By Cate Chapman, Editor at LinkedIn News – The U.S. is investigating whether “several dozen small technology” firms have colluded to game …

 by Jennifer Bell, Al Arabiya English -- In April, Lebanon marked 48 years since the start of its civil war, and - almost five decades on from the deadly conflict - the anniversary brought a painful reminder to the families of the thousands who went missing during the 15-year unrest. There is currently no public database or exact numbers of people who went missing during the civil war between 1975-1990, where an estimated 150,000 people were killed. While the exact figure is unknown, an estimated 17,000 Lebanese were kidnapped or “disappeared” during the unrest. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) – which continues to work to find answers for loved ones left behind – told Al Arabiya English that painful answers remain for the families left in limbo.

Lebanon was shattered by its 15-year-long war. It reshaped villages and neighborhoods in which Muslims and Christians had lived side by side for centuries. Hundreds of thousands of people retreated into separate enclaves controlled by sectarian militias. While the war may have ended more than three decades ago, the relatives of the thousands of men and women who remain unaccounted for have been left with lingering loss and uncertainty. Some of those missing are believed to have been arrested or captured by the various forces and militias involved in the civil war – Lebanese, Syrian, Palestinian and Israeli, according to a 2013 Amnesty International report. Others may have been killed in the violence or simply disappeared.

Left in limbo

By Ruiqi Chen, Editor at LinkedIn News Can generative artificial intelligence really help workers? A new study from Stanford and MIT has …

by Joseph Haboush, Al Arabiya English -- -- The leading senators of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday urged the Biden administration to support presidential candidates in Lebanon that will be accountable to the Lebanese people amid reports that France has backed a pro-Hezbollah contender. Lebanon has been without a president since October 2022, following the end of Michel Aoun’s term. Meanwhile, France has taken the lead in trying to mediate a solution to the presidential vacuum and the economic and financial crises in the country. For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app. Sleiman Frangieh, a former minister and MP, backed by Hezbollah and close to the Assad regime, was reportedly endorsed by France in private meetings with Lebanese officials. France last week denied that it had endorsed any specific candidate. Local media reports, including a pro-Hezbollah newspaper, published detailed conversations between French officials and Lebanese lawmakers that suggested Paris was backing Frangieh.

But Senators Bob Menendez and Jim Risch said they were “discouraged” by the ongoing political deadlock, which they said was engineered by Hezbollah and its allies, like Speaker Nabih Berri. In a letter to President Joe Biden, the senators said Hezbollah and its allies were trying to wear down the opposition to its preferred candidate, Frangieh. “We strongly urge your administration to clearly reinforce the urgent need for the formation of a Lebanese government that is committed to governing transparently and addressing the desperate needs of the Lebanese people, rather than enriching cronies or enabling bad actors like Hezbollah to further derail Lebanese democracy,” the letter to Biden read. “Procedural games at the expense of meaningful reforms and good governance only serve to undermine Lebanese and regional stability.”