The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has issued the 2022 New Year’s message, in which he takes stock of U.N.’s major breakthroughs in 2021 at the health, political, socio-economic and environmental levels, and wishes that 2022 will be "a year of recovery for everyone."

Below is the full text of Guterres' message and the url of the English-language video:

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat on Friday criticized those whose vision of Lebanon is based on “conspiracies and lies.”

Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri on Friday extended New Year greetings to the Lebanese people.

Mount Lebanon's prosecutor Judge Ghada Aoun said Thursday in a statement that Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh is not only prosecuted abroad, but also in Lebanon.

According to Aoun, there are two lawsuits against Salameh.

The Presidency on Thursday snapped back at those who criticized President Michel Aoun over the administrative and financial decentralization remarks in his latest speech.

“Politicians and journalists have deliberately taken out of context parts of President Michel Aoun’s address to the nation, interpreting them in a manner that contradicts with reality, for objectives that are no longer concealed from anyone,” the Presidency said in a statement.

Deputy Prime Minister Saade Shami, who is leading Lebanon's IMF negotiation team, said Thursday that the negotiations with the IMF will become deeper in January.

“We are preparing a variety of files for the negotiations,” Shami said, after meeting with President Michel Aoun.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdul Aziz urged Lebanon on Thursday to stop “the hegemony of terrorist Hizbullah over the state.”

King Salman said in a speech before the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia (Shura Council) that “KSA stands by the Lebanese people.”

Lebanon has recorded 3,150 new Covid-19 infections, its highest daily tally since vaccines rolled out earlier this year.

Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said he will personally oversee the precautionary measures on New Year's Eve.

The Free Patriotic Movement-led Strong Lebanon bloc has snapped back at Prime Minister Najib Miqati over his defense of Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh, stressing that the governor must be “immediately removed.”

Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Jumblat lauded President Michel Aoun for calling for a dialogue, in a statement he posted on social media.

“I think that President Aoun's call for dialogue is essential but the more important thing is for Cabinet to convene,” Jumblat said.