Putin visits Russia’s Kursk region

(AP) — President Vladimir Putin visited Russia’s Kursk region for the first time since Moscow claimed that it drove Ukrainian forces out of the area last month, the Kremlin said Wednesday. Putin visited the region bordering Ukraine the previous day, according to the Kremlin. Ukrainian forces made a surprise incursion into Kursk in August 2024 in one of their biggest battlefield successes in the more than three-year war. The incursion was the first time Russian territory was occupied by an invader since World War II and dealt a humiliating blow to the Kremlin. Since the end of 2023, Russia has mostly had the advantage on the battlefield, with the exception of Kursk.

A suicide car bomber strikes a school bus in Pakistan, killing 5

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Officials say a suicide car bomber struck a school bus in southwestern Pakistan, killing five people, including three children. Fifty-three people were wounded Wednesday A local deputy commissioner says the attack occurred in Balochistan province. No group immediately claimed responsibility. Suspicion is likely to fall on ethnic Baloch separatists. The province has been the scene of a long-running insurgency. An array of separatist groups includes the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army. It was designated as a terror organization by the United States in 2019.

Japan’s agriculture minister resigns after a rice gaffe causes political fallout

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s agriculture minister has resigned because of political fallout over his comment that he “never had to buy rice” because he got it from supporters as gifts. Many Japanese saw his remark as a sign he was out of touch with economic reality while prices of the country’s traditional staple food are setting records. Taku Eto’s gaffe could be further trouble for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s already struggling minority government, which faces a crucial national election in July. The government has released tons of rice from its emergency stockpile, but the latest agricultural ministry statistics show it hasn’t helped much.

Iran insists it won’t stop enriching uranium and agrees to new round of US talks

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s top diplomat is insisting that Tehran will never stop enriching uranium. It further underlines the Islamic Republic’s red line in negotiations with the United States over its rapidly advancing nuclear program. The comments Wednesday by Iran’s foreign minister come after multiple rounds of talks between the two nations. Iran’s foreign ministry later confirmed it has agreed to take part in the next round of talks Friday in Rome. American officials including President Donald Trump and Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff maintain that Iran must give up enrichment — something it didn’t do in its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.