Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh has announced that he has decided to leave his post following the end of his term.

The European Union and Samir Kassir Foundation launched today, February 20, the 18th edition of the Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press.

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Saturday accused political rivals of seeking to elect a "corrupt" president and to appoint a "corrupt PM and a corrupt central bank governor."

The head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, MP Mohammed Raad, admitted Saturday that his party has an undeclared presidential candidate, in an apparent reference to Marada Movement chief Suleiman Franjieh.

Marada Movement chief Suleiman Franjieh on Friday announced that his presidential nomination is “not obstructing the presidential juncture,” contrary to “what some are promoting.”

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi is continuing his efforts to secure Christian consensus over the presidential file, a media report said on Friday.

The Strong Lebanon bloc said Friday, in a statement, that it will not attend any legislative sessions before the election of a president, asking other blocs who also refused to attend parliamentary sessions to boycott the cabinet sessions as well.

The bloc also condemned the banks' open-ended strike, as he accused the caretaker prime minister and the central bank governor of attending "folkloric" meetings as people face alone dire economic situations.

The UK Director General covering the Middle East Vijay Rangarajan ended a two day visit to Lebanon from 15 to 16 February, with the British Embassy in Beirut and UK Syria Office.

"He saw first-hand the UK’s continued support to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the most vulnerable in Lebanon, including Syrian refugees," a British Embassy statement said.

The Central Security Council held Friday an emergency meeting at the Grand Serail, a day after angry protesters blocked roads across the country and smashed windows and set tires on fire outside banks in Beirut, as the value of the local currency hit a new low.

After the meeting, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati asked if the activists who burned tires in front of the banks are "real depositors," suggesting that they might have received instructions to do what they did.

The Lebanese woke up terrified on February 6 as a 7.8-magnitude quake centered in Turkey jolted them from beds, shaking buildings for about 40 seconds.

Many residents of Beirut left their homes and took to the streets or drove in their cars away from buildings, terrorized by memories of the 2020 port explosion that wrecked a large swath of the city.