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Parliament Bureau fails to discuss possibility of holding legislative session

A Parliament Bureau meeting that was supposed to discuss the possibility of holding a legislative session was on Monday postponed to a date that would be announced later, Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab said.

"While stressing parliament's right to legislate as happened in the past, the capital control format that was issued by the Joint Committees must be accompanied by a comprehensive plan. Accordingly, it has been decided to postpone Parliament Bureau's meeting to a later date," Bou Saab added after meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri.

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Salameh says no one has talked to him about term extension

Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh has announced that he has decided to leave his post following the end of his term.

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EU, SKeyes launch 18th edition of the Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press

The European Union and Samir Kassir Foundation launched today, February 20, the 18th edition of the Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press.

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Report: Salameh to address lira crash, banks to end strike

Contacts were held over the past 48 hours between senior officials and political leaders, especially Speaker Nabih Berri and caretaker PM Najib Mikati, in a bid to defuse the tensions related to the latest Lebanese currency crash and the banking sector strike, a media report said.

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15 dead in Israeli strikes on Iran-Hezbollah targets in Damascus

An Israeli air strike in Syria killed 15 people early Sunday and badly damaged a building in a Damascus district that is home to several state security agencies, a war monitoring group said. 

Civilians, including two women, were among those killed in "the deadliest Israeli attack in the Syrian capital" so far, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

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Bassil rejects 'corrupt president, corrupt PM and corrupt central bank governor'

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Saturday accused political rivals of seeking to elect a "corrupt" president and to appoint a "corrupt PM and a corrupt central bank governor."

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Raad admits Hezbollah has undeclared presidential candidate

The head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, MP Mohammed Raad, admitted Saturday that his party has an undeclared presidential candidate, in an apparent reference to Marada Movement chief Suleiman Franjieh.

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Franjieh says his candidacy not obstructing presidential vote

Marada Movement chief Suleiman Franjieh on Friday announced that his presidential nomination is “not obstructing the presidential juncture,” contrary to “what some are promoting.”

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Bishop meets Bassil as al-Rahi seeks Christian consensus

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi is continuing his efforts to secure Christian consensus over the presidential file, a media report said on Friday.

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Strong Lebanon slams 'folkloric' meetings as crisis bites

The Strong Lebanon bloc said Friday, in a statement, that it will not attend any legislative sessions before the election of a president, asking other blocs who also refused to attend parliamentary sessions to boycott the cabinet sessions as well.

The bloc also condemned the banks' open-ended strike, as he accused the caretaker prime minister and the central bank governor of attending "folkloric" meetings as people face alone dire economic situations.

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