German Chancellor Friedrich Merz made his first official visit to London on Thursday to sign a comprehensive friendship treaty with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, aiming to reset post-Brexit ties between Britain and the European Union.
The visit comes shortly after French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Britain, reflecting growing alignment among Europe’s leading powers amid security concerns and strained transatlantic relations.
The new treaty, similar to Germany’s agreements with close allies such as France, includes a mutual assistance clause, which German officials say holds particular weight given Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine. It builds on an earlier defence agreement that focused on joint development of long-range weapons and follows recent Franco-British plans to strengthen nuclear cooperation.
As part of the pact, the UK and Germany will also launch joint arms export campaigns for jointly produced equipment such as the Typhoon Eurofighter and the Boxer armoured vehicle - marking a shift from Germany’s past export restrictions.
Additionally, German defence company Stark will establish its first overseas plant in the UK to produce Artificial Intelligence powered unmanned systems, also known as autonomous systems.
The treaty will also target illegal migration, with Germany committing to criminalise the facilitation of migrant smuggling into Britain. This change will enable British authorities to investigate operations linked to illegal crossings, including storage and transport hubs used by smugglers.
Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight killed at least two people and injured 15 others, including two children, Ukrainian authorities said.&nbs...
Saudi Aramco has ordered staff to evacuate its headquarters amid escalating Houthi attacks on the kingdom. Two people were killed in an attack on D...
Nigeria's first Ebola case in more than a decade may be linked to travel in Uganda, Swiss authorities said on Thursday, although the source of ...
Russia is willing in principle to resume peace talks with Ukraine and the United States in November, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said after President Vladimir Putin met U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg.
Saudi Aramco has ordered staff to evacuate its headquarters amid escalating Houthi attacks on the kingdom. Two people were killed in an attack on Dammam airport, while Iran's IRGC Navy claimed strikes on seven vessels and warned the U.S. of a wider response.
Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight killed at least two people and injured 15 others, including two children, Ukrainian authorities said. Meanwhile, Russia said it had intercepted the vast majority of 630 Ukrainian drones launched towards Moscow.
Yemen's Houthis have denied targeting the holy city of Medina on Wednesday adding that they have not conducted any military operations towards Saudi Arabia either, denying earlier comments from the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
Georgia’s Constitutional Court in Batumi will on Wednesday hear a lawsuit seeking to ban five Georgian opposition parties, four of which collectively gained 784,820 votes (37.79 per cent) in the country’s last national elections in 2024.
Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight killed at least two people and injured 15 others, including two children, Ukrainian authorities said. Meanwhile, Russia said it had intercepted the vast majority of 630 Ukrainian drones launched towards Moscow.
Nigeria's first Ebola case in more than a decade may be linked to travel in Uganda, Swiss authorities said on Thursday, although the source of infection remains unclear. Uganda maintains it has no cases of the disease.
Super typhoon Champi is set to batter Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture from Friday (23 October), bringing violent winds, torrential rain and waves up to 11 metres high, as airlines cancel flights and organisers scrap a major festival.
Two women from Austria and Switzerland have been freed after lengthy periods in captivity in Niger, following extensive diplomatic efforts to secure their release amid growing concerns over kidnappings in the Sahel region.
France has reported its first known human case of Shamonda virus following the death of an infected patient, authorities said on Thursday (22 October). The virus, typically found in livestock, is believed to have been transmitted by a biting midge.
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