Energy Minister Jebran Bassil described parliament’s adoption of a draft law on the delineation of Lebanon’s maritime border as an “achievement,” saying however, it was now time for the cabinet to issue decrees paving way for the exploration of oil and natural gas in the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

Bassil told As Safir daily published Friday that Premier Najib Miqati’s government should commit to its policy statement and issue the decrees that would give licenses for international companies to explore oil.

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon probing the assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri will take new procedures before the end of August, al-Liwaa newspaper reported on Friday.

STL’s Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare obtained new information on the case, the daily said.

Estonia has paid a 5 million dollar ransom to win the release of the seven Estonian tourists kidnapped in the Bekaa valley in March, the French publication Intelligence Online has reported.

Citing a source close to Lebanese intelligence, the publication said that the Estonians had been kidnapped by mistake, and that the real goal of the hostage-takers was to nab citizens of a Western country with large interests in the Middle East.

Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour said that Lebanon’s stance at the U.N. Security Council comes out of his conviction that the country shouldn’t adopt any resolution that condemns Syria, As Safir newspaper reported on Friday.

“I believe that we shouldn’t adopt any resolution that condemns Syria, to ensure the security and stability of the two countries,” he stressed.

President Michel Suleiman has warned that the democratic changes in the Middle East should lead to improvement of Lebanon’s democratic performance.

During a meeting with a huge delegation from the Shouf area at his summer residence in Beiteddine, Suleiman said: “The security stability is one of the blessings of the democracy in Lebanon where Christians and Muslims live in a single democratic system and where all take part in political life.”

The general-secretariat of the March 14 forces is expected to hold several events on Sunday on the anniversary of the clampdown by the Emile Lahoud regime on opposition activists in 2001, An Nahar daily reported Friday.

The newspaper said March 14 has decided to hold the “Day of Repression” events on August 7, the anniversary of the “attack of the security regime” of Lahoud on people demanding more freedom.

A huge fire broke out at around 6:00 am Friday in Souk al-Rawshi building at the Hawd al-Welaya-Salim Salam area of Beirut. Firefighters finally doused the blaze at midday.

In the morning, firefighters evacuated people from their apartments on an emergency fire ladder. The firefighters later brought in a new ladder that fits for 5 people at a time.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati stated on Thursday that Lebanon chose to “disassociate” itself from the United Nations Security Council statement on Syria out of its “firm position that it will not intervene in the internal affairs of other countries.”

He said before reporters: “Lebanon does not meddle in the affairs of other nations, especially Arab ones, and it expects others not to meddle in its issues.”

A group of eight international and local groups urged Lebanese authorities on Wednesday to cease the harassment of human rights activist Saadeddine Shatila for his work documenting torture by security forces.

Shatila, who is a member of the international human rights group Alkarama, was summoned by Lebanon’s military intelligence to their headquarters in Beirut at 8 a.m. on July 25, said a statement released by the organizations, including Alkarama, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea criticized on Thursday Lebanon’s decision to disassociate itself from the United Nations Security Council statement condemning the violence against protests in Syria.

He told Voice of Lebanon radio: “Something must be wrong in Lebanon when 14 out of 15 countries voted in favor of the statement, especially when these countries included Russia, Brazil China, and others of different ideologies.”