Clancy Chassay in Beirut, The Guardian, The Lebanese government is facing heavy pressure to resign over its handling of the war with Israel and the ensuing reconstruction effort, with almost seven out of 10 voters calling for early elections, according to a poll published today. The results come just over a week after Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah called for the dissolution of the government and the formation of a national unity government, to the cheers of hundreds of thousands of Lebanese at a rally in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The poll, published by the Beirut Centre for Research and Information, indicates that more than 70% of the country supports the formation of a new national unity government with 68% calling for early elections. The director of the centre, Abdo Saad, says the calls for a national unity government reflect a popular desire to bridge the polarisation that has existed in the country since the Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon in March this year. "The results suggest people feel a national unity government would be the best way of bridging the divisions in the country and stabilising the situation here," he said. According to Paul Salem, director of the newly established Carnegie Middle East Centre in Beirut, the credibility of prime minister Fouad Siniora’s government was dealt a heavy blow by what was commonly perceived as an American sanctioned war.
AMMAN (JT) 
By Noor Akl for (CNN) — With 220 kilometers of Mediterranean coastline and 300 days of sun per year, Lebanon’s beaches are one of the country’s main assets and millions of dollars have been invested in the past few years to develop dozens of resorts along the coast.But these same resorts are now counting the losses inflicted by Israeli strikes and ensuing oil spills which have turned the Big Blue into a Big Black.
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Sept. 30, By MICHAEL SLACKMAN 
JERUSALEM (CNN)October 1, 2006 — United Nations peacekeepers Sunday denied Israel’s assertion that it had completely withdrawn all of its soldiers from southern Lebanon.UNIFIL spokesman Alexander Ivanko told CNN Israeli troops still control the border village of Ghajar.
daily star, sept 30, BEIRUT: More help from UN member states is needed to advance the investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Premier Rafik Hariri, the head of the UN probe, Serge Brammertz, said on Friday. Briefing the UN Security Council on his second report, which was issued Monday, Brammertz said the investigations have progressed but that there should be "continued backing" from the international community for the probe. He said that so far, most of the member states that the UN has asked for help or information have responded in a timely fashion, including Syria, whose cooperation Brammertz called "generally satisfactory." 
HARISSA, Lebanon (AFP) Sun Sep 24, – Anti-Syrian Christian leader Samir Geagea scoffed at Hezbollah’s claims of victory in its devastating conflict with Israel, during a rally attended by tens of thousands. "We are the victors, and yet we do not feel it was victory but rather that a real catastrophe befell our country, and that our fate and destiny are at the mercy of the winds," said the Lebanese Forces (LF) leader and member of Lebanon’s "March 14" group Sunday.
BEIRUT, Lebanon -Sept. 22 – 
