Free Republic

The tiny Gulf nation of Qatar has launched a massive buildup of air power for an unclear purpose. The latest development in this saga came in September, when British Defense Secretary of Defense Michael Fallon and Qatari Defense Secretary Khalid bin Mohammed al Attiyah signed a Letter of Intent for Doha to purchase twenty-four Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft from London. That came on the heels of Qatar announcing a deal to purchase thirty-six Boeing F-15 Qatar Advanced-variant Eagles from the United States for a reported $12 billion. And in 2015, Qatar signed a $7.5 billion deal with France to purchase twenty-four...

Former District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray, whose sole term in office was dogged by a federal investigation that ended with no charges filed against him, began his political comeback on Thursday, announcing that he will run for the D.C. Council. Gray, a 73-year-old Democrat, lost his re-election bid in the 2014 Democratic primary to current Mayor Muriel Bowser. Three weeks before the primary, a federal prosecutor said in court that Gray knew about an illegal, $660,000 slush fund that helped him get elected in 2010. Last December, prosecutors said they decided not to charge him. Gray has maintained he...

DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar’s defense minister has signed a letter of intent to purchase 24 Typhoon jets from British defense group BAE Systems, in a move that could anger other Gulf countries boycotting Doha. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic and trade links with Qatar on June 5, suspending air and shipping routes with the world’s biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas, which is home to the region’s biggest U.S. military base. “The letter of intent includes the ministry’s intention to purchase 24 modern Typhoon aircraft with all their equipment,” state news agency QNA reported on Sunday....

In late July, the Justice Department refused a request from the Senate Judiciary Committee — a bipartisan, joint request from Chairman Charles Grassley and Ranking Democrat Dianne Feinstein — to make two top FBI officials available for an interview in the committee's investigation of the Trump dossier and other matters related to the Trump-Russia affair. Citing the Mueller special prosecutor investigation, Justice stated "confidentiality" and the "sensitivity of information relating to pending matters" made it impossible for the two officials, Carl Ghattas and James Rybicki, to talk to the Senate committee that oversees the FBI. Grassley and Feinstein are still...

Qatar hosts U.S. warplanes at a major air base and serves as a logistical hub for Pentagon operations. “The State of Qatar expressed its aspiration to strengthen bilateral relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran in all fields,” Qatar’s foreign ministry said in a statement. The brief statement made no mention of the tensions that have roiled the Persian Gulf since June, when Saudi Arabia and three other Arab nations severed ties with Qatar. The Arab bloc shut down borders, airspace, and shipping lanes after accusing the tiny, energy-rich nation of backing terrorism for ties with groups such as Egypt’s...

On Tuesday night, the US state of Missouri is planning to execute Marcellus Williams despite a new report from a DNA expert that his lawyers argue supports his claim to innocence. In 2001, Williams, who is now 48, was convicted of the 1998 killing of Lisha Gayle. But his lawyers say new DNA evidence could exonerate him. The Missouri Supreme Court, however, has refused to review that evidence. Williams' lawyer, Kent Gipson, has described the Supreme Court's decision as "baffling". "We petitioned the court to look at the new evidence on August 14th, and less than 24 hours later they...

While Turkey is trying to support Qatar in its confrontation with other Persian Gulf countries and blames Donald Trump for provoking this regional crisis, the Greek-American elites in alliance with the Israeli lobby are hitting Ankara once more, this time in the religious sphere. Perhaps, in spite of the magnitude of the situation that has arisen as a result of the bold statements of the US president, Recep Erdogan should consider who poses a bigger threat to Turkish interests, and what challenges actually require a harsher response on his part. On the one hand, if you look at the anti-Tramp...

Human rights groups have denounced attempts by the Israeli government to shutter Al-Jazeera’s operations in the country. Israeli officials have accused the Qatari-owned broadcaster of “supporting terrorism.” Human rights watchdog Amnesty International has criticized the Israeli government for attempting to shut down the Al-Jazeera bureau in Jerusalem. “This is a brazen attack on media freedom in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The move sends a chilling message that the Israeli authorities will not tolerate critical coverage,” Amnesty said in a statement on Monday. On Sunday, Israeli Communications Minister Ayoob Kara announced the government’s intention to shutter the Qatari-owned broadcaster’s...

Qatar confirmed today its order for seven vessels from Italian shipbulder Fincantieri following the signing of a preliminary contract in June 2016. The deal consists in four air defence corvettes of over 100 meters in length, one amphibious vessel (LPD - Landing Platform Dock acting as mobile radar station for the corvettes), and two patrol vessels (OPV - Offshore Patrol Vessel) Fincantieri air defence corvette QatarDesign of the air defence corvettes allegedly contracted by Qatar in the amount of four units. Picture: Fincantieri. "We have signed a contract on behalf of the Qatari navy to acquire seven warships from Italy...

Qatar confirmed today its order for seven vessels from Italian shipbulder Fincantieri following the signing of a preliminary contract in June 2016. The deal consists in four air defence corvettes of over 100 meters in length, one amphibious vessel (LPD - Landing Platform Dock acting as mobile radar station for the corvettes), and two patrol vessels (OPV - Offshore Patrol Vessel) Fincantieri air defence corvette QatarDesign of the air defence corvettes allegedly contracted by Qatar in the amount of four units. Picture: Fincantieri. "We have signed a contract on behalf of the Qatari navy to acquire seven warships from Italy...

The Qatari government, finally feeling the heat for its sponsorship of Islamist terrorism and extremism, is deploying an army of lobbyists to move U.S. policy to its side (and, therefore, the Muslim Brotherhood’s side). The recent hires include a firm with strong ties to President Donald Trump’s circle. Qatar hired six lobbying firms in Washington D.C and will reportedly spend at least $1.7 million per week.

"Qatar's demands to internationalize the holy sites is aggressive and a declaration of war against the kingdom," Adel al-Jubeir was quoted saying on Al Arabiya's website. "We reserve the right to respond to anyone who is working on the internationalization of the holy sites," he said. Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said no official from his country had made such a call. "We are tired of responding to false information and stories invented from nothing," Sheikh Mohammed told Al Jazeera TV. Qatar did accuse the Saudis of politicizing hajj and addressed the United Nations Special Rapporteur on...

Chris Gowen, Imran Awan’s lawyer, is a long-time campaigner for former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and a member of an attorney team that brought a fraudulent lawsuit against energy giant Chevron. Pakistani-born Awan was arrested late Monday at Dulles Airport in Northern Virginia before he could board a flight to Qatar and then Pakistan on bank fraud charges. Awan, his younger brothers, Abid and Jamal, his wife, Hina Alvi, and Rao Abbas, his best friend, have been subjects of a federal criminal investigation led by the U.S. Capitol Police and including the FBI since...

How Qatar carefully nurtured al-Nusra to sow mayhem A video showing Al-Jazeera anchor Ahmad Mansour interviewing the leader of the al-Nusra Front in Syria or Jabhat al-Nusra, Abu Muhammad al-Julani, has reappeared on social media platforms. While Mansour drew attention to the fact that there is no difference between the Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaeda, the most interesting part remains the target of the dialogue itself. The goal of Al Jazeera anchor was to whitewash Al Nusra Front and present it as a militant party with an honorable cause. The interview brings to the forefront the issue of Qatar’s relationship with...

Arab anti-terror quartet extends Qatar boycott as Doha rejects demands CAIRO: Four Arab states calling for combating terrorism vowed Wednesday to maintain their boycott of Qatar, criticizing its “negative” response to their list of demands to end the diplomatic crisis. Doha’s response, they said, was “not serious” and betrayed Qatar’s “failure” to realize the gravity of the situation. The announcement followed a meeting by foreign ministers from the four nations — Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain — in Cairo, shortly after they said they had received Doha’s reply. “The political and economic boycott will remain until Qatar changes...

Did Qatar’s FM just admit to Doha sponsoring terror? JEDDAH: Qatar’s foreign minister has admitted to Doha being on the list of countries sponsoring terrorism in the region. Speaking at a press conference in Rome on Saturday, Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said: “As for financing terrorism and what has been mentioned in the list of accusations — this issue exists in all countries in the region.” He did not deny the charge made against Qatar. He said that funding and sponsoring terror is a common issue in other countries in the Middle East and did not only...

At center of Qatar crisis, a $1 billion ransom The crisis over Qatar that is gripping the Middle East hinges on an alleged $1 billion ransom that was reportedly paid to release members of Qatar’s royal family and others who were kidnapped in Iraq. That payment appears to be the breaking point in the tense relationship between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other countries in the region, according to one report earlier this month. On Tuesday, the State Department said it was “mystified” that Gulf states had not given reasons for their decision to cut...

Here's why Rajeev Srinivasan believes there will be nothing particularly positive about the prime minister's US visit. IMAGE: The fact that it has taken this long for the US to extend an invitation to Narendra Modi suggests that India is not on Donald Trump's event horizon. Photographs: Peter Nicholls/Getty Images and Carlos Barria/Reuters Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not naive, so he is surely approaching his fifth visit to the United States, and his first meeting with US President Donald Trump with careful preparation. He is also deliberately creating low expectations. Unlike the hoopla of his previous Madison Square Gardens...

Wittes wrote on Twitter that the upcoming story could be published later Friday or on Monday. The heads-up comes a day after Trump revealed that he was bluffing last month when he suggested that he had recorded his conversations with Comey. May 16 appears to be his first time Wittes previewed Comey stories. Hours after Wittes posted the foreboding message that day, The Times published a shocking story: “Comey Memo Says Trump Asked Him To End Flynn Investigation.” The piece cited a memo that Comey filed just after a Feb. 14 meeting he had with Trump at the White House....

The latest development, in the ongoing Arab state GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) initiative to stem the destabilizing behavior of Qatar, is a list of demands presented to Qatar. If you have followed the regional issues for the past few years you’ll quickly identify how each of the demands cuts to the core of the destabilizing issues.... "Kuwait has given Qatar a list of demands from Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations that includes shutting down Al-Jazeera and cutting diplomatic ties to Iran. That’s according to a list obtained by The Associated Press from one of the countries involved in the...