Spotlight
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Thursday reminded that caretaker PM Najib Mikati had said that there was “no need to form a government,” describing it as a “dangerous constitutional precedent.”
“He set the condition of obtaining (our) confidence in order to form the government, although his designation did not win (our) confidence, which means that he had decided not to form a government,” Bassil said after a parliamentary session dedicated to discussing ex-President Michel Aoun’s letter on the legitimacy of the caretaker cabinet.

Parliament recommended Thursday that cabinet continue its work in caretaker capacity after it discussed a letter by ex-President Michel Aoun concerning the resignation of the caretaker cabinet.
The caretaker cabinet can only convene in extraordinary cases, parliament said.

Parliament convened Thursday to discuss a letter by ex-President Michel Aoun concerning the resignation of the caretaker cabinet.
The session will not be broadcast to the public, and media reports expected it to be fiery.

The closing statement of the 31st Arab Summit that was held in Algeria on Wednesday said the Arab countries “reiterate their solidarity with Lebanon.”
The Arab League voices support for Lebanon “to preserve its security and backs its steps to extend its sovereignty over its territory on land and at sea,” the statement added.

The International Support Group for Lebanon on Wednesday noted with concern the “continued lack of cooperation among Lebanese political actors that has precipitated a presidential vacuum, at a time when Lebanon most requires quick and decisive action to address its dire economic, financial and humanitarian crises.”
“More than ever, Lebanon needs fully functioning state institutions that can pursue comprehensive reforms with a strategic vision that generates substantive change for the public good,” the ISG said in a statement.

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan urged Wednesday for the election of a new Lebanese president who is able to unify the country.
Bin Farhan stressed, in a speech in the Arab summit in Algeria, his country's keenness on the sovereignty of the Lebanese state.

Caretaker PM Najib Mikati on Wednesday urged the Arab nations to “rescue” Lebanon and not to “abandon it.”
“The Lebanon you know has changed. Yes, it has changed. The glowing beacon has been extinguished, the port that used to be considered the Orient’s gateway has exploded, and the airport that is considered a convergence platform is having its lights turned off due to fuel shortages,” Mikati said, in a speech before the 31st Arab Summit in Algeria.

Two depositors, one of them armed with a gun and a gasoline bottle and the other wheelchair-bound, on Wednesday stormed Credit Libanais bank in Hazmieh, demanding their trapped U.S. dollar savings.
The wheelchair-bound depositor, Ibrahim Baydoun, later told al-Jadeed TV that the bank had agreed to give them both a sum of $55,000.

A 16 years old schoolgirl died Wednesday after the ceiling of her classroom collapsed at a public school in Tripoli.
Another schoolgirl was severely injured and other students were wounded.

Parliament speaker Nabih Berri cancelled Wednesday his invitation for a national dialogue so that political parties can agree on a new president.
Berri's media office said that the speaker decided to cancel his initiative following "objections" from the Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement.
