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Beirut blast adds to women’s money and health worries in Lebanon

Beirut blast adds to women’s money and health worries in Lebanon

BAN BARKAWI  ALMOST six weeks after the Beirut port blast nearly blinded her in one eye, Kawthar Halabi has been unable to return to work as she is still having fragments of glass picked out of her flesh. After eight days in hospital, more than 50 stitches, eye surgery and with lingering trauma, the 31-year-old mother has been unable to return to her job at a chocolate factory, with money worries compounding those about her health. "I'm still going to doctors. I couldn't go back to work and then keep taking time off every couple of days so I had…
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Beirut port blast death toll rises to 190

Beirut port blast death toll rises to 190

THE death toll from this month's Beirut port blast has risen to 190 with more than 6,500 injured and three people missing, Lebanon's caretaker government said in a report. Lebanese authorities are probing what caused highly explosive material stored unsafely for years to detonate in a mushroom cloud, wrecking swathes of the city and fuelling anger at a political class already blamed for the country's economic meltdown. The army said on Saturday that seven people were still missing - three Lebanese, three Syrians and one Egyptian. It was not immediately clear if some had since been found. The August 4…
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Senegal port seeks removal of 2,700 tonnes of chemical that caused Beirut blast

Senegal port seeks removal of 2,700 tonnes of chemical that caused Beirut blast

THE port of Senegal's capital Dakar has requested the removal of around 2,700 tonnes of highly explosive ammonium nitrate stored in its complex - the same volume of the chemical that caused Beirut's devastating port blast this month. The unidentified owner of the stockpile has found a warehouse to store the industrial chemical outside the city, according to the general directorate of the port, which sits next to Dakar's densely populated downtown. "He is currently working with the environment ministry to obtain approval to urgently remove this cargo," it said in a statement that did not say how long the…
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Egypt disposing of dangerous materials at ports – minister

Egypt disposing of dangerous materials at ports – minister

EGYPT has started disposing of abandoned and dangerous materials at ports after the massive explosion in Beirut's port this month, the finance minister has announced. "What happened in Beirut made us examine our own situation and we actually got rid of large quantities of abandoned and neglected and dangerous materials that were in the ports," Mohamed Mait told parliament. "There are materials that have been delivered to multiple ministries including oil and defence and interior, and by next December Egyptian ports will be completely cleaned." New customs procedures at would also improve controls at ports, Mait said. A few days…
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Lebanon government resigns amid outrage over Beirut blast

Lebanon government resigns amid outrage over Beirut blast

MICHAEL GEORGY LEBANON’s prime minister has announced his government's resignation, saying a huge explosion that devastated the capital and stirred public outrage was the result of endemic corruption. The August 4 detonation at a port warehouse of more than 2,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate killed at least 163 people, injured more than 6,000 and destroyed swathes of the Mediterranean capital, compounding months of political and economic meltdown. In a televised address, Prime Minister Hassan Diab said he backed calls by ordinary Lebanese for those responsible for "this crime" to be put on trial. Diab made the announcement after the cabinet,…
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Build “free and strong” coexistence after blast, Pope Francis tells Lebanese

Build “free and strong” coexistence after blast, Pope Francis tells Lebanese

POPE Francis has urged the people of Lebanon to work together in the wake of the devastating port blast to give birth to a new "free and strong" coexistence. The pope spoke at his weekly address in St. Peter's Square as some Lebanese called for a sustained uprising to topple their leaders and the country's top Christian Maronite cleric, whose Church is a Catholic Eastern rite, said the cabinet should resign. "Last Tuesday's catastrophe calls everyone, beginning with the Lebanese people, to work together for the common good of this beloved country," Francis said. He said the coexistence of cultures…
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Donors pledge 253 mln euros in emergency aid for Lebanon after blast

Donors pledge 253 mln euros in emergency aid for Lebanon after blast

YIMING WOO  AN mergency donor conference for blast-stricken Lebanon raised pledges worth nearly 253 million euros ($298 million) for immediate humanitarian relief, the French presidency said. Those commitments would not be conditional on political or institutional reform, President Emmanuel Macron's office said. There were also pledges made for longer-term support that would depend on changes brought in by the authorities, the Elysee Palace said. World powers promised not to fail the Lebanese people as the capital, Beirut, recovers from the massive explosion that killed 158 people and destroyed swathes of the city last Tuesday. Lebanon was already mired in political…
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Lebanese protesters storm ministry buildings, TV shows, as Beirut blast protests grow

Lebanese protesters storm ministry buildings, TV shows, as Beirut blast protests grow

MICHAEL GEORGY  LEBANESE protesters have stormed government ministries in Beirut and trashed the offices of the Association of Lebanese Banks, TV footage showed, as shots were fired in growing protests over this week's devastating explosion. A policeman was killed during the clashes, a spokesman said. A policeman at the scene said the officer died when he fell into an elevator shaft in a nearby building after being chased by protesters. The Red Cross said it had treated 117 people for injuries on the scene while another 55 were taken to hospital. A fire broke out in central Martyrs' Square. Dozens…
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Lebanon sees possible ‘external interference’ in port blast

Lebanon sees possible ‘external interference’ in port blast

MICHAEL GEORGE and ELLEN FRANCIS LEBANON's president says its investigation into the biggest blast in Beirut's history would examine whether it was caused by a bomb or other external interference, as residents sought to rebuild shattered homes and lives. Rescuers sifted rubble in a race to find anyone still alive after Tuesday's port explosion that killed 154 people, injured 5,000, destroyed a swathe of the Mediterranean city and sent seismic shockwaves around the region. "The cause has not been determined yet. There is a possibility of external interference through a rocket or bomb or other act," President Michel Aoun told…
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A PICTURE AND ITS STORY – Capturing a rescue in Beirut

A PICTURE AND ITS STORY – Capturing a rescue in Beirut

WHEN he first felt the ground shaking, Reuters photographer Mohamed Azakir thought Beirut had been struck by an earthquake. Then he heard the explosion. Grabbing his camera, Azakir rushed out into the streets, trying to locate the source of the blast. When he reached the port, he realized he was close. Dead bodies lay everywhere, and people were screaming. Azakir saw one man, pinned under a vehicle, covered in a thick film of rubble and blood. At first, Azakir thought the man was dead. But then the man opened his eyes and began waving his arms and asking for help.…
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