Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi and Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil agreed in their meeting on Friday on the need for “unified standards” in the government formation process, Bkirki sources said.

Outgoing British Ambassador to Lebanon Chris Rampling has criticized Lebanon’s leaders for their lack of “responsibility” in the face of the country’s multiple crises, in an op-ed marking the end of his tenure in Lebanon.

Below is the full text of the op-ed:

Nine out of 10 Syrian refugee families in Lebanon are living in extreme poverty, according to a United Nations report released Friday, citing "compounded crises" in the country.

Lebanon is mired in its worst economic crisis in decades, with its currency plummeting, massive layoffs, soaring prices and rising poverty.

Judge Ghada Aoun has filed a lawsuit with Judge Nicolas Mansour against Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Imad Othman and Brig. Gen. Hussein Saleh on charges of dereliction of duty, media reports said on Friday.

A court in Denmark on Friday ordered a Danish national facing terror charges on suspicion of having fought alongside the Islamic State group in Syria held in pre-trial custody until Jan. 6.

The 32-year-old man was arrested Thursday when he arrived in Copenhagen having been extradited from Turkey. The Copenhagen police said he had been in custody since he was arrested on an international warrant in January by Turkish authorities.

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil met Friday in Bkirki with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, hours after the patriarch held talks with President Michel Aoun in Baabda.

President Michel Aoun sent a cable of well wishes to his French counterpart on Friday after his diagnosis with coronavirus.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara el-Rahi on Friday said that it’s crucial for an agreement on the cabinet formation to be reached between the President Michel Aoun and PM-designate Saad Hariri, noting that he “sensed no intention” on the President’s part to get veto powers in the new cabinet.

The Internal Security Forces said Friday it wants to make the public aware of a scammer that is impersonating Valet to park cars offered by some restaurants, stores, and other businesses to steal the vehicles of customers.

ISF said in a statement that the suspect stole two vehicles on 11-11-2020 and on 1-12-2020 from Zalqa area, by pretending to work as a 'Valet Parking’ employee. He then escaped to an unidentified location.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara el-Rahi will visit Baabda Palace Friday before noon in an effort to bridge the gap between President Michel Aoun and PM-designate Saad Hariri on the delayed cabinet formation, Nidaa al-Watan reported.

According to information obtained by the daily, the Patriarch is trying to make practical steps to ease the formation hurdles, mainly that a postponed visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Lebanon might worsen the situation.