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LeMonde
3 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Thai-Cambodia clashes spread along border as death toll rises
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 150,000 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 250 kilometers southwest of the main frontlines, thumping with blasts on Saturday afternoon. 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 before fighting spread along the countries' rural border region, marked by a ridge of hills surrounded by wild jungle and agricultural land where locals farm rubber and rice. Cambodia's Defense Ministry said 13 people have been confirmed killed in the fighting since Thursday, 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 it was in the last major round of fighting between 2008 and 2011. Both sides reported a coastline clash around 5 am local time on Saturday, with Cambodia accusing Thai forces of firing "five heavy artillery shells" into Pursat province, bordering Thailand's Trat province. The conflict has also forced more than 138,000 people to be evacuated from Thailand's border regions, and more than 35,000 driven from their homes in Cambodia. After an urgent UN Security Council meeting in New York on Friday, 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 Saturday 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," Maris told reporters. Partner service Learn French with Gymglish Thanks to a daily lesson, an original story and a personalized correction, in 15 minutes per day. Try for free Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Nikorndej Balankura said Friday, before the UN meeting was held, that Bangkok was open to talks, possibly aided by Malaysia. Malaysia currently holds the chair of the ASEAN regional bloc, of which Thailand and Cambodia are both members. Both sides have blamed the other for firing first. Additionally, Cambodia has accused Thai forces of using cluster munitions, while Thailand has accused Cambodia of targeting civilian infrastructure, including a hospital hit by shells and a gas station struck by at least one rocket. Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, still an influential figure in the kingdom, visited shelters on Saturday to meet evacuees. "The military needs to complete its operations before any dialogue can take place," Thaksin told reporters. The fighting marks a dramatic escalation in a long-running dispute between the neighbors over their shared 800-kilometer border, where dozens of kilometers are contested. 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 clash on the border. Relations between the two countries soured dramatically when Hun Sen last month released a recording of a call with 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 criticizing her own army. She was suspended from office by a court order.
LeMonde
4 days ago
- Business
- LeMonde
Trump, Fed chief Powell bicker during tense central bank visit
Donald Trump and US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell appeared together for a tense meeting Thursday as the president toured the central bank after ramping up his attacks on its management of the economy. Trump – who wants to oust Powell for refusing to lower interest rates but likely lacks the legal authority to do so – has threatened to fire the Fed chief over cost overruns for a renovation of its Washington headquarters. During a brief but painfully awkward exchange in front of reporters during a tour of the building, the pair bickered over the price tag for the makeover, which Trump said was $3.1 billion. The actual cost of the facelift has been put at $2.5 billion and Powell was quick to correct the president, telling him: "I haven't heard that from anybody." Trump apparently produced a sheet of paper listing construction costs and was told curtly that he was including work on the William McChesney Martin Jr. Building, which was not part of the project. "You're including the Martin renovation – you just added in a third building," Powell scolded. Trump stuck to his guns, saying it was part of the overall redevelopment. Powell shot back: "No, it was built five years ago. We finished Martin five years ago... It's not new." Trump moved on but the tense atmosphere between the pair was almost palpable, with the Republican leader unaccustomed to being contradicted live on air. The tour came with Trump desperate to shift the focus away from the crisis engulfing his administration over its decision to close the file on multi-millionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019 while awaiting trial on trafficking charges. Attorney General Pam Bondi informed the president in the spring that his name appeared in the Epstein files, according to the Wall Street Journal. Epstein was accused of procuring underage girls for sex with his circle of wealthy, high-profile associates when he died by suicide in a New York jail cell. Trump has picked all manner of targets, including his Democratic predecessors and former chiefs of the security and intelligence services, as he tries to move Epstein out of the headlines. He berated Powell over interest rates on Wednesday and alluded to his annoyance over the cost of borrowing more than 10 times during Thursday's tour. "As good as we're doing, we'd do better if we had lower interest rates," he told reporters. 'Do the right thing' Presidential visits to the Federal Reserve are not unheard of – Franklin D. Roosevelt, Gerald Ford and George W. Bush all made the trip – but they are rare. Trump has criticized Powell for months over his insistence on keeping the short-term interest rate at 4.3 percent this year, after cutting it three times last year, when Joe Biden was in office. Partner service Learn French with Gymglish Thanks to a daily lesson, an original story and a personalized correction, in 15 minutes per day. Try for free Powell says he is monitoring the response of the economy to Trump's dizzying array of import tariffs, which he has warned could lead to a hike in inflation. But Trump has angrily accused Powell of holding back the economy, calling the man he nominated in his first term "stupid" and a "loser." The president struck a more conciliatory tone later Thursday, telling reporters they'd had a "productive talk" on the economy, with "no tension." "It may be a little too late, as the expression goes, but I believe he's going to do the right thing," Trump said. Soaring costs for the Fed's facelift of its 88-year-old Washington headquarters and a neighboring building – up by $600 million from an initial $1.9 billion estimate – have caught Trump's eye. A significant driver of the cost is security, including blast-resistant windows and measures to prevent the building from collapsing in the event of an explosion. The Federal Reserve, the world's most important central bank, makes independent monetary policy decisions and its board members typically serve under both Republican and Democratic presidents. Experts question whether Trump has the authority to fire Powell, especially since a Supreme Court opinion in May that allowed the president to remove other independent agency members but suggested that this did not apply to the Fed.
LeMonde
5 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Columbia University to pay $200 million in clash with Trump
Columbia University said Wednesday, July 23, it will pay $200 million to the US government after President Donald Trump threatened to pull federal funding over what he said was its unwillingness to protect Jewish students. In a sweeping deal that will restore the prestigious New York institution's federal monies, Columbia has pledged to obey rules that bar it from taking race into consideration in admissions or hiring, among other concessions. "Columbia University has reached an agreement with the United States government to resolve multiple federal agency investigations into alleged violations of federal anti-discrimination laws," a statement said, adding that the $200 million would be paid over three years. The university will also pay $21 million to settle investigations brought by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, it said. "Under today's agreement, a vast majority of the federal grants which were terminated or paused in March 2025 will be reinstated and Columbia's access to billions of dollars in current and future grants will be restored," the statement said. The promise of the federal funding spigot reopening offers relief for the university, which was under growing financial pressure, despite a comfortable endowment and a reputation it can bank on. The agreement also represents a victory for Trump, who has repeatedly claimed elite universities brainwash students against his nationalist ideas with left-wing bias. The centuries-old Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is also in a fight with the administration over Trump's threats to rip away federal funding, and Wednesday's carefully worded agreement – in which Columbia admitted no wrongdoing – could offer a framework for future deals. "This agreement marks an important step forward after a period of sustained federal scrutiny and institutional uncertainty," Columbia's acting president Claire Shipman said. "The settlement was carefully crafted to protect the values that define us and allow our essential research partnership with the federal government to get back on track." "Importantly, it safeguards our independence, a critical condition for academic excellence and scholarly exploration, work that is vital to the public interest," he added. Disciplinary actions Under the settlement, Columbia will maintain a security force to prevent demonstrations in academic spaces, such as those that rocked the campus last year when pro-Palestinian protestors clashed with law enforcement and occupied university buildings. The school also agreed to "promptly provide" federal authorities with any requested information on "disciplinary actions involving student visa-holders resulting in expulsions or suspensions, and arrest records that Columbia is aware of for criminal activity, including trespass or other violation of law." Partner service Learn French with Gymglish Thanks to a daily lesson, an original story and a personalized correction, in 15 minutes per day. Try for free Columbia found itself at the center of a firestorm last year over claims of anti-Semitism triggered by campus protests against Israel's war in Gaza. Some Jewish students claimed they were intimidated and that authorities did not act to protect them. The school announced a wave of various student punishments on Tuesday, including expulsions and degree revocations, against nearly 80 students involved in the pro-Palestinian protest movement that has called on the university to divest from Israel. "Our institution must focus on delivering on its academic mission for our community," Columbia said in a statement about student protests on its campus. "Disruptions to academic activities are in violation of University policies and rules, and such violations will necessarily generate consequences." While the university appears to be acquiescing to the Trump administration's demands to quash student protests, one of the most prominent leaders of the US pro-Palestinian campus protests is still raising his voice. Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate active in campus demonstrations, has sued the Trump administration for $20 million over his arrest and detention by immigration agents. Khalil, a legal permanent resident of the United States who is married to a US citizen, missed the birth of his son while being held in a federal immigration detention center in Louisiana. He called the lawsuit a "first step towards accountability."
LeMonde
7 days ago
- Business
- LeMonde
UK announces final go-ahead on £38 billion Sizewell C nuclear plant project
The UK government on Tuesday, July 22, gave the new British nuclear power plant Sizewell C the final go-ahead after reaching a deal with investors, aiming to bolster net zero and energy security goals. The government, the largest shareholder in the project, said Sizewell C, in eastern England, will cost around £38 billion ($51 billion) to construct. "It is time to do big things and build big projects in this country again," Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said in a statement. "Today we announce an investment that will provide clean, homegrown power to millions of homes for generations to come," he added. The plans for Sizewell C have been met with anger by some local residents worried about the impact of the new plant on the town of Leiston, in Suffolk. The plant, which has been in financial limbo for over a decade, is not expected to start generating electricity until the 2030s. The projected construction cost of £38 billion exceeds previous official estimates of £20 to £30 billion – and campaigners have warned that further cost overruns or delays could impact households. Energy security The UK has refocused on shoring up nuclear power since the start of the war in Ukraine, in the name of energy security and to tackle its fleet of ageing power stations. The use of nuclear energy as an alternative to fossil fuels is highly controversial, however, with many environmental groups warning about safety risks and the disposal of nuclear waste. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government has also pledged to reduce UK greenhouse gas emissions by 81% by 2035, compared to 1990 levels, under plans to reach net-zero by 2050. Once operational, the project will power around six million homes and create around 10,000 jobs, according to the government. Several nuclear projects Near to Sizewell C is the Sizewell B nuclear power station, which is due to close in 2035 – and Sizewell A which is in the process of being decommissioned. EDF is also building the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in southwestern England, although it has been plagued by delays and rising construction costs. The government noted that the construction costs of Sizewell C would be around 20% cheaper than Hinkley Point C. Partner service Learn French with Gymglish Thanks to a daily lesson, an original story and a personalized correction, in 15 minutes per day. Try for free The final investment decision gives the government a 44.9% stake in the Sizewell C project. The project will also be funded by Canadian pension fund La Caisse, British Gas owner Centrica, Amber Infrastructure and French energy giant EDF. Among the new investors in Sizewell C, La Caisse holds a 20% stake, Centrica 15% and investment manager Amber Infrastructure an "initial" 7.6%. EDF announced earlier this month that it will take a 12.5% stake in the project – down from 16.2% ownership at the end of 2024.
LeMonde
09-07-2025
- Business
- LeMonde
Trump unveils 50% tariff on Brazil goods, citing 'witch hunt' trial against Bolsonaro
President Donald Trump singled out Brazil for import taxes of 50% on Wednesday, July 9, for its treatment of its former president, Jair Bolsonaro, showing that personal grudges rather than simple economics are a driving force in the US leader's use of tariffs. Trump avoided his standard form letter with Brazil, specifically tying his tariffs to the trial of Bolsonaro, who is charged with trying to overturn his 2022 election loss. Trump has described Bolsonaro as a friend and hosted the former Brazilian president at his Mar-a-Lago resort when both were in power in 2020. In a letter addressed to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Trump criticized the treatment of the former Brazilian president as an "international disgrace," adding that the trial "should not be taking place." There is a sense of kinship as Trump was indicted in 2023 for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 US presidential election. Bolsonaro testified before the country's Supreme Court in June over the alleged plot to remain in power after his 2022 election loss. Judges will hear from 26 other defendants in coming months. A decision could come as early as September, legal analysts say. Bolsonaro has already been ruled ineligible until 2030 by the country's electoral authorities. Brazil's vice president, Geraldo Alckmin, said he sees "no reason" for the US to hike tariffs on the South American nation. "I think he has been misinformed," he said. "President Lula was jailed for almost two years. No one questioned the judiciary. No one questioned what the country had done. This is a matter for our judiciary branch." A dramatic increase Trump also objected to Brazil's Supreme Court fining of social media companies such as X, saying the temporary blocking last year amounted to "SECRET and UNLAWFUL Censorship Orders." Trump said he is launching an investigation as a result under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which applies to companies with trade practices that are deemed unfair to US companies. Partner service Learn French with Gymglish Thanks to a daily lesson, an original story and a personalized correction, in 15 minutes per day. Try for free Unmentioned in the letter was that X is owned by Elon Musk, Trump's multibillionaire backer in the 2024 election whose time leading Trump's Department of Government Efficiency recently ended and led to a public feud over the US president's deficit-increasing budget plan. Trump also owns a social media company, Truth Social. The Brazilian real dove more than 2% against the US dollar on Wednesday, after Trump threatened tariffs of 50% on Brazil's goods. The tariffs starting August 1 would be a dramatic increase from the 10% rate that Trump levied on Brazil as part of his April 2 "Liberation Day" announcement. In addition to oil, Brazil sells orange juice, coffee, iron and steel to the US, among other products. The US ran a $6.8 billion trade surplus with Brazil last year, according to the Census Bureau. Trump also sent letters Wednesday to the leaders of seven other nations. None of them − the Philippines, Brunei, Moldova, Algeria, Libya, Iraq and Sri Lanka − is a major industrial rival to the United States.
