RATING: (POLITE APPLAUSE) Caramel: Comedy-drama. Starring Nadine Labaki, Yasmine Al Masri, Joanna Moukarzel, Gisele Aouad and Sihame Haddad. Directed and co-written by Labaki. In Arabic and French with English subtitles. (PG. 96 minutes. At the Embarcadero in...

  

by Staff Writers Jerusalem (AFP) Jan 31, 2008 Israel's commission of inquiry into the 2006 Lebanon war called on the army to limit the use of cluster bombs in an effort to keep down the number of civilian casualties.

  

RAMALLAH/LONDON, 1 February 2008 - Human rights group Amnesty International yesterday slammed the Winograd Report, saying the investigation failed to condemn what it called 'Israeli war crimes' during the July War on Lebanon two summers ago.

  

An Israeli military armored personnel carrier pushes across the border into southern Lebanon, in 2006. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert appeared to weather the latest challenge of his tumultuous term on Thursday after a key government report spared him from a major drubbing over the 2006 Lebanon war.

  

Morning Edition , February 1, 2008 Caramel opens with a shot of a flowing river of the syrupy liquid, but don't be fooled. In Beirut, caramel signifies more than sweetness; it's used as a depilatory in beauty salons, inflicting pain rather than causing pleasure.

  

A Lebanese man is seen at his home destroyed during Israel's summer offensive against Hezbollah in the southern Lebanese town of Markaba (near the Israeli-Lebanese border) in 2006. Human rights group Amnesty International has criticised an Israeli report into the 2006 Lebanon war, saying it had failed to address major issues, including war crimes committed by its soldiers.

  

March 14 politicians lashed out at the opposition on Thursday for criticizing Lebanese Armed Forces commander General Michel Suleiman , accusing their rivals of engineering recent events in a bid to discredit Suleiman and pave the way for introducing an alternative candidate for the presidency.

  

A Lebanese soldier walks past a poster of Lebanese army chief and presidential candidate General Michel Sleiman in Beirut, December 2007. An Israeli report on the 2006 Lebanon war is a victory for both the Lebanese army and for Hezbollah, the Shiite movement whose cross-border raid sparked the conflict, Sleiman has said.

  

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert appeared to weather the latest challenge of his tumultuous term on Thursday after a key government report spared him from a major drubbing over the 2006 Lebanon war.

  

Human rights group Amnesty International on Thursday criticised an Israeli report into the 2006 Lebanon war, saying it had failed to address major issues, including war crimes committed by its soldiers.

  

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert appeared to weather the latest challenge of his tumultuous term on Thursday after a key government report spared him from a major drubbing over the 2006 Lebanon war.

  

Clashes in Beirut in which at least seven died draw the army into Lebanon's crisis, Jim Muir reports.

  

Famous Lebanese singer Wade' Al Safi is getting ready to record a special song for Syria and Syrian President Bashar Al Asad. Al Safi will perform the song, written by Syrian poet Dr. Nabil Ta?mah, at a celebration in Damascus.

  

BEIRUT (AFP)--An Israeli report on the 2006 Lebanon war is a victory for both the Lebanese army and for Hezbollah, the Shiite movement whose cross-border raid sparked the conflict, Lebanon's army chief said in comments published Thursday.

  

BEIRUT?"We Lebanese are excellent drivers," says our guide for the night, 21-year-old student Adonis. "If not, we'd be dead," adds her friend Diane, 20. "The only rule is not to hit the other cars."

  

"Fool's Gold": Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey in a romantic adventure. "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins": Martin Lawrence as an L.A. talk-show host who returns to the Deep South. "Caramel": The lives of five Lebanese women who work in a beauty salon.

  

Bank of Beirut has announced that its 2007 profit rose 19% as customer deposits increased, reported Bloomberg. Net income increased to 66.5bn Lebanese pounds ($44.3m) from 55.8bn pounds the previous year. Customer deposits climbed 19.5% to 276.6bn pounds.

  

A Lebanese man uses a phone booth in the snow-covered southern Lebanese town of Jezzine. Photo courtesy: AFP.

  

EW Presents... The kvetches of regulars at a cheery Beirut beauty salon couldn't be more familiar - and that's the slender charm of Caramel , a Lebanese variation on sweetly soapy dramas about Women Who Bond With Wet Hair. Among the femme woes: One lady's got a married lover; another a fear of aging; a third a crazy sister.

  

Arab League chief Amr Moussa warned Wednesday that should the Arab initiative fail to resolve the impasse in Lebanon, international powers could intervene. Moussa, who was in Kuwait for a meeting with senior officials, told reporters that any further delay in electing a new president will harm the country's stability.

  

A long-awaited report on the Israeli prime minister's handling of the 2006 Lebanon War is out. And Olmert is breathing easier

  

JERUSALEM' An independent commission looking into Israel's failed invasion of Lebanon in 2006 castigated both the army and political leaders, but it gave Prime Minster Ehud Olmert's governing coalition breathing room as it continues peace negotiations with the Palestinians.

  

An Israeli government-appointed committee in Jerusalem said Wednesday last year's war with Lebanese Hezbollah fighters was necessary but wasn't a clear victory.

  

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert won qualified but vital backing on Wednesday from an official report on his conduct of the Lebanon war that greatly eased pressure on him to resign over the conflict in 2006.

  

The head of the panel investigating Israel's 2006 Lebanon conflict said Wednesday that the war ended without victory

  

Israel's war on Lebanon in 2006 was a serious failure for the Jewish state, according to a long-awaited report on the conflict that is expected to pile the pressure on Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to quit.

  

The final report into Israel's 2006 war with Hezbollah in Lebanon concluded that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert did not fail in his handling of a key battle and that his decisions were reasonable, defense officials said Wednesday.

  

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert received the Winograd Commission of inquiry's final report on the 2006 Lebanon war on Wednesday, his office said.

  

Israel is bracing for a fresh patch of political turbulence today as generals and politicians manoeuvre to cope with the release of an official report into the conduct of the 2006 war against Lebanon.

  

JERUSALEM -- A report to be released Wednesday about his inconclusive 2006 war in Lebanon could determine whether Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert holds onto his job long enough to try to make peace with the Palestinians this year.

  

A report to be released Wednesday about his inconclusive 2006 war in Lebanon could determine whether Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert holds onto his job long enough to try to make peace with the Palestinians this year.

  

An Israeli report is expected to criticize Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government over the 2006 Lebanon war on Wednesday but his allies said he would not quit and ruled out a snap election.

  

JERUSALEM - An Israeli report is expected to criticise Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government over the 2006 Lebanon war on Wednesday but his allies said he would not quit and ruled out a snap election.

  

A report to be released Wednesday about his inconclusive 2006 war in Lebanon could determine whether Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert holds onto his job long enough to try to make peace with the Palestinians this year.

  

Despite the growing tension in Lebanon, a ranking Lebanese official yesterday assured the safety of Filipinos working there and dismissed the need for their immediate evacuation.

  

A rescue worker has died from gunshot wounds sustained during riots that shook the Lebanese capital on Sunday, bringing to seven the number of people killed, a army spokesman said on Wednesday.

  

Jerusalem- Israel was bracing itself Wednesday for the publication later in the day of a crucial report on the 2006 war in Lebanon which could decide the fate of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his government. The 500-page Winograd Committee of Examin...

  

A First Friday Lebanon Art Walk will be held at four downtown venues from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday.

  

Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister, will face one of his toughest challenges today when a damning report into his leadership during the 2006 Lebanon War is released, threatening his political career and the renewed peace process on which he has staked his reputation.

  

An Israeli panel investigating the conduct of the 2006 war against Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon publishes a final report on Wednesday that could rock Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government.

  

UN peacekeepers rescued 14 Lebanese sailors caught in choppy seas on Tuesday as Lebanon was hit by torrential downpours, strong winds and snowstorms, officials said.

  

An investigative panel looking into Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's handling of the 2006 war in Lebanon will release its final report on Wednesday, in what could be the tipping point of Olmert's political future.

  

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, seen here January 28, was bracing for the release of a key report into Israel's 2006 Lebanon war, expected to roast his conduct in the conflict and spark fresh calls for him to quit.

  

MOSCOW, January 29 (RIA Novosti) - The immediate election of a president in Lebanon in accordance with the Arab League plan will help the country overcome its ongoing political crisis, Russia's foreign minister said on Tuesday.

  

Israeli PM Ehud Olmert is expected to be severely criticised in a government report on his handling of the Lebanon war.

  

Lebanese diva Fairuz has taken to the stage to perform in the Syrian capital for the first time in more than 20 years to the rapt delight of her fans.

  

BEIRUT - Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah group said on Tuesday the army had mishandled a protest that turned deadly and demanded that those responsible for the death of six opposition supporters be punished quickly.

  

Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah group said on Tuesday the army had mishandled a protest that turned deadly and demanded that those responsible for the death of six opposition supporters be punished quickly.

  

Source: Reuters By Yara Bayoumy BEIRUT, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah group said on Tuesday the army had mishandled a protest that turned deadly and demanded that those responsible for the death ...

  

Tue, Jan 29, 2008 (4:20 a.m.) Shiite Muslims began burying their dead on Monday, a day after seven protesters died in rioting and clashes in Beirut's southern suburbs that were reminiscent of Lebanon's 15-year civil war.

  

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert braced on Tuesday for the release of a key report into Israel's 2006 Lebanon war, expected to roast his conduct in the conflict and spark fresh calls for him to quit.

  

Beirut - A German warship patrolling the coast of Lebanon rescued the crew of a Lebanese freighter that got into difficulties on Tuesday, naval officials said. A helicopter from the frigate Bayern winched the 14 crew members of the stricken vessel to...

  

ALAMINOS CITY??Another Pangasinense from this city was recently repatriated from Beirut, Lebanon with the help of Mayor Hernani Braganza. Cecilia Lagman of Barangay Victoria in this city has worked for two years in Beirut and was allegedly underpaid.

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - A top Shiite cleric warned Monday that violence in Beirut could spin out of control, a day after seven protesters died in rioting and clashes in the city's southern suburbs that were reminiscent of Lebanon's 15-year civil war. But the area was calm Monday as troops patrolled and Shiite Muslims buried their dead.

  

Cairo - The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani stressed that Arab efforts were underway to solve the Lebanese crisis through the Arab League Secretary-General and 'the contacts we are maintaining with all parties in Lebanon to elect a president and agree on national unity government.?

  

The Lebanon City Council voted unanimously Monday to ratify a six-year contract with its professional firefighters. The contract will give members of Firefighters local 1952 a 19.4 percent raise between 2008 and 2013.

  

Lebanon's Hezbollah blamed the government for Sunday's unrest which left seven people killed and called on the Lebanese army to expose the "criminal side," local Naharnet news website reported on Monday. "At a time we hold the statu ...

  

Filipino workers in Lebanon have been advised to stay indoors in the wake of Sunday's riots in Beirut's southern suburbs, the Philippine special envoy to the Middle East, Roy Cimatu, told his country's Inquirer newspaper on Monday. While there is no need to evacuate the estimated 25,000 Filipinos in Lebanon yet, he said.

  

Hezbollah, Lebanon's most powerful faction, demanded to know who was behind shooting that killed eight opposition supporters in some of Beirut's worst street violence since the 1975-90 civil war.

  

Lebanon's opposition has buried its dead a day after violent clashes broke out between militants and the army in the capital Beirut.

  

A top Shiite cleric warned Monday that violence in Beirut could spin out of control, a day after seven protesters died in rioting and clashes in the city's southern suburbs that were reminiscent of Lebanon's 15-year civil war.

  

Damascus - Syria is working on improving ties with Saudi Arabia to help resolve the political crisis in Lebanon, a Syrian presidential advisor said Monday. Good relations between Damascus and Riyadh will have a positive effect on the current standoff...

  

Lebanon is observing a day of mourning, after riots in a Hezbollah stronghold of Beirut left more than half a dozen people dead and dozens wounded, putting the country's embattled pro-Western government on the defensive, as Edward Yeranian reports from Beirut.

  

(Reuters) - Lebanon has been going through the worst political crisis since the 1975-90 civil war.

  

Hezbollah, Lebanon's most powerful faction, on Monday demanded to know who was behind shooting that killed eight opposition supporters in some of Beirut's worst street violence since the 1975-90 civil war.

  

Lebanon was in official mourning today after a night of anti-government street demonstrations in southern Beirut left eight people dead and many Lebanese wondering if the country was slipping into civil war.

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon Shiite Muslims began burying their dead on Monday, a day after seven protesters died in rioting and clashes in Beirut's southern suburbs that were reminiscent of Lebanon's 15-year civil war.

  

(RTTNews) - A day after seven protesters were killed in rioting and clashes reminiscent of Lebanon's 15-year civil war, calm has descended the Shiite Muslim neighborhoods of south Beirut on Monday.

  

Security has been stepped up in the Lebanon after eight opposition protesters were shot dead in a Shia suburb of the capital, Beirut.

  

Source: Reuters (Reduces death toll to six) By Tom Perry BEIRUT, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Hezbollah, Lebanon's most powerful faction, demanded on Monday to know who was behind shooting that killed six opposition ...

  

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Lebanon have been advised to stay indoors as riots hit the streets of the capital Beirut, the Philippines Special Envoy to the Middle East, Roy Cimatu, said.

  

Deadly clashes erupted Sunday in Beirut, leaving at least seven people dead and escalating Lebanon's most serious political crisis since its civil war ended in 1990.

  

Associated Press - January 27, 2008 9:13 PM ET BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Seven people are dead in Lebanon as protesters angry about electricity rationing clashed with Lebanese troops in Beirut's...

  

BEIRUT, Jan. 27 -- Protesters angry about electricity rationing clashed with Lebanese troops Sunday in Beirut's worst riots in a year, leaving seven people dead, hospital and security officials said.

  

(RTTNews) - Israel's Winograd committee, which went into the conduct of the Second Lebanon War, commended Prime Minister Ehud Olmert following his testimony before them on his crucial decision to carry out the last minute incursion into southern Lebanon during the final 48 hours of the Second Lebanon War, Channel 2 reported Sunday.

  

Russian leadership is to hold talks with a Lebanon's Druze leader this week in Moscow to discuss situation in the Arab nation that is now facing the most serious political deadlock. Talks between Russian officials, including Foreign ...

  

(RTTNews) - Sunday, Arab foreign ministers at an emergency meeting in Cairo rejected a Syrian demand for greater representation in Lebanon's cabinet for Hezbollah and its allies, according to delegates who attended the meeting.

  

Associated Press - January 27, 2008 9:13 PM ET BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Seven people are dead in Lebanon as protesters angry about electricity rationing clashed with Lebanese troops in Beirut's...

  

Associated Press - January 27, 2008 9:13 PM ET BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Seven people are dead in Lebanon as protesters angry about electricity rationing clashed with Lebanese troops in Beirut's...

  

Associated Press - January 27, 2008 9:13 PM ET BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Seven people are dead in Lebanon as protesters angry about electricity rationing clashed with Lebanese troops in Beirut's...

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Protesters angry about electricity rationing clashed with Lebanese troops Sunday in Beirut's worst riots in a year, leaving seven people dead, hospital and security officials said.

  

The death toll rose to seven in riots which broke out between the Lebanese army and the demonstrators in southern suburb of Beirut on Sunday. "Seven demonstrators were killed in the protest," which was staged by Lebanese opposition ...

  

Protesters angry about electricity rationing clashed with Lebanese troops Sunday in Beirut's worst riots in a year, leaving seven people dead, hospital and security officials said.

  

Protesters angry about electricity rationing clashed with Lebanese troops Sunday in Beirut's worst riots in a year.

  

Lebanon's opposition says troops have shot dead seven people during a demonstration against power cuts.

  

At least four Lebanese opposition protesters were killed Sunday in the southern suburbs of Beirut while protesting the government's electricity rationing, according to Lebanese army sources.

  

Protesters angry about electricity rationing clashed with Lebanese troops Sunday and seven people were killed, hospital and security officials...

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) -- Protesters angry about electricity rationing clashed with Lebanese troops Sunday and seven people were killed, hospital and security officials said.

  

It is very tempting to accuse the Western news media of having exacerbated Lebanon's current political crisis by presenting a warped image of it, one that that helps maintain the support of Western publics for the unhelpful roles played by Western governments, so I will do so.

  

BEIRUT - Lebanese authorities say seven people are dead after protesters angry about electricity rationing clashed with troops in Beirut.

  

Eight Lebanese opposition supporters were shot dead in Beirut on Sunday in some of the worst internal violence since Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war, raising tensions in a country gripped by political conflict.

  

CAIRO, January 27 -- An emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers started here Sunday afternoon at the headquarters of the Cairo-based Arab League (AL) on the Lebanese political stalemate and the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory of Gaza Strip.

  

Lebanon's Shi'ite Amal group has called on its supporters to end violent protests that have left at least two people dead.

  

Beirut - The Lebanese army on Sunday said it would investigate the shooting during clashes between troops and members of the Shiite Amal movement that killed four protestors in Beirut. Dozens of followers of the movement blocked a main road linking B...

  

FOUR Lebanese opposition supporters were shot dead in Beirut today during protests against power cuts, raising tensions in a country gripped by a political crisis.

  

Four Lebanese opposition activists were killed during violent protests in Beirut on Sunday over power cuts, an official from the opposition party Amal told AFP.

  

Four Lebanese opposition supporters were shot dead in Beirut on Sunday during protests against power cuts, raising tensions in a country gripped by a political crisis.

  

Two people are killed in southern Beirut as a demonstration against power cuts descends into violence.

  

Beirut - Lebanon's Shiite Amal movement on Sunday called its followers to immediately evacuate Beirut streets after a member of the pro-Syrian group was shot an killed in clashes between the army and opposition followers protesting power cuts. Ali ...

  

Source: Reuters BEIRUT, Jan 27 (Reuters) - A second person was killed in Beirut on Sunday in violence triggered by the killing of an activist from the pro-Syrian Amal movement, a security source said. Protests ...

  

BEIRUT (AFP)--A member of the opposition Shiite Amal movement was killed by gunfire during a demonstration in Beirut Sunday over power cuts, a party official told AFP.

  

Beirut - Pro-Syrian Lebanese opposition followers on Sunday blocked a road that links Beirut's Shiite southern suburbs with some areas in the Christian neighbourhoods of east Beirut to protest power cuts, prompting the army to intervene, a Lebanese s...

  

BEIRUT (AFP)--Gunmen opened fire on Lebanese troops Sunday as they tried to break up a demonstration in the capital Beirut over power cuts, a security official and witnesses told AFP.

  

Source: Reuters BEIRUT, Jan 27 (Reuters) - An activist from the Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim group Amal was killed in Beirut on Sunday when the army opened fire to break up a protest against power cuts, two Amal officials ...

  

US President George W. Bush should go on trial for lying to the world about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction in the run-up to the 2003 invasion, a leading Lebanese Shiite cleric said on Sunday.

  

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday steeled himself for the release of the final report into the 2006 Lebanon war amid renewed calls for him to quit over the conflict.

  

WASHINGTON: US President George W Bush yesterday condemned a car bombing in Beirut that killed a top intelligence officer and four others, saying it was part of an attack on the country's institutions.

  

Members of the Arab League are meeting in Cairo to discuss the political crisis in Lebanon, as well as the numerous problems facing the Gaza Strip.

  

US President George W. Bush on Saturday condemned a car bombing in Beirut that killed a top intelligence officer and four others, saying it was part of an attack on the country's institutions.

  

BEIRUT: Standing on top of a badly damaged car a Lebanese woman was shouting, 'It is heart-breaking when the Lebanese disagree among themselves when assassinations like today's take place.?

  

For the second year in a row, Lebanon has been labeled one of the most perilous places in the world for tourists and business travelers to visit, according to a list of the "world's most dangerous destinations," produced annually by Forbes.com. This year Lebanon was the eighth-most dangerous country out of 10 states on the Web-based magazine's list.

  

WASHINGTON (AFP)--The White House on Friday strongly condemned a car bomb attack in Lebanon that killed four people, including a senior Lebanese intelligence officer.

  

The United States condemned the car bombing on Friday in a Beirut suburb and said it was aimed at undermining Lebanese institutions.

  

Source: IRIN Lebanon's emergency and medical services are being stretched as they respond to the increasing incidents of political violence in the politically deadlocked country.

  

A powerful bomb killed a senior Lebanese intelligence official and at least four other people in an eastern suburb of Beirut on Friday.

  

LEBANON -- Lebanon residents are invited to meet with city representatives from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday at Liberty fire station, Ninth and Mifflin streets, to discuss issues of concern.

  

A powerful bomb killed a senior Lebanese intelligence official and at least four other people in an eastern suburb of Beirut on Friday, security officials said.

  

A senior intelligence officer investigating killings largely blamed on Syria was slain with three other people in a car bombing in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on Friday, officials said.

  

DAMASCUS (AFP)--Syria condemned a bomb attack in neighboring Lebanon Friday which targeted a security force convoy and blamed "Lebanon's enemies" for it, the official news agency SANA said.

  

Lebanon: Senior police official killed in Beirut bombing (AKI) - A senior police official was among at least six people killed in a bombing that struck a Christian suburb in eastern Beirut on Friday. Police inspector Wissam Eid was killed in the massive explosion that destroyed several cars in Hazmieh in east Beirut, close to a major highway.The explosion was heard across the centre ...

  

A senior intelligence officer investigating killings largely blamed on Syria was slain with nine other people in a bombing in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on Friday, army and security officials said.

  

An explosion targeted a U.S. Embassy vehicle today in northern Beirut, reportedly killing four Lebanese and injuring a local embassy employee just ahead of a farewell reception for the American ambassador, officials said.

  

An explosion apparently targeting a police official rocked a Christian neighborhood of Beirut on Friday, killing at least six people and setting several vehicles ablaze, local media reported.

  

An explosion rocked a Christian neighborhood of Beirut on Friday, killing several people and setting vehicles ablaze inside a blackened crater.

  

Lebanon: Explosion rocks east Beirut (AKI) - An explosion believed to have been caused by a bomb shook a Christian suburb in eastern Beirut on Friday. Television news reports showed vision of burning cars and a huge plume of black smoke rising from a street in Hazmieh, in east Beirut, close to a major highway.According to early reports at least three people were killed and several ...

  

A bomb exploded near an overpass in mainly Christian east Beirut on Friday, killing a police officer and at least five other people, a security source said.

  

At least three people are killed in a powerful explosion in a Christian suburb of Beirut, say reports from Lebanon.

  

A blast which shook a Christian suburb of Beirut on Friday was a bomb attack targeting a security vehicle and three people were killed, local television reported.

  

BEIRUT (AFP) - A blast which shook a Christian suburb of Beirut on Friday was a bomb attack targeting a security vehicle and three people were killed, local television reported.

  

An explosion rocked a Christian neighborhood in Beirut on Friday, security officials and local media reported. There was no word on casualties.

  

At least one person was killed and several were wounded in an explosion in a Christian suburb of Beirut on Friday, witnesses said.

  

Source: Reuters BEIRUT, Jan 25 (Reuters) - An explosion was heard in a Christian suburb of Beirut on Friday, witnesses said. There were no immediate reports of casualties ...

  

A Lebanese labourer holds a loaf of bread and shouts slogans during a labour strike protesting rising prices in Adloun, southern Lebanon on Wednesday.

  

BEIRUT: Association of Banks in Lebanon president Francois Bassil said Thursday that the country's banks want to see signs of political, security and economic improvement before making any commitment to further finance the public debt.

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Lebanese troops opened fired Monday on Israeli warplanes flying reconnaissance missions over southern Lebanon. No hits were reported.

  

The Lebanon City Council is expected to vote Monday to ratify a six year contract with its professional firefighters. The contract will give members of Firefighers local 1952 a 19.4 percent raise between 2008 and 2013.

  

H E Major-General Hamad bin Ali Al Attiyah, Qatar's Duty Force 3, which serves within the international peace-keeping force of the United Nations Interim Forces In Lebanon (UNIFIL), was honoured at a special function held at the Duty Force 3 camp in Southern Lebanon yesterday.

  

DUBAI (AFP)--A leader of Lebanon's ruling majority said Thursday he feared Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was preparing for a new war with Israel similar to the devastating 2006 conflict.

  

Association of Banks in Lebanon president Francois Bassil said Thursday that the country's banks want to see signs of political, security and economic improvement before making any commitment to further finance the public debt. "Banks deal with depositors' money and for this reason we want to see what direction the government.

  

An array of Lebanese designers are presenting their spring-summer creations at the Paris Haute Couture week which kicked off on Monday.Elie Saab, Joseph Chakra, Basil Soda and others took part in this year's fashion week in the French capital, which is scheduled to end on Friday. While Soda opted for pastel colors and silk material, Chakra experienced with textures and materials.

  

Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, who met Thursday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo to discuss developments in Lebanon ahead of Sunday's Arab foreign ministers' meeting, said the Arab initiative was a "serious" endeavor on the table to help the Lebanese resolve their problems.

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon The beloved Lebanese singer Fairouz went to Damascus Thursday to perform for the first time in almost three decades, angering some of her country's top anti-Syrian politicians who accused her of entertaining tyrants.

  

The beloved Lebanese singer Fairouz went to Damascus Thursday to perform for the first time in almost three decades, angering some of her country's top anti-Syrian politicians who accused her of entertaining tyrants. The 73-year-old singer's patriotic songs are enormously popular across the Arab world and she is a Lebanese icon. Almost three decades after her last performance in ...

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Lebanon was hit by a transport drivers' strike Thursday that led to the blockade of some roads across the country while traffic flowed normally on others, reflecting the deep political divisions in the country as well as the unions.

  

BEIRUT (AFP) - Hundreds of people staged angry protests across Lebanon on Thursday during a nationwide labour strike over rising prices, blocking roads and preventing travellers from reaching the airport.

  

A Lebanese soldier removes a burning tyre during a workers' demonstration against the rising prices in Adloun. Fears are mounting that Lebanon's prolonged political crisis could spill out on to the streets after a spate of demonstrations over government paralysis and the escalating cost of living.

  

Source: Reuters By Yara Bayoumy BEIRUT, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Foreign donors are helping Lebanon keep its public debt in check but a political crisis is holding up the release of more money pledged a year ago at an ...

  

Lebanese superstar Ragheb Alamah will take part in the special event organized to nominate the Miss Lebanon Pageant for Lebanese living outside of Lebanon. The event has already been decided to be held in Cairo on February 23, 2008.

  

BEIRUT, Jan 24 - Below is a table of the latest Lebanese economic statistics.

  

BEIRUT (AFP) - Fears are mounting that Lebanon's prolonged political crisis could spill out on to the streets after a spate of demonstrations over government paralysis and the escalating cost of living.

  

BEIRUT (AFP) - Lebanon braced for violence on Thursday as a nationwide labour strike to protest rising prices was underway, with roads in several areas closed and passengers prevented from reaching the airport.

  

(RTTNews) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Wednesday that he was not apologetic about the decisions he made during the Second Lebanon War.

  

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Thursday met with visiting Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Seniora over Lebanon's months-long presidential crisis, the official news agency MENA reported. Attended by Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Ghe ...

  

BEIRUT: The master plan for the reconstruction of the war-ravaged Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in North Lebanon should be completed this month and presented to the donor community at the end of next month, authorities leading the rebuilding said on Wednesday.

  

Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, seen here in 2007, arrived in Cairo on Wednesday for talks on his country's presidential crisis after the failure of an Arab League rescue plan.

  

Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora arrived in Cairo on Wednesday for talks on his country's presidential crisis after the failure of an Arab League rescue plan.

  

The United Nations Committee on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) discussed in a conference in Geneva earlier this week the third periodic report regarding Lebanon's efforts to implement the UN Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

  

The Union for Lebanon on Wednesday denounced attacks against Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir urging all groups to show respect to the head of the Maronite Church. "The Maronite Church has always represented Christian as well as Lebanese unity and such image ought not to be mutilated," said.

  

Fifty reservist officers in the Israeli Army have called on Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert to assume responsibility for the failures during the 2006 summer war in Lebanon. The company commanders published an open letter in the press Tuesday, one week before the expected release of a final report by the Winograd Commission.

  

Lab Combines Engineering Concepts and NI Technology for Hands-On Learning NEWS RELEASE - Nov. 16, 2007 - National Instruments and the American University of Beirut are working together to provide premium technology and products to engineering students at the university. Named after the virtual instrumentation approach to test and measurement pioneered by NI, the Virtual Instrumentation Center of ...

  

BEIRUT, Jan 23 - The Lebanese government has postponed the auction of majority stakes in two state-owned mobile firms by three months from February, according to a cabinet statement obtained by Reuters on Wednesday.

  

Lebanese Transportation and Public Works Minister Mohammad Safadi denied press reports that said Syria had imposed a blockade of food supplies on Lebanon, local Naharnet news website reported on Wednesday. Private cars, trucks and ...

  

BEIRUT: Transportation and Public Works Minister Mohammad Safadi denied press reports on Tuesday that said Syria had imposed a blockade of food supplies headed to Lebanon.

  

BEIRUT: The European Union has donated 545,000 euros ($800,000) worth of information-technology equipment and software to Lebanon's Central Administration of Statistics (CAS), the EU's office in Lebanon and the Lebanese government announced on Tuesday.

  

Lebanon's parliament speaker on Sunday postponed a session to elect a new president until February 11. Speaker Nabih Berri announced the date shortly after he met Arab League Secretary General Amr Mousa.

  

DAMASCUS: Syria yesterday denied imposing tight procedures on food exports going through its borders from Lebanon, as alleged earlier by a Lebanese official - while continuing border delays were reported.

  

To Derek Hellemann, making a 15-foot jumper with three seconds remaining was more than just the margin of victory in Lebanon's 63-61 decision at Kings Tuesday night.

  

Beirut , Lebanon ( AHN ) Jan. 22, 2008 - Lebanon is braced for hard times following a food blockade imposed by Syria Tuesday.

  

BAHRAIN played a solid 12-over 228 yesterday but watched helpless as Lebanon extended their lead to six strokes after the penultimate round of play in the 28th Pan-Arab Golf Championship, reports Patrick Salomon.

  

LEBANON - UFC legend Royce Gracie will be the guest at the Mixed Martial Arts Fight Night, to be held at the Cowan Civic Center in Lebanon on Saturday, Jan. 26.

  

Mirroring most shares around the world, Beirut's stock index fell slightly during trading on Tuesday. However, the causes for the fall, the second in two days, may be quite different than those in New York, London, Paris and even the Gulf. Traders and investors all agree that politics is the number one factor behind.

  

The European Union has donated 545,000 euros ($800,000) worth of information-technology equipment and software to Lebanon's Central Administration of Statistics (CAS), the EU's office in Lebanon and the Lebanese government announced on Tuesday.

  

Visiting Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Patricia Santinelli voiced concern on Tuesday over the current political situation in Lebanon, reiterating her calls for boosting Lebanese-Italian cooperation. "My visit is aimed at detecting the points that should be developed in order to promote the ties of friendship between Italy and Lebanon.

  

Police said a man who told them his car was stolen had actually parked the car himself in New York City. Rafael Hernandez, 29, of Lebanon Village, reported in October that his car had been stolen from near Fifth and Lehman streets in Lebanon, police said.

  

The Lebanon school board last night chose a 1984 Cedar Crest High School graduate to fill a vacancy on its nine-member board.

  

Beirut - A new war of words has erupted in Lebanon over comments by Hezbollah Chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah about the remains of Israeli soldiers killed in fighting in 2006. Politicians from the country's Western-backed ruling majority and its anti-S...

  

Lebanon's government has delayed the planned privatisation of the country's two GSM network operators until the beginning of May. The sale was due to have been carried out at the end of next month - and raise upwards of US$6 billion for the government.

  

RIYADH, Jan 14, 2008 (AFP) - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said on Monday that Lebanon's political crisis would have to be taken to the United Nations if an Arab League effort to end the impasse failed.

  

Four Lebanese were killed and more than a dozen were wounded in a car bombing that hit a U.S. Embassy convoy in Beirut today, according to U.S. officials and local news reports.

  

Source: IRIN Deminers clearing Israeli-dropped cluster bombs in south Lebanon are turning up an average of 10 new sites per month, while Israel continues to ignore requests for data that would assist clearing the estimated one million unexploded bomblets, which continue to kill and maim civilians and decimate rural livelihoods. A single cluster bomb can disperse hundreds of bomblets.

  

BEIRUT: The government has postponed the auction of Lebanon's two cellular companies from February 22 to May 1 to await the creation of a national unity government, an official said on Monday.

  

JERUSALEM (AFP)--Fifty reservist commanders in the Israeli army Tuesday called on Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to assume responsibility for the failures of the 2006 war against Lebanon's Hezbollah.

  

With his team trailing Red Bud 53-51 Saturday in the championship game of the Sparta Mid-Winter Classic, Lebanon coach Chad Cruthis felt one timeout wouldn't be enough.

  

LEBANON - It was a perfect tune-up game for Lebanon on Monday as the Pioneers overwhelmed Tazewell 66-26 in non-district basketball action at Charles Long Gymnasium. The Pioneers have a key Clinch Mountain District contest on the schedule tonight when they host Gate City.

  

(RTTNews) - Israel's Likud Chairman and former prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday said the government's policy of withdrawals from South Lebanon and Gaza in 2000 and 2005 "has failed the test of the end result" and called the withdrawals "bases for Iran."

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Lebanese troops opened fire Monday on Israeli warplanes over southern Lebanon, the military said - the second time they have done so since a U.N.-brokered cease-fire ended a 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas in August 2006.

  

A 25-year-old Lebanon man was arrested today on child pornography charges at the conclusion of a 15-month investigation by the state police Computer Crimes Unit.

  

Lebanon has been elected a member of the United Nations Statistics Commission, which is the highest decision-making body for international statistical activities, the National News Agency (NNA) said Monday. The commission oversees the work of the United Nations Statistics Division, and is a functional body of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

  

"This is not just a meeting among friends; we are all present here to work together," Patrizia Sentinelli told a crowd at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Hamra on Monday to inaugurate workshops aimed at promoting cooperation between Lebanese and Italian civil society.

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon Lebanese troops opened fire Monday on Israeli warplanes over southern Lebanon, the military said - the second time they have done so since a U.N.-brokered cease-fire ended a 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas in August 2006.

  

Beirut - Dozens of Lebanese pro-Syrian opposition protestors took the streets of Beirut late Monday, burning tyres and blocking major roads to protest the frequent power cuts in the country. Protestors riding on motorbikes set fire to rubbish dumps i...

  

Residents of Lebanon are being asked not to use any water until further notice.

  

LEBANON, N.H. -- A water main break in Lebanon on Monday left many residents with no water, officials said. The water utility was trying to find the source of the break. Officials said water customers across the city may have no water, low water pressure or discolored water.

  

Beirut - The Lebanese army on Monday opened fire on Israeli jets as they flew over southern Lebanon, violating Lebanese airspace, police said. The army's anti-aircraft units fired at four Israeli jets overflying the south on two occasions between 9a...

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Lebanese troops opened fired Monday on Israeli warplanes flying reconnaissance missions over southern Lebanon. No hits were reported.

  

BEIRUT, Jan 21 - Lebanese stocks slid on Monday, dragged lower by diminishing prospects for an imminent end to the country's political crisis, traders said.

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Lebanese troops opened fired Monday on Israeli warplanes flying over southern Lebanon, but no direct hits were reported, a senior military official said.

  

BEIRUT, Jan 21 - Below is a table of the latest Lebanese economic statistics.

  

EIN AL-HELWEH, Lebanon (AFP)--Chanting "revenge, revenge," Palestinian refugees in Lebanon's largest refugee camp set fire to Israeli and U.S. flags on Monday in protest at Israel's blockade of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.

  

The Lebanese army on Monday opened fire on Israeli warplanes as they flew over the south of the country in violation of Lebanon's airspace, police said.

  

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa on Sunday called for more efforts and more negotiations for solving the Lebanese political crisis. "There are some outcome in my visits," but "more efforts and more negotiations" are needed, Moussa told reporters before leaving Beirut.

  

BEIRUT (AFP) - A grenade blast set ablaze a car belonging to the wife of a top military prosecutor in Lebanon on Monday, but no-one was injured, a senior security official said.

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) -- A grenade explosion set ablaze a parked car belonging to the wife of Lebanon's assistant military prosecutor and damaged several other vehicles in Beirut early Monday but caused no injuries, police said.

  

AFP. BEIRUT. - A parliament session due today to elect Lebanon's president has been postponed to February 11, despite Arab mediation to break the deadlock, the parliament speaker's office announced yesterday.

  

BEIRUT: Lebanon's stagnant score in an annual ranking of economic freedoms amid rising rankings for other regional counties is just the latest evidence of the country's political morass ravaging the economy, a number of economists told The Daily Star Sunday.

  

BEIRUT: Lebanon's presidential election was postponed from today to February 11, the parliament speaker said yesterday, announcing the 13th delay of a vote blocked by the country's political crisis.

  

HEZBOLLAH's leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, has made his first public appearance in Beirut since the 2006 war with Israel, repeating that the militant group possessed the remains of several Israeli soldiers left on the battlefields of southern Lebanon.

  

The Chinese men's national soccer team was held by Lebanon 0-0 at a warm-up here on Sunday. China called back four major players from Ratomir Dujkovic's Olympic side. Defenders Li Weifeng, Sun Xiang and midfielder Du Zhenyu came on ...

  

The presidential election in Lebanon has been hit by yet another delay - the 13th postponement since the start of the political crisis that has crippled Beirut.

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon A parliamentary session to elect a new president was delayed Sunday after talks between Syrian officials and Lebanon's feuding factions failed to break a presidential deadlock.

  

BEIRUT (AFP) - A parliament session due on Monday to elect Lebanon's president has been postponed to February 11, despite Arab mediation to break the deadlock, the parliament speaker's office announced on Sunday.

  

The Daily Star Sunday. Lebanon finished 73 out of 157 ranked countries and ninth among.

  

Head of the Lebanese Option Group (LOG) Ahmad al-Assad launched an attack against Hizbullah on Saturday saying the party "monopolized the decision-making of the Shiites in Lebanon." Speaking during a rally to mark Ashura in his hometown of Srifa, Assad said that Hizbullah was "alienating all other Lebanese Shiite voices and currents."

  

Hizbullah may be undermining the Lebanese state. It may even be working in the interests of Syria and Iran. However, among its defects, the most potentially damaging is that Hizbullah threatens the Lebanese Shiite community by seeking to impose its exclusivist version of Shiite history.

  

Arab League chief Amr Mussa, seen here in 2007. A parliament session due on Monday to elect Lebanon's president has been postponed to February 11, despite Arab mediation by Mussa to break the deadlock, the parliament speaker's office has said.

  

Tel Aviv, Jan 20 : Israeli ministers Sunday called for the assassination of Lebanese Hezbollah guerrilla organization leader Hassan Nasrallah, a day after he claimed his group was holding body parts of Israel soldiers killed in the 2006 Lebanon war.

  

Lebanon's parliament has again delayed holding a session to elect a new president, postponing the vote for the 13th time. Speaker Nabih Berri announced Sunday the poll, originally scheduled for Monday, now will be held February 11.

  

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's presidential election was postponed from Monday to February 11, the parliament speaker said on Sunday, announcing the 13th delay of a vote blocked by the country's political crisis.

  

The Speaker of Lebanon's Parliament, Nabih Berri, says the country's presidential election has been postponed from Monday to February 11, in the 13th delay of a vote blocked by the country's political crisis.

  

Beirut - Lebanon's Shiite House Speaker Nabih Berri Sunday announced a further postponement of a parliamentary session to elect a president for the country, setting February 11 as a new date. The 13th such postponement came shortly after Arab League ...

  

A parliament session due on Monday to elect Lebanon's president has been postponed to February 11, despite Arab mediation to break the deadlock, the parliament speaker's office announced on Sunday.

  

BEIRUT (AFP)--A parliament session due Monday to elect Lebanon's president has been postponed to Feb. 11, despite Arab mediation to break the deadlock, the parliament speaker's office announced Sunday.

  

Lebanon's presidential election was postponed from Monday to February 11, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said on Sunday, announcing the 13th delay of a vote blocked by the country's political crisis.

  

BEIRUT (AFP)--Arab League chief Amr Mussa held renewed talks Sunday with feuding political leaders on the eve of a scheduled vote in parliament in another bid to spur them to elect a new president for Lebanon.

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Hezbollah's reclusive leader claimed Saturday the militant group had the remains of Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon during the 2006 war, saying the dead were left behind "in our villages and fields."

  

Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah Saturday appeared in a rally to mark a major Shiite religious festival of Ashura in southern Beirut, pan-Arab satellite TV al-Jazeera reported. The footage showed that Nasrallah closely surrou ...

  

BEIRUT - Hezbollah's reclusive leader claimed Saturday the militant group had the remains of Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon during the 2006 war, saying the dead were left behind "in our villages and fields."

  

Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri, seen here in 2007, has urged the Arab League to clarify its initiative on ending Lebanon's presidential crisis and insisted that Syria and Saudi Arabia held the key to a solution.

  

BEIRUT - Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, making a rare public appearance, said on Saturday his guerrilla group possessed body parts of Israeli soldiers left on southern Lebanon's battlefields during the war in 2006.

  

Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri on Saturday urged the Arab League to clarify its initiative on ending Lebanon's presidential crisis and insisted that Syria and Saudi Arabia held the key to a solution.