Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati held talks Tuesday at the Grand Serail with a World Bank delegation comprising the bank’s Vice President for Middle East and North Africa Ferid Belhaj and Jean-Christophe Carret, the bank’s Country Director for the Middle East Department (Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria).

Speaking after the meeting, Belhaj said the meeting was constructive and positive and that the World Bank is ready to offer Lebanon funding worth 300 to 500 million dollars for social aid and projects related to sustainable food and agriculture.

President Michel Aoun on Tuesday stressed that “implementing unified standards in the formation of the government is the right gateway for producing an active government that can run the country’s affairs.”

“What’s currently happening contradicts with the principle of the unity of standards, seeing as the parties taking part in the government are the ones naming their ministers, but when the Free Patriotic Movement’s turn comes in the naming process, they (Mikati) insist on interference and picking the ministers instead of the political party concerned,” Aoun lamented, in a chat with journalists at the Baabda Palace.

General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim announced Tuesday that “despite everything that is being said, the efforts are still ongoing in an attempt to form the government.”

Ibrahim has been mediating between the parties, mainly PM-designate Najib Mikati and Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil, for several weeks now.

President Michel Aoun met Tuesday with Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul Karim Ali.

Ali said, in a press conference, before leaving Baabda, that Syria did not "cancel" a scheduled appointment with a Lebanese delegation, but rather apologized for not being able to receive the delegation on Wednesday because of "previously-scheduled appointments".

Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati met Tuesday with President Michel Aoun in Baabda and left without making a statement.

Media reports said that the two leaders are not meeting to discuss the deadlocked government formation, but that Mikati is rather paying a farewell courtesy visit to the President, few days before the end of his term.

ARAB ART FAIR, the first affordable art fair in the region that brings together art galleries, collectors, and independent artists, will be held for its second edition in Beirut.

Despite the difficult circumstances Lebanon faces, the most prominent art fair for independent artists is coming to Beirut to reignite the passion for art, featuring a roster of artists from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Lebanon, and more who will be exhibiting their art to local and regional art lovers.

The Syrian government on Monday apologized for not being able to receive Wednesday a Lebanese delegation that was supposed to discuss the issue of sea border demarcation between the two countries, an official Lebanese source said.

The Syrian government said the apology is related to “previously-scheduled appointments,” Al-Jazeera TV quoted the source as saying.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Monday marked the 77th United Nations Day at its headquarters in Naqoura.

"Following the positive outcome of the maritime negotiations, the Mission reaffirmed its strong commitment to creating space for a political and diplomatic solution between Lebanon and Israel," UNIFIL said in a statement.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Monday lashed out at the Change and independent MPs over their nominations for the presidential election.

“The way MPs behaved today was a real tragedy,” Geagea said in an interview on al-Jadeed TV, referring to the presidential election session that was held earlier in the day, which failed to produce a new president in the fourth such failure since September 29.

Lebanese depositor Wafik Mohammed Kalo on Monday locked up himself and other people inside BLOM Bank’s branch in the southern city of Sidon, demanding that he be paid $5,000 from his account to pay for his son’s heart surgery.

The drama ended a few hours later after the bank paid Kalo LBP 280 million.