialized Asian economies will grow 5.2 percent in 2022 as they continue to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, but warned of fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
In its Asian Development Outlook 2022 report, the Manila-based multilateral bank said growth in "developing Asia" -- a grouping of 45 economies excluding Japan, Australia and New Zealand -- is expected to remain strong and reach 5.3 percent in 2023, supported by a robust recovery in domestic demand and solid exports.
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U.S. slaps sanctions on most prominent Russia marketplace on dark web
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday sanctioned the most prominent Russian marketplace on the dark web and a cryptocurrency exchange known to be mainly operating in Moscow and St. Petersburg in a bid to foil Russian attempts to evade already imposed financial restrictions following the invasion of Ukraine.
"The global threat of cybercrime and ransomware that originates in Russia, and the ability of criminal leaders to operate there with impunity, is deeply concerning to the United States," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a press release.
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U.S. House speaker to meet Kishida in Japan amid Ukraine crisis
TOKYO - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi is visiting Japan later this week to hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida as the two countries seek to affirm coordination in the face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, sources from both governments said Wednesday.
Pelosi is expected to arrive as early as Friday and meet Kishida on Sunday at the official residence of the prime minister. Japan's House of Representatives Speaker Hiroyuki Hosoda is also among those she is scheduled to meet during the visit, according to the sources.
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FOCUS: Duterte's China appeasement makes pushback difficult for Manila
MANILA - As outgoing Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's foreign policy has largely been defined by his appeasement of China, experts warn this could make it harder for his successor to push back and reverse China's territorial advances in the South China Sea.
Duterte, who will step down on June 30 as he is barred by the Constitution from seeking another six-year term, has taken an accommodating stance toward Beijing's incursions in waters claimed by Manila, in exchange for promised investments from China.
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U.S. calls for firm response to N. Korea missiles in talks with China
WASHINGTON - U.S. special envoy to North Korea Sung Kim stressed in a meeting on Tuesday with his Chinese counterpart the importance of responding "firmly" to North Korea's ballistic missile tests, calling them "increasingly escalatory actions," the State Department said.
The talks took place in Washington as the United States pursues a new U.N. Security Council resolution against North Korea following its test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile on March 24, the first such launch by Pyongyang since November 2017.
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Japan film director Sono accused of sexual harassment
TOKYO - Japanese film director Sion Sono, known in the international festival circuits and for his recent debut in Hollywood, has been accused of sexual harassment and assault.
Sono, 60, responded to a Shukan Josei magazine article published Tuesday that alleged he had pressed actresses for sexual relations in return for a role in his work.
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Japan students seek to bridge ties with Russia amid Ukraine crisis
TOKYO - Japanese students forced to suddenly depart Russia are hoping to make use of their language skills and act as a bridge between their country and Moscow, following the latter's invasion of Ukraine that has sparked international condemnation and sanctions.
"I want to take on a job that would make use of my Russian language skills," said Sakurako Mitsushima, a fourth-year student of Osaka University in western Japan who was studying at Moscow State University.
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Baseball: Shohei Ohtani to focus on his pitching on 2022 Opening Day
LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani may have two roles to cover, but first he is going to focus on his pitching when 18 of the 30 MLB teams play their first games of the regular season on Thursday.
Ohtani, who will be both pitching and hitting on Opening Day, was able to shut out the noise in 2021 as baseball's biggest attraction -- the first two-way star since Babe Ruth -- and he plans to repeat the trick when he gets on the mound this week.
