7:00pm MP Saniora telephoned Arab League Chief Amr Moussa and the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Aboul Gheit and discussed the current situation of Lebanon and of the region.

9:22pm Lebanese Republic Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani called for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the security forces to tackle the deteriorating security situation in some regions in the country, notably the Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhoods in Tripoli.

Qabbani said there is a “conspiracy” to spread civil strife in Lebanon and called on all parties to help Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri form the government so that state institutions can work effectively against “dangerous security incidents.”

8:50pm During an inspection tour in Beirut on Friday, Public Works and Transportation Minister Ghazi Aridi said it is important to “benefit from the positive regional atmosphere and form the cabinet as soon as possible.”

He called for intensifying efforts against security breaches in Lebanon, urging cooperation between all parties to not give political cover to perpetrators.

8:45pm US President Barack Obama will accept his Nobel Peace Prize in person, the White House said Friday. The award is due to be presented in Oslo on December 10.

The gold medal, diploma and a check for 10 million Swedish kronor (1.42 million dollars, 980,000 Euros) will be presented on the anniversary of the death in 1896 of the Nobel prize creator, Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel.

7:15pm US envoy George Mitchell met with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday at a time when hopes of a Middle East peace breakthrough appear dimmer than ever. As part of his push for a restart of peace negotiations, Mitchell was also scheduled to hold talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday evening in Ramallah, the political capital of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Despite low expectations, Netanyahu's office described the two hours of talks in Jerusalem as "productive and constructive, and focused on steps for advancing the peace process."

6:45pm Development and Liberation bloc MP Yassine Jaber said that the Saudi-Syrian summit is a huge success and called for Lebanese leaders to capitalize on improved inter-Arab relations to “get out of the long dark tunnel” and form a national unity government based on the 15-10-5 formula. He said he hopes the summit will have a positive effect on inter-Arab relations because, according to Jaber, a constructive atmosphere in the region “strengthens stability in Lebanon.”

6:40pm Following his meeting with Greek Ambassador to Lebanon Panos Kalogeropoulos on Friday, MP Boutros Harb described the Saudi-Syrian summit as “successful” since both countries have agreed to the “necessity of resolving Lebanon’s current political crisis, especially with regard to the cabinet formation.”

He stressed that the Lebanese issue was one of the major topics addressed by the Saudi-Syrian summit, criticizing the parties claiming otherwise. Harb commented on the Tripoli incidents, urging all intelligence services to uncover the source of the Energa grenades launched by unidentified assailants onto Jabal Mohsen on Thursday, a day after a similar attack on nearby al-Achkar coffee shop led to the injury of eight people. He warned that some parties might be instigating violence in Tripoli because they do not want political agreement in Lebanon.

6:30pm Leader of Reform and Change bloc MP Michel Aoun arrived at late George Abu Madi’s house in Ain al-Rummaneh and offered his condolences.

4:15pm The Army arrested 7 wanted people in a raid on Tyre’s internal neighborhoods.

4:05pm PM-designate Hariri met with Lebanon’s PLO representative Abbas Zaki at the Center House in a farewell visit on the occasion of Zaki’s diplomatic mission ending.

3:45pm LF leader Samir Geagea: There is no problem in waiting for one week or more to form the cabinet, but there should be a time frame where we form a government according to the Constitution after it.

3:00pm US President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday less than a year after he took office with the jury hailing his "extraordinary" diplomatic efforts on the international stage.

2:40 The American University of Beirut’s (AUB) Suliman S. Olayan School of Business announced on Friday the inauguration of its new building on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. Dignitaries from the United States, the region and Lebanon, including President of AUB Peter Dorman and Dean George Najjar, are expected to attend the event.

2:32pm Assad informed Suleiman during a phone conversation that Lebanon was a key topic on the agenda of his talks with King Abdullah.

2:31pm The army command: The military institution does not get carried away by irresponsible statements that create a tense situation reflecting negatively on the nation and the citizen.

2:30pm The army command stressed in a communique that it is resolute in imposing security and order in all Lebanese regions adding no one enjoys political cover.

2:15pm Suleiman Franjieh's Marada Movement said that Education Minister Bahia Hariri’s appointment of a general director to the Zgharta Technical Institute “breaks all rules and aims to increase divisions in the region.” The statement called for Zgharta residents to gather at the institute in Aqba to protest the decision.

12:28pm Former PM Najib Miqati: Saudi-Syrian rapprochement is reassuring. It is a big mistake to continue arguing over shares.

12:15pm Speaker Nabih Berri travels to Qatar tomorrow and will later head to the UAE.

8:20am MP Samir al-Jisr to VDL: The Tripoli incidents could be aimed at obstructing cabinet formation. However, the government will see light soon.

7:40am Minister Mario Aoun to VDL: We don’t see cabinet formation anytime soon. The Saudi-Syrian summit is not enough to speed up cabinet formation.

7:30am Tripoli Mufti Sheikh Malek al-Shaar to VDL: Some foreign parties reject Syrian-Saudi rapprochement and stability in Tripoli whose residents don’t want to go backwards.

Tags: breaking news, lebanon, Obama