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FPM awaits Hezbollah reply to proposal dropping both Franjieh and Azour

Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement are holding dialogue without preconditions regarding the two parties’ presidential candidates, a media report said.

“Hezbollah is listening to the FPM’s opinion on the presidential file in light of the results of the June 14 session,” al-Akhbar newspaper reported.

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Berri, Bassil refuse any extension of Salameh's term

A technical extension of Central Bank chief Riad Salameh’s term, his reappointment to the post or tasking him with acting in caretaker capacity “are all impossible ideas that no one can tolerate,” Speaker Nabih Berri has reportedly said.

As for Salameh’s four vice governors, Berri said that the best move would be their “resignation and their acting in caretaker capacity until the appointment of a new governor and new vice governors at a later stage,” al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Monday.

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Mikati meets BDL vice governors ahead of Cabinet session

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.

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Report: Le Drian won't propose dialogue, Iran may join 5-nation group

French presidential envoy for Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian will arrive in Beirut on Tuesday and will amend the roadmap he had launched on his first visit, an informed source said.

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Le Drian returns to Beirut Monday, may call for 'consensual president'

French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian will return to Beirut on Monday after presenting to French President Emmanuel Macron and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna his report on the outcome of talks with the Lebanese, regional and international parties, sources in Paris said.

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Report: 5-nation group to use carrot-and-stick tactic to push for Aoun's election

The five-nation group on Lebanon met in Doha on Monday to “discuss a single matter: moving to the choice of the third candidate – Army Commander General Joseph Aoun,” informed sources said.

The group discussed “means to convince the Shiite Duo, specifically Hezbollah, with this nomination, studying a list of pressures that can be exerted in the coming period to achieve this objective, which included a lot of ideas, among them barring tourists from visiting Lebanon to undermine the touristic season,” the sources told al-Akhbar newspaper in remarks published Friday.

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Peaceful protestors denounce Quran desecration across Lebanon

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.

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Hezbollah relieved over FPM's lifting of Franjieh veto

Hezbollah is relieved over the resumption of dialogue with Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil without having to give up its nomination of Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency, a Shiite Duo source said.

“The reason behind Bassil’s return (to dialogue) might be the partial flexibility that the Duo has shown towards Army chief General Joseph Aoun,” the source told MTV.

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Wahhab-Abou Fadel verbal clash escalates into on-air brawl

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.

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Will BDL vice governors resign after yesterday's 'discouraging' meeting?

The Central Bank’s four vice governors – Wassim Mansouri, Bashir Yakzan, Salim Chahine and Alexander Mouradian – might resign, a central Bank vice governor said.

The vice governor told al-Akhbar newspaper, in remarks published Friday, that the vice governors' meeting with the Parliament's Administration and Justice Committee was not "encouraging."

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