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...

When Venezuelan Oil Minister Juan Pablo Pérez Alfonso resigned in 1963, he blasted the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, at the time torn by internal rivalries, for failing to produce any benefits for his country. Half a century later, OPEC is still split and Venezuela is again unhappy, this time at the unwillingness of the organization’s top producer, Saudi Arabia, to rescue oil prices from a six-year low that’s dragging the battered Venezuelan economy into an even deeper crisis. On Sept. 10, Venezuela’s oil minister, Eulogio del Pino, tweeted appeals for OPEC and non-OPEC countries “to have a discussion on...

A three-day mourning period has been announced in the UAE after the son of Dubai's ruler died of a heart attack. Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who graduated from Sandhurst in 2002, died on Saturday morning.

Delivery of the first Archangel aircraft to the UAE Air Force and Air Defence (UAE AF&AD) was achieved on time – a mere seven months after signature of the contract. One aircraft will be delivered every month through to January 2016, after which the remaining 18 will arrive at a rate of two per month until the end of the contract. The new Archangels will replace the entire block 1 and block 2 border patrol aircraft (BPA) fleet. Six of the first 10 block 1 aircraft have already been donated to the Royal Jordanian Air Force and more are understood...

THE UAE says 45 of its soldiers engaged in a Saudi-led campaign against Shi'ite rebels in Yemen have been killed in an accidental explosion that the insurgents claimed was caused by rocket fire. IN what was the deadliest day for the coalition since it was formed in March, Bahrain said five of its soldiers guarding the Saudi border with Yemen were also killed. Around 60 people, mainly military personnel, have died in cross-border rebel attacks in the south of the Saudi kingdom since the coalition began air strikes on the Huthis and their allies. The campaign began as the Huthis...

More than four million Syrians have been forced to escape the never-ending civil war ravaging their country and the barbaric terror group carving a bloody trail across the Middle East. The vast majority live in overcrowded refugee camps in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq - all under threat from ISIS - and record numbers are making the perilously long journey to Europe. Yet, as debate rages between politicians in Europe over how many they should take, nearby super-wealthy Gulf nations of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain have refused to offer sanctuary to a single...

Forty-five soldiers from the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain were killed on Friday while taking part in a Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen against Houthi forces

Unseen by most of the world, the once tranquil port of Aden is being steadily infiltrated by jihadists from both al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsular (AQAP) and the so-called Islamic State (IS). They are not in charge of the city, the military forces of the UAE are. But in the last few days disturbing reports have emerged of the summary executions of prisoners by the jihadists, along with their black flags hoisted onto public buildings.

Why aren't any of the current migrant surge going to Russia and China instead of just the EU? Or any migrant surge? Don't the Russians have huge, sparsely-populated territories dotted with ghost towns in Siberia? Don't the Chinese have dozens of newly-constructed, completely unpopulated cities with 65M homes sitting empty? Ban Ki-Moon down at the UN thinks it's so damn important that Europe save/support/welcome the refugees. So how many migrants have been invited to come live in his South Korea? They seem to be doing pretty well these days, what with Europe and the US buying so much of their stuff- What about...

Replacing tires in the middle of the road is against safety requirements and endangers the life of the driver and of other road users.

How an 11-month-old pup - left for dead in Fujairah - survivedAs told by Francis himself. “My name is Francis, a former happy pup. But after a recent event I have to find my life back. Let me tell you what happened… I was born in the UAE, a beautiful place. A bit hot though, but it could be worse. I am 11-months-old so don’t know much about the life, but I guess it hasn't been easy. It’s really hot outside and I am not really finding food or water. I think I have to learn to find that myself,...

(CNSNews.com) – “Promised Land,” the anti-fracking film written and produced by Hollywood stars Matt Damon and John Krasinski, was made in part by a production company owned by the government of Arab oil emirate Abu Dhabi – a state in direct competition with American oil and gas producers. The film is financed in part by Image Nation Abu Dhabi, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Media which is owned by the government of Abu Dhabi, one of 13 Arab emirates that makes up the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and serves as that country’s capitol. Abu Dhabi media was created by the...

Etihad's "The Residence" cabin Etihad Airways unveils their new Residence option, which far exceeds all other luxury flight experiences Planning a trip to Abu Dhabi? Forget first class and book Etihad Airways’ new “Residence” option for a mere $32,000, only 26 times the economy saver price. Scoff at the price all you want, Average Joe, but apparently the Residence is a hit. After six years of development, Etihad sold their first ticket within hours after announcing this new option in March. It will be available on New York-Abu Dhabi flights starting December 1, when they switch from Boeing 777 to...

The United Arab Emirates on Monday put to death a woman with links to Islamic extremists who was convicted of murdering an American teacher with a butcher knife in an upscale Abu Dhabi mall. The execution, carried out just two weeks after the country's top court delivered a guilty verdict, marked a swift end to a case that has rattled this Western-allied Gulf country, where violent crime is rare.

An Emirati woman said to have been lured into Islamist militancy by her husband has been executed for stabbing to death an expatriate American teacher in an Abu Dhabi shopping mall. Alaa Bader al-Hashemi, 30, was caught on the mall’s closed circuit television behaving oddly before and after the killing, in the women’s toilets of the Boutik Mall.

Then-Secy Hillary's top aide Cheryl Mills held several outside roles......(1) board position with a UAE-funded university in Abu Dhabi....(2) chief of staff and counselor at the State Department....and, (3) Clinton Foundation director. At the State Dept in early 2009, Mills continued to serve as general counsel for New York University for several months. She also sat on the board of the “NYU in Abu Dhabi Corporation,” the fundraising arm for the university’s UAE satellite campus. The school is bankrolled by the Abu Dhabi government and has been criticized by NYU professors and human rights activists for alleged labor abuses. Mills...

Alana Goodman of the Washington Free Beacon details today how Cheryl Mills, one of Hillary Clinton’s longtime underlings, apparently collected a paycheck from New York University at the same time she was serving as Chief of Staff of the State Department. According to thearticle: After joining the State Department in the beginning of 2009, Mills continued to serve as general counsel for New York University for several months. She also sat on the board of the “NYU in Abu Dhabi Corporation,” the fundraising arm for the university’s UAE satellite campus. The school is bankrolled by the Abu Dhabi government...

In a June 6, 2015 article for the English-language UAE daily Gulf News, writer Dr. Khalifa Rashid Al-Sha'ali decried the Arab fondness for conspiracy theories, which he said is shared by the elites, the masses, and the media. For example, he wrote, the Arabs once thought that the "Zionist entity" and the U.S. were their supreme enemies, only to discover one day that it is actually possible to cooperate with them. Such conspiratorial thinking, he said, was responsible for many of the Arabs' defeats and problems – including the loss of Palestine in 1948 – because conspiracy theories provide a...

(Vatican Radio) The first Catholic Church in the UAE, St. Joseph’s Abu Dhabi, was opened in February 1965, and March 2015 marked the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the event. The Ruling Family of the Emirate has always been generous and it was their graciousness in donating a piece of land to build a place of worship that thousands of faithful even today can enjoy a place of prayer and sanctuary. 50 years later, yet again the Church in South Arabia experiences the kindness and open-handedness of the Rulers of the Emirates. His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the...

The Dubai Ports World controversy of 2006 is making a comeback, only this time the Arab principal has actually gained control of the container contract for a major U.S. port. The site is Port Canaveral, near the Kennedy Space Center on Florida’s east coast, which is frequented by U.S. and NATO-ally nuclear submarines. A 35-year contract signed last year and set to go operational next month allows a United Arab Emirates-based company managed by Badr Jafar to operate a cargo terminal managing containers. The UAE has been a major donor to the troubled Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation. And...