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Russia Uses Softer Touch in Lebanon to Win Influence

In a dimly-lit classroom in a Lebanese mountain town, students of all ages pore over Cyrillic workbooks and repeat carefully after their blonde instructor.

"Privet. Kak dela?" -- "Hello, how are you?"

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Al-Sayyed to Hariri: Formation of Govts. Needs Statesmen

MP Jamil al-Sayyed lashed out Wednesday at Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, noting that he is “not a statesman.”

“More than two weeks ago, I said that foreign forces were forbidding Hariri from forming the government, and I mentioned in the tweet that I would apologize to Hariri should he form the government within two weeks! The time has passed and he has not dared to form it,” al-Sayyed tweeted.

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Aoun Refuses to Bow to Jumblat's 'Moodiness', Geagea's 'Conditions'

President Michel Aoun is refusing to bow to Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Jumblat's “moodiness” or to Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea's “conditions,” despite his enthusiasm to see the new government formed soon, media reports said.

“Aoun is among those most keen on the formation of the government, but strictly according to the results of the parliamentary elections without any deviation,” al-Joumhouria newspaper quoted “credible” sources as saying in remarks published Wednesday.

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New Government May be Delayed to Early 2019

The Cabinet formation process has witnessed no positive developments and the current complications are threatening to delay the creation of the new government until early 2019, media reports said.

“New hurdles are surfacing everyday and the parties concerned are not announcing their true stances,” al-Joumhouria newspaper reported Wednesday.

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Mustaqbal Slams Parties Blaming Hariri for Delay, 'Sabotaging' His Ties with Aoun

Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday blasted political parties blaming Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri for the delay in the government formation process, as it warned that some are seeking to “sabotage” his ties with President Michel Aoun.

“Some stances and legal recommendations have suggested that the PM-designate will step down from the mission of forming the government or that parliament should be tasked with taking a decision in this regard. The bloc warns that there are non-innocent calls that violate the Constitution's stipulations, the spirit of the Taef Accord and the requirements of national accord,” said the bloc in a statement issued after its weekly meeting.

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Hariri Threatens to Name Govt. 'Obstructors', Says STL to Fulfill Justice

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri warned Tuesday that he could soon name those who are “obstructing” the formation of the new government, as he stressed that the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon will fulfill justice in the case of the assassination of his father, ex-PM Rafik Hariri.

“If the government is not formed soon, I will name those who are obstructing its formation,” Hariri told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting for the al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc.

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Bassil Says 'Strong President' Should Have Govt. Share, Parliament Bloc

Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil said Tuesday that the president of the republic should have a share in the government and a parliamentary bloc in order to put the so-called “strong president” idea into action.

“The president's ministerial share is not linked to a certain era and we must not return to strategic mistakes that have been committed since the Taef Accord all the way to the issue of the Orthodox Gathering electoral law and the issue of the strong president and how he should be elected,” Bassil said after the weekly meeting of the Strong Lebanon bloc.

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Shock in Lebanon as Man Killed in 'IS-Like' Fashion over 'Blasphemy'

A Lebanese cleric and his brothers have murdered a man and mutilated his body in a method calling to mind the gruesome executions of the Islamic State jihadist group, media reports said.

The incident in the northern district of Dinniyeh followed a verbal dispute between the cleric, Khalil al-Dhaibi, and the 43-year-old victim, Mohammed al-Dhaibi, over a “blasphemous slur,” the reports said.

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Detainee Jumps Off 2nd Floor in Escape Attempt

A detainee threw himself off the second floor of the Justice Palace on Tuesday in a botched escape attempt.

The National News Agency identified the man by his initials, J.S., saying he staged the attempt as he was being escorted by security forces following an interrogation session.

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Mashnouq: Hails General Security, Rebukes 'Conditional' Opening of Nassib Crossing

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq hailed the “tremendous” efforts exerted by the General Security Directorate in maintaining Lebanon’s security, noting that complaints from people crossing the border between Lebanon and Syria have “rarely been reported,” within the six-year Syrian war that pressured people to cross into Lebanon.

“Tremendous efforts have been exerted by the General Security. Within the last six years (the age of the Syrian war) we have rarely received any complaints from millions crossing the border,” Mashnouq told reporters.

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