Saudi student watched mass shooting videos during dinner party before Florida naval base attack: report

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By Paulina Dedaj | Fox News -- The Saudi national who killed three people Friday morning after opening fire in a classroom at a naval air station in Florida reportedly hosted a dinner party earlier this week where he and several others watched videos of mass shootings, a U.S. official said Saturday. Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, who was identified as a member of the Saudi military participating in a flight training program for foreign military personnel at Naval Air Station Pensacola, was killed by law enforcement after he fatally shot three people in what investigators are trying to determine was an attack motivated by terrorism.

While the FBI has declined to name the suspect or elaborate on a possible motive, a U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press that federal investigators told him Alshamrani hosted a dinner party earlier in the week where he and three others watch videos of mass shootings. It wasn’t immediately clear if the shooter acted alone but the U.S. official said authorities also told him that one Saudi student - who was at the dinner party - stood outside the building recording while the shooting took place. Two others were said to have watched from a car. 10 Saudi students are being held at the base while several others remain unaccounted for, the official continued. President Trump has remained in line with the FBI, declining to say if the attack was terror-related. Florida U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, however, issued a scathing statement calling the shooting an act of terrorism “whether this individual was motivated by radical Islam or was simply mentally unstable." Alshamrani reportedly posted a short manifesto to Twitter in which he condemned the U.S. as a “nation of evil.”

SAUDI ARABIA'S KING Salman called President Donald Trump on Friday to "express his sincere condolences" "The King said that the Saudi people are greatly angered by the barbaric actions of the shooter, and that this person in no way shape or form represents the feelings of the Saudi people who love the American people," Trump tweeted regarding the incident earlier in the day at Naval Air Station Pensacola. Sheriff's deputies fatally shot the attacker, according to law enforcement authorities. Two deputies were reportedly among the injured. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

US and Iranian men released in prisoner swap

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by bbc.com -- The US and Iran have conducted a prisoner swap in a rare sign of co-operation between the two countries. The exchange involved a Chinese-American researcher convicted of spying in Iran and an Iranian scientist held by the US. Both deny wrongdoing. Iran's foreign minister said he was glad as he announced the exchange. Hours later, US President Donald Trump tweeted: "Thank you to Iran on a very fair negotiation. See, we can make a deal together!"

Who were the prisoners?

Xiyue Wang was arrested in Iran in 2016 for "collaborating with foreign governments". Massoud Soleimani, a stem cell expert, was arrested at a Chicago airport last year. He was accused violating trade sanctions by trying to export biological material to Iran. Iran and the US have had an increasingly strained relationship in recent years and share no diplomatic links. Both have thanked the Swiss government for its assistance as an intermediary facilitator.

What happened?

Mr Wang was flown in a Swiss government plane from Tehran to Zurich, and then to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where he will undergo medical check-ups before heading home. Mr Soleimani was also flown to Zurich and then on to Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted photos of himself with Mr Soleimani after his release. He was the first to announce the news, via a tweet. "Glad that Professor Massoud Soleimani and Mr Xiyue Wang will be joining their families shortly," he wrote. In a formal statement, US President Donald Trump said Mr Wang had been "held under the pretence of espionage". "Freeing Americans held captive is of vital importance to my Administration, and we will continue to work hard to bring home all our citizens wrongfully held captive overseas," the statement said. Hua Qu, Mr Wang's wife, wrote in statement: "Our family is complete once again. Our son Shaofan and I have waited three long years for this day and it's hard to express in words how excited we are to be reunited with Xiyue. "We are thankful to everyone who helped make this happen." Princeton University, where Mr Wang was studying as a postgraduate, said in a statement it was "overjoyed" with the news of his release and was looking forward to "welcoming him back to campus".

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Lebanese PM asks friendly nations for credit amid crisis

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BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon's outgoing prime minister called on several Arab and world leaders Friday to help his country secure credit lines for imports from friendly nations as the tiny Mediterranean country passes through its worst economic and financial crisis in decades. According to a statement released by his office, Saad Hariri sent letters to the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, France, China, Russia, Italy and the United States as part of his efforts to ease the liquidity crisis and secure food stuff and raw materials. Lebanon is experiencing its worst economic and financial crisis amid zero economic growth and massive debt. Local banks have imposed unprecedented capital controls and thousands of employees have been either laid off or had their salaries slashed. The crisis has worsened since Oct. 17, when nationwide protests against years of corruption and mismanagement erupted, leading to the resignation of Hariri's government two weeks later. Protesters now want that entire political elite, that has ruled the country since the end of the 1975-90 civil war, out.

President Michel Aoun said the financial measures taken in the country are “temporary because of the current financial conditions.” Aoun, who spoke during a meeting with international investment bankers, said that dealing with the economic and financial crisis will be the priority of the new government once it's formed. He added that offshore exploration for oil and gas will begin in January and would boost the country's credentials. Aoun has called for binding consultations with heads of parliamentary blocs to name a new prime minister on Monday. He added that the formation of a new Cabinet would help friendly countries release $11 billion in loans and grants made by international donors at the CEDRE conference in Paris last year. <p< Lebanon imports most of its basic needs, including wheat, petrol and medicine, leading to a huge trade deficit. Importers have been facing difficulties in getting U.S. dollars to cover imports as the local currency, which has been pegged to the dollar since 1997, lost 40% of its value on the black market.

Lebanon’s banks cannot limit withdrawals, lawyers say

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Beirut: Banks in Lebanon could be flouting laws — or at least the spirit of it — by restricting the weekly amount a citizen can debit from his account. And account holders are well within their rights to pursue claims against such banks, legal sources say. “A big part of what banks have been doing are based on unauthorised and unilateral decisions,” said Zeina Mouanness, a lawyer. “They cannot apply such precautionary measures without clear regulations.” Last month, the Lebanese Central Bank set a limit of $1,000 as weekly withdrawals of cash and another limit on online transfers. ATMs have stopped dispensing US dollars even before the popular protests erupted in the country on October 17. Banks have been applying random caps on weekly cash withdrawals, varying between $100 to $500.

Reclaim their rights So, what can the ordinary Lebanese citizen do? They could look at any of three options. “They could launch a bankruptcy lawsuit against the banks for failing to pay them the amounts requested,” said Mouanness. “They could lodge a breach of trust [criminal case] against the bank. “The third type of legal procedure is lodging a lawsuit before a judge on an urgent basis demanding the bank pay their money in cash. As per the first two procedures, a claimant could also request the court to impose a provisional seizure against the bank’s assets to ensure that the claimants’ money remains safe and untouched.” According to Joceline Al-Rai, another Lebanese lawyer, people also need to read the contracts with their banks. “Clients and depositors have the right to take legal action against their banks and reclaim their money ... however, they need to review the clauses included in the contracts they signed upon opening their accounts. Unfortunately, the majority of clients sign those contracts blindly and without reading those clauses thoroughly,” Al-Rai told Gulf News.

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France signs 22-mln-USD deal with Red Cross to support Lebanese hospital

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 BEIRUT(Xinhua) -- The French Development Agency (AFD) signed on Thursday a financing agreement valued at 20 million euros (22.2 million U.S. dollars) with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to support Lebanon's Rafik Hariri University Hospital. French Ambassador to Lebanon Bruno Foucher, AFD Country Director for Lebanon and Syria Olivier Ray, and Christophe Martin, head of the ICRC delegation in Lebanon, attended the signing ceremony. This partnership was capable in the past to secure medical care for 13,000 patients of different nationalities in addition to implementing 26 projects to improve the healthcare at the hospital and working conditions of its employees. "Our partnership with the ICRC allows us to help the most vulnerable patients and at the same time develop the local institution which ensures our durability," said Firas Abiad, general manager of Rafik Hariri University Hospital.

Lebanese president to conduct parliamentary consultations to name new PM

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BEIRUT, (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's presidency issued a statement on Wednesday, announcing that President Michel Aoun will conduct parliamentary consultations on Dec. 9 to name a prime minister for the formation of the new government, the National News Agency reported. Officials belonging to different political parties announced in the past few days that businessman Samir Khatib has the biggest chance to assume the position of prime minister in Lebanon. Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced on Tuesday his support for Khatib to be the next prime minister, prompting Lebanese to voice their anger by blocking roads in some regions including Beirut and Bekaa. The protesters, some of whom gathered outside Khatib's house in Beirut, accused Khatib, the executive vice president of engineering firm Khatib & Alami, of being involved in corruption related to government projects. Lebanon has witnessed nationwide protests since Oct. 17, leading to the resignation of Hariri's government. Protesters are calling for a complete change of the ruling political system which led to their impoverishment because of their failing policies over the past years.