Syrian actor Duraid Lahham was prevented again on Saturday from shooting movie scenes in the northern port city of Tripoli, the state-run National News Agency reported.

The NNA said that several youths rallied near the building and banned the technical team accompanying Lahham from carrying on its work.

An armed gunman robbed on Saturday Byblos Bank's Jnah branch in Beirut, reported the National News Agency.

It said that the gunman, dressed in from head to toe in black, entered the bank, robbed it at gunpoint, and fled to an unknown location.

Finance Minister Mohammed al-Safadi denied on Saturday that Saudi investors pulled deposits from Lebanese banks.

“The Lebanese banking system guarantees the free movement of capital and confidentiality, therefor, investors have the right to manage their money however they like,” Safadi said.

The Union of Bank Employees threatened Friday to take escalatory measures starting next week if the Association of Banks in Lebanon failed to produce any result over the controversial collective contracts, the al-Mustaqbal daily said Saturday.

Head of the Union, Georges Hajj called, in a press conference on Friday, on affiliated trade unions to hold general strikes beginning next week and to participate in all the moves planned by the union.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea stated that his party is “playing a complicated political game” over the parliamentary electoral law, reported the Kuwaiti al-Anba daily Saturday.

He said: “Some of our allies did not understand our stance, but I will soon hold a press conference to discuss at length the details of the discussions over the new law.”

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel expected on Saturday that the cabinet will not be able to form the independent authority overseeing the elections as the majority will obstruct the matter over its rejection to adopt the 1960 law during the upcoming parliamentary elections.

“The formation of the authority requires a decree and the approval of (the simple majority) half plus one,” Charbel said in comments published in An Nahar newspapers.

A meeting of March 14 independent figures held a meeting on Friday to discuss a new parliamentary electoral law in light of Interior Minister Marwan Charbel's opening of the door for nominees to submit their candidacies, reported the daily An Nahar Saturday.

MP Butros Harb told the daily that the talks focused on a law that “offers fair representation for Christians, while maintaining national unity.”

Efforts are ongoing between members of the March 14 camp and other political powers in Lebanon in order to reach an agreement over a new parliamentary electoral law, reported the daily An Nahar Saturday.

Head of the Mustaqbal bloc Fouad Saniora's circles told the daily that the discussions, which have been described as “positive”, included the bloc, March 14 figures, and the Progressive Socialist Party.

Speaker Nabih Berri expressed hope on Saturday that the political foes will soon reach common ground over a hybrid electoral law that would serve as an alternative for the 1960 and the so-called Orthodox Gathering laws.

“We should create an alternative electoral law that gathers the proportional and winners-take-all systems to replace the 1960 and Orthodox laws,” Berri's visitors quoted him as saying.

Internal Security Forces chief Ashraf Rifi honored on Friday the informer in the case of former Minister Michel Samaha.

He described Milad Kfouri as a “citizen who demonstrated special patriotism because he uncovered a dangerous plot” against the country.