Mass protests in Lebanon as leaders hold meeting

Lebanese security services locked down central Beirut on Wednesday as ministers and parliamentarians met to discuss ways out of a political crisis that has paralyzed government and fueled a wave of street protests.

Activists mobilizing against government failures, including a rubbish disposal crisis that has allowed garbage to pile up in Beirut, gathered for protests but were kept away from government buildings by soldiers and barbed wire fences as politicians held meetings behind the barricades.