Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri condemned on Friday the “latest massacre committed by the Syrian regime” in the town of Treimsa in Hama, saying that it has hit “a new record in crimes against humanity.”

He said in a statement: “I call on all Arab and world governments, the Arab League, Organization of Islamic Conference, and the United Nations to take immediate, practical, and decisive measures to protest the Syrian people.”

The Syndicate Coordination Committee announced on Friday that it suspended the correction of official exams to protest the cabinet’s failure to include the new salary scale in the 2012 state budget.

“We have suspended all the works related to the official exams unless the new wage scale is issued by Tuesday,” the committee said in a press conference.

Deputy Secretary of State William Burns completed his two-day visit to Lebanon on Friday and acknowledged Lebanon’s disassociation policy from the developments in Syria, said the U.S. Embassy in a statement.

He reiterated “U.S. interest in keeping Lebanon insulated from the violence in Syria.”

The military reinforcements to northern and northeastern Lebanon are underway with clear instructions to “respond to the source of fire,” the Lebanese army’s general command said Friday following several deadly incidents along the Lebanese-Syrian border.

“Based upon the decision of the cabinet on Monday, the army began upgrading its deployment in the area of the north starting with the city of Tripoli and its suburbs, all the away to the northeastern border,” the directorate said in a communique.

Security forces deployed heavily on Friday near Electricite du Liban’s headquarters in Mar Mikhael in Beirut in case the contract workers escalated their measures to protest the delay in their full-time employment and salaries payment.

Media reports said that the strict security boost near the company is plainly a “precautionary measure” to prevent the contract workers from forcing the shutting of the cash registers.

Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun expressed his keenness to the legacy of Lebanese philosopher and diplomat Charles Malek, a day after Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea accused the March 8 majority of seeking to transform the district of Koura where Malek was born into the territory of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

“Charles Malek was of course a personality with influence in Koura’s history,” Aoun said. “But history has had different symbols at different stages.”

Security forces obtained the names of three men who are allegedly accomplices in the latest bank robberies across Lebanon, al-Akhbar newspaper reported.

The daily said that the suspects have been robbing the banks to obtain money to buy drugs.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati slammed on Friday the sides that have criticized the manner in which the Special Tribunal for Lebanon was funded, saying that their campaign “against me reflects their spite and lack of reason.”

He said in a statement: “The critics’ statements prove beyond a doubt that they do not seek justice or the truth in the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri.”

The cabinet is exerting efforts to resolve the appointments of top civil servants in state posts by filling the vacant positions on different stages, As Safir newspaper reported on Friday.

“We will not appoint (the civil servants) in one package… We will appoint them on stages,” a minister told the daily.

Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc leader Fouad Saniora and Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea coordinated their future stances following the assassination attempts against several March 14 alliance officials, An Nahar daily reported on Friday.

The newspaper said that Saniora and Geagea held a several hour meeting on the latest developments after the boycott of Christian blocs of a parliamentary session to protest the adoption of a draft-law on the employment of Electricite du Liban’s contract workers.