Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1600 GMT, July 24

KATHMANDU -- A domestic plane crashed during take-off on Wednesday at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal's capital, leaving 18 dead and 1 injured.

A witness said the plane nosedived into the ground, and an explosion could be heard inside the airport. (Nepal-Plane Crash-Deaths)

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TOKYO -- The population of Japanese nationals fell by 861,000, or 0.70 percent, in 2023 from a