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.

PennDOT announces Swatara Township, Lebanon County bridge closure (The Patriot-News) The Lickdale Road bridge over Oil Run in Swatara Township, Lebanon County, will close July 6 for replacement, PennDOT announced. Motorists will be detoured using Route 72 and Route 22, as well as portions of Lickdale Road. The project should be completed by the middle of September, PennDOT said.

Lebanon again plagued by power rationing amid tourist influx (The Daily Star Lebanon) Lebanon is once again experiencing severe electricity rationing this summer as thousands of Lebanese and Arab visitors flock to the country, increasing strain on power stations that meet less than 60 percent of the country's electricity needs. Many areas in the country are already receiving less than 14 hours of electricity each day.

Capital intelligence raises Lebanon's rating to stable (The Daily Star Lebanon) Capital Intelligence, the international credit rating agency, on Thursday announced that it has raised Lebanon's long-term foreign and local currency ratings to 'B' from 'B-' (B minus). The outlook is stable. The long-term foreign currency ratings of six Lebanese banks that were constrained by the sovereign's rating.

TEA party in Lebanon (Lebanon Express) A TEA party sponsored by the American Family Association will begin at 10 a.m. on July 3 outside city hall, near Maple and Main streets in Lebanon.

Detectives eradicate poppy plants near Lebanon (Lebanon Express) After more than a month of surveillance, 8,075 poppy plants were pulled up by detectives on June 30 in a clear cut area near Berlin Road and McDowell Creek Road east of Lebanon.

Lebanon's struggling fishermen angling for a catch (AFP via Yahoo! Canada News) TYRE, Lebanon (AFP) - Mustapha Shaalan yearns for the days when he would go out to sea and haul in 40 kilograms (88 pounds) of fish in the blink of an eye.

GlaxoSmithKline Buys Operations Of BMS In Lebanon, Jordan, Syria (Nasdaq) LONDON -(Dow Jones)- GlaxoSmithKline PLC (GSK.LN), a global healthcare group said Thursday that it has acquired the branded generics business of Bristol Myers Squibb or BMS in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Libya and Yemen for a cash consideration of GBP14.2 million ($23.2 million).

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...

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 as...

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 Aquora Later Released Assailants on Wednesday at the outskirts of Aquora 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...

Suleiman: Return of Palestinians is Essential for Comprehensive Mideast Settlement President Michel Suleiman said Wednesday that peace cannot be achieved without the Arab initiative,...

Push Toward Turning Beirut into Demilitarized City Beirut lawmakers are exerting every effort in a bid to turn Beirut into a demilitarized city following...

Cabinet on Low Fire as Preparations for Lebanon-Syria-Saudi Summit Underway PM-designate Saad Hariri quietly continues discussions on Cabinet formation as the government was expected...

First PSP-Hizbullah Security Meeting in Dahiyeh to Bolster Confidence A security meeting that took place in Beirut's southern suburbs between Hizbullah and Walid Jumblat's...

Feltman: Despite its Popular Support, Hizbullah is a Threat to Lebanon and the Region U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman warned that Hizbullah's arms...

Ban Encourages Dismantling of Palestinian Bases, Says Hizbullah's Capabilities a Serious Challenge to Sovereignty U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has urged Israel to withdraw from the Lebanese side of the border village of...

Baroud Says Fires Appear Intentional Outgoing Interior Minister Ziad Baroud said he believed fires that broke out in different parts of Lebanon...

Hariri Vows to Continue 'Positive' Negotiations to Shape a 'Capable' Cabinet Premier-designate Saad Hariri on Tuesday held serious discussions with President Michel Suleiman on...

Is Lebanon's Security Council Seat Under Threat? Lebanon is seriously considering relinquishing its non-permanent seat in the U.N. Security Council for...

Swine Flu Cases Rise to 47 The health ministry announced on Wednesday that four people coming from Australia were diagnosed with...

Visiting U.S. Military Commander Meets Top Lebanese Officials Gen. David Petraeus, the head of the U.S. military's Central Command, arrived in Beirut on Tuesday and...

Khoja in Beirut as Syria Awaits Saudi Response Enhanced contacts between Damascus and Riyadh related to the Lebanon situation have been a priority...

Berri Calls for Serious, Transparent Probe into Aisha Bakkar Shooting Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Tuesday called for a "serious and transparent" probe into the Aisha...

Gueant in Damascus, Talks to Focus on Lebanon, Region Claude Gueant, the secretary general of the French presidency, and President Nicolas Sarkozy's advisor...

Roed-Larsen Lauds Damascus for Providing Positive Atmosphere During Lebanon Polls U.N. Special Envoy Terje Roed-Larsen expressed optimism at recent developments in Lebanon and lauded...

Saudi Cabinet Welcomes Berri's Re-election, Hariri's Nomination The Saudi government on Monday welcomed the re-election of Nabih Berri as Lebanon's parliament speaker...

Gemayel Says No Use of Cabinet that Doesn't Safeguard Taef, Urges Hariri to be Steadfast Phalange leader Amin Gemayel said Monday that there is no use in having a government that does not maintain...

Hariri Says MPs Showed Openness, Lebanon's 2 Voices Should be United Premier-designate Saad Hariri said after day-long consultations with parliamentary blocs on the future...

Jumblat Wants Speedy Formation of Unity Government to Face Israeli Threats MP Walid Jumblat called Monday for the speedy formation of a national unity government in light of Israel's...

Opposition Media: This is What Riyadh Requested and What Damascus Replied High-ranking diplomatic sources said Damascus and Riyadh exchanged a basket of demands during talks...

One Killed, Six Injured in Beirut Clashes as Army Pledges Tough Response to Culprits The Lebanese army on Monday pledged to arrest those involved in armed clashes that left a woman bystander...

Geagea: Power-Sharing Formula Is 'Very Good' for Minority, 'Not Bad' for Majority Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea expressed satisfaction Monday with a power-sharing formula that...

Hariri Hits Obstacles Ahead of Government Formation Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri on Monday kicked off consultations on the formation of a new government...

Hariri wants to include 'broadest assortment' of parties in cabinet  Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri is determined to shape a national-unity cabinet that includes "the broadest assortment of political parties," sources close to the March 14 Forces told The Daily Star on Thursday. The sources added that the premier-designate has yet to reach an agreement concerning the make-up.

Lebanese man gets 25 years for arms dealing  A Lebanese man convicted of agreeing to sell millions of dollars of weapons to leftist guerrillas in Colombia was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Wednesday. Tareq Mousa al-Ghazi, 62, was accused of taking part in the weapons deal with Monzer al-Kassar, a Syrian who was convicted of terrorism charges and sentenced in February.

Hizbullah slams Ban's 'extreme bias' in 1701 report  Hizbullah on Thursday criticized UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon over what the group called "extreme bias" toward Israel in his latest report on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701. "UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's recent report ... is extremely biased toward Israel.

Sleiman rules out any tolerance for security breaches  President Michel Sleiman said on Thursday that security breaches should in no way be tolerated "especially since we are expecting a promising summer season." Sleiman told visitors the Lebanese Army and security forces have made "tremendous efforts to protect the Lebanese, prevent security breaches, and arrest perpetrators."

Fitch affirms Bank Audi at 'B-' Outlook Stable  Fitch Ratings has affirmed Lebanon-based Bank Audi S.A.L.'s (Bank Audi) ratings at Long-term Issuer Default (IDR) 'B-' with Stable Outlook, Short-term IDR 'B,' Individual 'D' and Support '5,' The Support Rating Floor is affirmed at 'CCC.' The ratings reflect, and are constrained by, the ongoing weaknesses of the Lebanese operating environment.

Capital intelligence raises Lebanon's rating to stable  Capital Intelligence, the international credit rating agency, on Thursday announced that it has raised Lebanon's long-term foreign and local currency ratings to 'B' from 'B-' (B minus). The outlook is stable. The long-term foreign currency ratings of six Lebanese banks that were constrained by the sovereign's rating.

Lebanon again plagued by power rationing amid tourist influx  Lebanon is once again experiencing severe electricity rationing this summer as thousands of Lebanese and Arab visitors flock to the country, increasing strain on power stations that meet less than 60 percent of the country's electricity needs. Many areas in the country are already receiving less than 14 hours of electricity each day.

Why China and not the Gulf and Egypt?  The front page of the Financial Times on June 24 read: "EU Lodges WTO Case in China Dispute." In light of the economic crisis, it became clear that many countries are looking for ways to protect domestic industries; the temptation to resort to protectionism is proving too hard to resist. Despite what we hear from officials in Europe.

ISF arrests suspects in armed robbery of AUB students  The Internal Security Forces (ISF) arrested late on Wednesday and early Thursday two members of a gang who ambushed and robbed, one day earlier a group of six students from the American University of Beirut. The six students, who were abducted Wednesday by a group of gunmen in the mountainous region of Aqoura.

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.