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Jumblat Says No Agreement with Hariri on Small Districts: We Both Reject Orthodox Draft

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat revealed on Saturday that no accord has been reached with former Prime Minister Saad Hariri on the electoral law draft proposed by the March 14 coalition.

“We both, however, agreed on rejecting the Orthodox Gathering's draft law for its unconstitutionality,” Jumblat said in an interview with Future TV.

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Minister: Lebanon Excluded From Ban on Sri Lanka Workers

Sri Lanka's Labor Minister Dylan Pereira said Wednesday that there will be no ban on the travel of female domestic workers and laborers to Lebanon following banning their travel to Saudi Arabia.

“There will be no ban on the travel of female domestic workers and laborers to Lebanon,” the minister assured after meeting Lebanon's Labor Minister Salim Jreisati where talks focused on drafting a new agreement that will soon be signed regarding Sri Lankan labor rights.

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Clinton Says U.S. 'Disturbed' by Iranian, Hizbullah 'Activities' in Syria

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused on Thursday Iran and Hizbullah of playing an increasingly prominent role in the Syrian war.

The U.S. is "disturbed by increasing Iranian and Lebanese Hizbullah activities" in Syria, Clinton told reporters on the eve of her last day as secretary of state.

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Qabalan Urges Dialogue Panel on Civil Marriage as Shiite Council Says It's 'Legally, Ethically Rejected'

Vice-President of the Higher Islamic Shiite Council Sheikh Abdul Amir Qabalan on Thursday called on the leaders of religious communities in Lebanon to form a committee to discuss the adoption of civil marriage in the country.

"An extensive study of civil marriage must be undertaken,” Qabalan stated during a meeting with a delegation of Lebanese student and youth organizations.

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Syria Says Israel Bombed Military Center near Damascus as Reports Say Arms Convoy Hit near Lebanon

The Syrian army said that an Israeli air strike at dawn on Wednesday targeted a military research center in Jamraya, near Damascus, after several media reports said Israeli warplanes bombed a weapons convoy near the border with Lebanon.

Residents who spoke to Agence France Presse on condition of anonymity, however, said the strike targeted a non-conventional weapons research center some 15 kilometers (10 miles) northwest of the Syrian capital.

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U.S. Congresswoman Wants Abdallah 'Locked-up for Rest of his Life'

A U.S. congresswoman on Monday urged France not to release Lebanese militant Georges Abdallah, despite his being granted parole after nearly three decades behind bars.

U.S. Representative Grace Meng said she would draw up a bipartisan letter with other members of Congress calling on France to scrap Abdallah's possible release.

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Myriam Klink Plans to Run for Parliament in Mini Skirt

Lebanon's parliamentary elections loom, and for a democratic country similar to Lebanon it has its arms wide open to candidates of various backgrounds even for models.

Myriam Klink, a Lebanese model declared on Sunday on her facebook page Sunday her intention to run for the elections.

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Morsi Declares State of Emergency in Riot-Hit Towns, Invites Opposition for Monday Talks

President Mohamed Morsi Sunday declared a state of emergency in three provinces hit by rioting which has left dozens dead, warning he was ready to take further steps to confront threats to Egypt's security.

Emergency measures would come into effect in the provinces of Port Said, Suez and Ismailia "for 30 days starting at midnight (2200 GMT Sunday)," Morsi said in an address on state television.

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Aoun: I Will Reject Any Law besides Orthodox Proposal that Does Not Offer Fair Representation

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun renewed on Tuesday his support for the Orthodox Gathering parliamentary electoral law.

He said after the Change and Reform bloc's weekly meeting: “I will reject any electoral draft law besides the Orthodox proposal that does not offer fair representation among the sects.”

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Moscow to Send Planes to Beirut to Evacuate Russians from Syria

The Russian government said on Monday that it will send two planes to Lebanon to evacuate Russian citizen from war-torn Syria, the first such effort since the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad began in March 2011.

The Emergency Situations Ministry said two of its planes will fly to Beirut on Tuesday to carry more than 100 Russians from Syria.

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