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Report: All parties, except LF, open to Berri's dialogue initiative

The majority of the parliamentary blocs, except for the Lebanese Forces, are open to participate in a national dialogue suggested by Speaker Nabih Berri, ad-Diyar newspaper reported Wednesday.

The LF party, unlike the rest, is not interested in a dialogue that might impose a consensual president, the daily added.

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Mikati urges Vatican to push for new president in Lebanon

Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati held talks Wednesday at the Grand Serail with the newly-appointed Papal Ambassador to Lebanon, Paolo Borgia.

“The relations between Lebanon and the Vatican were reviewed during the meeting and the Holy See reiterated its keenness on Lebanon and its sons,” the National News Agency said.

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UN says Palestinians in Lebanon facing 'dramatic humanitarian crisis'

The U.N. warned Wednesday that the number of impoverished Palestinians in Lebanon has risen substantially, fueling a "dramatic humanitarian crisis" as the country's economy collapses further.

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Lebanon returns group of Syria refugees in latest scheme

A first batch of Syrian refugees left Lebanon Wednesday for their home country under a new repatriation plan slammed by rights groups.

The latest repatriation effort, announced this month as a "voluntary" scheme, follows earlier such exercises since 2017.

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Report: Hezbollah, Mikati ties at 'dangerous juncture' as Lebanon drifts towards vacuum

The relation between Hezbollah and Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati is at a dangerous juncture, al-Akhbar newspaper reported Wednesday.

The daily quoted informed sources as saying that the ties between Hezbollah and Mikati cannot remain as they were in the past years if the latter insists on "the vacuum scenario."

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Israel greenlights gas production from Karish field  

Israel has given London-listed Energean permission to begin producing gas from Karish, an offshore field at the heart of a maritime border agreement about to be signed with Lebanon.

A statement from the energy ministry said they "gave Energean the approval to begin producing natural gas from Karish".

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Mikati regrets Bassil's 'tense remarks, provocative expressions'

Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati swiftly hit back Tuesday at remarks by Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil.

A statement issued by Mikati’s press office said the premier “regrets the tense remarks” of Bassil “at a critical political moment that requires cooperation among everyone, not the launching of arbitrary accusations and stances and the use of confrontational and provocative expressions.”

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Bassil gives few more 'hours' for attempt to 'avoid vacuum'

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil announced Tuesday that the FPM “will exert more efforts” and “will give more hours for the attempt to avoid vacuum,” in reference to the stalled government formation process and the looming presidential vacuum.

“Those who think that the caretaker cabinet will assume the president’s powers are mistaken, seeing as this is a violation of the constitution,” Bassil said at a press conference after the weekly meeting of the Strong Lebanon bloc.

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160K Oman-bound captagon pills seized at Beirut airport

The Lebanese Customs Administration announced Tuesday that around 160,000 captagon pills were seized Monday at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport.

In a statement, Customs said the narcotics were seized in cooperation with the Airport Security Apparatus.

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Belhaj tells Mikati World Bank ready to give Lebanon $300-500M

Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati held talks Tuesday at the Grand Serail with a World Bank delegation comprising the bank’s Vice President for Middle East and North Africa Ferid Belhaj and Jean-Christophe Carret, the bank’s Country Director for the Middle East Department (Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria).

Speaking after the meeting, Belhaj said the meeting was constructive and positive and that the World Bank is ready to offer Lebanon funding worth 300 to 500 million dollars for social aid and projects related to sustainable food and agriculture.

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