The Lebanese army arrested a fugitive on Saturday during raids that it carried out in the area of al-Sharawneh in Baalbek, the National News Agency reported.

Al-Mustaqbal movement chief MP Saad Hariri voiced calls on founder of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun to find a middle ground on the issue of the presidential election in a bid to cross the difficult stage that Lebanon is witnessing and help end the vacuum at the top state post, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Saturday.

Hariri has conveyed a message to Aoun early this week, urging him “not to depend on some changes that have been frequently circulated by his friends because they are unfounded,” informed sources told the daily on condition of anonymity.

Lebanon's court rejected on Friday an appeal requesting the release of ex-MP Hassan Yaacoub who was arrested on alleged links to the December kidnapping of Hannibal Gadhafi, the state-run National News Agency reported.

South Lebanon's Public Prosecutor Judge Afif al-Qadi has rejected the appeals request by Yaacoub's defense team, NNA added.

The Electricity of Lebanon has completed a plan that would increase energy production after raising the capabilities of two Turkish power generating vessels that supply Lebanon with power, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Friday.

“EDL concluded a plan that would increase power supply by about 100 megawatts after raising the production capacities of the two ships that lie off the Zahrani and Zouk power plants from 280 megawatts to 380 megawatts,” an informed source to the daily on condition of anonymity.

Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh has said Lebanese banks will not be able to circumvent a U.S. law that imposes sanctions on banks, which knowingly do business with Hizbullah.

Salameh told LBCI’s Kalam al-Nass talk show on Thursday night that the Central Bank will issue two circulars that urge Lebanese banks to implement the law and inform it about the closure and opening of accounts.

Iran asked the United Nations on Thursday to intervene with the U.S. government over a Supreme Court ruling that allows nearly $2 billion in frozen Iranian assets to be paid to victims of terrorist attacks, including the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, for which the Middle Eastern country has been blamed.

In a letter to Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on Thursday, Iran's Foreign Minister Javid Zarif argues that the U.S. court decision will have "catastrophic implications" and "will cause systematic erosion" of the principal of state immunity.

The Syrian encampments are costing Lebanon some $400 million dollars in electricity expenses, ministerial sources told An Nahar daily on Thursday.

The cabinet discussed on Wednesday a suggestion that was brought up by the Energy Ministry to install electricity meters in the Syrian encampments in a bid to trim down illegal connection on power cables which is burdening the Lebanese treasury with significant costs, the sources said.

A survey in 10 countries with significant Muslim populations, including Lebanon, found "striking" differences in the extent to which people believe the Quran should influence a nation's laws.

Possible reasons for these differences include a nation's history and religious composition as well as personal factors such as intensity of religious observance, age and level of education, said the Pew Research Center, which conducted the survey among more than 10,000 Muslims and non-Muslims a year ago. Error margins ranged from 3.4 to 4.3 percentage points.

The cabinet held a regular session on Wednesday to address various issues and approved providing the telecommunications data to all security apparatuses while leaving the decision of giving it to the State Security in the hands of PM Tammam Salam.

“We have requested that all security apparatuses have access to the data including the State Security and Salam has assured us that this will be the case,” said Education Minister Elias Bou Saab after the cabinet session.

The General Security arrested three Syrian nationals for participating in armed attacks against the army and security forces during the 2014 battles in the northeastern border town of Arsal, it said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Within the framework of tracking down terror groups and sleeper cells, the General Security arrested, based on the public prosecution's command, three Syrians T.G, A.G., and A.Z. on charges of taking part in armed battles in Arsal,” the statement said.