
Cyprus peace talks show progress but key issues remain unresolved
Guterres stressed the urgency of implementing agreed measures for the benefit of all Cypriots. However, Tatar expressed frustration over Greek Cypriot demands for a new road in the buffer zone, calling it unacceptable. 'Because of this buffer zone complication, we have not been able to announce the opening of four gates,' Tatar told reporters.
Despite setbacks, Tatar remains hopeful for progress before the UN General Assembly in September. The latest talks follow a March meeting in Geneva, where both sides agreed on confidence-building measures, including mine clearance and solar energy cooperation.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus recognized only by Turkey. The last major peace talks collapsed in 2017. Guterres noted cautious optimism, saying, 'We are building, step-by-step, confidence and creating conditions to do concrete things.' - AFP
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The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Asean News Headlines at 10pm on Saturday (July 26, 2025)
Malaysia: * Anwar extends appreciation to all parties for smooth, incident-free rally / Anwar reaffirms commitment to democracy, freedom of speech * Rally ended peacefully, no untoward incidents reported, says acting KL police chief * Only 40% of Malaysians believe country is on the right track, says survey * July 26 protest: Traffic near Sogo at standstill as protesters spill onto the road * July 26 protest - Liveblog: Rally comes to an end with prayer recital * Protestors gather for July 26 rally in Kuala Lumpur * Anwar says he won't attend July 26 rally because he wasn't invited * Take me to court if I am wrong, Dr M says on Batu Puteh issue * Anwar calls on MPs to uphold civil debate in Parliament, avoid insults and profanity * Where's Jho Low? Looking for 1MDB fugitive in Shanghai's luxury estate * Bar Council EGM on judicial independence dissolves due to lack of quorum * AGC to re-examine influencer's false report case * Malaysia faces rising cyber threats as incidents increase * MyDigital ID rollout must prioritise trust over compulsion, says think tank * Malaysia's new ambassador to US pledges stronger bilateral relations * Dr M's granddaughter loses RM1.8mil in home burglary / Cops tracking down suspects involved in burglary at Dr M's grandchild's house North Korea's Jo Jin Mi and Choe Wi Hyan compete in the final of the mixed team 3m and 10m diving event during the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on Saturday, July 26, 2025. -- Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP Singapore: * Singapore's national screening programme tests newborns for metabolic and heritable diseases * Shocker in Singapore: Woman taken to hospital after car falls into sinkhole on Tanjong Katong Road * Black belt in taekwondo, grade 8 in piano: S'pore teen excels despite condition that limits movements * Singapore's Tipsy Collective sues former directors, HR head; alleges S$14mil lost from misconduct, poor decisions * Singapore rail operator to pay lower fine of S$2.4m for line disruption; must invest at least S$600k to boost reliability * Singapore shipowner told to pay US$1bil over marine disaster Indonesia: * Trump tariffs leave costly China supply question unanswered; Indonesia among countries deeply affected * Students flee Sekolah Rakyat in Central Java just one week into orientation * Indonesia car sales expected to top 800,000 units in 2025 * Indonesia backs peaceful resolution in Thai-Cambodian border dispute * Oil prices ease to three-week low at weekend as negative economic news offsets trade optimism Japanese dancers perform Ryukyu Buyo, a traditional Okinawan dance blending graceful movements with vibrant music rooted in the heritage of the Ryukyu Islands, during a cultural exchange programme by the Japan Foundation at the Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) theatre in Jakarta. -- Photo by YASUYOSHI CHIBA / AFP Thailand: * Malaysia: Government monitoring investments in Thailand, Cambodia amid conflict * Thai-Cambodia clashes spread along frontier as death toll rises * Thai Army clarifies use of cluster munitions, insists they are aimed at military targets only * Thailand issues warning of potential long-distance PHL-03 missile strike from Cambodia * Thailand condemns Cambodian attacks on civilians, hospitals * New front opens as clashes between Thailand and Cambodia continue * Thai Navy joins conflict against Cambodia as death toll climbs to 30 * China must strike a delicate balance in its approach towards Thai-Cambodian conflict, say analysts * Thaksin denies family conflict sparked Thai-Cambodian war, insists on non-interference in military operations Philippines: * Philippine Supreme Court rules impeachment bid against vice president is unconstitutional * Typhoons 'Crising,' 'Dante,' and tropical storm 'Emong' combined death toll at 26 in Philippines * Philippine cyclones death toll rises to 30, seven missing * Co-May leaves trail of destruction in the Philippines * US agrees deals with Indonesia, Philippines – but are Chinese firms a step ahead? U.S. President Donald Trump, flanked by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., at the White House in Washington. --Photo: REUTERS/Kent Nishimura Vietnam: * Vietnam stands at core of evolving Asean: Malaysian ambassador * Plastics remain top choice for Hanoi food and beverage shops * Sleeper bus overturns in central Vietnam, leaving nine dead * Kids among nine killed in bus crash in central Vietnam * Analysis-Trump's distraction methods fall flat against Epstein uproar Myanmar: * US drops sanctions on Myanmar junta allies after Trump praise * US says lifting of some Myanmar sanctions had no link to general's letter to Trump * India and Myanmar discuss future of pharmaceutical industry in Yangon Displaced Cambodians receive water at the Battkhao Resettlement Camp in Oddar Meanchey Province, Cambodia, Saturday, July 26, 2025, as border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia entered its third day. -- AP Photo/Anton L. 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New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
ICJ advisory gives legal firepower to climate activists
THE world's top court may not be able to compel polluting states to halt planet-warming emissions, but experts say its momentous climate decision gives potent legal and political firepower to countries and campaigners on the frontlines. An advisory opinion like the one issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) last week is not binding and so is not directly enforceable, but that does not mean it has no weight. By saying that all countries are firmly bound to a swathe of legal obligations under existing laws and treaties, experts say the ruling will influence courts, climate negotiations and policy decisions across the world. The ICJ "couldn't have been clearer" on the binding nature of a range of climate duties, said Cesar Rodriguez-Garavito, professor of law and director of the Climate Law Accelerator at New York University. He said the ruling, which was responding to questions on countries' climate responsibilities from the UN General Assembly, was "as strong as we could have imagined". "The consensus among the judges is fully behind the conclusion that international law establishes clear and binding obligations for states not to cause massive harm to the environment in general and not to harm the climate system in particular," he said. These included ensuring national climate plans reflect the highest possible ambition to stay within the Paris agreement's safer global warming cap of 1.5°C above pre-industrial times — a level that the world could reach this decade. If those obligations are not met, the court said states may be obliged to repair damaged infrastructure or ecosystems — and if that is not possible, they could face compensation claims. This will ripple into future litigation, said Markus Gehring, professor of European and international law at the University of Cambridge. "We are a far cry from a contentious case between two countries, where someone is demanding liability for past and present climate change damage, but in theory, the court lays out an avenue towards such claims," he said. Major petrostates like the United States may take little heed of the court's warning that expanding production of oil, gas and coal could constitute an "internationally wrongful act". But Gehring said countries could choose to ignore ICJ advisory opinions "at their peril". He cited the court's 2019 advice that the United Kingdom should end its occupation of the Chagos islands. After Britain initially rejected the ruling, a UN General Assembly resolution demanded it cede the islands to Mauritius, which it eventually did last year. Gehring said that while the court's climate decision is not directly binding on individual states, it would be indirectly binding through subsequent domestic or international court action and through UN institutions. The move by US President Donald Trump to withdraw from the Paris deal also would be unlikely to absolve the country from its duties, Gehring added, because the obligation to address climate change is now "crystal clear in international law". "So, even leaving the Paris Agreement and the climate treaty regime does not eliminate those obligations," he said. ICJ judge Sarah Cleveland said countries' "significant responsibilities" to protect the climate system may also affect interpretation of international investment law. The ruling was "a decisive legal vindication" for Vanuatu — which spearheaded the push for an ICJ opinion — the country said in a legal analysis of the decision. The Pacific island nation, which is at risk from rising seas, said the court's conclusions would strengthen its hand in global climate negotiations, helping it demand greater climate ambition and attract financial support for countries suffering climate loss and damage. It could also open the way for legal action against countries and possibly companies that have by their actions and omissions caused climate harm, the statement said. "For Vanuatu, the opinion is both shield and sword: a shield affirming its right to survival and a sword compelling the world's major emitters to act in line with science and justice," it added. Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, former president of the UN COP20 climate conference in Peru and now WWF Global Climate and Energy lead, said he expects the ICJ ruling to "move the needle strongly". "The timing is so fantastic because we are in difficult times in the climate debate, so to have that opinion in the current time, it is showing that we should never lose our hope," he said.


The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Thai-Cambodia clashes spread along the frontier as death toll rises
BANGKOK (Thailand)/SAMROANG (Cambodia): Thailand and Cambodia pounded each other with heavy artillery fire for a third day on Saturday (July 26) as a border conflict that killed at least 33 people and displaced more than 170,000 from their homes spread across the frontier. Clashes broke out for the first time in the countries' coastal regions where they meet on the Gulf of Thailand, around 250km southwest of the main frontlines thumping with blasts on July 26 afternoon. 'It feels like I'm escaping a war zone,' 76-year-old Samlee Sornchai told AFP at a temple shelter for evacuees in the Thai town of Kanthararom, after abandoning his farm near the embattled frontier. Both sides say they are open to a truce in the combat being fought with jets, tanks and ground troops, but have accused the other of undermining armistice efforts. Tensions initially flared over long-contested ancient temple sites, but fighting has spread along the neighbours' rural frontier region, marked by a ridge of forest-clad hills surrounded by wild jungle and agricultural land where locals farm rubber and rice. Both sides reported a coastline clash at around 5am (6am Singapore time), with Cambodia accusing Thai forces of firing 'five heavy artillery shells' into locations in Pursat province, which borders Thailand's Trat province. Cambodia's Defence Ministry said 13 people were now confirmed killed in the fighting, including eight civilians and five soldiers, with 71 people wounded. Thai authorities say 13 civilians and seven soldiers have been killed on their side, taking the toll across both nations higher than the 28 killed in the last major round of fighting between 2008 and 2011. The fighting has forced more than 138,000 people to be evacuated from Thailand's border regions, with more than 35,000 driven from their homes in Cambodia. After the closed meeting of the Security Council in New York, Cambodia's UN ambassador Chhea Keo said his country wanted a ceasefire. 'Cambodia asked for an immediate ceasefire – unconditionally – and we also call for the peaceful solution of the dispute,' he told reporters. Border row Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said on July 26 that for any ceasefire or talks to proceed, Cambodia needed to show 'genuine sincerity in ending the conflict'. 'I urge Cambodia to stop violating Thai sovereignty and to return to resolving the issue through bilateral dialogue,' he told reporters. Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Nikorndej Balankura said on July 25, before the UN meeting was held, that Bangkok was open to talks, possibly aided by Malaysia. 'We are ready, if Cambodia would like to settle this matter via diplomatic channels, bilaterally, or even through Malaysia, we are ready to do that. But so far we have not had any response,' Nikorndej told AFP. Malaysia currently holds the chair of the Asean regional bloc, of which Thailand and Cambodia are both members. Acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai has warned that if the situation escalates, 'it could develop into war'. Both sides blamed each other for firing first, while Thailand accused Cambodia of targeting civilian infrastructure, including a hospital hit by shells and a petrol station hit by at least one rocket. Cambodia has accused Thai forces of using cluster munitions. At the UN, Cambodia's envoy questioned Thailand's assertion that his country, which is smaller and less militarily developed than its neighbour, had initiated the conflict. '(The Security Council) called for both parties to (show) maximum restraint and resort to a diplomatic solution. That is what we are calling for as well,' said Chhea Keo. Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra – still an influential figure in the kingdom – visited shelters on July 26 to meet evacuees. 'The military needs to complete its operations before any dialogue can take place,' he told reporters. The 76-year-old said he had no plans to contact Hun Sen, Cambodia's powerful former prime minister who was long a close ally. 'His actions reflect a disturbed mindset. He should reflect on his conduct,' Thaksin said of Mr Hun Sen. The fighting marks a dramatic escalation in a long-running dispute between the neighbours – both popular destinations for millions of foreign tourists – over their shared 800km border. Dozens of kilometres in several areas are contested and fighting broke out between 2008 and 2011, leaving at least 28 people dead and tens of thousands displaced. A UN court ruling in 2013 settled the matter for more than a decade, but the current crisis erupted in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a new clash. Relations between the two countries soured dramatically when Hun Sen in June released a recording of a call with suspended Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra focused on the border row. The leak triggered a political crisis in Thailand as Paetongtarn – Thaksin's daughter – was accused of not standing up for Thailand enough, and of criticising her own army. She was suspended from office by a court order. -- AFP, BLOOMBERG