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  • At London arms fair, global war fears good for business

    As Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met this week to discuss what analysts believe will be a deal for an exchange of weapons, the West's leading companies were descending on Europe's biggest arms show in London. Since the last iteration of the biennial Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) in September 2021, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and dramatically increased tensions over Taiwan and North Korea have given a shot of adrenaline to arms manufacturers worldwide.

  • US-Saudi Arms Megadeal Collapsed When China, Russia Links Emerged

    American defense giant RTX and a Saudi weapons firm were heading toward a multibillion-dollar deal when it was abruptly called off early this year. The reason, say people familiar with the talks, was RTX’s concerns that its Saudi partner’s companies were pursuing business with sanctioned Chinese and Russian entities. That unease was a deciding factor for an advisory board of retired American military officers to resign from the Saudi company, Scopa Defense, the people said. Scopa fired its American chief executive who had raised the sanctions concerns with his company’s owner and U.S. officials. And now other major Western defense companies are reconsidering early-stage agreements primarily because of the concerns around engagement with Russian and Chinese entities, the people said.

  • Arizona reexamining deals to lease land to Saudi-owned farms

    Mead told CBS News when he looks out on the field of alfalfa, "I see money leaving America. I see water getting depleted." Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, said Fondomonte bought vast tracts of land in the western part of the state. There are no regulations on how much water can be pumped up out of the ground in that area, so the state doesn't monitor it. Fondomonte also leases thousands of acres from the state, thanks to deals approved by state officials who are no longer in office. The company pays nothing for the water itself.

  • How Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is reshaping Middle East arms market: Analysis

    The growing military cooperation between Iran and Russia is poised to impact the Middle East's balance of power and drive-up regional defense spending. The potential acquisition of advanced weaponry by Iran, along with arming its network of proxies, introduces new complexities for regional security. However, countries like Turkey and Israel are well-positioned to meet the demand for countermeasures and capitalize on their combat-proven solutions. Regional suppliers have the opportunity to play a significant role in diversifying the defense market and forming partnerships based on technology transfers.

  • The Netherlands lifts arms embargo against Turkey, UAE and Saudi Arabia

    The Netherlands has lifted arms restrictions imposed since 2019 against Turkey, following Ankara's move to back Sweden's Nato accession. In a letter addressed to the Dutch parliament last week, the government said it was abolishing its long-standing national “presumption of denial policy” in order to reform its arms exports restrictions framework. “The presumption of denial policy, which currently applies to Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, will expire immediately,” the government in The Hague said.

  • Germany loosens arms exports to Saudi Arabia, but continues blocking Eurofighter jets

    Germany on Wednesday agreed to loosen some of its restrictions on weapons sales to Saudi Arabia but is continuing to block deliveries of Eurofighter jets. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government coalition reached an agreement to allow weapon exports to Riyadh "in specific individual cases", Scholz's spokesperson, Steffen Hebestreit, said in a statement, which cited the kingdom's ceasefire efforts in Yemen. The conditions for those weapons sales are that the weapons must not be utilised in Yemen and must not be used in relation to potential human rights violations, Hebestreit added.

  • Saudi Arabia farms in the desert for a more sustainable economy

    Amid rising temperatures threatening living conditions and food security in the Gulf and the broader Middle East, collaborative projects aiming to beat the heat with a focus on enhancing the production of drought-resilient crops have taken root in Saudi Arabia. Environmentally friendly investment and green initiatives in the region, such as a project between the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, or ICRISAT, and the Food and Agriculture Organization, or FAO, announced at the end of last month, will help create a more sustainable economy, experts said. The desert topography and ample coastlines of Gulf Cooperation Council countries also offer opportunities to embrace new energy technologies away from fossil fuels, they said.

  • Khamenei says the West could not stop Iran from building nuclear arms if it chose to

    The West could not stop Iran from building nuclear weapons if Tehran wanted a pursue a nuclear arms programme, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sunday, amid mounting tensions over the country's advanced nuclear work. "Talks about Tehran's nuclear weapons is a lie and they (the West) know it. We do not want nuclear arms based on our religious believes. Otherwise they would not have been able to stop it," Khamenei said, according to state media.

  • Saudi Arabia is top export destination for Canadian arms after United States in 2022

    Saudi Arabia is top export destination for Canadian arms after United States in 2022

  • China in advanced talks for major Saudi, Egypt arms deals

    China is currently in talks with Egypt and Saudi Arabia for major arms deals that will see both countries diversify their weapons supply amid increasingly complicated relations with the US. Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) entered talks with China’s state-owned defence company China North Industries Group Corporation (Norinco)  for a massive weapons deal, according to a report in the South China Morning Post. Riyadh seeks to purchase a wide range of China’s top-of-the-range military technology, particularly air defence systems and reconnaissance drones.