Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil decided to refrain from participation in an official delegation that will be accompanying PM Tammam Salam to a summit in Mauritania, in what seems to be a reaction to Salam's stances with regard to Lebanon's offshore oil and gas file, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Tuesday.

A message has been conveyed from Ain el-Tineh to Msaytbeh that expressed resentment at Salam's stances and “obstruction” regarding the file. It reflected the reluctance of Khalil from participating in the official delegation accompanying the PM to Mauritania next week, said the daily.

A senior Palestinian delegation held talks with Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq on Monday and reassured that Palestinians in Lebanon will not allow jihadist groups to seize control of any Palestinian refugee camp in the country.

Syrian refugee Abu Adnan was rushing his newborn to the doctor one night in the Lebanese town of Rmeish when municipal police stopped him and began questioning him.

Speaker Nabih Berri has warned that any “obstruction” in the oil and gas exploration file would “serve Israel's interest,” vowing that he would not remain silent over any such attempt.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat stressed Monday from Bkirki that exerting efforts to reach a “settlement” over the stalled presidential vote is “more important” than focusing on candidates.

The cabinet convened in a special session on Monday to tackle the worsening financial and economic situation in the country in light of an absent state budget since 2005, reports said.

Monday's meeting discussed Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil's report on the state's finances which was presented during last week's session in a move to find a solution for Lebanon's economic crisis.

Prime Minster Tammam Salam “broke the silence” with regard to the latest agreement between the Free Patriotic Movement and the AMAL party on the oil excavation file, and expressed his annoyance over the “unideal manner” that the agreement was struck between the two, As Safir daily reported on Monday.

Media reports said over the weekend that the agreement between the two parties did not meet the approval of the PM and that Salam was disappointed that he was not briefed beforehand.

Whether it's joy, political passion or grief, for many Lebanese, there's only one way to show it: by lifting a gun and firing off rounds into the air.

But the deadly practice, a tradition in many Arab countries, has attracted new scrutiny and police attention following a spate of deaths and serious injuries in incidents involving indiscriminate gunfire.

Regional and international consultations have resumed regarding Lebanon's stalled presidential vote, while some domestic parties have described Speaker Nabih Berri's latest remarks about adherence to the Taef Accord as an attempt to promote his proposed “package deal,” a media report said on Sunday.

A number of Lebanese who had been stranded at Turkey's Ataturk airport arrived Sunday in Beirut aboard Turkish and Lebanese planes as Lebanon's Middle East Airlines said it will operate three flights on Sunday to bring Lebanese citizens from Turkey, media reports said.