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Cabinet to convene in coming days over public sector salaries

Cabinet will convene in the coming days to discuss the education file and the public employees salaries, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported Monday.

The daily said it has learned from ministerial sources close to caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati that the ministry of finance is preparing reports and tables for the salary adjustments and incentives to be given to the public sector employees, including the members of the armed forces.

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Nasrallah meets with senior Hamas delegation

Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has met with a senior Hamas delegation led by Sheikh Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy head of the Palestinian movement’s political bureau, Hezbollah said on Sunday.

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Report: KSA still against French-proposed deal after Paris talks

No joint statement was issued after the French-Saudi meeting on Lebanon that was held Friday in Paris, but leaks about the general vision of the two parties regarding the presidential crisis have emerged, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Saturday.

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Geagea says Nasrallah had no knowledge of Iranian-Saudi deal

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea told al-Markaziya news portal that those related to Israel's roadside bombing should be very careful, "because the situation in Lebanon cannot tolerate any mistakes."

The Israeli army had said Wednesday that soldiers have killed an armed man suspected of entering the country from Lebanon and blowing up a car, raising the risk of renewed tensions with Hezbollah.

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Shea announces $20 mn solar & renewable energy fund for Lebanon

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea announced Friday the launch of a $20 million Solar & Renewable Energy Fund at an event in the presence of Minister of Industry George Bouchikian, Minister of Energy and Water Dr Walid Fayad, Minister of Environment Dr Nasser Yassin, USAID Lebanon Acting Mission Director Nicholas Vivio, investors, and local enterprises.

The fund, created by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through its Trade and Investment Facilitation (TIF) Activity and Lebanon Investment Initiative (LII), will unlock private sector investments to finance the cost of solar panel installations for Lebanese entities, the U.S. embassy in Lebanon said.

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Report: Bukhari told MPs no objection on Franjieh

Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon walid Bukhari has informed a number of MPs he met that Saudi Arabia is not against the election of Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh as president, al-Liwaa newspaper said.

Sources told the daily, in remarks published Friday that Saudi Arabia has no objection on Franjieh or any other candidate, but rather cares about the president's program and how he will address the political and economic challenges.

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Salameh says appeared before European team as 'witness'

Central bank governor Riad Salameh said Friday that he has appeared "as a witness" before the European legal team and not as a suspect or an accused.

Salameh was questioned for two hours Friday and six hours the day before about his properties abroad and his wealth.

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French, Saudi officials to meet in Paris over crisis-hit Lebanon

French and Saudi officials will meet in Paris in the coming hours to discuss the Lebanese crises, including the presidential file and the economic crisis.

Saudi royal envoy Nizar Al-Aloula and Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari will meet with French President Advisor Patrick Durrell and French presidential envoy Pierre Duquesne.

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From acclaim to blame: Central bank chief Riad Salameh

Central bank chief Riad Salameh, once lauded for reviving the economy, faces investigations into his personal wealth and is widely viewed as a key culprit in the country's dramatic economic crash.

Salameh, 72, one of the world's longest-serving central bank governors having held the post for three decades, was a previously untouchable figure in Lebanon.

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European team ends Salameh questioning, to return in April

A European legal team on Friday ended two days of questioning of central bank chief Riad Salameh in Beirut in a money-laundering probe linked to the governor.

Salameh was questioned for two hours Friday and six hours the day before, Lebanese judicial officials said. The European delegation — with representatives from France, Germany, and Luxembourg — questioned Salameh through a Lebanese judge, acting as a go-between. Under Lebanese laws, the representatives cannot directly question Salameh.

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