Beirut - The focus will again be the formation of the government. After meeting with the president , Prime Minister -Designate Fouad Siniora said Tuesday that the government formation could take few more days, but refused to specify a date,

Eleven academics presented draft papers on the role of the military in Middle Eastern countries at a conference held by the Carnegie Middle East Center this week. Monday's workshop, entitled "The Military and State in the Middle East: Political, Economic,

New security measures in response to earthquakes and other natural disasters were discussed during a coordination meeting held in the Southern coastal city of Tyre on Tuesday. The meeting included town mayors, social figures and representatives from organizations such as

Plans for a new Practical Training Center for the Judicial Police were unveiled in Beirut on Tuesday as part of a joint effort between the European Union (EU) and the Interior Security Forces (ISF). The center, designed to teach investigation

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

Almost two years after taking part in efforts to clean up fuel oil spilled from the Jiyyeh power plant by Israeli bombardment during the summer 2006 war, the Bahr Loubnan environmental group is back at work - on the same

The Lebanese Army and Civil Defense units put out a series of forest fires which erupted across Lebanon on Tuesday. The fires effected the areas of Barjeh and Roumieh in Mount Lebanon; Ansarieh, Nejarieh, Bnaafoul, Anqoun, Kfarmilki al-Mari, Haboush, Nabatieh,

Abdullah was to be the first Arab head of state to travel to Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003. The trip would have further eased Iraq's diplomatic isolation from its Sunni Arab neighbours. "We were informed by the Jordanians

The security is there, it's much better, it's going to continue to evolve," Adm Mike Mullen said yesterday in an Associated Press interview after a walking tour of this recent combat zone. But if local political reform falters "or the

Alcohol is openly for sale once more in Baghdad. All over the Iraqi capital, drink stores, which closed their doors in early 2006 when sectarian strife was raging, have slowly begun to reopen. Two years ago, al-Qa'ida militants were burning

The Saudi Embassy on Tuesday dismissed accusations that the kingdom was distributing weapons and stirring Sunni-Shiite strife. In a statement, the embassy denied that such accusations had "anything to do with the truth," adding that "such rumors perpetuated by and

Syria has always acknowledged Lebanon's independence, Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview published Tuesday in the French daily Le Figaro. When asked whether Syria would agree to exchange of embassies with Lebanon, Assad said that he had suggested

Pakistani police questioned several suspects Tuesday over multiple blasts in Karachi which killed one person and wounded 37, the second attack in as many days to hit the country. The string of six explosions in the volatile southern port city

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.

Conciliatory noises from Tehran over the nuclear issue have left Washington and Brussels baffled - and unconvinced of Iran's intentions. Having grown accustomed to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's uncompromising language, cynics in Western capitals are viewing Tehran's new tone with more

Cypriot President Demetris Christofias said on Tuesday he had no alternative strategy for peace other than the reunification process launched with Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat three months ago. "I don't have a Plan B - there's no alternative

Afghan officials accused Pakistan Tuesday of being behind this week's suicide blast at the Indian Embassy that left 41 people dead, saying the attack had the hallmarks of its intelligence agency. Monday's car bomb ripped into the embassy compound in

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, expected in Paris this weekend, has welcomed a "break" in France's policy toward Damascus and invited Paris to play a role in possible direct negotiations with Israel. In an interview published in French newspaper Le Figaro

Iraq on Tuesday said it would reject any security pact with the United States unless it sets a date for the pullout of US-led foreign troops, a stance directly at odds with that of US President George W. Bush. The

A French anti-globalization group has called for an international investigation into a Moroccan police crackdown last month on unemployed protesters in which dozens were injured. Paris-based ATTAC, which campaigns against the negative effects of globalization, said Monday that the police