Author: Bassem Mrouean
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Negligence suspected in Beirut blast involving chemicals
BEIRUT • Investigators began searching through the wreckage of Beirut’s port Wednesday for clues to the cause of the massive explosion that ripped across the Lebanese capital, and the government ordered port officials put under house arrest amid speculation that negligence was to blame. The investigation is focusing on how 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate,…
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Fierce battles near final IS foothold in eastern Syria
BEIRUT • Islamic State group militants cornered in their last foothold in eastern Syria fought back with suicide car bombs, snipers and booby traps Monday, slowing Kurdish fighters advancing under the cover of U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, Kurdish news agencies and a Syrian war monitor said. An Italian photographer was wounded in the clashes between the…