Spain shelves plans to buy F-35 fighter jets, El Pais reports
MADRID - Spain has shelved plans to buy F-35 fighter jets, manufactured by U.S. aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, El Pais newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing unidentified government sources.
The government had earmarked 6.25 billion euros ($7.24 billion) in its 2023 budget to buy new fighter jets, El Pais said.
But the Spanish government's plan to spend most of the additional 10.5 billion euros for defence this year in Europe made it impossible to acquire U.S.-made fighter jets, the newspaper reported.
Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced plans earlier this year to increase spending on defence to meet the current NATO target of 2% of gross domestic product, and later refused to raise spending to 5% during a summit in June.
Sanchez's position was heavily criticized by U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened to impose additional tariffs o the country's goods
Spokespeople for Spain's Defence Ministry and for Lockheed Martin did not immediately respond to requests for comment. REUTERS
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Straits Times
18 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Non-invasive depression treatment TMS helped engineer get his life back
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SINGAPORE – Mr Ng Chee Hiong shunned contact with others for years, staying at home for days on end, self-isolating – at least on one occasion – for as long as two months and only coming out after running out of food. And when he made it to the outside world, he would walk staring straight down at the pavement, a hat worn low, his mop of long hair shielding him from seeing those around him. Depression and anxiety has haunted Mr Ng, 52, for over a quarter of a century. He said that he had a difficult childhood beset by family problems. Things went bad after he experienced study-related stress. Mr Ng said: '1998 was (when I had) my first appointment with a psychiatrist... I was studying in the university and the stress was tremendous. My personal life was also not good.' He was diagnosed with depression and anxiety that year, and started treatment. Over the years, he had multiple trials of antidepressants and therapy, but he did not respond well to them. In 2005, the engineer relapsed and had to stop work for a year. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore PM Wong calls on S'poreans to band together for nation to remain exceptional in National Day message Singapore NDP 2025: No ticket, no problem – here are some spots to soak up National Day vibes Business Who loses the most from Trump's tariffs? Who wins? Business Singapore's digital banks trim deposit rates, mirroring moves by incumbent players Life S'pore's nightlife isn't dead yet: A nightlife reporter's 6 favourite places to drink World Intel CEO Tan Lip-Bu says has board support as Trump calls for resignation Singapore Ex-lawyer convicted over charges for cheating company director of more than $8 million Singapore Chief Justice names law graduate who wanted anonymity after being denied Bar admission That happened again in 2011. 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PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO It is used to treat conditions including major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in adults. Mr Ng is sharing his story to give hope and create awareness of the therapy that he said helped him to get his life back. TMS became more accessible in Singapore after the authorities announced in October 2024 that MediShield Life would cover it, along with more outpatient treatments, to support the shift in healthcare delivery from hospitals to outpatient and home settings. When Mr Ng underwent his first course of TMS treatment, he experienced a drop in negative thoughts straight away. That is how he knew it was working, he said. 'I am able to think about other things… that keeps me going every day,' he added. Mr Ng's TMS sessions take place at KTPH's outpatient psychological medicine clinic at Admiralty Medical Centre, which is located at Kampung Admiralty in Woodlands Drive. His doctor, Dr Tay Yi Hang, one of six psychiatrists there, was the one who started the TMS service at KTPH in May 2022. Since then, an average of about 10 patients with treatment-resistant MDD each year have received the treatment, but this mark has already been crossed in 2025. Research shows that more than 35 per cent of patients with MDD have treatment-resistant depression. This is a term that is often used for patients who have failed to respond to two different antidepressants, despite adequacy of the treatment trial and adherence to treatment. The chance of responding to the third antidepressant is usually less than 17 per cent but with TMS, there is a response rate of 60 per cent, said Dr Tay. 'Based on what we have seen so far at KTPH, approximately 60 per cent of patients who have undergone TMS treatment have achieved at least a 50 per cent reduction in depression rating scales,' said Dr Tay. 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Encouraged by this progress, he continued his medication and therapy with a psychologist at KTPH. However, Mr Ng experienced a return of his symptoms around nine months later, and went for a second course of TMS in early 2023. To sustain these gains, he has continued with monthly maintenance TMS ever since. He pays for his sessions, as the maintenance sessions are not covered under MediShield Life, which covers up to 24 sessions for the first round of TMS treatment, and up to 15 sessions if the treatment is repeated. TMS became available in Singapore in 2015, when Promises Healthcare in the private sector brought it in. IMH started offering it soon after for patients with treatment-resistant depression. About three years ago, it started to use it for patients with OCD. In 2024, IMH started clinical trials to study a personalised form of TMS, which involves mapping a person's brain using scans to locate a precise spot to target during the stimulation. Another hospital here tha t offers TMS for treatment-resistant depression is the National University Hospital.
Straits Times
18 minutes ago
- Straits Times
India pauses plans to buy US arms after Trump's tariffs
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox New Delhi has put on hold its plans to procure new US weapons and aircraft. NEW DELHI - New Delhi has put on hold its plans to procure new US weapons and aircraft, according to three Indian officials familiar with the matter, in India's first concrete sign of discontent after tariffs imposed on its exports by President Donald Trump dragged ties to their lowest level in decades. India had been planning to send Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Washington in the coming weeks for an announcement on some of the purchases, but that trip has been cancelled, two of the people said. Mr Trump on Aug 6 imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods as punishment for Delhi's purchases of Russian oil, which he said meant the country was funding Russia's invasion of Ukraine. That raised the total duty on Indian exports to 50 per cent – among the highest of any US trading partner. 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Business Times
18 minutes ago
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HSBC takes extra space in Canary Wharf due to HQ squeeze
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