A fifth night of protests in north Lebanon’s Tripoli on Friday again saw standoffs with the military, deployed in force after the country’s president called for rioters to face strict punishment.
Over 250 people have so far been wounded and at least one killed since protests erupted earlier this week over growing poverty made worse by the coronavirus lockdown.
Lebanese leaders across the board have condemned the violence and demanded an investigation while accusing each other of exploiting the residents’ poverty and frustration to score political points.
Additional units of the military were moved to the northern city, including the country’s commando regiment, after accusations from top Sunni politicians that the military was not doing enough to ensure security.
“Who will protect Tripoli, if the army fails to protect it?” said Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri said in a statement issued late Thursday. Hariri, who was tasked with forming a new government more than three months ago, described the violence as “organized crime” and blamed the military for allowing the vandalism to take place.
On Thursday night, dozens of young men set fire to the historic municipal building they had been trying to storm for days.
They also firebombed two other government buildings and a private university that belongs to a former prime minister, Najib Mikati.
Mr Mikati, one of Lebanon’s richest businessmen who is from Tripoli, warned of an explosion of unrest unless the military takes control of the situation.
“I may have to carry arms to protect myself and my institutions,” he said.
President Michel Aoun, who has been locked in a dispute with Mr Hariri that has prevented the formation of a new government, demanded an investigation.
The protests in Tripoli, which started Monday, came as Lebanon grapples with both the pandemic and the worst economic crisis in its history, with only a caretaker government in charge. Tripoli is among the most impoverished and neglected cities in Lebanon, which has been in a state of economic and financial meltdown for the past year.
In Tripoli, even before the economic crisis began in late 2019, almost the entire city’s workforce depended on day-to-day income.
Since then, the Lebanese currency has lost around 80 per cent of its value against the dollar, and nearly half of the country’s population has been thrown into poverty.
“People are frustrated, we cannot condemn hungry, oppressed people who are not getting their minimum rights in this country. We cannot blame them for everything,” said Bilal Jenzarli, a resident.
While the protests are targeting the strict lockdown measures, they also reflect the growing anger over authorities’ indifference in the face of Lebanon’s meltdown.
The cash-strapped government has done little to compensate or help the impoverished cope with growing hardships, and politicians have been unable to agree on the formation of a new government since August, when the current Cabinet resigned over a massive explosion at Beirut’s port.
The confluence of crises has posed the biggest threat to Lebanon’s stability since the end of its civil war in 1990.
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The biog
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran
Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
Greatest Royal Rumble results
John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match
Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
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