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Nasrallah to Tackle Critical Developments in TV Interview

Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is expected to tackle on Monday the Special Tribunal for Lebanon probing the assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri during a television interview, An Nahar reported.

Nasrallah will discuss during the interview the disputed issues among the cabinet members.

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Muqdad Clan Members Block Dahiyeh Roads over Lassa Building Violation

Members of the al-Muqdad family on Sunday blocked with burning tires several key roads in Beirut’s southern suburbs, “after the Internal Security Forces suppressed a construction violation in the town of Lassa in the barren mountains of Jbeil and arrested a member of the family,” state-run National News Agency reported.

A few hours later, “a joint army-ISF unit managed to reopen roads in al-Msharrafiyeh, Ghobeiri and Mar Mkhayel and the Hadi Nasrallah Highway, as civil defense crews doused the burning tires and removed them from the streets,” NNA said.

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Proposed Recommendations of the 8th Retreat of Lady of the Mountain Gathering

The participants in the eighth retreat of the Lady of the Mountain Gathering discussed Sunday a number of proposed, preliminary recommendations, ahead of a press conference on October 27 during which the final text would be announced.

The conferees also discussed a document titled “The Role of Christians in the Arab Spring”, during a conference held at the Regency Palace Hotel in Adma.

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Lady of the Mountain Gathering Rejects 'Bids to Link Christians Fate to Oppressive Regimes'

A document discussed Sunday by the Christian “Lady of the Mountain Gathering” rejected “any attempt to link the fate of the Christians to the fate of the oppressive and tyrannical regimes” in the region.

March 14 General-Secretariat coordinator Fares Soaid said the eighth retreat of the Gathering was aimed at determining the role of the Lebanese in the Arab Spring.

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Lebanese Officials in Libya to Uncover al-Sadr’s Fate

A Lebanese delegation headed to Libya on Sunday to meet with National Transitional Council officials to unveil the fate of missing Imam Moussa al-Sadr, the National News Agency reported.

The delegation includes Director-General of the Ministry of the Displaced Haitham Joumaa and Judge Hassan Shami. It is expected to discuss the latest investigations undertaken by the NTC to unveil al-Sadr’s fate.

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Pro- and Anti-Assad Protestors Hold Demo Outside Syrian Embassy

Syrian Kurds held a protest outside the Syrian embassy in Beirut’s Hamra thoroughfare on Sunday while a group of President Bashar Assad’s supporters demonstrated in the same location.

Security forces deployed in the area to prevent any clash and set up a human barricade between the two sides.

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Report: Saudis Advised to Stay Away from Downtown Beirut

Saudi Arabia has advised its citizens to steer clear of downtown Beirut against the backdrop of an assault on a prince several weeks ago, Saudi embassy sources said.

The sources told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat in remarks published on Sunday that the advisory was sent to Saudis residing and studying in Lebanon.

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Report: Zasypkin-Saniora Meeting Came upon Orders from Russian Authorities

A meeting between Russian Ambassador Alexander Zasypkin and al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc leader Fouad Saniora came upon orders from authorities in Moscow, An Nahar daily reported Sunday.

The meeting held between the two sides on Saturday was attended by former Minister Mohammed Shatah.

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No Progress in Attempts to Find Solution to Promotion of al-Hassan

No progress was made in the past hours in the efforts to find a solution to the objection to promote head of the Internal Security Forces Information Branch Col. Wissam al-Hassan, a security source told An Nahar daily on Sunday.

President Michel Suleiman withheld his signature from a decree to promote around 400 police officers in all security institutions because of the objection over al-Hassan’s promotion to brigadier general.

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STL Judge: Ban to Name Cassese’s Successor Within Days

Judge Sir David Baragwanath, who succeeded Antonio Cassese after he stepped down as President of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon this month, will not last in his post, an STL judge told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat.

The judge, who refused to be named, said on Sunday that a decision to announce a successor for Cassese won’t last because U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon alone has the right to appoint an STL president.

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