None of the political figures that Speaker Nabih Berri has met over the past few days confirmed their participation or not in the upcoming talks in Baabda.

A spokesman for the International Monetary Fund said the ongoing negotiations with Lebanon are “complex” and require a joint diagnosis of the source and magnitude of the financial losses, noting on the other hand that the GDP may contract “deeper-than-expected" in the second quarter of 2020.

The government on Thursday expressed openness to economic cooperation with “Eastern countries” such as China, Iran and Russia, in the wake of calls in this direction from Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

“There was unanimity on being open towards everyone in a manner that achieves the country’s interest,” Information Minister Manal Abdul Samad said after a Cabinet session, responding to a reporter’s question about the matter.

Demonstrators on Thursday blocked the vital Jounieh-Beirut highway with burning tires in protest at the arrest of the activist Michel Chamoun.

An Internal Security Forces officer had earlier been injured in the head by a flying stone as scuffles erupted outside Jounieh's serail during the transfer of Chamoun to another detention center.

Lebanon confirmed six more COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry said on Thursday.

Five of the cases were recorded among residents while an expat repatriated from Syria was identified as the sixth case.

A 15-member delegation of the European Union comprising Ambassadors and senior diplomatic officials accredited to Lebanon visited the UNIFIL Headquarters as well as the Mission’s area of operations and the Blue Line on Thursday.

Marada Movement chief Suleiman Franjieh on Thursday held talks with al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri at the Center House, amid a flurry of meetings between political leaders in recent days.

“We consulted over the economic situation and we have a common vision,” said Franjieh after the talks.

Criminal Judge in Beirut Lara Abdul Samad has set October 14 to begin the trial of Central Bank governor Riad Salameh in a lawsuit filed by People Want to Reform the Regime group, the National News Agency reported on Thursday.

Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea on Thursday said the party’s backing to bring President Michel Aoun to the post might have been a “wrong assessment,” he said in an interview with Kuwaiti al-Qabas newspaper.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab emphasized during the cabinet meeting on Thursday on the impact of reopening the country’s airport on Lebanon’s crisis-stricken economy.