Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri is upset with Prime minister-designate Najib Mikati, al-Akhbar newspaper reported.

The daily said that Berri has expressed to his visitors his discontent over Mikati's obstruction to a number of files and laws, including the state budget and over his evasion from fixing an exchange rate for it.

The Israeli cabinet is holding a meeting on Sunday to discuss the maritime border demarcating with Lebanon and Hezbollah's threats, an Israeli media report said.

On Sunday, U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein is scheduled to arrive in Lebanon with a response to Lebanon's demands. Lebanese and Israeli media reports have said that the solution to the border dispute is near and that Hochstein will present a framework for an agreement.

Israeli Energy Minister Karen Elharrar said Thursday that Israel is not negotiating with Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah over sea border demarcation with Lebanon.

Caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam confirmed Thursday that a Syrian ship carrying stolen Ukrainian barley and wheat is docked at Tripoli’s port, after Kyiv warned over bilateral relations.

“The Directorate General of Customs is following up with the Agriculture Ministry on the issue of the Syrian ship that is under sanctions and has docked at Tripoli’s port carrying stolen Ukrainian barley and wheat,” Salam told Annahar newspaper.

Rita Qadan's heart skips a beat whenever she talks about how she survived the devastating explosion in Beirut's Port two years ago. And every time she sees the massive port silos, she is reminded again of her trauma.

The port's grain silos destroyed in the blast -- a massive, charred ruin jutting into the sky -- have been burning for weeks after remnants of the grains that withstood the 2020 explosion started fermenting and ignited in the summer heat. The government said last week the fire expanded after flames reached nearby electrical cables. Experts warn the structure could collapse at any time.

Leading international auditing firm KPMG, which is tasked by the International Monetary Fund to audit the work of Lebanon’s central bank between 2015 and 2020, has not found any violations, LBCI television reported on Thursday.

The firm has also been tasked with auditing the bank’s work between 2020 and 2021, LBCI noted.

MP Cynthia Zarazir announced Thursday in remarks to al-Jadeed TV that she is “afraid” but “has not bought a gun,” clarifying earlier statements published by Annahar newspaper.

In her remarks to al-Jadeed, Zarazir denied that she has asked Army chief General Joseph Aoun for a permission to carry a gun into parliament’s building.

Caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam announced Thursday that the country will witness “breakthroughs” in the bread shortage crisis in the “next two days.”

“There is an operations room at the Interior Ministry that will coordinate with the Economy Ministry to monitor all things in the market,” Salam said.

The Premiership on Thursday declared August 4 as a national mourning day, in an administrative memorandum.

All public administrations, institutions and municipalities will be closed on Thursday, August 4, 2022, in commemoration of the tragic anniversary of the Beirut Port blast.

Head of Finance Committee MP Ibrahim Kanaan said Thursday that the committee has asked the Ministry of Finance to review the state budget for the last time and to submit clarifications before the committee's next session on Tuesday.

Kanaan accused the Cabinet and the Parliament of shifting responsibility, as he urged for "more transparency and less selectivity."