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Miqati Calls for Meeting of Higher Defense Council after Tripoli Bloodshed

Prime Minister Najib Miqati called for a meeting of the Higher Defense Council in Baabda on Sunday to discuss the security situation in the northern city of Tripoli following consultations with President Michel Suleiman.

Following a telephone conversation with Suleiman, who is in Greece, and “in his capacity as deputy head of the Higher Defense Council, PM Miqati decided to call for a meeting at 10:00 am Sunday at the presidential palace in Baabda,” said a statement issued by the premier's office.

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Report: Syria to Hand Over Bodies of 5 Men Slain in Tall Kalakh on Saturday

Syrian authorities will hand over to Lebanon's General Security on Saturday the bodies of five armed men who were killed in an ambush in the Syrian town of Tall Kalakh, As Safir newspaper reported.

According to the daily, the remaining 9 bodies will be handed over in two batches.

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Berri Calls for Dialogue that Ends Political Paralysis

Speaker Nabih Berri said Friday he was calling for a dialogue among Lebanon's bickering officials to resolve the gap that widened between the March 8 majority alliance and the March 14 opposition coalition in the aftermath of the assassination of Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau chief Wissam al-Hasan.

Berri told al-Akhbar newspaper published on Friday that his call for dialogue is aimed at resolving the country's political crisis that erupted after the killing of al-Hasan in a car bomb explosion in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh district.

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Economic Committees to Meet Sunday to Reverse Economy Slowdown

Head of the Economic Committees Adnan Kassar announced on Friday that the committees will hold a meeting in the presence of several ministers to discuss some solutions that would steer the country's economic problems after media reports said the cabinet reached a settlement concerning the new wage scale for public employees.

Kassar said after holding talks with Prime Minister Najib Miqati at the Grand Serail that the meeting will be held on Sunday, stressing that “it's not acceptable to tamper with the country's economy during this delicate situation.”

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Judicial Sources: Saqr Hasn't yet Sent Audiotapes to Prosecutor's Office

The General Prosecution hasn't been handed copies of recordings that al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Oqab Saqr claimed he sent to Judge Hatem Madi's office, high-ranking judicial sources said Friday.

The sources told An Nahar daily that General Prosecutor Madi hasn't received the three-part series of the recordings in which the lawmaker allegedly discussed arrangements with a Syrian rebel to ship arms supplies to the opposition.

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Jamaa Islamiya Meets PSP Delegation, Says Dialogue is a Must

The head of the Jamaa Islamiya political bureau Azzam al-Ayyoubi stressed on Thursday on the importance of dialogue between conflicting parties in the country, as “living together in harmony is the only option we have”.

Al-Ayyoubi, and after meeting with a Progressive Socialist Party delegation at the headquarters of the Jamaa in Beirut, said he appreciates the efforts made by the party's MPs in promoting PSP leader Walid Jumblat's initiative.

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Lebanese 'Karachi Affair' Suspect Probed over Libya Cash

Ziad Takieddine, a Franco-Lebanese businessman who has been charged with corruption in the "Karachi" kickbacks affair is also being investigated for suspected money laundering after being detained with 1.5 million euros in cash, it emerged Thursday.

Judicial sources said Takieddine, who is allegedly embroiled in a string of illegal political financing scandals in France, had been caught with the money on a private flight out of Libya in March 2011, prior to the overthrow of Libya's then President Moammar Gadhafi.

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Mortar Shell Found in Tariq al-Jadideh Dumpster as Houri Says He May Have Been its Target

Security forces discovered on Thursday an explosive in Beirut's Tariq al-Jadideh neighborhood, reported various media outlets.

They said that security forces discovered a 120 mm mortar shell connected to a timer in a garbage dumpster in the area.

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Saqr Challenges Foes to Prove Involvement in Arms Trade as he Broadcasts Original Tapes

Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc MP Oqab Saqr challenged the Syrian government and his Lebanese foes on Thursday to prove that he was providing rebels with weapons after he broadcast the original tapes in which reports said he was striking a deal to arm the fighters.

OTV and al-Akhbar newspaper, both close to the Hizbullah-led March 8 majority coalition, broadcast and printed a three-part series of the recordings in which the lawmaker allegedly discussed arrangements to ship arms supplies to the Syrian opposition.

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Saqr Receives Samaha File ahead of Issuing Indictment

State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr received on Thursday the case of former Minister Michel Samaha ahead of issuing an indictment in the affair, reported the National News Agency.

First Military Investigation Judge Riyad Abu Ghaida referred the file to Saqr for assessment after he completed his investigations in the case.

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