Explainer: Can the Beirut explosion offer lessons for the Middle East?
Amman, JordanThomson Reuters Foundation The deadly explosion that tore through Lebanon’s capital on Tuesday has raised questions about the safety of residents of Middle Eastern cities where poor governance, economic turmoil and conflict can lead to disaster. Ammonium nitrate – a chemical often used in fertilisers – stored unsafely in Beirut’s port caused the blast […]
Macron says aid to blast-stricken Lebanon will not go to ‘corrupt hands’
Beirut, LebanonReuters French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday promised aid to Lebanon but reassured angry citizens reeling from a blast that killed 145 people that no blank cheques will be given to its leaders unless they enact reforms and end rife corruption. Speaking at a news conference at the end of a dramatic visit to […]
Beirut reels from huge blast as death toll climbs to at least 135
Beirut, LebanonReuters Lebanese rescue teams pulled out bodies and hunted for missing in the wreckage of buildings on Wednesday as investigations blamed negligence for a massive warehouse explosion that sent a devastating blast wave across Beirut, killing at least 135. More than 5,000 other people were injured in Tuesday’s explosion at Beirut port, Health Minister […]
Toll expected to rise in blast that shook Beirut, killing 100, injuring thousands
Beirut, LebanonReuters Lebanese rescue workers dug through rubble looking for survivors of a powerful warehouse explosion that shook the capital Beirut, killing 100 people and injuring nearly 4,000 in a toll that officials expected to rise. Tuesday’s blast at port warehouses storing highly explosive material was the most powerful in years in Beirut, already reeling […]