Briefly

RUSSIA

Putin names new Washington envoy

Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed senior veteran diplomat Alexander Darchiev as ambassador to the United States on Thursday, to lead a rapprochement that has stunned Ukraine and Washington's European allies. The Russian Foreign Ministry said last week that the US had given it the green light at a meeting between Russian and US officials in Turkiye to appoint Darchiev, who now serves as head of the ministry's North America department.

UNITED STATES

Education Department set to be dismantled

US President Donald Trump is expected to issue an executive order aimed at abolishing the Department of Education, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The order may come as soon as Thursday, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the matter whom it did not name. The White House and the department did not immediately respond to requests for comment late on Wednesday. Trump has repeatedly called for eliminating the department, calling it a "big con job". He proposed shuttering it in his first term as president, but Congress did not act.

JAPAN

1 killed in blast at auto parts plant

An explosion occurred at an auto parts plant in Japan on Thursday, killing one person and injuring two, the company said. A dust collector exploded at the plant operated by Chuo Spring, "partially destroying the building", according to a statement. The incident "killed one employee" and injured two others, with the cause of the accident still under investigation, it said. The fire caused by the blast was already extinguished, it added.

Agencies Via Xinhua