Free Republic

Russian fighter jets launched from a new airbase in Syria have persuaded western critics to mute their demands for the removal of President Bashar al-Assad, but another group of his opponents sees Moscow’s intervention as more provocative than decisive. Regional powers have quietly, but effectively, channelled funds, weapons and other support to rebel groups making the biggest inroads against the forces from Damascus. In doing so, they are investing heavily in a conflict which they see as part of a wider regional struggle for influence with bitter rival Iran. In a week when Russia made dozens of bombing raids, those...

Qaddafi's latest gambit: Convince the European public that they really want him to stick around, with all the stability that entails. "There are millions of blacks who could come to the Mediterranean to cross to France and Italy, and Libya plays a role in security in the Mediterranean."

My Spirit Honors those that Honor Me(Jesus) , And this is when you witness My Majesty, Bounding and moving through a crowd, Miracles of healing, Signs and "Wonders" is how My Spirit speaks out loud, Acknowledging My Spoken WORD, Rather written or declared and heard, But truly it is when He sees, The Unified Love of The Father you then feel His breeze, The Face, The Form and Breathe of JEHOVAH GOD , The Wonders of His Staff and Rod, For ALL Authority "Rests" in Me(Jesus)! So LET "MY LOVE" Be The Fruit of Your Tree ! Philippians 1:9The Voice...

There are few things as fascinating as seeing what people in the past dreamed about the future. "France in the Year 2000" is one example. The series of paintings, made by Jean-Marc Côté and other French artists in 1899, 1900, 1901 and 1910, shows artist depictions of what life might look like in the year 2000. The first series of images were printed and enclosed in cigarette and cigar boxes around the time of the 1900 World Exhibition in Paris, according to the Public Domain Review, then later turned into postcards.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al Abadi says Baghdad is willing to share anti-ISIS intelligence with Russia, Iran and Syria Oct 4, 2015 08:06 GMT Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al Abadi announced on Saturday that Iraq will share anti-ISIS intelligence with Russia, Iran and Syria if cooperation is requested. “We have been fighting ISIS more than a year and we have some important security information that no other country has regarding ISIS,” Abadi stated during a press conference which took place at the presidential office in the capital. Abadi also stated that he would welcome military equipment assistance from Iran, Syria...

Eurotunnel services were suspended on Saturday after more than 200 migrants broke into its French terminal in a “massive and organised” assault. Passenger and freight services through the tunnel were halted for several hours while French police struggled to contain the invasion and remove the migrants. Two police officers and four migrants suffered minor injuries during scuffles, local authorities of the Pas-de-Calais region said. Around 100 of the migrants managed to walk as far as 15 kilometres into the Channel Tunnel during the mass break-in before police intervened to stop them getting any further.

Vladimir Putin is meeting western leaders for the first time since Russia launched airstrikes in Syria, amid a growing rift over who it is targeting.

BEIRUT/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia bombed Syria for a third day on Friday, mainly hitting areas held by rival insurgent groups rather than the Islamic State fighters it said it was targeting and drawing an increasingly angry response from the West. The U.S.-led coalition that is waging its own air war against Islamic State called on the Russians to halt strikes on targets other than Islamic State. "We call on the Russian Federation to immediately cease its attacks on the Syrian opposition and civilians and to focus its efforts on fighting ISIL," said the coalition, which includes the United States, major...

MOSCOW (Reuters) - International monitors say they have spotted a new kind of Russian weapons system in rebel-held Ukraine this week, possible evidence of Moscow's continued interest in Ukraine even as it focuses on Syria. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which is monitoring a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, reported that its monitors had seen a mobile TOS-1 'Buratino' weapons system for the first time. The Buratino is equipped with thermobaric warheads which spread a flammable liquid around a target and then ignite it. It can destroy several city blocks in one strike and cause indiscriminate damage. Only...

Responding to parents who complained about the distribution at public schools of a map which labeled Israel as “Palestine,” the City of Paris said it was the result of “a simple production error.” The city’s media department gave the explanation in a statement it published Friday about the distribution earlier this year to elementary school pupils of a calendar that contains a map of Europe and parts of the Middle East. The map, which ends north of central Israel and the West Bank, designates the territory of Israel included in it as “Palestine,” alongside Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Turkey. In...

NEW DELHI: For the first time India has options when it comes to finding a partner to build a military nuclear asset. Besides Russia, ship builders from France and the US have started initial conversations with the defence ministry on participating in an Indian effort to build a new class of nuclear-powered attack submarines. Russia has been the traditional ally of India when it comes to sensitive technology and strategic systems. But a Navy plan for constructing six new nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) to patrol the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and beyond has prompted 'discussions' with the two western nations,...

As Russia and France bombs Islamic State (IS) positions in Syria, both have been touting the prowess of their respective fighter aircraft- the Sukhoi Su-34 and the Dassault Rafale. While Russia has launched air strikes on the side of the Syrian government and France on the side of the anti-Assad rebels, but against one common enemy, the Islamic State terrorist group, both seem keen to highlight the precision bombing capabilities of their respective aircraft. The sales success of the Rafale in Egypt and Qatar is credited in no small part to its successful participation in the Libyan war four years...

Balzac’s Sarrasine tells the story of a young woman’s wonder at the strange appearance of an old man at a party in Paris. Balzac has tremendous fun describing the man. First his clothes: he is wearing ‘a white waistcoat embroidered with gold’ and ‘a shirt-frill of English lace, yellow with age, the magnificence of which a queen might have envied’. Then the face: ‘That dark face was full of angles and furrowed deep in every direction; the chin was furrowed; there were great hollows at the temples; the eyes were sunken in yellow orbits. The maxillary bones, which his indescribable...

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flies to New York ahead of U.N. address on Thursday • "Each time that I address the U.N. I feel the privilege and great honor of telling the truth before the world on behalf of the citizens of Israel," Netanyahu says. During his address to the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will make the case against the nuclear deal world powers reached with Iran in July and sound the alarm on Islamic extremism, both in Israel and beyond. Netanyahu, who spoke with reporters at Ben-Gurion International Airport on Tuesday shortly before departing...

Demonstrating a new level of tension with Israel, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority declared Wednesday that it was no longer bound by the Oslo Peace Accords and subsequent agreements that formed the basis for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In his annual General Assembly speech, Mr. Abbas accused Israel of having violated these pacts, which date back two decades and outline security, economic and other arrangements in the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel during and after the 1967 war. He asserted that there was no reason that the Palestinians should remain faithful to them as long...

Palestinian Authority (PA) leader Mahmoud Abbas has announced that the PA is no longer committed to the 1994 Oslo Accords. In his UN General Assembly address Wednesday evening, Abbas wasted no time attacking Israel from the podium in New York. He began by repeating calls for a “two-state solution,” and condemning Israeli “settlements” in Judea and Samaria, as well as the blockade of Gaza. …

A great explosion is about to come , Destroying things not of my kingdom , Prophecies told about to unfold , Things new wiping out the old , The storehouses of God's lightning released , Disturbing things now resting in peace , Ancient walls suddenly cut down , Nothing left but burnt glass on the ground , As paper mache burnt and blown away , A prophecy of the past happening in one day , A blink of the eye and nothing left to see , Yet all the nations witnessing God's majesty , A turning point in a war...

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner claimed during the U.N. General Assembly on Monday that a former Obama administration official attempted to convince Argentina to “provide the Islamic Republic of Iran with nuclear fuel.” The claim was seemingly overshadowed by President Barack Obama’s high-stakes dealings with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kirchner claimed Gary Samore, former White House Coordinator for Arms Control and Weapons of Mass Destruction, visited Argentina and suggested the nation provide Iran with nuclear fuel in 2010, two years into Obama’s presidency.

Another super deal from Obama and Kerry When Obama and Kerry inked the Iran nuclear deal without demanding the release of four American hostages as a condition of the deal, they were naturally questioned about that decision. Kerry was his usually smug, irritated self, implying that no one should press the issue publicly because some sort of greater deal was in the works to deal with the hostage issue If the deal we’re hearing about is the one he had in mind, it’s another example of Obama and Kerry either being the world’s worst negotiators, or - as the boss...

Western naval sources reported Friday that a Chinese landing craft, the Jinggangshan, with a 1,000-strong marine battalion had reached the Red Sea en route for the Mediterranean off Syria. According to DEBKAfile, Beijing has already deployed a number of warships opposite Syria in secret. If the latest report is confirmed, this will be the largest Chinese deployment in the Middle East in its naval history.