Lebanon’s coronavirus ministerial committee on Friday decided to fully shut down the country from Saturday, April 3 until the morning of Tuesday April 6.

The measures will include a curfew and urgent movement permissions via the electronic platform while worshipers will have to use the platform to attend Easter mass in churches, MTV said.

Parliament’s Deputy Speaker Elie Ferzli held talks Friday with Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri at the Center House.

Around two kilograms of radioactive material containing depleted uranium will be moved from the state-run Zahrani Oil Installations (ZOI) in the South to the stores of the Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission, ZOI director Ziad al-Zein said on Friday.

The Higher Defense Council on Friday extended the general mobilization measures for another six months to contain the spread of COVID-19, and decided to impose a three-day shutdown during each religious holiday.

President Michel Aoun, chaired the meeting that was also attended by several ministers and army leaders and security forces, pointed to a spike in cases and an increase in deaths and voiced calls to face the third phase of the virus spread.

President Michel Aoun on Friday visited the Constitutional Council at Hadath area and met President of the Council, Judge Tannous Mashlab, and Council members: Judge Awni Ramadan, and Judge Riad Abou Ghaida, the presidency press office said.

Lebanon's private sector is stepping in to speed up the vaccination campaign against coronavirus by importing at least 1 million doses of Russian vaccines, with the aim of reopening businesses around the country hit by an unprecedented economic crisis.

The first batch of 50,000 doses of Sputnik V vaccines arrived early Friday, making Lebanon one of few nations where the COVID-19 vaccine rollout is being boosted by private sector initiatives.

The trial of former Nissan executive Greg Kelly in a Tokyo court is increasingly focusing on a rift between Nissan Motor Co. and its French alliance partner.

Kelly, an American, was arrested with former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn in November 2018 and has been charged with under-reporting Ghosn's compensation. He says he is innocent and was merely trying to find legal ways to pay Ghosn, who was dispatched by Renault to help turn Nissan around in the late 1990s.

Speaker Nabih Berri reportedly plans to make a new move and launch an initiative that could ease the government deadlock, amid months of wrangling between political leaders to form a cabinet, al-Anbaa electronic daily reported on Friday.

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri visited Bkirki on Thursday evening and discussed the controversial government formation with Patriarch Beshara el-Rahi.

PM-designate Saad Hariri met the US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea at the Center House on Thursday where discussions highlighted the latest political developments and the general situation in Lebanon and the region, his press office said.

The meeting was held in the presence of Hariri adviser, ex-minister Ghattas Khoury.