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

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Japan airlifts 14 Afghans from Kabul to Islamabad at U.S. request

TOKYO - Japan has transported 14 Afghans aboard a Self-Defense Forces aircraft from Kabul to Islamabad in neighboring Pakistan at the request of the United States amid heightened tensions in the Afghan capital following bombing attacks near the city's airport, government sources said Saturday.

The 14 Afghans, who are not local staff of the government-related entities, were evacuated Thursday in the first SDF airlift of foreign nationals to another country as part of a mission to evacuate Japanese citizens.

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Athletes evacuated from Afghanistan now in Tokyo for Paralympics

TOKYO - Two athletes from Afghanistan have arrived in Tokyo to compete in the world's biggest sporting event for people with disabilities after being evacuated from their country, now under the control of the Taliban, and welcoming the duo was "extremely emotional," an International Paralympic Committee official said Sunday.

The two are female para-taekwondo athlete Zakia Khudadadi and male track athlete Hossain Rasouli, who left Afghanistan a week ago and arrived Saturday evening in Tokyo on a flight from Paris, according to Paralympic officials.

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Japan weighs mixing and matching COVID vaccines: minister

TOKYO - Japan's health ministry is weighing mixing and matching different COVID-19 vaccines to help ease supply concerns and accelerate the country's inoculation program, the minister in charge of vaccinations said Sunday.

Japan has mostly used COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer Inc. or Moderna Inc. for its inoculation program. AstraZeneca Plc's vaccine, manufactured in Japan under license, was approved in July for use in people aged 40 or older.

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2 men die in Japan after receiving dose of suspended Moderna vaccines

TOKYO - Two men died after each was administered a dose of Moderna Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine that was among lots later suspended from use following the discovery of contaminants, the health ministry said Saturday.

The two men, 30 and 38, died within days of receiving their second shots on Aug. 22 and 15, respectively, and no foreign matter was found in either of the vials of vaccine used on the two men, the ministry said.

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Contaminants found in Moderna vaccine not belonging to suspended lots

NAHA, Japan - The Okinawa prefectural government said Saturday that it has found foreign matter in an unused vial of Moderna Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine not belonging to batches already suspended from use following the discovery of contaminants.

Japan's health ministry said Thursday that foreign substances have been confirmed in 39 unused vials at eight vaccination sites in five prefectures -- Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Gifu and Aichi.

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Suspect in Tokyo acid attack arrested in Okinawa

TOKYO - A male university student who was put on a nationwide wanted list following an acid attack earlier in the week at a Tokyo subway station was arrested Saturday in the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa, police said.

Hirotaka Hanamori, 25, is suspected of throwing sulfuric acid at a 22-year-old man at Tokyo Metro's Shirokane-takanawa Station in the capital's Minato Ward on Tuesday night.

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Paralympics: Japan triathletes medal as wheelchair rugby team loses

TOKYO - Japan won its first ever Paralympic triathlon medals on Saturday but its wheelchair rugby players can do no better than bronze after suffering semifinal defeat later in the day.

The triathlon competitors endured a sweltering morning in the Tokyo Bay area, though it did not stop Hideki Uda and Satoru Yoneoka from swimming, pedaling and running to Japan's first two Paralympic medals in the sport.

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Thousands flock to walk-in youth vaccination site in central Tokyo

TOKYO - Thousands of people on Saturday morning swarmed a walk-in COVID-19 vaccination site newly set up in central Tokyo for young people, ironically creating dense crowds at risk of spreading the virus as they lined up to get tickets for about 300 shots offered for the day.

The Tokyo metropolitan government conducted the vaccine lottery after disarray on the first day of the program Friday when a line began to form from early morning, with people snapping up some 200 vaccination slots provided on a first-come, first-served basis to those aged 16 to 39, well before registration was scheduled to start.

==Kyodo

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