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

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Retrial of 1966 murders begins, sister claims brother is innocent

SHIZUOKA - A former professional boxer and death-row inmate accused of a 1966 quadruple murder in central Japan is innocent, his elderly sister said Friday, in the first hearing of his retrial that is likely to lead to his exoneration.

Iwao Hakamata, 87, was exempted from attending the retrial at the Shizuoka District Court, as his mental state has deteriorated after spending nearly half a century behind bars before new evidence led to his release in 2014.

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U.S., China top diplomats agree to stabilize ties despite differences

WASHINGTON - The top diplomats of the United States and China agreed Thursday on the need to promote dialogue, regardless of many disagreements, to help reduce misunderstanding and stabilize bilateral relations.

Wang Yi, the most senior foreign policy official in China's Communist Party, said the two countries "share important common interests and challenges that we need to address together" as he began a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington.

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FOCUS: Japan faces hurdle to changing law after transgender surgery decision

TOKYO - The Supreme Court's landmark decision on the unconstitutionality of requiring sterilization surgery for transgender people seeking to legally change gender came as Japan moves toward giving sexual minorities the same rights protection they have in other advanced economies.

But changing the law may not be an easy task, with conservative lawmakers and some civic groups immediately expressing opposition to the decision.

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Kioxia, Western Digital halt merger talks amid SK Hynix's objection

TOKYO - Japanese chipmaker Kioxia Holdings Corp. and its U.S. peer Western Digital Corp. have halted merger talks after they found it difficult to gain approval from South Korea's SK Hynix Inc., a major investor in Kioxia, sources familiar with the matter said Friday.

The two companies were expected to agree on the merger by the end of the month, a move that would have created the world's leading producer of memory chips for PCs and smartphones. The sources said they may resume talks later, though it is uncertain how the deal will end.

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Ex-Chinese Premier Li Keqiang dies of heart attack: state media

BEIJING - Former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang died of a heart attack aged 68 in Shanghai in the early hours of Friday, state-run media reported, with many people expressing shock at his sudden death just seven months after he stepped down from the post.

Li, who recently had a rest in Shanghai, passed away after medical efforts to save him failed following a sudden heart attack, the official Xinhua News Agency said. He retired as premier in March after serving two five-year terms and was replaced by Li Qiang.

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FEATURE: Small group learning key to survival of Japan's least populous city

SAPPORO - In a nation known for its dramatically shrinking population, one city in Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido owns the dubious distinction of being the least populous of them all.

Utashinai, with a population of 2,700, is fighting for its survival by highlighting the educational benefits that come from schools having small class sizes, as well as providing financial incentives to encourage residents of major cities to relocate.

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New U.N. panel to weigh benefits, risks of artificial intelligence

NEW YORK - U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres launched an advisory body of experts Thursday to discuss the benefits and risks of artificial intelligence as well as how the world can better control it.

The group of 39 specialists, including a political analyst and anthropologist, will publish a set of recommendations by the summer of 2024 through an interim report due at the end of this year.

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18 dead, 13 hurt in shootings in Maine, suspect at large

NEW YORK - Eighteen people died and 13 others were injured in mass shootings at a bowling alley and restaurant late Wednesday in Maine in the northeastern United States, with the suspect remaining at large, local authorities said.

Police identified the suspect in the incidents that occurred in Lewiston beginning at around 7 p.m. as Robert Card, 40, while local residents have been urged to remain indoors. Schools and many businesses in the area were closed Thursday.

==Kyodo

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