Syria has denied allegations that it is planning to send troops back to Lebanon, three years after it withdrew its army from its neighbour.
A Lebanese military official had claimed on Tuesday that the Syrian army had moved 8,000 troops close to the shared border.
The state-owned Syrian daily al-Thawra confirmed on Wednesday that in the past few days a large number of Syrian troops had been deployed to the border area - but that the deployment was intended to counter smuggling.
Anti-Syrian supporters of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Seniora have recently warned of a Syrian return to the country, with the recent sectarian clashes in the northern city of Tripoli serving as a pretext.
Syrian troops had occupied Lebanon since the 1975-90 civil war, withdrawing only under heavy pressure from anti-Syrian elements in 2005.
German exports plunged in November to record the biggest fall in nearly two decades, data released Thursday showed, as the deepening world economic downturn hits Europe's biggest economy.
When the Spirit rover landed on Mars five years ago, no one expected it or its sister rover Opportunity to make it to their first birthdays, let alone their fifth.
The San Antonio Spurs turned up their trademark defense down the stretch to turn back another opponent. 
US singer and Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson, 27, dominated the nominations for the 40th NAACP Image Awards.
After the Taipei Zoo received two giant pandas from China, another Taiwan zoo said Friday it is seeking to receive a pair of pandas from China.