New playground coming this fall to Lebanon Township's Valley View School (Hunterdon Review) LEBANON TWP. â After almost three years of intensive fundraising, the Lebanon Township Education Foundation (LTEF) is about to transform new playground plans into reality for its school district, said a LTEF spokesperson.

NE: West Lebanon Saturday notes (Motorsport.com) WEST LEBANON, N.Y. -- Alcohol eliminations are complete at Lebanon Valley Dragway with the prestigious Wally trophies going to Top Alcohol Dragster pilot Darren Nicholson from Mission Viejo, Calif., and Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Frank Manzo, of Morganville, N.J. Parings are also set for the remaining classes of Sunday's eliminations at the fourth NHRA Northeast Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series ...

Man charged with drunk driving after high-speed chase in Lebanon Township (Hunterdon Review) LEBANON TWP. – Dimitri Devieux, 33, of Scotch Plains, was arrested on Sunday, June 21, and charged with eluding a police officer and drunk driving following a high-speed chase on Route 78, police said.

Friday's NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Event @ Lebanon Valley Dragway (The Auto Channel) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES - NORTHEAST DIVISION LEBANON VALLEY DRAGWAY; WEST LEBANON, N.Y.

Implementing change in Lebanon (Zawya) The 1989 Taif Accord which ended Lebanon's Civil War also ended Christian dominance of national politics and drastically reduced presidential powers, through which Christian hegemony was constitutionally expressed.

Lebanon’s old hospital building to be celebrated at Aug. 8 event (Albany Democrat-Herald) LEBANON — Were you born in Lebanon between 1936 and 1952, back when the current city library building housed the hospital? Did you work there or go in for surgery?

RV parking and loud music under review in Lebanon (Suburban Journals) Lebanon is considering a crackdown on recreational vehicle parking and loud music.

Linn art guild plans walk, show in Lebanon (Albany Democrat-Herald) LEBANON — The Linn County Arts Guild will sponsor a Downtown Lebanon Art Walk, Show and Sale from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 16.

Taxed Enough Already plans ‘party’ in Lebanon (Albany Democrat-Herald) LEBANON — A TEA party, in connection with the American Family Association, will begin at 10 a.m. Friday, July 3, outside Lebanon City Hall, near Maple and Main streets. TEA stands for Taxed Enough Already.

Oregon monument to be unveiled in Lebanon (Albany Democrat-Herald) LEBANON — The city of Lebanon, in conjunction with the governor’s Oregon 150 Committee and the Oregon State Parks Department, will celebrate Oregon’s sesquicentennial at 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 8, at the Cheadle Lake Recreation Area. The public is invited.

U.S.: Cabinet Internal Matter, Obama's Visit to Damascus Conditional on Non-interference in Lebanon Washington has stressed that cabinet formation in Lebanon was an internal matter and U.S. President...

Hariri Pledges to Form Made-in Lebanon Cabinet, 'Best Relations' with Syria in Due Time PM-designate Saad Hariri on Saturday stressed that the government will be 100 percent Lebanese-made,...

Franjieh, Gemayel Vow to Avert Inter-Christian Discord, Create Dialogue Phalange Party official Sami Gemayel and Marada Movement leader Suleiman Franjieh on Saturday agreed...

Gunmen Seize 2 Buses after Breaking into a Garage in Southern Suburbs A group of gunmen in four Range Rovers and several motorbikes broke into a garage in the Lailaki area...

Syrian Deployment in Outskirts of Kfarqouq Town in Rashaya Syrian forces have expended their deployment in the area of Dawrat Manqaa al-Touffaha in Rashaya after...

Franjieh: Solution is in Real Change and Turning Things Upside Down Marada movement leader Suleiman Franjieh has called for real change in the country, saying coexistence...

Hariri Working on Cabinet Formula, Meets Suleiman A week after his appointment, Premier-designate Saad Hariri has been exerting efforts to come out with...

Report: Nasrallah Visited Damascus Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has visited Damascus to be informed about latest Saudi-Syrian...

Report: Saudi-Syrian Contacts Make Doha Accord Obsolete Saudi-Syrian contacts on the Lebanese situation continued after the Saudi King's son Prince Abdul Aziz...

Salvation List to Submit 4 Vote Recount Requests to Constitutional Council Members of the Salvation List have decided to submit four vote recount requests to the Constitutional...

Kouchner in Lebanon Next Week in Support of Democracy France's Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner is scheduled to visit Beirut July 9 and 10 and Damascus on...

Opposition Again Presses for Veto Power The Hizbullah-led Opposition continued to press for veto power and proportional representation in the...

Syrian-Saudi Summit on Lebanon, Region Likely on Monday A Syrian-Saudi summit is expected to take place in Damascus on Monday, Egypt's official Middle East...

Germany: Peaceful Lebanon Polls, Improved Beirut-Damascus Ties 'Window of Opportunity' Germany said Friday that there were several rays of hope in the Middle East, including the peaceful...

Gemayel: We Won't Forget the Past, We Need Guarantees from Syria Phalange party leader Amin Gemayel said Friday that Syria has to prove its good intentions towards Lebanon...

Jumblat: PM-Designate Governs Through Consensus, Not Against Syria Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat called for the restoration of a climate of trust between...

Hizbullah Will Take Part in Cabinet, Denying Reports that Say Otherwise Hizbullah official Nawwaf Mousawi denied reports that the party planned to give up its share in the...

Cabinet Knots: One Catholic, Another is Aoun's Desire to Bring His Son-in-Law into Government Government formation once again hit obstacles. This time they are related to the Roman Catholic seat...

Hariri Asks Miri's Family to Trust the State and its Institutions Premier-designate Saad Hariri paid condolences to the family of Zeina Miri, who was killed during clashes...

Syria Sets Conditions, Wants 'Price' to Facilitate Deal on Lebanon Government Syria, not only has set conditions, but reportedly wants a price beforehand to facilitate formation...

France Informs Syria its Rejection of Veto Power in Lebanon Government France rejects veto power in any new Lebanon government, stressing that the parliamentary majority has...

Sison: We Are Proud to Support Lebanon's Economic Strength, Key Institutions U.S. Ambassador Michele Sison said during a celebration of the 233rd anniversary of the United States'...

Sikorsky Helicopter in Service A Sikorsky firefighting helicopter, which was delivered to Lebanon two weeks ago, was used for the first...

Hizbullah: Israel Prime Suspect in Lebanon Crimes, Ban Should Have Condemned it Hizbullah on Thursday criticized U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for not condemning Israeli spy networks...

Geagea: Those Calling for Dialogue with Syria are Disregarding Martyrs' Sacrifices Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Thursday criticized those calling for dialogue with Syria, saying...

Paris Says Assad Talks Positively About Hariri, Veto Power Not Ideal Syrian President Bashar Assad has expressed readiness to meet with Premier-designate Saad Hariri during...

Soaid: Hariri's Visit to Syria before a Cabinet Shape-Up Is 'Unacceptable' March 14 coordinator Fares Soaid rejected Thursday a visit to Syria by the premier-designate before...

Efforts to Find a Common Ground for New Cabinet Amid Reports about 15-10-5 Formula Amid ongoing consultations to form a new Lebanese cabinet, the formula that will most likely be adopted...

Army Arrests 21 Over Aisha Bakkar Clashes The Lebanese army said on Thursday it has arrested 21 people over a street battle in the Beirut neighborhood...

Lebanon: Ban's Report Didn't Stress on Danger of Israeli Spy Networks The foreign ministry criticized U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon's latest report on the implementation of Security...

Aoun: Nobody Knows Who Is Forming the Cabinet with the Flood of Diplomatic Visits; the Polls Were a 'Slave Market' MP Michel Aoun indirectly criticized Wednesday foreign meddling in Lebanese affairs by pointing to a...

Gunfire Targets Hariri Educational Complex in Sidon The Hariri Educational Development Complex was targeted by gunfire on Wednesday evening by some individuals....

6 Students Kidnapped and Robbed At Aqoura Later Released Assailants on Wednesday at the outskirts of Aqoura targeted university students and kidnapped them....

Maronite Bishops Call for Facilitating Cabinet Formation The Maronite Church on Wednesday called for facilitating the formation of a government that will "run...

March 14 Calls for a Demilitarized Beirut March 14 forces strongly called Wednesday for a 'definitive' decision for the demilitarization of the...

Lebanon tops agenda of foreign states  French Foreign Ministry spokesman Eric Chevalier announced on Friday that Foreign Minister Kouchner will hold talks with Lebanese officials on July 9 to convey France's satisfaction with the manner in which Lebanon's June 7 parliamentary polls were managed. The situation in Lebanon will also be the focus of talks between.

UNIFIL chief says festivals in south 'healthy sign'  Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said numerous festivals being held across south Lebanon were "a healthy sign." "Cultural festivals currently being held in south Lebanon carry signs of stability and the promise of a better future," General Claudio Graziano said on Friday.

Qabbani sees Syrian-Saudi talks benefitting Lebanon  Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani expressed confidence Friday that the recent Saudi-Syrian talks will reflect positively on the overall situation in Lebanon. "We feel comfortable concerning the inter-Arab deliberations, led by Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz, which will benefit Lebanon," Qabbani said.

Fadlallah slams interference in Lebanese affairs  Senior Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah slammed on Friday regional and international interference in Lebanon's domestic affairs. "We hear of slogans calling for freedom and democracy, yet regional and international powers interfere in Lebanese domestic affairs and make decisions on our behalf," Fadlallah said.

Military court adjourns trial of 'spies' for Israel  A Lebanese military court adjourned Friday the trial of brothers Ali and Youssef Jarrah, who are charged with spying for Israel, a judicial source said. "The trial was postponed until July 27 after their attorneys requested the hearings be made confidential as they feel the lives of their clients and their clients' families are threatened by Israel.

Implementing change in Lebanon  The 1989 Taif Accord which ended Lebanon's Civil War also ended Christian dominance of national politics and drastically reduced presidential powers, through which Christian hegemony was constitutionally expressed. However, the symbolism of Lebanon's presidency can still carry significant political weight if its office-holder astutely uses it.

US labels Iraq-based Kataeb Hizbullah a 'foreign terror group'  The US government has labeled the Iraq-based Kataeb Hizbullah a "foreign terrorist organization" and levied financial sanctions against the outfit, saying it poses a risk to Iraqi security and has received support and training from the Lebanese Hizbullah movement. The US departments of State and Treasury both blacklisted the group Thursday.

Amnesty defends report on Israel's destruction of Gaza  Israel carried out "wanton" and "deliberate" destruction of the besieged Gaza Strip during a 22-day offensive in December and January, a leading human-rights group said Friday. Unveiling their latest report, "Operation 'Cast Lead': 22 Days of Death and Destruction," Amnesty International (AI) representatives in Beirut.

Lebanon sees decline in deficit relative to revenues  Lebanon's fiscal performance report through the end of May showed a decline in the deficit as a percentage of revenue to 29.14 percent compared to 33.56 percent during the same period in 2008. The decrease in the deficit comes on the back of a solid 173 percent year-on-year increase in fuel-tax revenue in May.

BSE up 2 percent in anticipation of new cabinet formation  Equities on the Beirut Stock Exchange (BSE) rode a mid-week wave of optimism regarding the prospects of a new cabinet, ending the week up 2 percent. Despite a pick-up in trading activity, analysts and traders said the market remained in "wait-and-see" mode pending the announcement of a new cabinet before equities can surge.

Purse-snatchers prey on women in tourist districts  "I was shouting, screaming and extremely struggling with this stranger's arms squeezing my head, and his hands covering my mouth while he was trying to snatch my bag." Though this statement may sound like the climax of a movie script, it was made by an expatriate who was violently mugged in Gemmayzeh.

Lebanon illiteracy report shows alarming urban-rural divide  If by naming Beirut as the 2009 World Book Capital the United Nations wishes to encourage the Lebanese to study more, its latest report should be a must-read. Lebanon's fourth National Human Development Report (NHDR), "Towards a Citizen's State," highlights a worrying discrepancy in adult reading rates between urban and rural regions.

Nijmeh coach to take over national football team  The coach of Lebanese football team Nijmeh, Emile Rustom, has been appointed to head the national squad for the second time, media reports said Friday. Lebanon has been without a coach since Adnan al-Sharqi stepped down in June. "We hope that in the coming months we will be able to show how improved Lebanese football is."

News in Brief Published on 11/01/2007  News in Brief Published on 11/01/2007

Palestinian family refuses to quit collapsing home  A Palestinian family refuses to leave their ramshackle home in the Mieh we Mieh Palestinian refugee camp, notwithstanding warnings from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and other local authorities. "They ask us to abandon our home without providing us with an alternative," the house's owner Najwa Kaouch told The Daily Star.

Microsoft says 'thank you' to Lebanon journalists with lunch  Microsoft extended a big "Thank-you!" to the journalists of Lebanon at a luxurious lunch on June 26. Downtown's Karam Restaurant was the setting for Microsoft's "Summer Sunset Lunch," where the country's fourth estate, and all the principles of unbiased reportage that station represents.