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Explainer-The probes into Lebanese central bank chief Salameh

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By Timour Azhari -- BEIRUT (Reuters) - European investigators are in Beirut quizzing witnesses as they probe suspected money laundering and embezzlement by Lebanese central bank governor Riad Salameh, who denies any wrongdoing and still enjoys support from powerful Lebanese factions. Their arrival marks progress in one of several probes into Salameh, whose three decades leading the central bank are now under increased scrutiny since the collapse of Lebanon's financial system. Salameh, who has not been convicted of any crime, has said the probes are part of a campaign to scapegoat him for the 2019 collapse. His brother Raja, a suspect in the investigations, also denies any wrongdoing. Here's what you need to know about the cases:

EUROPE INVESTIGATES

Investigations began with a Swiss probe into whether Salameh and Raja illegally took more than $300 million from the central bank between 2002 and 2015. Since then, European countries including France, Germany, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein have initiated their own investigations into whether tens of millions of dollars of the funds allegedly embezzled from the central bank were laundered in Europe. In March 2022, the European Union's criminal justice cooperation organization announced the freezing of some 120 million euros($130 million) of Lebanese assets in France, Germany, Luxembourg, Monaco and Belgium. The assets were frozen in a case in which Munich prosecutors said Salameh was a suspect. Lebanon has received several requests for cooperation from European judiciaries. In January 2023, a team of European investigators from Germany, France and Luxembourg arrived to interrogate witnesses and obtain additional evidence.

LEBANESE PROBE LIMPS ALONG

EVs now 10% of new car market

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By Harriet Sinclair, Editor at LinkedIn News --- Electric vehicles made up 10% of the total new cars sold globally in 2022, marking the highest percentage to date, a big milestone for the market. The growth was largely driven by markets in China and Europe. Worldwide, EV sales totaled 7.8 million units — a 68% uptick on the previous year, research from LMC Automotive and EV-Volumes.com shows. While Tesla leads globally as the most popular EV vehicle, EV sales still only make up "a fraction" of car sales in the U.S. The news comes as the traditional car market suffers amid supply chain snarls and lower sales due to inflation.

Lebanon's Yasmina Zaytoun says Miss Universe pageant was a 'wonderful journey'

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Story by Katy Gillett - thenational.ae -- - Yasmina Zaytoun may not have won Miss Universe for Lebanon on Sunday, but her reign as national beauty queen is not over. Soon, she will also compete in the 71st Miss World, where Karolina Bielawska of Poland will crown her successor. A date and location for the pageant final have yet to be announced, but more than 80 contestants around the world have been named so far. Miss USA R’Bonney Gabriel was named Miss Universe 2022 during the dazzling final, which took place in New Orleans. Zaytoun didn't make it to the final stages, but she's not letting that hold her back. "It was a wonderful journey," she wrote on Instagram after the pageant ended. "Full of ups and downs, but as Lebanese we will never give up because Lebanon needs us!!"

A video of her tearily talking about her beloved homeland was also posted on the Miss Lebanon Fan Club account, with the message: "Hard Luck Yasmina! You were strong, confident & raised your voice! You did your best! Miss World is NEXT! Sending you so much love." Zaytoun was named Miss Lebanon 2022 in a glittering ceremony in Beirut in July. The pageant was the first to take place since 2018. She was crowned by Maya Reaidy, who held the Miss Lebanon crown from 2018 to 2021. "I did it," Zaytoun, 20, wrote on Instagram, celebrating being declared the winner. Zaytoun, who is from Kfarchouba, a village in southern Lebanon, is a journalism student, studying at Notre Dame University — Louaize. She is currently in the third year of her course. As well as doing some modelling, she hosts the With Yasmina Show on Instagram, which she describes as an educational show and on which she interviews notable Lebanese media and sport personalities. Guests have included TV presenter Lana Daoud, politician Paula Yacoubian, and actress and influencer Enjy Kiwan, to name a few.

Lebanese Colombian singer Shakira sets social media alight with Pique song

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DUBAI: Colombian superstar Shakira set social media alight this week with the release of her latest song, in which she takes aim once again at ex-partner, retired Spanish footballer Gerard Pique. The song “BZRP Music Session #53” in collaboration with Argentine DJ Bizarrap was listened to over 86 million times on YouTube alone and generated an avalanche of comments from fans. The 45-year-old music star of Lebanese descent takes no prisoners as she launches into a tirade against her former partner, 35, even taking a pop at his 23-year-old girlfriend, Clara Chia Marti. “Lots of gym work, but work your mind as well,” she sings. “You swapped a Ferrari for a (Renault) Twingo, a Rolex for a Casio,” she continues. “I wouldn’t go back to you, even if you cried or begged me ... I was out of your league and that’s why you are with someone like you,” she sings.

Just in case there were any doubts about who the song was aimed at, Shakira includes a couple of word plays using the names Pique and Clara. “All the support Shakira,” wrote an Arab user on Twitter, while another said: “You can’t listen to Shakira’s new song and deny she is at least half Lebanese.” Reactions to the song began trending on social media, where Shakira has tens of millions of followers. It is the third song she has dedicated to the couple’s separation, which was announced in June.

Lebanon blast victim’s brother William Noun freed after outcry

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By Najia Houssari - arabnews.com -- BEIRUT: Families of victims of the Beirut port explosion blocked roads in Beirut and Jbeil on Saturday in protest at the arrest of their spokesman, William Noun, by Lebanon’s national security agency. Pressure by protesters, politicians and activists led to his release after 24 hours in detention. Noun was arrested after a televised statement last Thursday in which he expressed indignation at the obstruction of the investigation into the port explosion in 2020 that claimed the life of his brother Joe, a fireman. The massive blast, triggered when a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse exploded, caused at least 218 deaths and up to $15 billion in property damage. In his statement, Noun criticized an attempt to appoint a substitute judge for investigator Tarek Bitar, who was removed from the case a year ago, and threatened to “blow up the Justice Palace.” His arrest was based on a judicial notice issued by Beirut Attorney General, Judge Zaher Hamadeh. Noun’s house was also raided by state security personnel searching for explosive material.

A political observer told Arab News that Hamadeh has boasted of his ties with Hezbollah and the Amal Movement. Hamadeh was a judicial investigator in the case of Imam Moussa Al-Sadr’s disappearance and has been touted as a possible replacement for Bitar in the port explosion probe, the observer said. Neither the President of the Higher Judicial Council Souheil Abboud nor the General Prosecutor Ghassan Ouweidat attended a council meeting on Saturday. In a statement, those present defended Hamadeh’s decision to arrest Noun, and condemned what they described as “an attack on the judge’s work and dignity.” Families of the victims gathered in front of the state security headquarters, vowing to remain until Noun was released.

Top Iran diplomat says talks with Saudis could restore ties

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BEIRUT (AP) by BASSEM MROUE , Associated Press -- — Talks between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia are continuing and could eventually restore diplomatic relations that were severed years ago, Iran’s foreign minister said Friday. Hossein Amirabdollahian told reporters in Beirut that he met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud during a conference in Jordan last month. The meeting was the highest-level encounter between the two countries since they cut relations seven years ago. Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia and Iran, which is majority Shiite, have been at odds since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, but relations worsened after Riyadh in 2016 executed a leading Shiite cleric, Nimr al-Nimr, setting off protests in both countries and souring diplomatic relations. In Tehran, demonstrators set fire to the Saudi Embassy.

Direct talks were launched in April 2021, brokered by Iraq, in a bid to improve ties. The mere existence of a dialogue was seen as important, even if the only notable result so far has been Iran reopening the country’s representative office to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in the Saudi city of Jeddah. “There was an agreement in our points of view to continue with the Saudi-Iran dialogue in what would eventually normalize relations between the two countries,” Amirabdollahian said about the December meeting in Jordan. Amirabdollahian said the hope is that, eventually, we will reach an agreement on “reopening diplomatic missions and embassies in Riyadh and Tehran." The Iranian diplomat also praised recent contacts between Syrian and Turkish officials saying such talks could positively impact both countries. Turkish and Syrian defense ministers held talks in Moscow in late December, the first ministerial-level meeting between Damascus and Ankara since relations broke down with the start of the Syrian civil war more than 11 years ago.

Lebanon fails to intercept Israel drone

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by middleeastmonitor.com -- The Lebanese army announced today it had failed to intercept an Israeli drone flown over Lebanon's southern airspace, a statement revealed. It added that a patrol was inspecting a separate incident in the south when a "drone belonging to the Israeli enemy violated Lebanese airspace," prompting soldiers to shoot in its direction. A Lebanese security source told Reuters they failed to shoot it down. It comes after the Lebanese army said earlier this week that an Israeli drone and gunboat violated the Lebanese air space and maritime border, Anadolu News Agency reports. An Israeli army drone violated the Lebanese airspace "from opposite the town of Ramyah towards the town of Marwahin for 20 minutes," the Lebanese Army said in a Monday's statement. Lebanon says Israel violates its airspace and territorial waters on an almost daily basis and had called on the UN to intervene to stop these violations, especially with regard to the Israeli bombing of Syria from Lebanese airspace.