UAE soldiers on a peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. The image came from an exhibition at the Etihad Museum in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
UAE soldiers on a peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. The image came from an exhibition at the Etihad Museum in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
UAE soldiers on a peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. The image came from an exhibition at the Etihad Museum in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
UAE soldiers on a peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. The image came from an exhibition at the Etihad Museum in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Sheikh Khalifa pays tribute to Armed Forces on Unification Day


  • English
  • Arabic

The year was 1976. UAE troops arrived in war-torn Lebanon as part of an Arab humanitarian force.

Participation of the country's troops was an early commitment to global peacekeeping that came in the same year the UAE Armed Forces were unified.

On May 6, 1976, the defence forces of the seven emirates came under one UAE flag and central command, marking an important milestone in the building of a modern country.

Our Armed Forces remain a school for deepening the values of loyalty, belonging and citizenship

Since the unification, the Armed Forces have kept the country secure, while also participated in humanitarian campaigns, such as in Kosovo, Somalia and Kuwait. The Armed Forces are also part of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen and are distributing aid there to those who need it the most.

Now, 43 years on, President Sheikh Khalifa has paid tribute to all those who made that journey such a success.

To mark Monday's anniversary, Sheikh Khalifa told the military journal, Nation Shield, there is no development without security and no security without a strong national army.

"Apart from their key mandates of defending the nation, engaging in international efforts aimed at settling disputes and confronting disasters, offering humanitarian assistance and participating in regional and global peacekeeping missions, our Armed Forces remain a school for deepening the values of loyalty, belonging and citizenship and an institution for cementing national unity and enhancing national identity and solidarity," he said.

In 2014, the UAE introduced national service and Sheikh Khalifa said this had provided a real backup to the military and ingrained in the UAE youth respect for tradition, discipline and responsibility.

Looking ahead, Sheikh Khalifa said the Emirates would continue to invest in the most advanced equipment and the best training programmes.

"Armament, modernisation, training, rehabilitation and care for their personnel is a strategic goal and a top national priority for our Government," said Sheikh Khalifa.

"We will supply them with the most sophisticated weapons and technologies, advanced defence and administrative systems and best international military practices so these forces can occupy a leading position among the world's most strongest armies."

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Grand Slam Los Angeles results

Men:
56kg – Jorge Nakamura
62kg – Joao Gabriel de Sousa
69kg – Gianni Grippo
77kg – Caio Soares
85kg – Manuel Ribamar
94kg – Gustavo Batista
110kg – Erberth Santos

Women:
49kg – Mayssa Bastos
55kg – Nathalie Ribeiro
62kg – Gabrielle McComb
70kg – Thamara Silva
90kg – Gabrieli Pessanha

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UNpaid bills:

Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN budget in 2019

USA – $1.055 billion

Brazil – $143 million

Argentina – $52 million

Mexico – $36 million

Iran – $27 million

Israel – $18 million

Venezuela – $17 million

Korea – $10 million

Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN peacekeeping operations in 2019

USA – $2.38 billion

Brazil – $287 million

Spain – $110 million

France – $103 million

Ukraine – $100 million

 

RESULTS

Manchester United 2

Anthony Martial 30'

Scott McTominay 90 6' 

Manchester City 0

Apple%20Mac%20through%20the%20years
%3Cp%3E1984%20-%20Apple%20unveiled%20the%20Macintosh%20on%20January%2024%3Cbr%3E1985%20-%20Steve%20Jobs%20departed%20from%20Apple%20and%20established%20NeXT%3Cbr%3E1986%20-%20Apple%20introduced%20the%20Macintosh%20Plus%2C%20featuring%20enhanced%20memory%3Cbr%3E1987%20-%20Apple%20launched%20the%20Macintosh%20II%2C%20equipped%20with%20colour%20capabilities%3Cbr%3E1989%20-%20The%20widely%20acclaimed%20Macintosh%20SE%2F30%20made%20its%20debut%3Cbr%3E1994%20-%20Apple%20presented%20the%20Power%20Macintosh%3Cbr%3E1996%20-%20The%20Macintosh%20System%20Software%20OS%20underwent%20a%20rebranding%20as%20Mac%20OS%3Cbr%3E2001%20-%20Apple%20introduced%20Mac%20OS%20X%2C%20marrying%20Unix%20stability%20with%20a%20user-friendly%20interface%3Cbr%3E2006%20-%20Apple%20adopted%20Intel%20processors%20in%20MacBook%20Pro%20laptops%3Cbr%3E2008%20-%20Apple%20introduced%20the%20MacBook%20Air%2C%20a%20lightweight%20laptop%3Cbr%3E2012%20-%20Apple%20launched%20the%20MacBook%20Pro%20with%20a%20retina%20display%3Cbr%3E2016%20-%20The%20Mac%20operating%20system%20underwent%20rebranding%20as%20macOS%3Cbr%3E2020%20-%20Apple%20introduced%20the%20M1%20chip%20for%20Macs%2C%20combining%20high%20performance%20and%20energy%20efficiency%3Cbr%3E2022%20-%20The%20M2%20chip%20was%20announced%3Cbr%3E2023%20-The%20M3%20line-up%20of%20chip%20was%20announced%20to%20improve%20performance%20and%20add%20new%20capabilities%20for%20Mac.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A