Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq laid on Monday the cornerstone for a new building in Roumieh prison as part of his reform program to address many of the problems that Lebanon’s prisons face.

“There are at least 7,800 inmates in Lebanon but prisons have the ability to house only 2,500,” he said in a speech ahead of the ceremony at the country's biggest prison.

U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly warned that the vacuum in the presidency would impact the international community's trust in Lebanon.

In remarks to As Safir daily published on Monday, Plumbly said: “We've seen a tangible progress in the formation of Prime Minister Tammam Salam's government and the implementation of the security plan.”

A Syrian toddler was killed and five others injured on Monday in a traffic accident in the northern town of Hawshab in Halba, the Traffic Management Center reported.

A one-year-old baby, identified as Sarab Ahmed Dreiyi, was killed when a minibus collided with a Renault 12 vehicle.

The Intelligence Branch of the Internal Security Forces is in possession of tapes from security cameras showing two suspects allegedly involved in an assassination plot against Speaker Nabih Berri, As Safir daily reported on Monday.

The newspaper said that the two men, one on foot and the other on a motorcycle, were able in February last year to approach Berri's residence in Beirut's Ain el-Tineh area after the speaker ordered to limit security measures in an attempt to appease residents in nearby buildings.

The Army uncovered a tunnel in one of the Palestinian refugee camps reaching out of it, As Safir newspaper reported on Monday.

According to the daily, an army unit raided on Sunday the tunnel and placed it under strict surveillance.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi is expected to launch contacts this week to resolve the presidential deadlock despite his deep frustration over the failure to implement any of the initiatives he has suggested so far.

According to An Nahar daily, Al-Rahi informed several of his visitors that he would contact officials on Monday and Tuesday to find ways to end the vacuum at Baabda Palace, which came as a result of the failure of lawmakers to elect a successor to President Michel Suleiman.

Speaker Nabih Berri considered on Monday that cooperation between the state institutions doesn't compel the obstruction of all powers if vacuum hits a certain post.

Berri in comments published in As Safir newspaper wondered if “some parties are mulling to adopt a new definition of cooperation” among state powers.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam said on Monday that he is determined to reactivate the work of the cabinet, expressing relief over the security situation in the country.

“The interests of people should not remain obstructed,” Salam said in comments published in An Nahar newspaper.

Gunmen coming from Syria on Sunday crossed a Lebanese Army checkpoint in the Bekaa border town of Arsal before fleeing the area as troops opened fire, state-run National News Agency reported.

"Three gunmen coming from Syrian territory in a GMC SUV crossed an army checkpoint in Arsal's Wadi Ata, which prompted troops to fire towards them,” NNA said.

A major blaze erupted Sunday in the fields and groves of Akkar's Mashha and flames threatened a gas firm in the town, state-run National News Agency reported.

“Civil Defense crews assisted by three firefighting vehicles and two bulldozers from the town struggled to contain the flames amid fears that the fire could spread to the Shaaban gas firm,” NNA said.