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Mansour: Libya to Free Helene Assaf, ICC Team Soon

Minister of Foreign Affairs Adnan Mansour was informed Sunday that a four-member International Criminal Court team comprising Lebanese national Helene Assaf, detained in Libya since weeks, will be released soon.

According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, the ICC members are in good health and will be transferred from Zintan area, where they are being held, to Tripoli and later to Rome.

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Two Security Forces Wounded in Baalbek Drug Raid

Two members of the anti-drug unit were wounded on Saturday during a raid in the Bekaa province of Baalbek, reported the National News Agency.

They were chasing two suspects wanted for drug related charges in northern Baalbek near Deir al-Ahmar when a shooting broke out leading to the security forces’ injuries.

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Cabinet Convenes Tuesday to Address State Budget

Cabinet is expected to meet on Tuesday in order to address the amended state budget draft law, reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday.

It added that Prime Minister Najib Miqati held a series of contacts with a number of concerned officials to place the finishing touches of the draft law.

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Parliament to Tackle State Expenses, EDL Contract Workers Employment Next Week

Parliament is expected to convene on Monday and Tuesday in order to tackle 33 projects and draft laws, most notably one on state institution expenses and the other on the employment of Electricite du Liban contract workers, reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday.

Several contacts were conducted between the rival parliamentary majority and the opposition in order to ensure that spending draft law will be tackled at parliament, said the daily.

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Al-Asir’s Sit-In ‘Continuous’, Osama Saad Refuses ‘Targetting Resistance from Sidon’

The Imam of Sidon’s Bilal bin Rabah mosque Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir stressed that he will not suspend the sit-in that he has been staging in the city until his demands are met.

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Aoun Says Jumblat Suffering from Inferiority Complex: Govt. to Blame for Security Unrest

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun reiterated that the adoption of proportional representation in the parliamentary electoral law will help reflect Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat’s real political weight, reported An Nahar daily on Sunday.

He told the daily: “Jumblat is suffering from an inferiority complex. He fears the Christians, Shiites, and Sunnis because they outnumber him.”

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Kidnappers Release Zein al-Atat’s Son

The son of herbal expert Zein al-Atat was released on Saturday after mediations were successful with the kidnappers, the National News Agency reported.

NNA said that Ibrahim al-Atat was released on the outskirts of Baalbek.

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Dispute between UNIFIL Troops, Civilians in Maroun al-Ras

United Nations Interim Force spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said on Saturday that a dispute occurred between peacekeeping troops and the residents of the southern border town of Maroun al-Ras .

According to the National News Agency, the UNIFIL peacekeepers were taking snapshots of the area when several civilians came across and took the camera from them.

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Qabbani Urges Abductors of 11 Lebanese Pilgrims to Release them

Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani urged on Saturday the abductors of the 11 Lebanese Shiites pilgrims to release them as soon as possible.

“We haven’t received any new information on the abducted men,” Qabbani said after holding a meeting with the families of the 11 men in the presence of AMAL and Hizbullah representatives.

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Al-Rahi Calls for Commitment to National Pact, Criticizes Roads Blocking

Maronite Patriarch Beshar al-Rahi reiterated on Saturday his call on rival Lebanese foes to renew their commitment to the 1943 national pact, urging Muslims and Christians to coexist.

“I have already said that we need to go back to the 1943 national pact where only one state existed,” al-Rahi told reporters upon his arrival in Beirut following his trip to Turkey.

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