Lebanon and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on Thursday exchanged MoUs in completion of a number of necessary legal procedures to put the partnership agreement between the two countries into effect as of 01/01/2021.

Investigating Judge Fadi Sawwan handed the Court of Cassation, headed by Judge Jamal Hajjar, the entire file of his investigation into the port blast, to decide on a memorandum submitted by two ex-ministers who challenged Sawwan’s authority, calling that he be recused from the investigation, Asharq el-Awsat daily reported Thursday.

Lebanon reported a record high of 2,878 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday.

In its daily statement, the Health Ministry said 13 fatalities were also recorded over the past 24 hours, which raises the overall number of cases to 177,996 and the death toll to 1,443.

The Internal Security Forces on Wednesday announced the arrest of a member of the Islamic State jihadist group who had monitored a military post between Furn el-Chebbak and Ain el-Rummaneh and pubs and cafes in Badaro.

In a statement, the ISF said its Intelligence Branch arrested the 20-year-old Syrian militant on Monday, seizing two cellphones that were in his possession.

Lebanese national Yara Khawaja, the official spokeswoman of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Yemen, was lightly wounded Wednesday in the blasts that rocked Yemen’s Aden airport.

According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, Khawaja was leaving for Cairo when the explosions happened.

Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Wednesday clarified the remarks he voiced Tuesday about the ammonium nitrate quantity that exploded at Beirut’s port on August 4.

“PM Diab relied in his remarks on unofficial information attributed to the FBI and he has not received an official report in this regard from the FBI,” his press office said.

General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim on Wednesday assured that although the security situation gets affected by politics, the security agencies are on alert to keep it under control.

“The security situation is under control. It is true that it is affected by politics, but we as security agencies are working to fully keep it under control,” said Ibrahim after meeting Maronite Patriarch Beshara el-Rahi in Bkirki.

Confusion arose among circles affiliated with Hizbullah after the party’s Al-Qard Al-Hasan financial institution was hacked, despite the institution's assurance the hackers had no access to any of the internal data or account numbers of depositors, the Saudi Asharq el-Awsat reported on Wednesday.

Sounds of heavy artillery shelling coming from inside the occupied Shebaa Farms was heard by villagers close to the Lebanese southern border, the National News Agency said on Wednesday.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara el-Rahi reportedly plans to seek the Vatican’s assistance in launching an international initiative towards Lebanon, amid reports he is holding “great anger” against officials mainly the President, the PSP's al-Anbaa electronic magazine said Wednesday.