French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian’s talks with Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Wednesday were characterized by “positive honesty,” the FPM's media department said.

“The French envoy proposed an idea backed by the five nations that had recently met in Doha, under which Le Drian would return in September to restart consultations, from square one and within a rapid and specific timeframe, in order to agree the presidential program that Lebanon needs,” the FPM added.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati met Wednesday morning with central bank vice-governors, Wassim Mansouri, Bashir Yakzan, Salim Chahine and Alexander Mouradian, in an attempt to find a solution to a looming leadership crisis at the central bank.

Minister of Finance Youssef Khalil, who attended the meeting, said that so far the vice-governors are not inclined to resign.

French special presidential envoy for Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian arrived Tuesday in Beirut on a several-day official visit.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri met tuesday with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Ain el-Tineh and discussed the looming leadership crisis at the central bank.

Berri stressed during the talks "the need to hold a Cabinet session to appoint a new Central Bank governor."

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Tuesday that his party is fighting a battle, along with its allies, "to win back the country from its hijackers."

"If the Axis of Defiance manages to take control of the presidency, this would lead to a continued deterioration of the economic and financial situations and would aggravate the suffering of the Lebanese," Geagea added.

The caretaker Cabinet convened Monday at the Grand Serail to discuss the much delayed 2023 state budget.

The Council of Ministers’ General-Secretariat received the budget draft law from the Finance Ministry last week, and cabinet will hold successive sessions to discuss and approve it.

Hezbollah central council member Sheikh Nabil Qaouq on Monday stressed that his party is “keen on consensus, because Hezbollah’s priority is halting the collapse and deterioration and saving the country.”

“But the other camp’s priority is employing the collapse and exploiting it for political objectives,” he added.

Caretaker PM Najib Mikati met Monday at the Grand Serail with Central Bank vice governors Wassim Mansouri, Bashir Yakzan, Salim Chahine and Alexander Mouradian.

The meeting was also attended by caretaker Deputy PM Saade Chami and caretaker Finance Minister Youssef Khalil.

Protesters took to the streets across Lebanon Friday to denounce Sweden's permission for a protest that desecrated the Quran.

In the southern suburbs of Beirut, thousands gathered at the protest, brandishing copies of the holy book and chanting “with our blood, we protect the Quran.” Some burned Swedish flags.

A verbal clash between ex-minister Wiam Wahhab and the journalist Simon Abou Fadel escalated into a fistfight during an on-air episode of MTV’s popular talk show Sar el-Wa2et (It’s About Time).

The fistfight immediately turned into a mass brawl and chaos on the show’s set, with supporters of Wahhab seen beating up Abou Fadel and MTV security scrambling to contain the situation.