Beirut's Hippodrome has survived wars and relentless upheaval but the iconic racetrack, where rival fighters once gathered to bet on their days off, approaches its centenary facing an uncertain future.

The Hippodrome was built in 1916 by the Ottoman Turks. During the civil war it was used as a neutral site where enemy combatants could meet.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is set to arrive in Lebanon on an official visit on Friday during which he will tackle various Lebanese affairs, reported the daily al-Mustaqbal on Sunday.

The election of a president will be among the key issues he will address with Lebanese officials.

The internet connection at the Defense Ministry at Yarzeh was severed over the weekend in order to dismantle the illegal network that was recently uncovered in the country, reported the daily al-Mustaqbal on Sunday.

The development was a product of a parliamentary decision to remove illegal internet stations.

Speaker Nabih Berri is keen on the election of a new head of state “in order to end the crisis in Lebanon,” reported the Kuwaiti daily al-Seyassah on Sunday.

Parliamentary sources told the daily that this “entail the attendance of lawmakers at the elections.”

One hundred students from public and private schools in Mount Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley have participated in the first regional round of the U.S.-Embassy funded Spelling Bee competition at the Baakline and Zahleh American Corners, the U.S. Embassy announced on Saturday.

Organized in partnership with USPEaK, the second annual Spelling Bee brings together young students to compete in spelling words in English that promote tolerance, coexistence, citizenship, and environmental stewardship, the U.S. mission said in a statement.

A waste management plan that was approved last week was put into implementation on Saturday with the first garbage dump trucks entering the Naameh landfill that has been closed for over eight months.

Seven dump trucks entered Naameh that will receive only the trash that has accumulated on the streets of Beirut and Mount Lebanon, according to the cabinet's plan.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam expressed dismay on Saturday at the cabinet performance stressing that discussions during its meetings have become no longer possible to manage, al-Akhbar daily reported.

“The situation is completely out of control,” said Salam weighing Thursday's cabinet session that was marred by a heated dispute over the appointments in security positions.

Speaker Nabih Berri has urged Hizbullah to settle for the election of Marada leader MP Suleiman Franjieh as president in light of the unlikelihood of their candidate MP Michel Aoun to reach the post, al-Akhbar daily reported on Saturday.

“Berri held contacts with Hizbullah a few days ago and has explained his point view on the need to expedite the election of Franjieh before the Saudi-Iranian dialogue kicks off in order to help a candidate of the March 8 camp to win the post” sources close to the Speaker said on condition of anonymity.

Preparation works kicked off Friday at the Costa Brava seaside site in Khalde where the government has decided to set up a garbage landfill as part of a plan to resolve the country's long-running waste management crisis.

“Bulldozers have started earthmoving works at the Costa Brava dump,” media reports said in the afternoon.

The General Security agency arrested on Friday a Lebanese man wanted for forgery and human trafficking, the latest capture in a series of similar cases.

Aa.Sh. admitted to investigators that he is a member of a network that smuggles Syrians to and from Lebanon by handing them fake IDs and fictitious hotel bookings in exchange for sums of money, said a communique issued by General Security.