Latest news with #NationalSecurityCouncil
TimesLIVE
10 hours ago
- Business
- TimesLIVE
White House picks mining expert to head a national security office, sources say
The White House has chosen a former mining executive to head an office at the National Security Council (NSC) focused on strengthening supply chains, three sources said, as a pared down NSC zeroes in on a few of President Donald Trump's most oft-stated priorities. David Copley, who was chosen earlier this year to serve as the top mining official at the US National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC), an inter-agency body chaired by the interior secretary, is now a senior director at the NSC, said the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss non-public personnel moves. The shift in roles reflects the White House ramping up its efforts to gain ground against China in a critical minerals arms race that touches a broad swath of global industries. China recently demonstrated its leverage by withholding exports of rare earth magnets, upending global markets and forcing US officials back to the negotiating table, before reversing course. At the NSC, Copley will focus on strengthening US supply chains and boosting US access to the critical minerals that are often vital components of advanced military technology, two of the sources said. A White House official said Copley, who did not respond to a request for comment, will be overseeing the NSC's 'international economics' component. Copley's precise title was not immediately clear, nor was it clear if he has formally left the NEDC. The decision to identify a mining expert for a top NSC position offers a window into how national security priorities have shifted under US President Donald Trump. The NSC has been sharply downsized in recent months. Offices overseeing Africa and international organisations have been among those shuttered or downgraded, in line with the administration's scepticism of multilateral institutions. A special forces veteran was recently favoured to head the Latin America office, a move that comes as Trump has openly considered unilateral action against Mexican drug cartels. But Trump's focus on obtaining critical minerals such as cobalt and nickel has never waned and China's near-total control of the critical minerals industry has long rankled the president. In May, Reuters reported Copley was among a clutch of officials who had been working on plans to pull Greenland deeper into America's sphere of influence, in part to ensure access to the island's vast deposits of rare earths. One of the sources said Copley's remit is, broadly speaking, 'geostrategic affairs'. Geostrategy is a field of international relations that focuses in part on the interplay of resource wealth and security, a matter of particular relevance for an administration that has made securing access to foreign resources a central element of its foreign policy. In April, the US and Ukraine signed a deal to give the US preferential access to Ukrainian minerals. An economist by training, Copley is an intelligence officer with the US navy reserve and he worked on Iraq-related issues for the state department during Trump's first term. He previously held roles at minerals producer US Silica. Copley consulted for Boston Consulting Group earlier in his career and served as an intelligence officer with the Defence Intelligence Agency, a component of the US department of defence. Copley until recently had worked in a strategic development role for Denver-based Newmont, the world's largest gold miner by production with a market value of $54bn (R957.57bn).
Russia Today
a day ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Russiagate was America's other Pearl Harbor
US Senator Ted Cruz has compared the launch of the Trump-Russia investigation to the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, calling it a moment of 'infamy' in American political history. The Texas Republican made the remark on Fox News on Wednesday, accusing former President Barack Obama's administration of lying to the public and using federal agencies to undermine Donald Trump's presidency. 'December 9 should be a day that lives in infamy,' Cruz said, referencing the date in 2016 when the FBI opened its inquiry and the famous wording Franklin D. Roosevelt used in a speech following a surprise Japanese attack on the US naval base in Hawaii. 'That's a moment when senior members of our government decided to lie to the American people and sabotage President Donald Trump.' During a meeting on December 9, 2016, then President Obama ordered National Security Council officials to discard intelligence assessments that found no Russian involvement in Trump's campaign and replace them with claims blaming Moscow based on fabricated data, according to declassified documents released by US National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard last week. Trump had defeated Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the presidential election that November. The scandal led to the years-long Trump-Russia probe known as 'Russiagate'. It severely damaged relations between Moscow and Washington, leading to sanctions, asset seizures, and a breakdown in normal diplomacy. Russia has not yet commented on Gabbard's revelations. It has however consistently denied allegations that it interfered in the 2016 US election. The Kremlin has described the Russiagate affair as a politically motivated smear campaign intended to justify sanctions and worsen relations with Moscow.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Why are Thailand and Cambodia fighting at the border and what happened today?
Cambodia and Thailand traded fire across their disputed border on Thursday, marking the most serious escalation in decades between the two Southeast Asian neighbours. The clashes came as political instability deepened in Thailand following the suspension of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra earlier this month. Both country has blamed the other for sparking the escalation, which reportedly began with gunfire over the contested border. Thailand claims Cambodia fired rockets into its territory, prompting retaliatory air strikes on Cambodian military targets. So how did they get here – and where is it going? Thailand and Cambodia have offered sharply conflicting accounts of Thursday's deadly exchange of fire along their disputed border. According to Thailand's National Security Council (NSC) as reported by BBC, the incident began just after 7:30am local time (00:30 GMT), when Cambodian forces allegedly deployed drones to monitor Thai troop positions near the border. Shortly after, Thai officials claim, Cambodian soldiers armed with rocket-propelled grenades assembled in the area. Thai troops attempted to negotiate by shouting across the border, but received no response. By 8:20am, Cambodian forces reportedly opened fire, prompting a Thai counterattack, where Bangkok deployed F-16s to strike Cambodian targets and ordered evacuations in Surin Province. Residents in Thailand's Surin province bordering Cambodia ran for cover as the neighboring countries exchanged fire, after weeks of tension over a border dispute that has escalated into clashes — Reuters (@Reuters) July 24, 2025 The NSC accused Cambodia of escalating the situation by using heavy weapons, including BM-21 rocket launchers and artillery. These strikes, Thailand said, damaged civilian infrastructure in four Thai provinces — including homes, a hospital, and a petrol station. Thailand's acting premier Phumtham Wechayachai said that its dispute with Cambodia remains 'delicate' and must be addressed with care, and in line with international law. Cambodia, however, tells a different story. Officials in Phnom Penh claim the clash began an hour earlier, at around 6:30am, when Thai soldiers allegedly violated a prior agreement by advancing near Prasat Ta Muen Thom, an ancient Khmer-Hindu temple near the border and placing barbed wire around its base. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said the country had 'no choice but to respond with armed force against this armed invasion,' accusing Thai troops of opening fire first at the temple. According to Cambodian Defence Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata, Thai forces launched a drone just after 7:00am and fired warning shots into the air around 8:30. At 8:46am, she said, Thai troops 'pre-emptively' opened fire on Cambodian soldiers, forcing them to return fire in self-defence. Socheata also accused Thailand of deploying an overwhelming number of troops and using disproportionate force, including airstrikes on Cambodian territory. Thai authorities reported 12 deaths — 11 civilians and one soldier — and at least 31 injuries, including a child. Thousands have begun fleeing the conflict zone. Cambodia has not confirmed casualty numbers. The dispute between Thailand and Cambodia is far from new — it stretches back over a century to when the borders between the two nations were first drawn during the French colonial occupation of Cambodia. Hostilities intensified in 2008 when Cambodia sought to register an 11th-century temple located in the contested border zone as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The move sparked fierce protests in Thailand and set off a series of armed confrontations, with the deadliest flare-up in 2011, when week-long fighting killed 15 people and displaced tens of thousands. Since then, sporadic clashes have flared up periodically, resulting in casualties among both soldiers and civilians. The current wave of tension began in May, following the death of a Cambodian soldier in a border skirmish. That incident pushed relations to their lowest point in over a decade. A land mine injury to a Thai soldier on Wednesday further inflamed tensions. Thailand has since downgraded diplomatic relations, expelling Cambodia's ambassador and recalling its own. In the weeks since, both nations have imposed tit-for-tat restrictions — Cambodia banned Thai imports including fruits, vegetables, electricity, and internet services, while both sides have deployed additional troops to the contested border areas. In June, Paetongtarn Shinawatra called Hun Sen, Cambodia's de facto leader and father of the current prime minister, to discuss the escalating border tensions. Hun Sen has close ties with her father, Thaksin Shinawatra, a former Thai prime minister and leader of a powerful political dynasty, as well as one of the country's wealthiest figures. Hun Sen later posted a recording of their call, in which Paetongtarn appeared to disparage Thailand's powerful military while taking a deferential tone. She referred to him as 'uncle' and assured him she would 'arrange' anything he wanted. The call sparked public outrage, with thousands of protesters taking to the streets of Bangkok. Despite her public apology, Paetongtarn has come under mounting pressure to resign less than a year into her term — including from within her own governing coalition. In early July, a Thai court suspended her from office.
Nikkei Asia
a day ago
- Politics
- Nikkei Asia
Thai-Cambodia clashes live: Thai acting PM says fighting must stop before talks
BANGKOK -- Border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have escalated significantly with their armies exchanging fire on Thursday, leaving 11 civilians dead in Thailand. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has appealed to the United Nations Security Council to hold an emergency meeting on the issue. Here are two recent Nikkei Asia opinion articles on the crisis: Cambodia seeks justice, not conflict, in border dispute with Thailand Hun Sen's gamble: Why Cambodia ex-ruler turned on Thai ally Thaksin Follow the latest developments in this live blog. (Thailand and Cambodia time) 6 p.m. Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai spoke to reporters after National Security Council and Cabinet meetings. "We condemn this act of violence, which does not comply with international law that has to be strictly adhered to," he said. "We are not declaring war. ... We must try to talk to resolve the issue," he added, "but what happened was that Cambodia kept provoking us." Asked whether the two countries will talk at the government level, Phumtham said: "We must wait for this to stop first, as we weren't the ones to initiate it. If there's sincerity towards each other, then we can talk." 5:30 p.m. Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata, spokeswoman for the Cambodian Defense Ministry, said in a press conference that Thailand had attacked eight locations in the Cambodian provinces of Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear. She did not say whether there had been any casualties on the Cambodian side of the border. 4:30 p.m. Thailand's Minister of Public Health Somsak Thepsuthin said 11 civilians and one soldier had died due to the clashes and 24 injured across the country, based on information available as of 2:15 p.m. "The loss of lives today is unacceptable," he said. 4:20 p.m. Loeung Sophon, a representative for the Cambodian labor NGO Central based in Thailand, told Nikkei Asia that Cambodian migrant workers are even more destabilized by the exit of Cambodian embassy staff on Thursday morning. So far, he estimates that some 50,000 migrant workers have returned to Cambodia since June, ranging from those in construction to vendors and laborers on rubber farms. "Those who are still in Thailand really want to go back," he said. 4 p.m. The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement on the crisis: "We are hopeful our two fellow ASEAN member states will resolve this issue in accordance with international law and the peaceful settlement of disputes," it said. "We urge both parties to extend due consideration and care to innocent civilians who may be affected by the ongoing conflict." 3.50 p.m. Anthony Davis, a Bangkok-based security analyst with Janes - a defense intelligence group, told Nikkei Asia: "It's not very useful to compare total numbers [of both countries' militaries] -- it's not like they're going to be lining up one-on-one along the border to see who has got more guys. This is about equipment, so whether the Thais have 370,000 or 372,000 men under arms is largely irrelevant. "Assuming this escalates -- which is not a given -- this is about equipment more than numbers. "Both belligerents have enough numbers on the ground in the area to make life very uncomfortable for the other side. The question is what can they bring to the fight in terms of hardware, and we've already seen what the Thais can bring -- F-16 jets, which the Cambodians are in no position to counter." 3:40 p.m. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told reporters in Kuala Lumpur that the situation is "concerning." He said he expected to speak to the leaders from Thailand and Cambodia later today. "They are important members of ASEAN. They are very close to Malaysia," Anwar said. "The least you can expect is for them to just stand down and enter into negotiations." He went on to explain that he had the two countries' interests at heart and stressed that both wanted to have a "peaceful and amicable resolution" to the conflict. "Both want to keep ASEAN engaged. And we do precisely that," the prime minister said. "I still think peace is the only option available." 3:29 p.m. Thai Army said in a statement that it "continues to adhere to the principle of limited defensive operations, primarily targeting military objectives." The Thai Army said Cambodia's military action "clearly breaks the Geneva Conventions by using heavy weapons against civilian areas." 3:25 p.m. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thailand's suspended prime minister, told reporters: "Since the beginning, of course, we didn't want violence. But once it occurred, the military is well-prepared." Regarding the dispute over who struck first, "As usual, they would say we fired first, but we live in a world where there are many tools that can show [the truth] to the world ... Cambodia is only losing its credibility more and more." 3:20 p.m. Former Malaysian senior diplomat Ilango Karuppannan said the Thai-Cambodian conflict "reflects long-standing historical grievances," especially regarding the unresolved border demarcation around the Preah Vihear area. That this is happening under Malaysia's ASEAN chairmanship is "a real test of Malaysia's leadership and ASEAN's relevance." "If ASEAN is seen as unable to manage tensions between its own members, it could seriously undermine its credibility and raise doubts about its role in regional peace and stability," he said. Malaysia should consider convening an emergency meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers to urge restraint and encourage both sides to reactivate bilateral mechanisms like the Joint Border Commission, Karuppannan added. He advised Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim personally to reach out to leaders of both countries to encourage de-escalation. "Alternatively, he may choose to appoint a trusted envoy to carry this out discreetly." 3 p.m. China says it is deeply concerned about the latest developments and hopes both sides will resolve the conflict through dialogue and consultation. "Thailand and Cambodia are both China's friendly neighbors and important members of ASEAN," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiajun tells reporters, adding that China is willing to play a role in de-escalating the situation. 2:50 p.m. On its Facebook page the Royal Thai Army has invited Thais to post on social media, adding the hashtags #CambodiaShootsFirst #ThailandLovesPeaceButWhenItComesToWar,WeAreNotCowardly and #CambodiaOpenedFire 2:45 p.m. Some Cambodian residents in Oddar Meanchey province -- the Cambodian side of the disputed Ta Moan Thom temple area -- started evacuating, according to local news outlet Kiripost. In neighboring Banteay Meanchey province, the site of bordertown and casino hub Poipet city, some residents say they packed bags to be ready if they need to flee. 2:40 p.m. Cambodia's Defense Ministry laid out a different scenario from its Thai counterparts, claiming that Thai military activity started first. Ministry spokeswoman Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata said in a statement that Thailand started the latest clash by ascending a path to Ta Moan Thom Temple and placed barbed wire around the base at 6:30 a.m. She said Thai forces flew a drone for about two minutes at 7:04 a.m. "Then, at 8:30 AM, they opened fire, and by 8:46 AM, Thai invading forces had initiated an armed assault on Cambodian troops stationed at Ta Moan Thom Temple." Cambodian troops returned fire at 8:47 a.m., the statement says, describing the move as the country's right to defend itself. Fighting expanded later in the morning to the Ta Krabey Temple near Ta Moan Thom, the Phnom Khmao area in a separate area, and then a Thai F16 fighter jet dropped two bombs on a road leading to Wat Kaew Seekha Kiri Svarak Pagoda. The statement asks the international community to condemn the incident as an aggression by Thai forces, and asks residents not to share unverified information, images or videos. 2:30 p.m. Thai government spokesperson Jirayu Huangsap confirmed that the Thai Air Force's six F-16 fighter jets have successfully completed an operation to support the army on the ground and returned to base. The army's regional command posted on Facebook that the Air Force has attacked two brigade headquarters of Cambodia around 11 a.m. 2:30 p.m. Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra posted on X: "Today, Hun Sen ordered the shooting into Thai territory early in the morning, firing first after laying bomb traps along the border, which is considered a violation of international law and the ethics of living together as good neighbors. "Thailand has exercised patience and restraint, fully adhering to international law and fulfilling its duties as a good neighbor," he added. "From now on, Thai soldiers can respond according to strategic plans, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can rightfully implement various measures." 2:15 p.m. The Royal Thai Army has just announced that nine Thai civilians have been killed as a result of the clashes. Six of the fatalities were in Sisaket province, two in Surin province and one in Ubon Ratchathani province. The deadliest incident was in Sisaket province when a gas station exploded, causing six deaths and 10 injuries. A further 14 civilians have been injured, the army says in a statement. 2:00 p.m. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet says that he wrote a letter to the United Nation's Security Council president, seeking an urgent meeting over the clash "to stop Thailand's aggression." In the letter to Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan and Security Council president for July, Hun Manet directs frustration toward Thailand, citing the clash this morning, as well as Thailand's attempts to characterize landmine explosions as new acts of aggressions by Cambodia. "This military escalation takes place in spite of regional and international appeals for restraint and peaceful solutions and Cambodia's demonstrated commitment to dialogue," he wrote, noting that Cambodia had sent the case to the International Court of Justice since June 6 and then hosted a bilateral dialogue in Phnom Penh on June 14 and 15. Meanwhile, Cambodia's Foreign Affairs Ministry condemns the attack, which it calls an "unprovoked premeditated and deliberate attacks on Cambodian positions along the border areas." The ministry characterized the clash as a "reckless and hostile act by Thailand," the ministry says. 1:50 p.m. Here's a brief background on why the Thai-Cambodia border is contested. The two neighbors have a long history of border disputes, which center on a disagreement over the Preah Vihear temple, to which Thailand lays claim, and the surrounding area. The issue routinely stirs up nationalistic sentiments in both countries. The controversy stems from a 1907 border treaty between France and Siam -- present-day Thailand -- that placed the Preah Vihear temple in Cambodian territory. The French used a watershed between the two countries to draw the border. However, Thailand contested French maps in the 1930s and occupied the temple complex in 1954. In 1962, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that the temple complex belonged to Cambodia but did not rule on other contested land. From 2008 to 2011, the two countries routinely engaged in cross-border firings near the Preah Vihear temple complex, resulting in large military deployments from both sides in 2011. The issue once again reached the ICJ, which reaffirmed its 1962 ruling in 2013. In addition, back in 2003, a popular Thai actress said in a Thai TV interview that she hated Cambodia for stealing her Angkor Wat, according to the Cambodia Daily newspaper. Some Cambodians were angered by this, and rioters set fire to the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh. For more information, read our previous explainer, published last month. 1:45 p.m. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet had a lengthy military career. He joined the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) in 1995 and four years later became the first Cambodian to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He rose steadily through the ranks, becoming a major general in 2011 and deputy commander in chief of the RCAF in 2019. His postings included leading the counterterrorism team and deputy chief of the prime minister's bodyguard unit. He was promoted to the highest rank, four-star general, in 2023, shortly before he replaced his father Hun Sen as prime minister. 1:15 p.m. Thailand's foreign ministry issues a statement, urging Cambodia to "cease its repeated acts which constitute a severe violation of international law." Thailand "is prepared to intensify our self-defense measures if Cambodia persists in its armed attack and violations upon Thailand's sovereignty in accordance with international law and principles," the ministry says. 12:30 p.m. Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, spokesperson of Thailand's ad hoc center for the border situation, tells reporters in a press briefing that there have been three serious injuries, including a five-year-old boy, and one death has been reported in the Phanom Dong Rak border community in Surin province. The ad hoc center has elevated the security measures from Level 2 to Level 4, which involves the complete closure of all border checkpoints along the Thai Cambodian border, Surasant says. "The Cambodian side has deployed heavy weapons such as BM-21 multiple rocket launchers and 122 millimeter artillery, causing damage to Thai civilian homes and public facilities along the border," he says. 12:30 p.m. Cambodia's defense ministry said in a statement that it "strongly condemns the reckless and brutal military aggression" of Thailand, Reuters reports. 11:55 a.m. Tataya Sattapanon, deputy mayor of the border district of Tambon Ta Muen in Thailand, tells Nikkei on the phone that she is currently in a bunker near her home, together with her neighbors. "I cannot go to the prepared evacuation center because artillery fire from Cambodia is still coming," she says. She says she learned from social media that one hit near the Phnom Dongrak Hospital and another hit a 7-Eleven store. "We are still hearing sounds of artillery explosions." 11:30 a.m. Thailand's deputy defense minister, Gen. Nattapol Nakphanit, pledges that the Thai army will protect Thailand's sovereignty. "Thai people throughout the country, please be assured that the Thai army will protect our sovereignty and will not allow anyone to encroach on our territory," he says at Government House. "We will not endure anymore because this is the action of the Cambodian military that we cannot accept. We ask the people to give encouragement to the personnel who are on duty along the border, especially in the area of the 2nd Army."
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
White House taps mining expert to head national security office, sources say
* White House taps mining expert to head national security office, sources say White House taps mining executive for top NSC role, sources say * Copley expected to focus on supply chains, critical minerals * Trump administration sees rare earths access as key to national security By Jarrett Renshaw and Gram Slattery WASHINGTON, - The White House has tapped a former mining executive to head an office at the National Security Council focused on strengthening supply chains, three sources said, as a pared-down NSC zeroes in on a few of President Donald Trump's most oft-stated priorities. David Copley, who was chosen earlier in the year to serve as the top mining official at the U.S. National Energy Dominance Council, or NEDC, an interagency body chaired by the interior secretary, is now a senior director at the NSC, said the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss non-public personnel moves. The shift in roles reflects the White House ramping up its efforts to gain ground against China in a critical minerals arms race that touches a broad swath of global industries. China recently demonstrated its leverage by withholding exports of rare earth magnets, upending global markets and forcing U.S. officials back to the negotiating table, before reversing course. At the NSC, Copley will focus on strengthening U.S. supply chains and boosting U.S. access to the critical minerals that are often vital components of advanced military technology, two of the sources said. A White House official said Copley, who did not respond to a request for comment, will be overseeing the NSC's "international economics" component. Copley's precise title was not immediately clear, nor was it clear if he has formally left the NEDC. The decision to tap a mining expert for a top NSC position offers a window into how national security priorities have shifted under U.S. President Donald Trump. The NSC has been sharply downsized in recent months. Offices overseeing Africa and international organizations have been among those shuttered or downgraded, in line with the administration's skepticism of multilateral institutions. A special forces veteran was recently tapped to head the Latin America office, a move that comes as Trump has openly considered unilateral action against Mexican drug cartels. But Trump's focus on obtaining critical minerals like cobalt and nickel has never waned, and China's near-total control of the critical minerals industry has long rankled the president. In May, Reuters reported that Copley was among a clutch of officials who had been working on plans to pull Greenland deeper into America's sphere of influence, in part to ensure access to the island's vast deposits of rare earths. One of the sources said Copley's remit is, broadly speaking, "geostrategic affairs." Geostrategy is a field of international relations that focuses in part on the interplay of resource wealth and security, a matter of particular relevance for an administration that has made securing access to foreign resources a central element of its foreign policy. In April, the U.S. and Ukraine signed a sprawling deal to give the United States preferential access to Ukrainian minerals. An economist by training, Copley is an intelligence officer with the U.S. Navy Reserve, and he worked on Iraq-related issues for the State Department during Trump's first term. He previously held roles at minerals producer U.S. Silica. Copley consulted for Boston Consulting Group earlier in his career and served as an intelligence officer with the Defense Intelligence Agency, a component of the U.S. Department of Defense. Copley until recently had worked in a strategic development role for Denver-based Newmont, the world's largest gold miner by production with a market value of $54 billion. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
