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Meet Saudi Arabia’s first female anchor: A graduate from Lebanon

A Lebanese American University graduate made history as the first female news anchor on a main news program in Saudi Arabia, reported The Daily Mail.

Weam Al Dakheel recently became co-anchor of Al Saudiya’s 9.30 p.m. bulletin, the main news program on Saudi Arabia’s state-run television network. She will work anchor alongside Saudi journalist Omar al-Nashwan.

Weam Al-Dakheel is Saudi Arabia's first female news anchor. (Twitter/Saudi TV)
Weam Al-Dakheel is Saudi Arabia’s first female news anchor. (Twitter/Saudi TV)

Al Dakheel graduated from the Lebanese American University, according to her Facebook page. She was previously a reporter for CNBC Arabia and an anchor for Al-Arab News Channel in Bahrain.

The journalist set a milestone in the conservative country, known for its tight restrictions on women. Saudi Arabia only recently lifted its widely criticized ban on female drivers.

Following Al Dakheel’s first broadcast, many Twitter users expressed their support for the promising future of female journalists in Saudi Arabia.

“This is big from Saudi Arabia,” wrote one Twitter user. “(She is) confident, focused (and) beautiful.”

WATCH: Weam Al Dakheel anchors the main 9:30 p.m. news broadcast in Saudi Arabia:

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Saudi prince caught with two tons of drugs at Beirut airport

(BEIRUT) — Saudi prince Abdel Mohsen Bin Walid Bin Abdulaziz and four others were arrested on Monday in the largest drug bust in the history of the Beirut airport, according to a security source.

The prince was allegedly attempting to “smuggle about two tons of Captagon pills and some cocaine,” a security source told AFP.

“The smuggling operation is the largest one that has been foiled through the Beirut International Airport,” the source said on condition of anonymity.

Captagon pills, which typically contain amphetamine and caffeine, is the brand name for phenethylline, a synthetic stimulant. The drug has been manufactured and distributed in Lebanon and Syria.

Reports said the banned drug has been widely used by fighters in Syria, and its manufacturing has become a gateway for distribution in the Gulf.

According to the security source, the drugs were packed into cases that were waiting to be loaded onto a private plane headed to Saudi Arabia.

The Lebanese National News Agency reports the private plane was headed to Riyadh and was carrying 40 suitcases of the drugs.

In April 2014, security forces foiled an attempt to smuggle 15 million capsules of Captagon hidden in shipping containers full of corn from Beirut’s port.

The U.N. Office of Drugs and Crime said in a 2014 report that the amphetamine market is on the rise in the Middle East. There have been busts mostly in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria accounting for more than 55 percent of amphetamines seized worldwide.

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Obama, Saudi king stress “strong support” for Lebanon during meeting

(WASHINGTON, DC) — U.S. President Barack Obama and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud released a joint statement expressing “strong support” for Lebanon following a meeting on Sept. 4 at the White House.

President Obama invited the Saudi king to the U.S. to discuss the Iran nuclear deal and its wider effect on the Middle East.

“I’m happy to come to a friendly country to meet a friend,” Salman said. “We want to work together for world peace.”

The statement said the two leaders supported Lebanon’s “sovereignty, security and stability,” adding that military support for the Lebanese Armed Forces would help “resist extremist threats.”

The two leaders also called on Lebanon’s parliament to elect a new president — a role they believe is of “critical importance.”

The meeting comes five months after the first shipment of Saudi-funded French arms arrived in Lebanon. Many Lebanese view the deal as part of a competition for foreign influence, which they say could spark sectarian conflict.

The $3 billion plan paid for by Saudi Arabia aimed to help bolster the Lebanese army over the next four years with new transport vehicles, tanks, warships, and communication equipment.

In June, the U.S. State Department announced its approval of a possible sale of six A-29 Super Tucano aircrafts to Lebanon, at an estimated cost of $462 million.

According to Riad Kahwaji, CEO of the Dubai-based Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis, Lebanon would pay for the aircrafts using a $1-billion Saudi grant.

The DC-visit is the king’s first to the United States since ascending to the throne in January 2015, and comes after the United States agreed to a nuclear deal with Iran in July.

“The relationship has grown deeper and stronger over the past seven decades in the political, economic, military, security, cultural and other spheres of mutual interest,” said a statement by the White House press office.

Speaking after the meeting between Obama and Salman, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Obama had assured the Saudi king that the agreement prevents Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, includes inspections of military and suspected sites, and has a provision for the snapback of sanctions if Iran violates the agreement.

Under those conditions, al-Jubeir said, Saudi Arabia supported the deal.

“Now we have one less problem for the time being to deal with, with regards to Iran,” al-Jubeir said. “We can now focus more intensely on the nefarious activities that Iran is engaged in the region.”

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LBC wins lawsuit against Saudi prince Al Waleed Bin Talal

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — Officials at the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) announced the company recently won a legal dispute against Saudi prince Al Waleed Bin Talal.

According to a LBC statement, a French court ruled the company has “won back rights” to its brands in Europe, the United States, Australia, and Africa. The statement adds that Bin Talal will face “a bill for expenses.”

“The court’s decision stipulated that Bin Talal shall waiver his alleged right to the said channels and give them back to LBCI, but also be responsible for all fees and expenses of the lawsuit he lost,” officials at LBC said in a statement.

The dispute started in the early 2000’s when Bin Talal’s Rotana group, the Arab World’s largest entertainment company, took a stake in the Beirut-based broadcasting company.

LBC did not announce the details of the lawsuit, only revealing the dispute involved “production fees and company ownership.”

According to Al-Arabiya, LBC chief Pierre Daher and Bin Talal were once “allies,” with the Saudi prince investing in LBC in 2008. They fell out over “several issues” and Daher was sidelined as head of the corporation’s production arm, PAC.

PAC stands for LBC’s Production and Acquisition Company, which filed for liquidation in 2012 and resulted in the discharge of 400 employees.

The legal ruling stipulated that all LBCI trademarks and related branding will revert to the company founders.

LBCI went global in 1996 when it launched its satellite channel covering the Arab World, European Union, United States, Canada, Americas and Australia.

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Lebanon gets first shipment of $3B worth of Saudi-funded French arms

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — The first installment of French military equipment arrived in Beirut on Monday under a four-year plan to help arm the Lebanese army in its battle against militants from neighboring Syria.

The $3 billion plan paid for by Saudi Arabia aims to help bolster the Lebanese army over the next four years with new transport vehicles, tanks, warships, and communication equipment.

The handover ceremony at Beirut’s international airport was attended by Lebanese and French defense ministers, including MP Samir Moqbel, his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian, Lebanese Army Commander Jean Kahwagi, and Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awad Asiri.

Agence France-Presse reports that deliveries will include 250 combat and transport vehicles, seven Cougar attack helicopters, three small corvette warships, and a range of surveillance equipment.

The Saudi-deal also includes seven years of training for the 70,000 members of the Lebanese Army and 10 years of equipment maintenance, according to media reports.

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, center, speaks with Lebanese Defense Minister Samir Moqbel, left, as Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awad Assiri, second left, listens during a ceremony at the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, April 20, 2015. Lebanon has received the first shipment of $3 billion worth of French weapons paid for by Saudi Arabia. The handover ceremony occurred Monday at Beirut’s international airport and was attended by Lebanese, French defense ministers, and top army officers. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, center, speaks with Lebanese Defense Minister Samir Moqbel, left, as Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awad Assiri, second left, listens during a ceremony at the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, April 20, 2015. Lebanon has received the first shipment of $3 billion worth of French weapons paid for by Saudi Arabia. The handover ceremony occurred Monday at Beirut’s international airport and was attended by Lebanese, French defense ministers, and top army officers. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

The deal involves more than 20 French companies who will provide land, sea and air equipment, including armored vehicles, heavy artillery, anti-tank missiles, mortars, and assault weapons.

Security sources from Lebanon say the first shipment from France included 48 “Milan” anti-tank missiles.

“Lebanon’s victory against terrorism is a victory to all nations threatened by terrorism,” Lebanese Defense Minister Samir Moqbel said.

Lebanese army officials called the delivery a “turning point” in the army’s performance, according to the Associated Press.

“The Lebanese army paid a high price in Arsal and France helped and will help Lebanon so that it does not slip into chaos,” French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.

Le Drian added that the next shipment of weapons will arrive to Beirut in May.

The $3 billion deal was signed in November in the Saudi capital Riyadh. Saudi Arabia has already provided $1 billion in military aid to the Lebanese army.

Many Lebanese view the deal as part of a competition for foreign influence, which they say could spark sectarian conflict.

Future Movement chief and former Prime Minister Saad Hariri thanked Saudi king Salman Bin Abdel-Aziz on Monday for “the kingdom’s keenness on Lebanon’s security and stability.”

 

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France signs $3B deal with Saudi Arabia to arm Lebanon

(PARIS, FRANCE) — France and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement on Tuesday for Paris to provide the Lebanese army with $3 billion worth of French weapons and military equipment paid for by Riyadh, the French foreign minister said.

The deal, which was first announced in December, aims to boost Lebanon’s military strength as it struggles to contain violence on the Syrian border. The Lebanese army has few resources to deal with the instability on its border and has been seeking funding from other countries.

“I welcome the signing of the contract to assist the Lebanese army,” French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said in a statement. “This agreement, financed by a Saudi donation, will strengthen the Lebanese army, which is the guarantor of the unity and stability of Lebanon.”

According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, Saudi Finance Minister Ibrahim al-Assad and Edouard Guillaud, the head of the ODAS organization set up by France for the export of defense equipment, signed the final agreement.

The French defense ministry says they will outline details of the contract in the coming days.

There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia or Lebanon. But the Lebanese military said Monday that army commander Gen. Jean Kahwaji was traveling to attend the signing ceremony.

The deal supposedly includes “land, air, and naval equipment,” according to French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, when  he spoke to parliament on October 8 to outline the deal.

Since announcing the deal in December, Riyadh’s regional rival, Iran, has also said it is ready to provide aid to the Lebanese army. Many Lebanese view these offers as part of a competition for influence over their tiny country, which is split by sectarian divides.

The Lebanese army is generally seen as a unifying force in Lebanon, and draws its ranks from all of the country’s sects, but it has struggled to contain the escalating violence since the outbreak of the Syrian conflict.

Saudi Arabia, which has already provided $1 billion in military aid to the Lebanese army, has recently taken part in U.S.-led air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria.

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France, Saudi Arabia “finalizing” $3B Lebanese arms deal

(PARIS, FRANCE) — France and Saudi Arabia are close to signing a $3 billion arms deal for Lebanon, the Elysee Palace said late Monday following talks between President Francois Hollande and the Saudi crown prince.

“It will not be signed Monday but it is being finalized,” an aide to the president said.

The deal is for military equipment and arms to be supplied to Lebanon’s army.

Hollande told an official dinner at the Elysee presidential palace attended by Prince Salman bin Abdul-Aziz, who is also the Saudi deputy prime minister and defense minister, that Lebanon was a “great but vulnerable country” which “needs security.”

“We have come together, Saudi Arabia and France, to help Lebanon on the condition that it also helps itself, for its own security,” Hollande added, without commenting directly on the joint contract.

The deal comes as Beirut faces the threat of jihadists on its border with Syria. More than a million refugees have fled the war in Syria by escaping to Lebanon, according to figures from the United Nations.

Hollande added that France and Saudi Arabia had a “shared priority of peace and security in the Middle East.”

Salman is due to hold talks with French Prime Minister Manuel Valls Tuesday.

He is also due to meet Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius Wednesday for talks over the situation in Iraq and Syria, where jihadists have seized swaths of territory and are terrorizing Christians and other minorities.

Last week, Hollande rejected any cooperation with Syrian President Bashar Assad, whom he accused of being a “de-facto ally” of Islamic State militants, after the regime said it was willing to work with the international community to tackle the jihadists.

And in comments carried on national TV at the weekend, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah warned the West would be the next target of the jihadists sweeping through Syria and Iraq, unless there is “rapid” action.

“If we ignore them, I am sure they will reach Europe in a month and America in another month,” he said in remarks quoted Saturday by the Asharq al-Awsat newspaper and Saudi-backed Al-Arabiya television station.

The visit comes just over two weeks after another member of the Saudi royal family, Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Fahd, fell victim to a brazen heist in Paris when a gang of heavily armed bandits hijacked the lead vehicle of his 10-car convoy and stole at least 250,000 euros and documents.

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