1. US President Donald Trump has revealed he held talks over the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. Trump said, “It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace.”
2. Japan’s Emperor and Empress and their daughter have paid their respects to the victims of a ship that sank in a US attack while evacuating hundreds of children from Okinawa during World War Two.
3. Many convenience store chain operators in Japan have begun selling lower-priced rice released from national reserves. The cheaper grain was obtained from the government under its new system of no-bid contracts. Lawson and FamilyMart are offering the stockpiled rice in small packages at some of their outlets in Tokyo and Osaka.