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Vatican Exerting Efforts to End Presidential Impasse

The Vatican resumed efforts to end the presidential deadlock in Lebanon as the papal ambassador Gabriele Caccia carried out contacts with diplomats to tackle the issue.

According to An Nahar newspaper published on Tuesday, Caccia contacted several ambassadors of major powers to tackle the presidential impasse.

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'Gaza You Are Not Alone'...Lebanese Networks Unite for Palestine

Eight local television networks overcame their political differences on Monday evening and aired a unified newscast in solidarity with war-battered Gaza, where at least 570 people were killed in 14 days of Israeli aggression.

"Gaza...you are not alone” was the title of the unified newscast, which got underway at 8:10 pm on all local channels. It kicked off with a tribute by renowned Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish to his homeland. His voice glorified Palestine through his famed poem “Ala Hathihi al-Ard Ma Yastaheq al-Hayat” (On this Land, There's What is Worth Living For).

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Three People Abducted on Baalbek International Road

Unidentified gunmen abducted on Monday three people on al-Hillaniyeh road in the Bekaa, the state-run National News Agency reported.

"Armed men inside a midnight blue Nissan Pathfinder intercepted a silver Mercedes Maybach on the Riyaq-Baalbek international road (in Bekaa) and kidnapped three people that were on board,” the NNA said, noting that the abduction took place in the region's al-Hillaniyeh area.

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Kataeb Says Parliament Must Have 'Electoral Powers Only,' Rejects Legislative Role

The Kataeb Party on Monday rejected any legislative activity at the parliament amid the presidential vacuum, warning also of the repercussions of not electing a new president.

"The Kataeb Party reiterates its calls for ending the (presidential) vacuum, refusing to give up to failure and becoming aware of the repercussions of not electing a new president,” the party said in a released statement after its political bureau's weekly meeting.

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Geagea, Jumblat Slam Attack on 'Christian Presence' in Levant

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Monday that “news of attacks on Christians and their churches and monasteries in Syria and Iraq, the last of which at Mosul's Saint Behnam, are heartbreaking” because they seek to “uproot civilizations from their land.”

“The LF, whose name has been associated with confronting tyranny, condemns in the strongest terms the attacks on Christians, wherever they may happen and whichever side they may come from,” Geagea said in a statement.

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Islamic National Gathering Urges Freeing Sabbagh, Warns of Bid to Undermine Security Plan

Tripoli's Islamic National Gathering on Monday warned of an attempt to undermine the security plan in the northern city, urging the immediate release of the detainee Hussam al-Sabbagh and “all those wrongfully accused of terrorism.”

“The conferees discussed the meager gestures of the government regarding the so-called rectification of the security plan, which means it has acknowledged that certain practices in Tripoli must be addressed,” MP Mohammed Kabbara announced after a meeting for the Gathering.

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Syrian Released after Kidnappers Lure him to Wadi Khaled

A Syrian national, 34, was freed after a kidnapping ordeal as police apprehended the kingpin of an abduction ring, Internal Security Forces commander in Tripoli General Bassam al-Ayoubi announced on Monday.

Ayoubi said in a press conference that Syrian national Mohammed Shattat, who owns a chocolate and packaged candies factory in the northern city of Tripoli, was freed due to the efforts exerted by the police in the north.

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Jumblat: Christians Must Realize Difficulty of Aoun or Geagea's Election as President

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat stressed the need for the election of a president who is “not provocative” to another political camp, reported al-Mustaqbal newspaper on Monday.

He told the daily: “Christians must realize the difficulty of Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun or Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea's election as president.”

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Mustaqbal, AMAL to Continue Dialogue over Financial Crisis despite Sharp Differences

AMAL and al-Mustaqbal movements are expected to resume on Monday negotiations over the country's financial crisis after failing to reach a breakthrough over the weekend as both parties held onto their stances.

According to al-Liwaa newspaper, a meeting will be held on Monday between Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, Speaker Nabih Berri's adviser, and al-Mustaqbal lawmakers Ghazi Youssef and Jamal al-Jarrah, in an attempt to end the crisis.

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Gemayel Hails Hariri's Roadmap, Says 'Timely' Initiative to End Vacuum

Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel lauded the roadmap established by al-Mustaqbal chief Saad Hariri, considering the “timely” initiative a push for the presidential elections impasse.

“Hariri's initiative came in time amid the ongoing vacuum and the local political deadlock,” Gemayel said in comments published in al-Mustaqbal newspaper on Monday.

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