LONDON -- The U.S. Federal Reserve has moved back into line with other major rate setters after it cut rates by a quarter point on Wednesday but pushed back against market bets that it would keep going as the Washington shutdown fogs up its forecasting lens.

Good morning from Vietnam!

French police have arrested five more people, including a prime suspect, over this month's daring Louvre museum robbery, the Paris prosecutor said on Thursday.

Tetra Pak, the world leader in food processing and packaging solutions, will spotlight its innovations in ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee at Coffee Expo Vietnam 2025, held from Thursday to Saturday at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center.

Vietnam’s Tam Anh Research Institute (TAMRI) under Tam Anh General Hospital and the UK’s Oxford University announced a cooperation agreement on training, research, and medical innovation in the presence of Vietnamese Party General Secretary To Lam this week.

Police in An Long Commune, Dong Thap Province, southern Vietnam reported on Wednesday that a nighttime patrol team had apprehended three individuals involved in a large-scale dog theft operation, seizing 24 stolen dogs, all found dead, along with a cache of tools used for the crime.

German sportswear maker Puma on Thursday said it would cut 900 jobs in its corporate workforce globally by the end of 2026, while announcing a series of measures to revive the business and combat sharp sales declines.

JAKARTA -- Indonesian authorities are investigating food poisoning cases involving nearly 700 children in Yogyakarta province this week, after students ate meals prepared under President Prabowo Subianto's key free school meal programme, an official said.

Floodwaters in the central Vietnamese tourism hub of Hoi An rose to 3.4 meters early on Thursday, matching the record level set in 1964, local authorities said.

Vietnam will make English a compulsory subject starting from first grade under a new national education plan aimed at turning the language into the country’s second language by 2045, the government said on Tuesday.

TOKYO -- The number of elementary and junior high school students in Japan who refused to go to school in fiscal 2024, which ended last March, hit a record high of 353,970, an education ministry survey showed Wednesday.

No longer merely a 'low-cost factory,' Vietnam is redefining itself as a hub of green innovation where farmers generate clean electricity, small businesses access global markets, and the Net Zero 2050 commitment takes shape through technology and policy.

Hurricane Melissa bore down on the Bahamas Wednesday after cutting a path of destruction through the Caribbean, leaving 30 people dead or missing in Haiti and parts of Jamaica and Cuba in ruins.

Good morning from Vietnam!

Social media platform TikTok has announced that it has surpassed 460 million monthly active users across Southeast Asia, including 70 million in Vietnam.

Vietnamese State President Luong Cuong arrived in Busan on Tuesday afternoon to attend the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Week and engage in bilateral activities in South Korea through Saturday at the invitation of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.

TOKYO -- The Japanese and U.S. governments on Tuesday announced investment projects worth up to US$400 billion involving Japanese and U.S. companies, including the construction of advanced nuclear power plants.

Bringing together artists from Japan, Brazil, Indonesia and Vietnam, the international exhibition Art and Culture has opened a vibrant and emotional contemporary art space in Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnamese Party General Secretary To Lam has invited leading artificial intelligence (AI) strategists, scholars, and experts from the UK and around the world to visit Vietnam for direct engagement with local policymakers and researchers, aiming to strengthen cooperation in AI-related fields.

Hanoi authorities are considering allowing public elementary and middle schools to offer supervised care for students outside of regular school hours, with a proposed maximum fee of VND12,000 (US$0.45) per 60 minutes.

British bank HSBC has upgraded its forecast for Vietnam’s 2025 GDP growth from 6.6 percent to 7.9 percent following the country’s exceptional third-quarter performance.

The Football Association of Thailand (FAT) issued an official apology on its website on Tuesday after China’s flag was mistakenly displayed in place of Vietnam’s during the draw for the ASEAN U19 Boys’ Futsal Championship 2025.

United Airlines has resumed daily passenger flights connecting Ho Chi Minh City and the United States after nearly ten years, the airline announced on Monday.

On the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit in Malaysia, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong held their second annual meeting on Tuesday, cementing both nations’ commitment to deepening economic cooperation and advancing the next Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP 2.0) generation.

Good morning from Vietnam!

NARA -- Tetsuya Yamagami, who is charged with murdering former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the western Japan city of Nara about three years ago, pleaded guilty in the first hearing of his trial at Nara District Court on Tuesday.

A project to build a radio and television station in Houaphanh Province, Laos — a gift from the Vietnamese government to the Laotian government and the people of the province — began with a groundbreaking ceremony held on Monday.

A new wave of Chinese brands is landing in Vietnam with modern business models, trend-driven designs, and experiences that tap directly into the youth’s appetite for lifestyle and discovery.

Under the blazing sun, fishing boats bob gently in the turquoise waters around the Nam Du archipelago, a tropical cluster of islands off southern Vietnam long hailed as a hidden paradise.

Eight members of the same family in Dien Ban Tay Commune, Da Nang City, central Vietnam were rushed to hospital in critical condition after suffering carbon monoxide poisoning inside an enclosed room, a local official confirmed on Tuesday.

Gold prices extended losses on Tuesday to a near three-week low, as optimism over a potential U.S.-China trade deal dented demand for safe-haven bullion, while investors looked forward to major central bank policy announcements this week.

YANGCHENG LAKE, China -- The last three years have been the toughest for Xie Dandan and her family during more than a decade cultivating one of China's most esteemed culinary delicacies, the 'hairy crab', named for its furry claws.

Seventeen rare albino sea turtles have hatched on southern Vietnam’s Con Dao Island, part of a clutch of 78 eggs, local conservation authorities said on Monday.

The People’s Committee of Da Nang City, central Vietnam has ordered an accelerated schedule for the construction of six multi-level boarding schools in border communes, with total funding of VND1.5 trillion ($57 million) from the central government budget.

A fire broke out at a residential house in Hanoi on Tuesday morning, leaving one person dead, according to local authorities.