The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.----------COVID quasi-emergency to cover 34 of Japan's 47 prefs. amid OmicronTOKYO - Japan on Tuesday expanded a COVID-19 quasi-state of emergency to 34 of the nation's 47 prefectures with the addition of 18 more areas, as the country continues to battle record coronavirus infections amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.Effective from Thursday to Feb. 20, the quasi-emergency is intended to reduce the strain on the health care system and prevent a shortage of essential workers that could result from a surge in …READ FULL ARTICLE