Briefly

JAPAN

PM's support edges down over rising prices

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's support edged down less than a month before a parliamentary election, with more than half of voters critical of how his government is handling rising prices, according to a survey published on Thursday. Kishida took office in September and will be leading his ruling Liberal Democratic Party through an election for the upper house of parliament on July 10. More than half of respondents, at 54.1 percent, said they were critical of his government's handling of a wave of price rises driven by the Ukraine crisis and the fall of the Japanese yen to a 24-year-low, feeling not enough has been done.

UNITED STATES

Biden's top COVID-19 adviser tests positive

Anthony Fauci, a public health official who became the face of US government's efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic, tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, the National Institutes of Health said in a statement. Fauci, the chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, was experiencing mild symptoms, the NIH said in a statement. He has not recently been in close contact with Biden, it said. The NIH said Fauci, 81, was fully vaccinated and twice boosted, and will self-isolate and continue to work from home.

INDIA

Recruitment policy triggers protests

Violent protests broke out on Thursday in the eastern state of Bihar against the Indian government's recently unveiled new recruitment scheme for armed forces aimed at cutting down salary and pension bills. Police fired tear gas and forcibly tried to chase away the Indian army aspirants as they disrupted rail and road traffic in several parts of Bihar for the second day.

Agencies - Xinhua