The Court of Cassation, headed by Judge Jamal Hajjar, decided to recuse Judge Fadi Sawwan from investigation into the Beirut port blast case, the National News Agency reported Thursday.

Speaker Nabih Berri discussed with caretaker Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi via a phone call on Thursday the need to stage the parliamentary by-elections to fill vacant parliament seats as stipulated by Article 41 in the Constitution.

The lead investigator into the Beirut port blast Judge Fadi Sawwan on Thursday postponed until Tuesday the questioning session of former transport minister Youssef Fenianos.

On Wednesday, Sawwan had issued an arrest warrant for Fenianos on charges of negligence leading to the devastating explosion, TV networks had said.

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri is expected to visit the United Arab Emirates after concluding his visit to Qatar, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday.

Bkirki on Thursday criticized Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah who rejected the Patriarch's calls for a U.N. resolution under Chapter 7 in Lebanon amid a complex process of a cabinet lineup, Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported on Thursday.

The lead judicial investigator into the Beirut port blast catastrophe, Judge Fadi Sawwan, has issued an arrest warrant for former public works and transport minister Youssef Fenianos on charges of negligence leading to the devastating explosion, TV networks said on Wednesday.

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri arrived Wednesday evening in the Qatari capital Doha, his press office said.

Snow blanketed parts of Lebanon on Wednesday, blocking roads and disrupting traffic.

Storm Joyce hit late Tuesday in Lebanon with gale force winds registering between 85 km/h (52 miles/h) and 100 km/h (62 miles/h). The storm is expected to get stronger Thursday.

Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid al-Bukhari reiterated the Kingdom's support for the “Lebanese people and their institutions,” during a meeting he held with Grand Sunni Mufti of the Republic Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan in Dar el-Fatwa.

The Progressive Socialist Party deplored in a statement on Wednesday the rocket attack on Arbil airport in Iraq.