03/10/2025

FRIDAY | OCT 3, 2025

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US will defend Qatar: Trump

“Russia will continue and we have to be ready, we have to strengthen our preparedness,” Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said. The commission, the EU’s executive body, has not yet produced a detailed plan for the drone wall, leaving open questions about the cost and practicalities. Von der Leyen said Europe’s eastern flank would be a priority, due to its distance to Russia. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Europe’s southern borders should also not be neglected amid the focus on the EU’s eastern flank, while French President Emmanuel Macron called for a comprehensive approach to the drone threat. Russia has denied responsibility for the drones over Denmark, disputed that its fighter jets entered Estonian airspace and said it did not intend to send drones into Poland. – Reuters US$26b Democractic funds withheld WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday froze US$26 billion (RM109.3 billion) for Democratic leaning states, following through on a threat to use the government shutdown to target Democratic priorities. The targeted programs included US$18 billion for transit projects in New York, home to Congress’s top two Democrats, and US$8 billion for green-energy projects in 16 Democratic-run states, including California and Illinois. Vice-President JD Vance said the administration might extend its purge of federal workers if the shutdown lasts more than a few days. The moves made clear that Trump would carry out his threat to take advantage of the shutdown to punish his political opponents and extend his control over the US$7 trillion federal budget, established by the US Constitution as the domain of Congress. “Billions of dollars could be saved,” he wrote on Truth Social late on Wednesday. The government shutdown, the 15th since 1981, suspended scientific research, financial oversight, environmental cleanup efforts and a wide range of other activities. About 750,000 federal workers were ordered not to work, while others, such as troops and Border Patrol agents, began to work without pay. The Veterans Affairs Department said it would provide burials at national cemeteries, but would not erect headstones or mow the grass. Vance said at a White House briefing the administration would be forced to resort to layoffs if the shutdown lasts more than a few days, adding to the 300,000 individuals who would be pushed out by December. Previous shutdowns have not resulted in permanent layoffs. The US Patent and Trademark Office said it would lay off 1% of its 14,000 employees, according to an internal letter. Leading democrat Hakeem Jeffries said the funding freeze for subway and harbour projects in his home of New York would throw thousands out of work. Republican Senator Thom Tillis said he was concerned that the freezing of infrastructure funds for New York could make it harder for Congress to exit the shutdown. Jeffries said he had not had any contact with the White House since a meeting with Trump earlier in the week. Meanwhile, the Senate again rejected efforts to keep the government functioning as both a Republican proposal that would fund the government through Nov 21 and a Democratic vote that would pair funding with additional health benefits failed in floor votes. The longest US government shutdown on record lasted more than 35 days. – Reuters

o Executive order comes after Israeli airstrike on Doha

defence pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan. While the president could negotiate collective defence treaties such as the one that created Nato, it requires Senate confirmation to become law. An executive order could be repealed by any US president in the future and it is unclear what would compel the US to fulfil the commitment. Trump’s order goes beyond a 2022 order by his predecessor Joe Biden that designated Qatar as a major non-Nato ally, allowing increased military cooperation but falling short of promising to defend Qatar if attacked. There was no US military response when Qatar came under attack by Iran in June after a US strike on nuclear facilities in Iran. The Trump administration in May officially accepted a luxury Boeing 747 jetliner as a gift from Qatar and the military is working to prepare it for use as a new Air Force One to transport the president. Trump dismissed legal and ethical concerns over the plane’s transfer. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Doha after the Israeli strike, and said an enhanced defence cooperation agreement was being finalised with Qatar. – Reuters

The document was dated Monday, the day Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House and presented a proposal for ending the war in Gaza. Qatar has been a key mediator between the US and Israel and Hamas over the war. “The United States shall regard any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty, or critical infrastructure of the State of Qatar as a threat to the peace and security of the United States,” the order said. “In the event of such an attack, the United States shall take all lawful and appropriate measures, including diplomatic, economic and, if necessary, military, to defend the interests of the United States and of the State of Qatar and to restore peace and stability.” The document said top US defence and intelligence officials would maintain contingency planning with Qatar to ensure a rapid response to any attacks. Neighbouring Saudi Arabia has long sought similar guarantees as part of Washington’s efforts to normalise relations between Riyadh and Israel, but such a deal has not materialised. Last month, Saudi Arabia signed a mutual

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has pledged to treat any armed attack on Qatar as a threat to the United States’ own security, according to a document published on Wednesday that says US forces could step in to defend the Middle Eastern nation. The Qatar Foreign Ministry on Wednesday welcomed Trump’s order, describing it as a milestone in strengthening defence ties and bilateral cooperation. The executive order, which appears to significantly deepen the US commitment to Qatar, comes after Israel last month attempted to kill leaders of Hamas with an airstrike on Doha. That strike, launched with little advance notice to the Trump administration, caused consternation in Washington given the close its relationship with Qatar, which hosts the largest US military base in the region. French navy arrests ‘shadow fleet’ crew BREST: France has detained two senior crew members of a tanker linked to Russia, which data showed was off the Danish coast last month during mysterious drone flights, prosecutors said on Wednesday. The Boracay , a Benin-flagged vessel blacklisted by the European Union for being part of Russia’s sanction-busting “shadow fleet” of ageing oil tankers, was stationed off Denmark from Sept 22 to Sept 25, according to ship tracking data. Drones have been sighted across Denmark, including over military sites, since Sept 22, prompting brief closures at several airports and a ban on all civilian drone flights until Friday. Brest prosecutor Stephane Kellenberger said on Wednesday two crew members, who presented themselves as the ship’s captain and his first mate, had been taken into custody. A military source, asking not to be named, told AFP the vessel had been boarded on Saturday, with a government source confirming the boarding. President Emmanuel Macron said France was probing the ship for “serious offences”, but stopped short of confirming reports of a connection to the Denmark drone flights. The EU has sanctioned hundreds of ageing tankers used by Russia to circumvent oil export curbs imposed after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. – AFP

STYLISH STROLL ... A woman models an outfit during the ‘All of Us Are Models’ fashion show, held in the framework of Biodiversity Week in Cali, Colombia. – AFPPIC

EU leaders back move to bolster drone defences COPENHAGEN: European Union (EU) leaders backed plans on Wednesday to bolster the bloc’s defences against Russian drones as they met in Copenhagen days after airspace intrusions by unmanned aircraft rattled Denmark. European authorities have accused Russia of violations of the region’s airspace, including with recent incursions by drones over Poland and fighter jets over Estonia. Russia as a major threat to their continent’s security following Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and have accelerated efforts to strengthen their defences. Denmark has stopped short of saying who it believes is responsible for the incidents in its own airspace last week, which disrupted air traffic at multiple airports, but Frederiksen has suggested it could be Moscow.

country have been banned until Friday. Von der Leyen called last month for what she described as a “drone wall”, a network of sensors and weapons to detect, track and neutralise intruding unmanned aircraft. Her suggestion came just hours after some 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace, although officials say it had already been under consideration. The incursion into Poland exposed gaps in Europe’s ability to defend itself against drones, officials and analysts said. Nato forces deployed fighter jets, helicopters and a Patriot air defence system in their response, shooting down several drones. Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte this week praised the drone wall idea as “timely and necessary” and EU leaders voiced support in Copenhagen on Wednesday.

US President Donald Trump has long demanded that Europe take more responsibility for its own security and for Ukraine. “Russia tries to test us. But Russia also tries to sow division and anxiety in our societies. We will not let this happen,“ European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said. The summit’s security was reinforced by troops and anti-drone systems sent by other European countries. All drone flights over the

“Europe must be able to defend itself,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said after the European Political Community (EPC) summit. “We need to strengthen our production of drones, of anti-drone capabilities and this includes building up a European network of anti-drone measures that could protect and neutralise intrusion from outside.” The incidents in Europe’s airspace highlighted how EU leaders have come to view