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Arab Bank Group profits grow by 38% to $252 million for the first half of 2022

Arab Bank Group has reported a net income of $252 million for the first half of 2022, recording an increase of 38% from last year.

Chairman of the Board of Directors, Sabih Masri, stated that the performance in the first half of the year reflects the Group’s prudent operating policies and strong financial position, despite challenging economic environment.

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Clergy, bags of cash set off new sectarian brawl in Lebanon

A Lebanese archbishop who carried more than $460,000 from Israel to Lebanon is at the center of the latest sectarian showdown in crisis-hit Lebanon, and the case could even spill over into presidential politics.

The situation has ramped up discord between two powerful political camps: the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah and the Maronite Church.

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Why Pelosi went to Taiwan, and why China's angry

When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi flew into Taiwan on an Air Force passenger jet Tuesday, she became the highest-ranking American official in 25 years to visit the self-ruled island. China announced military maneuvers in retaliation, even as Taiwanese officials welcomed her and she headed to her hotel.

The reason her visit ratcheted up tension between China and the United States: China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, and it views visits by foreign government officials as them recognizing the island's sovereignty.

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Beirut blast victim's parents wage lonely battle for justice

Paul and Tracy Najjar have lived in grief since the massive explosion that tore through the Lebanese capital in 2020 killed their three-year-old daughter, and their anger boils over the stalled investigation.

The August 4 mega-blast, blamed on a fire that ignited tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer haphazardly stored for years at Beirut harbor, was one of the largest non-nuclear detonations ever recorded.

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Who was al-Zawahri — and why did US kill him?

The doors of jihad opened for Ayman al-Zawahri as a young doctor in a Cairo clinic, when a visitor arrived with a tempting offer: a chance to treat Islamic fighters battling Soviet forces in Afghanistan.

With that offer in 1980, al-Zawahri embarked on a life that over three decades took him to the top of the most feared terrorist group in the world, al-Qaida, after the death of Osama bin Laden.

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Iran nuclear negotiations under Raisi

Iran's ultraconservative President Ebrahim Raisi came to power a year ago amid attempts to revive a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.

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My Journey in Lebanon: An op-ed by outgoing U.N. coordinator Rochdi

Outgoing U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Najat Rochdi has penned an op-ed concluding her mission in Lebanon before taking up her new role as U.N. Deputy Special Envoy for Syria.

In her article titled “My journey in Lebanon”, the outgoing RC/HC reflects on her two-year mission in Lebanon, the many challenges facing Lebanon, the impact the U.N. has made on her watch, and the prospects for Lebanon’s recovery and "prosperous future." She also stresses the need for justice and the renewal of Lebanon’s social contract.

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2 years later, hope for justice in Beirut explosion fades

It's been two years since his 3-year-old daughter, Alexandra, was killed in a massive explosion at Beirut's port — and Paul Najjar has lost hope that outrage over the disaster will bring justice and force change in Lebanon.

The investigation into one of the world's biggest non-nuclear explosions has been blocked for months by Lebanon's political powers. Many blame the Lebanese government's longtime corruption and mismanagement for the tragedy, but the elite's decades-old lock on power has ensured they are untouchable.

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Isolation complication? US finds it's hard to shun Russia

The Biden administration likes to say Russia has become isolated internationally because of its invasion of Ukraine. Yet Moscow's top officials have hardly been cloistered in the Kremlin. And now, even the U.S. wants to talk.

President Vladimir Putin has been meeting with world leaders, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country is a NATO member. Meanwhile, his top diplomat, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, is jetting around the world, smiling, shaking hands and posing for photos with foreign leaders — including some friends of the U.S.

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Saudi prince stays in 'world's most expensive home' during Paris trip

During his trip to France to meet President Emmanuel Macron, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is staying at a lavish chateau dubbed "the world's most expensive home" when he purchased it in 2015.

The Chateau Louis XIV in Louveciennes outside Paris is a new-build mansion intended to mimic the extravagant luxury of the nearby Versailles Palace, once the seat of the French royal family.

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