Vietnamese PM calls for ongoing tariff talks with US
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has directed the Ministry of Industry and Trade to press ahead with tariff talks with the United States, seeking a comprehensive and balanced trade deal, Xinhua reported.
He also instructed ministries, local authorities and state-owned firms to respond to Washington’s tariff policies. US, under an executive order by President Donald Trump, cut tariffs on Vietnamese goods from 46 percent to 20 percent on August 1.
Trump admin orders Smithsonian museums to be reviewed for ‘Americanism’
The White House has ordered a review of Smithsonian museums ahead of the US’s 250th anniversary to align exhibits with President Donald Trump’s vision of American history.
Eight major DC museums, including the National Museum of American History and the National Museum of African American History and Culture, will have displays, educational materials, and online content assessed for tone and alignment with “American ideals”, according to Al Jazeera.
The Congressional Black Caucus criticized the move as an attempt to “whitewash” history, while the Smithsonian pledged to maintain factual, accurate presentations and denied altering exhibits at the administration’s request.
Malaysia's top court allows jailed ex-PM Najib to pursue legal bid for house arrest
Jailed former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak won a major court battle on Wednesday that took him a step closer to being able to serve out a years-long jail term over the multi-billion dollar 1MDB scandal at home, Reuters reported.
Najib, imprisoned since August 2022 in one of several cases related to 1MDB, has been seeking a judicial review to compel authorities to confirm the existence of and execute a royal order issued by former King Al-Sultan Abdullah entitling him to serve the remainder of his jail sentence under house arrest.
In a unanimous decision, the Federal Court, Malaysia's top tribunal, said on Wednesday it accepted that there was a royal document related to granting house arrest for Najib but it was not in a position to determine its authenticity, according to Reuters.
Zelensky and EU leaders to hold call with Trump ahead of Putin summit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is joining European leaders in talks aimed at increasing pressure on US President Donald Trump to side with Ukraine during Friday's summit with his Russian counterpart in Alaska, BBC reported.
In an online call with Trump on Wednesday, the leaders are expected to reiterate that no decisions should be taken without Ukraine, including changing its borders by force.
Trump has said any peace deal would involve "some swapping of territories" and it is believed one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's demands is that Kyiv surrenders the parts of the Donbas it still controls.
On Tuesday, Zelensky said such a concession could be used as a springboard for future attacks by Russia, which has been making gains recently, according to BBC.
