The first of the two Turkish power-generating vessels is expected to arrive in Beirut soon, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday.

It said that the “Fatmagul Sultan” set sail on Friday, but it did not disclose when it is scheduled to arrive in the country.

The Judicial Council completed on Friday the first round of interrogations of a number of Islamist detainees linked to Fatah al-Islam, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Saturday.

It said that 21 Islamists, linked to the 2007 Nahr al-Bared clashes, were interrogated on Friday ahead of trials that are set to take place at a newly-constructed courtroom at Roumieh Prison.

General Prosecutor Judge Hatem Madi tasked on Friday State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr with following up on the recent Arsal clash, as Prime Minister Najib Miqati stressed the need for the army to restore stability in the Bekaa town, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Saturday.

Miqati had told An Nahar daily: “We are placing priority at the moment on arresting the assailants.”

The nine Lebanese pilgrims held in Syria's Aazaz region are doing well amid conflicting reports that one of their captors, Abu Ibrahim, had been killed, reported the daily al-Mustaqbal on Saturday.

Syrian opposition member Louay al-Meqdad told Future television: “Up until this moment, the pilgrims are doing well.”

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea held a telephone conversation on Friday amid preparations to hold a ceremony marking the eighth anniversary of the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday.

It said that the two officials discussed the latest developments on efforts to reach an agreement over a new parliamentary electoral law.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati stated that only parliament can decide whether to postpone the parliamentary elections, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday.

He said: “The government is working according to the fact that the elections will be held as scheduled in June.”

Lebanese Forces parliamentary bloc urged Hizbullah on Friday to hand over the party members accused of being involved in a bus bombing in Bulgaria and in the Rafik Hariri and Butros Harb cases to concerned authorities.

“This is just another chapter of the harm Hizbullah's military wing is causing to the country's security, economy, and its international relations,” a released statement said after the bloc's weekly meeting, demanding the party to disarm and hand over its weaponry to the Lebanese army.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi stated on Friday that the residents of the northern city of Tripoli will remain in his heart and prayers after the unrest that had frequently plagued the city in the past.

He said: “We pray that the city will enjoy security and safety in order for it to preserve its diversity.”

President Michel Suleiman asked General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim on Friday to investigate a media report that a Syrian army deserter was involved in the kidnapping of Lebanese pilgrims by rebels last year.

A presidential statement said that during a meeting they held at Baabda palace, Suleiman tasked Ibrahim with investigating the report carried by al-Akhbar daily that Syrian army lieutenant Mohammed Tlas, who has fled his country to Lebanon, was aware of the full details linked to the abduction of the 11 men.

A man has killed his pregnant teenage sister in south Lebanon in what was seen as an honor crime - the murder of a woman accused of shaming her family.

Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) said Friday that the body of Baghdad Khaled al-Issa, 18, was found with stab wounds in her head and sides in the area of al-Wazzani.