An Islamic summit held at Dar al-Fatwa on Saturday stressed the importance of keeping Lebanon away from regional disputes.

It said in a statement: “Muslim unity must reject strife and maintain the role of the army in preserving national unity.”

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi received on Saturday a cable from French President Francois Hollande thanking him for congratulating him on his election as president and highlighting the depth of France’s ties with the Maronite church.

He added: “France will always stand by Lebanon against all challenges in a region that is witnesses several changes.”

President Michel Suleiman stated on Saturday that the national dialogue acts as the “political and security umbrella” in Lebanon given the current situation in the country.

He therefore urged “political powers, especially those participating at the national dialogue, to place national interests above all else and work in a manner that would help preserve security away from the developments in the region.”

One person was killed on Saturday and several others wounded in a fire that broke out in a factory in the region of Aley, reported Voice of Lebanon radio.

It said that Sudanese national, Seifeddine Seif al-Safi, was killed in the blaze that was caused by a gas canister explosion on Saturday morning.

Jessica Ghawi had escaped a mall shooting in Toronto weeks ago when an "odd feeling" led her outside, and then blogged about how fortunate she was.

But in an ironic and tragic twist of fate, Ghawi died in Friday's Colorado theater shooting spree, one of 12 fatalities in the mass killing.

The Syndicate Coordination Committee will escalate its action next week through sit-ins in front of ministries on Tuesday and another greater demonstration on Wednesday, reported As Safir newspaper on Saturday.

It said that the committee decided to hold a strike on Tuesday at all ministries and public administrations in Beirut and various other regions, in addition to the sit-ins at the ministries.

The fate of Tuesday’s national dialogue session remains unknown in light of the March 14 camp’s decision to boycott the talks.

Despite the boycott, President Michel Suleiman is attempting to “obtain positive positions” on resuming the all-party talks, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday.

Social Affairs Minister Wael Abou Faour stated that Lebanon is in need of $115 million to aid Syrian refugees who have poured into the country, reported As Safir newspaper on Saturday.

He told the newspaper: “Lebanon is unable to support the burden of assisting the Syrians.”

Mahmoud Hayek, the suspect in the assassination attempt against MP Butros Hard, refused to appear before the investigative bodies because he is a member of Hizbullah’s security apparatus, according to the lawmaker and some security sources Saturday.

Harb said that a car plate number was found inside the bag carried by the suspect when he tried to booby trap the top of the building elevator of his office in the Sami Solh region. The plate turned out to belong to a Hizbullah member who was called in for questioning, but refused, the An Nahar daily said.

Cyprus police have applied to hold a young Lebanese man for a further week over allegations he was helping to plan an attack on Israeli tourists, media on the island reported on Friday.

The 24-year-old, who holds a Swedish passport, appeared at a closed-door hearing on Friday and a court in the island's second city Limassol will decide on Monday whether he should remain in custody, the reports said.