Lebanon: Lebanon's Orange TV plans to start daily news broadcasts by late May 2007, the Daily Star reported. The broadcasts would be run nightly at 8pm local time from OTV's Mansourieh studios. The station plans run a full schedule of programming by late June, including children's and cultural shows. The board has called a shareholders' meeting to approve a $12m capital increase. [AMEInfo.com]

  

JERUSALEM, April 30 -- An official Israeli investigative committee on Monday accused Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of "a serious failure in exercising judgment, responsibility and prudence" in taking the country to war in Lebanon last summer.

  

SAO PAULO (AP)--A U.N. panel investigating the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on Monday questioned a fugitive Lebanese banker arrested in Brazil over a year ago, authorities said.

  

A report on the way Israel managed last summer's Second Lebanon War Monday prompted demands that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz resign, but the government is likely to sit tight.

  

Iran - US - Oil - Book Arabic translation of a book titled 'Iran' Oil & its Role in Challenging US' written by Middle East, strategic, and energy affairs analyst, Roger Howard, was presented to book stores here Monday.

  

A panel probing the conduct of Israel's war in Lebanon last year scathingly criticized Ehud Olmert on Monday but the prime minister said he would not resign but work instead to put right mistakes.

  

DEBKA file 's military sources say this move diverts an infantry brigade from the Iraqi border for beefing up the Syrian 14th Commando Division deployed opposite Golan and the sensitive Mt. Hermon- Shabaa Farms sector where the Lebanese, Syrian and Israeli borders converge.

  

Israeli prime minister Ehud Ohlmert and other high-ranking officials are bearing the brunt of a critical report over last summer's war in Lebanon.

  

Jerusalem - IsraeliPrime Minister Ehud Olmert will not resign, despite being harshly criticised in a report on his handling of the opening days of last summer's war with Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas, a close political associate said Monday night. Ol...

  

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert decided to go to war in Lebanon last summer without fully exploring his options and without being candid with the public and government officials about the potential consequences of conflict whose goals were overambitious and...

  

A long-awaited Israeli government probe accuses Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of "severe failure" in his handling of the war with Hezbollah in Lebanon last summer. There were already calls for his and his defense minister's resignation.

  

Jerusalem - Israel's leadership made grave mistakes in its decision-making by launching an offensive against the Lebanese Hezbollah movement last summer without setting clear goals, properly weighing other options and thinking through a detailed...

  

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defence Minister Amir Peretz and former army chief Dan Halutz are to blame for the "serious failure" of the Lebanon war, said a government inquiry released on Monday.

  

Israel's Lebanon war commission leveled scathing criticism against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in an interim report on Monday that cast doubt on the unpopular leader's political future.

  

Israel's Lebanon war inquiry commission leveled scathing criticism against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in an interim report on Monday.

  

An Israeli inquiry into the Lebanon war was expected on Monday to criticize Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sharply for launching last year's campaign against Hezbollah guerrillas but refrain from calling on him to resign.

  

Bint Jbeil, Lebanon - Eight months after Israeli attacks left devastation across many villages in southern Lebanon, locals still feel Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert carried out a war of collective punishment against Lebanese civilians and not th...

  

A report commissioned by the Israeli government on last summer's invasion of Lebanon is highly critical of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. But the report stops short of calling for Olmert's resignation.

  

An Israeli inquiry into the Lebanon war was expected on Monday to criticise Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sharply for launching last year's campaign against Hezbollah guerrillas but refrain from calling on him to resign.

  

Tel Aviv - An Israeli commission investigating the Israeli leadership's handling of last summer's indecisive 33-day war with the Lebanese Hezbollah movement was due to publish its long-awaited interim report Monday. The governmental commission, headed...

  

Middle East Airlines, Lebanon official carrier has announced its promotional packages for the upcoming summer season during a press conference held today at the Bustan Rotana Hotel, in the presence of major tour operators and travel agencies from the UAE and the Middle East.

  

(Reuters) - Following are brief profiles of the five members of Israel's Winograd Commission, whose interim report on Monday on the opening stages of last year's Lebanon war could shape Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's political future.

  

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert faced strident calls for his resignation in the wake of harsh findings of an official inquiry into the shortcomings of his leadership during last summer's costly but inconclusive war in Lebanon.

  

A government commission that probed Israel's summer war against Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon accused Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday of 'severe failure,' saying he hastily led the country into the conflict without a comprehensive plan.

  

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert faces a damning report over his conduct of the war in Lebanon in 2006.

  

JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert faced strident calls for his resignation in the wake of harsh findings of an official inquiry into his leadership during last summer's costly but inconclusive war in Lebanon.

  

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An Israeli inquiry panel will publish a report on Monday on the start of last year's war with Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas that could damage Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government.

  

JERUSALEM: An Israeli inquiry panel on the start of last year's war with Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas could damage Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government.

  

An Israeli inquiry panel will publish a report on the start of last year's war with Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas that could damage Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government.

  

A report on Israel's handling of the invasion of Lebanon last summer is expected to trigger calls for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to resign.

  

Leaked details of a report on the Lebanon war spell tough criticism for Ehud Olmert and Amir Peretz, though both appear likely to be spared formal calls to resign.

  

The Lebanese American University hosted the second annual Model United Nations (MUN) high school conference on Saturday. Some 660 students, representing 74 schools from across the country, took part in the conference, six of which will represent Lebanon at a MUN conference in New York.

  

Lebanese Forces MP Georges Adwan insisted on Sunday that presidential elections would be held "in the appointed time" and that the next president would not return Lebanon to an age of "hegemony." "The LF, along with its allies the March 14 Forces, want to establish a strong Lebanese state, where weapons are the sole property.

  

Nadine Njeim has been crowned Miss Lebanon 2007 after competing for the title alongside 18 contestants. Njeim was crowned Miss Lebanon by Gabrielle Bou Rashed, Miss Lebanon 2006.

  

Israel's embattled leader Ehud Olmert is facing growing calls for his resignation before the publication of an official inquiry into last year's war in Lebanon. But despite expectations of a highly critical report, the prime minister's aides say he has no intention of stepping down.

  

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has no intention of resigning over the expected harsh criticism of his leadership during last year's inconclusive Lebanon war, an aide told AFP on Sunday.

  

JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has no intention of resigning over the expected harsh criticism of his leadership during last year's inconclusive Lebanon war, an aide said Sunday.

  

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert responded stoically on Sunday to his reported censure in a Lebanon war inquiry report that could shape his political fate.

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Iranian police shoved and kicked them, loaded them into a curtained minibus and drove them away. Hours later, at the gates of Evin prison, they were blindfolded and forced to wear all-enveloping chadors, and then were interrogated...

  

BEIRUT -- Two female artists in Lebanon are pushing the boundaries with their new exhibition called Erotika, which, with its depictions of female sexuality, has sparked mixed reactions.

  

Rights activists are jailed, interrogated and forced to wear chadors. BEIRUT, Lebanon - Iranian police shoved and kicked them, loaded them into a curtained minibus and drove them away.

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Iranian police shoved and kicked them, loaded them into a curtained minibus and drove them away. Hours later, at the gates of Evin prison, they were blindfolded and forced to wear all-enveloping chadors, and then were interrogated through the night.

  

LEBANON - Lebanon High School's Zac Jessee had been waiting for Friday afternoon's Hogoheegee District baseball showdown with Chilhowie for quite some time.

  

When you?ve racked up 302 career wins as a high school baseball coach, you?ve seen your share of big games. Lebanon High School's Doc Adams will once again be part of a big game tonight when his Pioneers host Chilhowie in a key Hogoheegee District contest.

  

JERUSALEM, April 28: An Israeli board of inquiry says Israel's prime minister was rash in going to war against Lebanon last summer. The Winograd Commission concluded Ehud Olmert used "misguided and rash judgment," but stopped short of calling for his dismissal, The Times of London reported Saturday.

  

An Israeli board of inquiry says Israel's prime minister was rash in going to war against Lebanon last summer. The Winograd Commission concluded Ehud Olmert used "misguided and rash judgment," but stopped short of calling for his dismissal, The Times o

  

BEIRUT, April 27 -- Thousands of mourners on Friday buried the bodies of two Sunni Muslims who were kidnapped and killed this week in a crime that has underlined the frailty of a state still shadowed by the abductions, massacres and sectarian bloodshed of Lebanon's 15-year civil war.

  

A North Lebanon Twp. man was charged yesterday with raping a woman he met through a dating service, Susquehanna Twp. police said. John Field, 31, of Aspen Way, was arrested at his home and arraigned before District Judge Raymond Shugars on charges of rape and theft by unlawful taking.

  

Walid Jumblatt may be one of the more charismatic figures in Lebanese political life but when he tells his people to avoid violence, they do as they are told.

  

Beirut : Several thousand people bid farewell yesterday to a man and a 12-year-old boy whose murder shocked Lebanon and caused rival political leaders to reach out to each other to stop the country from reverting to the sectarian bloodshed of its past.

  

Suspicions in the Lebanese capital are that two young Sunnis were victims of a revenge killing. That's why the city's on lockdown, and its politicians are backpedaling

  

The Bulldogs won three of the singles matches, and the Warriors countered by winning three of the doubles matches in a 4-4 girls tennis contest, played Wednesday in Lebanon.

  

Lebanese mourners have held a funeral on Friday for two Sunni Muslims slain this week in an attack linked to sectarian tensions.

  

Two young Lebanese who were kidnapped and murdered in what was thought to be a political vendetta were buried in Beirut on Friday amid tight security.

  

Source: Reuters (Adds Jumblatt quotes) By Tom Perry BEIRUT, April 27 (Reuters) - Lebanese mourners on Friday buried two Sunni Muslims, including a 12-year-old boy, slain in a murder reminiscent of the sectarian ...

  

Asia News LEBANON Schools closed following the assassination of two Lebanese youths Lebanon Beirut Sunni Arab Qatar assassination political factions violence security forces Yesterday evening the tortured bodies of 12 year old Ziad Ghandour, and 24 year old Ziad Qabalan, missing since Sunday, was found.

  

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese mourners held a funeral on Friday for two Sunni Muslims slain this week in an attack linked to sectarian tensions but leaders called for calm and said their deaths should not be politicized.

  

Source: Reuters BEIRUT, April 27 (Reuters) - Lebanese mourners held a funeral on Friday for two Sunni Muslims slain this week in an attack linked to sectarian tensions but leaders called for calm and said their ...

  

Israel's military on Friday denied claims by the Lebanese army that an Israeli patrol had crossed into southern Lebanon one day earlier.

  

Lebanon marked a day of mourning Friday for the funeral of a slain boy and a youth who were abducted and killed in what was feared to be a vendetta. Family and friends were to attend the funeral for Ziad Ghandour, 12 and Ziad Qabalan, 25, who disappeared on Monday.

  

UNITED NATIONS (AP)--Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern that U.N. efforts have so far failed to get Lebanon to approve an international tribunal to prosecute suspects in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

  

The police found the bodies of a 25-year-old Sunni man and a 12-year-old Sunni boy whose abduction on Monday had already prompted concerns of rising sectarian tensions. The bodies were found in a field southeast of Beirut after an anonymous call to a television station. Their families are members of the pro-government party of the Druse leader Walid Jumblatt, an opponent of Hezbollah, the ...

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon, 1:45 p.m. April 26 (AP): Police found the bodies Thursday of a man and a 12-year-old boy who disappeared earlier this week, an incident that has shaken Lebanon and sparked fears of renewed sectarian violence in this divided country.

  

Police found the bodies Thursday of a man and a 12-year-old boy who disappeared earlier this week, an incident that has shaken Lebanon and sparked fears of renewed sectarian violence in this divided country.

  

Army troops fanned out through a Beirut neighborhood Thursday, after the lifeless bodies of a Lebanese man and a boy feared kidnapped earlier this week were discovered dumped near a road in the country's south.

  

Many of Lebanon's downtown merchants have extended their hours to 8 p.m. on Fridays.

  

Tourist traffic to Lebanon in this year's first quarter took a predictable nosedive compared to last year, while industry insiders and a Tourism Ministry official expressed pessimism for the coming summer season. The ministry recorded about 180,000 visitors for the first three months of 2007.

  

The bodies of a Sunni Lebanese man and child are found, three days after their suspected kidnapping.

  

The bodies of a Sunni Lebanese man and child are found, three days after they went missing.

  

Source: Reuters (Adds background) BEIRUT, April 26 (Reuters) - Lebanese police found on Thursday the bodies of a Sunni Muslim government supporter and a 12-year-old boy whose abduction earlier this week was linked ...

  

Source: Reuters BEIRUT, April 26 (Reuters) - Lebanese police found on Thursday the bodies of a Sunni Muslim government supporter and a 12-year-old boy whose abduction earlier this week was linked to Lebanon's rising ...

  

The political future of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, implicated in a series of corruption probes, hung in the balance on Thursday ahead of a report on last year's war against Hezbollah.

  

The American University of Beirut is holding its Annual Job Fair 2007 at the AUB Campus on Thursday May 3rd from 12 noon until 7pm and on Friday May 4th from 11am to 6 pm.

  

The political future of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, implicated in a series of corruption probes, hung in the balance on Thursday ahead of a report on last year's war against Hezbollah.

  

BEIRUT: Rival Lebanese leaders urged calm yesterday after two Sunni Muslim government supporters were kidnapped in what was believed to be retaliation for the killing earlier this year of a Shia opposition activist.

  

Hilary Artz answered the bell last night for Elco to keep her team within striking distance for a Lancaster-Lebanon League Section III girls' soccer title.

  

Presidential elections in Lebanon have taken center stage in the country's political deadlock, as pro-government members of parliament (MPs) weighed their next step to ensure the formation of a tribunal to try suspects in the assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri.

  

Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Reza Sheybani said Wednesday his country will "always" support Lebanon "on the political, economic, social and cultural levels." "Iran has always expressed its willingness to help Lebanon overcome the four-month-old deadlock and has long said.

  

With the second anniversary of the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanese territories to be marked this weekend, the Free Patriotic Movement's (FPM) youth club at the American University of Beirut (AUB), in collaboration with detainee advocacy group SOLIDE, hosted a conference on Wednesday calling.

  

"The environment of Beirut shocked me. I wasn't used to all the attention of politics. Some didn't talk to a girl because she wore a veil because they're afraid of others. People have an idea of the other and they don't want to change that," said Diala Makroos, 25, a Christian from a tiny village outside of Marjayoun.

  

Lebanese banks are capable of growth despite the current political crisis thanks to healthy assets and a regional expansion policy adopted more than four years ago, Joseph Torbey, president of the Union of Arab Banks (UAB), said on Wednesday. But Torbey, who disclosed results for Arab banks in 2006.

  

Israel's war in Lebanon was far more protracted than planned, a top Israeli general said on Wednesday, raising questions over the relevance of an imminent commission of inquiry report about the conflict's first stage.

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Iranian police shoved and kicked them, loaded them into a curtained minibus and drove them away. Hours later, at the gates of Evin prison, they were blindfolded and forced to wear all-enveloping...

  

TEL AVIV - The Israeli military knew immediately that last summer's war in Lebanon would not secure the release of two soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah that prompted 34-days of confrontations, Gadi Eisenkott , the Israel Defense Forces commander responsible for war operations, said today.

  

Seventeen years after the end of Lebanon's civil war, history textbooks in schools still do not tackle the controversial strife which continues to blight political life in a country where the past is ever-present.

  

In a statement, the Lebanese army said Israeli fighter jets and MK UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) flew over southern Lebanon on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

  

Source: Reuters BEIRUT, April 25 (Reuters) - Rival Lebanese leaders urged calm on Wednesday after two Sunni Muslim government supporters were kidnapped in what was believed to be retaliation for the killing earlier ...

  

Lebanon - Pressures - Ambassador Iranian Ambassador to Beirut Mohammad-Reza Sheibani said on Wednesday that foreign political pressures on Lebanon will not solve the crisis, but will make the situation more complicated.

  

Lebanon: Since the inauguration of the first Professional Computer Association of Lebanon Information and Communication Technology Academy (PICTA) in September 2006, seven other centres have opened in Lebanon, all as part of a larger humanitarian effort called 'Partnership for Lebanon.' [AMEInfo.com]

  

Source: Reuters By Alistair Lyon, Special Correspondent BEIRUT, April 25 (Reuters) - A U.S. military project to wall off a mainly Sunni Arab enclave in Baghdad evokes images of Israel's West Bank barrier for many ...

  

Al Quds for Education, Training and Consulting has announced the appointment of BrandCentral, a leading branding and design agency headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon, to lead its new branding program.

  

The Lebanon Pioneers rallied from a 4-1 deficit to win their fifth consecutive game, taking a 13-4 win over Rural Retreat at Pioneer Park on Tuesday. To say the Pioneers were worried down by three runs with threatening weather would be an understatement.

  

doha - The Arab world is in need of strategic plan that could address education development and to concentrate on a culture of quality assurance, said Dr Joseph Jabbra, President, American University of Beirut, Lebanon.

  

Former Sudanese Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi urged the Lebanese late Monday to seek compromises on a roster of issues defining the country's political divide, saying that leaders must strive to turn "the current suspended civil war into national consensus."

  

President Emile Lahoud told UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday that he hoped a proposed international tribunal to try suspects in the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri "would conform to Lebanese constitutional rules and guidelines." Lahoud met with Ban in Doha to discuss the tribunal and to brief the secretary general.

  

Australian cleric Taj al-Din al-Hilali has launched an inquiry into how he distributed money raised in Australia across Lebanon after the summer 2006 war but not without much criticism from other Muslim leaders, The Australian newspaper said on Tuesday.

  

Syria told the United Nations on Tuesday rival Lebanese leaders must agree on an international court to try suspects in high-level political killings in Lebanon.

  

Iran - Lebanon - Ahmadinejad President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that unity and solidarity among the independent and brave popular forces of Lebanon would lead to eventual victory of the Lebanese nation.

  

ISLAMABAD: The government on Tuesday announced appointment of Nawabzada Amin Ullah Khan Raisani as Ambassador of Pakistan to Lebanon.

  

Once he led the group. Now Sheikh Toufeili is a major critic. He talks with TIME about kidnappings and bombings that plagued U.S. personnel in Lebanon two decades ago

  

Twenty-one overseas Filipino workers have arrived from Lebanon in addition to 108 other OFWs who were greeted by President Arroyo at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Tuesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

  

MANILA -- Twenty-three distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), including a domestic helper who survived a five-story fall from her employer's apartment, returned home Tuesday from Lebanon.

  

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will seek Syrian backing on Tuesday for an international court to try suspects in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafik al-Hariri.

  

The visiting Lebanon's former interior minister Suleiman Franjieh said that his visit to Iran under such difficult conditions aimed to prove to the world that his country is standing next to Iran.

  

BAGHDAD - As a diplomat who served in Beirut, Lebanon, during the 1983 bombings of the embassy and U.S. Marine barracks, and as the man who opened the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan in 2002 and served as ambassador to Pakistan for the past three years, Ryan Crocker said he knew a thing or two about the nature of al-Qaida and suicide bombings.

  

This year's Memorial Day in Israel was especially painful for those grieving soldiers lost in last summer's Second War in Lebanon. Before you continue...

  

Dr. Pierre Daccache, MP (independent) of Baabda-Aley, considers that Lebanon has not reached the point of no return, nor has he lost hope of finding a solution to the political crisis.

  

Bahrain's prime minister on Monday advised against "unilateral policies" in the region and reiterated the kingdom's support for stability in Lebanon. In a meeting with Lebanese journalists, Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa described the kingdom's development projects across Lebanon's political.

  

The American University of Beirut's Alumni Association (AAC) said Monday that it represented AUB graduates "from all over the world and from all nationalities and ethnicities." The AAC said that while it thanked AUB's Board of Trustees for considering it as part of the new alumni association the board is in the process of instituting.

  

A Lebanese soldier was shot dead on Monday at the entrance to the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, a military source said.

  

Iran - Lebanon - Larijani The visiting Lebanon's former interior minister Suleiman Franjieh said that his visit to Tehran under such difficult conditions aimed to prove to the world that his country is standing next to Iran.

  

Iran - Lebanon - Stability Majlis Speaker Gholam Ali Haddad Adel said here on Monday that the Islamic Republic of Iran has no intention of interfering in Lebanon internal affairs and seeks a united, cohesive and stable Lebanon.

  

CAIRO (AP)--Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora took his campaign for a tribunal for the killers of Rafik Hariri to Egypt Monday, holding talks with its president days after the U.N. indicated it was unwilling to appoint such a court without all-party agreement.

  

JERUSALEM Last summer's war between Israeli soldiers and Lebanese guerrillas is adding poignancy to Israel's Memorial Day commemorations. Acting President Dalia Itzik...

  

A Palestinian taxi driver was shot and critically wounded and a bomb exploded Monday in a southern Lebanese refugee camp notorious for lawlessness, Lebanese security officials said.

  

Asia News LEBANON Sfeir: Lebanese fight over everything, while the country needs hope Lebanon Un Syria Hariri International Tribunal Patriarch Sfeir The Maronite Patriarch stigmatizes the argumentative behaviour that characterizes political life.

  

HH THE Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani held a round of official talks at his Emiri Diwan office yesterday with visiting Lebanese President Emile Lahoud.

  

JERUSALEM (AP) - Long before he was killed by a Hezbollah missile in Lebanon, Nimrod Segev wrote a poem entitled, "You're a person who died not long ago."

  

They were families who had made it. A man who escaped communist China by walking into Vietnam, then, four decades later, who moved his wife and 10 children to Virginia. A family proud of its magna cum laude graduate. A couple whose 1982 wedding in Lebanon coincided with an Israeli attack on Beirut,...

  

Beirut, April 23 (DPA) Although Lebanon has been reeling under the worst political and economic crisis since the end of the Lebanese civil war, beauty, body shape and cosmetic surgery remain a priority for Lebanese women.

  

Amnesty International today repeated its call to the Syrian authorities to release immediately Anwar al-Bunni when his trial before the Damascus Criminal Court concludes tomorrow, 24 April 2007.

  

Cairo: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Sunday he had asked for an end to construction work on a wall which would separate a mainly Sunni Muslim part of Baghdad from nearby Shi'ite areas.

  

CAIRO (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Sunday he had asked for an end to construction work on a wall which would separate a mainly Sunni Muslim part of Baghdad from nearby Shi'ite areas.

  

Hundreds of French nationals in Lebanon cast ballots on Sunday in the first round of voting for the French presidential elections. In Beirut, hundreds of French nationals waited in line outside their embassy, where French Ambassador Bernard Emie had cast his vote. In Sidon, hundreds flocked to the French Cultural Center.

  

CEDAR FALLS --- Three generations of Lebanese gathered at Dr. Bilal Kaaki's home last weekend while Kaaki grilled hamburgers and chicken on a Texas-sized grill.

  

Lebanon officials are looking to cash in on natural gas deposits buried thousands of feet under the town's rural landscape.

  

?This used to be a key shopping market for all of north Lebanon. I used to sell around US $4,000-worth of goods every day,' said the Palestinian refugee who is a father of six.

  

Restaurant review The new Leb an ese Tav erna makes a great first im pression. The "tav erna" in the name, the eth nic cui sine, and the fact that it's part of a local chain could lead you to be lieve it might have good food but not much style.

  

BEIRUT: The UN will push through an international court to try suspects in the murder of former Lebanese premier Rafik al-Hariri if the political deadlock in Beirut continues, the UN's top legal adviser warned in comments published yesterday.

  

The Lebanese cabinet has authorized Premier Fouad Seniora to send another letter to the UN asking for the establishment of an international tribunal on ex- Premier Rafik Hariri's killing, An Nahar daily reported Saturday.

  

A model shows a dress from the Spring-Summer 2007 fashion collection by Lebanese designer Nada al-Awar in Beirut. @AFP This picture has been viewed 4 times this month and overall 0 times (excluding this month).

  

The United Nations will push through an international court to try suspects in the murder of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri if the political deadlock in Beirut continues, the UN's top legal adviser warned in comments published Saturday.

  

A look at important members of President Bush's new management team for the Iraq war:

  

Iran - Lebanon - Mostafavi Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Mehdi Mostafavi said Saturday that Tehran is ready to share expertise with Beirut during Lebanon's reconstruction era.

  

Asia News UN - LEBANON UN insists: an inquest into the Hariri case, vital for dialogue LEBANON SYRIA UN BAN KI MOON RAFIK HARIRI TRIBUNAL INQUEST DAMASCUS ASSAD Nicolas Michel, chief UN legal advisor has met with Lebanon's political leaders, reminding them that the prompt ratification of the treaty for the creation of the tribunal to resolve the 2005 murder of former premier Hariri, is necessary.

  

Lebanon: Lebanon's business community and its trade unions have urged the country's politicians to observe a 100 day truce in order to help boost the economy, reported the Daily Star. An announcement to this end is expected to be made on Monday by the Economic Committee and the General Trade Federation. It is expected bankers, merchants' associations and industrialists will attend the press conference. [AMEInfo.com]

  

BEIRUT: The UN's top legal adviser yesterday called for a return to dialogue in divided Lebanon and for the prompt creation of the tribunal to resolve the 2005 murder of former premier Rafik al-Hariri.

  

A UN envoy has signalled that the world body was not yet ready to impose an international tribunal in the assassination of a former Lebanese prime minister, but would prefer the country's rival factions agree on the court.

  

French President Jacques Chirac is set on starting a new bout of civil fighting in Lebanon. For months, his ambassador to Lebanon, Bernard Emi has been pumping steroids into the muscles of the US supported Lebanese Government.

  

Will the inquest into Rafik Hariri's murder dissolve into a diplomatic tussle between Syria and the United Nations and the power struggle in Lebanon' As the UN's legal team completes its latest mission in Beirut and Damascus, the answer appears to be yes.

  

Lebanese-Americans and others are gathering in Berkley tonight for a special memorial service in memory of two Lebanese students who were among the 32 victims killed at Virginia Tech this week.

  

Lebanese filmmakers Nadine Labaki and Danielle Arbid have just been selected for the Directors' Fortnight section of the venerable Cannes Film Festival. Labaki and Arbid earned their enviable slots for the films "Caramel" and "Un Homme Perdue," respectively. The annual event, now in its 60th year, opens May 16 and runs through May 27.

  

The top legal adviser at the United Nations has signaled that the world body will not "impose" on Lebanon an international tribunal to try suspects in the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri and denied that he had declared a deadline for Lebanon to ratify the court. Nicholas Michel, who is scheduled to leave Lebanon.

  

Student representatives of the Lebanese Forces won 16 out of 20 seats in student elections held at the Lebanese University on Friday, beating out rival candidates from the Free Patriotic Movement. Votes were cast Friday at the Faculty of Engineering despite a recent controversy surrounding the elections.

  

BEIRUT (AFP) - Dissident former MP Maamun Homsi, who fled into exile in Lebanon earlier this year, called on Syrians on Friday to boycott this weekend's parliamentary elections which he dubbed "illegimate."

  

Michel stresses establishment of tribunal to resolve Hariri's murder will be victory for all Lebanese.

  

BEIRUT (AFP) - The UN's top legal adviser on Friday called for a return to dialogue in divided Lebanon and for the prompt creation of the tribunal to resolve the 2005 murder of former premier Rafiq Hariri.

  

Belgian Crown Prince Philippe visited on Friday his country's battalion serving with UN peacekeepers monitoring the Lebanese-Israeli border, officials said.

  

Intel Corp. Chairman Craig Barrett came to Lebanon this week to promote the idea of communication, connectivity and e-government to a country in the grip of a political and economic crisis that, for many, has rendered such buzzwords largely irrelevant....

  

In the news: Illustrator Nancy Michaud, 26, of Lebanon has published her first book. "Heart of Stone," a children's story about a wedding that goes awry between a maiden and a prince. It was written by Ana Monnar and illustrated by Michaud.

  

President Bush is requesting a dramatic increase in levels of funding to support ongoing relief and reconstruction efforts in Lebanon as part of the supplemental budget now under consideration in Congress, and administration officials addressing a congressional subcommittee assert that the funds are necessary to support progressive forces in that country.

  

Band founder Zach Condon slates sophomore LP for September.

  

Dave Roberts LEBANON The Lebanon Yellow Jackets didn't see this one coming.

  

Bint Jbail is a small town in southern Lebanon. Labeled a Hezbollah stronghold, it was especially hard hit by Israeli air strikes during last summer's war?more than 2,500 houses were damaged and 800 completely destroyed.

  

Source: Reuters BEIRUT, April 19 (Reuters) - A Lebanese bank is offering loans to finance plastic surgery to meet growing demand from people seeking to improve their looks. First National Bank's "Plastic ...

  

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A Lebanese bank is offering loans to finance plastic surgery to meet growing demand from people seeking to improve their looks.

  

Source: Reuters By Alistair Lyon, Special Correspondent BEIRUT, April 19 (Reuters) - A renewed Arab offer of peace with Israel if it returns occupied land has won mild interest from Israelis and their U.S. allies, ...

  

The Beirut Marathon Association (BMA), in collaboration with the Italian Sports Committee, has announced that the first ever "Race for Peace: Vivicitta" in Lebanon will start on Sunday, local press reported on Thursday.

  

Nationally-ranked Oakland improved to 29-1 and 9-1 in District 7-AAA with a 9-3 win over visiting Lebanon Wednesday. Scott Ward hit his first home run of the season and MTSU-bound Tyler Burnett improved to 6-1 on the mound.

  

Indonesia`s U23 national team suffered another defeat from the Lebanese national team with 1-2 in the competition of the Group C of the Asian Zone of the pre-Olympics 2008 held in Beirut on Wednesday night.

  

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon began a two-day visit to Italy on Wednesday, urging continued support for missions in Afghanistan and Lebanon.

  

With the population of Lebanon on the rise, the town is outgrowing its sports facilities. Recently, city officials thought they had the problem solved, until Mother Nature threw them an expensive curveball.

  

Lebanon: Lebanese mountaineer Max Chaya's successful ascent of Everest involved the harrowing experience of watching another climber die. Max, whose climb is featured in a Discovery Channel series, talks about the challenges of the world's highest mountain and whether it is worth dying for. [AMEInfo.com]

  

The head of the international investigative commission into the February 2005 murder of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Belgian Prosecutor Serge Brammertz, returned to Beirut. A statement by the National News Agency on Wednesday said that the prosecutor had been on a trip to France and had returned late Tuesday.

  

The American private sector fund established after the war to stimulate Lebanon's economic recovery encouraged the government to accelerate the deployment of broadband Internet access on Wednesday, after completing online connectivity pilot programs in five Lebanese communities.

  

Source: Reuters By Evelyn Leopold UNITED NATIONS, April 18 (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council has authorized a mission to check on reports of arms smuggling from Syria to Lebanon, which Britain said on Wednesday ...

  

The U.N. Security Council has authorized a mission to check on reports of arms smuggling from Syria to Lebanon, which Britain said on Wednesday could trigger another crisis.

  

A "stalled" situation in Lebanon is hampering efforts to check arms smuggling across the border with Syria, Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema said Wednesday.

  

About two weeks ago, Harold Bradley of Lebanon received a letter in the mail that proposed he help with a financial transaction. The letter was a scam, and Bradley wants others to be aware about it.

  

UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. Security Council expressed "serious concern" at mounting reports of weapons being smuggled from Syria to Lebanon and authorized an independent mission to evaluate monitoring of...

  

RIYADH, April 18 (RIA Novosti) - The radical Islamist group Hezbollah has accused the government of Lebanon of appeasing Israel and facilitating U.S. plans to control the Middle East, an influential Lebanese newspaper reported Wednesday.

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon, BUSINESS WIRE -- Following the announcement of a collaborative effort with other corporations to help revitalize Lebanon, Intel Chairman Craig Barrett today dedicated new projects to improve education, healthcare and computer access to the Internet for its citizens.

  

The UN's top legal adviser on Wednesday met Lebanese officials to try to unblock months of political paralysis preventing the creation of an international court to resolve the 2005 murder of former premier Rafiq Hariri.

  

A Beirut court on Wednesday adjourned until next month a hearing for six Lebanese accused of plotting to bomb trains in Germany last July after the defence requested more time.

  

Following the announcement of a collaborative effort with other corporations to help revitalize Lebanon, Intel ( Nachrichten / Aktienkurs ) Chairman Craig Barrett today dedicated new projects to improve education, healthcare and computer access to the Internet for its citizens.

  

Jocelyne Saab uses art to make statement against violence in native Lebanon, conflicts everywhere.

  

UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. Security Council expressed "serious concern" at mounting reports of weapons being smuggled from Syria to Lebanon and authorized an independent mission to evaluate monitoring of the border between the two countries.

  

UNITED NATIONS (AP)--The U.N. Security Council expressed "serious concern" late Tuesday at mounting reports of illegal arms transfers from Syria to Lebanon and authorized an independent mission to be deployed quickly to assess how the frontier is being monitored.

  

The UN Security Council on Tuesday voiced concern at reports of illegal arms movements across the Lebanese-Syrian border and asked UN chief Ban Ki-moon to send an independent mission to the area to investigate.

  

The Lebanon-based retail giant ABC Group is expanding across the region as it outgrows local markets, The Daily Star reported. The group has already opened a $6m store in Bahrain's Seef mall and is planning a 45,000 sqft outlet in Amman.

  

UN Undersecretary General for Legal Affairs Nicholas Michel on Tuesday called on Lebanese political leaders to strengthen dialogue and break the impasse on the setting up of an international court in the murder of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri.

  

Lebanon's Hezbollah group on Tuesday accused the Lebanese March 14 majority coalition of seeking to "normalize" relations with Israel and backing an alleged scheme to create a U.S.-controlled Middle East.

  

Iran on Tuesday condemned a gunman's assault the previous day at Virginia Tech University which left 33 people dead, including a Lebanese-American student, and was the deadliest shooting rampage in modern US history. Police identified the shooter as South Korean Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old senior who was a legal US resident, and said.

  

French presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Tuesday and pledged to secure the sovereignty of Lebanon. "I would guarantee the security of Israel, but I also want a homeland for the Palestinians, a state for the Palestinians. I want independence for Lebanon.

  

An extension of Syrian Army bases near the border with Lebanon could not be approved due to a difference in Lebanese and Syrian maps, the Central News Agency (CNA) reported on Tuesday, quoting a military source. "Investigations conducted by the Independent International Investigation Commission have highlighted.

  

The vice president of the Higher Shiite Council, Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan, called Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir on Tuesday to discuss recent developments in the country. Sfeir and Qabalan stressed the need to strengthen national unity and promote coexistence among the Lebanese.

  

Lebanon will seek reparations from Israel for damages caused during the summer 2006 war, Finance Minister Jihad Azour said on Monday. Speaking at Johns Hopkins University, Azour declined to say which court or international tribunal Lebanon would petition, maintaining that the case is still being prepared.

  

The Beirut Marathon Association (BMA), in collaboration with the Italian Sports Committee, announced on Tuesday that the first ever "Race for Peace: Vivicitta" in Lebanon will start on Sunday at the Joseph Khoury Marina in Dbayyeh. The announcement was made at a news conference at the Meridian.

  

Beirut - Lebanese Foreign Ministry sources said late Tuesday that two Lebanese students were among the 32 victims killed by a gunman at a university shooting on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute. The two students were identified as Reema S...

  

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A senior U.N. official on Tuesday vowed that an international tribunal into a series of political killings in Lebanon would be set up and it was time for divided Lebanese leaders to approve the court.

  

A senior U.N. official on Tuesday vowed that an international tribunal into a series of political killings in Lebanon would be set up and it was time for divided Lebanese leaders to approve the court.

  

The top UN legal adviser said on Tuesday the time has come to draw up the framework for the disputed international court for the murder of former premier Rafiq Hariri.

  

?All Lebanese politicians, whether in the parliamentary majority or in the opposition, are against any return to civil war?, said MP Alaeddin Terro, of the Democratic Gathering, led by MP Walid Jumblatt.

  

BEIRUT (AFP) - The top UN legal adviser said on Tuesday that the time has come to draw up the framework for the disputed international court to try suspects in the 2005 murder of former premier Rafiq Hariri.

  

Lebanon and Israel apparently prefer Germany over Turkey to lead the UNIFIL naval force off Lebanon's coast.

  

BEIRUT (AP)--A Russian and a U.N. envoy were involved Tuesday in what may be a last-ditch attempt to win approval from Lebanon's opposing camps for an international tribunal in the killing of a former prime minister - a divisive issue that has threatened the country's stability.

  

Lebanon: For the first time, InterContinental Mzaar organized the 'Chef's Table', presenting the resort's latest gastronomy to its top industry members. [AMEInfo.com]

  

Casper & Gambini's Lebanese-based restaurant- caf chain is pursuing the legendary expansion with the opening of its newest outlet located in Dubai Festival City, United Arab Emirates.

  

Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit on yesterday underlined the importance that foreign parties should keep hands off Lebanon. Speaking to reporters, Abul-Gheit explained that interference in Lebanon's affairs could lead to the danger of confrontation.

  

Lebanon Supervisor James Goldstein said he thought there was something wrong in the town clerk's office in the summer of 2005. He said he didn't think it was a money problem,

  

LEBANON - The Mayor's Prayer Breakfast will be at 7 a.m. Tuesday at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, 3111 S. Main St., in Lebanon. The guest speaker will be Gary Ferngren, Ph.D., who was a professor for the Oregon State University History Department for 37 years.

  

WASHINGTON: Lebanon is preparing to go to an international tribunal to seek reparations from Israel for damage caused during last year's month-long war, the country's finance minister Jihad Azour has said.

  

Lebanon is preparing to go to an international tribunal to seek reparations from Israel for damage caused during last year's month-long war, the country's finance minister Jihad Azour said on Monday.

  

Senior UN and Russian officials scheduled overlapping visits to Lebanon this week to help broker an agreement on an international tribunal to try suspects in the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri, underscoring the import of such a deal for any resolution to the country's political deadlock.

  

A member of a European Parliament delegation currently visiting Lebanon said on Monday that presidential elections in the country should be held on time. "President Emile Lahoud's mandate will end next fall and nothing should prevent the occurrence of presidential elections," French MP Beatrice Patrie said.

  

The SOLIDA Movement (Support for Lebanese Detained Arbitrarily) sent a letter to United Nations Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon on Monday asking for his support for the release of individuals detained as part of the investigation of the February 2005 assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri.

  

As anyone who has traveled in a car through the diesel-fumed streets of the capital can surely attest, in Lebanon there are no rules of the road, at least none that are observed.Beirutis regard traffic lights as mere suggestions and cars routinely speed through red lights and careen in the wrong direction down one-way streets.

  

Beirut, April 16 (DPA) Journalists protested Monday in Beirut against the kidnapping of Alan Johnston, the BBC reporter kidnapped in the Gaza Strip.

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon, April 16, 2007 (UPI) -- A senior political adviser to Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group said Monday the group is sufficiently armed to defend the entire country.

  

BEIRUT - Journalists protested Monday in Beirut against the kidnapping of Alan Johnston, the BBC reporter kidnapped in the Gaza Strip. Dozens of journalists, Lebanese and foreign, gathered in front the Lebanese press syndicate, carrying pictures of Johnston, calling for his immediate release.

  

Monday, April 16, the British National Union of Journalists voted to boycott Israeli goods as part of a protest against last year's war in Lebanon.

  

LEBANON -- Less than six years after this Willamette Valley town began adding fluoride to its drinking water, dentists say its too early to see whether it has reduced tooth decay. But they want to keep the project going.

  

LEBANON - After months of weighing the options, the City Council Wednesday night voted 5-1 in favor of demolishing the unused Lebanon Middle School and Santiam School gymnasiums as part of the development process for the new police and library buildings.

  

Family members, employers, and friends from the Lebanon area honor soldiers who are now back home. The Missouri National Guard held a freedom salute today for 70 soldiers of the 3/135th Battalion.

  

Prominent Lebanese singer Najwa Karam's most recent concert in Doha Qatar has witnessed extraordinary success with a very large crowd of fans. Prominent Lebanese singer Milhim Barakat sang along Najwa at the concert, which was part of the Doha Cultural festival.

  

The Palestine Liberation Organization has adopted measures to "isolate" Fatah al-Islam, an Islamist grouping blamed for deadly bombings in Lebanon, the PLO representative in Beirut said. "We are attempting to isolate Fatah al-Islam because we do not want the Palestinians to be perceived as an element of instability in Lebanon.

  

The Lebanese Army arrested two members of a new group allegedly affiliated with Al-Qaeda on Saturday in the northern city of Tripoli, local daily Ad-Diyar said on Sunday. The paper added that investigations are under way to arrest the remaining members and to identify whether the group.

  

The Lebanese chapter of the English Speaking Union (ESU) held its seventh public speaking competition national finals at Beirut Arab University on Saturday. The event started off with a speech by Olga Mattar, dean of arts at the school. "Although Beirut Arab University is familiar with the competition since it first started.

  

About 12,000 people ran - or walked - through the Bekaa Valley on Sunday as part of the Beirut Marathon Association's (BMA) first half-marathon in Zahle. The Zahle International race drew thousands to the Bekaa city where participants could race in a half-marathon, 21.1 kilometer course, or opt for a shorter 5-kilometer fun run.

  

A photographer for The Blade who digitally changed a front-page photo of an Ohio baseball team also altered 57 other pictures that were published in the newspaper or on its Web site this year, the newspaper said Sunday.

  

A 36-year-old Lebanon man was seriously injured early Saturday when his car went off the road, struck a culvert, went airborne and rolled several times, according to a report from the Missouri Highway Patrol.

  

LEBANON - The Lebanon City Council unanimously approved the annexation of 22.71 acres by the Rick Franklin Corporation Wednesday night.

  

LEBANON - The Lebanon City Council has voted 5-1 to allocate an extra $6,600 to the Lebanon Area Chamber of Commerce to help support Weyerhaeuser's Star-Spangled Celebration near Cheadle Lake on the Fourth of July.

  

A boy smokes a cigarette, another holds a Kalashnikov, mud and garbage everywhere. These are the pictures of everyday life as shot by children in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.

  

BEIRUT - The UAE project for support and reconstruction of Lebanon announced that 10 villages in Southern Lebanon had been cleared from unexploded ordinance.

  

The Palestine Liberation Organisation has adopted measures to "isolate" Fatah al-Islam, an Islamist grouping blamed for deadly bombings in Lebanon, the PLO representative in Beirut said.

  

A 36-year-old Lebanon man was seriously injured early today when his 1996 Cadillac went off the road, struck a culvert, went airborne and rolled several times before coming to rest on a fence, according to a report from the Missouri Highway Patrol. Scott A. Wright, who was thrown from the car, was taken to St. John's Hospital in Lebanon with injuries the patrol described as serious. The accident ...

  

The U.N. is seeking to break a deadlock over a tribunal to try suspects in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri -- which triggered the country's worst political crisis in decades.

  

In southern Lebanon's volatile border zone, UN troops continue to work to build peace, the BBC's Paul Adams reports.