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Report: Hoax Bomb Threat to Miqati

Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati’s office in Beirut was evacuated after receiving a hoax bomb threat, security sources told An Nahar newspaper in remarks published Wednesday.

The sources said Miqati received on Tuesday morning an anonymous phone call saying there was an explosive at his office in Verdun.

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Mustaqbal Says ‘De Facto Forces’ Behind Construction Violations

The Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday noted that "there are no real indications" that the new cabinet will see light anytime soon.

In a statement issued after its weekly meeting under ex-PM Fouad Saniora, the bloc derided the "promises" made in that regard "by those who are saying that they are part of the cabinet formation process."

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Suleiman Meets Miqati as Govt Formation Impasse Enters 4th Month

Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati on Tuesday held talks with President Michel Suleiman at the Baabda Palace away from the media spotlight, state-run National News Agency reported.

Talks tackled "the latest developments concerning the cabinet formation process in light of the ongoing consultations and contacts," NNA added.

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Berri: Investigation into Lebanese Meddling in Syrian Affairs Should Be Conducted in a Legal Framework

Speaker Nabih Berri demanded on Tuesday that the investigation into alleged Lebanese meddling in Syrian affairs should be conducted in a legal framework.

He said during a ceremony commemorating poet Najib Jamaledddine: ““All Lebanese should be keener on Syria’s security and stability than the Syrians themselves.”

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Jumblat Visits Damascus Tuesday for Undisclosed Reasons

Sources from the Progressive Socialist Party revealed to the Central News Agency that PSP leader MP Walid Jumblat headed to Damascus on Tuesday but the reasons for the visit have not been disclosed.

They said that he will return to Beirut on Wednesday.

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Suleiman: The Authorities Should Protect Public and Private Property from Any Violations

President Michel Suleiman noted on Tuesday that the current situation in Lebanon and the region “require the Lebanese to protect the internal scene from the negative repercussions of these external developments.”

He stressed the need to resort to dialogue as the way to end disputes among the Lebanese under the umbrella of the constitution and laws “that ensure Lebanon’s interests.”

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Aoun: I Will Target Anyone Who Discusses Constitution without Properly Citing it

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun noted on Tuesday that it appears that there is no intention to form a new government in Lebanon because the reasons attributed to the delay in its formation “are not binding.”

He rejected after the movement’s weekly meeting the violation of the constitution by any side regarding the formation process and distribution of portfolios, especially the Interior Ministry.

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Shami Calls on Salam Not to Approve Security Council Statement on Syria

Caretaker Foreign Minister Ali Shami called on Lebanon’s ambassador to the United Nations Nawwaf Salam to reject the Security Council’s expected draft statement on the developments on Syria.

The U.N. will discuss Syria later Tuesday.

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Four More People Charged with Kidnapping of Estonians

Government Commissioner to the Military Tribunal Judge Saqr Saqr on Tuesday charged four people with involvement in the kidnapping of the seven Estonian tourists last month.

The state-run National News Agency said that two of them were charged in absentia. Among the four people, two are Lebanese nationals.

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Al-Rahi: Church Strives to Help Politicians Reach Sainthood

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi stated Tuesday that the church seeks to help politicians adopt a more honest approach in their practices.

He said: “The relationship between the church and politics is based on the former educating politicians to reach sainthood.”

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