Thai-Cambodian border clashes: Trump threatens to withhold trade deals until ceasefire
27/07/2025
China calls for shared AI future, offering tech to developing countries
Asia / Pacific
27/07/2025
Taiwanese voters reject attempt to recall China-friendly lawmakers
Asia / Pacific
27/07/2025
Thailand and Cambodia clash despite ceasefire hopes
Asia / Pacific
27/07/2025
Thai-Cambodian border conflit: 200,000 thousand people displaced
Asia / Pacific
27/07/2025
Thai-Cambodia border clashes continue despite Trump's ceasefire call
Asia / Pacific
26/07/2025
Voters in Taiwan reject bid to oust China-friendly MPs in closely watched poll
Asia / Pacific
26/07/2025
Civilians flee Thai-Cambodia border zone as death toll rises
Asia / Pacific
26/07/2025
Thailand and Cambodia trade accusations as deadly border clashes enter third day
Asia / Pacific
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France 24
6 hours ago
- France 24
Thai-Cambodian cyberwarriors battle on despite truce
The five-day conflict left more than 40 people dead and drove more than 300,000 from their homes. It also kicked off a disinformation blitz as Thai and Cambodian partisans alike sought to boost the narrative that the other was to blame. Thai officials recorded more than 500 million instances of online attacks in recent days, government spokesperson Jirayu Huangsab said on Wednesday. These included spamming reports to online platforms and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks -- halting access to a website by overloading its servers with traffic. "It's a psychological war," Cambodian government spokesman Pen Bona told AFP. "There's a lot of fake news and it wouldn't be strange if it came from social media users, but even official Thai media outlets themselves publish a lot of fake news." Disinformation Freshly created "avatar" accounts have targeted popular users or media accounts in Thailand. On July 24, a Facebook post by suspended Thai prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra condemning Cambodia's use of force was bombarded with 16,000 comments, many of them repeating the same message in English: "Queen of drama in Thailand". Another, similar post by Paetongtarn on July 26 was hit with 31,800 comments, many reading: "Best drama queen of 2025", with snake and crocodile emojis. Government spokesman Jirayu said the attacks were aimed at "sowing division among Thais" as well as outright deception. Similarly, Cambodian government Spokesman Pen Bona said fake news from Thailand aimed to divide Cambodia. Apparent bot accounts have also published and shared disinformation, adding to the confusion. Videos and images from a deadly Cambodian rocket attack on a petrol station in Thailand were shared with captions saying they showed an attack on Cambodian soil. Other posts, including one shared by the verified page of Cambodian Secretary of State Vengsrun Kuoch, claimed Thai forces had used chemical weapons. The photo in the post in fact shows an aircraft dropping fire retardants during the Los Angeles wildfires in January 2025. AFP contacted Vengsrun Kuoch for comment but did not receive a reply. Obscenities Hackers from both sides have broken into state-run websites to deface pages with mocking or offensive messages. One of the targets was NBT World, an English-language news site run by the Thai government's public relations department. Headlines and captions on articles about acting prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai were replaced with obscenities. Thai hackers meanwhile, changed the login page of Sachak Asia Development Institute, a Cambodian education facility, to show an image of influential ex-leader Hun Sen edited to have a ludicrously exaggerated hairstyle. The image was a reference to a video -- much mocked in Thailand -- of Cambodian youths sporting the same hairstyle visiting one of the ancient temples that were the focus of the fighting. Online attacks -- whether disinformation messaging or full-blown cyber strikes to disrupt an adversary's infrastructure or services -- are a standard feature of modern warfare. In the Ukraine conflict, Kyiv and its allies have long accused Russia of state-backed cyberwarfare, disrupting government and private IT systems around the world. And earlier this week, Ukrainian and Belarusian hacker groups claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on Russia's national airline that grounded dozens of flights. Jessada Salathong, a mass communications professor at Thailand's Chulalongkorn University, said the border clashes had invoked the full spectrum of information disorder, carried out by both sides. "In an era when anyone can call themselves media, information warfare simply pulls in everyone," he told AFP.
France 24
6 hours ago
- France 24
'Disappointed': US trading partners around the world react to Trump's new tariffs
Some nations reacted with relief Friday after US President Donald Trump announced tariffs that in some cases were lower than threatened, and delayed by a week to August 7. But others – including Switzerland and chip powerhouse Taiwan – still hope to negotiate lower rates, and uncertainty remains over transshipments and levies on Japanese cars. Trump's announcement does not cover export giant China – currently in negotiations on a trade deal ahead of an August 12 deadline. 05:48 Here is how some other economies reacted: Canada: 'heavily impacted' Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney said his government was "disappointed" by Trump's decision to increase US tariffs on Canadian goods to 35 percent. Trump's order cited Canada 's failure to stop fentanyl entering the United States. Carney outlined Ottawa's efforts to crack down on fentanyl and to increase border security. He said sectors of Canada's economy including lumber, steel, aluminium and automobiles were "heavily impacted by US duties and tariffs". Switzerland: negotiations The government of Switzerland – a major US trading partner – expressed "great regret" at the 39-percent tariff rate, despite its "very constructive position" in talks. It said it "still hopes to find a negotiated solution" to the dispute over the US trade deficit with Switzerland. South Africa South Africa will use the week-long delay of 30-percent tariffs to "negotiate as strongly and as hard as we can" to avoid the penalty and save jobs, President Cyril Ramaphosa told reporters. South Africa has offered to import liquefied natural gas and some US agricultural products, the trade ministry said this week. It said South African firms have also committed to investing in US mining and metals-recycling industries and to pursuing joint investment in critical minerals, pharmaceuticals and agri-machinery. Thailand: 'major success' The 19-percent levy for Thailand and Cambodia – fresh from border clashes that killed over 40 people – is a let-off from the threatened 36 percent. Thailand called it a "major success" and a "win-win approach aimed at preserving Thailand's export base and long-term economic stability". Cambodia: 'best news' Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, called it "the best news for the people and economy of Cambodia to continue to develop the country". The major manufacturer of low-cost clothing for Western brands was initially menaced with a tariff of 40 percent. Taiwan: still pushing Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te called its 20-percent tariff "temporary... with the possibility of further reductions should an agreement be reached". The US president had threatened to hit the island with a 32-percent tax and possible separate duties on the island's huge semiconductors shipments. Washington "needs Taiwan in supporting resilient supply chains, in supporting manufacturing and some high-end technologies", Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim said recently. Japan: car confusion A tariff of 15 percent agreed last week between Japan and Washington – down from a threatened 25 percent – is due to be applied from August 7. Watch more US and Japan strike trade deal, avoiding Trump's threat of 25% tariffs But Japanese auto exports were already being hit by a 25-percent rate, and Tokyo wants to know when this will be lowered too. "We continue to urge the US to take prompt measures to implement the agreement, including lowering tariffs on automobile and auto parts," Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Friday. Confusion also surrounds Trump's claim that Japan – as a "signing bonus" – will invest $550 billion in America, which will recoup 90 percent of the profits. Malaysia: 'positive outcome' Malaysia also achieved a lower tariff of 19 percent – down from 25 percent – which the government called a "positive outcome". "This decision by the United States reflects the strong and enduring economic ties between our two nations," Trade and Industry Minister Zafrul Abdul Aziz said Sri Lanka: 'happy' Sri Lanka also expressed relief that it will face a 20-percent hit, a sharp reduction from the 44 percent originally floated, and expressed hope of a further cut. "We are happy that our competitiveness in exports to the US has been retained," finance ministry official Harshana Suriyapperuma told reporters. Around 40 percent of Sri Lanka's $5.0 billion of garment exports last year went to the United States.
Euronews
7 hours ago
- Euronews
Some 26 tech companies sign up to EU Commission's AI Code
Some 26 companies were among the first to sign up to the AI Code of Practice on General-Purpose (GPAI), the European Commission said in a statement on Friday. The Code, which the Commission released earlier this month, is a voluntary set of rules that touches on transparency, copyright, and safety and security issues, aiming to help providers of GPAI models comply with the AI Act. The signatories include big tech giants such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft and IBM. Also on the list are AI providers such as Open AI, France's Mistral AI, and German start-up Aleph Alpha. Meta previously announced that it would not sign up, claiming that the Code restricts innovation, and that 'Europe is heading down the wrong path on AI'. Meta will still need to comply with AI Act obligations that start applying on 2 August. The developer of X's Grok, xAI, only signed up to the Code's Safety and Security Chapter; meaning that it will have to demonstrate compliance with the AI Act's obligations concerning transparency and copyright via alternative means, the Commission said. Google said earlier this week that it will sign, but expressed concerns about the bloc's AI rules regarding innovation. 'While the final version of the Code comes closer to supporting Europe's innovation and economic goals [...] we remain concerned that the AI Act and Code risk slowing down Europe's development and deployment of AI,' the president of global affairs at Google's parent company Alphabet, Kent Walker, said in a blogpost on Wednesday. Providers that already have a GPAI model on the market needed to sign before 1 August, whereas others can sign up later, the Commission previously said. From Saturday, the 27 EU member states should have appointed national oversight authorities to ensure that businesses in their countries comply with the AI Act. In case of breaches, fines for GPAI tools could be as high as €15 million or 3% of a company's annual turnover, whichever is higher.
