Cambodia to nominate Donald Trump for Nobel Peace Prize, says deputy PM
Asked via text message to confirm Cambodia's plan to nominate Trump for the prize, Chanthol responded, "yes."
Speaking to reporters earlier in the capital, Phnom Penh, Chanthol thanked Trump for bringing peace and said he deserved to be nominated for the prize, the highest-profile international award given to an individual or organisation deemed to have done the most to "advance fellowship between nations".
Pakistan said in June that it would recommend Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in helping to resolve a conflict with India, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last month he had nominated Trump for the award.
It was a call by Trump last week that broke a deadlock in efforts to end the heaviest fighting between Thailand and Cambodia in over a decade, leading to a ceasefire negotiated in Malaysia on Monday, Reuters has reported.
Following the truce announcement, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X that Trump made it happen.
"Give him the Nobel Peace Prize!," she said.
At least 43 people have been killed in the intense clashes, which lasted five days and displaced more than 300,000 people on both sides of the border.
"We acknowledge his great efforts for peace," said Chanthol, also Cambodia's top trade negotiator, adding that his country was also grateful for a reduced tariff rate of 19%.
Washington had initially threatened a tariff of 49%, later reducing it to 36%, a level that would have decimated Cambodia's vital garment and footwear sector, Chanthol told Reuters in an interview earlier on Friday.
(Reporting by Martin Petty in Bangkok and Chantha Lach and Zaw Naing Oo in Phnom Penh; Writing by Devjyot Ghoshal) - Reuters
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
5 minutes ago
- The Star
Israel's Gaza blockade causing severe humanitarian crisis, says Tok Mat
SEREMBAN: The ongoing blockade imposed by Israel in Gaza has severely restricted the delivery of humanitarian assistance, leading to critical shortages of food, clean water, medical supplies and fuel, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan ( pic ). The Foreign Minister said these developments have raised urgent fears of an imminent famine, with starvation and malnutrition already severely affecting thousands of civilians, particularly children. "Malaysia expresses grave, continuing concern over the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza as a result of the relentless genocide and ethnic cleansing perpetrated by Israel's Zionist regime. "Since October 2023, more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 150,000 injured, with 1.9 million Palestinians forcibly displaced amid the unrelenting aggression of Israel's Zionist regime," he said in a statement. Mohamad said Malaysia was also deeply alarmed by the unfolding humanitarian crisis that the world has witnessed silently for the past 22 months. He also condemned the brutal killings of more than 1,300 Palestinians waiting in line to receive aid from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation since May of this year, adding that this must be investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice. Malaysia, he said, wished to reiterate in the strongest terms that the Israeli government must stop the killings, cease all attempts at forced displacement of Palestinians, and immediately end all blockades of humanitarian access to ensure unimpeded access to aid. Failure by Israel is a violation of international law, international humanitarian law, and international human rights law. "We note the outcome of the recent high-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Questions of Palestine and Implementation of the two-state solution held in New York, which saw widespread international support for the realisation of a two-state solution with a call for urgent and sustained humanitarian assistance as well as a raft of other initiatives. "We welcome the international community's shift to condemn Israel and move towards pragmatic, action-oriented measures to resolve the question of securing Palestinian statehood," he said. Malaysia, he said, reaffirms its unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people and their inalienable right to self-determination. It also remains steadfast in supporting the establishment of an independent and sovereign state of Palestine, based on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital and Palestine's rightful membership in the United Nations.
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Spain air-drops 12 tonnes of food aid over Gaza
MADRID: Spain said Friday it had air-dropped 12 tonnes of food into Gaza, which UN-backed experts say is slipping into famine. The mission deployed 24 parachutes, each capable of carrying 500 kilos (1,100 pounds) of food, for a total of 12 tonnes – enough for 11,000 people, said Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares. Spain also has aid waiting to cross into Gaza by road from Egypt, the minister added in a video message posted on social network X, along with a video of the operation. "The induced famine that the people of Gaza are suffering is a disgrace to all of humanity," Albares said. "Israel must open all land crossings permanently so that humanitarian aid can enter on a massive scale." Spain joins other Western countries, including Britain and France, that have recently partnered with Middle Eastern nations to deliver humanitarian supplies by air to the Palestinian enclave. But the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees Philippe Lazzarini warned that airdrops alone would not avert the worsening hunger. "Airdrops are at least 100 times more costly than trucks Trucks carry twice as much aid as planes," he wrote on X. Although Israel has in recent days allowed more aid trucks into the Gaza Strip, aid agencies say Israeli authorities could do much more to speed up border checks and open more border posts. Concern has escalated in the past week about the situation in the Gaza Strip after more than 21 months of war, which started after Hamas carried out a deadly attack against Israel in October 2023. UN-backed experts warned on Tuesday that a "worst-case scenario" famine was unfolding there that could not be reversed unless humanitarian groups got immediate and unimpeded access. - AFP
Borneo Post
an hour ago
- Borneo Post
Trump deploys nuclear submarines in row with Russia
The US Navy's USS Minnesota (SSN-783), a Virginia-class fast attack submarine, sails in waters off the coast of Western Australia on March 16, 2025. – AFP file photo WASHINGTON (Aug 2): US President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines Friday in an extraordinary escalation of what had been an online war of words with a Russian official over Ukraine and tariffs. Trump and Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's security council, have been sparring on social media for days. Trump's post on his Truth Social platform abruptly took that spat into the very real — and rarely publicized — sphere of nuclear forces. 'Based on the highly provocative statements,' Trump said he had 'ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that.' 'Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances,' the 79-year-old Republican posted. Trump did not say in his post whether he meant nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed submarines. He also did not elaborate on the exact deployment locations, which are kept secret by the US military. But in an interview with Newsmax that aired Friday night, Trump said the submarines were 'closer to Russia.' 'We always want to be ready. And so I have sent to the region two nuclear submarines,' he said. 'I just want to make sure that his words are only words and nothing more than that.' Trump's remarks came hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had started mass producing its hypersonic nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile, and could deploy them to Belarus, a close Russian ally neighbouring Ukraine, by year-end. The nuclear sabre-rattling came against the backdrop of a deadline set by Trump for the end of next week for Russia to take steps to ending the Ukraine war or face unspecified new sanctions. Despite the pressure from Washington, Russia's onslaught against its pro-Western neighbor continues to unfold at full bore. An AFP analysis Friday showed that Russian forces had launched a record number of drones at Ukraine in July. Russian attacks have killed hundreds of Ukrainian civilians since June. A combined missile and drone attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early Thursday killed 31 people, rescuers said. Putin, who has consistently rejected calls for a ceasefire, said Friday that he wants peace but that his demands for ending his nearly three-and-a-half year invasion were 'unchanged'. Those demands include that Ukraine abandon territory and end ambitions to join NATO. Putin, speaking alongside Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, said Belarusian and Russian specialists 'have chosen a place for future positions' of the Oreshnik missiles. 'Work is now underway to prepare these positions. So, most likely, we will close this issue by the end of the year,' he added. – Insults, nuclear rhetoric – The United States and Russia control the vast majority of the world's nuclear weaponry, and Washington keeps nuclear-armed submarines on permanent patrol as part of its so-called nuclear triad of land, sea and air-launched weapons. Trump told Newsmax that Medvedev's 'nuclear' reference prompted him to reposition US nuclear submarines. 'When you mention the word 'nuclear'… my eyes light up. And I say, we better be careful, because it's the ultimate threat,' Trump said in the interview. Medvedev had criticised Trump on his Telegram account Thursday and alluded to the 'fabled 'Dead Hand'' — a reference to a highly secret automated system put in place during the Cold War to control the country's nuclear weapons. This came after Trump had lashed out at what he called the 'dead economies' of Russia and India. Medvedev had also harshly criticized Trump's threat of new sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine. Accusing Trump of 'playing the ultimatum game,' he posted Monday on X that Trump 'should remember' that Russia is a formidable force. Trump responded by calling Medvedev 'the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he's still President.' Medvedev should 'watch his words,' Trump posted at midnight in Washington on Wednesday. 'He's entering very dangerous territory!' Medvedev is a vocal proponent of Russia's war — and generally antagonistic to relations with the West. He served as president between 2008-2012, effectively acting as a placeholder for Putin, who was able to circumvent constitutional term limits and remain in de facto power. The one-time reformer has rebranded over the years as an avid online troller, touting often extreme versions of official Kremlin nationalist messaging. But his influence within the Russian political system remains limited. In Kyiv on Friday, residents held a day of mourning for the 31 people, including five children, killed the day before, most of whom were in a nine-storey apartment block torn open by a missile. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said only Putin could end the war and renewed his call for a meeting between the two leaders. 'The United States has proposed this. Ukraine has supported it. What is needed is Russia's readiness,' he wrote on X. – AFP donald trump nuclear submarine Russia Vladimir Putin
