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Interior Portfolio Emerges as Main Govt. Formation Obstacle

The issue of who will get the interior portfolio in the new government has emerged as the main obstacle in the renewed cabinet formation process, most newspapers reported on Thursday.

“The issue is not limited to a single portfolio and the general distribution of portfolios is still being discussed,” informed sources told al-Liwaa newspaper.

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Gantz Voices Concern to Paris on Arms Deliveries to Lebanon

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz has discussed with his French counterpart Israeli concerns about weapons deliveries to Lebanon among other issues, his ministry said.

The meeting between Gantz and the French minister, Florence Parly, was held in Paris.

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Bassil Advises Miqati Not to be 'Hariri's Fifth Victim'

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil has advised PM-designate Najib Miqati not to be the “fifth victim” of ex-PM Saad Hariri.

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The Hope of a Nation Lies in Education: For Lebanon This Has Never Felt More True

Op-ed by British Ambassador to Lebanon Ian Collard

“The main hope of a nation”, said the Dutch scholar Erasmus, “lies in the proper education of its youth”. For Lebanon, this has never felt more true. The country’s best times have been founded on a strong investment in its education sector – creating Lebanese thinkers, entrepreneurs, and professionals who were able not just to shape their nation positively but whose ambitions spread into the region and indeed beyond. Sadly, one of the greatest risks to Lebanon now, as it deals with one of the most challenging periods in its history, is what is happening to the education of its children.

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Miqati Meets Aoun, Senses 'Acceptance' of Line-Up Suggestions

Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati on Wednesday held talks with President Michel Aoun at the presidential palace in Baabda.

“I submitted to President Aoun my suggestions regarding the cabinet line-up and I sensed acceptance from his side,” Miqati said after the meeting.

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Hariri on Aoun: I Never Expected He'd Have Such a Personality

Ex-PM Saad Hariri on Wednesday said he “regrets” the settlement that made Michel Aoun president, adding that he “never expected him to have such a personality.”

“But I made the settlement to halt the collapse and strife,” Hariri added, in an interview with SkyNews Arabia.

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National Mourning Day on August 4

The Premiership on Wednesday issued an administrative memorandum declaring national mourning on the anniversary of the Beirut Port blast, which will be marked on August 4.

The PM Press Office's memo stated that “public administrations, public institutions and municipalities will be closed on Wednesday, August 4, 2021, in commemoration of the tragic anniversary of the Beirut Port blast."

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Lebanese Trap Shooter Ray Bassil Ranked 23rd on First Day of Olympic Shooting Competition

Lebanon's trap shooter Ray Bassil ranked 23rd on the first day of the Olympic Shooting Competition on Wednesday — Women’s Trap Qualification — hosted by the Japanese capital Tokyo.

Bassil earned 67 points, eight points ahead of the Slovak champion, Zuzana Rehak Stefecekova.

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FPM: Bassil 'Did Not' Ask Miqati for Interior Ministry

The Free Patriotic Movement's central media committee issued a statement on Wednesday as a reply to an article published by Nidaa al-Watan newspaper, denying “claims” that FPM leader Jebran Bassil had asked PM-designate Najib Miqati for the Interior portfolio.

The newspaper had published in its headline that "two main obstacles are standing in the way of government formation” and that “it will be impossible to overcome these obstacles, if Bassil continues to demand the Ministry of Interior and the blocking third."

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Al-Sisi Receives Army Commander, Praises Army’s Role

The Army Command tweeted on Wednesday that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received Army Commander General Joseph Aoun and praised the role of the Lebanese Army “at this delicate stage.”

Al-Sissi stressed on the army’s efforts “to provide security and stability” for Lebanon.

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