July 3, Monday, 2023

1. Two astronauts chosen for the role by Japan’s space agency in February have spoken to reporters in Tokyo before they begin training together. Suwa Makoto and Yoneda Ayu were selected as astronauts in the first screening process in the country in 14 years. They gave their first in-person joint news conference on Monday at a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, location in Tokyo. 2. Sales of new vehicles in Japan surged in the first half of this year as a semiconductor shortage eased. Auto industry groups say that more than 2.4 million units were sold from January to June. 3. Thousands of people have rallied across Australia in support of a campaign to recognize Indigenous peoples in the Constitution. Activists are seeking to shore up the “yes” vote ahead of a referendum on whether to give the country’s original inhabitants a say in key policies affecting them.