Lebanon's military, locked in fierce battle with Islamists at a refugee camp, is on Wednesday to celebrate Army Day, an event turned into a rallying point in a country with deep political divisions. On the eve of Army Day, youngsters on roadsides across the capital distributed red-and-white Lebanese flags bearing a cedar tree - the country's national symbol.

The opposition is to have candidates in both by-elections, in Beirut and the Metn, to elect two new MPs to replace the martyrs Walid Eido and Pierre Amin Gemayel.

During his stay the French minister had talks with Speaker Nabih Berri ? with whom he had dinner -- and with Prime Minister Fuad Saniora.

If the speech of the late President Hafez Assad on July 20, 1976 laid the foundations of the policy and determined the obligations of the intervention in Lebanon, the address of President Bashar Assad on March 5, 2005 defined the bases of the withdrawal and closed the stage of three decades of presence and interventions in all the details of Lebanese politics.

Mount Lebanon police say they still don't know what a man planned to do with several small home-made bombs they say they found in his car yesterday.

BEIRUT - US promises of military aid or arms sales to strengthen its Middle Eastern allies against Iran and other regional foes seem aimed at repairing a balance of power destroyed by the US-led invasion of Iraq.

Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos on Tuesday welcomed Syria's support for efforts by Spain and France to resolve the eight-month-old political crisis in Lebanon.

BEIRUT - US promises of military aid or arms sales to strengthen its Middle Eastern allies against Iran and other regional foes seem aimed at repairing a balance of power destroyed by the US-led invasion of Iraq.

Lebanon's military, locked in fierce battle with Islamists at a refugee camp, is on Wednesday to celebrate Army Day, an event turned into a rallying point in a country with deep political divisions.

BEIRUT, July 31 - Lebanon's BLOM Bank said on Tuesday its net profit for the first half of 2007 had risen 5.4 percent from the same period a year ago.

BEIRUT, July 31 (Reuters) - Lebanon's Bank Audi said on Tuesday its unaudited net profit for the first half of 2007 rose 6.4 percent from the same period a year ago.

BEIRUT, July 31 (Reuters) - Lebanon's BLOM Bank said on Tuesday its net profit for the first half of 2007 had risen 5.4 percent from the same period a year ago.

DUBAI ? UAE suffered their second defeat when they went down 106-64 to Lebanon in their Group B match of the 24th Asian Basketball Championship in Tokushima yesterday.

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) ? The army unleashed tank and artillery fire Monday on the hideouts of al-Qaida-inspired militants holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, a senior military official said.

Lebanese army continued bombarding Fatah al-Islam militants' hideouts at a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon on Monday, local Future TV reported. The troops used tank and artillery to shell the remaining strongholds of Fatah ...

TYRE, Lebanon, July 25, 2007 (AFP) - A soldier serving with the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon was killed in an explosion on Wednesday during demining operations in the south of the country, a UN spokeswoman told AFP.

THE field hospital set up by the Qatar Red Crescent (QRC) in Beddawi refugee camp in northern Lebanon to help the Palestinian refugees displaced from the Nahr Al Bared camp has received a total of 7,800 patients, the QRC said yesterday.

Reduced to sneaking in the night across borders to escape and then moonlighting to survive, most Iraqi Christian families are resigned to never returning to the land of their ancestors."Under Saddam we lived in safety. At least we had our dignity and a decent life," said Duleir Nuri Sleiman, father of three girls, referring to Iraq's executed dictator Saddam Hussein

Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos ended his two-day visit to Lebanon and traveled to Damascus on Monday, as Spain added its efforts to those of the French in trying to resolve Lebanon's nine-month-old political deadlock. "There is a Lebanese will to end the crisis," Moratinos told reporters on Monday after his meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) -- France's visiting foreign minister succeeded Sunday in bringing together rival Lebanese factions who have had no contact for months but said he had not reached a breakthrough to ease the country's political crisis.

BEIRUT - Lebanon on Monday condemned a new 30 billion-dollar US defence package for Israel as a move which will block peace and further fuel extremism in the Arab and Muslim worlds.

The founder of one of Lebanon?s largest furniture stores died yesterday after a lengthy illness. Bob Hoch, founder of Bob Hoch?s Home Furnishings, 301 Willow St., died at about 5 p.m., according to information provided to the Lebanon Daily News.

BEIRUT (AP)--U.N. peacekeepers conducted a major military exercise with live ammunition in southern Lebanon on Monday, the peacekeeping force said in a statement.

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - The Lebanese army unleashed tank and artillery fire Monday on the remaining hideouts of al-Qaida-inspired militants holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, a senior military official reported.

CLEAN-UP: A worker of nongovernmental organization 'Bahr Lobnan' rests after trying to remove oil from rocks on the seashore near the Jiyeh power station in Jiyeh area, southern Beirut March 29.

The number of people in Lebanon who are at risk of contracting HIV could increase despite the country's ongoing prevention campaigns, Mustafa al-Nakeeb, general-director of the National AIDS Control Program, said on Tuesday during a workshop in Beirut, Lebanon, the Beirut Daily Star reports. [click link for full article]

Armenia will be the first country the Lebanese Prime Minister is planning to visit after the resolution of the internal crisis in Lebanon.

BEIRUT, Lebanon The army unleashed tank and artillery fire Monday on the remaining hideouts of al-Qaida-inspired militants holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, a senior military official reported.

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon - Lebanese troops have pursued on Monday their advance deeper into a refugee camp where die-hard Islamists have been fighting the army for more than two months, an army spokesman said.

FRANKLIN - The Franklin VFW Post #9066 will host a food booth at the Lebanon Fair next week and are seeking volunteers to help out. The fair runs Aug. 10 through Aug. 12.

BEIRUT, July 30 (Reuters) - Below is a table of the latest Lebanese economic statistics. Figures are provided by the central bank, finance ministry and ratings agencies.

TOKUSHIMA, Japan (AFP) - Lebanon and Taiwan on Monday advanced to the second round of the Asian men's basketball championship, keeping their Olympic dreams alive for 2008.

A LEBANESE man on holiday in Melbourne has been abducted, robbed and viciously bashed as he walked to the local milk bar.

A Lebanese man has been abducted, bashed with a weapon and robbed while holidaying in Melbourne's north.

France's visiting foreign minister succeeded Sunday in bringing together rival Lebanese factions who have had no contact for months but said he had not reached a breakthrough to ease the country's political crisis.

Lebanese troops move deeper into a Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli to try to oust Islamist fighters inside.

Lebanese soldiers use tanks, jeep-mounted recoilless cannon fire to suppress militant positions.

Japan improved to 2-0 in the FIBA Asia Championship, rallying for a 77-67 Group B victory over Lebanon on Sunday in Tokushima. Japan, which trailed 60-52 entering the final period, outscored Lebanon 25-7 in the decisive quarter.

A Lebanese soldier was killed on Sunday in clashes with Islamist fighters at the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared in the north of the country, a military spokesman said.

Beirut/Cairo - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Sunday in Cairo that Iran and Syria should be pressured to help secure stability in Lebanon. The Lebanese crisis is difficult and complicated, and with exterior influences, it has become o...

BEIRUT (AFP) - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on Sunday left Lebanon without any breakthrough and after warning of the danger of violence if the eight-month political standoff is not resolved through talks.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said on Sunday in Cairo that pressure had to be exerted on Syria and Iran to avoid a new war breaking out in Lebanon. "Pressure is needed on the environment [of Lebanon], meaning that Syria and Iran must not exercise influence that could lead to war," he said.

Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said in Beirut on Sunday that Madrid wanted to help Lebanon end the political crisis that has paralysed the country since November.

Some rival Lebanese leaders met face-to-face for the first time in months during a lunch at the French embassy in Beirut on Sunday, the only tangible result of a 3-day mediation visit by France's foreign minister.

Beirut - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner ended Sunday a two-day visit to Lebanon without achieving tangible results towards the end of Lebanon's political crisis, which is threatening co-existence and stability in the country. Speaking to re...

BEIRUT - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on Sunday ended a visit to Lebanon without making any apparent headway and after warning of the danger of violence if the eight-month political standoff is not resolved through talks.

Iran - Lebanon - Reconstruction Iranian headquarters responsible for the reconstruction of Lebanon's war-torn regions started rebuilding a road in the east of the country.

BEIRUT, July 29, 2007 (AFP) - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on Sunday ended a visit to Lebanon without making any apparent headway and after warning of the danger of violence if the eight-month political standoff is not resolved through talks.

BEIRUT. At least 40 people were killed yesterday in a strike on a southern Lebanese village, the country??s prime minister said, as the Israeli military showed no sign of letting up its offensive despite UN moves to end the fighting.

BEIRUT, Lebanon – Lebanese troops stormed an Islamic militant hide-out in a Palestinian refugee camp yesterday, killing eight fighters, state-run media reported. A Lebanese army commander said the final assault to crush the remaining Fatah Islam fighters there was “imminent.”

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) -- Hezbollah's leader said Saturday that the militant Islamic group's war last summer with Israel has left the U.S. vision of a "new Middle East" in shambles and claimed the guerrilla group was ready to strike Israel again at any time.

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Hezbollah's leader said Saturday that the militant Islamic group's war last summer with Israel has left the U.S. vision of a "new Middle East" in shambles and claimed the guerrilla group was ready to strike Israel again at any time.

Lebanon: Chafic Abi Said, the former Director of Studies at Electricite du Liban, has said that the Lebanese government urgently needs to establish a regulatory body to oversee the restructuring of the country's electricity sector or output will continue to dwindle, reported the Daily Star. He said the transfer of the sector from public to private control is needed to stem annual losses at EDL of around $800m. [AMEInfo.com]

BEIRUT: Lebanon faces the danger of new civil strife if the eight-month-old political crisis is not resolved through talks soon, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said yesterday.

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Lebanese troops stormed an Islamic militant hideout in a Palestinian refugee camp on Saturday, killing eight fighters, state-run media reported. A Lebanese army commander said the final assault to crush the remaining Fatah Islam fighters there was "imminent."

The French Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner has warned if rival parties in Lebanon don?t resume dialogue there could be more war.

Lebanese troops stormed an Islamic militant hideout in a Palestinian refugee camp on Saturday, killing eight fighters, state-run media reported.

BEIRUT, Lebanon Lebanese troops stormed an Islamic militant hideout in a Palestinian refugee camp on Saturday, killing eight fighters, state-run media reported. A Lebanese army commander said the final assault to crush the remaining Fatah Islam fighters there was "imminent."

A Lebanese soldier was killed during a skirmish with militants at a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon Saturday. The soldier's death brings the toll among troops to 123 since the battles --Lebanon's worst internal violence since the 1975-1990 ci...

A Lebanese soldier was killed during a skirmish with militants at a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon Saturday.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner warned Saturday of the danger of violence if the eight-month crisis between Lebanon's political parties is not solved through negotiations.

Beirut - The Lebanese army are in their final stage of fighting to defeat Islamist militants holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon, an army source said Saturday. We are now in our final stage of the fighting ... but this will requi...

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon faces the danger of new civil strife if the 8-month-old political crisis is not resolved through talks soon, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said on Saturday.

Bikfaya, Lebanon - Lebanon's scheduled parliamentary by- elections, set for August 5 to replace two assassinated anti-Syrian parliamentarians, are threatening to deepen political divisions, especially among the country's Christian community. The heat...

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has urged Lebanese leaders to resolve their differences through renewed dialogue. Kouchner has been visiting Lebanon since Friday, meeting the leaders of the country's various political factions.

Source: Reuters NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon, July 28 (Reuters) - Islamist militants killed one Lebanese soldier in fierce fighting at a Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon on Saturday, security sources said. They ...

France's foreign minister warns of renewed war in Lebanon if the country's rival political factions do not talk.

BEIRUT (AFP) - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner warned on Saturday of the danger of violence if the eight-month standoff between Lebanon's political parties is not solved through negotiations.

Lebanon faces the danger of new civil strife if the 8-month-old political crisis is not resolved through talks soon, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said on Saturday.

BEIRUT (AFP) - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner warned on Saturday of the danger of violence if the eight-month standoff between Lebanon's political parties is not solved through negotiations.

France's foreign minister was in Lebanon Saturday to try to ease tensions between supporters of Lebanon's prime minister and pro-Syrian opposition.Bernard Kouchner's visit is a follow-up to a conference France sponsored earlier this month, the BBC reported.Supporters of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora have been deadlocked with members of the pro-Syrian opposition since November when the ...

Visiting French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner met various Lebanese leaders on Saturday as he tried to broker an end to an eight-month standoff between the country's political parties.

Beirut: French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner is in Lebanon to resolve tensions among Lebanese leaders and break the political deadlock in the country.

The 39th annual Albert E. Brumley Sing will be Wednesday-Saturday, Aug. 1-4, at the Cowan Civic Center in Lebanon.

BEIRUT?Two Lebanese soldiers died in overnight fighting with Al Qaeda-inspired Islamic militants barricaded in a Palestinian refugee camp in the country?s north, a senior military official said.

Chinese soldiers stand during a ceremony to organize the third batch of Chinese peacekeeping troops for Lebanon in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 27, 2007. The force, an engineering battalion comprising 275 officers and soldiers, will have an eight-month operation, replacing the second batch peacekeepers in Lebanon in early September.

The Lebanese coastline remains heavily polluted from last year's Jiyyeh oil spill and cleaning efforts have not achieved the desired result, said two environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on Friday. Their conclusions contrast sharply with reports by other NGOs and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

Martial arts enthusiasts flocked to Lebanon on July 21 for the third annual Way of the Warrior Tournament. The event, held at Lebanon High School, was hosted by Patton's ATA Black Belt Academy/Karate for Kids.

American military sources with knowledge of the Middle East expect Lebanon to be the leading destination for al-Qaida volunteers -- not in the wake of an American withdrawal from Iraq, but as of now.

BEIRUT (AFP) - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner arrived in Lebanon Friday on a delicate mission to follow through with a French initiative to end a standoff between the country's political parties.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner arrived in Lebanon Friday on a delicate mission to follow through with a French initiative to end a standoff between the country's political parties.

BEIRUT, July 27, 2007 (AFP) - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner arrived in Lebanon Friday on a delicate mission to follow through with a French initiative to end a standoff between the country's political parties.

Lebanon's Byblos Festival will still go ahead this weekend despite continuing political tensions and security worries in the country, the organisers said on Friday.

Two Lebanese soldiers were killed in overnight fighting with al-Qaida-inspired Islamic militants barricaded in a Palestinian refugee camp in the country's north, a senior military official said Friday.

BEIRUT, Lebanon Two Lebanese soldiers were killed in overnight fighting with al-Qaida-inspired Islamic militants barricaded in a Palestinian refugee camp in the country's north, a senior military official said Friday.

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon, July 27, 2007 (AFP) - The Lebanese army claimed a significant advance on Friday in its bid to rout Fatah al-Islam extremists from a refugee camp, saying soldiers were fighting house-to-house with the militants.

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon (AFP) - The Lebanese army claimed a significant advance on Friday in its bid to rout Fatah al-Islam extremists from a refugee camp, saying soldiers were fighting house-to-house with the militants.

Washington, July 27 (ANI): Lebanese geologists from the National Centre for Geophysical Research in Beirut have found in an underwater geophysical survey that the fault responsible for the AD 551 massive earthquake that devastated the coast of Phoenicia moves every 1500 years. In other words, a disaster in the region is due any day now. "It is just a matter of time before a destructive ...

Source: Reuters NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon, July 27 (Reuters) - Lebanese troops were battling Islamist militants house-to-house at a Palestinian refugee camp on Friday as the death toll from 10 weeks of fighting, Lebanon ...

Lebanese troops were battling Islamist militants house-to-house at a Palestinian refugee camp on Friday as the death toll from 10 weeks of fighting, Lebanon's worst since the civil war, rose to 248.

BEIRUT: Efforts were under way in Lebanon on Thursday to have the State Shura Council approve motions contesting the holding of by-elections in order to avoid a heated campaign battle that some fear could lead to more divisions on the Christian political scene.

LONDON, July 27 (IranMania) - Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki discussed the latest developments in Lebanon in a telephone conversation with his French counterpart, Bernard Kouchner.

BEIRUT - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner arrives in Lebanon late on Friday on a delicate mission that observers say has little chance of ending a standoff between the country?s political parties.

BEIRUT, July 27, 2007 (AFP) - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner arrives in Lebanon late on Friday on a delicate mission that observers say has little chance of ending a standoff between the country's political parties.

WASHINGTON, 27 July 2007 ? The US State Department has finally abandoned plans to build a new embassy in Beirut based on security concerns, ABC News reported yesterday. The dispute between the US Embassy in Beirut and the State Department in Washington has been simmering since late last year.

The first Business Confidence Index (BCI) concluded that Lebanon's industry, services and trade sectors sustained losses during the first six months of 2007 in comparison with same period of 2006 - although some criticized the index's methodology. The BCI, a survey of Lebanese businesses, indicated general declines for businesses in turnover.

A Lebanese Yachting Federation has been approved by the Youth and Sports Ministry after three years of disputes between the ministry and members of the federation. The administrative problems between the ministry and the federation kept the Lebanese sailing team from taking part in any Arab or international contests, said.

BEIRUT, Lebanon?The Lebanese army kept up its bombardment Thursday of al-Qaida-inspired Palestinian militants in a northern refugee camp, pounding them with tank and artillery fire, a senior military official said.

The Daily Star that Kouchner would arrive in Beirut on Friday night and meet with.

Beirut - The Lebanese army Thursday tightened its siege on Islamist militants holed up inside the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, as its casualties increased. An army source said the body of a soldier was recovered Thursda...

LEBANON - The Albany & Eastern Railroad Company will have new owners effective Aug. 1.

CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- Nordstrom Inc. said Thursday that it's agreed to sell French designer brand Faconnable for $210 million to a Lebanese family-owned company that wants to significantly expand the line.

BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 26: The Lebanese army, backed with heavy artillery, on Thursday made its first incursion into the rebel-held Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon.

The U.S. State Department has shelved plans to build a new embassy in Beirut based on security concerns, ABC News reported Thursday.While the State Department official in charge of embassy construction, retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Charles Williams has been insistent the embassy be built, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was urged by Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman to scrap the plan, the network ...

DUBLIN, Ireland----Research and Markets has announced the addition of "Lebanon - Telecoms Market Overview & Statistics" to their offering.

The Lebanese army, backed with heavy artillery, on Thursday made its first incursion into the rebel-held Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon. Using heavy tank fire, troops entered the near-deserted Nahr El-Bared refugee camp and house-to-house fi...

Source: Reuters By Nazih Siddiq NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon, July 26 (Reuters) - Lebanese troops fought close-quarter battles in a Palestinian refugee camp on Thursday in an offensive aimed at crushing al Qaeda-inspired ...

Lebanese troops fought close-quarter battles in a Palestinian refugee camp on Thursday in an offensive aimed at crushing al Qaeda-inspired militants who have held out there for more than two months.

The Lebanese army on Thursday tightened the noose around Islamists at a refugee camp in a bid to end a near 10-week standoff that has cost the lives of 119 soldiers.

BEIRUT, Lebanon - A French peacekeeper working on a U.N. mine-clearing team was killed yesterday when an unexploded shell from last summer's war between Israel and Hezbollah blew up as he was trying to clear it, a U.N. official said.

Syria still occupies 458 square kilometers of Lebanese soil two years after its soldiers' withdrawal, according to a report published in The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.

BEIRUT: The first Beirut-based private-equity fund geared specifically toward Lebanese companies was launched this week in a move that will hopefully encourage the private sector to provide more capital to develop local businesses.

Papua New Guinea international striker Reginald Davani is on the brink of a historic breakthrough as he chases a contract with Lebanon's Racing Beirut.

The Lebanese Army on Wednesday intensified shelling of Fatah al-Islam militants holed up in a northern Palestinian camp, local ANB TV reported. The Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, some 12 km north of the northern city of Tripoli, on Wednesd ...

French defense ministry Wednesday confirmed that a French soldier serving with the United Nations had been killed during a mine clearance operation in southern Lebanon. French defense minister Herve Morin expressed "his profound emotion ...

BEIRUT, Lebanon?A French peacekeeper working on a U.N. demining team was killed Wednesday when an unexploded shell from last summer's war between Israel and Hezbollah blew up as he was trying to clear it, a U.N. official said.

Syria still occupies 458 square kilometers of Lebanese soil two years after its soldiers' withdrawal, according to a report published in The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.The report said a fact-finding mission on the Lebanese-Syrian border conducted by the International Lebanese Committee for UN Security Council Resolution 1559 (ILC).

BEIRUT (AFP) - Top French diplomat Jean-Claude Cousseran on Wednesday wrapped up a three-day mission without making much progress in breaking an eight-month deadlock among Lebanon's feuding political parties.

French envoy Jean-Claude Cousseran left Beirut on Wednesday afternoon without making much progress in breaking Lebanon's political deadlock ahead of the visit of French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on Saturday. Cousseran wrapped his three-day visit to Lebanon by meeting Speaker Nabih Berri before leaving for Paris.

The Security Council recalls its previous resolutions and statements on Lebanon. It reaffirms its strong support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity, and political independence of Lebanon within its internationally recognized borders and under the sole and exclusive authority of its legitimate and democratically-elected Government.

Lebanese soldiers kill at least four Fatah al-Islam militants at Nahr al-Bared camp in north Lebanon

BEIRUT, Lebanon A French peacekeeper working on a U.N. demining team was killed Wednesday when an unexploded shell from last summer's war between Israel and Hezbollah blew up as he was trying to clear it, a U.N. official said.

A soldier serving with the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon was killed in an explosion on Wednesday during demining operations in the south of the country, a UN spokeswoman told AFP.

BEIRUT, July 25, 2007 (AFP) - Top French diplomat Jean-Claude Cousseran on Wednesday wrapped up a three-day mission without making much progress in breaking an eight-month deadlock among Lebanon's feuding political parties.

Lebanese troops advanced towards fortified positions of Islamist militants at a Palestinian refugee camp on Wednesday in what political sources said was the start of a final assault to root out the gunmen.

BEIRUT, July 25, 2007 (AFP) - Top French diplomat Jean-Claude Cousseran wrapped up a three-day mission to Lebanon Wednesday without making much headway in breaking an eight-month deadlock among the country's feuding political parties.

BEIRUT - Lebanon will suffer an ?economic catastrophe? if a presidential election fails to take place on time later this year, the country?s economy and trade minister said on Wednesday.

NAHR AL BARED, Lebanon -- The Lebanese army Wednesday intensified its shelling of Islamists holed up in a northern refugee camp as it tried to seize the last small area still under their control.

Source: Reuters (Recasts with casualties, political sources) By Nazih Siddiq NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon, July 25 (Reuters) - Lebanese troops advanced towards fortified positions of Islamist militants at a Palestinian ...

Lebanese troops advanced towards fortified positions of Islamist militants at a Palestinian refugee camp on Wednesday in what political sources said was the start of a final assault to root out the gunmen.

BEIRUT, Lebanon Lebanese army troops unleashed barrages of artillery and tank shells Wednesday at Islamic militants in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, witnesses and security officials said.

BEIRUT (AP) - Lebanese army troops unleashed barrages of artillery and tank shells Wednesday at Islamic militants in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, witnesses and security officials said.

The Lebanese army on Wednesday intensified its shelling of Islamists holed up in a refugee camp in the north of the country as it tried to seize the last remaining area still controlled by the militants.

Beirut: Lebanese army troops unleashed barrages of artillery and tank shells Wednesday at Islamic militants in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, witnesses and security officials said.

Source: Reuters NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon, July 25 (Reuters) - Lebanese troops bombarded a Palestinian refugee camp with tank and artillery shells on Wednesday, trying to force al Qaeda-inspired militants ensnared in ...

Iran - Franc - FMs Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki discussed the latest developments in Lebanon in a telephone conversation with his French counterpart, Bernard Kouchner, on Tuesday.

The United Nations has officially asked the Netherlands to provide a location for an international tribunal for the killers of Lebanese leader Rafiq Hariri.The government has not confirmed the tribunal will be set up at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.Hariri, a former prime minister of Lebanon, died in early 2005 when a powerful bomb hit his motorcade in Beirut, killing 22 others ...

Miss Clawson, of Mt. Lebanon and formerly of Mt. Pleasant, a deaconess at the First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh in Downtown, died Sunday, July 22, 2007, at Covenant at South Hills. She was 81.

Two years after claiming to withdraw, Syria still occupies up to 180 square miles of neighboring Lebanon and smuggles arms to militants there, says a report by a Lebanese democracy group. U.S. officials, along with regional experts, say the findings of the report are credible and largely in line with U.S. intelligence.

LEBANON ? The Oregon Department of Education has placed the Lebanon Community School District on notice for employing two people who have not registered as teachers with the state?s Teachers Standards and Practices Commission.

BEIRUT, July 24, 2007 (AFP) - Top French diplomat Jean-Claude Cousseran met on Tuesday with political leaders in divided Lebanon as part of efforts to help break an eight-month deadlock.

An Israeli talks to Lebanese citizens through the border fence near Metulla in northern Israel in May 2000, one day after Israel completed its troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

Islamist militants killed three Lebanese soldiers on Tuesday at a Palestinian refugee camp convulsed by more than nine weeks of fighting.

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon (Reuters) - Islamist militants killed three Lebanese soldiers on Tuesday at a Palestinian refugee camp convulsed by more than nine weeks of fighting.

?We could absolutely reach any corner and any point in occupied Palestine,? Nasrallah said in an interview aired by Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera and Hezbollah?s Al-Manar television.

As the list of dead soldiers grows, anger mounts in villages in northern Lebanon where the army has been locked in a deadly showdown with Islamist militants for more than two months.

Ministry of Social Affairs estimates around 100,000 under-14s doing manual labour in Lebanon.

MCpl. Fabio Carlone says his small, lightly armored, Puma vehicle is just the right size for patrolling the narrow, potholed lanes of southern Lebanon.

BEIRUT, Lebanon?Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said Monday his group possesses an arsenal of rockets that can reach all of Israel, including Tel Aviv.

The European Union expressed today deep concerns regarding the continuing violence in Lebanon, and in particular the fighting in the Palestinian refugee camp at Nahr al Bared.

UNITED NATIONS ? Secretary-General Ban yesterday asked the Netherlands to agree to host an international tribunal to try suspects in Lebanon's political assassinations, but fears over mounting violence in Lebanon make a fierce debate in Amsterdam likely. Established by the Security Council earlier this year, the tribunal of Lebanese and international jurists would try suspects in the ...

Loading ... Home If Hezbollah Gets The Bomb From Iran... BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said Monday his group possesses an arsenal of rockets that can reach all of Israel, including Tel Aviv.

DUBAI - Syria warned Israel it would send troops into Lebanon during the Jewish state's 2006 war against Hizbollah militants if its forces advanced into a Lebanese region adjacent to Damascus, the head of the guerrillas said.

French envoy Jean-Claude Cousseran arrived in Beirut on Monday in a bid to relaunch dialogue in Lebanon between feuding political leaders and break the eight-month-old political deadlock. "Syria expressed its willingness to help the Lebanese dialogue," Cousseran told reporters after his meeting with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

Lebanon High School graduate and former East Linn Loggers football player Justin Terherst died early Sunday morning at Providence Hospital in Portland after a six-month battle with Non-Hodgkin?s Lymphoma. He was 27.

Prague- Tarek Bechara, Lebanese-born Slovak national suspected of the abduction and murder of Czech businessman Lambert Krejcir, has been released from custody, public Czech Television (CT) reported today.

IBM and its business partner, Computer Business Machines, today announced that the Bank of Beirut and the Arab Countries SAL, a leading commercial bank in Lebanon, has selected IBM software, hardware and industry expertise to create a business intelligence infrastructure designed to help the bank manage risk and boost profitability.

Beirut - Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said Monday his Shiite movement has the same capability to strike any point in Israel as it did during its 33-day conflict with the Jewish state last summer. Nasrallah, in an exclusive interview with ...

Top French diplomat Jean-Claude Cousseran said on Monday he hoped an upcoming trip to Beirut by France's foreign minister would help break an eight-month deadlock between Lebanon's rival political factions.

The end of the trail in the VFW Area III Teener Baseball Tournament came quickly for Lebanon Valley when the Senior American squad used five hits, two for extra bases, to take a 5-1 lead after two innings on the way to an 8-2 win.

WOUNDED: Lebanese Red Cross personnel carry a Lebanese soldier who was wounded during the fighting with Al Qaeda-inspired militants of the Fatah Al Islam group in Nahr Al Bared refugee camp in northern Lebanon July 23.

BEIRUT, Lebanon Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said Monday his group possesses an arsenal of rockets that can reach all of Israel, including Tel Aviv.

After dancing night away at Sky Bar, weekend visitors sleep it off at one of Beirut's luxury hotels.

BEIRUT, Lebanon Three Lebanese soldiers were killed in sporadic fighting with al-Qaida-inspired Islamic militants barricaded in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, a senior military official said Monday.

BEIRUT (AP) - Three Lebanese soldiers were killed in sporadic fighting with al-Qaida-inspired Islamic militants barricaded in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, a senior military official said Monday.

Lebanese troops on Monday resumed their bombing of Islamist militants holed up for more than two months in a refugee camp in northern Lebanon.

Iran - Rafsanjani - Palestine Islamic groups in Lebanon and Palestine have the last word in mobilizing people in their resistance, Chairman of the Expediency Council Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said on Monday.

Saudi Arabia has seen a literary explosion in the last two years after the success of "Girls of Riyadh," a taboo-breaking novel that this month went on sale worldwide in English.

BEIRUT, July 23, 2007 (AFP) - A top French diplomat arrives in Beirut on Monday to begin a mission Paris hopes will help to end a paralysing eight-month-old political crisis in Lebanon.

BEIRUT: The renewal of inter-Lebanese dialogue on Lebanese soil under French auspices is the straw many in Lebanon are clutching at, hoping the talk-shop will iron out differences over pressing national issues, mainly the timing of presidential elections, the legality of by-elections and the matter of a national unity government.

Lebanese army still struggling to overcome last remnants of the militants in Nahr al-Bared.

Hezbollah guerrillas have moved most of their rockets in south Lebanon among civilians in villages, an apparent attempt to avoid detection by Israel and U.N. troops, Israeli military officials said Sunday.

Four Lebanese soldiers have been killed in pitched battles with Al Qaeda-inspired militants at a Palestinian refugee camp as Lebanon's worst fighting since the civil war entered its 10th week.

NAHR AL BARED, Lebanon: Four Lebanese soldiers were killed in pitched battles with Al Qaeda-inspired militants at a Palestinian refugee camp yesterday as Lebanon?s worst fighting since the civil war entered its 10th week.

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon (AFP) - Three Lebanese soldiers were killed yesterday in sporadic gunfire between the army and Islamist militants holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp.

Lebanon's political paralysis and bomb blasts may have deterred summer tourists but it's a case of "crisis, what crisis?" for a small elite: the hardcore party crowds of Beirut and its modern-day protege Dubai. After dancing the night away at the rooftop Sky Bar, which packs in 2,500 a night, weekend visitors from Dubai sleep.

Four Lebanese soldiers were killed in pitched battles with al Qaeda-inspired militants at a Palestinian refugee camp on Sunday as Lebanon's worst fighting since the civil war entered its 10th week.

Source: Reuters (Updates casualties) NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon, July 22 (Reuters) - Three Lebanese soldiers were killed in pitched battles with al Qaeda-inspired militants at a Palestinian refugee camp on Sunday as ...

Three Lebanese soldiers were killed Sunday in sporadic gunfire between the army and Islamist militants holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp.

Source: IRIN CONTENTS: IRAQ: Traumatised Iraqi children suffer psychological damage IRAQ: Continued violence causing gender role swap IRAQ: Grim tattoo subculture emerges amid daily violence

FLAGGING RESISTANCE: A Lebanese flag flies over the damaged buildings of the bombarded Nahr Al Bared Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon. A soldier was reported killed July 22, 2007 in gunfire exchanged between the army and die-hard Fatah Al Islam militants refusing to surrender.

Two Lebanese soldiers were killed in pitched battles with al Qaeda-inspired militants at a Palestinian refugee camp on Sunday as Lebanon's worst fighting since the civil war entered its 10th week.

BEIRUT -- Lebanon's political paralysis and bomb blasts may have deterred summer tourists, but it's a case of, "Crisis? What crisis?" for a small elite: the hardcore party crowds of Beirut, and its modern-day protg Dubai.

BBAC sal (Bank of Beirut and the Arab Countries) has recently contracted with CBM, the business partner of IBM in Lebanon and Pexim of Belgrade, Serbia (leading company in software solutions and services for financial institutions) to acquire and implement a full business intelligence solution joining the IBM BDW, the latest Banking Data Warehouse.

New events have been arranged to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Lebanon Area Fair, scheduled from Saturday to Aug. 4 at the Lebanon Valley Exposition Center and Fairgrounds, two miles south of Lebanon off Route 72.

Bob Gallo has a passion for sports and a love of orthopedic medicine. Or if you prefer, the Lebanon native and Cedar Crest High School grad has a love of sports and a passion for orthopedic medicine.

NAHR AL BARED, Lebanon: The Lebanese army intensified its shelling yesterday of Islamists fiercely defending their last patch of a Palestinian refugee camp as the death toll on both sides mounts.

The Lebanese army intensified its shelling Saturday of Islamists fiercely defending their last patch of a Palestinian refugee camp as the death toll on both sides mounts.

The Lebanese army has resumed its shelling of Islamists holed up at a Palestinian refugee camp as the death toll among the troops rose to 113, an army official said Saturday.

BEIRUT, July 21 (RIA Novosti) - Saddam Hussein's cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid, also known as "Chemical Ali," who was sentenced to death in late June for using chemical weapons against the Kurds, will be executed in Baghdad, an Iraqi paper said Saturday.

Grading has begun for a long-term project on Interstate 44 at Lebanon.

BEIRUT, Lebanon - The army used loudspeakers Friday to urge Islamic extremists inside a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon to surrender, as sporadic fighting continued, witnesses and security officials said.

Visiting German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul has expressed her hope to improve the living conditions of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, The Daily Star reported on Friday. "We hope to be a ...

BEDDAWI, Lebanon: They have been stripped of virtually all their belongings ? their houses, their livelihood, their precious jewellery, even their identity papers.

PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria (AP) - A Lebanese businessman was shot dead in his home early Friday in oil-rich southern Nigeria, police said.

A Lebanese businessman was shot dead in his home early Friday in oil-rich southern Nigeria, police said. In a separate incident Friday evening in Port Harcourt, several gunmen in a minibus opened fire near a white truck containing several foreign workers in an apparent attempt to kidnap them, an Associated Press reporter who witnessed the incident said.

Lebanese Alaa Abdel-Karim al-Bouz is 21, the oldest resident of the Home of Hope orphanage in Kahale, on the mountains east of Beirut. Alaa's parents died when he was an infant and after growing up in an orphanage his elder brothers abused him. After two years in prison, Alaa found stability at the Home of Hope.

Lebanon's former president Amin Gemayel on Friday announced he will run in August 5 parliamentary by-elections to replace his son, Pierre Gemayel, who was assassinated in Beirut late 2006.

Abdullah lives like no eight year-old-boy should. Two years ago, the youngster from Raqqa, a town in the north of Syria on the banks of the River Euphrates, traveled to Lebanon with his three brothers, looking for work. Today, Abdullah lives with around 20 other workers in a ramshackle encampment on a patch of wasteland in Lailaki, a poor suburb of south Beirut.

The political party of Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun, the sole declared candidate to date for Lebanon's disputed presidential election, launched its own television channel on Friday.

Two months since fighting erupted at a Palestinian refugee camp, the Lebanese army on Friday was still mired in a painstaking battle to wipe out the last pockets of Al-Qaeda-inspired militants.

BEIRUT, Lebanon The army used loudspeakers Friday to urge Islamic extremists inside a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon to surrender, as sporadic fighting continued, witnesses and security officials said.

Source: Reuters By Alistair Lyon, Special Correspondent BEIRUT, July 20 (Reuters) - Many of the 32,000 Palestinian refugees who have fled fighting between the Lebanese army and Islamist militants will need ...

Two months since fighting erupted, Lebanese army still mired in battle to wipe out last pockets of militants.

Source: Reuters (Updates with attack on police station, previous ABUJA) By Austin Ekeinde PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria, July 20 (Reuters) - Suspected armed robbers shot dead a Lebanese businessman in the southern ...

Lebanon's former president Amin Gemayel on Friday announced he will run in disputed August 5 parliamentary by-elections to replace his son, Pierre Gemayel, who was assassinated in Beirut last November.

BEIRUT: The Telecommunication Ministry Telecommunication Ministry and OGERO OGERO said Thursday plans are afoot to transform the ministry and the state owned company into LibanTelecom before the full privatization of the telecom sector.

Suspected armed robbers have shot dead a Lebanese businessman in the Nigerian city of Port Harcourt in the Niger Delta, say police.

Four Lebanese soldiers were killed Wednesday as the army battled Islamic militants in their remaining hideouts inside a northern Palestinian refugee camp, a senior military official said.

Source: Reuters ABUJA, July 20 (Reuters) - Suspected armed robbers shot dead a Lebanese businessman in the southern Nigerian city of Port Harcourt in the Niger Delta, the local police commissioner said on Friday. ...

Lebanese troops, advancing behind a curtain of shell fire, stormed the headquarters of the Fatah al- Islam militants in a northern Palestinian refugee camp on Thursday, local press reported. The official National News Agency (NNA) said ...

Two months since fighting erupted at a Palestinian refugee camp, the Lebanese army is still mired in a painstaking battle to wipe out the last pockets of Al-Qaeda-inspired militants.

BEIRUT: Stock markets in the GCCare the most attractive globally for investors, according to Credit Suisse Group (CS). ?They?re the cheapest worldwide,? Mohamed Hawa, an analyst with the Zurich-based financial services company said yesterday.

Sara Rood purchased Lebanon Coffee Co. late in May, but is still putting her own mark on the business, including a change in name to Rock the Caffe'. Rood was looking to open a drive-through when she saw that Lebanon Coffee was for sale.

Visiting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here on Thursday that the nation of Lebanon can thwart any possible plots through keeping ranks and resistance.

"The war situation induced us to take action. We were just a group of friends that decided forming Mouatinoun in the court of my building," said Nayla Geagea. Mouatinoun, like several other non-governmental organizations, was formed during last summer's war with Israel to provide assistance to internally displaced Lebanese.

Piles of books, religious tomes, academic studies and years of effort were among the collateral damage caused by the war in Lebanon last summer. During 34 days of bombardment, Israel targeted more than 20 publishing houses and research institutes in the southern suburbs of Beirut - including warehouses for Dar al-Saqi.

Lebanon City Schools Board of Education President Donna Davis-Norris announced a special board meeting for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 31 at the board office, 700 Holbrook Ave., Lebanon.

LEBANON ? The Lebanon Midway Speedway held a double points night with four new faces collecting their first victories of the season last Friday night.

LEBANON: Government could do more to tackle child labour (AKI) - Source IRIN - Abdullah lives like no eight year-old-boy should. Two years ago, the youngster from Raqqa, a town in the north of Syria on the banks of the River Euphrates, travelled to Lebanon with his three brothers, looking for work. Today, Abdullah lives with around 20 other workers in a ramshackle encampment on a ...

The Lebanese army shelled al Qaeda-inspired militants cornered in small parts of a Palestinian refugee camp today and security sources said two more soldiers had died in the two-month-old battle.

Four Lebanese troops died overnight as the army resumed Thursday shelling the remaining positions of Fatah Islam militants entrenched in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, a senior military official said.

Aramex recently opened its logistics centre in the Beirut Port Authority?s newly launched logistics free zone, which also houses facilities for other regional and international logistics services providers.

Source: Reuters By Nazih Siddiq NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon, July 19 (Reuters) - The Lebanese army shelled al Qaeda-inspired militants cornered in small parts of a Palestinian refugee camp on Thursday and security ...

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon (Reuters) - The Lebanese army shelled al Qaeda-inspired militants cornered in small parts of a Palestinian refugee camp on Thursday and security sources said two more soldiers had died in the two-month-old battle.

MANCHESTER ? Brian Maine might have been feeling a bit blue before Monday night?s game at Gill Stadium, but he didn?t show the ill effects of having a cold after pitching Jutras Post 43 to a 15-4 mercy rule win over Lebanon.

BEIRUT: Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader Walid Jumblatt reiterated on Wednesday his accusations that Syria's allies are trying to prevent the establishment of the international tribunal into the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri.

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) -- Four Lebanese soldiers were killed as Lebanese troops on Wednesday battled militants inside a northern Palestinian refugee camp, a senior military official said.

A Kuwaiti military plane arrived in Beirut on Wednesday carrying 13 tons of relief aid to help those affected by the ongoing gunfight between the Lebanese army and Fatah al-Islam militants in north Lebanon. The aid is sent upon directiv ...

BEIRUT: The Islamist militant group battling Lebanese troops at a Palestinian refugee camp said yesterday it was willing to resume talks to end the fighting, a move that came after it lost ground in a two-month-old battle.

UNICEF and the government's Central Administration for Statistics (CAS) will conduct a nation-wide survey to determine access to and effectiveness of social services and other development indicators in Lebanon. "We are committed to ensuring that programs and services are accessible to all in Lebanon, across all communities," said.

BEIRUT - The Islamist militant group battling Lebanese troops at a Palestinian refugee camp said on Wednesday it was willing to resume talks to end the fighting, a move that came after it lost ground in a two-month-old battle.

Three Lebanese soldiers were killed on Wednesday as the army closed in on the last pockets of Islamist guerrillas in a battered refugee camp after two months of battles that have cost some 200 lives.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Islamist militant group battling Lebanese troops at a Palestinian refugee camp said on Wednesday it was willing to resume talks to end the fighting, a move that came after it lost ground in a two-month-old battle.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Islamist militant group battling Lebanese troops at a Palestinian refugee camp said on Wednesday it was willing to resume talks to end the fighting, a move that came after it lost ground in a two-month-old battle.

Source: Reuters (Recasts with group's spokesman quotes, previous NAHR AL-BARED) By Yara Bayoumy BEIRUT, July 18 (Reuters) - The Islamist militant group battling Lebanese troops at a Palestinian refugee camp said ...

Source: IRIN My eldest brother Ziad used to send me out onto the streets to sell chewing gum. If I didn't bring him back at least US$25 each day he would beat me up. Some nights I preferred to sleep on the street rather than go home.

The Beirut Port Authority recently launched its new logistics free zone which houses facilities for key regional and international providers including Aramex (DFM: ARMX). Aramex unveiled its state-of-the-art logistics centre which will reinforce the company?s multimode solutions.

Source: IRIN It is illegal for children under the age of 14 to work in Lebanon, as it is for unsupervised children to beg or sell on the streets. Yet the Ministry of Social Affairs estimates that there are around 100,000 under-14s doing manual labour in the country, while some 20,000 Lebanese children live in alternative care because their families are too poor to support them.

BEIRUT, July 18 (RIA Novosti) - At least two Lebanese soldiers died and five were wounded in a mine blast as troops continued to clear out Islamic militants holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, local media said Wednesday.

Lebanese army closes in on Islamist guerrillas as two months of fighting cost country 107 soldiers? lives.

Jamie Garrett has resigned from the Lebanon City Council. His final meeting as a council member was July 9. The next day, Garrett submitted his resignation letter. He addressed it to Mayor Gary Crenshaw, council members and residents of the city.

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon (Reuters) - Two Lebanese soldiers died overnight in a booby-trapped building at a Palestinian refugee camp where fighting with Islamist militants has lasted for two months, security sources said on Wednesday.

Nahr Al Bared, Lebanon: Two Lebanese soldiers died overnight in a booby-trapped building at a Palestinian refugee camp where fighting with Islamist militants has lasted for two months, security sources said on Wednesday.

Beirut, July 18, 2007: The Beirut Port Authority recently launched its new logistics free zone which houses facilities for key regional and international providers including Aramex Aramex (DFM: ARMX).

JERUSALEM (Thomson Financial) - Israel's latest inquiry into last year's war in Lebanon today blasted Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for "intolerable" failures in protecting civilians during the conflict.

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon (Reuters) - Two Lebanese soldiers died overnight in a booby-trapped building at a Palestinian refugee camp where fighting with Islamist militants has lasted for two months, security sources said on Wednesday.

Lebanon: The Beirut Port Authority recently launched its new logistics free zone which houses facilities for key regional and international providers including Aramex (DFM: ARMX). [AMEInfo.com]

Two Lebanese soldiers died in a booby-trapped building at a Palestinian refugee camp where fighting with Islamist militants has lasted for two months, security sources said.

New daily Heathrow to Cairo service. Increased direct services from Heathrow to Amman and Beirut bmi, Heathrow's second largest carrier, has today (18 July) announced that it will serve a new destination as well as introduce major enhancements to its network of services from Heathrow with effect from 28 October this year.

A French envoy met senior Syrian officials on Wednesday to discuss the political crisis in Lebanon, breaking a two-year diplomatic freeze in ties between Paris and Damascus.

Lebanon: Financial Funds Advisors International (FFA), one of the leading Lebanese financial institutions, has recently received approval from the Banque Du Liban to operate as a Private Bank, making it the first financial institution to receive a specialized bank license in Lebanon. [AMEInfo.com]

JERUSALEM, July 18, 2007 (AFP) - Israel's government watchdog is due on Wednesday to release a report on last year's Lebanon war, widely expected to roast the authorities over the lack of civilian defences during the conflict.

Travelers to Lebanon Reconsider Plans

Lebanese army forces are gradually tightening the grip on Fatah al-Islam militants in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, local Future TV reported on Tuesday. The report said that the army continued to make advances in the ...

The Kettering Health Network is moving into Lebanon.

Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital (SLCH) will give $62,500 throughout the next 12 months to non-profit organizations that support community health initiatives in Lebanon, Sweet Home and Brownsville. This is an increase from last year's allocation of $25,000.

Following the brief thaw among Lebanese leaders returning from the Saint Cloud meeting in France, ice between rival factions appears to have formed again as the Lebanese await the return of the French envoy Jean-Claude Cousseran this week. "Things are back to what they were before once we all came back to Lebanon.

UN peacekeepers and renowned Lebanese actor Rafik Ali Ahmad, acting side by side in a series of ads aimed at informing the Lebanese people about the mission of the United Nations Interim Forces In Lebanon (UNIFIL) will soon hit Lebanese television channels. The campaign came less than a month after a car bomb killed six peacekeepers.

The Kettering Health Network has submitted plans to build a 25,000 square-foot medical office building at the southeast corner of Broadway and Miller Road in Lebanon.

Sycamore Lane residents used verbal fireworks during last night?s North Lebanon Township Board of Supervisors? meeting to complain about a Fourth of July party in their neighborhood that got out of control.

The Lebanese army moved closer Tuesday to routing al-Qaida linked militants from a deserted Palestinian refugee camp at Nahr al-Bared.The military has laid siege to the camp since the fighters launched attacks on May 20 and has suffered 100 fatalities, including three soldiers killed Monday, the Alalam Satellite TV network reported Tuesday.Monday, troops erected a Lebanese flag atop a strategic ...

Source: Reuters By Nazih Siddiq NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon, July 17 (Reuters) - Lebanese troops seized more territory inside a Palestinian refugee camp in pitched battles on Tuesday against al Qaeda-inspired militants ...

Lebanese troops seized more territory inside a Palestinian refugee camp in pitched battles on Tuesday against al Qaeda-inspired militants, security sources said.

BEIRUT, July 17 (Reuters) - Below is a table of the latest Lebanese economic statistics. Figures are provided by the central bank, finance ministry and ratings agencies.

BEIRUT: The government intends to increase the prices of gasoline by LL1,000 for every 20 liters in the coming few weeks to weather the astronomical surge of oil prices in the international market, Bahij Abou Hamzeh, the president of the Association of Oil Importing Companies, said on Monday.

BEIRUT, Lebanon Army troops are making "significant" gains in their long-running battle against al-Qaida-inspired fighters barricaded inside a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, security officials said Tuesday.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was sworn into office for a second seven-year term on Tuesday, with his country facing stiff US pressure over the crises in Lebanon and Iraq.

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Army troops are making "significant" gains in their long-running battle against al-Qaida-inspired fighters barricaded inside a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, security officials said Tuesday.

A Lebanese boy hangs onto a Lebanese flag poll at the entrance of the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared, 16 July 2007. Lebanese army commandos traded small arms fire with Islamist fighters on Tuesday as they closed in on their positions in a bombed-out refugee camp, an AFP correspondent at the scene said.

Lebanese army commandos traded small arms fire with Islamist fighters on Tuesday as they closed in on their positions in a bombed-out refugee camp, an AFP correspondent at the scene said.

Three of the four Iranian diplomats kidnapped in Lebanon in 1982 are still alive and in Israel's captivity. Saturday edition of Lebanese daily "al-Diyar" quoted a group of international experts, who are in Lebanon on a fact-finding mission, as making the remark.

The Lebanese army advanced towards Fatah al-Islam's enclave in the northern camp of Nahr al-Bared on Monday and lost three soldiers in the firefight, local Naharnet news website reported. The army troops have advanced across half of the ...

A roadside bomb planted in Lebanon?s coastal south exploded as a United Nations vehicle drove past, the second attack on the peacekeeping force in less than a month. No one was hurt. The bomb struck the United Nations jeep as it drove near Tyre, according to a statement from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, known as Unifil. A car bombing in June killed six peacekeepers. No one has ...

NICOSIA ? Al Qaida has begun using Soviet-origin rockets in the insurrection in northern Lebanon. The Al Qaida-aligned Fatah Al Islam has fired at least 30 122 mm Grad rockets against the Lebanese Army around the Palestinian refugee camp of Naher Al Bared.

BEIRUT (AFP) - Michel Hayek, a butcher's boy who has risen to the status of an Arab media celebrity, has the knack of making accurate predictions in an anxious and uncertain Lebanon looking for answers and a touch of baraka.

BEIRUT, July 16 (RIA Novosti) - Two Lebanese soldiers were killed Monday as fighting with Islamists continued inside a refugee camp the Lebanese had promised not to enter.

Lebanese troops pushed deeper into a Palestinian refugee camp on Monday, seeking to finish an eight-week confrontation with al Qaeda-inspired militants during which at least 225 people have been killed.

BEIRUT, Lebanon AP) _ A roadside bomb planted in Lebanon's coastal south exploded Monday near a U.N. post as a peacekeeping vehicle drove past, the second attack targeting the force in less than a month. No one was hurt.

BEIRUT (AFP) - Michel Hayek, a butcher's boy who has risen to the status of an Arab media celebrity, has the knack of making accurate predictions in an anxious and uncertain Lebanon looking for answers and a touch of baraka.

BEIRUT, Lebanon AP) ? A roadside bomb planted in Lebanon's coastal south exploded Monday near a U.N. post as a peacekeeping vehicle drove past, the second attack targeting the force in less than a month. No one was hurt.

QASMIYEH, Lebanon (Reuters) - A small bomb went off near a U.N. peacekeeping vehicle in south Lebanon on Monday, causing no casualties, witnesses and U.N. officials said.

Fierce fighting continued for an eighth week in a besieged Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon on Monday. Lebanese army troops have been pounding militants linked to al-Qaida with artillery and tank fire since Friday.

BEIRUT AP) -A bomb hit a U.N. peacekeeping force patrol on a coastal road in southern Lebanon Monday, a Lebanese security official said, the second such attack targeting the force in less than a month.

BEIRUT (AP) - A bomb has hit a UN peacekeeping force patrol on a coastal road in southern Lebanon. It's the second such attack targeting the force in less than a month.

BEIRUT -- Michel Hayek, a butcher's boy who has risen to the status of an Arab media celebrity, has the knack of making accurate predictions in an anxious and uncertain Lebanon looking for answers and a touch of baraka.

BEIRUT, July 16 (Reuters) - Below is a table of the latest Lebanese economic statistics. Figures are provided by the central bank, finance ministry and ratings agencies.

(RTTNews) - A vehicle of the UN peacekeeping force was struck Monday by a roadside bomb near the southern Lebanon town of Tyre, security officials reported. However, there were no immediate reports of casualties or injuries.

QASMIYEH, Lebanon (Reuters) - A small bomb went off near a U.N. peacekeeping vehicle in south Lebanon on Monday, causing no casualties, witnesses and U.N. officials said.

A roadside bomb hits a patrol of UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, but no casualties are reported.

BEIRUT, Lebanon AP) ? A bomb hit a U.N. peacekeeping force patrol on a coastal road in southern Lebanon on Monday, a Lebanese security official said, the second such attack targeting the force in less than a month.

Gulf Resources, a well positioned business, financial and administrative advisory firm, helping growing businesses in the Gulf, announced that it has signed a strategic with Hayek Group S.A.R.L., a Beirut based real estate development company, to develop major real estate projects in Lebanon and promote the same to Gulf & international investors.

BEIRUT, Lebanon Fierce fighting erupted at a besieged Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon on Monday as army troops pounded the remaining hideouts of al-Qaida-inspired militants holed up inside with artillery and tank fire, witnesses said.

Lebanon's rival political factions have agreed to re-open dialogue, prompting hopes of a deal to end the country's political deadlock.

The Harrisburg and Lebanon school districts stand to lose millions of dollars in state money for their alternative education programs under the finalized state budget that is expected to be voted on today.

Lebanese troops have advanced into a Palestinian refugee camp where they have been battling Al Qaeda-inspired militants.

The two-day close-door meeting of Lebanon's 14 rival political factions came to an end on Sunday in a chateau in west suburbs of French capital, reaching an agreement to continue the dialogue and give up violence. During a press confere ...

NAHR AL BARED, Lebanon: Lebanese troops advanced for the first time yesterday into a Palestinian refugee camp as they battled Al Qaeda-inspired militants, and two soldiers were killed raising the military death toll to 100. Lebanese and army flags were seen flying over two or three devastated buildings inside Nahr Al Bared as the battle for the north Lebanon camp between the military and Fatah ...

Given the explosion of the Beirut-based blogosphere that occurred last summer, when scores of online diaries appeared immediately after Israel's bombardment and blockade began, it was only a matter of time before publishing houses harnessed the pain, anxiety and rage of those visceral electronic missives into books about the 34-day war.

Source: Reuters By Francois Murphy LA CELLE SAINT-CLOUD, France, July 15 (Reuters) - Talks near Paris have relaunched dialogue between Lebanon's rival political factions, improving chances of ending a crisis that ...

Talks near Paris have relaunched dialogue between Lebanon's rival political factions, improving chances of ending a crisis that threatens to plunge the country into chaos, France said on Sunday.

Representatives of Lebanon's feuding political parties agreed at a meeting outside Paris on Sunday not to resort to "political violence" and to resolve the country's internal crisis peacefully, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner announced in a speech at the conclusion of two days of talks. "The dialogue will continue now on Lebanese.

Visiting French Defense Minister Herve Morin on Sunday voiced his country's support for the unity and independence of Lebanon and reiterated France's backing for what he called the "legitimate government" of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. "I came to Beirut today to celebrate the Bastille Day with the French troops serving.

LA CELLE SAINT CLOUD, France : French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Sunday he would visit Lebanon later this month to help rival factions pursue talks aimed at pulling the country out of crisis.

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon : Two Lebanese soldiers were killed on Sunday as the army said it had made tangible advances in its eight-week-old battle to crush Islamist fighters besieged in a refugee camp.

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon, July 15 (Reuters) - Lebanese troops advanced for the first time today into a Palestinian refugee camp as they battled al Qaeda-inspired militants, and two soldiers were killed raising the military death toll to 100.

LA CELLE SAINT CLOUD, France, July 15, 2007 (AFP) - Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Sunday he would visit to Lebanon this month to help rival political factions pursue talks aimed at pulling the country out of crisis.

Two Lebanese soldiers were killed on Sunday as the army said it had made tangible advances in its eight-week-old battle to crush Islamist fighters besieged in a refugee camp.

Militants holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon have fired rockets as the army bombarded suspected hideouts inside the besieged settlement.

A Lebanese soldier in a military tank advances in the Nahr al-bared refugee camp during clashes with al Qaeda-inspired militants in north Lebanon, July 14, 2007. Lebanese troops pounded a Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon on Saturday where barricaded al Qaeda-inspired militants fired eight Katyusha-type rockets, a military source said.

Source: Reuters (Recasts with deaths) By Nazih Siddiq NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon, July 15 (Reuters) - Lebanese troops advanced for the first time on Sunday into a Palestinian refugee camp as they ...

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon (AFP) - A Lebanese soldier was killed on Sunday as the army appeared to be making advances in its eight-week-old battle to crush Islamist fighters besieged in a battered refugee camp.

Lebanese troops have advanced for the first time into a Palestinian refugee camp, as a battle with militants enters its ninth week.

Islamists holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon fired more rockets that landed in farm fields outside the camp Sunday as the army bombarded suspected hideouts inside the besieged area.

Source: Reuters NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon, July 15 (Reuters) - Lebanese troops advanced into a Palestinian refugee camp where they have been battling al Qaeda-inspired militants for the first time on Sunday, security ...

PARIS -- Rival Lebanese politicians yesterday opened French-sponsored talks aimed at establishing a framework for ending an eight-month-old political crisis that has threatened to plunge Lebanon into chaos.

Beirut, Lebanon: Militants holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon fired more rockets that landed in farm fields outside the camp on Sunday as the army bombarded suspected hideouts inside the besieged settlement.

Death toll climbs as army closes in on Islamists in Lebanon

Source: Reuters By Nazih Siddiq NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon, July 15 (Reuters) - Lebanese troops fought close-quarter battles with al Qaeda-inspired militants at a Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon on Sunday ...

Lebanese troops fought close-quarter battles with al Qaeda-inspired militants at a Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon on Sunday while an Islamist activist was gunned down in the south.

The leaders of Lebanon's 14 feuding political factions are meeting in Paris this weekend.

PARIS -- Lebanon's rival parties met in a French chateau Saturday for unusual and long-awaited talks meant to ease a political and sectarian crisis threatening to rip apart their country. The closed...

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon: Two Lebanese soldiers were killed as troops closed in on positions of die-hard Islamists holed up in a besieged Palestinian refugee camp taking the toll after two days of heavy fighting to 11.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert toured the country's northern border with Lebanon on Thursday to mark the one-year anniversary of the war against Hezbollah guerrillas.

Cities are suspect to the newly converted puritan. This novel begins with a cynical view of Beirut: "Its alleged charisma doesn't jibe with its qualms; it's like a silk cloth over an ugly stain." In Wolf Dreams, Khadra's previous novel, Algiers was pictured as a whore lifting up her skirts.

Lebanon's political groups are meeting in France to try to end a prolonged political crisis gripping the nation.

There has been no let-up in fierce fighting at the Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon.

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon - Lebanese troops closed in on positions of die-hard Islamists holed up in a besieged Palestinian refugee camp on Saturday after two days of heavy fighting in which 11 soldiers were killed.

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon (Reuters) - Lebanese troops pounded a refugee camp in north Lebanon on Saturday where barricaded al Qaeda-inspired militants clashed with them and fired at least two Katyusha-type rockets.

LA CELLE SAINT CLOUD, France, July 14, 2007 (AFP) - Lebanon's political factions including the pro-Syrian opposition Hezbollah on Saturday began two days of talks in France to try to ease the deadlock paralysing the nation.

Paris - Rival Lebanese factions gathered Saturday in a castle outside Paris in an attempt to resolve the long-standing civil conflict. Representatives from 14 parties, including the radical Islamic group Hezbollah, sat down for informal talks at the ...

Iran - Lebanon - Message Iran's Ambassador to Beirut Mohammad-Reza Sheibani on Saturday submitted a message from Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki to Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

LA CELLE SAINT CLOUD, France -- Lebanon's political factions, including the pro-Syrian opposition Hezbollah, Saturday began two days of talks in France to try to ease the deadlock paralyzing the nation.

Dragan Raca, the Yugoslav coach of the Lebanese basketball team, believes San Miguel-Pilipinas is capable of topping its ?Group of Death? in the forthcoming Fiba-Asia Men?s Championship in Tokushima, but adds a number of factors will have to fall into place for that to happen.

There is disturbing news coming from Lebanon police, when a seven week old baby was left in the street early Saturday morning. Around 2:30am, 9-1-1 dispatchers received a call that a naked woman was carrying a baby in the roadway on Miller Road Extension.

One year after a war between Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah militants led to nearly 1,000 dead civilians and devastation from thousands of bombs, much has still not been rebuilt and morale remains low.

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon (AFP) - Lebanese troops closed in on positions of die-hard Islamists holed up in a besieged Palestinian refugee camp on Saturday after two days of heavy fighting in which 11 soldiers were killed.

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon (Reuters) - Lebanese troops pounded a refugee camp in north Lebanon on Saturday where barricaded al Qaeda-inspired militants clashed with them and fired at least two Katyusha-type rockets.

After ABC Ashrafieh and CityMall, Casper & Gambini's has spread its wings and landed in the perfect meeting place for a new crop of gourmet food lovers and coffee enthusiasts.

11 Lebanese soldiers killed in two days as army continues to bombard Nahr al-Bared camp.

CLOSING IN: Lebanese soldiers in an armored personnel carrier and military ambulance advance in the Nahr Al Bared refugee camp during clashes with an Al Qaeda-inspired group in northern Lebanon July 13.

Source: Reuters By Nazih Siddiq NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon, July 14 (Reuters) - Lebanese troops pounded a refugee camp in north Lebanon on Saturday where barricaded al Qaeda-inspired militants clashed with them and ...

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon (AFP) - Lebanese troops closed in on positions of die-hard Islamists holed up in a besieged refugee camp on Saturday after two days of heavy fighting in which 11 soldiers were killed.

Eight weeks after the Lebanese Army began battling Al Qaeda-inspired militants in northern Lebanon and three weeks after the army declared victory, the fighting rages on.

The Lebanese army pounded positions of rocket-firing Islamists in heavy clashes around a refugee camp on Friday, as the military's death toll neared 100 almost eight weeks into a bloody showdown.

BEIRUT: Damascus is satisfied with Belgian Prosecutor Serge Brammertz' eighth report to UN chief Ban Ki-moon on the progress of the UN probe into the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri, the Syrian UN envoy announced Friday.

LEBANON ? After water and soil tests around Cheadle Lake for pollution returned clean last month, the city may consider following a plan to convert the 135-acre area into a public park and festival grounds.

14 July 2007 Dubai-owned hotels in Beirut are feeling the pinch as conflicts in Lebanon threaten to cloud yet another summer holiday season.

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon ? Lebanese gunners and tanks blasted positions of rocket-firing Islamists in heavy clashes around a camp yesterday, as the army?s death toll neared 100 almost eight weeks into a bloody showdown.

Among the items left behind by visitors to the Twin Towers Memorial, which is located near the Beirut Memorial, is a bracelet that bears the name of Claude M. Gadd, one of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center in New York.

Islamic militants have fired volleys of rockets in response to a Lebanese army bombardment of their positions in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon.

It has been one year since the July War between Israel and Hezbollah militants based in Lebanon. Fawaz Gerges discusses the political and economic situation in Lebanon in the war's aftermath. Gerges is a Carnegie scholar and a visiting professor at the American University in Cairo. He is also Lebanese and was stranded with his three children while visiting Beirut during the war. Gerges talks to ...

Under constant artillery fire from the Lebanese army, Islamic militants holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon shot back with rockets on Friday.

BOMBARDED: Smoke billows from the bombarded Nahr Al Bared refugee camp during Lebanese army shelling, in north Lebanon July 13. (REUTERS) NAHR AL BARED, Lebanon -- The Lebanese army pounded positions of rocket-firing Islamists in heavy clashes around a refugee camp Friday, as the military's death toll neared 100 almost eight weeks into a bloody showdown.

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon (AFP) - Lebanese gunners and tanks blasted positions of rocket-firing Islamists in heavy clashes around a camp on Friday, as the army's death toll neared 100 almost eight weeks into a bloody showdown.

Under constant artillery fire from the Lebanese army, Islamic militants holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon shot back with rockets on Friday.

Islamic militants fired back volleys of rockets at the Lebanese army on Friday as troops pounded the remaining suspected hideouts of the Fatah Islam fighters holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon.

At least 6 soldiers die in clashes with militants at refugee camp Fierce clashes between government forces and Islamic militants left at least six soldiers dead yesterday as Lebanon marked the first anniversary of the summer war that stretched the country to the breaking point.

The Lebanese army on Friday resumed heavy strikes against militants holed up in a refugee camp near Tripoli.

In his fourth report, the BBC's Martin Asser looks at the Palestinian refugee camp crisis in Lebanon.

Lebanese troops resumed bombardment of al-Qaida-inspired militants entrenched in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon on Friday as the army said it lost six soldiers in fierce fighting the day before.

Lebanese army artillery on Friday pounded a camp in which Islamist fighters are holed up, in renewed heavy clashes almost eight weeks into a bloody showdown in northern Lebanon.

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon -- Lebanese troops advanced yesterday under cover of artillery fire upon positions held by Al Qaeda-influenced fighters holed up inside a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon. Four soldiers and one civilian died in some of the heaviest fighting of the two-month standoff.

Islamist militants fired Katyusha rockets at Lebanese villages on Friday in a further escalation of their 8-week-old battle with the army at a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon.

Lebanese troops fought pitched battles with al Qaeda-inspired militants at a Palestinian refugee camp on Friday, as the death toll from Lebanon's worst fighting since the civil war rose further.

CEBU CITY, July 13 (Bernama) -- Several Filipinos bound for Lebanon Friday have been stopped at the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA), indications that rumours of human trafficking to the war-torn country were true, an overseas employment official said.

Members of Canada's largest Lebanese community will mark the one-year anniversary of last summer's conflict in their homeland with a rally Saturday night in Montreal.

BEIRUT (AFP) - Jittery Lebanon marked on Thursday the anniversary of a blistering war between Israel and Hizbollah facing political paralysis, economic crisis and a deadly showdown with Islamist guerrillas.

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- There's a lot of waiting and worrying in Lebanon these days. One year after Israel and the Shiite Hezbollah militia went to war, large swaths of Lebanon still lie in ruins and as rival factions struggle for control over the country.

BEIRUT, Lebanon | Nearly a year after claiming ?divine victory? in its war against Israel, the militant Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah has fallen short of its goal.

Three Lebanese soldiers were killed Thursday during a battle with Islamic militants at a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, the official National News Agency reported. The report said several soldiers were also wounded in the ...

BEIRUT: Six Lebanese soldiers were killed yesterday during a heavy assault on a refugee camp which the army said was the "first step" in a final battle against militants holed up there for almost eight weeks.

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon ? Six Lebanese soldiers were killed yesterday during a heavy assault on a refugee camp the army says signals the ?first step? in a final battle against Islamist fighters holed up there for almost eight weeks.

The director of political and civilian affairs for UNIFIL, Milos Strugar, said Thursday that maintaining order and security in South Lebanon is the responsibility of the Lebanese Army, and that the peacekeeping force was a supplemental actor. He also labeled the attack on Spanish troops last month as a dangerous development and expressed.

Al Qaeda-inspired militants killed six Lebanese soldiers on Thursday in fierce battles at a Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon, security sources said.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert toured Israel's northern border on Thursday on the first anniversary of the Lebanon war as Israelis soulsearched over a conflict that tarnished the nation's military and political hierarchy.

Al Qaeda-inspired militants killed four Lebanese soldiers on Thursday in fierce battles at a Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon, security sources said.

Two Lebanese soldiers were killed on Thursday as the army pounded a refugee camp with artillery fire, but the military denied reports that the barrage was part of a final assault on the Islamic militants barricaded inside.

BOMBARDED: Smoke rises from the bombarded Nahr Al Bared Palestinian refugee camp during Lebanese army shelling, in north Lebanon July 12. Lebanese troops unleashed barrages of artillery fire at the camp Thursday after Al Qaeda-inspired militants killed three soldiers there.

Caught in struggle to influence Mideast The collapsed ruins of this once-quaint town are a testament to all that has gone wrong in Lebanon since Israel and the militant Shiite Hezbollah movement fought their devastating 33-day war a year ago.

The Lebanese Army says three soldiers have been killed in renewed fighting with Islamic militants holed up at a Palestinian refugee camp in the north of the country.

(RTTNews) - The Lebanese army rained a Palestinian refugee camp with artillery fire on Thursday, amid reports that the army was preparing to launch a final assault against al Qaeda-inspired insurgents holed up inside the refugee camp in north Lebanon.

BEIRUT -- More than 150 civilians fled from a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon yesterday as soldiers ringing the neighborhood moved up tanks and armored vehicles for a possible showdown with Islamic militants barricaded inside.

An Israeli soldier was killed in clashes with Hamas militants in the latest army incursion into Gaza on Thursday, as the Jewish state marked the anniversary of the start of the Lebanon war.

Lebanon marks the anniversary on Thursday of a blistering war between Israel and Hezbollah facing political paralysis, economic crisis and possibly the final battle in a deadly showdown with Islamist guerrillas.

EXODUS: Lebanese soldiers stop Palestinian men fleeing Nahr Al Bared refugee camp at a military checkpoint in north Lebanon July 11. About 160 Palestinians fled the refugee camp Wednesday as the army prepared to launch a final assault against Al Qaeda-inspired militants holed up inside.

Lebanese troops bombarded a Palestinian refugee camp from daybreak on Thursday in what could signal the start of a massive assault against Islamist fighters holed up there for weeks.

Palestinians flee; army prepares to attack extremists BEIRUT, Lebanon More than 150 civilians fled from a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon on Wednesday as soldiers ringing the neighborhood moved up tanks and armored vehicles for a possible showdown with Islamic extremists barricaded inside.

The Swedish Embassy in Damascus has denied visa applications to a group of Boy Scouts from northern Beirut who wanted to attend a jamboree in Sweden. Sveriges Radio said the decision went against the Swedish Foreign Ministry's request that embassies look favorably on visa applications from scouts intending to take part in the jamboree, the Swedish newspaper The Local reported Wednesday. "I think ...

There's a lot of waiting and worrying in Lebanon these days. One year after Israel and the Shiite Hezbollah militia went to war, large swaths of Lebanon still lie in ruins and as rival factions struggle for control over the country.

Beirut, July 12 (Xinhua) At least 200 Palestinian refugees have been evacuated from the ruins of north Lebanon's Nahr al-Bared Camp as the army began a final cleanout Fatah al-Islam militants, according to media reports.

Cape Coral resident Alessia Leathers, who is from Peru, South America, writes about how words in Spanish and English can often be misinterpreted.

The Swedish Embassy in Damascus has denied visa applications to a group of Boy Scouts from northern Beirut who wanted to attend a jamboree in Sweden.

Lebanon on Thursday marks the first anniversary of the devastating Israel-Hezbollah war, with the Shiite group opting to keep a low profile as the spotlight falls on the army and its attempt to put down an Islamist revolt.

Amnesty International urges the UN to probe alleged war crimes committed in Lebanon, a year on from the conflict.

BEIRUT: At least 150 Palestinians fled their north Lebanon refugee camp yesterday in anticipation of an assault by the Lebanese army battling militants holed up inside.

An expert U.N. cartographer says the Sheba Farms, a small area in the northern reaches of Israel, are Lebanese territory. Israel refused to return the farms to Lebanon in 2000, claiming the land was Syrian and therefore would not be given up except as par

One year after the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon prompted a massive operation to get U.S. citizens out of the country, most view the efforts as well-executed, though some remain critical of certain U.S. policies.

MONTREAL (CP) - The Hezbollah flag could well figure prominently when Quebec's Lebanese community marks this weekend's one-year anniversary of the Israeli bombing of southern Lebanon.

"Yes, I'm hoping to premiere the new play later this year," said Rabih Mroue, referring to the Beirut premiere of "How Nancy Wished that Everything Was an April Fool's Joke." Co-written by Mroue and Fadi Toufic and performed by himself, Lina Saneh, Hatem al-Imam and Ziad Antar, the play promises to be his most populated production yet.

More than 150 people, mostly Palestinian militants, have fled the besieged Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in northern Lebanon amid signs of a final assault by the army against die-hard Islamists.

More than 150 people, mostly Palestinian militants, fled a besieged refugee camp in northern Lebanon on Wednesday amid signs of a final assault by the army against die-hard Islamists.

Beirut - Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Seniora appealed for Lebanese people to unite and end the political deadlock in the country on Wednesday, the eve of the first anniversary of the 33-day Lebanon war. As we stood together to confront the aggress...

BEIRUT (AFP) - Prime Minister Fuad Siniora on Wednesday issued an appeal for Lebanese to unite and end a months-long political crisis, on the eve of the first anniversary of a devastating Israeli war.

Army builds up for potential clash with remaining Islamic militants More than 150 Palestinians fled on foot from a besieged refugee camp in northern Lebanon today as army troops reinforced their positions with tanks and armored vehicles ahead of a possible showdown with Islamic militants holed up inside.

BEIRUT -- Prime Minister Fuad Siniora Wednesday issued an appeal for Lebanese to unite and end a months-long political crisis, on the eve of the first anniversary of a devastating Israeli war.

WORSE than Beirut.

Source: IRIN Up to 150 people from the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon fled on 11 July, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Witnesses said the army was preparing a final assault on the Fatah al-Islam militants holed up inside.

Dozens of women and children were waiting to be whisked to safety from a refugee camp in north Lebanon on Wednesday, amid signs of a final assault by the army against die-hard Islamists.

A Lebanese soldier was killed by sniper fire from inside a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon amid signs the army was preparing to launch a major assault on the camp where they battled Islamic militants for weeks. The soldier's death came after Fatah Islam fighters hiding inside the Nahr el-Bared camp rejected repeated calls to surrender.

In Beirut, half a million people live in and around Haret Hreik, where about 4000 homes were destroyed in a square-kilometre zone and many thousands more damaged during the war sparked by Hezbollah's capture of two Israeli soldiers. Thursday marks a year since the start of the 34-day war.

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon (AFP) - Dozens of Palestinians trapped by more than 50 days of fighting were fleeing their northern Lebanese refugee camp on Wednesday, in an evacuation that could clear the way for an army assault to crush Islamists holed up inside.

A Lebanese soldier was killed by sniper fire from inside a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon amid signs the army was preparing to launch a major assault on the camp where they battled Islamic militants for weeks.

NAHR Al BARED, Lebanon - Dozens of Palestinians trapped by more than 50 days of fighting were fleeing their northern Lebanese refugee camp on Wednesday, in an evacuation that could clear the way for an army assault to crush Islamists holed up inside.

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon (Reuters) - Scores of Palestinians fled a refugee camp in north Lebanon on Wednesday as the Lebanese army prepared to launch a final assault against al Qaeda-inspired militants holed up inside.

The Lebanese army is preparing to launch a final assault against al Qaeda-inspired militants holed up at a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon. Troops have been battling Fatah al-Islam fighters at the Nahr al-Bared camp for nearly eight weeks.

Source: Reuters (Recasts with refugees fleeing, details, previous BEIRUT) By Nazih Saddiq NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon, July 11 (Reuters) - Scores of Palestinians fled a refugee camp in north Lebanon on Wednesday as ...

The fight between Lebanese soldiers and Al Qaeda-inspired fighters just outside Tripoli is quieting. But as that battle ends, Lebanese officials are now accusing pro-Syrian Palestinian factions of stocking up on weapons and fresh fighters, possibly representing the next big challenge for the over-stretched and under-equipped Lebanese Army.

A Lebanese soldier was killed by sniper fire from inside a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon where Islamic militants have been holed up for weeks, a senior military official said Wednesday.

Source: Reuters BEIRUT, July 11 (Reuters) - The Lebanese army is preparing to launch a final assault against al Qaeda-inspired militants holed up at a Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon, political and security ...

BEIRUT, July 11 (RIA Novosti) - Russia will send a team of mine-disposal experts to a mountainous area in Lebanon to the east of Beirut in 2008, a spokesman for the Lebanon Mine Action Program said Wednesday.

Remaining Palestinians trapped in a refugee camp in north Lebanon by weeks of fighting between the army and Islamist militants started to flee on Wednesday.

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon - A Lebanese soldier has been killed by Islamist militants besieged by the army for more than 50 days in a refugee camp in northern Lebanon, an army spokesman said on Wednesday.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday voiced his deep concern over the "debilitating political crisis" in Lebanon, saying continuing attacks faced by the country is undermining its sovereignty and territorial integrity. In his lat ...

Marwaheen (Lebanon), July 11: "Our land is now purified!" people shouted as Israeli tanks rolled out of Lebanon's south a year ago. This month people are busy baking cakes and sweets to celebrate the victory by what they consider the Lebanese resistance, the Shia movement Hezbollah.

Lebanese are being squeezed, no longer just by fear of bombs, but by the realities of checkpoints and roving patrols of soldiers.

Lebanon is mired in a debilitating political crisis, facing continuing attacks aimed at undermining its sovereignty and territorial integrity, which makes it harder to fully implement the Security Council resolution ending last year?s war between Israel and Hizbollah, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says.

UN officials say that militants in 16 remote Palestinian outposts are adding guns and recruits to stir more trouble for the American-backed government.

The Lebanese Women's Council (LWC) declared on Tuesday that Lebanese women would have a say in stopping what it called poisonous sectarian strife in the country. The council said that Lebanese women in general and the council in particular would fight for progress "in preventing such an atrocious scenario from taking place."

Beirut Archbishop Boulos Matar paid tribute on Tuesday to what he said were Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's "great sacrifices" for Lebanon. "We highly respect Premier Siniora and we came here today to inform him that all problematic issues should be solved through dialogue because Lebanon belongs to all of its citizens.

More than 100 intellectuals, political figures and academics met on Tuesday at the Bristol Hotel to launch an initiative aimed at spearheading political change and abolishing confessionalism in Lebanon. The new program, known as the "Civil Center for National Initiative," calls for the formation of an "intellectual and practical initiative".

Lebanese soldiers on Tuesday tightened the noose on Islamist militants holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp in the north by taking more buildings, an army spokesman told AFP.

Iran - Lebanon - Diplomats Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Mohammad-Reza Baqeri said on Tuesday that since Iran does not recognize the Zionist regime and considers it as 'illegal', "We are not going under any circumstances to hold talks with them on the fate of four kidnapped Iranian diplomats in Lebanon."

An overseas Filipino worker in Lebanon committed suicide by jumping from the fifth of her aparment building last week, ABS-CBN Middle East News Bureau reported Tuesday.

An early departure of American troops from Iraq or a pullback to bases inside the country could lead to sharply increased violence and the deaths of thousands of people, the U.S. envoy to Baghdad told The New York Times.

Human rights activist Rima Merhi spent a day at the Beddawi Palestinian refugee camp and nearby government schools in north Lebanon recently. This sign thanks people for visiting.

UNMACC spokeswoman says 122,500 of 1 million mainly Israeli cluster bombs destroyed in Lebanon.

Beijing, July 10 (Xinhua) Chinese soldiers have destroyed more than 7,000 mines and bombs during their peacekeeping mission in Lebanon in the past 15 months, a military official said Tuesday.

Rasha Zayoun thought the worst of last year's war between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas was over when a ceasefire halted 34 days of fierce Israeli bombardment of south Lebanon. She was wrong.

BEIJING, July 10 (Bernama) -- China's soldiers have destroyed more than 7,000 mines and bombs during their peace-keeping mission in Lebanon in the past 15 months, a military official said Tuesday.

The BBC's Martin Asser returns to Lebanon to examine how the nation is faring a year after the Hezbollah-Israeli war.

China's soldiers have destroyed more than 7,000 mines and bombs during their peace-keeping mission in Lebanon in the past 15 months, a military official said Tuesday.

The commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Major-General Claudio Graziano, met with senior officials from the Lebanese Army and the Israeli Army on Monday at the UN Position at the border crossing at Ras al-Naqoura. Discussions focused on the implementation of UN Resolution 1701.

Recent media reports that Syria warned its nationals to flee Lebanon ahead of a major outbreak of violence and civil war there are "unfounded," Lebanon's Druze Leader Walid Jumblatt said today. Mr. Jumblatt said rather than evacuating, Syria has been sending "thousands of so-called workers and tourists per day," possibly ahead of an attempt to destabilize the country. "There is no evacuation of ...

The situation in Lebanon topped the agenda Monday when Syrian President Bashar Assad met with the secretary-general of the Arab League.

Widespread media reports of Syria warning its nationals to flee Lebanon ahead of a major outbreak of violence and civil war there are "unfounded," contended Lebanon's Druze Leader Walid Jumblatt in an interview today with WND.

Dale Wise may have hung up his clipboard and put away his long list of phone numbers, but he will always be known around Lebanon as Mr. Parade. Since 1977, Wise has had a hand in organizing more than 20 parades honoring Lebanon?s veterans ? including the city?s last nine Memorial Day parades.

Washington's unconditional and unflinching support for Israel during its 34-day bombing of Lebanon last year dealt a key blow to US influence in the Middle East, already eroded by the Iraq war.

Islamist militants inside a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon exchange heavy fire with troops, reports say.

Lebanese troops on Monday pounded Islamist positions in a Palestinian camp where about 400 refugees have been stranded with dwindling water and food supplies.

BEIRUT, July 9 (RIA Novosti) - A current crisis around the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp near Beirut, sealed off by Lebanese troops, could become a protracted armed conflict, local media reported Monday.

Beirut: Syria has handed to Lebanon a car Beirut authorities believe was used in last year's killing of a Christian cabinet minister, security sources said on Monday.

Doha Bank signs e-remittance deal with Bank of Beirut

The Lebanese army has resumed heavy shelling of Fatah al-Islam positions inside the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in northern Lebanon, the Daily Star reported on Monday. The report said that intermittent fighting also erupted along the Bar ...

Syria has blocked access to a number of websites critical of the regime, including the online versions of leading dailies, AFP reported, quoting a Syrian human rights group. Sites blocked include those of Saudi-owned Asharq Al-Awsat and Beirut-based Al-Mustaqbal newspapers.

Source: Reuters July 9 (Reuters) - The impact of the 34-day war that erupted between Israel and Shi'ite Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon a year ago is still reverberating in both countries. Here are some facts ...

Rebuilding of homes has been slow, services sector remain stagnant a year after Israeli-Lebanese war.

Source: Reuters By Alistair Lyon, Special Correspondent BINT JBEIL, Lebanon, July 9 (Reuters) - Most of the old town of Bint Jbeil still lies in dusty ruins a year after war erupted in Lebanon between Israel and ...

WASHINGTON, July 9, 2007 (AFP) - Washington's unconditional and unflinching support for Israel during its 34-day bombing of Lebanon last year dealt a key blow to US influence in the Middle East, already eroded by the Iraq war.

Syria is calling on its citizens who are in Lebanon to leave the country ahead of an expected military "eruption" expected to take place next week.

BEIRUT - A year after the Israel-Hezbollah war which battered Lebanon, much of the infrastructure has been restored but the rebuilding of homes has been slow and the services sector remains stagnant.

A year after the blistering war between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon is mired in political and economic crisis and faces a deadly new challenge from an Al-Qaeda-inspired Islamist militia.

Staff Reporter REACH Out to Asia (Rota) is distributing schoolbags and supplies to Palestinian schoolchildren forced to flee their homes by the fighting in the Nahr Al Bared refugee camp in Lebanon.

The Lebanese capital may be going through another round of the Beirut blues, but the City of Lights is celebrating the country's filmmakers with an all-out bash. Lebanon is the guest of honor at this year's Paris Cinema film festival, which opened last week and runs through July 14. On that date.

The Lebanese American University (LAU) held a commencement ceremony Saturday for 956 of its students at the Beirut campus in Qoreitem. During the ceremony, LAU president Joseph Jabbra announced that the university planned to launch a new nursing school. "We are in the process of preparing for our board of trustees ...

Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa met Saudi King Abdullah on Sunday for talks on the first leg of a tour that will also take him to Syria to discuss the crisis in Lebanon.

A year after suffering surprise setbacks against Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas, Israel's armed forces are poised once more for a major conventional war.

Source: Reuters July 8 (Reuters) - Nearly a year ago, Israel struck Beirut airport and blockaded Lebanese ports after Hezbollah fighters seized two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border attack. Here are some details ...

Source: Reuters By Alistair Lyon, Special Correspondent BEIRUT, July 8 (Reuters) - Fear that political deadlock may spill into violence is gripping Lebanon, a year after Israel and Shi'ite Hezbollah guerrillas ...

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) -- Police suspect that an al-Qaida-inspired militant group battling army troops in northern Lebanon was behind the assassination of a Christian Cabinet minister last year, a security official said Saturday.

A nonprofit social services organization wants to build housing for the homeless in Lebanon.

BEIRUT (AFP) - With time running short, Lebanon's presidential election now tops the list of priorities in international and regional efforts to pull the country back from the brink of political chaos.

LEBANON ? Thousands of people are on the Lebanon Town Green at this hour awaiting tonight?s fireworks. There?s dancing and food booths. People are picnicking and others have sparklers lighting up the twilight.

BEIRUT: Investigators have concluded that Al Qaeda-inspired militants killed a Christian Lebanese minister late last year, a newspaper reported yesterday.

Beirut : The investigation into last year's assassination of a Christian Cabinet minister points to the involvement of Al Qaida-inspired Islamic militants, a Lebanese security official familiar with the case said yesterday.

Associated Press - July 7, 2007 2:55 PM ET LEBANON, Tenn. (AP) - Residents in some Lebanon neighborhoods say they are angry and frightened after dozens of cards that purport to be from the Ku...

Paralyzed Lebanon lures Islamist militants BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 7 -- Political paralysis in Lebanon in the aftermath of last year's war between Israel and Hezbollah appears to be attracting Islamic militants. Hundreds of people have been killed in ...

Political paralysis in Lebanon in the aftermath of last year's war between Israel and Hezbollah appears to be attracting Islamic militants.

Lebanese investigators have concluded that al Qaeda-inspired militants killed a Christian Lebanese minister late last year, a Lebanese newspaper reported on Saturday.

LONDON, July 7 (IranMania) - Son of one of four Iranian diplomats kidnapped in Lebanon 25 years ago here Friday asked for broader efforts aimed a seeing clues that can lead to finding facts regarding kidnapping of his father and other Iranian kidnapped diplomats, IRNA reported.

A radical Palestinian guerrilla group has allegedly played a role in the assassination of Lebanese former Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel, local Naharnet news website reported on Friday. The report, citing reliable sources informed on ...

Lebanese authorities seized weapons and ammunition during a raid on an apartment that belongs to Sheikh Fathi Yakan, a Sunni Islamist leader who is close to Syria, local press reported on Friday. The state-run National News Agency said ...

Beirut: The Lebanese Telecommunications Ministry Lebanese Telecommunications Ministry issued 15 new stamps this month to commemorate major cultural, charity and sporting events that have recently impacted Lebanon.

Norway will send its peacekeeping troops back to Lebanon after nearly a decade when it withdrew from the war-torn country, media reports reaching Stockholm said on Friday. The first batch of Norwegian peacekeepers, consisting of only ei ...

The PFLP-GC was founded in 1968 as a splinter group from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The group is somewhat influential in Lebanon. In recent years, it has been involved in a number of clashes with Lebanese securi ...

BEIRUT: Jbeil Maronite Archbishop Bishara Raii accused Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's government of trying to "Islamize" Lebanon in an interview coming two days after the Council of Maronite Bishops issued its monthly statement.

LEBANON - The Lebanon VA Medical Center is getting its second interim director as the search continues for a permanent replacement for Director Terry Gerigk Wolf.

While Lebanon?s troubles are not principally about Islamic militancy, some fear it could become the kind of place that attracts more of it, especially from the Iraq war.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Seniora on Friday exchanged views on bilateral relations. Yang and Seniora also discussed the situation in Lebanon. Seniora extended his regards to Chinese Premi ...