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Cabinet Session Suspended after 'Heated Debate' on Bitar

A Cabinet session was suspended Tuesday and adjourned to Wednesday, after it witnessed a heated debate over a demand by the ministers of Hizbullah, Amal Movement and Marada Movement for a stance on Beirut port blast investigator Judge Tarek Bitar, TV networks said.

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'Parody, Smear Campaign': Rights Groups Slam Political Moves against Bitar

The Lebanon judge leading the investigation into last year's huge Beirut port blast was forced to suspend its work Tuesday after what human right groups have condemned as an attempt by politicians to evade justice.

It is the second time Bitar has had to suspend the investigation in the face of lawsuits filed by former ministers he had summoned on suspicion of negligence, and comes amid growing calls from top officials, including Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, for him to be replaced.

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Army Says Arsal Nitrates Agricultural as Charges Filed in Iaat Case

Army Says Arsal Nitrates Agricultural as Charges Filed in Iaat Case

The army on Tuesday announced that a quantity of ammonium nitrate seized in the eastern border town of Arsal is not explosive, as charges were filed in the case of the ammonium nitrate truck confiscated in the Bekaa town of Iaat.

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Bassil: FPM Not Part of the Govt. but Will Help It Out in Reforms

Head of Free Patriotic Movement Jebran Bassil said Tuesday that even though the bloc “is not part of the new government,” the FPM will do what it can to help the government overcome the crisis.

He pointed out that “we were handed a country that is occupied, under (Syrian) tutelage and lacks sovereignty” and that “we are working to give it back its freedom and independence.”

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Port Probe Suspended as Bitar Issues Arrest Warrant for Khalil

Lead investigator in port blast case, Judge Tarek Bitar, issued Tuesday an in-absentia arrest warrant against ex-minister and MP Ali Hassan Khalil after the latter failed to appear this morning as a defendant before the Judge for interrogation.

Bitar reportedly accused Khalil of committing the crimes of murder, vandalism and arson, coupled with possible intent and professional negligence.

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Lebanon Stadiums in Sorry State  

Lebanon's top football stadium once hosted some of the world's best players, but today it has become a neglected, explosion-hit arena at times used as a cereal warehouse.

Stray dogs roam around its abandoned facilities, the walls are water-damaged and ceilings have caved in.

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Nasrallah Lashes Out at Bitar, Says Probe 'Can't Continue This Way'

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Monday launched his fiercest attack to date on Beirut port blast investigator Judge Tarek Bitar, calling for replacing him with a “transparent and honest judge.”

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Geagea: Hizbullah Trying to Deviate Attention from Real Cause of Crisis

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Monday charged that Hizbullah’s efforts are focused on “deviating attention from the real cause of the crisis” in the country.

Speaking at a meeting with a student delegation, Geagea blamed the country’s compounded crisis on the rule of Hizbullah and the Free Patriotic Movement over the past 10 years.

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Hizbullah MP Says Has 'Complete Story' about Ammonium Nitrate Ship

Member of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, Hizbullah MP Hassan Ezzeddine, has said that “there is a complete story about the ammonium nitrate ship that entered the port of Beirut.”

“The story could be published at any moment in the media so that all people will get to know what happened,” Ezzeddine said.

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Court of Cassation Rejects Khalil, Zoaiter's Request for Bitar's Removal

The Civilian Court of Cassation on Monday dismissed a petition filed by ex-minister Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zoaiter for the removal of Judge Tarek Bitar, the lead investigative judge into the Beirut port blast.

The Court argued that it is not the right authority to look into the request seeing as Bitar is not one of its judges and that his jurisdiction does not make him affiliated with the public prosecution.

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