Lebanon

01 July 2020; MEMO: The Lebanese government on Tuesday raised the price of a 900-gramme loaf of partially subsidised bread to 2,000 pounds from its pre-October-crisis price of 1,500 pounds.

The pound, which is officially pegged at 1,500 to the dollar, has lost over 80% of its value since October and is now trading at nearly 9,000 to the dollar on the black market after sharp falls in recent days.

30 June 2020; MEMO: Lebanese diplomat, Amal Mudallali, has been elected as one of the vice presidents of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in a vote yesterday, the National reports.

29 June 2020; MEMO: The Arab Parliament of the Arab League yesterday approved a “unified strategy” against both Turkey and Iran, local media has reported.

The statement made by the parliament came in the wake of a virtual meeting led by the parliament’s chairman, Mishaal Bin Fahm Al-Salami.

BEIRUT, June 29 (NNN-NNA) – A number of Hezbollah supporters protested on Sunday, in Dahie, Beirut’s southern suburbs, against the U.S. ambassador in Lebanon, for her remarks blaming Hezbollah for the economic crisis in the country.

The envoy, Dorothy Shea, announced earlier this week that, Hezbollah stands behind the economic and financial crisis in Lebanon.

The ambassador’s remarks prompted Lebanese judge, Mohammad Mazeh, to prevent the Lebanese media from covering any speeches by Shea.

The U.S. embassy then criticised the judge’s decision.

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s foreign minister summoned the U.S. ambassador to Beirut over comments she made recently in which she criticized the militant Hezbollah group, state-run National News Agency reported Sunday.

In Hezbollah’s stronghold south of Beirut, some 500 protesters marched on foot and motorcycles through the streets chanting: “Oh America, you are the Great Satan.”

The agency gave no further details other than saying that the meeting between Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti and Ambassador Dorothy Shea is scheduled for Monday afternoon.

25 June 2020; MEMO: Lebanon has the highest pollution linked death rate in the Middle East, a Greenpeace report published yesterday has revealed.

According to the study, entitled “Toxic Air: The Price of Fossil Fuels”, the estimated number of deaths in Lebanon attributable to fossil fuels was 2,700 in 2018 – a rate of four deaths per 10,000 people.

23 June 2020; MEMO: The Lebanese Hezbollah movement released a new video on Saturday through which the group threatens to bomb Israel with precision-guided missiles.

The video appears to show the coordinates of sensitive military sites in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

Also on display were audio clips of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah who can be heard claiming that the movement has the capacity to hit “very precise targets” anywhere in Israel. Hebrew subtitles were added to the video.

BEIRUT (AP) — One of the Arab world’s oldest and most prestigious universities, which endured civil war, kidnappings and various economic crises, is preparing for what may be the biggest challenge in its 154-year history.

The American University of Beirut is confronting a global pandemic, a severe recession and the collapse of Lebanon’s currency — all at the same time — and is planning a series of sweeping layoffs and salary cuts in response.

BEIRUT, June 17 (NNN-NNA) – Chinese peacekeepers in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), received a UN medal on Tuesday, for their contribution to keeping peace in southern Lebanon.

A medal-awarding ceremony was held at the Chinese troops’ camp in Hanniyah village, in southern Lebanon, with the attendance of Head of Mission and Force Commander of UNIFIL, Stefano Del Col, Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon, Wang Kejian, representatives of the Lebanese armed forces and fellow peacekeepers.

BEIRUT, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Clashes between the Lebanese army and protesters in Lebanese Tripoli's demonstrations on Saturday led to the injury of 20 people including four army members.

A security source told Xinhua that clashes erupted when a group of protesters in the northern city of Tripoli intercepted big trucks carrying food items in an attempt to prevent them from going to Syria.