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

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Putin declares Mariupol captured, cancels plan to storm steel plant

LVIV, Ukraine/WASHINGTON - President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russian forces have effectively seized control of the key port city of Mariupol as they launch a renewed offensive in eastern Ukraine, while calling off plans to storm a steel plant where thousands of people remained holed up.

U.S. President Joe Biden, however, told reporters Thursday there is no evidence yet that the Ukrainian city, which has been contested for weeks, has completely fallen. He also announced additional military assistance to Ukraine worth up to $800 million.

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Finance minister says Japan discussed "rapid" fall of yen with U.S.

WASHINGTON - Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said Thursday he discussed the recent "rapid" decline of the yen against the U.S. dollar with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, after the currency dropped to a 20-year low earlier this week.

They agreed to closely communicate on currency movements, Suzuki told reporters after the meeting.

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Japan's March core consumer prices up 0.8% on year

TOKYO - Japan's core consumer prices in March rose 0.8 percent from a year earlier, government data showed Friday.

The nationwide core consumer price index, excluding volatile fresh food items, increased for the seventh straight month, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said. In February, the key indicator of inflation gained 0.6 percent.

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IMF committee forgoes communique due to apparent Russian opposition

WASHINGTON - The policy-setting body of the International Monetary Fund wrapped up discussions Thursday without issuing a communique as seen in the past, apparently due to Russia opposing language that condemned its invasion of Ukraine.

"Members have made an overwhelming call to stop the war. Concerns have been voiced on the negative impact of the war, which goes beyond neighboring countries and has a global scope," International Monetary and Financial Committee Chair Nadia Calvino told a press conference after the meeting in Washington.

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Japan's ruling party to propose more defense spending, eyes 2% of GDP

TOKYO - Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party will propose that the government sharply increase its defense spending, party members said Thursday, suggesting they will push for, at a minimum, an amount equivalent to 2 percent of the nation's gross domestic product, double the current level.

The party's draft proposal for revising the government's National Security Strategy will also include the controversial idea of possessing the ability to disable an enemy country's missiles in its territory, as well as its command and control systems.

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Japan, NZ leaders vow to defend int'l order shaken by invasion

TOKYO - The leaders of Japan and New Zealand expressed strong opposition Thursday to attempts to change the status quo by force in Ukraine or anywhere else, and agreed to strengthen their partnership to uphold the international order challenged by Russia.

After a face-to-face meeting in Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the two nations will start negotiations on an information-sharing agreement to bolster bilateral security and defense cooperation.

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Japan to send minister to Solomons over China security pact fears

TOKYO - Japan will send a vice foreign minister to the Solomon Islands possibly later this month due to concerns that a security pact between the southwest Pacific nation and China will increase Beijing's military influence in the region, government sources said Thursday.

The visit by Shingo Miyake, a parliamentary vice minister for foreign affairs, comes as China and the Solomon Islands said earlier this week that they had signed a deal that will reportedly allow the deployment of Chinese forces and the docking of their ships in the islands.

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E. Timor expected to join ASEAN in 2023: President-elect Ramos-Horta

DILI - East Timor's President-elect Jose Ramos-Horta said Thursday he expects his country to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2023 when Indonesia chairs the 10-member bloc.

During the 72-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate's first stint as president from 2007 to 2012, his government submitted its application to join ASEAN in 2011, at which time Indonesia also chaired the 10-member group.

==Kyodo

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