The F-16 fighter is one of the US's most heavily exported warplanes. AP
The F-16 fighter is one of the US's most heavily exported warplanes. AP
The F-16 fighter is one of the US's most heavily exported warplanes. AP
The F-16 fighter is one of the US's most heavily exported warplanes. AP

US approves weapons sales to Middle East allies


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The US State Department has approved several weapons sales to Middle East allies, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

The approvals, which do not mean the completion of a sale, include F-16 Fighting Falcon jets and related equipment to Jordan at an estimated cost of $4.21 billion, the Pentagon's Defence Security Co-operation Agency said.

The State Department approved Jordan's request for 12 F-16 C Block 70 fighter jets, radios, targeting pods and associated munitions components, including guided missile tail kits. The prime contractor for the jets is Lockheed Martin.

Saudi Arabia received approval to buy 31 Multifunctional Information Distribution System-Low Volume Terminals for as much as $23.7m to upgrade its missile defence systems.

Anti-missile decoy flares are fired as US Black Hawk military helicopters and an airship fly over Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 15. AP
Anti-missile decoy flares are fired as US Black Hawk military helicopters and an airship fly over Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 15. AP

These would be installed on the kingdom's Terminal High Altitude Air Defence platforms. Iterations of the network devices were installed on Saudi Arabia's Patriot missile defence system, the Pentagon said.

The UAE received approval to buy $30m worth of spare and repair parts for its Homing All the Way Killer missile defence systems.

The Pentagon's Defence Security Co-operation Agency notified Congress of the possible sale on Thursday.

Despite approval by the State Department, the notifications do not indicate contracts have been signed or negotiations have concluded.

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Key findings of Jenkins report
  • Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
  • Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
  • Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
  • Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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  • Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
  • Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
  • Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
  • Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

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