By AYA BATRAWY

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia said Tuesday that 34 nations have agreed to form a new "Islamic military alliance" to fight terrorism with a joint operations center based in the kingdom, but the coalition does not include Shiite-majority Iran or Iraq, and it's not clear how exactly it would function.

The announcement, published by the state-run Saudi Press Agency, said the Saudi-led alliance is being established because terrorism "should be fought by all means and collaboration should be made to eliminate it."

However, the absence of Iran, Iraq and Syria, three countries battling the Islamic State group, raised questions about whether the alliance was intended to present a unified front against the extremists or Tehran, Saudi Arabia's main regional rival.

Beirut: A flamboyant son of Libya’s deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi was formally arrested and interrogated in Lebanon on Monday, accused of withholding information about the unsolved 1978 disappearance of a revered Lebanese Shiite cleric and two companions in Libya.

The formal arrest of Hannibal, Gaddafi’s youngest son, signalled an intriguing turn in a cold-case mystery that has transfixed the Shiite world for nearly four decades.

It came four days after Lebanese news services said the son had been abducted by Lebanese militants who are followers of the missing cleric, Mousa Al Sadr, one of the most respected Shiite religious figures in the Middle East.

by Maysaa Ajjan, December 15, 2015

BDL Accelerate's Early Stage Startup Competition saw a staggering number of 22 startups from around the globe pitching to six international judges.

Competing for a $10,000 prize startups hailing from countries including Spain, Italy, Iran, and the UK were left in the wake of Lebanese startup ReAble, who came in first place.

"I think it's great that you see Lebanese startups competing with international startups that, inevitably, have more access to funding, markets and opportunities," said judge Tara Nehme, one of four judges for the first round.

ReAble is an e-wallet app that helps people with cognitive difficulties manage their finances. They are already operating in six care centers between Lebanon and Canada with a total of 3,000 patients.