A German court hearing for five activists accused of damaging an Israeli defence firm site in Ulm was disrupted by protests and legal disputes. The case relates to a 2025 break-in causing about €1 million in damage.
Germany approved €6.6 million in arms exports to Israel during the early weeks of the Iran conflict, government data shows. The figure is lower than post-Gaza war approvals, reflecting ongoing limits on military supplies.
Global defence revenues surged to a record $679 billion in 2024, driven by the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and rising geopolitical tensions, according to new SIPRI data. The world’s 100 biggest arms makers saw sales grow 5.9 percent, with strong increases in Europe and steady dominance by U.S. firms. SpaceX entered the Top 100 for the first time, while China posted a rare decline due to procurement disruptions.
As NATO races to supply Ukraine before Trump takes office, Europe is struggling to touch two percent of its GDP on defence expenditure while Russia plans to spend more than 32 percent of its national budget on its military.
