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

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At least 60 dead, 140 injured in blasts near Kabul airport: media

KABUL/WASHINGTON - At least 60 people were killed and around 140 injured in two explosions that occurred Thursday outside the airport of Afghanistan's capital Kabul, U.S. media reported, as many countries strive to evacuate their citizens following the Taliban's recent seizure of power in the war-torn country.

The Pentagon said 12 U.S. military service members died and 15 were injured. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the deadly attacks later in the day through its affiliate news website.

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Japan halts use of 1.63 mil. Moderna vaccine doses over contamination

TOKYO - Japan's health ministry said Thursday that contaminants were found in some unused doses of Moderna Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine and the use of around 1.63 million doses from the same production line has been suspended as a precaution.

At least 180,000 potentially contaminated shots have already been administered in 19 of the country's 47 prefectures including Tokyo and Osaka, according to a Kyodo News tally based on local government reports.

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PM Suga, Kishida to vie for LDP leadership in Sept. 29 election

TOKYO - Former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday he will challenge Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in the leadership election of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party set for Sept. 29, as the public has grown frustrated about the government's coronavirus response.

The poll, which is likely to precede a general election that must be held in the fall, will effectively be a vote to decide Japan's leader as the LDP controls the House of Representatives, the powerful lower chamber of parliament.

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Paralympics: Swimmer Suzuki gets Japan's 1st gold as teams roll on

TOKYO - Takayuki Suzuki won Japan's first Summer Paralympic gold medal since 2012 on Thursday, the 34-year-old taking the men's 100-meter freestyle S4 swimming title to get the host nation into the gold column on the games medal table.

The medal was Suzuki's second in two days and took his career tally to seven, including a gold he won at the 2008 Games in Beijing.

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LDP's Takaichi seeks Japan's possession of "nat'l defense forces"

TOKYO - Senior Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Sanae Takaichi has advocated amending the Constitution so Japan can possess "national defense forces."

Takaichi made the proposal in an article in the October edition of the magazine Hanada as she expressed her willingness to run in the LDP presidential election set for Sept. 29 in a bid to become the first female prime minister of the country.

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Plane carrying 378 evacuated Afghans arrives in S. Korea

SEOUL - A South Korean military plane carrying 378 Afghan evacuees arrived Thursday in the East Asian country as part of a humanitarian mission codenamed Operation Miracle, the government said.

The transport aircraft carrying the Afghans, including some 100 children under the age of 5, landed at Incheon International Airport outside of Seoul, according to the Defense Ministry.

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S. Sudan's Olympic team bids farewell to Japan city after long stay

MAEBASHI, Japan - South Sudan's delegation to the Tokyo Games on Thursday bid farewell to people in Maebashi, a city about 100 kilometers north of the capital, after staying a year longer than initially scheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The delegation of three Olympians, one Paralympian and a coach visited city hall prior to their departure from Japan to thank officials and volunteers for all the support since they arrived in Maebashi in November 2019 for pre-games training.

==Kyodo

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