PALM BEACH, Florida — US President Donald J. Trump on Monday announced plans for a new “Trump class” of battleships, marking the start of an expanded naval buildup and signaling increased scrutiny of defense contractors over production delays and cost overruns.

Mr. Trump said the new battleships would be larger, faster and “100 times more powerful” than any previously built, forming the centerpiece of what he called an expanded “Golden Fleet” aimed at cementing US naval dominance.

The program will begin with two vessels and is expected to grow to between 20 and 25 ships, Mr. Trump said. The first of the class will be christened the USS Defiant.

The announcement represents the latest example of the President rebranding an aspect of the federal government in his image. Mr. Trump, who has previously criticized the appearance of US warships, said he will be personally involved in the designs.

He said the ships will weigh more than 30,000 tons, larger than current destroyers, and be equipped with the latest technology, including artificial intelligence and directed energy lasers.

“We haven’t built a battleship since 1994. These cutting-edge vessels will be some of the most lethal surface warfare ships… other than our submarines,” Mr. Trump said.

In addition to carrying conventional naval guns, the new battleships will be equipped with nuclear-armed, sea-launched cruise missiles, US Navy Secretary John Phelan said, appearing with Mr. Trump in Florida for the announcement.

Some US officials have warned that a failure to build new battleships in recent years has handed an advantage to economic and military rival China. Mr. Trump downplayed China’s influence on the decision, saying the expansion was “a counter to everybody.”

DELAYS AND OVERRUNS
He said the naval expansion would be paired with renewed pressure on defense contractors to speed up production and rein in costs. He said he will meet with major defense firms next week to address delays and overruns, and to examine whether executive compensation, stock buybacks and dividends are contributing to missed production targets.

“We don’t want to have executives making $50 million a year, issuing big dividends to everybody, and also doing buybacks” while production of F35s and other jets languish, Mr. Trump said.

Reuters reported last week that the administration was planning an executive order to limit dividends, buybacks and executive pay for defense contractors whose projects are over budget and delayed.

Mr. Trump and the Pentagon have been complaining about the expensive, slow-moving and entrenched nature of the defense industry, promising dramatic changes that would make the production of war equipment more nimble.

Besides the new battleship class, the expanded fleet envisions increasing numbers of other war vessels, including introduction of a new, smaller class of frigates previously announced by the Navy, Mr. Trump said. — Reuters

BEIJING — The top priority for Thailand and Cambodia is to agree to a ceasefire and stop fighting as soon as possible resume dialogue, and resolve their border disputes peacefully, a special Chinese envoy to the region said.

For three weeks, Thailand and Cambodia have engaged in daily exchanges of rockets and artillery along their 817 kilometer (508 miles) land border, after a truce first brokered by Malaysia as ASEAN chair and US President Donald Trump collapsed.

China has since joined the top diplomats of the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations in urging both countries to exercise restraint and take steps to halt fighting.

China supports ASEAN’s mediation efforts and is willing to once again create conditions and provide a platform for dialogue and negotiations between the two sides, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Tuesday, citing its Special Envoy for Asian Affairs Deng Xijun.

Mr. Deng recently travelled to the two countries, meeting with their respective prime ministers and other senior government officials, as part of China’s shuttle diplomacy.

Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to hold a meeting on Wednesday of defense officials aimed at resuming the ceasefire, a move welcomed by ASEAN.

China, which calls itself a “friend” and “close neighbor” to both Cambodia and Thailand, has been seeking to facilitate mediation. It says it has been promoting a resolution to the conflict “in its own way”, without referring to the Mr. Trump ceasefire deal.

Mr. Trump claimed that the Thai-Cambodian conflict was one of the eight wars that he had stopped around the world, even as the fighting broke out again.

“In a region marked by complex historical sensitivities, few actors can claim to have the trust and willingness necessary to sustain mediation efforts as China, whose balanced and constructive approach provides a stable impetus for de-escalation of the tensions, as it did in helping broker reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia last year,” state-run China Daily wrote in an editorial on Monday. — Reuters

SEOUL — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended the opening ceremonies of hotels in a tourist zone of the country with his daughter Ju Ae, as he sought to highlight the country’s economic progress before a key party congress due to take place early next year.

Five hotels opened on Saturday and Sunday in North Korea’s Samjiyon tourist zone, in the northeast part of the Korean peninsula near the border with China, state media KCNA said on Tuesday.

Mr. Kim, who attended the ceremonies on Saturday, toured the upmarket hotels with Ju Ae, state media photographs showed.

Some analysts view Mr. Kim’s teenage daughter as the frontrunner to become the country’s next leader.

Mr. Kim said the hotels were “clear proof of the rising status of our people and the development potential of our country,” according to KCNA.

The North Korean leader has attended multiple opening ceremonies of facilities in the past month, including three regional factory openings last week alone.

North Korea is expected to hold its first party congress in five years in early 2026, where a new development plan for the next five years is expected to be unveiled. State media such as Rodong Sinmun, have been urging an all-out public effort to complete major projects ahead of the gathering. — Reuters

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is recalling nearly 30 ambassadors and other senior career diplomats to ensure embassies reflect its “America First” priorities, a move critics said would weaken US credibility abroad.

The State Department declined to provide a list of the diplomats being recalled. A senior department official said on Monday the move was “a standard process in any administration” but critics said that was not so.

“An ambassador is a personal representative of the president, and it is the president’s right to ensure that he has individuals in these countries who advance the America First agenda,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Nearly 30 senior diplomats were among those ordered back to Washington, people familiar with the matter said.

They were posted to smaller countries where the top US representative has traditionally been from the Foreign Service, which is made up of career officials not aligned with a political party, the people said.

The recalled diplomats were encouraged to find new roles in the State Department, a second US official said.

The American Foreign Service Association representing foreign service officers said it was working to confirm which members were recalled after some reported being notified by phone with no explanation – a process its spokesperson called “highly irregular.”

“Abrupt, unexplained recalls reflect the same pattern of institutional sabotage and politicization our survey data shows is already harming morale, effectiveness, and US credibility abroad,” spokesperson Nikki Gamer said in an email.

The State Department declined to respond to Ms. Gamer’s comments.

Politico reported on Friday that two dozen ambassadors were being told to leave their posts, citing a State Department official.

Mr. Trump has sought to place loyalists in senior roles since starting his second term after encountering resistance during his first term advancing his foreign policy priorities within the US national security establishment.

Jeanne Shaheen, ranking Democrat on the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, assailed the Republican administration’s removal of the diplomats while about 80 ambassadorial posts remain vacant.

“President Trump is giving away US leadership to China and Russia by removing qualified career Ambassadors who serve faithfully no matter who’s in power,” Ms. Shaheen posted on X. “This makes America less safe, less strong and less prosperous.” — Reuters

KUALA LUMPUR — Thailand and Cambodia agreed on Monday to hold a December 24 meeting of defense officials towards resuming a months-old ceasefire, as fierce border fighting between them entered a third week with at least 80 people killed so far.

The decision was taken on Monday during a special meeting in Kuala Lumpur of Southeast Asian foreign ministers, who were trying to salvage a truce first brokered by ASEAN chair Malaysia and US President Donald Trump after a previous round of deadly clashes in July.

Thailand and Cambodia have engaged in daily exchanges of rockets and artillery along their 817 kilometer (508 mile) land border following the collapse of the truce, with fighting at multiple points stretching from forested regions near Laos to the coastal provinces of the Gulf of Thailand.

The top diplomats of the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations urged both countries to exercise maximum restraint and take immediate steps to halt fighting, while welcoming the planned meeting on Wednesday of the General Border Committee, a long-established mechanism for bilateral talks.

“The ASEAN foreign ministers expressed hope for de-escalation of hostilities as soon as possible,” said a statement from ASEAN chair Malaysia, adding discussions would include ceasefire implementation and verification.

Speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Mr. Trump referred again to the Thailand-Cambodia conflict as one of the eight wars he had stopped around the world, and added: “Thailand is starting to shape up. You know, they started with Cambodia, they started up again. But I think … we have that in pretty good shape…”

SIGNIFICANT STEP

The decision to hold talks is the most significant step since fighting re-erupted, with neither Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim nor Mr. Trump able to bring the two countries to the table this time after various calls to their leaders.

Five days into the conflict, Mr. Trump said the premiers of Thailand and Cambodia had both agreed to “cease all shooting,” but the clashes continued the following day, with Bangkok launching more air strikes and vowing to keep on fighting.

China has also pressed both sides to step back, with its special envoy for Asian affairs Deng Xijun holding talks in Bangkok and Phnom Penh in recent days.

Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said his country wanted a “true ceasefire” with a detailed implementation plan and firm commitment from Cambodia.

He said neither the US nor China had been involved in the decision on bilateral talks, adding it was about Thailand and Cambodia “working things out”.

“A ceasefire cannot just be declared, it needs a discussion,” Mr. Sihasak told a briefing in Kuala Lumpur.

“The Cambodians want a ceasefire, let’s have a discussion on a ceasefire. We proposed that our two militaries should meet as soon as possible.”

The location of the meeting was not immediately clear, but Mr. Sihasak said Thailand proposed the borderline in the Thai province of Chanthaburi. Cambodia’s defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

THAI OUTRAGE OVER LANDMINES

Bangkok and Phnom Penh each accuse the other of aggression and violations of an enhanced ceasefire reached in October in Malaysia in Mr. Trump’s presence, during which they committed to demining and withdrawing troops and heavy weapons from areas over which sovereignty has been contested bitterly for decades.

Thailand has vented its fury over what it says are landmines being newly laid by Cambodia, among the world’s most landmine-plagued countries. Phnom Penh rejects the accusation.

Cambodia’s defense ministry said Thailand had violated its sovereignty on Monday with more “armed aggression” and vowed to defend its territory “at any cost”.

Thailand’s army said Cambodia had carried out intermittent artillery attacks and used drones to drop bombs, adding Thai forces had responded with air strikes and artillery on military positions.

Monday’s ASEAN gathering was the first face-to-face meeting involving the two governments since the fighting resumed on December 8, in rare conflict between member states that has tested the bloc’s resolve.

Opening the meeting, Malaysia’s foreign minister urged the bloc to play a more forceful role.

“Our goal goes beyond de-escalating the tension. We must intensify trust-building among the conflicting parties and provide the horizons for dialogue despite the prevailing differences,” Mohamad Hasan said. — Reuters

PARIS — France’s government will push lawmakers to approve emergency legislation to keep the state running into January after they failed to agree on a 2026 budget, a stopgap measure to avert a shutdown as pressure mounts from investors and ratings agencies.

Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said on Monday the special law aimed to give final negotiations a chance.

A joint committee of lawmakers from both chambers failed on Friday to hammer out a full 2026 budget bill, forcing French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu to seek this stopgap measure to extend spending, tax collection and borrowing into January.

“This special law is not a budget … we must, as quickly as possible, in January, come up with a budget for the country,” Mr. Bregeon added, quoting French President Emmanuel Macron.

Parliament was likely to approve the measure on Tuesday.

Investors and ratings agencies are scrutinizing France’s finances, with the country running the euro zone’s highest budget deficit.

LECORNU WANTS TO AVOID CONFIDENCE VOTE

Conservative lawmaker Philippe Juvin, who has been steering the 2026 budget through the lower house, said he expected a full text to be passed in early January.

Mr. Juvin told BFM TV he hoped Mr. Lecornu would use special constitutional powers to force through a compromise text that could be amenable to Socialist lawmakers.

Mr. Lecornu had pledged not to use such powers and to do so would likely trigger a vote of no confidence from the far right or hard left, though such a motion would fail without Socialist support.

Mr. Lecornu’s minority government has little room for maneuver in France’s fractious parliament, where budget battles have already toppled three governments since Mr. Macron lost his majority in a 2024 snap election.

France used emergency rollover legislation last year until a proper 2025 budget could be passed in February, which the government says cost 12 billion euros ($14 billion). — Reuters