The International Energy Agency (IEA) recently released a report stating that about one billion African people still use firewood, charcoal, and other primitive fuels for cooking. Globally, this figure is up to two billion people. This reality threatens public health and causes serious air pollution.
The world has entered a full 10 years on the journey towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, according to a recently released United Nations report, only 35% of SDGs are on track or have made certain progress. Many goals have even regressed, putting the world at risk of missing the SDGs.
The European Union (EU) has announced that it will postpone the imposition of retaliatory tariffs on US goods until August 1, instead of July 14 as previously announced. The decision was made after US President Donald Trump announced that a 30% import tax will be imposed on goods from the EU from starting from August 2025.
Held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM-58) issued a joint communiqué emphasising the importance of a rules-based, predictable, transparent, inclusive, free, fair, and sustainable multilateral trading system, with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) at its core.
The rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has brought about remarkable technological advances, reshaping the world in unprecedented ways. However, scientists are raising concerns that this booming industry consumes an enormous amount of electricity, potentially becoming a key driver of global energy resource depletion.
Amid escalating tensions caused by military operations and conflicts in the Red Sea, the European Union (EU) has called for enhanced international cooperation to seek a long-term solution to the security challenges facing this vital global maritime route.
The European Commission (EC) has unveiled a breakthrough strategy, ‘Choose Europe to Start and Scale’. By addressing a host of long-standing policy bottlenecks, the new roadmap is expected to provide a crucial lever for enhancing the European Union’s (EU) competitiveness.
In the context of preparing for the 80th founding anniversary of the United Nations (UN), Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a comprehensive reform of the world's largest multilateral organisation.
The UK has become the first country to reach a trade agreement with the US since Washington announced reciprocal tariffs on trading partners. For the US, this agreement is considered a framework for future trade agreements with other partners, as Washington prepares to complete dozens more trade deals. This is a key diplomatic victory for the UK, as the two sides can reach an agreement after many years of negotiations.
State President Luong Cuong on May 10 sent a message of congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost on being elected as the 267th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.
Global oil prices have been falling for several consecutive sessions in recent weeks and continued to decline by around 2% in the final days of April. This downward trend signals weakening global economic health amid escalating trade tensions.
China’s Global Times on April 15 posted an editorial titlted “Building China-Vietnam community with shared future carries great global significance,” on the occasion of the state visit to Vietnam by Party General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping.
Initiative supports development
