The head of Dar al-Fatwa's Islamic Endowments, Sheikh Hisham Khalifeh, called on Thursday for electing a new Grand Mufti in August, but this announcement was met with the opposition of the Higher Islamic Council, that demanded that the elections be held as soon as possible.

Khalifeh said that the elections would be held on August 31 at Dar al-Fatwa's headquarters in Aisha Bakkar.

Security forces announced on Thursday the arrest of two people accused of sexual molestation and of robbing women at gunpoint in the Mount Lebanon governorate.

"Rapes and robberies have been recorded recently against women in different regions in Mount Lebanon, and these acts were committed by unknown assailants using a blue Renault Rapid car and a navy blue Nissan Datsun,” the Internal Security Forces said in a communique.

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq stressed on Thursday at the end of a short visit to the Gulf country Qatar that “Lebanon will witness an economic boom within ten years due to the promising oil reserves.”

“The Arab investments in Lebanon haven't been lost during the last four decades, on the contrary they increased, despite all the turmoil that Lebanon passed through,” Mashnouq said during a meeting with President of the Qatari Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim al-Thani and Qatari businessmen.

The military examining magistrate asked on Thursday for the death penalty against scores of Palestinians, who are on the run, for belonging to terrorist organizations, the state-run National News Agency reported.

NNA said Judge Fadi Sawan issued his indictment against the 31 Palestinians, accusing them of belonging to the Abdullah Azzam brigades and al-Qaida.

Al-Qaida affiliate al-Nusra Front has killed a Syrian and kidnapped two others during an attack on refugees in the eastern Bekaa Valley, the state-run National News Agency reported on Thursday.

Gunmen from the terrorist group opened fire on an encampment of refugees in the Wadi Hmeid area of the northeastern border town of Arsal at around 11:00 pm Wednesday, NNA said.

Lebanon's capital Beirut is awash with flags. But instead of the usual political colors, they're the bunting of World Cup competitors like Brazil and Germany being flown by local mega-fans.

Lebanon's national team didn't qualify for the event starting Thursday, and the tiny nation has no great sporting track record.

The army raided on Wednesday night an abandoned farm in the area of Kfardan in Baalbek after receiving information that it contains a large quantity of drugs.

According to a communique issued by the Lebanese army on Thursday, a unit seized around 750 kilograms of Cannabis from the abandoned farm.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi is expected to reconcile the rival Christian political leaders ahead of an initiative for a comprehensive reconciliation in the country, Bkirki's spokesman said.

Walid Ghayyad told al-Mustaqbal newspaper published on Thursday that al-Rahi “has a certain vision to implement this reconciliation starting with efforts to break the ice” among Maronite leaders.

Vacancy at the helm of the country's top Christian post is expected to remain until the end of the Summer, prompting the parliamentary elections to be postponed until 2015.

According to As Safir newspaper published on Thursday, Lebanon will enter on August 20 a deadline to agree on a new electoral law ahead of the November elections but priority at the time would be for electing a new head of state.

The whereabouts of the suspect who appeared in a controversial video message vowing to “liberate the Baabda Palace from the upcoming president” remain unknown.

According to al-Joumhouria newspaper published on Thursday, Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi referred a three-minute video, which went viral on social media, to General Prosecutor Samir Hammoud in order to apprehend three men and put them on trial.