The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan, Saudi Arabia push forward on decarbonization tech tie-up
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday agreed to cooperate in sharing technology to aid in the decarbonization and economic diversification of the Middle Eastern nation, while ensuring Japan's ongoing access to its oil.
The two agreed to launch a "strategic dialogue" at the foreign minister level to deepen bilateral collaboration in a meeting in Jeddah on the west coast of the Arabian Peninsula.
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China 2nd qtr GDP grows real 6.3% on yr but COVID recovery slow
BEIJING - China's economy in the April-June period grew a real 6.3 percent from a year earlier, official data showed Monday, with the increase due largely to the figures coming off a low base caused by a two-month COVID lockdown in Shanghai in the corresponding period last year.
The year-on-year growth in the gross domestic product of the world's second-largest economy accelerated from 4.5 percent in the previous quarter. But the quarter-on-quarter GDP expansion slowed to 0.8 percent from 2.2 percent, indicating the economy is recovering slowly from the grips of COVID-19.
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Artistic swimming: Japan claims acrobatic routine bronze at worlds
FUKUOKA - Host Japan claimed the bronze medal in artistic swimming's acrobatic routine at the world championships Monday.
China won with 238.0033 points, 5.6000 ahead of the second-place United States, in the fairly new event that saw one male artistic swimmer on each medal-winning eight-person team at Marine Messe Fukuoka.
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Mazda to launch EV-only model in 2027 to accelerate shift
TOKYO - Mazda Motor Corp. will launch its first electric-vehicle-only model in 2027, CEO Masahiro Moro said in a recent interview in Tokyo, as part of efforts to speed up its electrification efforts and catch up with global rivals.
Mazda started to sell in 2021 an electric model of the MX-30 sport utility vehicle, initially launched as a hybrid car, but the Japanese automaker has not had a dedicated electric vehicle.
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China, U.S. hold climate talks amid efforts to mend ties
BEIJING - Chinese and U.S. climate envoys held talks in Beijing on Monday, Chinese state-run media said, resuming dialogue to promote bilateral cooperation on climate change in the latest of a series of interactions that demonstrate ties are improving.
The meeting between Chinese climate envoy Xie Zhenhua and his U.S. counterpart John Kerry, representing the world's two largest greenhouse gas emitters, came as Beijing and Washington accelerate talks with an eye to holding a summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden later this year.
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Weekend downpour in S. Korea leaves 40 dead, 9 still missing
SEOUL - South Korean authorities said Monday that 40 people died and nine were still missing following heavy rainfall over the weekend, with most of the deaths occurring in southern regions of the country.
According to the nation's Interior and Safety Ministry data, 19 out of the 40 deaths were from the southeastern province of North Gyeongsang. Among the nine people missing, eight are from the same province.
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Singapore's parliamentary speaker, ruling party legislator resign
SINGAPORE - Singapore's Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin resigned due to his "personal conduct" and a controversial remark in parliament, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Monday.
The prime minister said in a statement Tan resigned as the speaker, legislator and member of the ruling People's Action Party.
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Kyoto river tour resumes after fatal boat accident in March
KYOTO - A popular river tour in Kyoto Prefecture reopened Monday following a suspension of several months as a result of an accident in which two were killed when one of the traditional wooden sightseeing vessels capsized with 29 aboard.
Tours on the Katsura River, also known as the Hozu River, in Kameoka, were initially scheduled to restart last week but were postponed when the river's water level rose due to heavy rain, according to Hozugawa Yusen Kigyo Kumiai, operator of the sightseeing tours.
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Widow of slain ex-Japan PM Abe starts Taiwan trip
TAIPEI - The widow of Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in Taiwan on Monday, starting a four-day trip aimed at further deepening Tokyo-Taipei ties promoted by her slain husband.
During her stay, Akie Abe is scheduled to meet with the island's leader Tsai Ing-wen and Vice President Lai Ching-te, who will join a welcome banquet for her later in the d
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Video: Thousands evacuated as heavy rain pounds Akita
