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Geagea Says Hizbullah, Iran Don't Want Aoun as President, Urges Hariri to Endorse General's Bid

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea stressed Thursday that Hizbullah and Iran do not want the election of Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun as president, while calling on al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri to back Aoun's nomination in order to “embarrass” Hizbullah.

“General Aoun is less committed to March 8 than (Marada Movement chief) MP Suleiman Franjieh and his stances are flexible, while MP Suleiman Franjieh's stances have been clear until the moment,” said Geagea during an interview on LBCI TV to explain why he has decided to endorse the nomination of Aoun – his long-time Christian rival.

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U.S. Embassy Beirut Hosts Waste-to-Energy Expert Thomas Henderson

The United States Embassy Beirut is hosting waste-to-energy expert Thomas Henderson as part of activities for Earth Day and in support of the Global Sustainable Development Goals, the embassy said on Thursday.

“Henderson is in Lebanon from April 6 to 10 to share his 37 years of experience in the field of waste management with government, municipality, and civil society representatives. He will also deliver a lecture for industrial engineering students at Lebanese American University,” the embassy said in a statement.

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Cabinet Fails to Reach Agreement on State Security despite 'Lengthy' Discussions

The cabinet held a regular session on Thursday to address various pending affairs with the contentious issue of general-directorate of state security taking up the majority of discussions.

Information Minister Ramzi Jreij told reporters following the nearly four-hour meeting that “lengthy” talks were held over the issue, but no agreement was reached over it.

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Samaha in Detention at Military Court ahead of Final Verdict

The lawyers of former Information Minister Michel Samaha gave their closing arguments at the Military Court of Cassation on Thursday and the judge asked for a two-day deadline to issue his verdict in the terrorism case.

“Samaha will remain in detention at the Military Court pending the final verdict,” said his main lawyer Sakhr Hashem.

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Security Forces Arrest Syrian IS Member Planning Attacks against Military

The General Security agency announced on Thursday the arrest of a Syrian member of the extremist Islamic State group.

The suspect, identified as M.F., confessed to taking part in clashes against the army in the northeastern border town of Arsal in 2014.

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State Prosecutor Defends Judiciary in Recent Scandals

State Prosecutor Samir Hammoud has denied claims that the judiciary was covering up for suspects involved in the latest corruption scandals that have rocked the country.

“We will not overlook anyone involved (in the cases). Yet we will make sure that our rulings are based on evidence because we don't want to do injustice to anyone,” Hammoud told As Safir daily published on Thursday.

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Report: Judge Saqr to Reopen Investigations in the Zaarour File

Sources close to the State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr stressed on Thursday that the judge will not let any pressure to control the path of investigations that he is leading with regard to the illegal internet stations and the latest incidents that took place at the Zaarour station.

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Report: Hundreds of Lebanese Firms, Personalities Involved in 'Panama Papers' Leak

Hundreds of Lebanese companies and personalities are involved in the scandal of the so-called Panama Papers document leak, al-Liwaa daily reported on Thursday.

The newspaper said the Lebanese entities and individuals mentioned in the documents in the "Panama Papers" leak are 468 companies, 30 customers, 131 beneficiaries and 624 shareholders.

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ISF Frees Siblings Abducted in Hadath, Detains Australian Mother, TV Crew

The Internal Security Forces said on Thursday that it has arrested four Australians suspected of involvement in the kidnapping of two siblings south of Beirut a day earlier after the Foreign Ministry in Canberra claimed the detainees were an Australian television crew.

The ISF said the four Australians were arrested by the Intelligence Branch on suspicion of involvement in the abduction of Lahala al-Amine, 6, and her four-year-old brother Nouh in Hadath.

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Reports: Hizbullah Kills, Wounds Several Nusra Militants in Arsal Outskirts

Hizbullah on Wednesday targeted a group of militants from al-Nusra Front in the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal, media reports said.

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