Spotlight
Two containers went up in flames on Wednesday at the blast-hit Port of Beirut.
State-run National News Agency said the containers had car parts and furniture in them.

More than 50 countries, including Lebanon, and the U.N. agreed urgent action to end sexual violence in conflict at the UK-hosted PSVI Conference this week, signing up to a new declaration, the British embassy in Lebanon said.

Lawmaker and presidential candidate Michel Mouawad slammed Wednesday a capital control draft law after joint parliamentary sessions resumed discussing it.
Mouawad said that the law will make the depositors bear the burden of the financial crisis.

Joint parliamentary committees convened again on Wednesday to resume the discussion of a capital control draft law.
The committees had convened Tuesday, as depositors and activists rallied near Parliament to protest the law.

A depositor stormed Wednesday a bank in the town of Chhîm to retrieve his savings in order to fund his wife’s cancer treatment.
Depositor Walid Hajjar walked into the Credit Libanais Bank with his family, poured about gasoline and threatened to set the bank on fire if he did not get his money out.

Heavy rains on Tuesday caused powerful flashfloods in Jounieh, Kaslik and Kfar Hbab in the Keserwan district, trapping motorists in their vehicles and causing major damage, media reports said.
The rains also submerged Jbeil’s old souks.

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea on Tuesday stressed the need to elect a new Lebanese president, warning that procrastination and betting on time are not in Lebanon’s interest, the National News Agency said.
During a visit to the Maronite League, Shea also called for approving the needed reforms in order to reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund.

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat supported Tuesday a memo by Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Imad Othman, that had sparked criticism.
The memo gave the security forces the full authority to issue arrest warrants, in case the public prosecutions are unreachable or refuse to give a judicial authorization.

Joint parliamentary committees convened Tuesday in Parliament to resume the discussion of a capital control draft law, including one of its most important clauses.
A clause about forming a special committee to supervise the implementation of the law is to be discussed today or tomorrow, as the discussion will resume during a second session on Wednesday.

United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka and Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix have briefed the Security Council on the latest report of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701 and the situation in Lebanon, the U.N. said in a statement.
The Special Coordinator commended Lebanon and Israel for putting an end to their maritime boundary dispute and establishing a permanent maritime boundary on 27 October. "This is a historic achievement that could promote security and stability in the region and generate economic benefits for both countries," Wronecka said.
