Thailand and Cambodia agree to an 'unconditional' ceasefire
The two countries agreed "an immediate and unconditional ceasefire with effect from 24 hours local time, midnight on 28th July 2025, tonight," Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said. The announcement follows a mediation meeting at Anwar's official residence in Malaysia, which currently chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet met shortly after 0700 GMT, with Anwar present.
"This is a vital first step," Anwar told reporters, adding both leaders have "expressed their positions and willingness to (...) an immediate ceasefire, a return to de-escalation and the restoration of peace and security."
Both Putham and Hun thanked US President Donald Trump for supporting the talks.
Hun added "the solutions that Prime Minister Anwar just announced will set a condition for moving forward for our bilateral discussion to return to normalcy of the relationship."
At least 36 people have been killed and more than 200,000 displaced as the countries, both popular tourist destinations, fought over a smattering of contested border temples.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
an hour ago
- Euronews
French PM launches podcast to defend his 2026 budget cuts
Three weeks after presenting his eye-watering €44-billion budget cuts for next year, French Prime Minister François Bayrou is embarking on an unusual PR stunt. As his approval ratings plummet, Bayrou has decided to launch a podcast and a series of YouTube videos to explain the outline of the 2026 budget directly to the French public. The podcast will see its first episode broadcast this Tuesday at 5 pm. As for the YouTube videos, the first will focus on the general framework of the budget. Viewers will even be able to ask questions. France's public deficit hit 5.8% of GDP in 2024, totalling €168.6 billion, a figure well above the maximum allowed by EU rules. On 15 July, the prime minister presented a massive savings plan, targeting nearly €44 billion for the 2026 budget. In his announcement, Bayrou outlined significant budget cuts to slash tens of billions of euros, aiming to bring the deficit down to 5.4% of GDP this year and 4.6% in 2026. Among the most controversial measures are slashing two bank holidays and freezing retirement pensions and social benefits. In practical terms, this means these benefits will not be adjusted to inflation, as is usually the case. Bayrou hopes the cuts will bring the deficit to below the 3% threshold set by the EU by 2029. These decisions have been severely criticised by the opposition, in particular the far-right National Rally party, which is threatening to table a no-confidence vote when the budget will be examined in Parliament this autumn. Bayrou said that he would "negotiate" with different political groups, but without "backing down" on the deficit reduction targets. It's a tricky initiative for the man whom some in his own camp are now comparing to former Prime Minister Michel Barnier, whose government collapsed last winter following a no-confidence vote.
Local France
a day ago
- Local France
French grammar tips: All of the uses of the word 'droit'
As with most languages, there are several French words with multiple meanings, but one particularly tricky one is droit . The word droit can be used as an adjective and a noun. As an adjective, its gender will change based on the noun it is describing. Advertisement Droit (or droite ) will also pop up in political discussions, driving lessons, and even parenting advice books. Just when you think you have memorised all of its various meanings, you find out there is a new usage you had not heard of before. Here are some to look out for. In the directional sense - droite translates as 'right'. If you are giving directions and you want to say 'to the right' ( à la droite ) or 'the right' ( la droite ), you use the feminine version. For example, you may say Vous allez tourner à droite au feu de signalisation (You will turn right at the traffic light). Meanwhile, to say 'straight' or 'straight ahead', you would use tout droit. You'll also see it in the notorious French driving rule priorité à droite - the rule that requires motorists to give priority to those coming from side roads to their right. READ MORE: How does 'priorité à droite' really work when you're driving in France? In the political sense - as droit translates as 'right', it is also used to describe politicians and political parties based on their position on the left-to-right political spectrum. For instance, 'far right' would translate as extrême droite , while 'hard/extreme right' (meaning those using violent or nondemocratic methods ) would translate as ultra droite . In fact the use of the terms left and right to describe a political position comes from France, it refers to the spaces taken in the new French parliament after the Revolution. Advertisement In the legal sense - it also refers to a 'right', or a liberty guaranteed by the state. In France, you will hear about Les droits et devoirs , referring to your official rights and obligations as a citizen, such as the right to vote ( le droit de vote ). Another phrase you might hear is L'état de droit , which is the principle that a society should be governed by laws and a justice system, in English we use the phrase 'rule of law'. L'état de droit is usually used as the opposite of vigilante justice, or the idea of people taking the law into their own hands and administering their own punishments to people they feel have wronged them. If you are referring to a specific law, like a new immigration law, you would use the word loi . In international trade - droit also translates as 'duty' or 'tax'. The phrase droit de douane refers to the 'duty' levied in international commerce, as douane is the French word for customs. Advertisement By the definition of the French customs authority, droit de douane (or droits de douane in plural) refers to the tax levied on goods entering or leaving a customs territory, so you'll see the phrase in headlines referring to negotiations with Donald Trump over US tariffs. In parenting - And finally, parents might discuss whether or not their children have certain privileges. If you are a parent, you might want to tell your babysitter 'The kids are not allowed to eat candy before dinner.' Les enfants n'ont pas le droit de manger les bonbons avant le dîner - the literal translation is 'the children don't have the right to eat sweets before dinner', but it's widely used in everyday French so a better, more casual translation would be 'not allowed'. Droit is of course not the only French word with multiple meanings - you can find a roundup of all the uses of the word coup (a useful word to chuck in to make your French sound more local) HERE. Grammar tips From agreeing adjectives to the subjunctive, French grammar can be fiendishly - some claim deliberately - complicated and almost all French learners have at one point despaired over ever getting it right. People learn languages in different ways - some people prefer to just throw themselves into chatting, others like to have a textbook and some exercises. But the formal and structured nature of the French language means that if you want to become fluent - and if you need written French - then you are going to have to learn some grammar. That's the purpose of our weekly series of French grammar tips and tricks - and you can also sign up to receive them as a newsletter. The tips are not intended as a substitute for formal classes or sweating over those verb tables (sadly, those are necessary for most people), but may be of some help to language learners. They come from our own experiences of living and working in France, and as with our popular French Word of the Day feature , we've tried to focus on examples that will be useful in everyday life. Read more French grammar tips; French grammar tips: Look out for the accent French grammar tips: Cheat the future Guessing the gender of nouns The cheat's guide to the subjunctive Understanding French place names Getting the date and time right Pay attention to your French friend's English mistakes Which French grammar rules do you find most confusing? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Euronews
a day ago
- Euronews
No part of France is free of drugs, anti-narcotic agency warns
France has become a country with no area free of drugs, according to a report by the country's anti-narcotics office OFAST, raising concerns about the scale of cocaine trafficking and its grip on French society. Described as a 'white tsunami' by French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, the report warns of an explosive rise in cocaine availability, calling it an 'existential threat' and a form of 'counter-culture' driven by violence and impunity, FranceInfo reported. In just the first six months of 2025, authorities seized 37.5 tonnes of cocaine, up 45% from the same period in 2024, a record high. According to OFAST, this is a sign of how deeply entrenched drug trafficking has become across the country. In 2024 alone, 367 murders or attempted murders linked to drug-related violence were recorded in 173 cities. 'Taking control of neighbourhoods fuels everyday crime, normalises violence and illegal money as part of a growing counter-culture, and seriously damages efforts to improve cities and help people integrate into society,' the report stated. The report also highlighted how some trafficking networks have gone beyond criminal activity and begun to exert social control in communities. In one example from Bagnols-sur-Cèze in southern France, residents received letters offering help with groceries or home repairs in exchange for tolerating drug dealing in their neighbourhood. In some areas, drug lords have even overruled local authority, acting as de facto rulers in their neighbourhoods. One such case involved Marseille's DZ Mafia, a gang that released a video last year featuring masked men, white sheets and weapons raised in the air, an echo of nationalist paramilitary groups. OFAST said the group aimed to undermine public institutions, pointing to recent attacks on prisons and prison officers' homes. The report also outlined a pyramid structure within the drug trade. While around 200,000 people are believed to profit in some way from the drug economy, a handful of top-level traffickers dominate drug imports into France, often operating from abroad. These individuals, according to OFAST, have built direct links to South American cartels, working so closely that they have effectively formed what resembles a 'French cocaine cartel'. Beneath them are 'middle-tier' distributors, followed by street-level dealers operating not only at France's 2,700 known dealing points, but increasingly via delivery systems or even Airbnb-style setups that let customers discreetly collect their drugs from rented apartments. In March, France's Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin announced he had "decided to strike hard" against the most dangerous drug traffickers in the country, pledging to imprison 200 of them in two high-security prisons by 15 October. The minister, who has made tackling the drugs trade a top priority since assuming the role in December, said the facilities would be renovated to make them "completely hermetic".
