The Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon with its partner, the Samir Kassir Foundation, have announced the results of the 17th edition of the Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press, in a ceremony held at Saint George Hotel, Ain El Mraisseh, Beirut.

The ceremony was broadcast live on the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International (LBCI).

The World Bank has extended its Country Partnership Framework (CPF) with Lebanon by one additional year "to advance urgently needed socioeconomic recovery programs targeting the poor and most vulnerable and support urgently needed macroeconomic and structural reforms."

In a statement, the world Bank said it has restructured and reprogramed its portfolio by cancelling underperforming projects and proactively allocating resources to newly identified priorities through a response focused on relief, recovery, and resilience.

A fight broke out Wednesday between supporters of the Free Patriotic Movement and supporters of the Lebanese forces at the Lebanese University.

The Lebanese army intervened to stop the fight that had started yesterday between the students over displaying portraits of certain politicians.

Free Patriotic Movement MP Cesar Abi Khalil slammed Wednesday Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat for switching in ten minutes from "defiant" to "non-defiant."

Abi Khalil questioned how Jumblat voted for Amal's Speaker, then against FPM MP Elias Bou Saab as Deputy Speaker.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri called Wednesday for a Parliament session on Tuesday to elect the joint committees' members.

Berri had been re-elected as parliament speaker Tuesday for a seventh consecutive term, cementing his reputation as an immovable centerpiece of the country's political landscape.

MP Jamil al-Sayyed lashed out Wednesday at Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, saying that Berri's "thug" supporters reflect an image of Berri's morals.

"I have survived wars, detention and assassination attempts, yet I have not changed, I stayed loyal to myself," al-Sayyed said.

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat said Wednesday that it might be better to frame a joint plan to confront the March 8 Alliance, after the PSP-backed MP failed to win the deputy parliament speaker post.

MP Ghassan Skaff lost to MP Elias Bou Saab of the Free Patriotic Movement on Tuesday. Bou Saab won with 65 votes in a second round of voting and Skaff garnered 60 votes, in what Jumblat called "a defeat of the new majority."

MP Pierre Bou Assi of the Lebanese Forces bloc on Tuesday lamented that the political establishment has “protected itself,” shortly after the election of Nabih Berri and Elias Bou Saab as parliament’s speaker and deputy speaker.

“Once again, the establishment has protected itself. As for the Lebanese Forces, it has renewed the pledge of honor with the Lebanese and Lebanon,” Bou Assi tweeted.

President Michel Aoun on Tuesday hoped the newly-elected parliament will manage to “rescue Lebanon” from its worst ever economic and financial crisis.

“I hope the new parliament will be able to face the current challenges at all levels and to contribute to rescuing Lebanon from the economic and social crisis through devising the necessary legislation and laws, in order to achieve the necessary economic revival for the country,” Aoun said.

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil announced Tuesday that his bloc did not vote for Speaker Nabih Berri in the parliament speaker election.

“Our stance is known as to the parliament speakership vote, which is that we cast blank votes,” Bassil said after the election session.