The initial shock caused by two massive blasts in Beirut’s port on Tuesday evening morphed into anger on Wednesday as the Lebanese people came to grips with the scale of the disaster that killed more than one hundred people.
As bodies were still being pulled from the rubble, groups of volunteers had brought water and food to one of the hardest-hit neighbourhoods, Gemmayze, which is less than one kilometre away from the explosion site.
We are just still in shock. This is the worst explosion in my lifetime
“This is the last straw” said Michel, one of the activists distributing food in front of the country’s national electricity company, Electricité du Liban, which has only been able to secure a few hours of power a day for the past weeks.
Most shops remained closed as people cleaned the rubble and cleared the streets, blocked by smashed cars, cement slabs and fallen trees. Traffic clogged the city’s main arteries as cars struggled because of the broken glass that lay littered on footpaths and roads.
“We will give a few days to the government to bury the dead and clear this out, but then we are picking up our weapons and fighting to get rid of this government and Hezbollah” he continued, visibly upset.
Michel said that he came from Jal El Dib, a suburb north of Beirut that was one of the centres of Lebanon’s anti-government protests that broke out last October as the country started sliding into the worst economic crisis in its history.
Protesters demanded an end to decades of corruption and nepotism which, they said, caused the collapse of the country’s economy.
Though Michel said he was not affiliated to any political party, Jal El Dib is an area dominated by the Lebanese Forces, a Christian party that is fiercely opposed to Hezbollah, the only group that has the right to its own weapons. Hezbollah, as well as several other parties, backed the latest government formed in January.
Initial investigations into the blast point to inaction and negligence over the storage of highly explosive material, reported Reuters, quoting an unnamed official source.
Anger was not only simmering in Gemmayze. A few hundred metres away, central Beirut was also reeling from the damage caused by the explosion, which severely damaged landmark buildings, including one belonging to local newspaper, Annahar.
Local media reported that protesters berated former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who resigned last October following massive social unrest. As Mr Hariri visited central Beirut to inspect the damage, a dozen people chanted "revolution, revolution" at him, telling him that he should "not dream" to come back to power, Lebanese daily L'Orient-Le Jour reported.
Following the incident, supporters of Mr Hariri attacked protesters with stones and sticks, wounding several of them. The phase “hang up the nooses” was trending on Lebanese Twitter on Wednesday afternoon as fury at the country’s political class grew.
A little further away from the blast site, in the neighbourhood of Sassine, people were still in shock from the blast.
“I saw on the news that my IT shop in Mar Mkhael (near Gemmayze) was completely destroyed” said one man as he sipped coffee. “I don’t want to go see it myself. What can I do?”
Standing with him, his friend, a hairdresser who was wounded on his face and arms, said he was happy to be alive. His salon's glass facade had collapsed while he was inside.
“The government said that it was ammonium nitrate,” used in fertilisers and bombs, said the IT shop owner. “We don’t know what to believe. There are so many rumours.
“We are just still in shock. This is the worst explosion in my lifetime. Worse than the 2006 [Israel-Hezbollah] war. Worse than [Rafik] Hariri’s assassination” in 2005, he said.
A few metres away, a bakery continued to operate normally, miraculously undamaged. Lebanon has less than a month's reserve of grain after the country's main silo was destroyed in Tuesday's blast, but the economy minister said there was enough flour to avoid a crisis.
“I bought flour this morning without any problem,” said Paul Boulos, owner of Seal Slim bakeries, which operates three branches in Beirut and its suburbs. Another one of his shops was shattered in the blast, he said. “I have no idea what will happen now. But I’ll re-open even without glass windows. We have to work to live.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
The Lowdown
Us
Director: Jordan Peele
Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseqph, Evan Alex and Elisabeth Moss
Rating: 4/5
Abu Dhabi GP starting grid
1 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2 Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
3 Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
4 Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
5 Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
6 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
7 Romain Grosjean (Haas)
8 Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
9 Esteban Ocon (Force India)
10 Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
11 Carlos Sainz (Renault)
12 Marcus Ericsson (Sauber)
13 Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
14 Sergio Perez (Force India)
15 Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
16 Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
17 Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
18 Stoffe Vandoorne (McLaren)
19 Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)
20 Lance Stroll (Williams)
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
Profile of Udrive
Date started: March 2016
Founder: Hasib Khan
Based: Dubai
Employees: 40
Amount raised (to date): $3.25m – $750,000 seed funding in 2017 and a Seed round of $2.5m last year. Raised $1.3m from Eureeca investors in January 2021 as part of a Series A round with a $5m target.
Company%20profile
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Company%20Profile
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2015%20PRO%20MAX
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Five hymns the crowds can join in
Papal Mass will begin at 10.30am at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on Tuesday
Some 17 hymns will be sung by a 120-strong UAE choir
Five hymns will be rehearsed with crowds on Tuesday morning before the Pope arrives at stadium
‘Christ be our Light’ as the entrance song
‘All that I am’ for the offertory or during the symbolic offering of gifts at the altar
‘Make me a Channel of your Peace’ and ‘Soul of my Saviour’ for the communion
‘Tell out my Soul’ as the final hymn after the blessings from the Pope
The choir will also sing the hymn ‘Legions of Heaven’ in Arabic as ‘Assakiroo Sama’
There are 15 Arabic speakers from Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in the choir that comprises residents from the Philippines, India, France, Italy, America, Netherlands, Armenia and Indonesia
The choir will be accompanied by a brass ensemble and an organ
They will practice for the first time at the stadium on the eve of the public mass on Monday evening
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Managing the separation process
- Choose your nursery carefully in the first place
- Relax – and hopefully your child will follow suit
- Inform the staff in advance of your child’s likes and dislikes.
- If you need some extra time to talk to the teachers, make an appointment a few days in advance, rather than attempting to chat on your child’s first day
- The longer you stay, the more upset your child will become. As difficult as it is, walk away. Say a proper goodbye and reassure your child that you will be back
- Be patient. Your child might love it one day and hate it the next
- Stick at it. Don’t give up after the first day or week. It takes time for children to settle into a new routine.And, finally, don’t feel guilty.
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
