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Credit Suisse Faces Trial in Drug-Tied Money Laundering Case

A Swiss criminal court was opening a trial Monday on charges that Credit Suisse failed to do enough to stop money laundering linked to drug trafficking by a Bulgarian criminal organization, which employed a wrestler who once hauled millions in currency by car to Switzerland.

The case against the bank in federal criminal court, in the southern city of Bellinzona, centers on charges that it "did not take all necessary measures to halt the infraction of money laundering" by one of its employees, according to a summary from the court announcing the start to the proceedings.

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Asmar Says Minimum Wage Might Reach LBP 7 Million

The new minimum wage is expected to reach seven million Lebanese Pounds, according to head of the General Confederation of Lebanese Workers Beshara al-Asmar.

Asmar told al-Jadeed TV that the minimum wage is being discussed on an exchange rate of LBP 19,000 to 1 USD.

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Cuba Slaps New Tax on Food Sales as Economic Woes Hit Hard

Cuba has announced a new 10 percent tax on retail food sales, as the country endures economic woes marked by rampant inflation.

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Salameh: My Conscience is Clear, Campaign against Me is Political

Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh has said that his conscience is clear despite the flurry of accusations against him.

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Miqati Meets Aoun, Says Cabinet to Approve State Budget Thursday

Prime Minister Najib Miqati held talks Friday at the Baabda Palace with President Michel Aoun.

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World Markets Shrug Off Tech-Led Selloff on Wall Street

Shares in Europe and Asia were mostly higher Friday after a historic plunge in the stock price of Facebook's parent company yanked other tech stocks lower on Wall Street.

Shares rose in Paris, London and Tokyo. Hong Kong jumped 3.3% after reopening from Lunar New Year holidays. Trading in Shanghai will resume on Monday.

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IMF Says Will Only Support a 'Comprehensive Program' for Lebanon

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva has said the fund would only support a "comprehensive program" for Lebanon that would tackle all the country's ills, including corruption.

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UK Faces Record Rise in Energy Prices, Adding to Bill Stress

Britain's energy regulator announced Thursday that a cap on energy prices is going up by a record 54% because of the soaring costs of wholesale natural gas, a change that will significantly burden millions of households already squeezed by rapidly climbing bills.

The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets, known as Ofgem, said the new price cap — the maximum amount that gas suppliers can charge customers — will rise by 693 pounds ($940) per year in most parts of the U.K. starting in April. That will cause the annual bill for the average customer to go up to 1,971 pounds ($2,670).

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Japanese Game Maker Nintendo's Profits Hurt by Chips Crunch

Nintendo's profit for the nine months through December slipped 2.5%, as shortages of computer chips hurt production, the Japanese video game maker behind the Super Mario and Pokemon franchises said Thursday.

Kyoto-based Nintendo Co. recorded a 367 billion yen ($3.2 billion) profit for the period, down from 377 billion yen the previous year. Its sales in the same period fell 6% to 1.3 trillion yen ($11 billion).

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Inflation in Turkey Hits 20-Year High of Nearly 49%

Turkey's annual inflation came in at nearly 49% on Thursday, hitting a nearly 20-year high and further eroding people's ability to buy even basic things like food.

The Turkish Statistical Institute said the consumer price index increased by just over 11% in January from the previous month. The yearly increase in food prices was more than 55%, according to the data.

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