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Sea of Mourners as Zahle Bids Farewell to Elias Skaff

Mourners flooded the streets of Zahle and the neighboring towns on Wednesday for the funeral of late former minister and MP Elias Skaff, who was also the head of the Popular Bloc.

A funeral mass was held at the Our Lady of Salvation Church, in the presence of former President Michel Suleiman, Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq and representatives of numerous political parties.

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Jumblat Holds Talks with Hariri in Riyadh on Local Developments

Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat held talks on Wednesday with head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri in Saudi Arabia.

A statement from the former premier's office said that the two officials met in Riyadh to discuss the latest local developments in Lebanon, most notably the political deadlock over the election of a president.

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Report: Finishing Touches to Shehayyeb's Waste Plan to Be Placed Wednesday

Joint efforts by Hizbullah and the AMAL movement have led to an agreement over two sites for possible landfills to be used according to Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb's waste disposal plan, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam's sources told the daily that technical, geological, and environment experts are expected to visit the two sites later on Wednesday to determine their illegibility.

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Report: Cabinet to Convene Friday to Adopt Shehayyeb's Trash Plan amid FPM Boycott

Cabinet is expected to convene on Friday to adopt Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb's waste disposal plan, reported the daily al-Mustaqbal on Wednesday.

Ministerial sources said: “The session will be its last due to the obstruction of the Free Patriotic Movement.”

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Change and Reform Condemns 'Usurpation of Voice of Aoun's Supporters'

Head of the Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Aoun will adopt an “escalatory” approach should the current “political practices persist,” announced former Minister Salim Jreissati.

He said after the bloc's weekly meeting: “We reject the usurpation of the voice of the people who support Aoun.”

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Civil Society Activists Protest by Military Court after Colleagues Denied Release from Custody

Civil society activists staged on Tuesday a sit-in by the Military Court in Beirut following the rejection of a request to release their detained colleagues.

The protesters objected to a decision by First Military Examining Magistrate Judge Riad Abou Ghida to reject a request to release five civil society detainees.

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Syria's Al-Nusra Issues Bounties for Nasrallah, Assad

The head of Syria's Al-Qaida affiliate has issued bounties worth millions of dollars for the killing of Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Syrian President Bashar Assad.

In a voice recording released late Monday, head of Al-Nusra Front Abu Mohamed al-Jolani said he would pay "three million euros ($3.4 million) for anyone who can kill Bashar Assad and end his story".

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Grand Mufti Marks Hijri Year, Urges Rival Politicians to Elect a President

Grand Mufti of the Republic Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan urged the rival political leaders attending the national dialogue sessions not to leave their meetings before they elect a new president.

“Do not leave your dialogue sessions unless you consensually agree on electing a new head of state,” Daryan said addressing the interlocutors of the national dialogue during a speech marking the New Islamic Year.

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Roukoz Leaves Headquarters One Day Early

Commando Regiment chief Brig. Gen. Chamel Roukoz is set to leave his headquarters in Roumieh on Tuesday for his successor Maroun al-Qobayati a day early as his term ends on October 15, following an official holiday.

The official handover ceremony between Roukoz and Qobayati will not be held this year, and Roukoz is scheduled to visit the ministry of defense where he will hold a meeting with Army Commander Jean Qahwaji and several other officers.

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Officials Rule Out Wave of Syria Refugees over Russia Air Campaign

Lebanese officials have ruled out a rise in the number of Syrian refugees after Moscow entered Syria's multi-faceted civil war last month.

The officials, who were not identified, told As Safir daily published on Tuesday that it was highly unlikely for more Syrians to seek safety in Lebanon over the air strikes carried out by Russia to help the Syrian regime.

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