Clergy, bags of cash set off new sectarian brawl in Lebanon
Beirut, LebanonAP A Lebanese archbishop who carried more than $US460,000 from Israel to Lebanon is at the centre of the latest sectarian showdown in crisis-hit Lebanon, and the case could even spill over into presidential politics. The situation has ramped up discord between two powerful political camps: Lebanon’s Shi’ite Muslim Hezbollah group and the Maronite […]
Beirut silo collapses, reviving trauma ahead of blast anniversary
Beirut, LebanonReuters Part of the grain silos at Beirut Port collapsed on Sunday just days before the second anniversary of the massive explosion that damaged them, sending a cloud of dust over the capital and reviving traumatic memories of the blast that killed more than 215 people. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Dust […]
As Lebanese staple runs short, tempers flare at bakeries
Beirut, LebanonReuters Mohamed Abu Khodr had been waiting for hours outside a Beirut bakery in hopes of buying two bags of subsidised bread he needs to feed his family. But there was no sign of the doors opening for him or the dozens of other people outside. “During the war, we were not humiliated like […]
Beirut port fire revives trauma ahead of blast anniversary
Beirut, LebanonReuters A fire smouldering for days at Beirut port has revived painful memories of the explosion that devastated the Lebanese capital in 2020, with the government struggling to find a way to extinguish it as the second anniversary of the blast approaches. The fire has been burning slowly in the ruins of the port’s […]
Lebanese state violated human rights by mismanaging crisis, UN poverty envoy says
Beirut, Lebanon Reuters Lebanon’s government and its central bank have committed human rights violations by impoverishing people through the “callous destruction” of the country’s economy, an independent United Nations report said on Wednesday. Lebanon’s economic implosion has seen the local currency lose more than 90 per cent of its value, food prices rise 11-fold and more […]
Lebanon cabinet approves demolition of Beirut silos damaged in port blast
Beirut, LebanonReuters Lebanon’s cabinet on Thursday approved the demolition of the Beirut silos damaged in the August, 2020, port blast which left at least 215 people dead, Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makari said in televised comments after a cabinet session. Makari said the decision was based on a “technical report” that concluded the silos could […]
Postcards: Fearing civil war amnesia, activists fight to preserve Beirut port silos
TIMOUR AZHARI, of Reuters, reports from Lebanon on efforts to keep what some believe would be a powerful acknowledgement of suffering in a nation still struggling to come to terms with years of war and strife…
Lebanon disburses funds to temporarily avert bread crisis, minister says
Beirut, LebanonReuters Lebanon’s government has agreed to disburse $US15 million to temporarily resolve growing bread shortages in the country, Economy Minister Amin Salam told Reuters, while saying that the funds would only last a few weeks. Long lines had begun forming outside bakeries across the country since Monday after industry insiders warned that the government […]
Pope Francis to visit Lebanon in June during economic crisis
Beirut, LebanonAP Pope Francis will visit Lebanon in June, the President’s office said Tuesday, in an apparent show of support for the country experiencing an unprecedented economic meltdown. Francis has held special prayers for Lebanon and has repeatedly said he plans to visit the small country since the economic meltdown began in October, 2019. Pope […]
Wow!: As Beirutis face housing violations, award-winning NGO steps in
MAYA GEBEILY, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on the work of Housing Monitor…