Italian Defense Minister Giampaolo Di Paola confirmed Friday his country's commitment to the security of Lebanon, saying it was crucial to the stability of the wider region.

  

Lebanon's animal rights activists are fighting to bring to national attention what they say are rampant trafficking and abuse, problems that are far from priorities in a country plagued with turbulence.

  

BEIRUT - Two days of bloody turmoil in Syria killed at least 74 people, including small children, as forces loyal to President Bashar Assad shelled residential buildings and fired on crowds in a dramatic escalation of violence, activists said Friday.

  

BEIRUT…Two days of bloody turmoil in Syria killed at least 74 people, including small children, as forces loyal to President Bashar Assad shelled residential buildings and fired on crowds in a dramatic escalation of violence, activists said Friday.

  

Lebanon School District has been awarded a nearly $1.5 million federal grant to continue a successful after-school enrichment program.

  

Students in their final year of the LPN to RN program at HACC's Lebanon campus were shocked Thursday afternoon when they learned they cannot complete their degree here.

  

A Syrian investigation determines that the Lebanese fishermen detained by Syria last week had strayed into Syrian territorial waters.

  

Lebanese employees will begin to receive their long-awaited salary increases from Feb. 1, after the official Gazette published the relevant decree Thursday.

  

Senior Lebanese and Israeli military officials met Thursday under the supervision of UNIFIL to discuss blue line violations and Israel's withdrawal from the northern part of Ghajar.

  

Senior Lebanese and Israeli military officials met Thursday under the supervision of UNIFIL to discuss blue line violations and Israel's withdrawal from the northern part of Ghajar.

  

Senior Lebanese and Israeli military officials met Thursday under the supervision of UNIFIL to discuss blue line violations and Israel's withdrawal from the northern part of Ghajar.

  

LEBANON Parked cars and a blocked standpipe caused problems at a New Year's Eve fire in the Heights of Lebanon development on Conover Terrace, prompting a call among borough officials for better parking regulations in the long-unfinished complex.

  

Lebanon: Bank Audi announced, on Thursday, January 26, 2012, the launch of 'Novo', the first banking channel in the region that provides customers with a new interactive banking experience based on the concept of 'Forward Banking'. [AMEInfo.com]

  

Lebanon: Bank Audi announced, on Thursday, January 26, 2012, the launch of 'Novo', the first banking channel in the region that provides customers with a new interactive banking experience based on the concept of 'Forward Banking'. [AMEInfo.com]

  

Lebanon: Global travel services provider Travelport has announced the activation of a regional Levant hub in Beirut that will oversee its growing Galileo and Worldspan travel agency network in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, Iraq and Syria. [AMEInfo.com]

  

Lebanon: The number of real estate transactions in Lebanon has seen a 12.02% decline last year to 82,984, compared with 94,320 transactions in 2010, The Daily Star has reported. The total value of transactions fell by $640m to $8.84bn in 2011, down from $9.48 billion in the previous year. However, the average real estate transaction value was 6.01% higher at $106,533 up from $100,496 in 2010. [AMEInfo.com]

  

Lebanon: Maroun Chammas head of Lebanon's Association of Oil Importers has said prices of gasoil and diesel are expected to fall by as much as 10% once the parliament approves a recommendation to remove the VAT from this commodity, The Daily Star has reported. "The measure will help alleviate social conditions and lessen the energy bill on households. It should also contribute to lowering production costs on agricultural products and bread," said Chammas. The parliamentary Finance and Budget Committee endorsed a draft law to permanently eliminate VAT on the two vital commodities. [AMEInfo.com]

  

A bar in the neighborhood of Gemmayzeh has canceled an event, originally scheduled for this Friday.

  

A decline in deposit interest rates hinges on increased confidence in Lebanon's political and macroeconomic performance, bankers told The Daily Star.

  

Southern areas have re-emerged as a battleground against alcoholic beverages.

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- The departing prosecutor for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon met in Beirut with Lebanese leaders and legal representatives, the government said.

  

What Beirut seems to be known best for these days is what happens after dark. The clubs, bars and restaurants are international destinations in themselves.

  

Lebanon won both the boys and girls swim meets Tuesday against South Albany at the Albany Community Pool.

  

Lebanon's banking sector will abide by international sanctions against unrest-swept Syria, central bank governor Riad Salameh said on Tuesday.

  

A 25-year-old city man waived his right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday on charges related to the strangulation death of his 31-year-old girlfriend in Lebanon earlier this month.

  

Lebanese judicial officials say a former army general has been sentenced to two years in prison for giving information to Israel.

  

UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday announced the appointment of Italian Major General Paolo Serra as the new head of an international peacekeeping force in Lebanon, the United Nations said.

  

Sidon, Jan 24: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Major General Paolo Serra of Italy as the new head of the United Nations mission responsible for helping foster stability in southern Lebanon.

  

Lebanon has asked the Syrian authorities to clarify the circumstances surrounding the weekend killing of a Lebanese teenager in the border town of Arida.

  

PSP leader Walid Jumblatt meets a delegation of families of Lebanese inmates jailed in various prisons across the country.

  

Lebanon: In a move that reflects the bank's efforts to cater to all its clients all over Lebanon, Al Mawarid Bank s.a.l., one of the leading banks in Lebanon announced the opening of its new branch in Jounieh's Square, the bank's first location in Keserwan. [AMEInfo.com]

  

The World Bank estimated Lebanon's external financing needs at 35.1 percent of GDP in 2012, or $15 billion.

  

Beirut - Lebanon criticised on Monday the Arab League's call for President Bashar al-Assad to step down, saying Arab ministers had taken an unbalanced approach to the crisis in Syria.

  

BEIRUT… Lebanese Foreign and Expatriates Minister Adnan Mansour on Sunday called on the Arab League Council to issue a decision to annul the suspension of Syria's membership in the League and lift the economic sanctions against it, calling for voting on this issue if necessary.

  

A Lebanese-British Al Qaida official was killed when a U.S. drone fired three missiles at his vehicle in Somalia, according to a statement from Al-Kataib media foundation issued over the weekend.

  

The Cedars are on the cusp of progressing to the final round of World Cup qualifiers for the first time ever and prepared for next month's decider with a 1-0 win over Zico's Iraq

  

When Bahraini Hussain Yousif was imprisoned several years ago for activist work in his country, a group of local human rights activists helped get him released...

  

Lebanon's opposition leader and former prime minister Saad Hariri broke his leg while skiing in the French alps, doctors said Sunday.

  

Beirut has come a long way since the horrors and lawlessness of the civil war that ended in 1990

  

Syria released Sunday morning two Lebanese fishermen and the body of a third who was killed Saturday when the Syrian navy kidnapped them off the coast of north Lebanon, the National News Agency reported Sunday.

  

Lebanon: Saad Andary, Lebanon's central bank vice governor said has said the country's economic growth slowed sharply in 2011 to around 1.5%, the slowest growth since 2006 as the economy was hit by regional unrest and political tensions, Reuters has reported. The preliminary estimate for 2011, which matches a forecast by the International Monetary Fund, is slightly down from the central bank's 2% growth prediction in November. "In 2009, it was about 9%, followed by 7%, now it is probably around 1.5% of real GDP," Andary said. [AMEInfo.com]

  

Bilaal Al-Berjawi, an al-Qaeda leader born in Lebanon and raised in the U.K., was killed by a drone strike in Mogadishu's outskirts today, a militant Islamic groups spokesman said.

  

Lebanon -- Like everyone else, Kieth Matte has to drive to work in a vehicle that runs on unleaded gasoline. Then he encounters a machine that requires something more along the lines of racing fuel.

  

TRIPOLI, Lebanon (Reuters) - Syrian forces killed one Lebanese fisherman and wounded another when they seized their boat off the Lebanese-Syrian coast on Saturday, a relative said. The area is known for smuggling and Syrian security services have become especially sensitive to contraband runs since a revolt against President Bashar al-Assad erupted 10 months ago. Residents in Lebanon's northern ...

  

Cumberland University has submitted a proposal to use Nokes-Lasater Field for football games at what will become the old Lebanon High School.

  

Lebanon: Lebanon's tourism ministry has said the country has seen a significant fall in tourism throughout 2011 with the number of visitors decreasing by 23.66%, The Daily Star has reported. The country received 1,651,051 visitors in 2011, down from 512,938 in 2010, the ministry said. Hotel occupancy dropped sharply, according to a report by Ernst & Young putting hotel room reservations in Beirut at 28% lower than in 2010. [AMEInfo.com]

  

Lebanon's Central Bank Vice Governor Saad Andary said Friday that the countrys economic growth slowed sharply to around 1.5 percent in 2011...

  

LEBANON TWP. … At its Jan. 18 meeting, the Township Committee gave the go-ahead to perform a Phase I environmental study on a commercial-quality garage that has been offered to the township for $1. Before doing its own assessment, the...

  

Lebanon's economic growth slowed sharply to around 1.5 percent in 2011.

  

Authorities charge the owners of the building that collapsed in Beirut over the weekend with causing the deaths of 27 people.

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea predicted the Syrian regime will fail and urged Hezbollah to disarm.

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- Lebanese justice officials said Thursday they had no knowledge of a pending visit to Beirut by the head of a tribunal probing the assassination of Rafik Hariri.

  

Lebanese designer Georges Chakra is known for his incredible creations for women in Paris to famous Hollywood stars like Beyonce, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Helen Mirren, Mariah Carey and many more round the world.

  

Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese newspapers Thursday.

  

Shelby Meatball Hannah, from the Lebanon FFA, made the winning shot in sudden-death overtime to win the inaugural donkey basketball tournament, beating the team from Wilbur Ellis.

  

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria risks plunging deeper into violence and even civil war because President Bashar al-Assad "listens to nobody" inside or outside the country calling for change, Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt said. A veteran politician whose ties with Damascus have ebbed and flowed over decades of shifting alliances, Jumblatt said he had no contact with the Syrian leader since ...

  

Lebanon: An investigation by the Lebanese government has found that the 2010 crash of an Ethiopian airliner in Lebanon, in which all 90 people on board had died, points to pilot error, AFP has reported, citing an unnamed official. The probe showed the accident was due to mistakes on the part of the crew piloting the jet when it went down in stormy weather on January 25, 2010, the official said. The Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-800 went down minutes after taking off from Beirut international airport, killing 83 passengers and seven crew members. [AMEInfo.com]

  

BY PETER J. G. TABINGO -- -- TWO Filipinos were among the 26 persons who died when a five-storey residential building in Beirut collapsed on Monday, the...

  

Lebanon Township Municipal Building LEBANON TWP. … The Lebanon Township Committee will meet on Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. in the municipal building on West Hill Road. Among the topics expected to be discussed is the acquisition of a...

  

Lebanon police are investigating three armed robberies.

  

Pilot error and inexperience were behind the 2010 crash of an Ethiopian airliner in Lebanon in which all 90 people on board died, according to a report issued Tuesday by Lebanese authorities.

  

Ethiopian Airlines officials bluntly reject an official Lebanese report into the crash of flight ET409 in January 2010, which blames pilot error for the disaster.

  

A Lebanon man was injured in a two-vehicle crash in North Annville Township late Monday night.

  

A few years ago when US band Beirut came here for Womad it did so with little fanfare.

  

The city's new marketing tagline will be revealed next week at a Super Bowl-like celebration, Mayor Sherry Capello announced Monday.

  

You can now see Indystar.com in a format specifically designed for your tablet. Experience the best local news, video, and photos in a beautiful finger-friendly interface.

  

LEBANON - Lebanon held its 27th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration Monday night at the Lebanon Junior High School Auditorium. About 200 people attended.It was an evening of community and remembrances of the slain civil right leader hosted by Lebanon 's Bethel AME Church. Mayor Amy Brewer welcomed the crowd, the Lebanon High School Air Force Junior ROTC presented the Colors and Jay Mills ...

  

Lebanon's economy ranked as the 10th most liberal in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) and 90th in the world...

  

BEIRUT: At least 26 people were killed when an old six-storey building in the Lebanese capital collapsed, officials said on Monday, with more people still trapped under the rubble.

  

A $60,000 Preston statue celebrating Lebanese immigration has been defaced with racist graffiti.

  

LEBANON, Tenn. - The founder of the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store chain, Dan Evins, has died at 76.

  

BEIRUT - Using cranes, bulldozers and their bare hands, Lebanese rescue workers pulled bodies from the rubble of a collapsed five-story residential building Monday, bringing the death toll to 25, officials said.

  

Lebanese officials say the death toll from a residential building that collapsed in Beirut rose to 24 after the bodies of a man and his three sons were pulled from the rubble.

  

BEIRUT…Using cranes, bulldozers and their bare hands, Lebanese rescue workers pulled bodies from the rubble of a collapsed five-story residential building Monday, bringing the death toll to 25, officials said.

  

At least eighteen people are known to have been killed in the collapse of a five-storey apartment block in Beirut.

  

The death toll from a residential building that collapsed in Beirut after days of heavy rains rose to 19 on Monday, and officials said most of the dead were foreign workers living in Lebanon.

  

Lebanese security officials say the death toll from the collapse of a five-story residential building in Beirut has risen to 18, most of them foreigners.

  

Foreign Affairs Minister returned Monday to Beirut after a six-day visit to Libya as part of efforts to reveal the truth behind the case of missing Shiite Imam Musa Sadr.

  

Rescue efforts continue after at least 13 people are killed as a five-storey building collapses in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, officials say

  

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Thirteen people were killed when a residential building collapsed in Beirut and rescue workers were searching on Monday for people believed still buried under the rubble, Lebanese officials said. The five-storey building collapsed in the Ashrafiyeh district of the Lebanese capital on Sunday evening. The victims included Lebanese and Sudanese nationals. "We are hoping to find ...

  

Lebanese security officials say the death toll from the collapse of an old five-story residential building in Beirut has risen to 11, most of them foreigners.

  

Eleven bodies have been retrieved from the rubble of a five-story building that collapsed in the Beirut neighborhood of Ashrafieh Sunday, the Lebanese Red Cross reported Monday.

  

Not much has changed on the Himmelstein farm in the past 100 years. Now, Frank Himmelstein has ensured not much is going to change on the road it sits on.

  

Thai police charged a Lebanese man suspected of planning an attack in Bangkok after they raided a property on Monday and discovered chemicals that could be used to make a bomb.

  

Lebanese stocks and economy will indirectly suffer from Standard & Poor's (S&P) downgrade of Frances triple-A debt ratings to AA Friday.

  

A 58-year-old city man has been sentenced to state prison for selling drugs to an undercover police officer last year. President Judge John C. Tylwalk sentenced Jimmie L. Lark , 711 Lehman St., Apt. A, to state prison for 27 months to five years and ordered him to pay fines totaling $1,900.

  

A 15-year-old girl was killed and at least seven people were injured on Sunday when an old six-storey apartment block collapsed in the Lebanese capital, the national ANI news agency reported.

  

Two people died Sunday, including a 15-year-old girl, after a five-story building collapsed in the Fassouh neighborhood in the Ashrafieh district of Beirut Sunday.

  

BEIRUT - The U.N. chief demanded Sunday that Syria's president stop killing his own people and said the "old order" of one-man rule and family dynasties is over in the Middle East.

  

Prime minister says Lebanon has the right to liberate its land from Israeli occupation, adds that country is undergoing state and administrative reform in order to achieve democracy

  

Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese newspapers Sunday. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.

  

BEIRUT (AFP) - UN chief Ban Ki-moon issued a call to Syria's Bashar al-Assad to stop killing his people, warning the embattled president he was heading for a dead end.

  

Lebanon: TNT Express in Lebanon further expanded its coverage by introducing more new motorbikes into its existing fleet. The strengthening of the fleet will help to provide efficient and timely service to its customers in Lebanon and was in direct response to a growing client requirement. [AMEInfo.com]

  

The United Nations will maintain its strong and unwavering commitment to Lebanon, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pledged today as he began an official visit to the country.

  

LEBANON, Pa -- Police are searching for two suspects who robbed a Lebanon City business. Two men entered MLP Properties on the 400 block of North 12th Street, around 5PM Friday.

  

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah dismissed on Saturday a United Nations call for his militant anti-Israel movement to disarm, saying it was determined to maintain a military capacity to defend Lebanon.

  

Lebanese officials say a man was killed by a bullet coming from the Syrian side of the border. The officials say Lebanese citizen Hassan Obeid, 17, died in a clinic where he was rushed after being hit in the stomach in his northern hometown of Bkarha near the border with Syria.

  

A Lebanese teen died of his wounds from Syrian Army gunfire in north Lebanon over the weekend, security sources said.

  

Lebanon: Ernst & Young has said hotel room reservations in the Lebanese capital in the first 11 months of 2011 fell by 28%, compared with the same period a year earlier, The Daily Star has reported. Occupancy rate at Beirut hotels was the ninth lowest among 21 markets in the region, while it was the eighth lowest in 2010, the report said. The average rate per room at Beirut hotels was $222 in the first 11 months of 2011, ranking the capital's hotels as the seventh most expensive in the region. Revenues per available room (RevPAR) were $129 in Beirut in the first 11 months of 2011, down from $178 in the same period last year, ranking it in 12th place in the region behind Riyadh and Madinah. [AMEInfo.com]

  

Five years ago, the demarcation of the Lebanese-Syrian border was in the media spotlight but today it is a largely forgotten issue.

  

Lebanon Police are searching for a man they consider to be armed and dangerous. Police said that 18-year-old James R. Weir aka "Jarhead" is wanted on outstanding warrants.

  

LEBANON TWP. … The Lebanon Township Planning Board reorganized on Jan. 10. Six people were sworn in to new terms. Brian Wunder joined the board as mayor; Ron Milkowski will again represent the Township Committee; Art Gerlich started a new...

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- A member of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights has trouble walking after he was beaten by riot police, Human Rights Watch said.

  

BANGKOK -- Thai authorities have arrested a Lebanese suspect after being warned by Israel of a possible attack in Bangkok, the deputy prime minister said on Friday, adding that police had stepped up security and he was confident the situation was under control.

  

Beirut (dpa) - United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Beirut on Friday to discuss a UN-sponsored tribunal that has indicted members of the Shiite Hezbollah group, attacks on UN peacekeepers and violence in neighbouring Syria.Ban…s visit has caused tensions in Lebanon after a member of Hezbollah said he was not welcome.Hezbollah is angry at the indictment of four of its members ...

  

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon arrived in Beirut Friday for talks with Lebanese officials.

  

Developers to work on Lebanese slum making residents homeless

  

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai authorities have arrested a Lebanese suspect after the U.S. embassy warned of a possible attack in Bangkok, the deputy prime minister said on Friday, adding that police had stepped up security and he was confident the situation would be contained.

  

LEBANON … The city council approved a 1-year contract and a $6,000 raise for City Manager John Hitt during a meeting Wednesday evening.

  

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Arab League head Nabil Elaraby said on Friday he feared a possible civil war in Syria that could have consequences for neighboring countries, as the credibility of the League's monitoring mission was hit by members starting to walk out. An Algerian former monitor said several monitors had left Syria or might do so soon because the mission had failed to halt President Bashar al ...

  

The Lebanese American University has announced its indefinite postponement of student elections scheduled for Friday due to the ongoing political tension in the country...

  

The department of customs at the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut Thursday thwarted an attempt to smuggle a large amount of pure cocaine into Lebanon from Brazil...

  

Lebanon Township Municipal Building Police are looking for a burglar who took jewelry, an Xbox game system and video games from a home on Route 513. According to police, the resident returned home on Jan. 11 at about 3:45 p.m....

  

Libya is probing the mysterious disappearance of revered Lebanese Shi'ite imam Mussa Sadr.

  

Tripoli (dpa) - Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour Thursday met with Libyan officials for talks on the fate of a prominent Lebanese cleric who disappeared in Libya more than three decades ago."The case of Musa al-Sadr…s disappearance is a priority for the Libyan government, which will endeavour to find the truth behind it," Libyan Foreign Minister Ashour bin Khyal was quoted as saying by ...

  

BEIRUT…The death of a French TV cameraman during a government-sponsored trip to Syria has renewed calls for an independent assessment of the violent conflict in the country, as the government and the opposition traded blame Thursday.

  

The Lebanese army has detained a man on suspicion of collaborating for years with Israel's Mossad spy agency, Lebanese media and officials said Thursday.

  

Lebanese media report the army has detained a Lebanese man on suspicion of collaborating with Israel's Mossad spy agency.

  

LEBANON - Metro-East's Tyler Moore and Lebanon's Tommy Pilackas put on an offensive clinic during the first half, but it was Pilackas' supporting cast that proved to be the difference in the second ha

  

Lebanon: ImperialJet is delighted to announce that it has taken delivery of a new Challenger 605 business jet to further strengthen its growing fleet. The aircraft will be available for charter as of mid-December 2011 and shall fulfil some of the high demands that the company is seeing on its existing Challenger fleet. [AMEInfo.com]

  

The Lebanese American University is gearing up for elections Friday after partisan fights delayed university elections scheduled for December.

  

Ernst & Young said hotel room reservations in Beirut in the first 11 months of 2011 fell by 28 percent compared to the same period of 2010.

  

Libya is ready to work with Lebanon to probe the mysterious disappearance of Shiite imam Mussa Sadr who went missing upon arrival in Tripoli in 1978, an official said Wednesday.

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- There has been considerable "talk and speculation" about the whereabouts of a missing Shiite cleric, a Lebanese official said on his way to Tripoli.

  

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A French journalist was among several people killed in Syria's central city of Homs on Wednesday, becoming the first Western reporter to have died in 10 months of unrest in the country. France 2 television confirmed one of its journalists had been killed. Syria's Addounia TV, which gave a total death toll of eight, said a Dutch journalist was among 25 people wounded. "France 2 ...

  

In an otherwise smart suburb of Beirut is a small prison housing some of the women Lebanese society would rather forget.

  

The Lebanon School District has been cleared of any wrongdoing in an investigation into its 2009 Pennsylvania System of School Achievement test results.

  

Beirut performed a show that perfectly translated their unique mix of indie folk and ambitious Balkan Brass.

  

LEBANON … City leaders have agreed to a lease with a Cincinnati Bell Technology that will net the city more than $380,000 annually, including providing revenue for its local public access channel.Cincinnati Bell Technology agreed to continue to lease space from the city in the electric administration building on Sycamore Street. CBT will lease a portion of the first floor of the building ...

  

Former Deputy Speaker Elie Ferzli said Tuesday that the Lebanese should hold a national dialogue to reach agreement on a new electoral law...

  

Prominent women from across the region will come to Beirut next month to take part in a forum on the pivotal role that females have played in the Arab Spring protests that are reshaping the geopolitical map of the Middle East...

  

LEBANON Singers of all ages are invited to join rehearsals this month for the Lebanon Community Chorus and the Lebanon Children's Chorus.

  

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) would like to work more closely with the Lebanese government, said U.N. Resident Coordinator for Lebanon Robert Watkins, following a meeting with Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

  

Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese and Pan-Arab newspapers Tuesday. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.

  

Lebanon: Lebanon's foreign and local currency government bond ratings have been maintained by Moody's Investors Service at 'B1' with a stable outlook, The Daily Star has reported. The ratings agency also kept the senior unsecured foreign currency ratings at 'B1' and the short-term foreign currency ratings at 'NP.' It said that these sub-investment grade ratings reflect Lebanon's significant political and economic challenges that include wide fiscal and current deficits and the second highest government debt-to-revenues ratio among rated sovereigns. [AMEInfo.com]

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon - As the holiday season wrapped up, shoppers at Lebanon's City Mall saw the dismantling of another prominent Christmas exhibit.

  

President Michel Sleiman said Monday that an arms-free Beirut could be a model for the rest of the country, and called for an electoral system that minimizes sectarianism.

  

A tour of Lebanon typically includes stops at the main tourist attractions, such as the Roman ruins of Baalbek, Byblos and Tyre, and the downtown shopping and restaurant district in Beirut.

  

UN chief Ban Ki-moon is not welcome in Lebanon, a top Hezbollah official said at the weekend, days ahead of the leader's third trip to the Middle Eastern country.

  

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Arab League monitors are only giving Syrian authorities more time to crack down on opponents, opposition figures said on Monday after the League opted to keep the mission in place despite Syria's failure to comply fully with an Arab peace plan. The observers, whose mission began two weeks ago, have so far failed to stop a violent crackdown on protests against President Bashar ...

  

In the heart of the Bekaa Valley, a few miles from a temple dedicated to Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, Lebanon's vineyards are in full bloom as the country edges into the global wine market.

  

Lebanon aims to invite tenders to explore for offshore gas within three months, the energy minister said.

  

The Lebanese Army's communications and public outreach department will closely cooperate with the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee (LPDC) in a bid to improve accessibility of information, it was announced on Tuesday.

  

Five years after pulling its troops from Lebanon, Syria is reclaiming its sway over its smaller neighbor, analysts say, as witnessed by Premier Saad Hariri dropping his accusation that Damascus was behind his father's assassination.

  

WEST LEBANON - For the second time and fourth year of service on the Board of Commissioners, Richard Pflueger was elected president during West Lebanon's reorganization for 2012 last week, while Daniel Brandt was chosen as vice president.

  

Hopes and dreams of brokers and investors for an upbeat 2012 were replaced by disappointment during the first trading week of the year.

  

Under a towering remnant of a Civil War-era structure, the glittering Beirut Souks and a massive banking building, Downtown developers are trying something different this winter.

  

Lebanon aims to invite tenders to explore for offshore gas within three months, the energy minister said on Sunday, downplaying the risk of conflict with Israel despite a dispute over the maritime border.

  

Former prime minister says he supports the right for Lebanese women to grant nationality to their children and husbands.

  

The Lebanese capital is fast becoming one of the most exciting and welcoming cities on Earth, says Ian Henderson.

  

Lebanon: Gross foreign currency reserves at the Lebanese central bank rose 5.3%, or $1.63bn, to $32.24bn in 2011, the slowest growth pace since 2007, The Daily Star has reported. The reserves remain close to an all-time high when they reached $32.5bn two months ago, and analysts say that the central bank can cover nearly 80% of the Lebanese currency in the market. The central bank's total assets reached $70.3bn at the end of December, 12.3% higher than 2010, driven by a 21% rise in the securities portfolio to $11.6bn, and an 11% gain on the valuation of gold reserves which stood at $14.4bn at the end of 2011. The country has 9.22 million ounces of gold, the second biggest gold reserve in the Middle East after Saudi Arabia. [AMEInfo.com]

  

One mid-state neighborhood troubled by crime said they are considering requiring everyone there to have a photo ID.

  

Gemmayze Lebanese kitchen and lounge is a cultural oasis on Main Street between Third and Fourth Streets in downtown Royal Oak. The name Gemmayze (juh-MAYS-ee) comes from Beirut's artistic Bohemian quarter, an old district full of narrow streets and beautiful historic buildings. The night life is a big part of Gemmayze. Its very similar to Royal Oak, said Elias Hajjar, an owner.

  

QOM, Jan. 6 (MNA) … Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Ghazanfar Roknabadi has said that most of the Lebanese back the Islamic Republic of Iran.

  

A police officer died Friday of wounds he suffered earlier this week when a speeding car rammed into a police roadblock in Dora, Beirut.

  

Lebanon police are searching for a bearded man in a beanie who they believe robbed the Pinnacle Bank on South Cumberland Street Thursday afternoon. The bank's alarm company notified police around 2:20 p.m. that a white male had robbed the bank.

  

Lebanon is sitting on one of the biggest gas reserves in the region and drilling is likely to start as early as this year...

  

Beirut Souks opened the city's first outdoor ice skating rink Thursday with a performance by local figure skaters...

  

Lebanese lawmakers and officials denied Thursday allegations made by a former member of the Syrian regime that they had received funds from the regime in Damascus...

  

Research and Markets has announced the addition of IE Market Research Corp.'s new report "3Q11 Lebanon Mobile

  

Police in Lebanon are trying to figure out who has stolen beer from a CVS Pharmacy three consecutive Tuesday afternoons, 24-Hour News 8's news partner, the Lebanon Reporter, reports. Read more at www.WISHTV.com

  

Lebanon will issue international tenders for drilling in its potentially gas-rich Mediterranean waters on Thursday.

  

Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese newspapers Thursday.

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- About 10 Israeli warplanes carried out mock air raids over southern Lebanon Wednesday in violation of Lebanese airspace, The (Beirut) Daily Star reported.

  

LEBANON, Ore. … The band director at Beaverton High School was arrested Wednesday for alleged sex abuse of a student. Joshua Edward Head had an ongoing sexual relationship with a Lebanon High School student from 2006 to 2007, while he was a band teacher, police said. Head now faces four counts of sex abuse 3. In August of 2007, Head was promoted to band director at Beaverton High School and also ...

  

The Israeli military has once again violated Lebanon's airspace by flying a renaissance plane over the country's territory, the Lebanese Army says.

  

Posted Jan. 03, 2012, at 7:15 p.m. I had traveled a lot in the Middle East, but never before to Beirut, the Paris of the Orient. I went just before Christmas last year, to interview a famous, beautiful woman, and I had a half-day to see the sights.

  

Amid a backdrop of rising hotel occupancy levels over the past few years and increasing revenue per available room (revPAR), Lebanon's hotel sector and wider tourism sector are reaping the rewards of thriving performance.

  

Lebanon: Abu-Dhabi based Rotana, the leading hotel management company in the Middle East & Africa has announced that it will embark on a $750m investment managed by Rotana to open in 2012, helping the group to maintain its position as the largest hotel brand in the region. [AMEInfo.com]

  

A Lebanon man has been charged in connection with his girlfriend's death.

  

LEBANON … A 25-year-old man has been arrested and charged in the strangulation death of his girlfriend, police said. Nathan Patrick, of the 200 block of South 9th Street, has been arrested on charges of criminal homicide and aggravated assault in the death of Jennie Cassel.

  

Israel is considering walling off part of its border with Lebanon, fearing sniper fire at newly-built apartment blocks in the frontier town of Metulla, military sources said on Tuesday.

  

BEIRUT…French President Nicolas Sarkozy says the Syrian regime is committing massacres and he is calling on President Bashar Assad to leave power.

  

Lebanon is suffering from a high unemployment rate that it does not have the necessary means to fight, the secretary general of the higher council for privatization Ziad Hayek said on Thursday.

  

Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese newspapers Tuesday.

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Filipinos and Lebanese together demonstrated the Christmas spirit of giving.

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Assem Qanso, a member of the Lebanese parliament, said al-Qaida has infiltrated Lebanese fundamentalist groups with ideologies similar to that of al-Qaida.

  

With the new year comes the burden of unresolved crises on the economic, social and political levels.

  

After confirming its forecasts for real GDP growth in Lebanon at 8 percent in 2010 in its World Economic Outlook, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released its Article IV report on Lebanon.

  

Weapons for the Lebanese Army were the focus of talks in the US by Metn MP Sami Gemayel and Representative Howard Berman, a Democrat and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

  

Marada movement leader Suleiman Franjieh defended Monday Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn's claims that Al-Qaeda was present in Lebanon, saying the campaign against Ghosn was aimed at the Lebanese Army.

  

Challenging Prime Minister Najib Mikati's remarks that Lebanon is Al-Qaeda-free, Baath Party MP Assem Qanso has said the Islamist organization has infiltrated a number of extremist groups in Lebanon.

  

LF head says Lebanon to begin a process of state building following the collapse of President Bashar Assad's government, which he predicted would likely happen in 2012.