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Bread crisis resolved as Economy Ministry hikes prices

The head of the flour mills syndicate in Lebanon announced Thursday that the bread crisis in the country has been resolved, adding that bread will be available in the market as of tomorrow.

The Economy Ministry had earlier on Thursday hiked the price of flat Arabic bread, the main staple in Lebanon.

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WHO and Italian embassy sign agreement to strengthen hospital care in Lebanon

The World Health Organization representative in Lebanon, Dr. Iman Shankiti, and the Italian Ambassador in Beirut, Nicoletta Bombardiere, signed an agreement Thursday at the Italian Embassy in Beirut worth 1,616,000 euros, which is aimed at supporting the strengthening of public health systems in Lebanon.

"It has two main pillars: the first is improving the government’s regulatory capacity in terms of access to quality medications, by expanding the pharmaceuticals bar code system at the national level, and the second is enhancing the capacity of public hospitals to deliver quality services, by supporting selected public hospitals in terms of emergency care capacity," a joint statement said.

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UNIFIL chief calls for 'constructive outcomes' on contentious issues along Blue Line

Chairing his first Tripartite meeting with senior Lebanese and Israeli officers, UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Aroldo Lázaro expressed his hope to use the forum "to move beyond the delivery of statements to emphasize finding solutions."

The UNIFIL Head made the comments at a meeting held in Ras al-Naqoura, Lebanon.

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Geagea: Majority shifted from Hizbullah to forces that agree on opposing arms, corruption

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Thursday disputed Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s announcement that “no camp has the parliamentary majority,” noting that the LF and the so-called change forces are a majority seeing that they agree on “sovereignty” and on opposing corruption and Hizbullah’s arms.

“The elections results were resounding and Hizbullah and the Free Patriotic Movement lost the majority,” Geagea said at a press conference that followed a meeting for the LF’s Strong Republic bloc.

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Bread sold on black market for LBP 30,000 amid crisis

On Thursday, bags of Arabic bread were being sold on black market for up to LBP30,000 per bag, the National News Agency said, as stores and supermarkets in Nabatiyeh only received a scarce quantity.

Six mills had stopped operating, according to Antoine Seif, the head of the Syndicate of Bakery Owners in Mount Lebanon, as the central bank failed to pay for wheat at the silos.

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Israel 'mistakenly' fires interception missiles, says no drone has crossed from Lebanon

A blast was heard on the southern border Thursday as Israel said it accidently fired interception missiles due to a "misidentification."

"No drone had crossed from Lebanon," the Israeli army said.

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Nasrallah says no camp has parliamentary majority but it may be good thing

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah announced Wednesday that the fact that the parliamentary elections did not produce a clear parliamentary majority might be a good thing for the country in the wake of the polarization that accompanied the electoral campaigns.

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Bread, fuel, gas and electricity crises in Lebanon as dollar surges anew

Lebanon was witnessing a host of renewed crises on Wednesday against the backdrop of a continuous surge of the dollar exchange rate on the black market.

“The flour crisis will grow and we will witness more queues outside bakeries,” Ali Ibrahim, the head of the Syndicate of Bakery Owners in Lebanon, told al-Jadeed TV, amid a shortage of Arabic bread in the market.

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BDL extends circular allowing banks to buy dollars via Sayrafa

The central bank has extended the implementation of Circular 161 until the end of July, allowing banks to continue to purchase dollars via the Sayrafa platform, Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh announced on Wednesday.

The circular, which has been in place since January, allows commercial banks to buy U.S. dollars from the central bank with the Lebanese pounds that they or their clients have, based on an exchange rate specified by the Sayrafa platform, which is usually lower than that of the black market.

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Hizbullah, Amal urge against rallies, gunfire, call for 'dialogue, rapprochement'

Hizbullah and the Amal Movement urged supporters Wednesday not to stage motorbike rallies while calling on all political parties to “return to the approach of dialogue and rapprochement in order to overcome the suffocating economic and financial situation.”

“While the Amal Movement and Hizbullah understand the sentiments of their supporters after all the incitement, polarization and provocations that preceded the parliamentary elections, and as they express gratitude for all the displays of joy and celebration over the results of these elections, they call on their supporters not to stage motorbike rallies… so that some fanatic or nervous individuals do not take things to places that distort the electoral success,” the two parties said in a joint statement.

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