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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Saudi Arabia is still spending big on Neom, its megacity in the desert.</li><li>The country's Vision 2030 projects have now reached $1.3 trillion in value, per Bloomberg.</li></ul>Saudi Arabia is still spending big on <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/neom-saudi-arabia-desert-megacity-plans-look-pictures-2024-4?mrfhud=true">Neom</a>, its ambitious megacity under construction in the desert.The heavy investment has pushed the value of the kingdom's wider Vision 2030 project past the $1 trillion mark, Bloomberg <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-09-10/saudi-arabia-s-vision-2030-projects-reach-1-3-trillion-in-value">reported</a>.Saudi has invested $1.3 trillion in real estate and infrastructure projects in the eight years since launching the plan, with the volume of projects increasing by 4% from a year ago, real estate consultancy Knight Frank told the outlet.Most of this money reportedly went to the project's centerpiece, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-neom-roadshow-china-investor-interest-funding-2024-4">Neom.</a> It has received $28.7 billion for its various developments, including the futuristic linear city known as The Line.The eye-watering cost of the project has reportedly been a cause for concern for some within the Suadi government.The official estimate for Neom is $500 billion, but planners have since <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-neom-line-construction-99b3f54f">dismissed the figure</a> as unrealistically low. Other estimates have put the <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-04-17/saudi-s-neom-hunts-for-more-cash-plans-bond-sale-for-1-5-trillion-desert-city">projected costs</a> at as much as $1.5 trillion.Plans for the city have also hit several roadblocks in recent months. Experts say Saudi has struggled to attract the foreign investment needed to fund the project's lofty goals.The financial realities appeared to hit home earlier this year when the kingdom reportedly scaled back some of its plans for The Line.The city was originally planned to accommodate 9 million people by 2030. However, Bloomberg reported that this estimate had been lowered to fewer than 300,000 people.Since then, officials have been keen to insist <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-neom-megaproject-not-struggling-vision-2030-minister-2024-4">the project and funding are on track. </a>In private, though, some reports have suggested that <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/neom-vision2030-saudi-arabia-mbs-crown-prince-tough-conversations-2024-5">the Crown Prince is open</a> to having "tough conversations" about the Vision 2030 ambitions.Representatives for Neom did not immediately respond to a request for comment, made outside normal working hours.

Saudi Arabia is throwing money at Neom, pushing the value of its Vision 2030 over $1 trillion

India’s boasting of ‘Make in India’ policy hasn’t resulted in much rain after too much thunderstorms. At an embarrassing revelation on the world stage, it continues to be the largest importer of <keyword id="42803" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Arms">arms</keyword> in the world. As reported by The Economic Times, a global thinktank on Monday said India's weapons imports are now three times larger than its neighbours <keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="China">China</keyword> and Pakistan as well as cash-rich Saudi Arabia and the UAE. 
 
As revealed in the latest data of Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on international arms transfers released, India accounted for 15% of the global arms imports from 2010 to 2014. 
 
The ET also quoted SIPRI to establish the fact, which said, "Between 2005-2009 and 2010-2014, India's arms imports increased by 140%. In 2005-2009, India's imports were 23% below China's and just over double those of Pakistan." 
 
The ET report suggests, India has failed to build a strong defence industrial base (DIB), which resulted in such consequence. However, China having built a super strong DIB exports arms has emerged as the third largest arms exporter. While Pakistan (41%), Bangladesh (16%) and Myanmar (12%) are its three biggest clients, China also exported arms to 18 African countries. 
 
On the contrary, India continues to grapple with a fledgling DIB, importing 65% of its military hardware and software. The ET report claims, India has spent Rs 1,03,536 crore ($16.72 billion) in direct payments to foreign armament companies in the last five years, while exporting arms worth a paltry Rs 2,644 crore ($426 million) in the same time. 
 
As reported by the TOI earlier, India has spent over $120 billion on arms acquisitions over the last 15 years, and will spend another estimated $120 billion in the coming decade. Despite the Modi government's hype over 'Make in India' policy over the last 10 months, concrete result on the same is yet to come. 
 
India is the largest arms client for both Russia and Israel, as per SIPRI data. The three largest suppliers to India are Russia (70%), the US (12%) and Israel (7%). However, government data as accessed by the financial daily show, the US has actually overtaken Russia as the largest defence supplier in the last three years, notching sales worth Rs 32,615 crore as compared to Russia's Rs 25,448 crore. 
 
(Image: Reuters)

This country is the world’s largest arms importer

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Line in Neom is a "completely ludicrous" project, one expert says.</li><li>The futuristic city is made up of twin mirrored skyscrapers about 650 feet apart. </li></ul>The Line — a part of Neom that comprises two mirrored skyscrapers — is one of the most famous regions of the planned megacity.Saudi Arabia's plans for the futuristic city have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-neom-the-line-urban-design-linear-pros-cons-2024-6">baffled architects and designers</a>, including those who contributed to the original designs. The giant structures have faced criticism about their<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/neom-the-line-mirrored-tower-birds-kill-saudi-arabia-2024-5"> impact on wildlife</a>, everyday appeal, and general usefulness.Andreas Krieg, a Gulf specialist at the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies at King's College London, called plans for The Line "completely ludicrous.""The Line is a project that is not sustainable; it's a completely ludicrous megaproject that was never realizable because of the sheer cost of it," he told Business Insider.He said that while some of Neom's regions have clear aims, the central city "has no real purpose" or "benefit."The megacity is also set to include an octagonal floating city with a sustainable port, a luxury island resort, and a ski and adventure mountain range."From a commercial statecraft strategy point of view, Neom is a very viable project and has a lot going for it," Krieg said. "But you need to have a plan of how it can be realized to attract investors, and the Saudis are still falling short of that."<div type="image" title="Satellite image of construction on The Line." height="5675" width="8819" msid="110995252" hostid="261" sizebytes="1354834"></div>Plans for the megacity have reportedly been scaled back in recent months.The Line was originally planned to accommodate 9 million people by 2030. However, a recent report from Bloomberg said this estimate had been lowered to fewer than 300,000 people by that date.The costs associated with the project have also worried planners.Executives working on Neom reportedly have dismissed the official Suadi figure of $500 billion as unrealistically low. The first 1.5 miles of The Line alone is expected to cost more than $100 billion, two people familiar with the work told The Wall Street Journal."The world has never seen anything like The Line," Krieg said. "There hasn't been a single project that would have consumed so many resources and had no real purpose."Krieg is far from the first to question the viability of the glossy city.Last year, British architect Peter Cook, who is involved in the project, called the city an "amazing absurdity," adding that the proposed height was "a bit stupid and unreasonable" in comments reported by the <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" href="https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/the-line-architect-peter-cook-questions-saudi-desert-citys-buildability">Architects Journal</a>.Representatives for Neom did not immediately respond to a request for comment, made outside normal working hours.

The Line in Neom is a 'completely ludicrous' design with no purpose, a Middle East-focused professor says

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/8099636789/in/dateposted/">US Army Photo</a></div></div></div><ul><li>The Trump administration is reportedly lobbying for an Arab army to replace US troops in Syria.</li><li>Officials are said to have spoken to Egypt, Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia about it.</li><li>President Trump has asked several Gulf states to pay up to stabilize the region in the wake of ISIS's defeat.</li><li>In April, the US reportedly began drafting plans to increase its military presence in Syria.</li><li>This is despite President Trump pledging that the US would "be coming out of Syria like very soon." </li></ul> The Trump administration reportedly wants to build an Arab army to replace US troops in Syria. US officials told the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-seeks-arab-force-and-funding-for-syria-1523927888?ns=prod/accounts-wsj">Wall Street Journal</a> that the Arab personnel will help stabilize the northeastern parts of Syria once Islamic State militants are defeated. According to the Journal, administration officials have spoken to Egypt about the plan, and have considered involving Suadi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).Officials told the Journal the president's new national security advisor, John Bolton, recently called his Egyptian counterpart to see whether Egypt would back the initiative. A spokesman for the National Security Council declined to comment on reports of the call, according to the report.However other officials told the Journal that "Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE have all been approached with respect to financial support and more broadly to contribute." Last month, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-wants-to-get-the-us-out-of-syrias-war-so-he-asked-the-saudi-king-for-4billion/2018/03/16/756bac90-2870-11e8-bc72-077aa4dab9ef_story.html?utm_term=.fea779299afe">President Trump reportedly called Saudi Arabia's King Salman to ask for $4 billion</a> to help rebuild and maintain order in parts of Syria recently freed from Islamic State control.According to the Washington Post, the US's goal is to prevent Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian and Iranian allies from creeping into newly-liberated areas and establishing control while the US continues to battle the remaining dissidents. The US announced in February that it had pledged $200 million to stabilize the region.President Trump has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/27/donald-trump-nato-isolationist">previously criticized the amount US allies were prepared to spend</a> on regional security efforts.He previously said <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/25/donald-trump-bernie-sanders-supporters-russia-putin">he was prepared to walk away</a> from supporting the conflict in Syria if countries like Japan, Saudi Arabia and Germany don't increase their financial contribution.The request follows US-led "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-strikes-syria-over-chemical-weapons-attack-2018-4">precision strikes</a>" on Syria in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack in Douma earlier this month.President Trump hinted at global efforts in Syria in his Friday announcement, saying: "We have asked our partners to take greater responsibility for securing their home region, including contributing larger amounts of money."In April, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/04/02/trump-pull-us-troops-out-of-syria-starr-pkg.cnn">CNN reported</a> that the US was drafting plans to increase its military units in Syria, despite President Trump pledging that the US would "be coming out of Syria like very soon." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-life-earth-would-change-without-moon-disappeared-2018-3">What living on Earth would be like without the moon</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

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Saudi Arabia is throwing money at Neom, pushing the value of its Vision 2030 over $1 trillion

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This country is the world’s largest arms importer

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The Line in Neom is a 'completely ludicrous' design with no purpose, a Middle East-focused professor says

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Trump reportedly wants to build an Arab army so he can pull US troops out of Syria

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