Contacts have begun between Prime Minister Najib Miqati and Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh to secure a new loan for Elecricite du Liban, al-Akhbar newspaper said.

Informed sources told the newspaper, in remarks published Wednesday, that Salameh is “showing readiness to finance a $200-300 million loan -- to be secured from the funds that were being used to import diesel and not from the obligatory reserves.”

UNHCR, the U.N. Refugee Agency, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said Wednesday in a press release that they are "deeply concerned about the rapid deterioration in the living conditions of Syrian refugees in Lebanon."

"Almost the entire Syrian refugee population cannot afford the survival minimal expenditure basket," the statement said.

European Union Ambassador to Lebanon Ralph Tarraf on Tuesday held a meeting with Prime Minister Najib Miqati.

In a tweet after the talks, Tarraf said the meeting was "constructive and action-oriented."

Prime Minister Najib Miqati on Tuesday called on the lead investigative judge into the Beirut port blast Tarek Bitar to “abide by the constitution,” as he noted that he will not visit Syria if that will subject Lebanon to sanctions.

Relatives of the Beirut port blast victims on Tuesday warned that they would take action that would “change the face of Lebanon” if the probe into the catastrophic explosion came to an end, a day after the investigation was suspended following a lawsuit from ex-minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq.

“We call on the Lebanese to gather outside the Justice Palace tomorrow at 1:00 pm and we will announced the plan that will change the face of Lebanon,” the families said.

Saadallah al-Solh – owner of the ammonium nitrate truck seized in Bekaa – was referred to the competent judiciary, along with Maroun al-Sakr and two Syrian workers, the army said Tuesday.

The army added that al-Solh had bought the dangerous chemical in March from Maroun al-Sakr and the two Syrian workers had transported the nitrates.

The members of the U.N. Security Council have welcomed the announcement of the formation of a new government in Lebanon led by Prime Minister Najib Miqati and the September 20 vote of confidence by parliament as “necessary first steps towards the resolution of Lebanon’s crisis.”

In a statement, they reaffirmed their “strong support for the stability, security, territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon, consistent with Security Council resolutions 1701 (2006), 1680 (2006), 1559 (2004), and 2591 (2021), as well as other relevant Security Council resolutions and statements of the President of the Security Council on the situation in Lebanon.”

Head of Parliament's Finance and Budget Committee MP Ibrahim Kanaan said Monday that the central bank has requested a grace period until the end of the year to study the issue of raising the value of withdrawals.

The Finance and Budget Committee had met with representatives of BDL and the depositors, in the presence of the minister of finance and the association of banks to discuss raising the exchange rate for bank withdrawals, currently set at LBP 3,900/USD.

Judge Tarek Bitar on Monday received a request demanding his removal from the Beirut port blast case, which effectively suspends his probe pending a decision from the Court of Appeals.

The development follows a lawsuit filed by ex-interior minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq.

Head of the Progressive Socialist Party Walid Jumblat slammed Monday the “Axis of Defiance” in a tweet.

“They only utter threats,” Jumblat said.