BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin walked up to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at a summit of G20 world leaders, high-fived him and then shook his hand heartily. Moments earlier the prince had been pictured on the far edge of the traditional “family portrait” photograph, ignored by other leaders. The […]

BEIRUT (Reuters) – A stand-off between Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri and a pro-Syrian politician escalated on Saturday when shots were fired while police sought to bring the politician in for questioning over accusations of stirring strife. The past few days have seen a sharp rise in tension in Lebanon, after video emerged of Druze […]

by japantimes.co.jp — Questions and concerns about Japan are swirling internationally over its treatment of ousted Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn, whose detention was extended following his arrest last week over alleged financial misconduct. The arrest of the 64-year-old executive, viewed as the automaker’s savior, came out of the blue. Prosecutors were waiting for him as he arrived at Tokyo’s Haneda airport on a business jet on the evening of Nov. 19. Ghosn, known as one of Japan’s highest paid executives, is confined to a 7-square-meter room at the Tokyo detention center in the northeastern part of the capital, according to the Justice Ministry. The room’s window is designed so the detainee cannot look outside. A toilet and washbasin are nearby, and the detainee must pull a small partition for privacy when using the toilet. A shelf on the wall lacks sharp edges to prevent suicide and self-inflicted injuries. Detainees receive three meals and 30 minutes of exercise a day, and are allowed to shower twice a week. Clothes have been taken to his room and he was seen wearing a “sporty” outfit, said a source familiar with the matter.

Tokyo prosecutors have argued that each country has a different legal process and that the detention period for Ghosn, who holds French, Lebanese and Brazilian citizenship, is being decided based on “necessity.” But some overseas media have characterized his treatment as worse than a terror suspect’s and that the living conditions at the detention facility are harsh. In France, a suspect can be detained without a court issuing an arrest warrant during the initial stage of investigation. In such a case, a suspect can be held as long as four days for questioning but is held in principle for 24 hours. Even a suspected terrorist cannot be held more than six days. Lawyers are present during questioning, unlike in Japan. A suspect such as Ghosn would not be held by police for more than two days, according to a criminal lawyer in Paris. Japanese law, meanwhile, sets detention limits for a suspect of 23 days for an arrest warrant served by police and 22 days for a warrant served by prosecutors. But authorities can add further charges with fresh warrants, meaning a person can be detained indefinitely if a court approves. Detention is approved if the suspect is expected to flee or destroy evidence. A court decides on the detention such as by directly questioning the suspect. Criticism over the treatment of Ghosn could build further, as his detention was extended by another 10 days through Dec. 10 based on the Tokyo District Court decision reached Friday. Ghosn has been reading magazines and books brought to him at his request, according to other sources familiar with his situation. He appeared to be in good health but has told people who came to see him that the room is cold and he wants some snacks, they said. Financial newspaper Les Echos termed the Japanese prison system as “particularly severe” for forbidding speech.

Major daily Le Figaro wrote that the Tokyo detention center is “well-known to human rights organizations” as prisoners are stifled by isolation and where executions — abolished in France as a human rights violation — occur. It also touched on the fact that a countryman is being held in the same facility as people on death row. Ghosn was arrested Nov. 19 for allegedly violating the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act by underreporting his remuneration in the company securities reports by around ¥5 billion ($44 million) of some ¥10 billion he received over five years until fiscal 2010. He is also alleged to have continued to underreport remuneration beyond the five-year period, and to have misappropriated funds to buy homes abroad for personal use and cover private expenses. Ghosn has told prosecutors he did not report some of his remuneration in the securities reports but insisted it was because the payment had yet to be settled, and he also denied allegations he intentionally falsified securities reports, according to sources close to the matter.

by cnbc — Microsoft is now the most valuable publicly traded company in the world, surpassing Apple for the title. Microsoft’s market cap was above Apple’s at the close of trading Friday. Microsoft surpassed Apple periodically throughout the week during intraday trading, but Apple consistently beat out Microsoft in market valuation at market close. At […]

by Sunniva Rose —thenational.ae —   Walid Bukhari, Saudi’s latest ambassador to Lebanon has arrived in Beirut, the Lebanese national news agency reported. “We will strive together to preserve the security, stability and sovereignty of Lebanon”, said Mr Bukhari in a speech at the airport on Wednesdaty afternoon, in front of several top Lebanese officials […]

By Wassim Saif al-Din –infosurhoy.com — BEIRUT— The Lebanese army on Tuesday received a new batch of weapons from France, according to the French Embassy in Beirut. In a statement, the embassy said the army received ten VAB HOT Mephisto armored vehicles fitted with anti-tank missile launcher turret, 96 HOT powerful anti-tank missiles and 2 […]

Written by  Sam Varghese — itwire.com — A campaign that targets government domains in Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the private Lebanese airline, Middle East Airlines, has been uncovered by Cisco’s Talos Intelligence Group, which claims that the attackers appear to have studied their intended victims’ networks well enough to remain inconspicuous. Researchers […]

by bbc.com– Mr Ghosn, seen as a titan of the car industry, was detained by police and dismissedby Nissan last week. Claims against the businessman, who led the Renault-Nissan alliance, include falsely reporting his earnings. Public broadcaster NHK, which first disclosed Mr Ghosn’s arrest, reported he had told investigators there was no intention to under-report his […]

by egypttoday.com — CAIRO – 25 November 2018: The total number of Lebanese companies investing in Egypt is about 1,645 companies with foreign direct investment of $ 671.8 millionuntil the end of June 2018, according to Minister of Investment Sahar Nasr. Nasr clarified that Lebanon occupies the 22nd place among the investing countries in Egypt. […]

By Tamara Qiblawi, CNN — Beirut, Lebanon (CNN Business)When Carlos Ghosn was arrested on suspicion of financial misconduct, a joke went around in Lebanon that the auto industry legend had finally qualified to be president of the tiny country with a reputation for corruption. But his detention in Japan and subsequent removal as chairman of Nissan (NSANY) have also stunned a country where he has been hailed as national icon for his business success. Many hoped the “white knight” who rescued Nissan could perhaps one day do the same for Lebanon, relieving the country of its debilitating debt, and cleaning up the economy. (Lebanon is ranked 143rd out of 180 countries on Transparency International’s most recent index of perceived corruption in the public sector.) “He wasn’t an ever present force in the Lebanese economy or political thinking. But whenever a president’s term was up, he was always one of the names that came up as a possible president,” said Lebanese blogger and commentator Gino Raidy. “But why would he even do that?”

Ghosn was born in Brazil but grew up in Beirut after moving with his Lebanese mother back home when he was six years old. He studied at Beirut’s College Notre Dame — a Jesuit school — and still serves on the Strategic Council of Saint Joseph University in the city. During a speech in Beirut in 2003, Ghosn said Lebanon could learn from his rapid turnaround of Nissan a few years earlier when restructuring its debt. Lebanon’s government continued to revere the business magnate over the years, and in 2017 it issued a postal stamp with his face on it. But Ghosn repeatedly shrugged off suggestions he should run for political office. “Naturally people looked at him and said ‘Well, here’s a guy who can help us restructure debt. He has Lebanese citizenship. Why doesn’t he get involved in politics?'” said Habib Battah, editor at beirutreport.com who interviewed Ghosn in 2003. “As Lebanese, we tend to really root for people of this tiny country who made it somewhere because the country has been through so many wars and difficult crises.” Government backing When news broke that Ghosn had been detained, reportedly after stepping off a flight to Tokyo from Beirut, Lebanon’s government spared little time declaring its support for him. And members of the business community, including some of Ghosn’s close friends, said they would defend his legacy.