Khazen

Machine-learning algorithm beats 20 lawyers in NDA legal analysis

by techspot.com — Most of the jobs that get displaced by computers or robots are menial labor that requires little or no education. However, now that machine learning algorithms are becoming more sophisticated, even highly educated positions could be replaced by automation. A recent study by LawGeex pitted its machine-learning AI against 20 human lawyers […]

Read more
Lebanese govt talks hit snag over Sunni representation

The current Lebanese Justice Minister filed a complaint against a newspaper publisher, accusing him of harming relations with Saudi Arabia, AP reported. Charles Ayyoub, publisher and managing editor of Al-Diyar newspaper, in his article accused Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the deaths of civilians in Yemen. […]

Read more
Believe it or Not But Lebanon is Expected to Have New Cabinet in Next 48 Hours

by Daily Star.com.lb –– “Prime Minister Hariri is waiting for a final answer from the Lebanese Forces to his latest Cabinet offer before he meets with President Aoun either Monday or Tuesday to present him with the first Cabinet lineup that includes the distribution of portfolios among the main blocs, along with the names of ministers,” a source at Baabda Palace told The Daily Star. “The Cabinet formation process is on the right track. All signs indicate that the formation of a national unity government will be announced this week after major hurdles have been eliminated,” the source said. He ruled out the possibility of last-minute snags similar to those over the LF demand for the Justice Ministry that had thwarted the announcement of a Cabinet lineup nearly two weeks ago. The LF demand was rejected by Aoun, who insisted on retaining the Justice Ministry for one of his loyalists as part of his share after ceding the position of the deputy prime minister to the LF.

According to the source, Hariri’s Cabinet offer presented to the LF still stood unchanged despite the LF’s persistent demand for a weighty ministerial post as a substitute for the Justice Ministry. During one of his meetings with caretaker Information Minister Melhem Riachi last week, Hariri was reported to have offered the Lebanese Forces four posts: The deputy prime minister’s position and the Social Affairs, Culture and Labor ministries. Riachi, one of three LF ministers in the outgoing Cabinet, told The Daily Star Sunday that the LF would convey its answer to Hariri’s offer Monday.The LF’s parliamentary Strong Republic bloc will hold an extraordinary meeting in Maarab at noon Monday to be chaired by LF leader Samir Geagea to discuss “latest developments in the Cabinet formation and take the appropriate stances on it,” a statement from Geagea’s media office said Sunday night. LF’s deputy leader MP George Adwan said the party’s executive committee, headed by Geagea, would hold a “crucial meeting” either late Sunday night or Monday morning to decide on whether or not to participate in the new government. Adwan, in an interview with MTV, raised the possibility of the LF staying out of the new government. “There is a high possibility that the Lebanese Forces will not participate in the government,” he said. Assuring that a government would be formed in the next few days, Adwan said a “Plan B” would need to be devised if the LF did not participate in the government. Commenting on Adwan’s hint at the possibility of the LF staying out of the government, a source familiar with the Cabinet formation process told The Daily Star: “Adwan’s remarks are meant to enhance the Lebanese Forces’ negotiating position. No one wants to stay out of the government.” While Hariri insists on the LF participation in the new government, Adwan said caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, was seeking either to “prevent the Lebanese Forces from being represented in the government with its real weight, or prevent its participation.” Emboldened by the results of the May parliamentary elections in which it nearly doubled the number of its MPs from eight to 15, the LF has been demanding a significant Cabinet share. The LF and the FPM have been embroiled in a fierce struggle for five months over Christian representation in the government.

Read more
WHY YOU SHOULDN’T HELP YOUR COWORKERS UNLESS THEY ASK

POSTED BY CAROLINE BROOKS-MICHIGAN STATE — futurity.org — Building upon previous findings that showed how helping colleagues slows one’s success, management professor Russell Johnson looked more closely at the different kinds of help in which people engage at work—and how that help was received. “Right now, there’s a lot of stress on productivity in the workplace, and to be […]

Read more
Microsoft just leaped over Amazon as second most valuable U.S. company

By Reuters Microsoft overtook Amazon as second most valuable U.S. company on Friday after investors punished Jeff Bezos’ e-commerce behemoth for a disappointing quarterly earnings report, wiping $65 billion off the online retailer’s market capitalization. Apple still tops the list at over $1 trillion after crossing that threshold in September. Microsoft’s market capitalization was Wall […]

Read more
Jamal Khashoggi’s son arrives in US

Washington (CNN) By Elise Labott and Nicole Gaouette–The son of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi has left Saudi Arabia and arrived in the United States, a source close to the family told CNN. Salah bin Jamal Khashoggi, a dual US-Saudi citizen, had previously been unable to leave Saudi Arabia after his passport was restricted by the kingdom some months ago. […]

Read more
Saudi crown prince jokes about Lebanese PM Hariri at investment conference

RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday joked about Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri’s detention in the kingdom last year, saying he was free to leave after attending an international investment conference in Riyadh. “Prime Minister Saad is staying in the kingdom for two days so I hope you don’t spread […]

Read more
Israel tries to “stir up” tension in southern Lebanon via “false” missile allegations: president

BEIRUT, (Xinhua) — Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Tuesday slammed Israel for trying to “stir up” tension in southern Lebanon by making “false” accusations that Hezbollah holds secret missiles near Lebanon’s Rafic Hariri International Airport. “We have proved that Israeli’s accusations are false. These accusations aim at stirring up tension in southern Lebanon,” the Presidency’s […]

Read more
Jamal Khashoggi’s Son Meets Saudi King And Crown Prince In Disgraceful Photo Op

This article does not necessarily represent khazen.org opinion  by Ryan Grenoble — huffingtonpost.com — Officials in Saudi Arabia summoned Salah Khashoggi, the eldest son of the late journalist Jamal Khashoggi, to a palace in Riyadh on Tuesday, where he posed for photos with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. While the Saudis claim […]

Read more
Lebanese seek to save landmark concrete park

by Gulfnews AFP — Tripoli, Lebanon – Close to the seafront in Lebanon’s Tripoli, giant curves of concrete stand testimony to dreams before the civil war, etchings of an exhibition park never finished but already cracking. This month, a rare exhibition is being held at the site designed by legendary Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer in […]

Read more