A manifesto that will allow the new Lebanon government to take office will be ready on Friday, Information Minister Tareq Mitri, seen here in Fabruary 2008, said on Thursday.

The Arab Investment & Export Credit Guarantee Corporation estimated that Arab investments in Lebanon reached $3.343 billion in 2007, up 47.5 percent from $2.267 billion in 2006, and an 87.8 percent rise from $1.780 billion in 2005. "Lebanon's share of aggregate inter-Arab investments in 2007 reached a record high since 1995.

Although Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's announced resignation could markedly affect the Jewish state's negotiations with Syria and the Palestinians, his departure will most likely not have significant repercussions on Lebanon, a number of analysts told The Daily Star on Thursday.

31 July 2008 - The independent United Nations team dispatched by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to assess the monitoring of the Lebanese border with Syria has wrapped up its two-week mission to Lebanon.

A manifesto that will allow the new Lebanon government to take office will be ready on Friday, Information Minister Tareq Mitri said on Thursday.

A new book Design Destinations: Worldwide (Peribo, $95) out in August, showcases the very coolest locations on the globe. From Beirut to Bali, Istanbul to New York it is your ticket to the hotels, shops, spas, bars and restaurants that are at the forefront of design and cutting-edge architecture.

LEBANON, Ore. -- A police officer posted to Lebanon High School has lost his certification after allegations surfaced about an inappropriate relationship with a student.

Iran - Lebanon - Victories President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that Lebanese great people will clinch bigger victories and that Iran will always stand by the Lebanese nation.

TRIPOLI (NORTHERN LEBANON), 31 July 2008 (IRIN) - Hundreds of Shia Allawi families who have fled the upsurge in violence since 25 July between the Jebel Mohsen (mainly Allawi) and Bab al-Tabbaneh (mainly Sunni) neighbourhoods of Tripoli are living without basic necessities and have yet to receive support.

A troubled Lebanese pop singer has been found stabbed to death in her apartment in an upmarket district of Dubai, according to reports.

Email this article Printer friendly page Barack Obama makes stop at Lebanon's Bell Restaurant today. See Thursday?s edition of the Daily Record for full story.

FBI agents say 35-year-old Ali Hammoud tried to pull off a caper worthy of the big screen. Last Thursday, agents say Hammoud was minutes away from boarding an overseas flight in Miami with millions of stolen dollars sitting in a Beirut bank account.

LEBANON ? Three people have applied to replace Sherrie Sprenger as the Zone 1 representative on the Lebanon School Board.

BAROUK, Lebanon - Sturdy cedars perched high in the mountains stand for many Lebanese as symbols of their fractured land's survival. But some environmentalists worry that the trees face a new threat from global warming.

The Lebanon Public Library has asked for city council's help to tear down the house the library owns at 23 W. Main St. The library requested a permit to demolish the house in April after years of trying to give the building away. The board wants to build a park in its spot.

The Lebanon Public Library has asked for city council's help to tear down the house the library owns at 23 W. Main St.

(RTTNews) - A Lebanese soldier was shot dead and another injured Wednesday, when unidentified gunmen attacked a military post in eastern Lebanon, reports quoting security sources said.

BEIRUT (AFP)--Lebanese Cabinet ministers are to meet Wednesday in a new bid to draft a policy statement that will allow the government to formally take office after a parliamentary vote of confidence.

Dubai - Lebanese singer Suzan Tamim was found murdered in her Dubai apartment, with her murderer still unknown, media reports said Wednesday. The 33-year-old singer was last seen at 1 am on Sunday. She returned home in the company of some friends, th...

BEIRUT - A Lebanese soldier was killed and another was wounded on Wednesday when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a Lebanese army post in Hermel, eastern Lebanon, security sources said.

A security official said gunmen have attacked a Lebanese military post in the country's east, killing one soldier and injuring another. According to him, the machine-gun attack took place at dawn Wednesday in Lebanon's eastern province of Hermel.

BEIRUT, July 30 (Reuters) - BLOM Bank , one of Lebanon's two largest banks, said on Wednesday its net profit for the first half of 2008 had risen 40.28 percent from the same period a year ago.

Lebanese singing star Suzanne Tamim is found dead at her home in the Gulf emirate of Dubai, media reports say.

BEIRUT (AFP)--Hezbollah accused Israel on Wednesday of intensifying its violations of Lebanese airspace and called for action by the U.N. and the government in Beirut.

BEIRUT (AFP)--Gunmen opened fire on an army checkpoint in eastern Lebanon on Wednesday, killing one soldier and wounding another, the army said. "A military position in the eastern Bekaa came under fire Wednesday morning by unknown gunmen. The soldiers responded to the fire," the statement said.

A security official says gunmen have attacked a Lebanese military post in the country's east, killing one soldier and wounding another.

Unknown assailants fire on a military post in eastern Lebanon, killing a soldier and wounding another, officials say.

Lebanon: The Faculty of Medicine at the American University of Beirut recently held its first annual White Coat Ceremony at the Issam Fares Hall. [AMEInfo.com]

BEIRUT: Hizbullah has created a new political file for Arab relations in conjunction with its department of international affairs, and is set to formulate a new political charter, media reports said Tuesday.

DUBAI: Lebanese singer Suzanne Tamim ( pictured ) was found murdered in an apartment in Dubai Marina late on Monday, police sources said. Some Arabic websites said the singer was found stabbed and disfigured, according to Dubai press reports.

Sturdy cedars perched high in the mountains stand for many Lebanese as symbols of their fractured land's survival. But some environmentalists worry that the trees face a new threat from global warming.

Source: Reuters By Alistair Lyon, Special Correspondent BAROUK, Lebanon, July 30 (Reuters) - Sturdy cedars perched high in the mountains stand for many Lebanese as symbols of their fractured land's survival. But ...

A Fatah military commander was seriously wounded in an overnight explosion in a Palestinian refugee camp in south Lebanon, a medic said, after a Palestinain official had earlier said he had been killed.

Seven million Lebanese live in Brazil. Last month, the regional branch of Rotary International sent five more. As part of the Rotary Group Study Exchange (GSE,) a member of the Beirut Rotary club traveled with four other young professionals to meet their Brazilian counterparts, tour the country, and give presentations on Lebanon and the Middle East.

The Faculty of Medicine at the American University of Beirut (AUB) recently held its first annual "White Coat Ceremony" at the Issam Fares Hall, a statement issued by the university said on Tuesday. The ceremony is a rite of passage to medical school, held in over 90 percent of American medical schools usually at the start of the first year.

Lebanon Junction Police Chief Darrell Paul said he was fired this afternoon by Mayor James "Butch" Sweat.

A Fatah military commander has been seriously wounded in an explosion in a Palestinian refugee camp in south Lebanon, a medic says. It comes after a Palestinian official had earlier said the commander had been killed.

BEIRUT, Lebanon?A roadside bomb critically wounded a military commander of the Fatah movement Tuesday, setting off gunbattles at a Palestinian refugee camp that has been torn by factional fighting, Lebanese and Palestinian security officials said.

A Fatah military commander was seriously wounded in an explosion on Tuesday in a Palestinian refugee camp in south Lebanon, a medic said after a Palestinain official had earlier said he had been killed.

AIN EL-HELWEH, Lebanon (AFP)--A commander of the Fatah faction loyal to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas was killed Tuesday in an explosion in a refugee camp in south Lebanon, a Palestinian official said.

TRIPOLI (NORTHERN LEBANON), 29 July 2008 (IRIN) - A few hours after evacuating their bullet-riddled three bedroom flat on the street which divides Sunnis from Shia Allawis in Tripoli's poorest neighbourhood, Khaled Mansour and his new wife were woken by the sound of their front room exploding.

Mika has enjoyed a historical homecoming in Beirut after playing to 15,000 fans in the Lebanese capital.

LEBANON, Pa. -- The cost of parking in Lebanon is going up. Digital meters are being installed along streets in the downtown area. The cost of parking will go from 25 cents to 50 cents an hour.

BEIRUT: A tense calm prevailed in Tripoli on Monday after Lebanese army troops arrested a number of gunmen on the streets of the northern port city a day earlier.

This issue will be the object of study by the governments of both countries, and we want to reach an agreement. But it cannot be done overnight since this council is the result of treaties and accords reached between the two countries.

BEIRUT: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) presented last week scholarship assistance checks totaling $1,652,434 to the Lebanese American University (LAU), a statement by the university said Monday.

A Lebanon man was taken into custody after police said he sexually assaulted a girl.

Email this article Printer friendly page BOONVILLE ? Despite holding a 7-0 lead in the second inning over the host team, Boonville, the Lebanon 15-year-old All-Stars were unable to hold on and were eliminated from the state tournament on Sunday.

Lebanon: Lebanon's national carrier, Middle East Airlines (MEA) has become the newest customer for the Airbus A330-200, following the delivery of their first directly purchased aircraft at a ceremony in Toulouse, South Western France. [AMEInfo.com]

BEIRUT, July 28 (Reuters) - Below is a table of the latest Lebanese economic statistics.

With its sun-kissed Mediterranean coast, and cedar-laden snow-bound mountains, Lebanon, like California, is one of the few places where you can top up your tan in the morning, and ski in the afternoon.

Lebanon: Bank Audi sal - Audi Saradar Group announced that it has successfully closed a landmark syndicated $380m multi-currency bridge facility for the Syrian Cement Company, a Lafarge subsidiary. [AMEInfo.com]

A Hammond man was killed Sunday when his sport utility vehicle clipped a semi-tractor trailer as he tried to pass it on the right, flipping several times and ending up in the median of I-65 just north of Lebanon.

BEIRUT: In its first report about Lebanon since the Doha accord, Citigroup indicated that despite a series of political shocks since 2005, the Lebanese economy has struggled but has been surprisingly robust.

Beirut - Mika, the so-called genius of pop music, enchanted late Sunday some 14,000 of his Lebanese fans in down own Beirut by singing his famous song Relax, Take It Easy. Mika, whose real name is Michael Penniman and was born in Beirut from a Lebane...

Lebanese President Michel Sleiman on Saturday said that what Syria and Lebanon have in common is "much stronger" than the issues that divide the two states.Commenting on the frosty relations between Lebanon and Syria over the past three years, Sleiman said "this period would be overcome because what we have in common is much stronger than what could separate us."

Lebanese politicians and religious figures reacted over the weekend to comments made last Thursday in Vienna by an Iranian vice president, Gholam Reza Aghazadeh, with two MPs accusing the Islamic Republic of using Lebanon as a bargaining chip in its attempts to resolve the international row over its nuclear program.

Beirut - Lebanese tanks were out in force Sunday on the streets of the northern port city of Tripoli, after two days of sectarian fighting that left at least nine people dead, security official said. Militants from rival communities of Sunni Muslims ...

TRIPOLI, Lebanon (AFP)--Hundreds of people were still homeless Sunday after the latest bout of deadly sectarian fighting in the northern Lebanese port city of Tripoli.

NICOSIA [MENL] -- Hizbullah was said to have incited sectarian violence in an effort to expand control in Lebanon. Allies of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora said Hizbullah and Syrian agents were fueling violence around the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli.

There has been an outbreak of violence in northern Lebanon.

Sectarian clashes in northern Lebanon continued for a second day on Saturday, killing three people and wounding 27, security officials said.

BEIRUT: Lebanese marksman Ziad Richa faced enough challenges in his Olympic bid before a UN Security Council resolution curbed his ammunition supply.

BEIRUT: International pop singing sensation Mika is set to play to a sell-out crowd today when he stages his first concert in Beirut, the city of his birth.

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Three people were killed and 27 wounded as sectarian clashes in northern Lebanon continued for a second day yesterday, security officials said.

Vegetation covers the entrance of the abandoned Magen Abraham synagogue which was damaged during Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war in Beirut in April 2008. It's not easy being Jewish in Beirut where the synagogue is crumbling, the rabbis have left, the community is dwindling and where Jews are commonly branded "Israelis".

It was a sunny afternoon on Beirut?s glamorous seafront in April 1983 and the world was about to change for ever. Old men stood fishing on the rocks opposite the American embassy. Women in high heels and sunglasses strolled along the boardwalk undeterred by the civil war and the honking traffic.

It's not easy being Jewish in Beirut where the synagogue is crumbling, the rabbis have left, the community is dwindling and where Jews are commonly branded "Israelis".

Sectarian clashes in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli continue for a second day. Several people have been killed in the clashes and dozens have been wounded. Gunmen exchanged heavy machine-gun and grenade fire from the Sunni and Alawite districts of the city until dawn.

TRIPOLI, Lebanon - Lebanese tanks were out on the streets of Tripoli on Saturday to restore security after nine people were killed in a fresh bout of sectarian fighting in the northern port city.

The Lebanese army has been deployed to halt two days of sectarian violence that has killed at least nine people and wounded more than 50 others.

The Lebanese army deployed on Saturday to halt two days of heavy sectarian fighting in the northern city of Tripoli which medical sources said had killed nine people.

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) ? Lebanese security officials say three people have been killed in the second day of sectarian clashes in northern Lebanon. The clashes in Tripoli are between Sunnis and Alawites, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

Associated Press - July 26, 2008 8:23 AM ET BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Lebanese security officials say three people have been killed in the second day of sectarian clashes in northern...

Associated Press - July 26, 2008 8:23 AM ET BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Lebanese security officials say three people have been killed in the second day of sectarian clashes in northern...

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Lebanese security officials say three people have been killed in the second day of sectarian clashes in northern Lebanon. The clashes in Tripoli are between Sunnis and Alawites, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

Associated Press - July 26, 2008 8:23 AM ET BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Lebanese security officials say three people have been killed in the second day of sectarian clashes in northern...

Source: Reuters (Updates casualty toll, adds security official, politician) TRIPOLI, Lebanon, July 26 (Reuters) - The Lebanese army deployed on Saturday to halt two days of heavy sectarian fighting in the northern ...

BEIRUT, Lebanon - He was told not to grow a beard, or wear Islamic clothing, or show any outward sign of religious devotion.

Lebanese tanks were out on the streets of Tripoli on Saturday after nine people including a boy were killed in sectarian fighting which raged through the night in the northern port city.

Source: Reuters TRIPOLI, Lebanon, July 26 (Reuters) - Rival sectarian factions clashed in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli on Saturday for a second consecutive day and medical sources said the death toll from the ...

BEIRUT: Senior Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah said the national dialogue should focus on the way that all Lebanese parties take part in the defense of Lebanon.

BEIRUT: The prices of electricity, water, fuel oil and transport are taking their toll on Lebanese consumers who are already reeling under the high cost of food, according to a new survey conducted by Central Administration of Statistics (CAS). The report follows the repeated warnings of economists and consumer groups who have said that rising costs are becoming an increasingly unbearable burden ...

Police in Lebanon say as many as seven people have been killed and more than 30 injured in heavy fighting between rival sectarian factions in the northern city of Tripoli. The violence began at dawn after a hand grenade was reportedly thrown toward a Sunni area.

Seven people, including a child, were killed in fierce sectarian clashes on Friday in Lebanon's northern port of Tripoli as fighters exchanged rocket-propelled grenades and sniper fire, a security official said.

At least four people were killed in a gunbattle between opposing forces in northern Lebanon Friday, a senior security source told CNN.

(RTTNews) - Lebanon's northern part witnessed renewed sectarian violence Friday, resulting in the death of five people and injuries of more than 20, reports quoting the police said.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Friday lodged a formal complaint with Israel for a series of violations of Lebanese airspace over a two-day period. In a press release Friday, UNIFIL spokeswoman Yasmina Bouzianne demanded Israel bring a halt to their over flights as they constituted.

Sectarian clashes broke out Friday in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, killing at least two people and wounding 12, including a soldier, police officials said.

BEIRUT, Lebanon - A slate of candidates led by the son of assassinated former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri appeared to have swept the initial round of Lebanon's parliamentary elections yesterday, the first balloting held in 30 years without the shadow of civil war or Syrian military domination.

BEIRUT, July 25 (RIA Novosti) - At least five people were killed and 18 wounded on Friday in sectarian clashes in northern Lebanon, the National News Agency reported.

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) ? Sectarian clashes broke out Friday in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, killing five people, including a policeman, and wounding at least 15, police officials said.

Tourists visit the temple of Bacchus at the Roman acropolis in the historical city of Baalbeck in the Bekaa valley on July 23. Tourists are flocking back to Beirut packing nightclubs, beaches and restaurants in a country that just months ago stood on the brink of civil war.

Sectarian clashes broke out Friday in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, killing five people, including a policeman, and wounding at least 15, police officials said.

Beirut - At least three people were killed and more than 20 wounded in sectarian clashes that raged in northern Lebanon Friday, police said. Residents fled the fighting between the Sunni Muslim Bab Tabbaneh and the Alawite Jabal Mohsen districts of T...

At least four people were killed in fierce sectarian clashes in Lebanon's northern port of Tripoli on Friday as fighters exchanged rocket-propelled grenades and sniper fire, a security official said.

New Yorker Dareen Hakim had dreamed of waking up in her grandmother's house in the mountains overlooking Beirut to a breakfast of fresh fruit jams and a manousheh -- a Lebanese thyme-flavoured flatbread.

LONDON, July 25 (Reuters) - Lebanon plans to sell a dollar bond and has hired BLOM Bank, Byblos Bank and Deutsche Bank to manage the sale, one of the banks managing the sale said on Friday.

TRIPOLI, Lebanon: At least three people were killed in fierce sectarian clashes in Lebanon's northern port of Tripoli on Friday as fighters exchanged rocket-propelled grenades and sniper fire, a security official said.

TRIPOLI, Lebanon, July 25 (UPI) -- Violence surfaced Friday in two districts of Tripoli in northern Lebanon after a hand grenade was set off in Bab El-Tabbaneh, security officials said.

At least three people were killed in fierce sectarian clashes in Lebanon's northern port of Tripoli on Friday as fighters exchanged rocket-propelled grenades and sniper fire, a security official said.

Beirut - At least one person was killed and ten wounded in sectarian clashes that raged in northern Lebanon Friday, police said. The clashes started at dawn and continued throughout the day during which the rival sides used rocket-propelled grenades ...

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) ? Lebanese police say sectarian fighting in the northern city of Tripoli has killed one person and wounded 10.

Gunmen from rival sectarian factions exchanged machinegun and grenade fire on Friday in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli, killing at least three people and wounding 17, medical sources said.

BEIRUT: Barack Obama has convinced Arabs and Iranians he will put Israel?s interests first if he becomes US president, after a Middle East tour that ended yesterday.

TRIPOLI, Lebanon (AFP)--One person was killed as sectarian clashes intensified in the north Lebanese port city of Tripoli on Friday, a security official told AFP.

TRIPOLI, Lebanon - Sectarian clashes intensified on Friday in the north Lebanese port city of Tripoli, with heavy gunfire taking over from hours of sporadic sniper fire, an AFP correspondent said.

Matthias S Klein: Britain's attempt to crack down on the military wing of Hizbullah is likely to strengthen the Lebanese Shia organisation

The map will replace this text. If any users do not have Flash Player 8 (or above), they'll see this message. Lyrical notes from the saxophone of United States jazz artist Branford Marsalis waft into the cool night air of a mountain palace courtyard in Lebanon.

One person was injured in sectarian violence in the northern Lebanese port city of Tripoli overnight, a security official told AFP.

BEIRUT: Former Premier Omar Karami on Wednesday night called on all political leaders to implement Article 95 of the Lebanese Constitution, which calls for the formation of a national council for the abolition of sectarianism in politics.

BEIRUT: In an effort to influence the status of contract negotiations with the government, the Order of Engineers and Architects of Beirut (OEAB) together with the Lebanese Contractors Syndicate (LCS) called Thursday for a one-day strike to be held next Wednesday.

Iranian Vice President Reza Aghazadeh said in Vienna on Thursday that negotiations with world powers on its nuclear program could be used to resolve wider Middle East problems from Lebanon to oil prices. "If the negotiations get under way, then solutions could be found for many problems like Iraq, Lebanon or fuel prices," said Aghazadeh.

Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir said Thursday there should be no armed factions outside state control, in a direct reference to Hizbullah. Sfeir made the remark to members of the Journalists Union who visited him at his seat in suburban Bkirki, north of Beirut. "States of the world have resistance [movements] but these are non-armed factions.

BEIRUT - Iraqi and U.S. forces have come close to capturing Islamic militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi at least twice since mid-January, according to Kurdish intelligence officials.

The chase for the 2008 championship will continue Friday night at the Lebanon Midway Speedway as the USRA Modifieds, Factory Stocks, B-Mods, Bombers, Winged Sprint Cars and Super Stocks will be in action as the list of new winners continued last weekend.

LEBANON ? The Brumley Gospel Sing will celebrate its 40th anniversary Aug. 6 to 9 at the Kenneth E. Cowan Civic Center in Lebanon. More than 30 full-time gospel artists will perform in six concerts over four days.

Lebanon: United Nations mission helps quench forest fires (AKI) - The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is helping the country?s authorities fight forest fires that have broken out southeast of the capital this week.UNIFIL on Wednesday dispatched a second helicopter after sending a first one late on Tuesday. The UN said its force responded immediately to a request from ...

Lebanon: AUB professor Ghazi Zaatari, who chairs the pathology and laboratory medicine department, has been appointed at the chair of the World Health Organization (WHO) Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulation. [AMEInfo.com]

Beirut - The Lebanese army said Thursday that Israel Air Force warplanes have violated Lebanon's airspace by flying over Beirut and elsewhere in the country. At least three enemy Israeli warplanes violated Lebanese airspace overnight and Thursday mo...

BEIRUT, July 24 (Reuters) - Below is a table of the latest Lebanese economic statistics.

JERUSALEM: Israel?s government press office cut all contacts with pan-Arab Al Jazeera television yesterday, accusing its Beirut bureau of throwing a party for a freed Lebanese militant who committed a triple murder in Israel.

BEIRUT: The price of gasoline in Lebanon is approximately 34,000 Lebanese pounds ($21.3) per 20 liters and a robust 11-12 percent inflation is taking a heavy toll on the economy.

BEIRUT: The Lebanese government appears to be giving serious thought to revising the electricity tariff structure in a bid to alleviate the mounting deficit of Electricite du Liban (EDL).

An area city may be breaking the law when it comes to hiring. This news comes as the state auditor released her findings of an investigations into the city of Lebanon.

State Auditor Susan Montee found several concerns related to economic development building projects in Lebanon.

BEIRUT ? Hezbollah turned over the remains of 114 Syrian and Arab fighters to Syria yesterday after receiving them as part of a prisoner swap with Israel last week.

LEBANON ? Avast ye, landlubbers: This weekend, pirates be takin? over Cheadle Lake.

For Fawzi Yassin, who graduated this year with a degree in computer science, academic standards were not his only motivation for choosing to study at the American University of Beirut (AUB) - an accommodating attitude was a high priority.

The price of gasoline in Lebanon is approximately 34,000 Lebanese pounds ($21.3) per 20 liters and a robust 11-12 percent inflation is taking a heavy toll on the economy. To make matters worse, the Goldman Sachs analyst who predicted 2007's $100 per barrel of oil in 2005 recently predicted $200 per barrel by the end of 2008.

Hizbullah turned over the remains of 114 Syrian and Arab fighters to Syria on Wednesday after receiving them as part of a prisoner swap with Israel last week. The coffins were taken from Beirut to the Masnaa border crossing in the eastern part of the country by Hizbullah's Islamic Health Committee.

Syria has received the bodies of 114 Arab fighters that were handed over by Israel as part of a prisoner exchange between the Jewish state and the Lebanese Hezbollah group.

A West Lebanon limestone crushing plant has been fined after an employee died on the job.

Bassam Kantar (R) kisses his brother, freed Lebanese prisoner Samir Kantar in his hometown of Abai, southeast of Beirut, July 17. Israel's government press office has cut all contacts with pan-Arab Al-Jazeera television, accusing its Beirut bureau of throwing a party for Kantar .

BEIRUT - Firemen in Lebanon brought a large forest fire under control on Wednesday amid exploding cluster bombs and the danger of mines, a civil defence official told AFP.

(Lebanon, MO) -- The city of Lebanon will hear the results of a state audit this evening. Missouri State Auditor Susan Montee will deliver a report during a public meeting at 6:30 tonight.

Lebanese women cannot pass on nationality to own children as some politicians fear demography change.

Caritas Lebanon Migrant Center has taken initiatives to support Nepalis who have reached Lebanon in search of jobs but are facing problems in the new society.

Firemen are battling a forest fire in Lebanon, amid exploding Israeli cluster bombs and the danger of mines left over from the country's 1975-1990 civil war, a civil defence official said.

We will start with relations with Syria, whose normalization will be achieved through officials from both countries.

A great welcome, on the official and popular levels was given to Samir Kantar, ?dean? of the Lebanese prisoners held in Israeli jails, and to the four other detainees: Khodr Zeidan, Maher Kourani, Mohammad Srour and Hussein Sleiman, kidnapped during the July War, which ended August 14, 2006.

LEBANON, Ind. ? A woman accidentally stabbed herself in the foot with a 3-foot-long sword while performing a Wiccan good luck ritual at a central Indiana cemetery.

Iran - Publication - Sadr Books Imam Mousa Sadr's Cultural and Research Institute published five books by the Lebanese Shiite leader in Persian language.

BEIRUT, 22 July 2008 (IRIN) - Thousands of children in Lebanon are denied full access to education, healthcare and residency because they do not have Lebanese citizenship. Lebanese women cannot pass on their nationality to their children and in the event of separation, it is the father who gains automatic custody, according to Lebanese nationality law.

The Lebanon EIT Bureau's tax collection selection committee is recommending Keystone Municipal Collections of Irwin be hired to collect EIT, school district real estate and per cpaita and local services taxes.

Robster said on 21st July ... "Great food, polite staff, at the moment an undiscovered pleasure. The only thing letting it down is the main room is large and slightly soulless" agree, disagree? post a comment or reply

CONCORD, N.H. -- A Lebanon company will pay $90,000 to settle an environmental lawsuit. The state alleged in a lawsuit that Luminescent Systems, Inc., illegally disposed of more than 15,000 pounds of hazardous waste Lebanon's Solid Waste Landfill.

A Lebanon, N.H., company will pay $90,000 to settle an environmental lawsuit. The state alleged in a lawsuit that Luminescent Systems, Inc., illegally disposed of more than 15,000 pounds of hazardous waste Lebanon's Solid Waste Landfill. The state said Luminescent did not analyze wastes to determine if they were hazardous and illegally sent it to the landfill for 15 years.

Hizbullah has identified 157 fighters whose bodies Israel returned in a prisoner swap with the Lebanese resistance group. Hizbullah says DNA tests identified the nationalities of the fighters. Among the 157 were Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian, Jordanian and Libyan, a Kuwaiti and a Tunisian.

BEIRUT, July 22 (Reuters) - Below is a table of the latest Lebanese economic statistics.

BEIRUT: Lebanese President Michel Suleiman will visit Syria soon to discuss establishing diplomatic ties between the neighbouring countries, the Syrian foreign minister said yesterday.

Syria reiterated that it intends to establish diplomatic relations with Lebanon, for the first time since the two nations gained independence more than 60 years ago.

Lebanon is accusing Israel of waging a high-tech propaganda campaign against its citizens using anti-Hezbollah recorded phone calls and mass text messages. The allegations of interference with Lebanon's telecommunications network, first reported by press outlets affiliated with Hezbollah, were given official weight during the weekend in an official letter from the Lebanese foreign minister, ...

ERBIL, Iraq, July 21 (UPI) -- Lebanon sees Iraqi Kurdistan as a potential partner for business and investment opportunities, the Kurdistan Regional Government said Monday.

The Kuwaiti communication ministry has banned the famous Lebanese superstar Ragheb Alameh?s latest album. The permission the company ?Vanilla? received to distribute the album in Kuwait was revoked before three months.

It's not easy practicing Judaism in Beirut where the synagogue is crumbling, the rabbis have left, the community is dwindling and where Jews are commonly branded "Israelis." The last vestiges of the Jewish community in Lebanon, the Magen Abraham synagogue in the Lebanese capital, reflects a community falling into oblivion.

Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir said on Monday the majority of Lebanese emigrants to Australia - who number nearly 80,000 - have not forgotten Lebanon, but are disturbed by the rifts among the Lebanese. "The Lebanese living in Australia are eager to see their fellow citizens abide by their country's regime.

(RTTNews) - Monday, Syrian foreign minister Walid al-Moallem confirmed an earlier commitment made by his government on reviving diplomatic relations with Lebanon.

Mon, Jul 21, 2008 (9:18 a.m.) Syria's foreign minister said Monday his country was determined to establish diplomatic relations with Lebanon for the first time since the two neighbors gained independence from France more than 60 years ago.

Syria's foreign minister said Monday his country was determined to establish diplomatic relations with Lebanon for the first time since the two neighbors gained independence from France more than 60 years ago.

Mike Sergeant meets a Lebanese shooter training near Beirut, where the noise of gunfire has been a familiar sound down the years.

Beirut - A member of the Sunni Fundamentalist group Jund al-Sham, Abu Ramez al-Sahmarani, escaped an assassination attempt at Ain el-Hilweh refugee camp in south Lebanon Monday, security sources said. The unknown assailants fired machine guns toward ...

BEIRUT - Lebanese President Michel Suleiman will visit Syria soon to discuss establishing diplomatic ties between the neighbouring countries, the Syrian foreign minister said on Monday.

BEIRUT (AFP)--Visiting Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said Monday that Damascus was keen to open a new chapter in its relations with Lebanon and to delineate the border between both countries.

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman will visit Syria soon to discuss establishing diplomatic ties between the neighboring countries, the Syrian foreign minister said on Monday.

Syrian FM Walid Mouallem visits Beirut, a week after Damascus agreed to establish formal diplomatic ties with Lebanon.

Beirut - Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, arriving in Beirut on Monday, extended an official invitation to Lebanese President Michel Suleiman to visit Damascus in an effort to improve relations between the two countries. The Lebanese and Sy...

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) ? Syria's foreign minister has arrived in Lebanon on the first such visit by a senior Syrian official in more than three years. Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem plans to meet later Monday with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman.

The abandoned Magen Abraham synagogue which was damaged during Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war in Beirut in early April.

BEIRUT: Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem is to visit Beirut on Monday a week after Lebanon and Syria agreed to establish diplomatic relations between the adjoining nations.

Lebanese militant freed from Israeli prison becomes an emblem of Hezbollah's foothold.

BEIRUT: Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem is to visit Beirut today, a Lebanese official said yesterday, a week after the two neighbours agreed to establish diplomatic relations for the first time.

Shahrul Nizam Salleh kissing his daughter Nurzulaika Amalina, as his wife Nariasyariah Alias and child Nurzulaika Adrina (right), watches before he left for Lebanon yesterday.

Indian Ambassador Dr George Joseph is to be posted to Lebanon at the end of his tenure in Qatar. Asked when he was likely to leave Doha, the ambassador said no decision had yet been taken since the incumbent in Beirut had not yet received instructions about the next posting.

The Beirut Stock Exchange (BSE) had a relative short week with four days of trading that was interrupted by a prisoner swap holiday. Trading was characterized by profit taking following weeks of speculative trading on the parts of investors. This caused the BLOM Stock Index (BSI) to retreat from its all-time high and settle at 2,043 points with a year-to-date increase of 36.09 percent.

AABEY, Lebanon ? The skinny young brothers fidgeted in their plastic chairs as they gazed up at the beefy killer soaking in his first days of freedom after nearly three decades in Israeli prison.

Lebanese soldiers secure an army checkpoint at the entrance to the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Helweh on the outskirts of the southern Lebanese city of Sidon. Three Palestinians have been killed after an argument between rival factions in a refugee camp in Lebanon turned violent.

It has been claimed that Israel is sending pre-recorded messages to mobile phone owners in Lebanon as part of an ongoing psychological war. The Lebanese Al-Manar TV broadcaster, citing the fairly respected Voice of Lebanon Radio as it source said that there are increasing complaints about the recorded messages being sent to mobile phones.

Three Palestinians have been killed after an argument between rival factions in a refugee camp in south Lebanon turned violent, a Palestinian official said on Sunday.

EIN AL-HILWEH, Lebanon - The leader of a small Sunni Islamist group has died from wounds suffered in a gunbattle with members of the Fatah faction at a Palestinian refugee camp in south Lebanon, camp officials said on Sunday.

Israel releases a known murderer to a hero's welcome in Beirut while all Israel receives in return are the dead bodies of two soldiers ("Monsters' Ball," July 17). The swap was brokered by a UN-appointed German official. What other country in the...

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem is to visit Beirut on Monday, a Lebanese official said on Sunday, a week after the two neighbours announced they would establish diplomatic relations for the first time.

BEIRUT (AFP)--Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem is to visit Beirut on Monday, a Lebanese official said Sunday, a week after the two neighbors announced they would establish diplomatic relations for the first time.

Source: Reuters EIN AL-HILWEH, Lebanon, July 20 (Reuters) - The leader of a small Sunni Islamist group has died from wounds suffered in a gunbattle with members of the Fatah faction at a Palestinian refugee camp in ...

Lebanon: The number of people who are addicted to drugs is increasing every year in Lebanon. [AMEInfo.com]

BEIRUT, Lebanon ? Wearing a bright blue veil carefully wrapped around her head, the TV host smirked as she listened to her guest's comments about the lack of U.S. strategies in the Middle East.

Global Holidays, a leading travel advisor based in Beirut, was appointed General Sales Agent (GSA) in Lebanon by Saudi luxury air carrier Kayala Airlines, a move aimed at meeting the special needs of VIPs and business people regularly flying the Saudi Arabia-Lebanon routes.

A former Israeli defense official says that the Israeli military used cluster bombs for two weeks during the 2006 Lebanon war without telling the Israeli government.

Lebanon: Global Holidays, a leading travel advisor based in Beirut, has signed a General Sales Agent (GSA) agreement with Saudi carrier NAS Air to offer budget air travel between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. [AMEInfo.com]

Lebanese security officials say two Palestinian militants allied to a pro al-Qaida group have been killed in a clash with members of the mainstream Fatah movement in a southern refugee camp.

JERUSALEM - A former Israeli defence official says the Israeli military used cluster bombs for two weeks during the 2006 Lebanon war without telling the Israeli government.

Syria is open to having an embassy in the Lebanese capital of Beirut and a Lebanese embassy in the Syrian capital of Damascus, a Syrian official said Saturday.Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal said Syria is attempting to meet Lebanese requirements for the proposed embassies in an attempt to foster better relations between the two countries, the Kuwait News Agency KUNA reported.The ...

Residents of several neighborhoods in Lebanon were forced to evacuate their homes Saturday afternoon. Just before 4:00 p.m. two vehicles collided and struck a gas main causing a leak at the intersection of OH-48 and Burt Road.

At least one person has been killed in a gunbattle between the Fatah faction and Sunni Islamist militants at a Palestinian refugee camp in south Lebanon.

Source: Reuters (Increases death toll to two) EIN AL-HILWEH, Lebanon, July 19 (Reuters) - Two people were killed on Saturday in a gunbattle between members of the Fatah faction and Sunni Islamist militants at a ...

Beirut - A team sent to Lebanon by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon began Saturday examining the country's border security, a UN source said. The Lebanese Independent Border Team (LIBAT) includes four experts with military, police and customs experie...

At least one person was killed on Saturday in a gunbattle between the Fatah faction and Sunni Islamist militants at a Palestinian refugee camp in south Lebanon, a security official at the camp said.

Source: Reuters EIN AL-HILWEH, Lebanon, July 19 (Reuters) - At least one person was killed on Saturday in a gunbattle between the Fatah faction and Sunni Islamist militants at a Palestinian refugee camp in south ...

Kayala Airline, the Middle East's only business travel carrier operated by Saudi-based National Air Services (NAS), announced that it landed today at Rafic Hariri International Airport.

Beirut, July 17, 2008-- IFC IFC , a member of the World Bank Group, today signed an agreement to support Butec Group S.A.L. Holding Butec Group S.A.L. Holding , one of Lebanon's leading construction companies.

Lebanon: BBAC s.a.l. Bank of Beirut and the Arab Countries has exclusively partnered with RIA (money remittance) to become RIA's local correspondent for all money transfer operations. [AMEInfo.com]

BEIRUT: Lebanese judges held a strike on Friday to protest against what the Higher Judicial Council has repeatedly described as "unjustified attacks" against judiciary authorities in the country.

Lebanese judges held a strike on Friday to protest against what the Higher Judicial Council has repeatedly described as "unjustified attacks" against judiciary authorities in the country. The strike forced the suspension of all judicial activity in Lebanon on Friday and comes on the heels of a general meeting of magistrates chaired by.

Just in the time for the summer holiday season, the Municipality of Beirut and ASSABIL - the Friends of Public Libraries Association - inaugurated a third municipal public library in the Monnot neighborhood of the capital on Friday. The new library, which is located in the St. Joseph University Street next to the Monnot Theater, specializes in arts and culture.

JERUSALEM, July 18 (UPI) -- Israeli officials say Hezbollah has been buying land in villages in southern Lebanon for use as bases for cross-border rocket attacks.

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has held a funeral for eight guerrillas killed during its 2006 war with Israel.

Analysts in Syria have largely welcomed the news that Syria and Lebanon plan to open embassies in each other?s capitals. French president Nicolas Sarkozy announced the development after he met Lebanese president Michel Suleiman and Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in Paris last week.

BEIRUT - Lebanon has complained to the United Nations about recorded voicemail threats sent to Lebanese mobile phones from Israel, officials said Friday.

A Lebanon man trapped in his car after it crashed Thursday evening east of Lebanon suffered serious injuries, the Missouri Highway Patrol reported.

Fresh clashes in Lebanon's northern port city of Tripoli have left one person ded and six others wounded, a security official said on Friday.

The European Commission will provide a total of ?42 million ($66.36 million) in assistance to Lebanon under the European Neighborhood Policy, a news release said Thursday.

BEIRUT: The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private arm of the World Bank, acquired Thursday a minority share in a leading Lebanese construction company.

BEIRUT: Israel is sending automated voice messages to mobile phones and interfering with phone lines in Beirut and southern Lebanon in what appears to be an attempt to incite the Lebanese against Hizbullah one day after a United Nations-brokered prisoner swap, Lebanese media reported on Thursday morning.

Two South Lebanon residents have won nice chunks of change playing the lottery in the past month.

TRIPOLI, Lebanon (AFP) One person was killed and six were wounded in fresh clashes early Friday in Lebanon's northern port city of Tripoli, a security official told AFP.

NAHARIYA, Israel (AP) -- Thousands of Israelis prayed and cried at funerals Thursday for two soldiers whose return from Lebanon in black coffins touched off a nationwide wave of anguish.

Lebanon's Telecommunications Minister has accused Israel of bombarding Lebanese people with threatening phone calls, a day after a controversial prisoner swap between Israel and Hezbollah.

BEIRUT: Lebanon's new telecommunications minister on Thursday accused Israel of bombarding Lebanese people with threatening phone calls, a day after a controversial prisoner swap between Israel and Hezbollah.

Israel is sending automated voice messages to mobile phones and interfering with phone lines in Beirut and southern Lebanon in what appears to be an attempt to incite the Lebanese against Hizbullah one day after a United Nations-brokered prisoner swap, Lebanese media reported on Thursday morning.

The Lebanon Independent Border Assessment Team (LIBAT), dispatched by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, began its second mission to Lebanon on Thursday, according to a statement issued by the UN Information Center. The team will conduct a broad review of Lebanon's ongoing efforts to enhance.

The European Commission will continue to provide financial aid to Lebanon under the European Neighborhood Policy with a grant of 42 million euros ($66.6 million) during the upcoming year, a statement issued by the commission said on Thursday. As part of the 2008 Action Program, the European Commission is allocating money among the private sector.

Nasrallah says Hezbollah?s only concern is to defend Lebanon?s people, territory.

Lebanon City Council is faced with the difficult proposition of funding desperately needed road repairs without an easy answer.

Associated Press - July 17, 2008 12:33 PM ET BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Five Lebanese militants freed as part of a prisoner swap with Israel pledge to keep fighting the Jewish state.

Associated Press - July 17, 2008 12:33 PM ET BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Five Lebanese militants freed as part of a prisoner swap with Israel pledge to keep fighting the Jewish state.

Lebanon: Israel 'sends threats' to southern city's mobile phones (AKI) - Israel has allegedly sent text messages to people's mobiles in the Shia-dominated southern city of Tyre, threatening "retaliation" against Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah militants who attack the Jewish state."If Hezbollah carries out any action against Israel, we will retaliate. Yours, the State of Israel," read ...

Samir Qantar, Lebanon's longest serving prisoner released by Israel as part of a swap deal, says he has no regrets over the killings for which he was convicted.

Lebanon has been welcoming lorryloads of its dead, released by Israel as part of yesterday?s exchange deal. Nearly 200 bodies of those killed while trying to infiltrate Israel in recent years were exhumed and sent north over the Lebanese border on Red Cross trucks.

Beirut - Four tractor-trailers carrying the remains of nearly 200 Lebanese and Palestinian fighters headed Thursday from southern Lebanon to Beirut, a day after a prisoner exchange between Israel and Lebanon. The convoy carrying the coffins which wer...

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) _ Four tractor-trailers carrying the remains of nearly 200 Lebanese and Palestinian fighters are headed to Lebanon's capital a day after a prisoner exchange between Israel and Lebanon.

NAQURA, Lebanon (AFP)--The remains of some 200 Arab fighters handed over by Israel in a prisoner swap with Hezbollah were carried to the Lebanese capital Thursday in a triumphal cortege.

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) ? Four tractor-trailers carrying the remains of nearly 200 Lebanese and Palestinian fighters are headed to Lebanon's capital a day after a prisoner exchange between Israel and Lebanon.

Israel would not have wanted yesterday?s prisoner exchange to be seen as a victory for Hiz?bullah, but in Lebanon there was no doubt. Samir Kantar, a convicted triple murderer, was in Hiz?bullah uniform only hours after being freed by Israel in return for two of their own.

NAQURA, Lebanon, July 16, 2008 (AFP) - Five Lebanese prisoners arrived to a triumphant red carpet welcome in Lebanon on Wednesday after being freed by Israel in a prisoner swap after years behind bars.

On one side of the border there was sorrow; on the other, celebration. In an emotionally charged day, Lebanon's Hezbollah guerillas handed over the bodies of two Israeli soldiers while Israel set free its most reviled prisoner.

Lebanese Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah (R) speaks next to freed Lebanese prisoner Samir Kantar (L) at a stadium in Beirut's southern suburbs. Nasrallah appeared in person today at public celebrations for the release of five Lebanese prisoners from Israel in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

NAQURA, Lebanon: Five Lebanese prisoners arrived to a triumphant red carpet welcome in Lebanon yesterday after being freed by Israel in a prisoner swap after years behind bars.

FIVE Lebanese prisoners freed by Israel have arrived to a hero's welcome in Lebanon, hours after Hezbollah handed over the bodies of two Israeli soldiers.

On one side of the border there was sorrow; on the other, celebration. In an emotionally charged day, Lebanon's Hezbollah guerillas handed over the bodies of two Israeli soldiers.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah appeared in person at public celebrations in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Wednesday to claim victory following the release of five Lebanese prisoners from Israel.

Police have not yet identified the man found dead in a burned out Lebanon building Monday, but he probably knew Nicholas Pappas, the man who rented the apartment where the body was found. "I don't think they were strangers," said Lebanon Police Captain Dan Wright.

Five Lebanese prisoners freed by Israel have received an official welcome at Beirut airport by the president and his government after a swap for two slain Israeli soldiers.

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Five Lebanese militants freed from prisons in Israel in exchange for the bodies of two captured Israeli soldiers returned home Wednesday to a boisterous welcome from hundreds of cheering spectators. Israel released Samir Kantar...

BEIRUT - Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah appeared in person at public celebrations for the release of five Lebanese prisoners from Israel in the southern suburbs of Beirut Wednesday.

Five Lebanese freed from captivity in Israel were flown to a heroes' welcome in Beirut on Wednesday after Hezbollah returned the bodies of two Israeli soldiers seized in a cross-border raid in 2006.

An inspection of the Lebanon Junior High School last week found several fire code violations, including an inadequate sprinkler system, fire officials said.

A look at five Lebanese prisoners freed by Israel on Wednesday as part of an exchange deal with Hezbollah:

Associated Press - July 16, 2008 1:33 PM ET BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Five Lebanese prisoners freed by Israel have flown into Beirut airport for an official welcome by the president and his...

July 16 2008: Israel and Lebanon's militant Hizbullah group take part in a prisoner swap deal

NAQOURA, Lebanon (AP) _ Israel freed a notorious Lebanese attacker and four other militants Wednesday after Hezbollah handed over two black coffins with the bodies of Israeli soldiers, a dramatic prisoner swap that closes a painful chapter from the 2006 war in Lebanon.Samir Kantar, who had been serving multiple life terms in Israel for a grisly 1979 attack, wiped away tears as he stood before ...

Jonathan Steele: There was mourning in Israel and Lebanon today but most pundits see the exchange of prisoners and bodies as a victory for Hizbullah

Samir Kuntar, the key militant released by Israel in Wednesday's prisoner swap, crossed into Lebanon to the cheers of his supporters and, according to Lebanese media, the widespread astonishment of the Lebanese.

A notorious Lebanese killer has been handed over to Hizbollah as part of a prisoner swap between the radical group and Israel.

The Lebanese gunman at the center of Israel's prisoner swap with Hezbollah spent three decades in an Israeli prison for one of the grisliest attacks in the country's history.

Israel handed over five Lebanese prisoners to Hezbollah via the Red Cross on Wednesday after the Shi'ite guerrilla group returned the bodies of two Israeli soldiers seized in a cross-border raid in 2006.

Israel freed a notorious Lebanese attacker and four others Wednesday after Hezbollah handed over two black coffins with the bodies of Israel soldiers, a dramatic prisoner swap that closes a painful chapter from the 2006 war in Lebanon.

Five Lebanese prisoners freed Wednesday by the Israeli authorities have crossed into Lebanon, a Hezbollah official told AFP.

Source: Reuters By Tom Perry BEIRUT, July 16 (Reuters) - Some crept into Israel by boat, others used ladders to scale the border fence from Lebanon to attack the Jewish state. Their bodies returned to Lebanon by ...

Some crept into Israel by boat, others used ladders to scale the border fence from Lebanon to attack the Jewish state.

LEBANON/ISRAEL BORDER (Reuters) - Hezbollah handed the bodies of two Israeli soldiers to the Red Cross on Wednesday to be exchanged for Lebanese prisoners held by Israel in a deal viewed as a triumph by the Lebanese Shi'ite guerrilla group.

Iran - Lebanon - Delegation A delegation from Iran arrived here Wednesday to attend celebrations on freedom of Lebanese captives by Israel within framework of a prisoner exchange deal between the Zionist state and Hizbollah.

Lebanon: Leaders to celebrate prisoner release in Beirut An historic prisoner exchange between Israel and Lebanon includes Lebanese militant Samir Kuntar and four other prisoners, as well as the remains of several militants. (AKI) - Lebanese leaders, including Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Shia militant group Hezbollah were gathering in Beirut on Wednesday to welcome five prisoners ...

NAQOURA, Lebanon -- Israel freed a notorious Lebanese attacker and four others Wednesday after Hezbollah handed over two black coffins with the bodies of Israeli soldiers, a dramatic prisoner swap that closes a painful chapter from the 2006 war in Lebanon.

A look at previous Israeli-Lebanese prisoner swaps:

NAQURA, Lebanon - Lebanon prepared a triumphant red carpet welcome on Wednesday for its fighters set to return home in a prisoner swap with Israel after years behind bars in the Jewish state.

Tel Aviv/Beirut, July 16: A long-anticipated exchange of prisoners between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah got underway Wednesday morning, with officials of the radical Shia organization handing over the bodies of two Israeli soldiers to Red Cross officials on the Lebanese side of the border with Israel.

Israeli television showed footage of the five Lebanese, their hands and feet manacled and wearing grey tracksuits, being processed by prison service officials. All looked solemn. Qantar was shown giving his name and answering questions in Hebrew.

Tel Aviv/Beirut - A long-anticipated prisoners exchange between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah got underway Wednesday morning, with officials of the radical Shiite organization handing over two Israeli soldiers to Red Cross officials on the Lebanese ...

Naqoura, Lebanon - UN mediator Gerhard Conard of Germany held a meeting Wednesday with Lebanese intelligence officials to discuss the final steps of a priosner swap deal between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah movement.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Israel and Hezbollah began the process of exchanging prisoners on Wednesday under a U.N.-mediated deal, the International Commmittee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said.

Naqoura, Lebanon - UN mediator Gerhard Conard of Germany held a meeting Wednesday with Lebanese intelligence officials to discuss the final steps of a priosner swap deal between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah movement. Currently there is a meeting b...

Source: Reuters * Israel returns 5 Lebanese prisoners, including Qantar * Israel confirms identity of two dead soldiers * Hezbollah prepares welcome rally in Beirut By Ayat Basma and Avida Landau LEBANON/ ...

Naqoura, Lebanon - Lebanon's Shiite movement Hezbollah Wednesday emerged the main beneficiary from a swap of prisoners between Hezbollah and Israel, a few hours before organized rallies began celebrating the event. Banners erected by Hezbollah on roa...

BEIRUT: Major General Robert R. Allardice, director of strategy, plans and policy for the US military's Central Command visited Lebanon July 13 through July 15, a statement issued by the US Embassy said Tuesday.

Naqoura, Lebanon - The family of the longest-held Lebanese prisoner, Samir Kuntar, who was to be released later Wednesday as part of a swap deal between Israel and Hezbollah, were preparing to meet their son after 30 years of imprisonment. Looking a...

Jerusalem/Beirut - In early September 2006, less than a month after the end of the Lebanon war, Israel and Hezbollah agreed to United Nations mediation on the issue of the freeing of two Israeli soldiers the militant Shia group had captured in the July 12 cross-border raid which sparked the 33-day war.

Israel gives approval for prisoner swap with Lebanon in which it will give up Lebanese militant

Jerusalem/Beirut - In early September 2006, less than a month after the end of the Lebanon war, Israel and Hezbollah agreed to United Nations mediation on the issue of the freeing of two Israeli soldiers the militant Shiite group had captured in the ...

People display pictures of jailed relatives in Beirut's Hamra neighbourhood on July 14. Israel's cabinet has given the final go-ahead for a prisoner swap with Hezbollah, despite Prime Minister Ehud Olmert saying the Shiite group has not fully kept its side of the bargain.

Rejecting peace with Israel is not acceptable. On Wednesday, July 9 of this year, national news agencies reported that the Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora had refused, without any declared justifications, a peace initiative presented to him by Italy's Ambassador to Lebanon, Mr. Gabriel Kekya.

Lebanese President Michel Sleiman said on Tuesday his visit to Paris to attend the Mediterranean Union summit was a "success," adding that Lebanon had returned to its position as "a state on the international, global map." "Lebanese-Syrian relations will return to normal through meetings that join the Lebanese and Syrian presidents," Sleiman told.

Five Lebanese prisoners, including a notorious child murderer, received a rapturous, red-carpet welcome at Beirut Airport from all of Lebanon?s senior leaders Wednesday as Israel quietly mourned the deaths of two soldiers whose remains were returned in exchange for the prisoners.

Five Lebanese prisoners, including a notorious child murderer, received a red-carpet welcome at Beirut Airport from Lebanon?s senior leaders Wednesday as Israel quietly mourned the deaths of two soldiers whose remains were returned in exchange for the prisoners.

Source: International Crisis Group With last week?s formation of a new government, the Lebanese crisis is entering a new phase focused on the 2009 parliamentary elections in which the Christian community will play a decisive role.

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Hezbollah says Israel's approval of a prisoner swap with them is an official admission of Israeli defeat.

A fire that killed one man and injured three others in Lebanon on Monday was arson, officials announced on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, Israel's Cabinet gave final approval for the return of five Lebanese prisoners and the bodies of 199 militants in exchange for two captured Israeli soldiers, who are presumed dead. Here is a look at previous Israeli-Lebanese prisoner swaps:

JERUSALEM (AP) _ Israel's Cabinet on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved an emotionally charged deal to trade a Lebanese militant convicted of killing three people for two Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah guerrillas and believed to be dead.The swap is due to take place on Wednesday under U.N. supervision at a seaside border crossing.

PARIS (AFP)--France supports placing the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms in south Lebanon under U.N. administration, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. "A U.N. administration is a clear option that we support in principle," said foreign ministry spokesman Eric Chevallier.

People display pictures of jailed relatives in Beirut's Hamra neighbourhood. Israel's cabinet is expected to give the final go-ahead for a prisoner swap with Hezbollah, despite Prime Minister Ehud Olmert saying the Lebanese Shiite group has not fully kept its side of the bargain.

People display pictures of jailed relatives in Beirut's Hamra neighbourhood on July 14. Israel's cabinet has given the final go-ahead for a prisoner swap with Hezbollah, despite Prime Minister Ehud Olmert saying the Shiite group has not fully kept its side of the bargain.

Lebanon High School will honor the 1998 Division II state championship football team by inducting them as a whole into the Lebanon High School Athletic Hall of Fame during a special induction ceremony at halftime of this season's home opener against Reynoldsburg on Aug. 29.

Lebanese people hold pictures of jailed relatives during a sit-in in Beirut's Hamra neighbourhood July 14. Israel's cabinet was expected to give the final go-ahead on Tuesday for a prisoner swap with Hezbollah despite Prime Minister Ehud Olmert saying the Lebanese Shiite group did not fully keep its side of the bargain.

Israel's cabinet gave final approval on Tuesday for a prisoner swap with Lebanon's Hezbollah group, clearing the way for the exchange to get under way as planned on Wednesday, government officials said.

BEIRUT, July 15 (KUNA) -- Although Lebanon is not a money-laundering base, it had to take strict procedures after it was listed among non-cooperating counties by a financial action task force on money laundering in 2000.

BEIRUT, July 15 (Reuters) - Below is a table of the latest Lebanese economic statistics.

Lebanon: A workshop seeking to integrate and coordinate efforts in environmental protection and management opened today at 9.30am at the American University of Beirut (AUB). [AMEInfo.com]

JERUSALEM ? Israeli prison authorities moved four Lebanese captives to a new facility yesterday, placing them with a convicted Lebanese killer in preparation for a swap with the Hezbollah guerrilla group later this week. All five men are set to be returned to Lebanon tomorrow in exchange for two Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah in a 2006 cross-border raid that triggered a fierce 34-day ...

AITA AL-SHAAB, Lebanon (AP) _ In this dusty village on the front lines of Israel's 2006 war with Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed guerrilla group looks as strong as ever. But even as it reaches the zenith of its power in Lebanon, Hezbollah is generating new perils along the way.Tales of heroism by Hezbollah fighters still make the rounds in Aita al-Shaab, the streets are adorned with portraits of ...

Iran - Lebanon - Mottaki Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said that friendship between Iranians and Lebanese date back to ancient times.

There were bright lights, loud music and a crowd of people on Beirut's Corniche Saturday night. But these revelers were not rollerblading or playing soccer, they were astronomers. The Lebanese Astronomy Group held the bash to introduce the public to space science. Lured by dance music and free juice.

A former Lebanon police officer received three years of probation after pleading guilty to stealing a weapon from the police evidence room.

Israel prepared on Monday for a prisoner swap with Hezbollah by moving four Lebanese guerrillas in its custody to a holding facility ahead of Wednesday's U.N.-mediated exchange.

The last time Samir Kantar's mother saw her son, he said goodbye and told her he would be back in two days.

JERUSALEM (AFP)--Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Monday the U.N. Security Council resolution that ended the 2006 Lebanon war with the Shiite militant group Hezbollah was a failure.

Israeli prison authorities moved four Lebanese captives to a new facility on Monday, placing them with a convicted Lebanese killer in preparation for a swap with the Hezbollah guerrilla group later this week.

DEBKA file ?s military sources report that Israel has placed its military and air forces on its northern borders on high alert after Iran and Syria ignored Jerusalem?s warning, relayed to Washington, that the continued presence of Iranian, Syrian and Hizballah officers on the strategic Lebanese Sannine peak may spark a military clash.

One person is dead and thee others, including two fire fighters, are injured in the aftermath of an early morning fire in Lebanon's downtown area.

BEIRUT, July 14 (Reuters) - Below is a table of the latest Lebanese economic statistics.

BEIRUT, July 14 (Reuters) - Below is a table of the latest Lebanese economic statistics.

Fire officials in Lebanon this morning were investigating the cause of an overnight blaze at an apartment building in the first block of South Ninth Street that claimed one life, emergency dispatchers said.

The leaders of Syria and Israel, countries with a bitter enmity, as well as the Palestinian and Lebanese presidents together marked France's Bastille Day on Monday in a diplomatic coup for French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

A predawn fire may have killed at least one person in a downtown Lebanon apartment building.

JERUSALEM -- Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora announced earlier this month that the upcoming prisoner swap between Lebanon and Israel constitutes a "national success" for Lebanon; a significant triumph over Israel. Many people in Israel share this view.

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said to get back the occupied Shebaa Farms from Israel would be through diplomatic means, but he did not rule out the possibility of military operations in case of diplomatic failure, local Al-Anwar daily ...

Source: Reuters By Tom Perry BEIRUT, July 14 (Reuters) - Hezbollah is set to achieve its long-held goal of winning the release of Lebanese prisoners held in Israel this week, emboldening the Iranian-backed group ...

BEIRUT: In an update on Lebanon's sovereign rating outlook following the Doha deal, rating agency Capital Intelligence forecast Lebanon's economic growth at 4 percent in 2008, unchanged from 2007, and for the fiscal deficit to reach 10.5 percent of GDP in 2008 compared to 10.8 percent of GDP last year, as reported by Lebanon This Week, the Byblos Bank Group's economic publication.

The formation of the Lebanese new cabinet Friday, after five weeks of political bickering and disputes, did not fulfill the hopes of many Lebanese people who did not come out to rejoice this achievement. Political analyst Faisal Sal ...

Lebanon on Friday announced the formation of a government of national unity in which the pro-Syrian and pro-Iranian Hizbollah movement and its allies hold veto power over crucial decisions.

The opening of diplomatic relations between Syria and Lebanon is a major strategic shift, but analysts say it remains to be seen whether Damascus' influence over its smaller neighbor has really ended. The move, announced by French President Nicolas Sarkozy Saturday after a meeting with his Syrian and Lebanese counterparts.

The ceaseless shuffling of brightly colored containers at the Port of Beirut should be awe-inspiring to the citizens of a country where a pile of burning tires can close the international airport for several days and a bombing campaign can wipe out 15 years of reconstruction in a handful of weeks.

The Lebanese American University's two campuses in Beirut and Byblos graduated 1,381 students on Thursday and Saturday. Among those in attendance were several representatives of President Michel Sleiman, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

Beirut - The head of the Palestinian Fatah movement in southern Lebanon said Sunday that the expected swap between Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrilla movement and Israel will include the bodies of Palestinian guerrillas who fell in Lebanon or carried out ...

Lebanese militant Samir Kantar, who is set to be freed from jail on Wednesday, has been serving a 542 jail sentence in Israel for a triple murder including the brutal killing of a four-year-old girl.

The Israeli government said it will swap prisoners with the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah on Wednesday, closing a chapter between the enemies two years after they fought an inconclusive war.

Britain, Germany and the United States welcome a decision by Lebanon and Syria to open diplomatic relations.

Israel said on Sunday that five Lebanese prisoners, including Samir Kantar jailed for a triple murder, will be freed on Wednesday in exchange for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah in 2006.

By ANGELA CHARLTON France's president said Saturday that Syria and Lebanon will open embassies in each other's countries for the first time. But Syria's leader cautioned there was still work to be done before that could happen. Syria and Lebanon have not had full-fledged embassies in each other's countries since Lebanon became independent in 1943 and Syria in 1945. Syria dominated Lebanon for ...

BEIRUT - Britain, Germany and the United States late Saturday welcomed a decision by Lebanon and Syria to open diplomatic relations, but Washington urged Damascus to end its destabilizing tactics in the region.

PARIS: The leaders of Syria and Lebanon agreed yesterday to normalise their fraught relations in a diplomatic coup for French President Nicolas Sarkozy on the eve of a summit to launch a Union for the Mediterranean.

PARIS, July 13 (UPI) -- Syria and Lebanon will resume diplomatic relations, which were suspended in 2005, French President Nicholas Sarkozy announced Saturday.

Ahmed Fatfat, seen here in May 2008, a minister in the rump anti-Syrian cabinet overtaken by a May power-sharing agreement with the pro-Syrian opposition on Saturday hailed the opening of diplomatic relations between Beirut and Damascus as a victory.

The United States welcomed the decision Saturday by Lebanon and Syria to open diplomatic relations but said Damascus needs to take "concrete actions to end its destabilizing tactics in the region."

Lebanon and Syria said on Saturday that they had agreed to establish diplomatic relations, opening embassies in each others' capitals for the first time since their independence from colonial rule.

France's president says Syria and Lebanon will open embassies in each other's countries

Syria and Lebanon said Saturday they have agreed to establish diplomatic relations, opening embassies in either country's capital for the first time since their independence from colonial rule.

PARIS, France (AP) -- Syria and Lebanon will open embassies in each other, France's president says.

PARIS (AFP)--Syria and Lebanon have agreed to open embassies in each country's capital, marking a key step toward establishing diplomatic relations, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Saturday.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Saturday that he was determined to establish diplomatic ties with Lebanon, a joint statement said.

PARIS (Reuters) - Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said on Saturday Beirut would like to open an embassy in Damascus which would strengthen relations between the two Arab neighbours.

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman announced the formation of a national unity government Friday that gives the Syrian-backed Hezbollah movement effective veto power over major decisions but keeps in place Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, who is supported by the United States.

BEIRUT - Iraq's ambassador to Lebanon, Jawad al-Hairi, died during the night of a heart attack, Lebanese local radios said on Saturday.

Germany - Lebanon - Steinmeier German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier welcomed the formation of the new Lebanese national unity government, ending a bloody political dispute which lasted several months.

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Hezbollah and its allies solidified their hold on Lebanon's government yesterday with the formation of a national unity Cabinet that gives them veto power over government decisions. Still, the Western-backed parliamentary...

The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation announced plans to establish a new centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Olayan School of Business, American University of Beirut (AUB), Lebanon, as part of its continuous efforts to instill the spirit of entrepreneurship in the Arab world.

BEIRUT, Lebanon ? Two months after fighting in the capital left scores dead, squabbling Lebanese factions on Friday formed a new Cabinet in which the Shiite militant group Hezbollah and its allies control key ministries and have the power to veto major decisions.

The cabinet will be Lebanon?s first full-fledged government since November 2006, when an opposition walkout sparked a crisis that led the country to the brink of civil war.

doha/beirut ? Qatar yesterday welcomed the formation of a unity government in Lebanon as agreed under a deal brokered in Doha to end a political conflict in the country.

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Hezbollah and its allies solidified their hold on Lebanon's government Friday with the formation of a national unity Cabinet that gives them veto power over government decisions.

BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 11 (UPI) -- Lebanese officials have organized a national unity government with 30 members, Cabinet Secretary-General Suhayl Buji said Friday.

BEIRUT: Lebanon ended weeks of wrangling yesterday and formed a unity government in which Hezbollah and its allies hold effective veto power, as agreed under a deal that ended a paralyzing political conflict in the country.

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Hezbollah and its allies solidified their hold on Lebanon's government Friday with the formation of a national unity cabinet that gives them veto power over government decisions.

By HUSSEIN DAKROUB BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) -- Hezbollah and its allies solidified their hold on Lebanon's government Friday with the formation of a national unity Cabinet that gives them veto power over government decisions.

Lebanese leaders agree on unity government

The basic outlines of the cabinet were decided in late May in a power-sharing deal that ended an 18-month political crisis, but it took seven more weeks for Lebanon's fractious political camps to decide who would get which ministry.

Among the accounts of the Middle East in the International Film Festival, some almost avoid politics, as Borzou Daragahi, of the Los Angeles Times, reports.

Lebanon announced a 30-member national unity government on Friday tasked with resolving the country's worst political crisis since a 1975-1990 civil war.

(BRUSSELS ) - The European Union's French presidency welcomed on Friday the formation of a new Lebanese government after a year and a half of political crisis.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon ended weeks of wrangling on Friday and formed a unity government in which Hezbollah and its allies hold effective veto power, as agreed under a deal that ended a paralysing political conflict in the country.

Lebanon announced a 30-member national unity government on Friday tasked with resolving the country's worst political crisis since a 1975-1990 civil war.

BEIRUT (AFP) - Lebanon announced a 30-member national unity government on Friday tasked with resolving the country's worst political crisis since a 1975-1990 civil war.

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Lebanon's prime minister formed a national unity cabinet on Friday after six weeks of wrangling over how to distribute posts among members of the country's western-backed parliamentary majority and the Hezbollah-led opposition.

BEIRUT, Lebanon-- Lebanon's prime minister has formed a national unity Cabinet in which Hezbollah and its allies have veto power over government decisions.

Lebanon announced a 30-member national unity government on Friday, one-and-a-half years after the outbreak of its worst political crisis since a 1975-1990 civil war.

Lebanon's prime minister formed a national unity Cabinet on Friday in which Hezbollah and its allies have veto power over government decisions.

Lebanon formed a unity government on Friday in which Hezbollah and its allies hold effective veto power, as agreed under a deal that ended a paralyzing political conflict in the country.

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) ? Lebanon's prime minister has formed a national unity Cabinet in which Hezbollah and its allies have veto power over government decisions.

BEIRUT (AFP)--Lebanon on Friday formed a 30-member national unity government, seven weeks after an accord which saved the country from the brink of renewed civil war, Cabinet Secretary General Suhayl Buji announced.

Beirut - Following months of political bickering, Lebanese leaders Friday managed to put their differences aside and agreed on the line-up of the new national unity cabinet. Following is a chronology of political events since November 23, 2007:...

Lebanon's prime minister has formed a national unity Cabinet in which Hezbollah and its allies have veto power over government decisions.

Lebanon formed on Friday a unity government that gave Hezbollah and its allies effective veto power as agreed under a deal that ended a political crisis in the country.

Source: Reuters BEIRUT, July 11 (Reuters) - Lebanon formed on Friday a unity government that gave Hezbollah and its allies effective veto power as agreed under a deal that ended a political crisis in the country. A ...

Beirut - Rival Lebanese leaders agreed Friday on the formation of a new national unity cabinet following weeks of bickering due to differences between political leaders, official sources said. The leaders have agreed on the formation of a national u...

Lebanese leaders agreed on a unity government on Friday that gave Hezbollah and its allies a blocking minority as agreed under a deal that ended a paralyzing political conflict in the country.

Source: Reuters (Adds details, background) BEIRUT, July 11 (Reuters) - Lebanese leaders agreed on a unity government on Friday that gave Hezbollah and its allies a blocking minority as agreed under a deal that ...

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese leaders agreed on a unity government on Friday that gave Hezbollah and its allies a blocking minority as agreed under a deal that ended a paralyzing political conflict in the country.

Source: Reuters BEIRUT, July 11 (Reuters) - Lebanese leaders agreed on a unity government on Friday that gave veto power for the Hezbollah-led opposition as agreed under a deal that ended a paralysing political ...

BEIRUT: The Banque du Liban Banque du Liban is considering requiring that borrowers and investors post the equivalent of 40 percent of the value of their approved property loans in a bid to prevent a real estate bubble, Governor Riad Salameh said on Thursday.

Ambassador Le Luong Minh, Vietnamese representative to the UN Security Council, emphasised the immediate need for ceasing all acts of violence in Lebanon and resolving remaining disputes by peaceful means.

Two years after the war between Israel and Lebanese Shiite guerrillas, Beirut is still grappling with political instability, sectarian unrest, economic stagnation, and an increasingly powerful Hezbollah.

VietNamNet Bridge ? Ambassador Le Luong Minh, Vietnamese representative to the UN Security Council, emphasised the immediate need for ceasing all acts of violence in Lebanon and resolving remaining disputes by peaceful means.

LEBANON ? Jim Beck, a service technician for motor coaches, has been refused permission to run for mayor of Lebanon because his father-in-law has filed for re-election to the council.

West Lebanon ? The township Board of Commissioners has decided to ask PennDOT to turn 22nd Street over to the township. The township wants to install a storm sewer and wants residents to install curbing along the street to help control stormwater.

Saint George Hospital University Medical Center denied on Wednesday a report that the hospital forbade the transmission of Orange TV (OTV), a station affiliated with the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), on the orders of Archbishop Elias Audi, the head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Beirut.

The streets of Hamra are once again alive with the sounds of broken Arabic from international students at the American University of Beirut's summer Arabic program. This year marks the ninth year of the program run through AUB's Center for Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies.The summer program consists of six-and-a-half weeks of intensive.

MP Antoine Zahra of the Lebanese Forces (LF) said Thursday his party would stand in solidarity with its allies in the pro-government March 14 alliance to defend Lebanon's sovereignty and independence against every violation. At a ceremony in the Northern coast town of Batroun, Zahra said.

Troops deploy to Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli after sectarian clashes leave four dead and many injured.

Lebanon: Calm returns to Tripoli after heavy clashes (AKI) - Calm returned to the streets of the northern Lebanese port city of Tripoli on Thursday after two days of violent clashes between majority and opposition parties. There have been violent clashes between Sunni and Alawite militants for the past two days. Five people were killed and another 60 were injured in the ...

Deadly gunbattles between rival sectarian factions in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli ended Thursday as the army reinforced troop numbers to shore up a fragile ceasefire, an AFP correspondent said.

The Lebanese army has moved onto the streets in volatile areas of the country?s second city, Tripoli, after bloody sectarian clashes which killed four people and wounded 75. The troops have brought peace two districts which erupted into violence for 24 hours.

TRIPOLI, Lebanon (AFP) - The Lebanese army boosted its forces in the northern city of Tripoli on Thursday to try to shore up a ceasefire after four people were killed in gunbattles between rival sectarian factions.

BEIRUT: The Syrian government decided on Wednesday to exempt all Lebanese and other Arabs leaving the country from paying exit fees, local media outlets said.

Bahrain, Lebanon boost ties

TRIPOLI, Lebanon (Reuters) - Lebanese troops deployed in volatile districts of the northern city of Tripoli on Thursday, ending 24 hours of sectarian clashes that killed four people and wounded 75.

Source: Reuters TRIPOLI, Lebanon, July 10 (Reuters) - Lebanese troops deployed in volatile districts of the northern city of Tripoli on Thursday, ending 24 hours of sectarian clashes that killed four people and ...

Lebanese Analyst - IRI Diplomats A Lebanese political analysts and head of Lebanese and Arabic Studies Research Institute said here Wednesday Israel's confession about kidnapped Iranian diplomats would have negative aftermaths for that regime.

The Lebanese army boosted its forces in the northern city of Tripoli on Thursday where sectarian gunfights were continuing despite a ceasefire called after four people were killed, a security official said.

TRIPOLI, Lebanon: Two people were killed and dozens wounded in street battles between rival sectarian camps armed with rockets, sniper rifles and grenades in the north Lebanese city of Tripoli yesterday.

Overall, the United States evokes negative reactions among Muslim publics, but nowhere are there more negative feelings than among the Shia population of Lebanon; not a single respondent in a recent Pew Research survey expressed a favorable opinion of the U.S.

At least four people have been killed and 75 wounded in renewed sectarian fighting in Lebanon's second largest city Tripoli, security sources said.

TRIPOLI, Lebanon (AFP) - Four people were killed and 58 wounded in street battles between rival sectarian camps armed with rockets, sniper rifles and grenades in the north Lebanese city of Tripoli on Wednesday.

The Embassy of Italy in Beirut and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) inaugurated on Wednesday the new municipal olive oil mill in the town Bakiffa, near Rashayya, in the presence of representatives from the of the Council for Development and Reconstruction and of the Bakkifa municipality.

Beirut celebrated the spirit of education over the weekend with the graduation ceremonies of two prominent institutions in the capital. Haigazian University honored 157 students on Friday, while City International School celebrated its fifth commencement ceremony on Saturday.

Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir said Lebanon was "in need of its friends" during the third stop on his tour of Australia Wednesday. "Lebanon is in need of its friends, and among them Australia, in order to promote democracy, sovereignty, and respect for human rights," he told the congregation of the Maronite Church of Brisbane and local Australian officials.

WASHINGTON ? War victims have filed a lawsuit against five Lebanese banks that operate in the United States. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in New York alleged that the Lebanese banks were linked to the Iranian-sponsored Hizbullah.

(RTTNews) - Lebanon, which was recuperating from a political turmoil after a truce between the warring groups last month, has again returned to tensions, as clashes erupted between government supporters and Hezbollah allies in the north of the country.

BEIRUT - At least four people were killed in Lebanon Wednesday and more than 50 others wounded when clashes erupted between government supporters and Hezbollah allies in the north of the country, police and hospital sources said.

Beirut - At least four people were killed in Lebanon Wednesday and more than 50 others wounded when clashes erupted between government supporters and Hezbollah allies in the north of the country, police and hospital sources said. The new fighting sha...

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Security officials say heavy fighting erupted Wednesday between government supporters and Hezbollah's allies in northern Lebanon, killing at least four people and shattering a fragile truce that lasted just two weeks.

Lebanon: Deadly clashes break out again in north (AKI) - Renewed sectarian clashes in the northern Lebanese port city of Tripoli killed at least three people on Wednesday and injured dozens, reports said.Explosions and rounds of machine-gun fire rocked Tripoli as clashes between Sunni government supporters and militants close to Shia group Hezbollah erupted overnight.Two Lebanese ...

BEIRUT, July 9, 2008 (AFP) - Lebanese President Michel Sleiman called his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad and the two agreed to meet on the sidelines of the Union of the Mediterranean summit that opens on Sunday in Paris, an official said on Wednesday.

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) ? Heavy fighting erupted Wednesday between government supporters and Hezbollah's allies in northern Lebanon, killing at least four people and shattering a fragile truce that lasted just two weeks, security officials said.

BEIRUT, July 9 (RIA Novosti) - Three people have been killed and around 35 wounded in sectarian clashes in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, ending a two-week ceasefire, local media said on Wednesday.

BEIRUT (AFP) - Lebanese bankers being sued by Israelis in a US court for allegedly supporting the Shiite Hezbollah group have said they are the target of slander and insisted that they are committed to high standards.

Iran accuses Israel of holding the Iranians - two diplomats, their driver and a journalist - as prisoners for 26 years, a charge the Israelis dismiss.

Beirut - Clashes raged in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli Wednesday between followers of the ruling minority and the majority led by Hezbollah, leaving at least two people dead and more than 39 wounded, according to police and hospital records....

Heavy fighting erupted Wednesday between government supporters and Hezbollah's allies in northern Lebanon, killing at least three people and shattering a fragile truce that lasted just two weeks, security officials said.

At least two people are killed and 40 are wounded in renewed sectarian clashes in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli.

(Updates with two people killed, details on fighting, background.) TRIPOLI, Lebanon (AFP)--Two people were killed and 32 were wounded in overnight clashes between rival sectarian camps in the northern Lebanese port city of Tripoli, a security official told AFP Wednesday.

TRIPOLI, Lebanon (Reuters) - At least two people were killed and 41 wounded on Wednesday in renewed sectarian clashes in Lebanon's second largest city Tripoli, security sources said.

At least one person has been killed and 33 people have been wounded in sectarian clashes in Lebanon's second largest city Tripoli, security sources say.

The Turkish Parliament adopted on Tuesday a Prime Ministry motion authorizing the government to extend mandate of Turkish troops within the body of United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

BEIRUT: Outgoing Finance Minister Jihad Azour predicted on Tuesday that Lebanon's GDP growth will see an upturn in 2008 as a result of a better political climate. "The GDP growth in Lebanon in 2008 is expected to be better than 2007 due to the positive political climate.

TRIPOLI, Lebanon, July 9, 2008 (AFP) - Seventeen people were wounded in violent clashes that started in the northern Lebanese port city of Tripoli late Tuesday, a security official told AFP Wednesday.

TRIPOLI, Lebanon (AFP) - Five people were wounded in violent clashes in the northern Lebanese port city of Tripoli late Tuesday, a security official told AFP.

TRIPOLI, Lebanon (AFP) Five people were wounded in violent clashes in the northern Lebanese port city of Tripoli late Tuesday, a security official told AFP.

Italy is seeking to play mediator in peace negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, visiting Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini told Israeli President Shimon Peres as the two met in Jerusalem on Tuesday afternoon. "We stand b ...

About 60 Israeli victims of the 2006 Lebanon war have filed a 100 million dollar lawsuit in a US court against five Lebanese banks for their alleged support of the Hezbollah militant group, their lawyers said Tuesday.

Pennsylvania Lottery retailers in Beaver, Chester, Cumberland and Lebanon counties sold the four $1 million top-prize winning tickets from the Lotterys July 5 Millionaire Raffle drawing.

Norwegian Ambassador Aud Lise Norheim has presented certificates of completion to students of two vocational training courses funded and implemented by Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). The event was held on Monday evening at the Crowne Plaza in Beirut.

Lebanon's Shiite population has been neglected in one way or another by governments, lawmakers and the rest of the population for at least the past 75 years. As a result, the community as a whole has lagged behind others in terms of economics, education, health, public services and career opportunities.

State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza announced his findings Tuesday in the case of the slaying of 12-year-old Ziad Ghandour and 25-year-old Ziad Qabalan, whose bodies were found dumped near a road south of Beirut several days after their disappearance last April. Mirza requested the death penalty for five of the suspects.

Figures released by the Central Bank reveal that Lebanon's cumulative balance of payments, which mirrors net foreign assets in the country, registered a deficit of $556.9 million in the first five months of 2008. "Following the trifling monthly amelioration during the month of April 2008 in the balance of payments account.

LEBANON ? Members of the Lebanon School Board will meet with the school district?s lawyer in closed session Aug. 4 to discuss a request by one board member to buy out Superintendent Jim Robinson?s contract.

A 17-year old New York City boy was arrested by Lebanon police early Monday after breaking a store window and setting off a burglar alarm, police said.

The Lebanon school district is losing another treasurer.

AFC launches the first online brokerage service on the Beirut Stock Exchange

BEIRUT: Future parliamentary bloc leader MP Saad Hariri filed a legal suit Monday against suspects in the killing of his father, former Premier Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated in 2005, in a bomb blast in Beirut.

BEIRUT, July 8 (Reuters) - Below is a table of the latest Lebanese economic statistics.

LEBANON - A hearing will be set sometime in August to get public comments on whether the Lebanon Community School District should pursue a tax on new construction.

BEIRUT: Israel and Hezbollah have signed a UN-mediated prisoner exchange deal and the date for the swap will be settled this week, a Lebanese political source said yesterday.

A cartoonish satire amplifies the most salient revelations from a non-fictional and nuanced consideration of the political and social climate in the Middle East. A year or so ago, I read From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas L. Friedman in an attempt to get my head around the endless conflagrations that dominate the Middle East. At the same time, I was also reading Absurdistan by Gary Shteyngart, ...

Police in Lebanon, NH, need the community's help in catching a credit card thief.

BEIRUT - ISRAEL and Hizbollah have signed a United Nations-mediated prisoner exchange deal and the date for the swap will be settled this week, a Lebanese political source and the Israeli prime minister's office said.

(RTTNews) - Israel has signed an UN-mediated prisoner exchange deal with Lebanon's Hezbollah, said officials on Monday. They added that a date for the prisoner swap would be set later in the week.

Route 87 in Lebanon is closed for what police are calling a serious crash.

July 7 (Bloomberg) -- Fransabank SAL, Banque Libanaise Pour le Commerce , and four other Lebanese banks were sued in the U.S. and Canada for allegedly helping Hezbollah kill Israeli citizens by providing financial services to the extremist group.

Victims of bombings and rocket attacks in Israel sued several Lebanese banks on Monday for helping fund Hezbollah militants who the lawsuit said orchestrated the attacks.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Israel and Hezbollah have signed a U.N.-mediated prisoner exchange deal and the date for the swap will be settled this week, a Lebanese political source and the Israeli prime minister's office said on Monday.

The International Monetary Fund's Middle East Technical Assistance Center (METAC) indicated that Lebanon accounted for 8 percent of its overall allocation of technical assistance delivery during fiscal year 2008. It was the sixth-biggest recipient of such assistance, ranking behind Syria, Libya, Sudan, the West Bank & Gaza and Afghanistan, and came ahead of Egypt, Jordan, Yemen and Iraq.

The new radio station ?Rotana Delta? celebrated its official opening. A large number of music artists and members of the press were at the radio station in the ?Alsalomi? area of Beirut.

Source: Reuters (Adds Israel confirms deal signed, exhumation begins) BEIRUT, July 7 (Reuters) - Israel and Hezbollah have signed a U.N.-mediated prisoner exchange deal and the date for the swap will be settled ...

A major Harrisburg metal scrap recycler is buying out a recycling operation in Lebanon. Consolidated Scrap Resources, Inc., which operates a huge metal shredding and recycling plant along Cameron Street in Harrisburg, is acquiring the recycling business assets of Brandywine Recyclers, Inc.

LEBANON ? The Lebanon Senior Center has received an award from a national organization that presents a television show called ?Profiles in Caring.?

MONTREAL, July 7 (UPI) -- The Lebanese-Canadian Bank in Montreal was sued for damages Monday by four people injured in Israel by Hezbollah bombings in 2006.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Israel and Hezbollah have signed a U.N.-mediated prisoner exchange deal and the date for the swap will be settled this week, a Lebanese political source said on Monday.

Beirut - The Israeli warplanes renewed on Monday violation of the Lebanese airspace in South Lebanon, Bka'a and Beirut.

Lebanon: Fifteen executives in print, broadcast and online outlets from across Iraq attended a three-day 'Media Management' workshop organized by the Journalism Training Program (JTP) at the American University of Beirut. [AMEInfo.com]

An Israeli negotiator was in Europe on Monday to pick up a report compiled by Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas on a long-missing Israeli airman, part of a prisoner-swap deal between the two sides, defense officials said.

BEIRUT: The June 30 bimonthly balance sheet of Lebanon's Central Bank show that total assets increased by 2.24 percent to $36.66 billion since June 15 and 19.6 percent from the start of the year.

Israel will begin exhuming the bodies of Hezbollah fighters buried in Israel ahead of a swap deal with the Lebanese guerrilla group, which is holding two Israeli soldiers, a military official said on Sunday.

Israel TV on Sunday showed tractors working at a cemetery where Lebanese and Palestinian fighters are buried, part of a prisoner swap between Israel and Hezbollah.

The Lebanon chapter of Democrats Abroad, the global voting wing of the Democratic National Party, held a Fourth of July celebration at the Terrace Cafe on Rue Hamra Friday evening to raise awareness about their group. The Lebanon chapter, created in January 2008, is the only one in the Arab Middle East.

Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir said Saturday Lebanon was threatened by "greed from far and near similar to any small nation." Sfeir made his remark in Sydney shortly after embarking on a visit to Australia. He criticized the divisions among various Lebanese factions based "on narrow-minded readings of politics."

The United States Trade Representatives (USTR) upgraded Lebanon from the Priority Watch List for serious infringements of intellectual property rights and severe copyright problems to the less severe Watch List. The USTR placed Lebanon on the Watch List in 1999 and moved it in 2001 to the more critical Priority Watch List, where it had remained since.

The Israeli army on Sunday began exhuming bodies of Hezbollah fighters ahead of a prisoner swap with the Shiite Lebanese movement in exchange for two captured Israeli soldiers, an official said.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian authorities said on Sunday they had restored order at a military jail near Damascus after a riot, but dissidents said the insurrection was not over and dozens of prisoners had been killed.

Mississauga's Rowan Barrett played 14 minutes last night in Canada's 100-68 win over Lebanon in the final game of the Jack Donohue International Classic at the Ricoh Coliseum. Barrett netted three points, adding three assists and two rebounds. Canada finished the three-team tourney with a 3-1 record.

Beirut,07/06 - Lebanon is reported to be on the verge of announcing the formation of a new government, following months of political deadlock. The breakthrough, if confirmed, ends weeks of arguments over cabinet posts between the pro-Western majority coalition and Hezbollah-led opposition.

LEBANON ? The Lebanon Senior Center has received an award from a national organization that presents a television show called ?Profiles in Caring.?

BEIRUT: Lebanese leaders are finalising a deal on the formation of a national unity government as stipulated in an agreement that ended the country?s political crisis, political sources said yesterday.

Lebanon - New Government Lebanon is expected to announce formation of a new government, following months of political deadlock. The Qatari government has brokered the agreement.

A Lebanon woman was killed this morning when the van her husband was driving collided with the back end of a log truck in the 4500 block of Knox Butte Road in Albany.

LEBANON ? The Boys & Girls Club of Lebanon and the Corvallis Knights will present a free summer baseball clinic for youth ages 5 through 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 17 at Lebanon High School Croco Field.

Shiite militant group Hezbollah delivered a report to Israel saying that Israeli airman Ron Arad, reported missing in Lebanon since 1986, has been dead for more than 10 years, local Naharnet website reported Saturday. In the report, ...

An 81-year-old Lebanon man died Saturday when the riding lawn mower he was operating crossed a road into the path of a westbound Chevrolet Suburban, according to a report from the Missouri Highway Patrol.

ISLAMABAD (July 06 2008): Pakistan and Lebanon have implemented new convention on avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion for promoting economic activities and strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries from July 1, 2008.

BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 5 (UPI) -- At least nine inmates were killed at a Syrian prison Saturday when guards fired during a riot by Islamist prisoners, Human Rights Watch said.

BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 5 (UPI) -- Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora is set to announce a new Cabinet now that all political obst