Defence Trump says Qatar will invest $10 billion in US airbase US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Qatar will invest $10 billion in coming years in the Al Udeid Air Base southwest of the country’s capital Doha, the largest US military facility in the Middle East. In a speech to US troops at the base during his tour of the Gulf, Trump also said Qatari defence […] May 15, 2025
Space Elon Musk says Saudi Arabia approves use of Starlink SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said Saudi Arabia has approved the use of the company’s Starlink satellite system for its aviation and maritime sectors. Starlink is a low-orbit satellite network offering high-speed broadband services, particularly in areas with limited internet connectivity. It is operated by SpaceX, Musk’s aerospace and defence company. Oman has already approved Starlink, […] May 14, 2025
Defence Trump ‘to offer Saudi Arabia over $100bn arms package’ The United States is poised to offer Saudi Arabia an arms package worth well over $100 billion, six sources have told Reuters, saying the proposal was being lined up for announcement during Donald Trump’s visit to the kingdom in May. The offer comes after the administration of former President Joe Biden unsuccessfully tried to finalize […] April 25, 2025
Defence Oman spends a quarter of its budget on defence Defence spending ate up just over a quarter of Oman’s budget in 2024, according to a government report. Allocations for defence and security stood at OR2.5 billion ($6.5 billion) for the first 10 months of last year, said the country’s latest Monthly Statistical Bulletin. This was nearly 26 percent of the sultanate’s total expenditure in […] April 8, 2025
Defence UAE agrees $6bn in military equipment contracts The UAE signed contracts worth more than AED23 billion ($6.3 billion) for military equipment and defence this week, wrapping up the Middle East’s largest defence exhibition in Abu Dhabi. It also further expanded its supplier base beyond its traditional US partners and encouraged local manufacturing. Though no contracts were signed with Israel – with which […] February 21, 2025
Sustainability Turkey receives climate funding from Beijing agency Turkey has secured a $5 billion investment commitment from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a Beijing-based multilateral funding agency, to support its long-term climate strategy. Turkish finance minister Mehmet Simsek and AIIB president Jin Liqun signed a memorandum of understanding for the investment programme, at a conference in Saudi Arabia, the bank said. The programme […] February 18, 2025
