ֱ

Dutch are first to buy US arms for Ukraine under NATO scheme

Dutch are first to buy US arms for Ukraine under NATO scheme
Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans addresses a NATO Defence Industry Forum, on the sidelines of a NATO summit, in The Hague, Netherlands June 24, 2025. (REUTERS)
Short Url
Updated 05 August 2025

Dutch are first to buy US arms for Ukraine under NATO scheme

Dutch are first to buy US arms for Ukraine under NATO scheme
  • Under the scheme, countries pay Washington for defense systems and munitions in US warehouses that are then shipped to Ukraine

THE HAGUE: The Netherlands will buy 500 million euros ($577 million) of US weapons for Ukraine, becoming the first NATO member to fund a full package under a new scheme to speed deliveries from American stockpiles, the defense ministry said.
The purchase will be under the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) mechanism launched by US President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte last month.
Under the scheme, countries pay Washington for defense systems and munitions in US warehouses that are then shipped to Ukraine, which has been battling a Russian invasion since February 2022.
“The Netherlands is now taking the lead in supplying military equipment from American stockpiles,” Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said on X.
“By supporting Ukraine with determination, we are increasing the pressure on Russia to negotiate.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof in a call on Monday evening.
“These weapons are badly needed,” Schoof posted on X, highlighting the near-daily drone and missile attacks by Russia.
The Dutch package includes US Patriot missile parts and other systems tailored to Ukraine’s front-line requirements, according to the defense ministry.
Brekelmans called the Russian air strikes “pure terror” and warned that Moscow’s advance into Ukrainian territory could pose a broader threat to Europe.
“The more Russia dominates Ukraine, the greater the danger to the Netherlands and our NATO allies,” he said.
Washington is releasing military support for Ukraine in $500 million tranches under the PURL mechanism.
While other allies have pledged to join the initiative, the Netherlands is the first to transfer funds.
It has already pledged tanks, drones, ammunition and support for F-16 training and delivery to Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte welcomed the move, calling it a vital first step under the new framework. “Great to see the Netherlands taking the lead and funding the first package of US military equipment for Ukraine,” he said on X.
“I thank Allies for getting Ukraine the equipment it urgently needs to defend against Russian aggression.”


Indonesia partners with UAE to train 10 million coders

Indonesia partners with UAE to train 10 million coders
Updated 11 sec ago

Indonesia partners with UAE to train 10 million coders

Indonesia partners with UAE to train 10 million coders
  • Indonesia has third-highest number of software developers in Asia-Pacific
  • Digital, tech developments part of government’s Golden Indonesia 2045 Vision

JAKARTA: Indonesia is partnering with the UAE to train 10 million young people in programming in the next three years, its Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs has announced, as Southeast Asia’s biggest economy seeks to equip its youth with stronger tech skills.

Indonesia has the world’s third-largest youth population, with over 64 million people aged between 16 and 30, comprising almost a quarter of the country’s population. It also has the third-highest number of software developers in the Asia-Pacific, after India and China.

The 10 Million Coders initiative was launched earlier this week on the sidelines of the Indonesia-UAE Government Experience Exchange Forum in Jakarta, as the two countries seek to strengthen their digital and tech cooperation.

“We are launching this collaboration to strengthen our digital talent capacity, especially with this digital literacy program, which will train 10 million coders among Indonesia’s younger generation,” Nezar Patria, deputy minister of communications and digital affairs, told reporters.

“This cooperation seeks to strengthen the nation’s digital talent not only as users, but hopefully to become developers in new and emerging tech, such as artificial intelligence.” 

The Indonesia-UAE coding training program seeks to “empower Indonesian youth with the essential digital and coding skills for the digital age, providing them with the skills to meet 21st-century needs … and helping them unlock new opportunities in the fields of innovation and entrepreneurship,” the Emirates News Agency reported.

The initiative’s launch this week follows an April meeting between Indonesia’s Minister of Communications and Digital Affairs Meutya Hafid, and Omar Sultan Al-Olama, the UAE’s minister of state for AI, in Dubai, where they discussed ways to increase cooperation in developing tech talent.

In recent years Indonesia has captured the interest of global tech giants like Microsoft, which announced a $1.7 billion investment in April last year that includes AI-related skill development for 840,000 Indonesians and support for the country’s growing developer community. 

Indonesia has been developing its digital technology and information sectors as part of the government’s Golden Indonesia 2045 Vision, which seeks to make the nation one of the world’s top five economies with a gross domestic product of up to $9 trillion.


Russian strike kills 5 in Ukraine’s Kostiantynivka, police say

Russian strike kills 5 in Ukraine’s Kostiantynivka, police say
Updated 10 min 23 sec ago

Russian strike kills 5 in Ukraine’s Kostiantynivka, police say

Russian strike kills 5 in Ukraine’s Kostiantynivka, police say
  • Police said in a statement on the Telegram app that the strike happened around 10 am

KYIV: A Russian guided bomb strike killed five people in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostyantynivka, near the frontline, the National Police said on Thursday.
Police said in a statement on the Telegram app that the strike happened around 10 a.m. (0700 GMT), killing two women and three men and damaging four residential buildings. Russian forces have come within 8-10 kilometers (5-6 miles) of the city, according to open-source mapping project DeepState.


London mayor slams Gaza ‘genocide’

London mayor slams Gaza ‘genocide’
Updated 22 min 14 sec ago

London mayor slams Gaza ‘genocide’

London mayor slams Gaza ‘genocide’
  • Sadiq Khan becomes most senior politician from ruling Labour Party to contradict govt stance
  • PM reportedly set to make announcement on recognizing Palestinian statehood this weekend

LONDON: London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Wednesday condemned Israel’s war in Gaza as a genocide, becoming the most senior politician from the ruling Labour Party to contradict the UK government’s stance.

In a report earlier this week, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory said there are reasonable grounds to suggest genocide is taking place in Gaza.

The UK government has not said it believes Israel is committing genocide, and faces pressure over continued cooperation with and arms exports to the country.

“I think what’s happening in Gaza is a genocide,” Khan said. “When I see the images of the children starving — 20,000 children have starved because of the policies of the Israeli government — when I see the health system in Gaza collapsed, when I see the lack of supplies reaching people in need, when I see the famine that is man-made, when I read the interim judgment of the ICJ (International Court of Justice), and then see a UN commission report this week, I think it’s inescapable to draw the conclusion in Gaza we’re seeing before our very eyes a genocide.”

Britain had previously indicated that the question of genocide was a matter for international courts, with a case against Israel currently being heard at the ICJ in The Hague.

The UK government said it would recognize Palestine if certain conditions to alleviate the suffering of civilians in Gaza, including a ceasefire, were not met by the time of the UN General Assembly in New York on Sept. 23.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer will reportedly wait for visiting US President Donald Trump to leave the UK before announcing a decision on recognizing Palestinian statehood.

Labour MP Rosena Allin-Khan told Sky News on Wednesday: “We say ‘never again’ when we look at Bosnia and Rwanda, but here we are again, and it’s been live streamed, and we’ve all seen it. We can’t be bystanders to a genocide.”


UK says deported first migrant to France under new scheme

UK says deported first migrant to France under new scheme
Updated 24 min 3 sec ago

UK says deported first migrant to France under new scheme

UK says deported first migrant to France under new scheme
  • “A man who arrived in the UK by small boat in August was removed on a commercial flight this morning,” the UK interior ministry said
  • The French government also confirmed the removal

LONDON: Britain on Thursday returned the first migrant to France under a new “one-in, one-out” deal, both governments confirmed, as London bids to curb highly contentious cross-Channel small boat arrivals.
“A man who arrived in the UK by small boat in August was removed on a commercial flight this morning,” the UK interior ministry said.
The French government also confirmed the removal, with a source there telling AFP an Indian national had been deported from Britain.
The UK ministry called the move “another major step in the government’s action to dismantle the criminal networks” organizing the perilous Channel journeys and “profiting from human misery.”
“Further flights are due to take place this week and next week,” it added, noting the first arrivals from France through the new legal route agreed in July were expected “in the coming days.”
Under the scheme, the UK can detain and return small boat migrants arriving across the Channel if they are deemed ineligible for asylum, including those who have passed through a “safe country” to reach UK shores.
In return, London will accept an equal number of migrants from France who can apply for a UK visa via an online platform under the pilot scheme, which came into force in August and is set to run until June 2026.
Embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer agreed the scheme with French President Emmanuel Macron just over two months ago, as the UK leader tries to deter the politically toxic crossings.
Tens of thousands of migrants have arrived annually on the shores of southeast England in recent years, to growing domestic anger and helping to fuel the rise of Brexit figurehead Nigel Farage’s hard-right Reform UK Party.
It has led in the polls in Britain for much of this year.
The journeys across one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes have also repeatedly proved fatal for those trying to reach the UK.
At least 23 people have died so far this year in incidents linked to crossings in overcrowded dinghies, according to an AFP tally based on official French data.
Thursday’s removal comes days after the High Court in London temporarily blocked the planned deportation of an Eritrean migrant, to the ire of the UK government.
More than 90 migrants who recently arrived to the UK on small boats have been detained for deportation to France, according to charities.
France will make its first repatriations from Saturday, its interior ministry has previously said.


Kyiv says Russia returned 1,000 bodies to Ukraine

Kyiv says Russia returned 1,000 bodies to Ukraine
Updated 35 min 28 sec ago

Kyiv says Russia returned 1,000 bodies to Ukraine

Kyiv says Russia returned 1,000 bodies to Ukraine
  • The bodies, according to the Russian side belong to Ukrainian servicemen

KYIV: Ukraine on Thursday received 1,000 bodies from Russia that Moscow said were of fallen Ukrainian soldiers, a Kyiv government agency announced.
“Repatriation measures took place today. 1,000 bodies, which according to the Russian side belong to Ukrainian servicemen, have been returned to Ukraine,” Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on Telegram.