Khazen – Page 713

The Safra Dynasty: The Mysterious Family Of The Richest Banker In The World

adminJune 6, 2013Khazen BlogComments are off for this post

Joseph Safra is the richest banker in the world, according to Forbes.

And, incidentally, the name Safra means yellow, or gold, in Arabic.

Convenient. Especially since the illustrious family has had their hand in the gold trade since the Ottoman Empire, facilitating trade throughout the Middle East.

Notorious for their stable yet clandestine banking operations, the mysterious Safra family continues today as a fortress of banking successes.

But the real question on everyone’s mind is this: how has such an illustrious family, at times seeped in scandal, managed to remain so mysterious to the public eye. And what transpired to cause the untimely death of its golden boy, Edmond Safra?

The Safra dynasty started in the Ottoman Empire with Joseph Safra’s great-great grandfather

Wikimedia Commons

The Safra dynasty, as it’s known today, was born with banking mogul Joseph Safra’s (b. 1939) great-great grandfather well over a century ago.

The Lebanese Jewish family became the most trusted bankers of the Ottoman Empire, most notable for facilitating trade between Alexandria, Aleppo and Istanbul.

Source: The Guardian

When the Empire fell apart, Joseph’s father, Jacob, fled to Beirut to start another bank

Beirut’s Gran Serail Solidere, 1930

Wikimedia Commons

When the Ottoman empire began to unravel at the beginning of the twentieth century, Jacob Safra (father of Joseph and brother Edmond Safra) separated himself from the family business, Safra Freres et Cie. to open the Jacob E. Safra Bank in Beirut.

Jacob’s son Edmond joined the business at the ripe young age of 16 and quickly took over the institution’s precious metals division.

Source: The Guardian

Amazing Social Media Statistics From Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest And Google+ [INFOGRAPHIC]

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Occupancy at Beirut hotels at 56%, room yields down 35% in first quarter of 2013

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As the unrest in the Middle East is growing, the toursim influx is decreasing. This shows in the many hotels around Lebanon. A recent survey shows the the occupancy rate goes down as the the prices are going up. Meanwhile, Caretaker Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud remains optimistic about welcoming many tourists to Lebanon this summer. […]

Security official: Tripoli fast becoming like Kandahar

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The security situation in Tripoli is more serious than some may think, according to a security official who warns that the northern city’s alleyways are on the way to resembling the notorious lawless city of Kandahar in Afghanistan. “It’s becoming increasingly difficult to deter or control the gunmen in Tripoli. It requires – in deeds, […]

Report: Beirut-Washington Contacts on Possible Visit by Kerry

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The Lebanese authorities have contacted Washington to inquire whether U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to the Middle East this month will include Lebanon, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Tuesday. Kerry will visit the region on June 13-15 to discuss peace efforts with Israeli and Palestinian officials, Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Malki said on Monday. […]

Iconic Pictures Of Global Unrest From The Last Three Years

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Riots in Vancouver

Some pictures of Lebanon – Kaslik & La Creperie restaurant

adminJune 3, 2013Khazen BlogComments are off for this post

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Laura Ingraham Counsels Caution On Syria

adminJune 2, 2013UncategorisedComments are off for this post

Laura Ingraham struck warned note of restraint of Fox News Sunday over the prospect of American intervention in Syria. “I’m not going to sit here and in any way defend Barack Obama’s foreign policy,” Ingraham said, “but in this case we have to know with whom were dealing.” Like Rand Paul on Friday, Ingraham […]

Report: Suleiman to Challenge Parliament Term Extension, Deems it ‘Unconvincing’

adminJune 2, 2013UncategorisedComments are off for this post

President Michel Suleiman is expected to challenge parliament’s decision to extend its mandate for 17 months, reported the daily An Nahar Saturday.He believes that Friday’s extension contradicts several constitutional articles, adding that the reasons for it are “not convincing and they do not justify the failure to stage the parliamentary elections,” it said.He told […]

Lebanese immigrant sentenced to 23 years for Chicago fake bomb

adminJune 2, 2013UncategorisedComments are off for this post

CHICAGO: A Lebanese immigrant in Chicago was sentenced to 23 years in federal prison Thursday for plotting an attack and planting what he thought was a bomb near the city’s Wrigley Field baseball park. Sami Samir Hassoun, 25, pleaded guilty last year to charges of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and […]