A drillship anchored off Lebanon Tuesday to explore for oil and gas, an energy firm and the government said, raising hopes for a future boost to the country's crumbling economy.

Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri on Tuesday mourned late Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak as a “loyal friend of Lebanon.”

“With the death of president Hosni Mubarak, we turn the page on an epoch of the history of Egypt and the Arab nation, which was rife with both achievements and failures and carried landmarks in development and modernity in all fields,” Hariri tweeted.

Minister of Interior and Municipalities Mohammed Fahmi is scheduled to attend the Arab Interior Ministers Council in Tunisia this week, MTV station said on Tuesday.

Casino du Liban refuted on Tuesday claims attributed to al-Mayadeen TV channel alleging that a case of the deadly coronavirus disease was detected at the Casino, the National News Agency reported on Tuesday.

Countries of the European Union reportedly “support” the reform goals set by the Lebanese government and are “committed” to the goals agreed at the CEDRE conference, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Tuesday.

French car giant Renault said Monday it was filing a civil claim for damages against former CEO Carlos Ghosn over alleged financial misconduct.

The Rafik Hariri University Hospital announced Monday that three out of 34 people examined for the coronavirus over the past 24 hours have been quarantined although they tested negative.

Accordingly, the hospital said the number of those quarantined has risen to five – four who have “tested negative” and a 45-year-old woman who tested positive and was declared Friday as the country’s first coronavirus case.

Parliament’s General Secretariat on Monday responded to remarks voiced by U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis.

“We do not need lessons in legislation and we have never legislated behind closed doors,” the General Secretariat said in a statement.

Medical and health crews belonging to the Health Ministry are examining all those arriving from Syria via Lebanon’s northern border crossings as a precaution against the spread of the novel coronavirus, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported on Monday.

NNA said the measures are being taken in coordination with UNICEF and the World Health Organization.

Health Minister Hamad Hasan on Monday canceled a planned visit to the Rafik Hariri International Airport that had been scheduled for 4:50 pm, his office said.

The office did not elaborate on the reason.