Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) called upon the Government of Lebanon to secure its borders and all entry points to prevent the entry into Lebanon without its consent of arms or related material. At the invitation of the Security Council,

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi on Saturday apologized to Libya for damage inflicted by Italy during the colonial era and signed a $5-billion investment deal by way of compensation. Berlusconi made the apology during a visit to the Mediterranean city of

Pakistani Taliban will continue attacks during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, rejecting a government announcement it would halt military actions in the northwest, a Taliban spokesman said Sunday. Violence has surged in Pakistan in recent weeks with the military

Former Prime Minister Omar Karami said in comments published Saturday that Egypt had plans to host inter-Lebanese talks "so as to pave the way for the national dialogue [chaired by President Michel Sleiman] at Baabda Palace." Karami made the remark

The US-led force in Afghanistan, United Nations and government have agreed to jointly investigate disputed charges that troops killed more than 90 civilians last week, a military official told AFP Saturday. The US-led coalition has dismissed the allegations, although admitting

Lebanon's religious leaders stressed unity during a large-scale gathering on Saturday at the headquarters of the Higher Shiite Council to mark 30 years since the disappearance of Shiite leader Imam Musa al-Sadr. Clerics spent almost 120 minutes evoking their experiences

Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader MP Michel Aoun and his son-in-law, Telecommunications Minister Jebran Bassil, have left for Paris on a "private family visit," the Central News Agency (CNA) reported Saturday. The CNA, however, also quoted FPM sources as saying

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has reshuffled a negotiating team working on an agreement on withdrawal of US troops from Iraq amid worries the move may sabotage the deal, The Los Angeles Times reported on its Web site late Saturday.

An imam was killed and five people wounded in a gun battle between rival communities in a village in North Lebanon on Sunday, a security official said. The shooting erupted between Sunnis and Alawites in the village of Sheikhlar in

A Lebanese woman and her female Bulgarian companion have been jailed for a month for kissing and fondling each other and engaging in "indecent acts" on a public beach in Dubai, the media reported on Sunday. The Dubai Court of

President Michel Sleiman is expected to hold talks with Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Thani in Doha on Monday, and then to resume a tour of regional capitals after the holy month of Ramadan. The president is also expected

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Thursday held Libyan President Moammar Gadhafi responsible for the disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sader, a Shiite cleric who founded Berri's Amal Movement. "We tell the leader of the Libyan regime Moammar Gadhafi: you are personally

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rejected Israel's idea of an interim peace agreement at a Sunday summit, a Palestinian negotiator said, insisting on an all-or-nothing approach that virtually ruled out an accord by a January target date. The latest meeting between

Oil-rich Gulf Arab monarchies will sign an accord with Turkey aimed at boosting ties between the pro-Western Arab bloc and Ankara, the head of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) said on Sunday. The "memorandum of understanding" to be inked in

The Republican convention was thrown into turmoil on Sunday with President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney canceling appearances as deadly Hurricane Gustav homed in on New Orleans. The Republican Party jamboree is due to begin in St

A delegation of the National People's Congress (NPC) of China left Beijing on Sunday for a goodwill visit to Switzerland and Denmark from Aug. 31 to Sept. 12. The delegation, headed by Wang Zhaoguo, vice chairman of the Standing Committee

One more death was reported in Huili, a hard-hit county in Saturday's 6.1-magnitude quake, as of 11 a.m. on Sunday, bringing the death toll of the quake to 25. Saturday's quake also left 192 people injured, and three more people

Two Chinese engineers had been missing since Friday in northwestern Pakistan and search and rescue work was under way, an official from the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad said on Sunday. The two Chinese engineers from Zhongxing Telecommunication Equipment Company (ZTE)