US cancels joint military exercises with Egypt

President Barack Obama yesterday cancelled joint military exercises with Egypt next month and said the United States “strongly condemns” the violent crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood protesters that has killed more than 600.

It was his first statement on the rapidly deteriorating situation in Egypt, where spiralling violence prompted the government there to declare a nationwide state of emergency and a nighttime curfew.

Mr Obama still did not label the Egyptian military’s recent takeover as a coup — a designation that would have forced a cutoff of more than $1bn (€750m) in US aid a year.