Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea said Wednesday that the next President should be sovereign and reformist, refusing a President from the March 8 Alliance or a consensual President.

"We will oppose with all our strength the election of a President from the March 8 Alliance," Geagea said in a press conference as he accused the so-called Axis of Defiance of being the root cause of the crisis.

The Free Patriotic Movement slammed Wednesday, in a statement, the obstruction of the Beirut blast probe by some politicians and judges and by the supreme court of Lebanon.

The statement also blamed Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati for failing to form a new cabinet, obstructing reforms and not taking the required steps to activate the investigation.

Marking the World Day against Trafficking in Persons (TiP) 2022, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) together with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Lebanon organized awareness raising sessions on trafficking in persons for more than 150 migrants from various communities.

The sessions were organized in collaboration with Caritas Lebanon and Legal Action Worldwide (LAW), L'Union Pour La Protection de L'Enfance Au Liban (UPEL) and KAFA (enough) Violence & Exploitation.

Arab Bank Group has reported a net income of $252 million for the first half of 2022, recording an increase of 38% from last year.

Chairman of the Board of Directors, Sabih Masri, stated that the performance in the first half of the year reflects the Group’s prudent operating policies and strong financial position, despite challenging economic environment.

Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday said that after the return of U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein to Lebanon, the stances of the Lebanese state and Hezbollah were in harmony as to the “limited time” left to reach an agreement.

The head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, MP Mohammed Raad, announced Tuesday that Hezbollah’s stance on the sea border demarcation file with Israel is “clear and obvious.”

The British Embassy Beirut has announced that applications for the UK Government’s flagship Chevening Scholarships program opened on August 2.

Applicants should apply online via www.chevening.org/apply by 1 Nov 2022.

The Supervisory Commission for Elections said Tuesday in a statement that "some media outlets have been referred to the Publications Courts for violations, including defamation, slander, opinion polls, hate speech and the breach of electoral silence."

It added that it had also referred complaints to the public prosecutors in Lebanon. The complaints included bribery, obstruction of the electoral process, and other criminal offenses.

U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein met with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid after leaving Beirut on Monday, Lapid's office said Tuesday.

Hochstein's unannounced visit to Israel followed an "important" meeting in Baabda with President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, over the maritime border demarcation with Israel.

U.S. energy mediator Amos Hochstein said in an interview Monday that “some progress” was made in his talks with Lebanon’s leaders earlier in the day regarding the sea border demarcation file.

“I would say today’s meeting was important and I was honored that we were able to be with the three presidents at the same time,” Hochstein told LBCI television.