Amal Movement MP Hani Qobeissy said on Tuesday that discussions regarding the possibility of holding a meeting in the Sunni seat of Dar al-Fatwa, expected to gather Sunni and Shiite political and religious figures, were still under way. The large-scale

An object seen burning on Monday in the sky above south Lebanon turned out to be a firework and not an Israeli spy device as originally believed, the Lebanese media reported on Tuesday. Local residents reported seeing what resembled a

A wanted man committed suicide after jumping from the Justice Palace's fourth floor, a security report said on Tuesday. The report said the man, 40-year-old Mohammad al-Mallah, jumped from the office window of Judge Ayham Shukr, who was questioning him,

Despite years of political instability, wars and domestic unrest, tourists are flocking to Lebanon this summer for what is expected to be a bumper year for the small Mediterranean country. "We expect 2 million Arabs - not including Syrians -

A memorial was held at the American University of Beirut (AUB) on Monday in honor of David Dodge, AUB's 13th president, who passed away in January 2009 at the age of 86. Attended by two of his daughters, Melissa and

Must cinema choose between aesthetics and political engagement? It's a question that congeals in the head while watching "Whisper with the Wind." The debut feature of 38-year-old Iranian writer-director Shahram Alidi, the film was selected for the Critics Week competition

Oh simple thing," sang Keane lead vocalist Tom Chaplin, "where have you gone? I'm getting old and I need something to rely on."Chaplin needn't have sounded so plaintive. Keane's audience at the Byblos Festival main stage was so reliably over-excited

A motorcade that began at the home of Michael Jackson's parents reached a cemetery in the Hollywood Hills early Tuesday for a private service in advance of a star-studded memorial in downtown Los Angeles. Authorities shut down sections of freeways

Central bank Governor Riad Salameh renewed confidence in the performance of the Lebanese banking sector Tuesday but insisted Lebanon would witness a higher level of unemployment in the future as a result of the global financial crisis."Lebanon had a countercyclical

European Union finance ministers agreed in principle on Tuesday to make capital rules for banks more flexible to reduce the likelihood of them making the boom-and-bust cycle in the economy worse. The ministers also raised doubts about a German proposal

China, Russia and Brazil will use this week's G8 summit in Italy to push their view that the world needs to start seeking a new global reserve currency as an alternative to the dollar, officials said on Tuesday. As leaders

European airlines reported little respite from the economic gloom hampering passenger air travel on Tuesday, but June data again suggested a slump in cargo traffic had stabilized.Air France-KLM, Europe's biggest airline by revenues, said that capacity cuts failed to keep

Pope Benedict on Tuesday called for a "world political authority" to manage the global economy and for more government regulation of national economies to pull the world out of the current crisis and avoid a repeat. The pope's call for

The foreign minister of Germany is on his 14th trip to the region since assuming his post in 2005. One might expect Frank-Walter Steinmeier to benefit from this considerable amount of experience and engage in a bit more statecraft, but

Ad Melkert served as associate administrator of UN Development Program since 2006

Beirut- Finally we have some good news. Despite years of political instability, wars and domestic unrest, tourists are flocking to Lebanon from all over the world this summer for what is expected to be a bumper year for a country

Beirut - Despite the fact that PM designate Saad Hariri tried last Saturday to end all speculation about any visit to Damascus before the government is formed, the talk about such a visit continues. Yesterday Maronite Patriarch Sfeir said he

Beirut- Prime Minister designate Saad Hariri ended the prospects of any future speculation over a visit to Damascus before the government is formed . After meeting with president Michel Suleiman at Baabda palace Hariri told reporters the government will be

Beirut - The media in Lebanon continues to focus on the Saudi-Syrian negotiations and there is a lot of speculation about the content of these talks , especially with regards to Lebanon. Syrian president Bashar al Assad has reportedly interrupted

As befit his unique lifestyle, a number of strange characters moved in and out of Michael Jackson's orbit over the years. None, however, was more elusive and mysterious than a gentleman by the name of Dr. Tohme Tohme, who served