Only one voter arrived at the Lebanese embassy in Kuwait to vote in the parliamentary elections, despite the extension of the legislature's tenure until 2017.

Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil was determined to hold the elections in Kuwait and Australia as the parliament extension law wouldn't come in force until Tuesday.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Saturday he would have a "robust" conversation about downed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 with Russian President Vladimir Putin when they meet in Beijing. 

The Kremlin confirmed on Friday that Putin will meet Abbott, who last month promised to confront the Russian president over the downing of the plane, at a summit in the Chinese capital.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Beijing on Saturday ahead of next week's APEC summit, Russian news agencies reported on Friday.

"The meeting between Lavrov and Kerry is planned for November 8 on the sidelines of the preparations for the APEC summit in Beijing," the agencies quoted a source at the foreign ministry as saying.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Friday criticized Lebanese politicians for “destroying” the country and slammed lawmakers for “protecting their seats” at the parliament.

At the end of his two-week pastoral visit to Australia, al-Rahi said: “Politicians destroy and we build no matter what.”

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Thursday warned Vladimir Putin he will not be able to avoid a "conversation" over the loss of Australian lives in the downing of Flight MH17 over Ukraine.

Last month Abbott vowed to "shirtfront" the Russian president at the G20 summit in Brisbane next week.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi held talks on Wednesday with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abott, lashing out at the extension of the parliament's term.

“Simply, the extension of the tenure in democratic systems is illegal and unconstitutional,” al-Rahi stated as lawmakers are set to extend their term.

Australia stepped up its response to the Ebola crisis Wednesday in announcing Aus$20 million (U.S.$17 million) to help staff a 100-bed British-built treatment center in Sierra Leone.

It is the first targeted help Canberra has agreed to give to fight the outbreak in West Africa where the deadly disease has killed almost 5,000 people, although it has previously donated cash.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi stressed on Tuesday the importance of equality between Muslims and Christians in Lebanon, reiterating that the fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) are not linked to Islam.

“Lebanon is a model for coexistence between Muslim and Christian. They both live equally,” al-Rahi said from the Australian capital Canberra.

Australians have been told to prepare for more large-scale counter-terrorism raids as Attorney-General George Brandis revealed 73 people have had their passports canceled to prevent them joining the Islamic State group.

Canberra in September raised its terror threat level and carried out extensive raids in Sydney and Brisbane to disrupt an alleged plot by IS supporters to abduct and behead a member of the public.

A Jordanian man went on trial Monday accused of threatening to blow up the Australian embassy in Amman, in a message sent through his Facebook account.

Ali al-Hasanat, who faces up to 15 years in jail if found guilty, denied any wrongdoing during the hearing of the state security court in Amman.