Three Lebanese Army officers, who were arrested over the shooting on Sunni Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Wahed and his companion in the northern district of Akkar in May, were released on bail.

The National News Agency said Friday the Military Court of Cassation's head, Judge Elias Nayfeh, ordered the release of the officers on LL300,000 bail each.

Military Examining Magistrate Judge Riyad Abu Ghida will resume on Tuesday the questioning in the case of ex-Minister Michel Samaha, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported.

Sources close to the defense attorneys told the daily that a meeting was held with Abu Ghida in the past few days to request the questioning of “the secret informer,” Milad Kfouri, as soon as possible.

The Syndicate Coordination Committee rejected on Friday the government's proposal that the new wage scale be payed in installments over a five-year period.

It instead demanded that the wages be made in one full installment and that the government approve the format that was agreed upon with the committee.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi is scheduled to visit the northern city of Tripoli on the first week of November, Tripoli Mufti Sheikh Malek al-Shaar said.

Al-Shaar said that he held talks with al-Rahi in Diman on Wednesday.

A former Palestinian convict was killed by three masked men at the refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh at dawn Friday, the National News Agency reported.

NNA said that Saber Shukri al-Khatib, a 25-year-old member of the mainstream Fatah faction, was shot dead by the three men in the camp's al-Manshiyeh neighborhood around 2:00 am.

Despite the cabinet's approval of the new wages scale for the public sector, the controversial issue will face yet another obstacle at the parliament as the March 14 alliance is expected to obstruct it over disapproving the draft law.

According to As Safir newspaper published on Friday, the parliament is expected to convene at the end of September to tackle the issue but studying the matter could take a couple of months until the competent parliamentary committees approve it.

President Michel Suleiman met with Syrian Prime Minister Wael Nader al-Halqi and Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran last week, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Friday.

The daily said that the Syrian officials gave explanations to Suleiman on the case of former Minister Michel Samaha who was arrested last month on charges of plotting to carry out bombings in Lebanon with Syrian help.

The Economic Committees, a grouping of the country's businessmen and owners of major firms, on Thursday announced their rejection of “any decision issued by cabinet on the new wage scale,” warning that the government’s plan “will inflict heavy losses on the public and private sectors.”

Following an emergency meeting over “the consequences of the approval of the new wage scale on the economy and Lebanese people,” the Committees voiced “rejection of any decision issued by cabinet on the new wage scale, especially that the circulated numbers about its cost are totally unrealistic and would inflict heavy losses on the public and private sectors.”

Two people were wounded on Thursday in an armed clash in the Tariq al-Jadideh neighborhood in Beirut.

The army soon deployed in the area and contained the situation.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea stated on Thursday that if Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun is keen on ensuring Christians' fair representation at the parliamentary elections, he should agree to the Christian opposition figures' proposal on the electoral law.

He said during a press conference: “We will never forge an alliance with Aoun after he had repeatedly denied facts.”