BEIRUT: The brother of Lebanon’s central bank governor did not attend a hearing in Beirut on Tuesday with European investigators probing whether the siblings embezzled and laundered hundreds of millions of dollars in public funds over more than a decade.
Governor Riad Salameh is being investigated alongside his brother Raja in Lebanon and in at least five European countries over allegedly taking more than $300 million from the central bank by collecting commissions as a fee from bond buyers then transferring the funds to Forry Associates, owned by Raja.

RAMALLAH: A Palestinian prisoner who has been on hunger strike for 80 days could die any moment following a sudden deterioration in his health, Palestinian sources have warned.

Khader Adnan, 44, from Arraba in Jenin, stopped taking food in protest at his arrest and detention by Israeli authorities.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club said Israel’s refusal to respond to his demand was a “death sentence” and that his condition had become “dangerous.”

BEIRUT: Two groups of Lebanese and Palestinian refugees flew to Beirut on Tuesday after they were evacuated from Sudan.

They arrived at Rafic Hariri International Airport carried by two Middle East Airlines flights from Jeddah.

The first batch of 12 Lebanese arrived at 3 p.m., and the second plane arrived at 11 p.m., carrying 32 passengers, 12 of whom were Palestinian.

ISTANBUL: Russia will host a new round of talks on Tuesday aimed at normalizing ties between Turkiye and Syria, Turkiye’s defense minister said.

The talks, also involving Iran, will be held in Moscow, Hulusi Akar said on Monday. 

They will be attended by the defense and intelligence chiefs of all four countries.

Russia is seeking to repair ties between Ankara and its ally Damascus, which were severed at the start of Syria’s civil war in 2011.

CAIRO: Egypt has long been a favored destination among refugees fleeing conflict, persecution and economic woes in countries across the Middle East and East Africa, either as a place of refuge or a stopover en route to Europe.

Now, with violence and chaos engulfing its southern neighbor, Sudan, authorities in Cairo are braced for a fresh wave of refugees in search of safety, employment and functioning health services. According to a report in the New York Times, more than 15,000 Sudanese have fled the Darfur region into neighboring Chad.