The Beirut accusatory body acquitted on Wednesday the owners of the Fassouh building that collapsed on January 15.

The body had approved Beirut Examining Magistrate Ghassan Owaidat’s decision to acquit Claude and Michel Saadeh of the charges against them.

A Lebanese non-governmental organization promoting freedom of expression expressed fears on Wednesday that a draft-law organizing electronic media would harm freedoms if approved by the Government.

Maharat Foundation said in a press release that the draft-law proposed by Information Minister Walid al-Daouq was swiftly put on the agenda of the Cabinet that will convene on Wednesday without consulting experts.

U.S. ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly held a meeting on Wednesday with Prime Minister Najib Miqati at the Grand Serail.

The two discussed the local “political and security situation”, and the bilateral ties between the United States and Lebanon, according to a statement issued by the embassy.

The head of the public drivers syndicate, Bassam Tleis, called for a strike on April 19 to protest the government’s failure to set a ceiling for rising fuel prices.

“Our main demand lies in setting the ceiling for the prices of gasoline at LL25,000 and diesel at LL20,000,” Tleis said in a press conference he held at the General Labor Confederation headquarters on Wednesday.

The Maronite bishops council condemned on Wednesday the ongoing dispute over the new official history book that is being prepared to be taught at schools, saying that it should serve the country’s interests and recount events objectively.

It said in a statement after its monthly meeting: “The new history book should include the whole of Lebanon otherwise it will create more division among the Lebanon.”

A small quake measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale jolted cities in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, without causing any injuries or damage, the Bhannes Center for Seismic and Scientific Research announced.

Residents of the southern city of Tyre and its suburbs felt the earthquake at around 10:47 am, the National News Agency said.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati held a meeting with President Michel Suleiman ahead of a cabinet session on Wednesday at the Grand Serail.

The two discussed at the Baabda palace the latest local developments and the issues facing the cabinet and the parliament.

The thorny issue of appointments seems to be fading away as the cabinet will tackle the subject during its upcoming session at the Baabda Palace, As Safir newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The daily reported that head of the Higher Judicial Council will not be from the previous disputed names, as officials sought to choose a name other than those proposed by President Michel Suleiman and Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun.

The Lebanese army took stronger security measures and set up checkpoints in northeastern areas bordering Syria on Tuesday after heavy gunfire was heard on the other side of the border, An Nahar daily reported.

The newspaper said Wednesday that gunfire was also heard between 8:00 pm and 10:00 pm on the other side of North Lebanon’s al-Kabir river inside the Syrian al-Arida village where the Assad regime forces carried out raids in their crackdown on protestors.

The electricity crisis emerged back to the surface amid reports saying that Prime Minister Najib Miqati is seeking to refuse the leasing of power-generating vessels, while officials are still discussing the possibility of receiving a back-up from Iran.

According to An Nahar newspaper published on Wednesday, Electricite du Liban decided to ink an agreement with Iran to begin supplying Lebanon with 25 megawatts of power starting April, which would reach 100 megawatts in September.