On 22 March 2008, the Directorate General of the General Security banned "Empire Theaters" (Circuit Empire) from screening a French version of the animated movie "Persepolis" of Iranian writer Marjane Satrapi.

  

Sam Wollaston on Brian Keenan: Back to Beirut | Poppy Shakespeare

  

Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak (R) receives his Algerian counterpart Abdelaziz Bouteflika at el-Etehadya presidency palace in Cairo. Mubarak insisted in talks with Bouteflika on Monday that a solution in Lebanon would ease strained ties between Arab states, his spokesman said.

  

Lebanese singer Amal Hijazi recently filmed her latest music video clip for the song 'Ya Ahla Ma Fe Al Ayam' (You?re What's Best In the Days), directed by Randa Al Alam.

  

The General Labor Confederation (GLC) on Monday called a one-day general strike in Lebanon for May 7 because of the government's refusal to raise the minimum wage from LL300,000 to LL960,000 per month. While an economist labeled the minimum wage "atrocious," the GLC's strike call also has political overtones.

  

About one-fourth of Lebanese adults (25.8 percent) have suffered from at least one psychological disorder at some point in their lives, with 10.5 percent having more than one disorder, according to a study to be published on Tuesday in the international PLoS Medicine magazine.

  

Youth and Sports Minister Ahmad Fatfat told The Daily Star on Monday that the Arab League's efforts in the coming weeks will focus on holding an emergency session for Arab foreign ministers to discuss the strained relations between Beirut and Damascus. Premier Fouad Siniora on Friday had urged Arab foreign ministers to hold such a meeting.

  

Some 20 pubs and restaurants in the popular Gemmayzeh district of Beirut will be closed down if a decision taken by the Ministry of Tourism on Monday is upheld. Joseph Sarkis, the minister of tourism, announced the decision in a statement made after a meeting with acting Beirut Governor Nassif Qalosh.

  

Beirut - Lebanon's top Shiite Muslim cleric issued a religious edict Monday banning attacks on public utilities in Iraq, specifically the oil industry. We stress the contents of the fatwa that it is prohibited to attack properties and public wealth,...

  

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak insisted in talks with his Algerian counterpart Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Monday that a solution in Lebanon would ease strained ties between Arab states, his spokesman said.

  

The Lebanon Mason Monroe Railroad (LM&M) operates out of Lebanon, a city in Southwestern Ohio between Dayton and Cincinnati that is famous for its grand 19th century homes, antique shops and historic restaurants. The train consists of a restored 1950s-era GP-7 diesel-electric locomotive, four open-window commuter coaches built in 1930, and a popular open-air gondola car. In 2007, more than ...

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Lebanon's top Shiite Muslim cleric issued a religious edict Monday banning attacks on public utilities in Iraq, mainly the oil industry, urging Iraqis to solve their problems through dialogue.

  

Washington, March 31 : A new study has found genetic traces of both the arrival of the Crusades and of the expansion of Islam in Lebanon.

  

BEIRUT, March 31 - Below is a table of the latest Lebanese economic statistics.

  

BEIRUT: An Arab summit failed on Sunday to clinch a breakthrough on Lebanon, spotlighting the rift between hosting Syria and stay-away US allies which blame Beirut's political crisis on Damascus.

  

Some readers may recall, possibly incorrectly, since readers are human, too, that I have on occasion referred to the time a buddy and I "cheated death" in Beirut, Lebanon.

  

Arab leaders reiterated their commitment to an Arab initiative to assist Lebanon in overcoming its political crisis in the Damascus Declaration issued at the end of the 20th Arab Summit on Sunday. In the declaration read out by the ...

  

The audience enters the theater to find the stage littered with papers, books and actors. There are two black planks on either side of the stage, set like large seesaws. The scene could be a still life, redolent with foreboding. The lights go down, then rise again to mark the start of the play proper.

  

An Arab summit failed on Sunday to clinch a breakthrough on Lebanon, spotlighting the rift between hosting Syria and stay-away US allies which blame Beirut's political crisis on Damascus. Meanwhile, all eyes are focused on whether Arab League chief Amr Moussa would return to Lebanon to pursue the implementation of a three-point.

  

Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir described on Sunday the continuing 15-month-old political standoff in Lebanon as "lethal."Sfeir, in his weekly sermon at Notre Dame Church in Bkirki, also described the split between the governing coalition and opposition as "unprecedented" and called for "unifying our ranks ... to help our stumbling nation rise again."

  

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad al-Thani attends the closing session of the two-day Arab Summit in Damascus. An Arab summit has failed to clinch a breakthrough on Lebanon, spotlighting the rift between host Syria and stay-away US allies which blame Beirut's political crisis on Damascus.

  

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad al-Thani attends the closing session of the two-day Arab Summit in Damascus. An Arab summit has failed to clinch a breakthrough on Lebanon, spotlighting the rift between host Syria and stay-away US allies which blame Beirut's political crisis on Damascus.

  

DAMASCUS (AFP) - An Arab summit failed on Sunday to clinch a breakthrough on Lebanon, spotlighting the rift between host Syria and boycotting US allies which blame Beirut's political crisis on Damascus.

  

An Arab summit failed on Sunday to clinch a breakthrough on Lebanon, spotlighting the rift between host Syria and stay-away US allies which blame Beirut's political crisis on Damascus.

  

A two-day Arab summit ended in Damascus on Sunday with a warning to Israel that an Arab peace offer depends on Israeli behaviour. Arab governments will review their strategies on peace with Israel, a statement added.

  

DAMASCUS - Arab leaders meeting at a boycott-ridden summit in Damascus on Sunday urged Lebanon to elect a consensus president to solve a protracted political crisis, according to a draft resolution.

  

The Beirut beauty salon where most of quot Caramel quot takes place is likely to be a familiar type of establishment, even to viewers who have never been to the Lebanese capital.

  

DUBAI, March 30 - Lebanon's Makhzoumi family said on Sunday it plans to raise at least $400 million by selling shares to the public in Dubai-based Future Pipe Industries, a maker of fibre glass pipes used for city infrastructure.

  

BEIRUT: University students demonstrated in Beirut yesterday, tearing up pictures of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and branding him an 'assassin' as he chaired an Arab summit boycotted by Lebanon.

  

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Saturday that his country was ready to cooperate to help resolve the political crisis in neighboring Lebanon. Speaking on the opening session of the 20th Arab Summit, Assad said Syria is "ful ...

  

The Arab League summit in Damascus ends with calls to end Lebanon's crisis, but no specific proposals.

  

Damascus - Syrian President Bashar Al Assad denied yesterday meddling in Lebanon as he hosted an Arab summit boycotted by some of the region's leaders, many of whom blame Damascus for the political crisis in Beirut.

  

Evidence shows a criminal network was responsible for the massive car bombing that killed the former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri and 22 others in Beirut in February 2005.

  

The 10th progress report on the U.N.'s investigation into the Lebanese prime minister's assassination doesn't satisfy those who suspect Syrian involvement

  

Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that Syria should be punished for blocking a resolution to Lebanon's political crisis, escalating a dispute between U.S. allies and Damascus that has marred an Arab summit. The bitter rift raises fears that tensions between Lebanon's U.S.- and Saudi-backed government and the pro-Syrian opposition will increase after the summit ends on Sunday. For ...

  

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (R) meets with Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi at Damascus airport on March 28. Assad denied meddling in Lebanon as he hosted an Arab summit boycotted by half of the region's leaders, many of whom blame Damascus for the political crisis in Beirut.

  

Syria promised Arab leaders at an annual summit on Saturday to cooperate in ending a political crisis in Lebanon, and regional power Saudi Arabia said it saw Damascus as part of the solution.

  

BEIRUT - University students demonstrated in Beirut on Saturday, tearing up pictures of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and branding him an 'assassin' as he chaired an Arab summit boycotted by Lebanon.

  

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister slammed Syria for obstructing Lebanese peace efforts and called on the Arab League Saturday to punish member states that don't honor the group's consensus decisions.

  

The American University of Beirut (AUB) is set for a commercial launch its exam scheduling software, following the signing of an agreement with White Mountain Technologies.

  

White Mountain Technologies announced its partnership with American University of Beirut (AUB) - Office of Grants & Contracts - to commercialize the university's successful exam scheduling software.

  

Lebanon: White Mountain Technologies announced its partnership with American University of Beirut (AUB) - Office of Grants & Contracts - to commercialize the university's successful exam scheduling software. [AMEInfo.com]

  

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (R) meets with Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi at Damascus airport on March 28. Assad has denied interfering in Lebanon's domestic affairs as he opened a boycott-hit Arab summit in Damascus.

  

DAMASCUS (AFP)--Syrian President Bashar al-Assad denied interfering in Lebanon's domestic affairs, as he opened an Arab summit Saturday in Damascus. The Syrian leader said Syria is eager to see "the stability, sovereignty and independence" of Lebanon achieved.

  

An Arab summit opened in the Syrian capital Damascus on Saturday in the absence of Lebanon and of conservative Arab leaders critical of Syria's role in the Lebanese crisis.

  

Iran - Syria - Envoy Iran's Ambassador to Syria, Hojatoleslam Ahmad Moussavi, said on Saturday that the Lebanese crisis should be settled by Lebanon's own political parties.

  

BEIRUT: A UN investigation commission said on Friday that a "criminal network" had carried out the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and was connected to other acts of political violence in Lebanon, but the commission's report did not name anyone involved with the network.

  

Central Catholic took advantage of seven errors by Lebanon to score nine unearned runs and take the non-league win.

  

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has launched a strong attack on Syria on the eve of an Arab summit in Damascus.

  

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Seniora said Friday that Lebanon boycotted the Arab Summit to be held in Damascus only because it rejects to be represented by any person other than the elected president. Lebanon boycotted the summit a ...

  

UNITED NATIONS - A NETWORK of individuals was responsible for killing former Lebanese prime minister Rafik al-Hariri in 2005 and was linked to other political murders in Lebanon, United Nations investigators said.

  

The annual Arab League summit opens in Damascus today amid deep divisions over the crisis in Lebanon and unhappiness at growing Iranian influence in the Middle East.

  

Beirut - Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Seniora declared late Friday that Lebanon would no longer be a battlefield for anyone to settle accounts, and called for a regional meeting on its governing crisis after the end of an Arab summit it is boycotti...

  

The Daily Star.

  

Prime Minister Fuad Saniora accused Syria on Friday of blocking the election of a new Lebanese president and deepening the country's 16-month political crisis through its interference in the country's internal affairs.

  

BEIRUT (AFP)--Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora on Friday blamed Syria for his country's prolonged political crisis in a televised speech on the eve of an Arab summit in Damascus.

  

The chief investigator says former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated by a criminal network that is linked to some other killings in Lebanon.

  

New York - A new UN report released Friday places responsibility for the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri on a criminal network. There was evidence that the network's groups worked together to carry out the bombing in Beirut that...

  

Eds: APNewsNow. UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The chief investigator says former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated by a criminal network that is linked to some other killings in Lebanon.

  

LEBANON, N.H. -- A collision in Lebanon closed Route 10 for more than two hours Friday morning. Police said two vehicles traveling in opposite directions collided with each other. Both drivers were taken to a hospital, and their conditions were unknown.

  

BEIRUT (AFP) - One man was able to recover only a family photo album.

  

A fatal crash has closed a section of Route 10 in Lebanon, N.H.

  

Source: IRIN A boycott by Lebanon and major Arab powers of the Arab summit in Damascus (29-30 March) has dashed hopes for a last-ditch settlement of the Lebanese presidential crisis, raising fears of a descent into violence after it passes.

  

BEIRUT: Investigating Magistrate Sami Sidqi issued an arrest warrant in absentia against Syrian national Husam Husam for threatening to kill Lebanese journalist Faris Khashan, a judicial report said on Wednesday.

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Recent attacks and retaliation threats have the Mideast on edge about the possibility of another war between Israel and Hezbollah, even though officials on both sides say they don't expect any eruption of major fighting soon.

  

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said on Thursday that Syria, accused by Western countries of obstructing efforts to solve Lebanese political impasse, is the first to be affected by the tense situations in neighboring Lebanon. ...

  

Iranian cartoonist Marjane Satrapi poses during a photocall for her animated film 'Persepolis' at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007. Lebanese authorities reversed on Thursday a decision to ban the prize-winning animated film "Persepolis," following an outcry and claims the measure was aimed at pleasing Iran and Shiite clerics.

  

Lebanese authorities on Thursday rescinded their decision to ban the prize-winning animated film "Persepolis" following an outcry and accusations that the censorship was aimed at pleasing Iran and local Shiite clerics. "We have given the green light for 'Persepolis,'" one official from the censorship bureau said on condition of anonymity. She did not elaborate.

  

Moody's ratings agency on Thursday upgraded its outlook for four Lebanese banks - Bank Audi, BLOM Bank, Byblos Bank and Bank of Beirut - from negative to stable, after bestowing the same improved evaluation earlier this week on Lebanon's government debt. The rise in the banks' status was "triggered" by the upgrade in Lebanese sovereign debt.

  

From east to west, the Arab region is afflicted with mounting religious divides that are increasingly affecting the well-being of children. Lebanon's Constitution, which splits power between Muslims and Christians, is no exception to this growing chasm. Under the Constitution, 18 religions are formally recognized by the Lebanese government.

  

Investigating Magistrate Sami Sidqi issued an arrest warrant in absentia against Syrian national Husam Husam for threatening to kill Lebanese journalist Faris Khashan, a judicial report said on Wednesday. Khashan, who works for Al-Mustaqbal daily, filed a complaint against Husam after the Syrian allegedly made a death threat in a telephone call in January.

  

Syria's foreign minister called on Saudi Arabia on Thursday to use its influence toward solving Lebanon's political crisis, as Arab ministers met ahead of a Damascus summit snubbed by several regional leaders, who blame Syria for the problem.

  

Lebanese authorities reversed on Thursday a decision to ban the prize-winning animated film "Persepolis," following an outcry and claims the measure was aimed at pleasing Iran and Shiite clerics.

  

Beirut - The anti-Syrian Lebanese March 14 coalition, which supports the Western-backed government, Thursday branded the forthcoming Damascus-hosted Arab summit a failure and called on Syria to recognize Lebanon's independence and sovereignty. Any r...

  

Damascus/Amman - Ahead of their March 29 summit in Syria, Arab League ministers on Thursday confirmed their agreement on an initiative aimed at resolving the political crisis in Lebanon. The Arab ministers confirmed the Arab initiative and we will w...

  

Egypt says it is sending a junior minister to the Arab League summit scheduled for Damascus this weekend. Lebanon is boycotting the meeting, and Saudi Arabia will also send a low-level delegation. The diplomatic snubs of Syria are linked to tension over the Lebanese political crisis. -VOA

  

BEIRUT (AFP) - Lebanese authorities on Thursday went back on their decision to ban the prize-winning animated film "Persepolis", following an outcry and accusations that the censorship was aimed at pleasing Iran and Shiite clerics.

  

Downtown business owners are trying to ride out the wave of road work rumbling through Lebanon this spring.

  

DAMASCUS, March 27, 2008 (AFP)-) - Syria's foreign minister called on Saudi Arabia on Thursday to use its influence toward solving Lebanon's political crisis, as Arab ministers met ahead of a Damascus summit snubbed by a number of regional leaders, who blame Syria for the problem.

  

Lebanon says it will boycott this weekend's Arab summit in Damascus, in the latest setback to the meeting.

  

BEIRUT (AFP)--Lebanese authorities Thursday went back on their decision to ban the prize-winning animated film "Persepolis", following an outcry and accusations that the censorship was aimed at pleasing Iran and Shiite clerics.

  

Lebanon: Moody's Investors Service has changed the outlook on the B3/Not Prime foreign currency (FC) deposit ratings of the four rated Lebanese banks (Bank Audi, BLOM Bank, Byblos Bank and Bank of Beirut) to stable from negative. [AMEInfo.com]

  

DAMASCUS (AFP)--Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem Thursday called on Saudi Arabia to use its influence over the anti-Syrian majority in Lebanon in order to resolve the political crisis gripping it.

  

Egypt says it is sending a junior minister to the Arab League summit scheduled for Damascus this weekend. Lebanon is boycotting the meeting, and Saudi Arabia will also send a low-level delegation. The diplomatic snubs of Syria are linked to tension over the Lebanese political crisis.

  

In current semi-pop discourse, the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, may be best known for its expats: the Shins of Portland, Ore., or Brooklyn's Beirut. Here the latter outfit's Zach Condon gives back to his former town.

  

BEIRUT: Lebanon's ambassador to the United Nations Nawaf Salam on Tuesday stressed the need to elect a new president without delay.

  

Middle East: Beirut misses chance to resolve crisis, says Syria (AKI) - Lebanon has lost a "golden opportunity" to resolve its current political crisis by moving to boycott a summit of Arab leaders in Damascus at the weekend.At a media conference on Wednesday, Syrian foreign minister Walid al-Muallim said that Beirut would also miss the opportunity to discuss its relations with ...

  

BEIRUT - Rivalry between Arab states is inflaming a crisis in Lebanon that threatens its civil peace and risks dragging it towards 'the law of the jungle?, former President Amin Gemayel said on Wednesday.

  

SINGAPORE : Singapore beat Lebanon 2?0 in a crucial World Cup Asian Zone Group 4 qualifier at the National Stadium on Wednesday.

  

SINGAPORE, March 26 - Singapore comfortably beat Lebanon 2-0 to pick up the first three points of their Asian World Cup third round qualifying campaign on Wednesday.

  

Emboldened by its alliance with Iran, Syria has put its interests in Lebanon above the prestige of hosting an Arab summit that will open on Saturday with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Egypt conspicuously absent.

  

SINGAPORE: Singapore beat Lebanon 2-0 in a crucial World Cup Asian Zone Group 4 qualifier at the National Stadium on Wednesday. The Lions could have won by a wider margin but missed a number of scoring opportunities.

  

On my first day back after a break in Beirut we walked the streets of Kadhimiyah near the Shiite shrine.

  

BEIRUT, March 26 - Below is a table of the latest Lebanese economic statistics.

  

BEIRUT (AFP) - The Oscar-nominated film "Persepolis", which has annoyed authorities in Iran for its critical portrayal of the Islamic revolution, has been banned in Lebanon, an interior ministry official told AFP on Wednesday.

  

The Oscar-nominated film "Persepolis", which has annoyed authorities in Iran for its critical portrayal of the Islamic revolution, has been banned in Lebanon, an interior ministry official told AFP on Wednesday.

  

BEIRUT, March 26 (RIA Novosti) - Lebanon will not attend an all-Arab summit in Damascus on March 20-30 in protest against Syria's alleged meddling in its internal affairs.

  

Beirut-based Bank Audi to open branch at QFC

  

BEIRUT: Lebanon remains one of the worst money laundering offenders in the Middle East, despite government efforts to crack down on the activity, according to a report released by the US State Department.

  

26 March 2008 Doha - Beirut-based Bank Audi yesterday announced it will be opening a branch here at the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC).

  

Moody's Investors Service has changed the outlook on Lebanon's ratings to stable from negative.

  

Beirut-based Bank Audi will be setting up branch at the Qatar Financial Centre, reported The Peninsula. The bank has a net profit of $207m and assets of $17.2bn in 2007 and has been in talks for possible merger with EFG-Hermes of Egypt. Hermes currently has 20% stake in Bank Audi.

  

(RTTNews) - Lebanon will not participate in this week's Arab summit in Damascus, because of Syria's dubious role in the country's protracted presidential crisis, a cabinet minister said on Tuesday.

  

The Lebanese flag is stretched during a rally in Beirut on February 2008. The Lebanese cabinet decided on Tuesday that the country, which is facing a protracted presidential crisis, will not be represented at this week's Arab summit in Damascus, a cabinet minister said.

  

Lebanon is boycotting the Arab League summit which is scheduled to be held in Syria at the weekend.

  

Lebanon says it will boycott this weekend's Arab summit in Damascus, in the latest setback to the meeting.

  

Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Liu Zhiming said Tuesday that the ongoing presidential vacuum was likely to have "negative repercussions on the overall situation" in the country. "A new head of state should be immediately elected; the Chinese government urges all Lebanese groups to double efforts to elect a new president as soon as possible," Liu said.

  

The Lebanese government has officially decided to boycott the Arab summit in Damascus that will be held on March 29, 30. Information Minister Ghazi Aridi, reading a statement after a meeting by Premier Fouad Saniora's government, said Lebanon would also boycott preparatory meetings that set the stage for the summit.

  

Source: Reuters (Recasts with boycott announcement) By Tom Perry BEIRUT, March 25 (Reuters) - Lebanon's anti-Syrian government said on Tuesday it would boycott a March 29-30 Arab summit in Damascus because of ...

  

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's anti-Syrian government said on Tuesday it would boycott a March 29-30 Arab summit in Damascus because of Syria's role in blocking the election of a new Lebanese president.

  

The Lebanese cabinet decided on Tuesday that the country, which is facing a protracted presidential crisis, will not be represented at this week's Arab summit in Damascus, a government official said.

  

LEBANON - Chase Lister, 12, of Scio was the first customer to deposit funds in the newly opened Willamette Community Bank at 1495 S. Main on Monday morning.

  

BEIRUT, Mar 25 (Reuters) Lebanon's anti-Syrian government will boycott a March 29-30 Arab summit in Damascus because of a political crisis blamed by Beirut and its Arab allies on Syria, a ministerial source said today.

  

Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri has postponed the country's presidential elections to April 22, after rival parties failed to reached a compromise.

  

Lebanon's anti-Syrian government will boycott a March 29-30 Arab summit in Damascus because of a political crisis blamed by Beirut and its Arab allies on Syria, a ministerial source said on Tuesday.

  

BEIRUT - Lebanon will likely boycott this month's Arab summit in Damascus due to the current presidential crisis in the country, a senior advisor to Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora told AFP on Tuesday.

  

BEIRUT (AFP)--Lebanon will likely boycott this month's Arab summit in Damascus due to the current presidential crisis in the country, a senior advisor to Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora told AFP Tuesday.

  

BEIRUT, March 25, 2008 (AFP) - Lebanon will likely boycott this month's Arab summit in Damascus due to the current presidential crisis in the country, a senior advisor to Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora told AFP on Tuesday.

  

The city of Lebanon has won a $400,000 Ohio grant to help Mane Inc. relocate its manufacturing plant from Milford.

  

CAIRO/BEIRUT - Rarely since the end of the Cold War have competing foreign powers loomed so large in the background as Arab leaders prepare for their annual summit, opening this year in the Syrian capital Damascus on Saturday.

  

BEIRUT, March 25 - Below is a table of the latest Lebanese economic statistics.

  

Supporters of Hezbollah carry a portrait of the organization's leader Hassan Nasrallah during a December demonstration in Beirut. Hezbollah told thousands of people in the Lebanese capital on Monday that Hezbollah will choose the "time, the place, the way and the means" to strike at Israel.

  

DEBKA file 's military sources report that heavy fighting was sparked in the southern Iraqi oil hub city Tuesday, March 25, by the major clean-up campaign embarked on by Iraqi government forces under prime minister Nouri al Maliki's personal command.

  

BEIRUT, 03/25 - Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah announced Monday that U.N.-mediated negotiations for a prisoner swap with Israel were continuing despite the recent assassination of a top militant commander blamed on the Jewish state.

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah announced Monday that U.N.-mediated negotiations for a prisoner swap with Israel were continuing despite the recent assassination of a top militant commander blamed on the Jewish state.

  

BEIRUT: Despite the ongoing economic slowdown in Lebanon, the numbers of credit cards issued and ATM branches rose by 10.6 percent and 6 percent respectively over the previous 12 months, said a report with the most recent available figures published in the latest issue of Byblos Bank Group's Lebanon This Week.

  

BEIRUT: Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah vowed yesterday to avenge last month's slaying of a top commander in Syria, and said that most Lebanese are united in their wish to see Israel disappear.

  

Syrian soldiers lean out of the windows of their bus at a crossing point on the Syrian-Lebanese border as they celebrate their return from Lebanon on April 26. Syria ended its 29-year military domination of Lebanon.

  

Lebanon has postponed its presidential election from March 25 to April 22 in the 17th delay of a vote that has been derailed by the country's months-long political crisis.

  

SUBANG JAYA: The armed forces will send five more officers to serve in Lebanon under the United Nations peacekeeping mission this July.

  

Lebanon on Monday postponed its presidential election from March 25 to April 22 in the 17th delay of a vote that has been derailed by the country's months-long political crisis.

  

BEIRUT (AFP) A parliamentary session to elect a Lebanese president has been postponed from Tuesday to April 22 amid continued deadlock between rival political leaders, the speaker's office announced on Monday.

  

BEIRUT - Lebanon yesterday postponed its presidential election from March 25 to April 22 in the 17th delay of a vote that has been derailed by the country's months-long political crisis.

  

Summer has arrived early this year, at least for a few days. Temperatures have neared or exceeded 30 degrees Celsius across many parts of Lebanon and many people have hit the beach already. Despite the heat, not everything is turning up sunny. Following some unusually cold weeks during February, the unusually hot days.

  

Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Monday that the opposition is determined to reache a political settlement to Lebanon's ongoing political crisis. In what was described as the most moderate of his recent speeches, Nasrallah stressed that the period that will follow the upcoming Arab summit in Damascus.

  

Justice Minister Charles Rizk said Saturday Lebanon would "most probably" boycott the forthcoming Arab summit in Damascus. "This strips the Arab League of its spirit," he said, in an interview with Voice of Lebanon radio, adding that such a boycott, if adopted, would put the Arab league at a crossroads.

  

A former Lebanon police officer is indicted on stolen weapon charges.

  

BEIRUT (AFP) - A parliamentary session to elect a Lebanese president has been postponed from Tuesday to April 22 amid continued deadlock between rival political leaders, the speaker's office announced on Monday.

  

Lebanese workers repair a water pump near the Wazzani river in 2002. The river is close to the border with Israel and serves as the main fresh water source for the Jewish state.

  

Beirut - Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri postponed Monday the country's presidential election from March 25 to April 22 for the 17th time, after rival parties failed to reached a compromise. Parliament speaker Nabih Berri has decided to pos...

  

BEIRUT (AFP)--A parliamentary session to elect a Lebanese president has been postponed from Tuesday to April 22 amid continued deadlock between rival political leaders, the speaker's office announced Monday.

  

Name: Ben Buszek. Sport: Track and field. School: Lebanon High School. Class: Senior. Age: 18.

  

BEIRUT (AFP) - Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah vowed on Monday to avenge last month's slaying of a top commander in Syria, and said that most Lebanese are united in their wish to see Israel disappear.

  

Beirut - The chief of the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah movement Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah vowed Monday that the killers of the group's military commander would not go unpunished. Addressing a mass rally via satellite in southern Beirut, 40 days after Imad...

  

Hezbollah chief says most Lebanese are united in their wish to see Israel disappear.

  

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hezbollah said on Monday talks for a prisoner swap with Israel were continuing despite the killing of its top military commander in an assassination the Lebanese guerrilla group blamed on the Jewish state.

  

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hezbollah said on Monday talks for a prisoner swap with Israel were continuing despite the killing of its top military commander in an assassination the Lebanese guerrilla group blamed on the Jewish state.

  

RIYADH (AFP)--Saudi Arabia's decision to send a low-ranking diplomat to an Arab summit in Syria later this week reflects the rift between the two countries over the crisis in Lebanon, a Saudi official said Monday.

  

BEIRUT - Arabs keen to see the end of George W. Bush's presidency fear that a win for likely Republican candidate John McCain will bring little change to U.S. policies they blame for destabilising the Middle East.

  

CAIRO - The Arab League expects no last-minute breakthrough in the political deadlock in Lebanon before an Arab summit starts in Damascus on Saturday, the chief of the pan-Arab organisation said on Monday.

  

Lebanese community in Kano, has commenced work on a 50-bed state-of-the-art general hospital in Kano, as part of its efforts to contribute to the well-being of the people.

  

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said on Monday he feared a poor turnout at an Arab summit in Damascus this weekend if a session of the Lebanese parliament to select a president is again postponed.

  

CAIRO - Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said on Monday he feared a poor turnout at an Arab summit in Damascus this month if a session of the Lebanese parliament to select a president is again postponed.

  

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said on Monday he feared a poor turnout at an Arab summit in Damascus this month if a session of the Lebanese parliament to select a president is again postponed.

  

BEIRUT, March 24, 2008 (AFP) - Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri has said he will call rival politicians to engage in a national dialogue if an Arab summit later this week fails to resolve the country's presidential crisis.

  

Lebanon: On March 21, 2008 the AUB Board of Trustees unanimously voted to elect Dr. Peter F. Dorman as the fifteenth president of the American University of Beirut (AUB) in Beirut, Lebanon. [AMEInfo.com]

  

BEIRUT: Lebanese Shia Muslim mourners are flocking to the grave of slain Hezbollah commander Imad Moughniyah, saying the man who had been wanted by the US and Israel was now a symbol of defiance.

  

Lebanese artist Marwa signed a contract to star in the new cinema film titled 'Imra?ah Wa Rajolain' (A woman and two men). The new film is a comedy and is written by Khaled Hasona and directed by Ahmad AL Badri.

  

Beirut, March 24 : Lebanon's House Speaker Nabih Berri has hinted that the parliament session scheduled for March 25 to elect a president might be postponed for the 17th consecutive time.

  

Hezbollah is to hold a rally in Beirut to mark the end of mourning for its assassinated commander, Imad Mughniyeh.

  

Lebanon's parliament speaker said on Sunday he would invite rival Lebanese leaders for direct talks if an Arab summit in Syria this week failed to find a solution to the country's political deadlock.

  

BEIRUT - Lebanon's parliament speaker said on Sunday he would invite rival Lebanese leaders for direct talks if an Arab summit in Syria this week failed to find a solution to the country's political deadlock.

  

Beirut - Lebanon's Shiite House Speaker Nabih Berri hinted late Sunday that the parliament session scheduled for March 25 to elect a president might be postponed for the 17th consecutive time. There is nothing new to avoid a new postponement of the ...

  

DEBKA file 's military sources report that the Syrian deployment is backed by the concentration of pro-Syrian Palestinian factions in the Beqaa valley of Lebanon, amid rising war tensions between Hizballah and Israel.

  

NEW LEBANON, Ohio (AP) - The last four presidential elections show that one precinct in New Lebanon has an uncanny knack for mirroring the statewide vote, and therefore the presidency.

  

Ilili does Lebanese; Bodrum creates Turkish buzz; Kellari's Parea needs work

  

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim mourners are flocking to the grave of slain Hezbollah commander Imad Moughniyah, saying the man who had been wanted by the United States and Israel was now a symbol of defiance.

  

Source: Reuters By Laila Bassam BEIRUT, March 23 (Reuters) - Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim mourners are flocking to the grave of slain Hezbollah commander Imad Moughniyah, saying the man who had been wanted by the United ...

  

Lebanon: The growth in audited media in the Middle East has continued with BPA Worldwide, the global media audit organisation, being appointed by its first Lebanese pan-Arab publication. [AMEInfo.com]

  

Showing respect and audacity in equal measure, the music of Lebanese oud player/composer Rabih Abou-Khalil has always stretched musical boundaries and traversed time. His is a music which embraces tradition, and challenges it.

  

Lebanese singer Madline Mater who is residing in Cairo for the moment denied circulating rumors in newspapers and magazines regarding her latest film 'Akher Kalam' (Last Talk) that state that Madline's role was originally for famous Lebanese singer Haifa Wahbi.

  

Brian Keenan was held captive in Beirut for four years by Islamic extremists. Two decades on, he made his first, emotional return to the city. Here he chronicles the memories it evoked and the changes he found

  

SIDON, Lebanon: Quiet returned to Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp on Saturday after a ceasefire between Islamic militants and fighters of the mainstream Fatah faction ended heavy clashes.

  

BEIRUT - Heavy clashes erupted late Friday between a Sunni fundamentalist group and fighters of the mainstream Fatah faction in a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon, killing one person and injuring four others, according to Palestinian sources.

  

SIDON, Lebanon (AFP)--Quiet returned to Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp Saturday, after a cease-fire ended fighting between Islamic militants and fighters of the mainstream Fatah faction.

  

Palestina, 03/22 - Clashes have broken out between Palestinian factions in a refugee camp in southern Lebanon. The fighting was between members of the Fatah faction and an Islamist group called Jund al-Sham.

  

Quiet has returned to a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon after heavy overnight fighting. At least one person was killed and four others wounded in gun battles which began Friday in the Ain al-Helweh camp outside the southern port city of Sidon.

  

Palestinian families fleeing their homes rest outisde a mosque on the outskirts of the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Helweh outside the southern port of Sidon, late on March 21. Quiet descended upon the refugee camp in Lebanon on Saturday after a ceasefire between Islamic militants and fighters of the mainstream Fatah faction ended heavy clashes, a Fatah official said.

  

BEIRUT: The American University of Beirut's board of trustees has unanimously voted to elect Peter F. Dorman as the 15th president of AUB, the university announced on Friday.

  

DOHA - Bringing along a touch of gold and earthly hues, French-Lebanese painter Roula Bechara is in Qatar to exhibit her paintings. The artist who loves to weave magic with a rose or horse, is displaying her works at Caf Tottoir of Doha Marriot Hotel.

  

Political unrest in Lebanon is preventing the country from removing a rubbish mountain in Sidon along the Mediterranean coast, some residents claim.The giant pile of trash began to accumulate in 1975 as a non-permanent city dump and has steadily grown after 30 years of war and disregard from the government, U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks reported Friday.The pile reportedly has ...

  

Beirut, March 22: Heavy clashes erupted late Friday between a Sunni fundamentalist group and fighters of the mainstream Fatah faction in a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon, prompting civilians to flee the area.

  

Heavy clashes have erupted between a Sunni fundamentalist group and fighters of the mainstream Fatah faction in a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon.

  

Heavy clashes have raged between Islamic militants and fighters of the mainstream Fatah faction in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon and prompted an exodus of civilians.

  

LEBANON - The scheduled practices at both the Lebanon Midway Speedway and the Lebanon I-44 Speedway are still on for Saturday, as the tracks are getting geared-up for the season openers next weekend.

  

Mirror of the Arab World Lebanon in Conflict By Sandra Mackey Norton; 303 pages; $25.95 At the end of "Mirror of the Arab World," Sandra Mackey acknowledges her publisher's editor in chief, Starling Lawrence, "who has so wisely recognized the value of books...

  

Heavy clashes raged Friday between Islamic militants and fighters of the mainstream Fatah faction in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon and prompted an exodus of civilians.

  

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - University of Chicago professor Peter F. Dorman today was appointed president of the American University of Beirut.

  

Beirut- Heavy clashes erupted late Friday between a Sunni fundamentalist group and fighters of the mainstream Fatah faction in a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon, prompting civilians to flee the area. The rival fighters exchanged rocket f...

  

Preparations in Lebanon are well under way for this year's initiative to clean up the country's Mediterranean shoreline and to combat the pressing threat of coastal pollution.Organizations within over half the nations that border the Mediterranean have joined up with the Clean Up The Med 2008 initiative to clean up one of the world's iconic coastlines.

  

Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said Thursday Lebanon's continuing political standoff in Lebanon was "very worrying" and the Middle East could explode if the international community doesn't handle the many conflicts in the region "very carefully." Calling the broader Middle East "a very dangerous region," Annan said.

  

The main impediment for Lebanese banks remains their high direct exposure to the risks inherent in operating in the Republic of Lebanon, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services noted in a report titled "Lebanese Banks Plant Cedars Abroad While Resisting The Political Impasse," published today on RatingsDirect.

  

An independent study commissioned by the city of Lebanon found more than $3 million in repairs and replacements needed for Lebanon's public works facility. City leaders have no easy answer for how to pay for it.

  

Heavy clashes erupted between Islamic militants and fighters of the mainstream Fatah faction in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon on Friday prompting an exodus of civilians.

  

BEIRUT -- Posters slapped up on the walls of Beirut's Shiite Muslim southern suburbs show the face of a slain Hezbollah leader and declare that his death is a "sign of the coming victory."

  

READ the first extract Melissa Hawach's story of when her Lebanese-Australian husband abducted their three children into Lebanon, into a war zone.

  

Source: Reuters BEIRUT, March 21 (Reuters) - Syrian security forces have killed three Kurdish men in north eastern Syria who were celebrating on the eve of the Kurdish new year, a Syrian human rights organisation ...

  

"Caramel" is set in a Beirut beauty salon where the stylists and their mostly female clientele manage life's most important passages -- weddings, funerals, menopause, even something as fleeting as a date for coffee -- by having their hair done. The film's title refers to the caramel they make by heating sugar and water over an open flame, then use to depilate their legs. Filmgoers expecting "My ...

  

One hundred workers at the International Automotive Components plant in Lebanon, Va., have temporarily lost their jobs because of a strike by auto workers in five American Axle plants in Michigan and New York. "We were forced to release about 100 employees on a temporary layoff at our Lebanon facility since the United Auto Workers/American Axle strike began in late February," said David Ladd, ...

  

In suggesting that Islamic extremism may be, if not a spent force in the Middle East, no longer the most dynamic or important one, Robin Wright has some standing. In 1983, Ms. Wright surveyed the wreckage of the American Embassy in Beirut. Beneath it lay the remains of her friends. Two years later, Ms. Wright wrote "Sacred Rage: The Wrath of Militant Islam." The title is self-explanatory and the ...

  

Interstate 44 has reopened at mile marker 142 east of Lebanon now that flood waters from the Gasconade River have receded, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation. That portion of I-44 was shut down yesterday because the road was under water. Only semi-trucks were allowed to pass through.

  

Country music singer Candy Coburn will perform live in Lebanon at St. John's-Lebanon Heritage Foundation's annual Fantasy Gala after-party April 25 at the Kenneth E. Cowan Civic Center, according to a St. John's news release. Coburn take the stage after the 9 p.m. JoDee Messina gala concert. Her first single, "Hard to Be Good in Texas," from the CD "REV IT UP," spent four weeks at No. 8 on the ...

  

Though there's not a thread of evidence for it, some Lebanese have even set the date for a new Israeli invasion - April 6.

  

LEBANON - Lebanon Community School District officials will meet today with members of People Involved in Education to continue contract talks for Sand Ridge Charter School.

  

Richard Engel, NBC News' Beirut bureau chief, was awarded the 2007 Medill Medal of Courage.

  

They're back. After a brief hiatus from championship seasons, the Lebanon High boys track team is back to its winning ways.

  

They're back. After a brief hiatus from championship seasons, the Lebanon High boys track team is back to its winning ways.

  

The annual Union Twp./South Lebanon Easter Egg hunt scheduled for Saturday, March 22 has been rescheduled for 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 29. The park where the hunt was to take place is under water due to this week's rain.

  

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday for talks on Middle East peace and Lebanon's political crisis ahead of an Arab summit later this month.

  

At the age of only 19, Zach Condon, a.k.a. "Beirut", crafted one of the most precocious debut records of any American artist in recent memory.

  

Cynthia Johnston has been a correspondent with Reuters for seven years. A U.S. citizen, she has worked for Reuters in London, Beirut, Israel and the Palestinian territories, and is now based in Cairo. In the following story she recounts her coverage of attempts by the Muslim Brotherhood to enter Egyptian local council elections, which ended in a car chase across ...

  

Cynthia Johnston has been a correspondent with Reuters for seven years. A U.S. citizen, she has worked for Reuters in London, Beirut, Israel and the Palestinian territories, and is now based in Cairo. In the following story she recounts her coverage of attempts by the Muslim Brotherhood to enter Egyptian local council elections, which ended in a car chase across the Nile Delta.

  

Staff Reporter NAYLA Teuni highlighted the need for the Lebanese in Qatar to stay in touch with their compatriots back home and keep up the exchange of ideas.

  

NGO Ajialouna opened its seventh annual Diplomatic Bazaar at the Beirut International Exhibition and leisure center (BIEL) this week, displaying an eclectic array of items to an elegantly dressed and mostly female crowd of socialites, journalists and sponsors.

  

With Mother's Day being celebrated on March 21, The Daily Star hit the streets of Achrafieh and Hamra on Wednesday to ask mothers what they hope for their children amid the ongoing political standoff in Lebanon. While the mothers' statements ranged between hope and skepticism concerning the country's future.

  

(RTTNews) - U.S. Senator John McCain, who is in Israel as part of a fact-finding Congressional mission, condemned Iran, Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement saying they are a threat to the Middle East and a danger to U.S. national interests.

  

Hezbollah may be undermining itself from within.

  

BEIRUT, March 19 - Below is a table of the latest Lebanese economic statistics.

  

Following the success of EuroMena I, a $63m Beirut managed fund that has closed 7 investments throughout the MENA region in its first 19 months of operation, Capital Trust announces plans to launch a $200m-$250m fund, Euro Mena II, as of June 2008.

  

BEIRUT: In its semi-annual survey on the credit-worthiness of 174 countries, Institutional Investor magazine ranked Lebanon in 115th place worldwide and 17th among 20 countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

  

By Weedah Hamzah, Beirut, March 19 : Street children are becoming a common sight in Beirut, some begging at traffic intersections, others wiping off dirty car windows, and others just hanging around with searching eyes that clearly show the kind of life they are living.

  

(RTTNews) - Tuesday, Israel denied claims by the Lebanese army that one of its warships had briefly entered Lebanese territorial waters and was intercepted by an Italian ship operating there as part of the UN peacekeeping force.

  

An Israeli torpedo boat "Saar 5" is seen leaving the port of Ashdod sailing towards neighboring Lebanese waters in 2006. An Israeli warship briefly entered Lebanese waters on Monday but was intercepted by an Italian ship operating as part of the UN peacekeeping force, the army said on Tuesday.

  

Government sources told The Daily Star on Tuesday that the Cabinet was likely to delegate one of three ambassadors to represent Lebanon at the upcoming Arab League summit, scheduled for March 29-30 in Damascus. The sources said the ambassadors are Khaled Ziyadeh, Bassam Naamani, and William Habib.

  

Lebanese singer Assi Hilani is preparing for a new role in the theater this summer dedicated to those suffering in the Arab world, especially the Iraqi and Palestinian people.

  

40: Beirut "Elephant Gun" [ Ba Da Bing! ] Cynical types read some of Gulag Orkestar 's bleary Balkanisms as yet another impetuous youngster reaching back a bit beyond his years, a position aided by lyrics that occasionally (even by songwriter Zach Condon's admission) read as postscripts.

  

Dave Thompson's music production company may be named Songs of the Nation, but he seems to be focused on creating the songs of one particular Ohio town first. The opening track of his album is "Lebanon, My Home Town," a song he wrote specifically for Lebanon's Bicentennial.