Trade: Trump opts to impose "extortionary" tariffs on Vietnam (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
United States President Donald Trump has announced that Washington struck a "Trade Deal" with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam wherein the US will impose a 20% tariff on all Vietnamese goods entering the American market, while US exports to Vietnam will be subjected to a zero percent tariff.

Climate: Clashes deepen over purpose of UAE dialogue ahead of COP30 (PRIV)
(Meena Raman and Radhika Chatterjee, Penang/New Delhi)
On the closing day of the Bonn climate talks on 26 June, Parties agreed to continue consideration of modalities of the United Arab Emirates Dialogue on implementing the global stocktake (GST) outcomes, referred to in paragraph 97 of Decision 1/CMA.5 (UAE dialogue), on the basis of an informal note prepared by co-facilitators Ricardo Marshall (Barbados) and Patrick Spicer (Canada), under their "own responsibility."

UN: Human cost of war mounts in Ukraine amid intensified fighting (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Penang)
Civilian casualties and human rights violations have significantly escalated in the recent months in Ukraine amid intensified fighting and evolving tactics of warfare, including a sharp rise in often deadly drone attacks, according to the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR).