US expands arms sales, ranked as top weapons supplier

October 8th, 2009 MOSCOW - Russia believes that a new strategic arms reduction deal with the US should be signed before cuts in tactical nuclear weapons are discussed, the foreign ministry said Thursday. "As to tactical nuclear weapons, we share the view expressed by (US Assistant Secretary of Defence for International Security Affairs) Alexander Vershbow that the discussion of this issue is premature," ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said.

September 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The United States sold arms worth $4.5 billion to Pakistan between 2005 and 2008, says a Congressional report even as Washington has expressed concern about reported diversion of military equipment away from the war on terrorism to fight India. An updated Congressional report released last month says Washington signed arms transfer agreements with Pakistan in excess of $3.5 billion in the year 2006 alone, "ranking Pakistan first among all arms clients of the United States during that calendar year".

September 15th, 2009 CARACAS - President Hugo Chavez said a recent huge natural gas find off Venezuela's Caribbean coast underscores the need to bolster the Andean nation's defences against US "imperialism". Spain's Repsol YPF said last Friday that the Perla I well, discovered in partnership with Italy's Eni, could contain between 7 trillion and 8 trillion cubic feet of gas.

August 19th, 2009 LONDON - A report prepared by the Commons Committee on Arms Export Controls has revealed that British weapons may have been used against Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka, and now, this is prompting calls for a review of the arms trade. According to The Times, the committee has argued that all existing licenses to Sri Lanka should be investigated.

July 31st, 2009 ISLAMABAD - A ban imposed by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on issuance of licences for arms of prohibited bore is likely to remain in place as the government has decided to expand an investigation into award of thousands of permits for banned weapons. The Federal Investigating Agency (FIA) is probing interior ministry officials involved in unauthorised issuance of licences.

July 20th, 2009 Continental brake plant expands despite auto slumpRALEIGH, N.C. — A subsidiary of German auto parts maker Continental AG plans to expand operations at a North Carolina brake systems plant as it looks ahead to North American automakers eventually revving up production again.

June 29th, 2009 Somali insurgents to seize US arms supplyMOGADISHU, Somalia — A spokesman for radical Islamic insurgents says his group will seize weapons the U.S. has supplied to Somalia's embattled government.

June 16th, 2009 PARIS - European aerospace major Thales has scored a record performance in Airbus rankings, retaining its place among the top 10 customer support providers for the third consecutive year and scoring a fourth place for its avionics activities, the company said Tuesday. The benchmark rankings measure airline satisfaction with first-tier suppliers and their customer support performance.

June 10th, 2009 Chilean ex-generals sentenced for arms smugglingSANTIAGO, Chile — Two retired Chilean generals have been sentenced to prison for shipping arms to Croatia at the time of its battle for independence from Yugoslavia. A Chilean court has sentenced Army Gen.

June 4th, 2009 CAIRO - In a much-anticipated speech to the Muslim world from Cairo Thursday, US President Barack Obama urged Iran and other countries to abandon their nuclear weapons programmes. He acknowledged the US role in "overthrowing a democratically elected government" in Iran.

June 2nd, 2009 LONDON/COLOMBO - Britain approved commercial weapon sales of over 13.6 million pounds, including armoured vehicles, machinegun components and semi-automatic pistols to the Sri Lanka Army, official records show.ccording to The Times, Slovakia provided 10,000 rockets worth .1 million pounds, while Bulgaria approved sales of guns and ammunition worth 1.75 million pounds. Only Slovakia has confirmed delivery of rockets, but the approval of the sales raises the question of whether weapons from the EU were used in the last five months of Sri Lanka's 26-year civil war, during which UN officials estimate that 20,000 civilians were killed.

May 27th, 2009 MOSCOW - Russian arms exports are expected to increase by $700-$800 millon in 2009 despite the global credit crunch and considerable fall in arms purchase by India and China, state arms exporter Rosoboronexport said Wednesday. "Rosoboronexport sells an additional $700-800 million (worth of weaponry) every year.

May 20th, 2009 KABUL - Arms and ordnance collected from dead insurgents suggest that they are identical to ammunition the United States had provided to Afghan government forces. According to an examination of ammunition markings by The New York Times and interviews with American officers and arms dealers, the presence of this ammunition among the dead in Afghanistan's Korangal Valley, strongly suggests that munitions have leaked from Afghan forces.

May 3rd, 2009 LAHORE - Putting aside all appeals to lay down arms to establish peace in the Swat Valley, the Taliban's Swat chapter spokesperson Muslim Khan has termed arms and ammunitions as 'ornaments' for Muslims. "Taliban cannot renounce weapons, they are ornaments of Muslims," the Daily Times quoted Khan, as saying.

February 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A large quantity of weapons given to the Afghan army by the US have been missing, officials said. The US congressional auditors said Thursday in a report that nearly 87,000 pieces of weapons, including rifles, pistols, machine guns, grenade launchers, shotguns and mortars were missing.