A U.S. government assessment of last week’s devastating explosion in Beirut has reportedly concluded that maintenance work likely led to the explosion of a large cache of ammonium nitrate. It comes amid speculation over what could have triggered the deadly chemical blast which killed 171 people. Last week, security sources claimed a welder had sparked … Read more
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to retaliate after suggesting a Turkish ship had been attacked in waters contested by Greece. The claim came hours after France sent two warships supported by fighter jets to the region experiencing mounting tensions, in an effort to back Greece. Speaking at an event to celebrate the 19th anniversary of … Read more
A Lebanese prosecutor is to question several ministers and former ministers over last week’s deadly chemical blast at Beirut port, a judicial official said Wednesday. ‘The interrogations will begin with former public works minister Ghazi al-Aridi,’ the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. ‘If a shortcoming or negligence on the part of one of … Read more
A hero nurse who saved the lives of three newborn babies when a hospital roof collapsed on them following the blast in Beirut has revealed she walked for over an hour to get the children to safety and has recalled how she reunited the babies with their worried mothers. Pamela Zeinoun pulled a twin brother … Read more
Church bells rang out and mosque loudspeakers announced the call to prayer today as Beirut marked a week since an horrific explosion ripped through the city. Thousands marched near the devastated port and a minute’s silence was observed at 6.08pm, the time last Tuesday that thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate exploded, killing 171, wounding … Read more
Lebanon’s president and prime minister were warned last month that a stash of ammonium nitrate at the port of Beirut could destroy the city if it exploded, it has emerged. Security officials wrote a letter on July 20 saying the industrial chemicals which had been idling in a warehouse since 2013 needed to be secured … Read more
Lebanon’s prime minister and his cabinet are set to resign today in the wake of the devastating Beirut explosion which has killed at least 163 people. PM Hassan Diab will address the nation tonight and his own health minister Hamad Hasan says Diab is expected to step down. Several ministers have already walked out amid public … Read more
Lebanese riot police fired tear gas at thousands of demonstrators who gathered in central Beirut today to protest the government’s handling of a deadly explosion which has turned the city into a disaster zone. Around 5,000 people have gathered in Martyrs’ Square in the city centre to vent their fury at Lebanon’s political elite, with some … Read more
Two-year-old boy Isaac Oehlers has been identified as the Australian who was killed in the massive explosion which rocked Beirut on Tuesday. The horror blast tore through large sections of the Lebanese capital on Tuesday, killing at least 157 people and injuring nearly 5,000. Little Isaac is thought to be one of the youngest victims … Read more
Australian actor Rob Shehadie has penned an emotional and moving piece about the Beirut blast, that has killed at least 135 people and left 5,000 hurt. Rob, who is known for work including Fat Pizza, shared his heartache at the explosion that devastated Lebanon on Tuesday. ‘The Lebanon that I know and love is suffering … Read more