INTERNATIONAL

THENEWS

Saturday’
July 18, 2026


Karachi Edition


Germany, France close
ranks on defence after jet
project collapse —

BRCHL, Germany: The lead-
ers of France ant Germany
on Friday sought to put the

tion in which farsight leader

Marine Le Pen is a frontrun- -

fer to be his successor,

cooperation.
They then Ied a joint
defence and security coundl

collapse ofa fiagship Joint jot = The prospect of a Le Pen held next toa French Rafale
presidency adds yet more jet and a Eurofighter, a key

fighter project behind them
as they agreed on a symbolic
step towards greater nuclear
deterrence and stronger
defences for Europe. |
| Speaking alongside
French Preskient Emmanuct
Sfacron at a press conference
after a joint meeting of the
two governments, German
Chancellor Friedrich Merz
sald that this year would see
German troops join a French
military nuclear exercise.
“This is complementary
to our nuckar participation
and deterrence within NATO,
which we still hold to,” he
saki                             .
. Macron said earlier this
year that Germany was one
of eight ‘countries which
had agreed to participate in
a French-led nuclear deter

However he has stressed
that France = one of Western
Europe's two nuclear powers we.

uncertainty for European
countries already scrambling
10 boost defence capabilities
in the face of the Russian
threat and waning US com:
mitment under President
Donaki Trump.

Merz also said Germany
would take part in “a manocu-
‘vre in the autumn held on the

component of Germany's alr waming capabii

force.           :
_ The full cabinets of both
governments got together for
talks ina castle near Cologne,
where French president
Charles de Gaulle and Ger
Tran chancellor Konrad Ade-
nauer agreed on the idea of a

friendship treaty between the.

initiative of France” as part of two countries in 1962.
the Coalition of the Willing . The two countries had ing as possible,” Merz sald.

+ group of Ukraine's allies.

been seeking to “bounce

oct state”.         .

The allies also pledged
to cooperate on long-range
missile capacity, alr defence,
satellite internet and early
ties,

Asked about the prospect
of a Le Pen victory In 20273.
election, Merz said that Ger-
many would “extend a hand”
to whoever was elected.

“We will continue to do
everything we can to ensure
that this cooperation with our,
French neighbours remains
a3 close, as deep and a3 trust-

“That apptics reganiless of

“We will clarify together back” from last month's “what voters in our two coun-

what formexactly this
pation will take,” he said. ..

j- implosion of the joint Future
Combat Air System (FCAS)

tries decide.”
‘The far-right Altemative

Ata meeting of the group fighter Jet project, which fell. for Germany (Af) has also
on Monday, Macron said victim to bickering between established a steady lead in
& Multinational Force for  Airbus and France's Dassault,  German polls, although other

Uleaine, which would be

- There are also fears for

parties have so far maintained

deployed once the fighting another joint project, the a "firewall", preventing coop-

ends, would hold exercises in 3

the coming months in coun-

fain Ground Combat Sys-
tem (MGCS), which aims to

eration ‘with the party.    ”
Macron himself addressed

tries neighbouring Ukraine replace battle tanks used by the question of his successor
“to validate our deployment France and Germany and has and sald that caution should
plans and demonstrate that  been buffeted by internal ten be taken with regard to sure

sions since Germany’s Rhein:

are ready",
alongside the United King- “ On Friday moming, Merz nvctall entered the project.

dom. ~ will retain tight control

welcomed Blacron at the

_ Ajint statement from the

vweys predicting ale Pen vice
tory.
“Beware of the polls,” he

over mickar decisionmaking. Noervenich air base near two countries after Friday’s said

: For Macron, there is an Cologne, with the two leaders meeting said only that they
urgent need to make prog- emerging from a Super Puma wanted to “investigate an don't alwayspredict the worst
ress in this area before next helicopter itself asymbol of approach” for MGCS in order for them. Allow them to want
spring’s presidential clec- successful Franco-German_ to “bring it to.a proof-of-con- the best.” —AFP

-“Trust the French people,


UK govt under’
fire for ‘wrecking ball’

aid cuts

LONDON: The UK govem- defence spending, prompting ping up Its international Iead-

mont faced growing criticism
on Friday from NGOs after
detailing severe cuts to over-
seas aid budgets, in some

the resignation of Britain's
international development

minister,
- “British aid to Burma

ership, not retreating”.

Rubio to visit
Southeast

. Asia in bid.

to reaffirm

partnerships,

WASHINGTON: US Secrotary
of State Marco Rubio travels

Many urged former] to the Philippines next week

Greater Manchester mayor
Andy Bumham, who is set

to meet with his Southeast
Asian counterparts, the State

cases up to 90 percent, for saves lives so these cuts to replace Starmer as prime] Department said Friday, as

countries in Africa and Asia.
Bilateral ald spending
will be slashed by 43 percent
over the next three years,
equivalent to more than ASI

will kill peopte,” sald Anna
Roberts, executive director
of rights group Burma Cam-
paign UK, sald Friday, using
Myanmar’ ‘3 country name

minister on Monday, to act,

the rekindled war with Iran

“A new prime minister] places traditional American

has a chance to tum the
page,” Adrian Lovett, head of
the Africa-focused One Cam-

billion ($1.3 billion), accord- prior to its 1048 indepen- paign NGO, said,

ing to analyses of the foreign
ministry’s annual accounts
released Thursday.

Some of Afriea’s low.
est-income countries, such
as Malawi and Mozambique,
will see UK aid fall by 90
percent by 2029 compared
to pre-cut levels, the devel-

dence,

“We urge Andy Bumtam,

allies under economic strain.

‘The tip comes as the pace
of strikes in the Bliddle East
shows no signs of slowing,
and just days after US Presi-

She accused Starmer and often dubbed the ‘King of dent Donald Trump launched
Foreign Secretary Yvette the North’, not to forget the] a sweeping attack Thursday

Cooper of “failing the people
of Burma” by “cutting off aid
instead of cutting off arms
and money” to Myanmar’s
military rulers,                           ”

- Oxfam GB's Jean McLean

Global South," he added, not
ing he*has built his career on
standing up for communities
that felt left behind”,

The UK made spending

‘07 percent of gross national

opment charities umbrella said the government had income (GNI) on overseas.

group Bond calculated.
Afghanistan and Myan-
mar will sce their aid slashed
by nearly 40 and 30 percent
respectively in the financial
year to 2026-27, it noted.

“taken @ wrecking ball to
the aid budget at exactly
the moment when conflict,
humanitarian crises, hunger
and climate breakdown are
driving global need to record ..

- The Foreign Common- levels”:

wealth and Development
Office (FCDO) had pledged
to prioritise “fragile and con-
flictaffected states” when
reducing budgets, Bond said,

“They will be felt by

ald a statutory duty, The
Conservative government
reduced that to 0.5 percent
in 2020 following the Covid
pandemic.

Starmer then announced
“in February 2025 plans to
slash it further, to 0.3 per-

on China ~ alleging Beijing
carried out substantial med-
ding in US cections, -

Rubio fs due to attend
a meeting of foreign minis-
ters from the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) in Manila from
Tuesday to Thursday. He
attended last year’s. gathering
in Kuala Lumpur,

State Department spokes-
man Tommy Pigott said the
tip “advances a char US pai-
otity: a free and open Indo-Pa-

families facing starvation, cent of GNI, to boost defence | cific that detivers safety, secu-
children denied healthcare spending to 25 percent of the  rity, and prosperity for the

and education, and commu-

nilics struggling to survive >

economy by 2027,
‘Aid minister Jenny Chap-| people.

but other warscarred coun- the impacts of conflict and man defended the move

tries like Syria, Somalia and
South Sudan were set to be
severely affected,

climate disasters.”
Children’s charity Plan

+ International UK called the.

} Saying the govern:
Tent was not “tuming away”
from global challenges and

* Outgoing Prime Minister cuts “unconscionable” while  “making every pound of UK
Keir Starmer announced the Save the Children UK said development spending work
cuts last year to Increase the country “should be step- harder”. —AFP


S African police arrest 69 at violent anti inmigrant protest

JOHANN ESBURG: South
African police said on Friday

person hospitalised.
South Africa has been

Nearly 150,000 people
have left the country in

they had arrested 60 people swept by weeks of protests recent weeks, according to
after an anti-immigrant pro- and unrest targeting undoc- an AFP tally based on fig-|
test on the country’s south- umented immigrants, caus- ures provided by African
east coast descended into ing tens of thousands to fice countries that have repatri-|

looting and left at least one

the country.

FASTATE LIFE

CORRIGENDUM -

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