The MPs of the Independent National Bloc -- Farid al-Khazen, Tony Franjieh and William Tawk – held a meeting Monday with MP Elias Bou Saab of the Free Patriotic Movement, who is running for the deputy parliament speaker post.

The meeting, on the eve of a parliamentary session to elect a speaker and a deputy speaker, was held at Khazen’s residence in Jounieh. It was also attended by ex-minister Youssef Saadeh of the Marada Movement.

The Appeals Chamber of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon has issued a scheduling order for the pronouncement of the Sentencing Judgment in the case of Prosecutor v. Merhi and Oneissi in a public session on June 16.

On 18 August 2020, the Trial Chamber pronounced its Judgment in the Ayyash et al. case and unanimously found Hizbullah operative Salim Jamil Ayyash guilty beyond reasonable doubt of all counts charged against him in the amended consolidated indictment.

UNIFIL on Monday honored the contribution of partners in communities, civil society, religious institutions, troop-contributing countries, and others, as the mission marked the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.

As May 29 fell on a Sunday this year, UNIFIL held its ceremony today at its Naqoura headquarters.

MP Mohammed Raad, the head of Hizbullah’s parliamentary bloc, noted Monday that there is no occupation in Lebanon “other than the Israeli occupation.”

“Show us if there is an occupation in Lebanon now other than the Israeli occupation so that we fight it with you. Enough with the deception of people. The elections are over and so are electoral slogans. Let us work for the sake of the people and the country now,” Raad said.

President Michel Aoun is committed to calling for binding parliamentary elections to name a new premier as soon as possible, in order to impose a PM “designation without (government) formation” equation, sources informed on Aoun’s choices said.

“This is the likely choice, seeing as it allows the President to evade responsibility for blocking government’s formation in front of the international community,” the sources told the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper in remarks published Monday.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday called on supporters not to fire in the air when he gets elected for a new term as parliament speaker on Tuesday.

In a statement addressed to “the Lebanese in all regions,” Berri, who is running for the post uncontested, called for “total refrainment from opening fire during the organization of any celebratory event, especially those related to the election of a parliament speaker tomorrow.”

In Lebanon, domestic violence isn’t a recent problem. Many women were exposed to either verbal or physical abuse during their lives.

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Representative and Regional Director for West Asia, Sami Dimassi, together with the President of Nusaned, Ghaida Nawam, have signed an agreement to mark the start of their collaboration in implementing a series of pilot projects.

The agreement falls within the SwitchMed II initiative, funded by the European Union, aiming to provide support mechanisms to countries on the southern shores of the Mediterranean to switch to sustainable consumption and production patterns.

Lebanon has questioned ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn after receiving an Interpol red notice for his arrest but did not take new legal measures against him, a court official said Monday.

"Judge Imad Qabalan interrogated Ghosn in the presence of his legal representative over the contents of the red notice," the official said on condition of anonymity as he is not authorized to speak on the issue.

Hizbullah has begun an attempt to bridge the gap between its allies in order to secure more votes for Nabih Berri as a Speaker for the new Parliament, al-Akhbar newspaper reported Monday.

The daily said it had learned from informed sources that "there is still hope" for the Free Patriotic Movement to change its stand on Berri's re-election, as the FPM has sensed positivity from the Shiite Duo regarding the nomination of MP Elias Bou Saab as a Deputy Speaker.