Sources spoke to AsiaNews confirming the growing crisis following Houthi advance on the country's western coast. Electricity and basic necessities are being rationed amid a security emergency. The Missionaries of Charity continue their work in the north. Riyadh has shut down the East-West pipeline after it was attacked.
Violent, anti-Hezbollah groups demonstrated in Place des canons and then seized and sacked the Foreign Ministry. Important and sensitive documents were burnt. Papers were also destroyed at the Environment and Economy ministries. A member of the security service is killed. Prime Minister Hassan Diab calls for early parliamentary elections, echoed by the Maronite patriarch who also wants an international inquiry.
During the Angelus, Pope Francis praises Lebanon as a " model of living together". With “solidarity and compassion,” Lebanon’s bishops, priests and religious should lead a life “marked by evangelical poverty, without luxury, because your people are suffering, suffering a lot.” Remembering the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the pontiff calls for “a world completely free from nuclear weapons.” Amid the storm, keep “your heart turned to God, to his love, to his Fatherly tenderness.” Indeed, “The boat at the mercy of the storm is the image of the Church,” and sometimes she “may have the temptation to think that God has abandoned her.” AsiaNews continues its campaign to “Help devastated Beirut”.
The donation is an “initial aid". Catholic organisations are quick to respond. The death toll now stands at 154, including 25 who are unidentified. More than 5,000 people are wounded, 120 in very serious conditions. Some 60 people are still missing. Rescue teams are still digging in the rubble. A protest to "clean up Beirut" from political corruption is scheduled for this afternoon.
The tabloid linked to the People's Daily cites Archbishop Sachez Sorondo, Mgr Zhan Silu and Francesco Sisci who back the renewal of the provisional agreement, but fails to mention any supporter in the Party. For a Vatican official, this agreement is like poison for the Church.
Ali Msheik's wife has been waiting for three days in front of the place where he worked as a longshoreman to have news about his fate. Eliane, an artist, asks Christians and Muslims to pray for her son, a dentist, who is in intensive care. Young Christians and Muslims clean up streets and churches, “places of God”. In Beirut, death dis not discriminated. Everything at Holy Rosary Hospital, 300 metres from the site of the blasts, has been destroyed. Patients have been saved and now there is hope to rebuild the hospital. But “we need everything. We have to start from scratch; we need help and the government is unable to help us.”
The Chaldean patriarch joins the Maronite Church, which will hold a day of fasting and prayer tomorrow. Card al-Rahi urges the faithful to take part in the day of recollection and repentance for a "wounded nation". India offers her solidarity. The Holy Land will send offerings to the needy. The World Council of Churches extends its compassion to the victims. AsiaNews continues its campaign to "Help devasted Beirut".
Osman Aslan was a volunteer, informing Muslims about anti-coronavirus measures in the mosque. He died on August 2 from an apparent heart attack but the authorities kept the news under the wrap for days. The Istanbul Governor’s Office asks for “mercy from God”.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith rectifies some ambiguous formulas, seemingly more democratic and less clerical. Sacramental action takes place in the name of Christ “who acts in his Church”. The ministry is not the “exercise of a power”, nor manipulation of formulas to one’s liking.
The blasts, dubbed Beirutshima, have sparked acts of solidarity and brought help from the whole world. The Lebanese are donating blood, sheltering displaced people, and cleaning the debris and rubble from the streets. Russia, Italy, United Kingdom, China, Iran, Iraq, the Emirates, and many others are sending medical supplies and food. French President Emmanuel Macron arrived on a solidarity visit. The number of dead stands at 137, whilst the number of injured tops 5,000. The needs of Beirut residents remain huge. AsiaNews continues its ‘Help devastated Beirut’ campaign.
President Michel Aoun blamed the explosions on unsafely stored ammonium nitrate. Port and customs officials have been placed under house arrest. Some suspect the presence of weapons. Former prime ministers are calling for "an international or Arab investigation" into the incident. The governor of Beirut says that people need food, clothes, material to rebuild their home; refugees need shelter. AsiaNews continues its “Help devastated Beirut’ campaign.
A survey by Avrasya Research confirms that the move of the “sultan” has not electorally paid off. The ruling AKP party is backed by 35 per cent of voters; 12.4 per cent backs the pro-Kurdish opposition movement HDP. Less than 30 per cent appreciate the work of the president, who is rejected by 40 per cent of survey participants.
In the wake of tensions with Hezbollah, Israel denies any involvement in the explosion. The Arab League wants to know what caused the blast. The UN offers help to cope with the "horrific tragedy”. US President Trump does not rule out an attack. Iran pledges help "in any way necessary”.
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