LONDON: Talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday could “pave the way” for a defense and security pact, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said as the pair met in London.
With a landmark post-Brexit EU-UK due summit next month, both sides are seeking to improve ties amid the global turmoil ushered in by US President Donald Trump.
However Starmer faces a tricky balancing act, as he is also looking to reach out to the Trump administration and secure a favorable trade deal with the United States.
UK and EU officials have been hoping a defense and security pact will be the highlight of the May 19 meeting, as Trump’s return to the White House casts doubt on the United States’ commitment to NATO and European security.
European Commission President von der Leyen said Thursday’s talks could lead to the UK joining a European defense program.
“We will discuss work on a strategic security and defense partnership agreement, which might pave the way then to a joint procurement and UK participation in our SAFE program,” she said, referring to a 150 billion euro ($170 billion) joint EU fund allowing countries to buy missiles, artillery, drones, ammunition and other equipment.
Britain needs to sign a defense pact to be included in the fund, which could benefit UK companies including BAE Systems and Rolls Royce.
The London summit in May is also meant to turn the page on years of post-Brexit strife, as part of a “reset” in relations promised by Starmer.
Welcoming von der Leyen to Downing Street after the pair attended a global energy security summit in London, Starmer said: “In a world which seems increasingly unstable with an uncertain future, it is so good that we are working so closely together on so many issues.”
“I’m really pleased that we’ve committed to a reset of our relationship, a really important relationship, which I think will be of huge benefit to both of us,” he said.
The summit is set to be a key milestone in the Labour leader’s pursuit of closer relations with the bloc following Britain’s bitter 2020 departure under the previous Conservative government.
However Starmer has laid out strict red lines, while the EU has its own demands, raising questions about what exactly the talks can achieve.
The UK prime minister has vowed Britain will not return to the single market or customs union and has ruled out signing up to freedom of movement.
Some EU countries, led by France, have been pushing to link progress on defense agreements to successful negotiations in other areas, with fishing a major sticking point.
EU chief says talks with UK PM could ‘pave way’ for defense pact
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EU chief says talks with UK PM could ‘pave way’ for defense pact
- Both sides are seeking to improve ties amid the global turmoil ushered in by US President Donald Trump
- Von der Leyen said Thursday’s talks could lead to the UK joining a European defense program
How Western aid cuts deepen Afghan women’s crisis
- Foreign aid empowers Afghan women through funding, training, market access
- Entrepreneurs say sudden cuts force women-led businesses to close
KABUL: Afghan women entrepreneurs who have carved out spaces of independence for themselves and others, despite sweeping Taliban restrictions, are facing the collapse of their businesses as Western donors abruptly cut the aid they once pledged.
The rights of Afghan women have been curtailed since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021.
Barred from secondary schools and higher education, restricted in public places and not allowed to take up most of the jobs, women have been turning to private entrepreneurship to empower themselves and others.
Aid from Western countries, which have been pressuring the Taliban to uphold women’s rights, has been especially vital in sustaining these female-led initiatives.
The sudden reduction in funding, which started with massive US aid cuts since January, has already affected Afghan healthcare and essential services and is now taking a toll on the very group the West once vowed to support.
“Women’s economic activities have been severely affected by the reduction in international aid. Reduced financial support has led to fewer training and development opportunities, and in some cases international partners that previously provided resources or markets have suspended or ceased their activities,” Behnaz Saljoqi, head of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industries in Herat, told Arab News.
International humanitarian aid has played a key role in empowering women entrepreneurs by providing not only direct support but also training, networking opportunities, microfinance, access to foreign markets, and sponsorship for exhibitions.
“This support not only helped women acquire technical and managerial skills, but also gain greater confidence to participate in the labor market and society. Without this support, many women would not even consider starting a business,” Saljoqi said.
“If the situation continues or worsens, the working environment for women will become increasingly difficult … The empowerment process that began in previous years will be reversed.”
Bahar Anwari, who runs Bahar Canvas Art Gallery in Kabul, is already observing a decline in her business as her usual customers — women — are no longer placing orders.
“With the reduction of development projects, things changed in the country,” she said.
“The purchasing power of people, especially women, has become very low. Employment opportunities became scarce, and most women lost their jobs, and poverty is growing every day. We will have to shut down our workshops and sit at home doing nothing.”
For Afghan women entrepreneurs, doing business means not only helping to sustain their own households but also contributing to society and creating opportunities for others like them.
International support has played a key role in making it possible.
“Women in Afghanistan largely depend on financial support from family and international organizations. While establishing my company, I also received some funds from a development organization, without which it would have been very difficult to set up the business,” said Parisa Elhami, director of fashion brand Watan Collection.
“Being in business as a woman gave me the strength and confidence to maintain my social standing despite the limitations. Business allowed me to be independent and provide employment opportunities for other women.”
The foreign aid cuts, especially from Afghanistan’s main donor, the US — which invaded the country in 2001 and spent billions of dollars on two decades of military and development operations — have already disrupted basic services such as healthcare, education, and food distribution.
Women, whose social role US humanitarian agencies earlier promoted, face losing their place in society, together with the collapsing businesses.
“The presence of women in economic and social spheres is vital. It not only contributes to economic growth, but also contributes to social justice and the overall progress of society,” Elhami told Arab News.
“The decline in international aid, especially from the US, has forced many women-run companies to close or reduce their staff … If the economic situation and global aid levels continue at the same pace or worse, the future of women’s business will be seriously threatened. Many businesses will disappear and women’s access to economic, health and educational opportunities will be severely limited.”
UN chief pleads with countries to pay their share for peacekeeping, points to financial problems
“Peacekeeping operations have been facing serious liquidity problems,” said Guterres
BERLIN: UN Secretary-General António Guterres told countries that the world body’s peacekeeping operation is “only as strong as member states’ commitment to it” as he pleaded with them Tuesday to pay their share.
The United Nations’ peackeeping department currently leads 11 operations, in countries including Congo, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Lebanon, Cyprus and Kosovo.
The budget for nine of those operations during the fiscal year that ends on June 30 totals $5.6 billion, 8.2 percent lower than a year earlier. Each of the UN’s 193 member countries is legally obliged to pay its share toward peacekeeping.
Guterres argued that, with a budget “representing a tiny fraction of global military spending — around one half of one percent — UN Peacekeeping remains one of the most effective and cost-effective tools to build international peace and security.”
“But it’s only as strong as member states’ commitment to it,” he added at the opening of a two-day, German-hosted conference of ministers to discuss the future of peacekeeping.
“Unfortunately, peacekeeping operations have been facing serious liquidity problems. It is absolutely essential that all member states respect their financial obligations, paying their contributions in full and on time.”
Guterres didn’t offer details of the problems, but acknowledged that “these are tough times for the financing of our work across the board.”
More broadly, the UN has been scrambling to respond to funding cuts for aid operations from its biggest donor, the United States, under President Donald Trump’s administration.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that his country, like many others, “is prepared to pledge additional resources” for peacekeeping. But he said there should also be an effort to make missions “more efficient and more focused” through clearer mandates, cutting back on bureaucracy and avoiding duplication.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres told countries that the world body’s peacekeeping operation is “only as strong as member states’ commitment to it” as he pleaded with them Tuesday to pay their share. (AFP/File)
Philippine ex-president Duterte wins mayoral election from ICC detention
- Duterte was mayor of Davao for more than 20 years before becoming president
- Local residents credit him with creating a peaceful, safe and livable city
MANILA: Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has won the mayoral election in his home city by a landslide, poll results showed on Tuesday, despite his detention at the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity.
Duterte won another term as mayor of Davao City with more than 662,000 votes, which is about 85 percent of the total and eight times more than his closest rival.
In ICC custody since March, Duterte is awaiting trial over the “war on drugs” campaign during his time as president in 2016-22, which the court estimates resulted in the extrajudicial killings of 30,000 Filipinos.
But even from a jail cell halfway across the world, his legacy as mayor of Davao for more than two decades before becoming president lives on, enough for his supporters to show up in masses at the polls.
“He is the father figure for most Davaoenos (people of Davao). He is largely credited for the peace and order in the city, which is far better than anywhere else,” Davao resident and former journalist Allan Afdal Dawal told Arab News.
“Things worked and people can walk in the busy streets without being pickpocketed or robbed. For example, Agdao was a gangland until the ’90s. Now it’s a bustling commercial district,” he said. “As for his ICC case, most people believed he would eventually be exonerated as the charges were seen as trumped up.”
Under Philippine law, candidates facing criminal charges, including those in detention, can run for office, unless they have been convicted and have exhausted all appeals.
Duterte, 80, first became mayor of Davao in 1988, at a time when the city was plagued by violence, insurgency and gang warfare.
“Davao’s peace and order situation in the ’80s was unimaginable. When PRRD (President Rodrigo Roa Duterte) took over, it was a miraculous 360-degree turn. He ruled with an iron fist but made Davaoenos feel safer,” Davao native Jojie told Arab News.
Davao, the third most-populated city in the Philippines, has since topped global lists of safest and most livable cities across Asia.
In Duterte, the people of Davao remember a leader who is approachable and relatable.
“He’s very different from the typical politician who’s like ‘high and mighty’ or usually has a lot of bodyguards … So many of the people here felt that finally, there’s someone who is ‘one of them,’” business owner May Ann told Arab News.
People often saw him in public spaces, including driving a taxi around the city. Interacting with Duterte, who locals call Digong, was a normal occurrence that made people “feel like they know him personally and have a close connection with him,” she added.
“I used to volunteer at a halfway home for children with cancer, and he would always be there on Survivors’ Day. Even though I knew about the EJKs (extrajudicial killings), many of us overlooked it because of what he had done for the city.”
Duterte’s deadly anti-drugs campaign has been the subject of international investigation for years, leading to his arrest in March. He has repeatedly defended the crackdown and denied the extrajudicial killing of alleged drug suspects, although he has also openly admitted to instructing police to kill in self-defense.
He could become the first Asian former head of state to go on trial at the ICC. But while his legal fate remains uncertain, Duterte could still take his oath as mayor despite being behind bars.
“If I were President Duterte, I will ask ICC to be given the chance to take an oath of office as elected mayor of Davao before an official of the Philippines’ consulate to make more official his victory. Though it could be a long shot, depends on his lawyers’ arguments,” election lawyer Romy Macalintal told Arab News.
“In his absence, the vice mayor will act as mayor ... The elected vice mayor is his son.”
Bomb scare on plane halts operations at Belgian airport
- A bomb threat was triggered on board an aircraft that landed at Charleroi airport
- “Ryanair was informed of a security threat on flight FR6313,” the company said
BRUSESL: Operations at Belgium’s second largest airport were briefly suspended on Tuesday due to a bomb alert on a Ryanair flight from Portugal, the company running the airport and the airline said.
Shortly before 11:00 am (0900 GMT) “a bomb threat was triggered” on board an aircraft that landed at Charleroi airport, said a spokeswoman for its operator.
“A security perimeter was established around the aircraft,” the spokeswoman said.
This required the runway to be closed as authorities took over, halting operations, she added. Air traffic eventually resumed at 1:45 pm.
Charleroi, south of Brussels, is a major European hub for low-cost airline Ryanair, which said the threat concerned one of its planes.
“Ryanair was informed of a security threat on flight FR6313 from Faro to Brussels Charleroi,” the company said.
“Passengers have been disembarked and the aircraft is being prepared for return to service. We sincerely apologize to any passengers affected.”
Belgian police did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
UK export of F-35 parts to Israel unlawful, Palestinian NGO tells court
LONDON: Britain's decision to allow the export of F-35 fighter jet components to Israel, despite accepting they could be used in breach of international humanitarian law in Gaza, was unlawful, a Palestinian rights group told London's High Court on Tuesday.
Al-Haq, a group based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, is taking legal action against Britain's Department for Business and Trade over its decision to exempt F-35 parts when it suspended some arms export licences last year.
The United Kingdom had assessed that Israel was not committed to complying with international humanitarian law, in relation to humanitarian access and the treatment of detainees, as the basis for its decision in September.
But, after the Ministry of Defence said suspending licences for F-35 parts would have an impact on international security and "undermine U.S. confidence in the UK and NATO", Britain decided to "carve out" F-35 licences.
Al-Haq, which documents alleged rights violations by Israel and the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinians' self-rule body in the West Bank, argues that the ministry's decision was unlawful as it was in breach of Britain's obligations under international law, including the Geneva Convention.
The group's lawyer, Raza Husain, said its case at the High Court was being heard "against a backdrop of human calamity unfolding in Gaza", since Israel responded to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks with a devastating military campaign.
Nearly 53,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Hamas-run Gaza health authorities.
Husain said the vast majority of Al-Haq's case did not require the High Court to rule on "the lawfulness or otherwise" of Israel's actions in Gaza, but whether British ministers had misunderstood the law when it decided on the F-35 carve-out.
The British government, however, argues ministers were entitled to take "exceptional measures" to not suspend F-35 licences to avoid the potential impact on international peace and security.
Its lawyer, James Eadie, said in court filings that the decision was "consistent with the UK's domestic and international legal obligations".
Last year, a coalition of groups, including Al-Haq, asked a Dutch court to stop the Netherlands exporting weaponry to Israel and trading with Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories.
Israel says it takes care to avoid harming civilians and denies committing abuses or war crimes in Gaza.
In March Israel ended a January ceasefire deal with Hamas, after the two sides could not agree on terms for extending it, and renewed its military operations.
