Hundreds of Beirutis took to the streets on Saturday, angry and frustrated by the Lebanese government in the wake of a massive blast this week as the city still mourns the dead.
The foreign, energy, economy and environment ministry buildings were stormed by protesters, who called for an end to corruption and the resignation of the political class.
Televised footage showed protesters setting fire to parts of the Azarieh office complex, where two of the ministries are located. Over hundreds were injured, according to the Lebanese Red Cross, and the country's Internal Security Forces said one officer died.
Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Monday said he would propose to Cabinet that they hold an early parliamentary election in an attempt to address the country's political crisis.
In a short address on Thursday evening, Mr Diab said he will introduce a draft bill to bring the next election forward from 2022.
"I am with the Lebanese people in wanting change," he said. "We can't exit the country's structural crisis without holding early parliamentary elections."
Protesters were seen carrying mock wooden scaffolds with nooses, and one placard read: "Step down or hang".
"We are going to get our justice from their necks," a protester dressed as an executioner told The National.
Another protester, Bilal Baba, said: "We are going to a funeral for a country that is dead. It's more of a funeral than a protest.
"The politicians and the government should not stand for trial, we should kill them. They control the trials so it's useless, this is a trial by the people," he said.
Asked if the protests were likely to turn violent, Mr Baba pointed to the damage from the explosion visible all around in the twisted wreckage of buildings.
"More than this?" he asked.
Some residents, struggling to clean up shattered homes, complain the government they see as corrupt – there had been months of protests against its handling of a deep economic crisis before this week's disaster – has let them down again.
But soon after people gathered, police fired live rounds and teargas, with some protesters throwing the canisters back along with fireworks and stones.
Hana Abu Merhi, an operating manager, and her friends were cleaning up the streets when it hit.
"We came down to what is left of Beirut with our cleaning materials, masks, gloves and water to hand out to the people and help clean up the city," she said.
"We were attacked by teargas bomb and had to run with the crowd and were being pushed around just trying to survive the teargas."
She and her friends then helped as a young boy collapsed after inhaling the gas.
Coronavirus was on people's minds as they protested. One protester, who did not want to be named, said she stopped protesting because of coronavirus, but now is so outraged she is coming despite the pandemic.
"I am wearing two masks over my face," she said.
"We are fed up," protester Nour Hatoum said. "We are fed up with this corrupt government. Regardless of everything that happened a few days ago, as well as the forever corruption, we don't even have the minimum [we need] here."
Student Lisa Hammoud, 20, said she was protesting because she wants a "better future" for her, her family and her friends.
"I want to live here, I want to make a better Lebanon. And I will," she said, referring to the fact so many are forced to emigrate to find a future from.
"This is really bad and we don't deserve this," said agricultural engineer Hassan Obeid, 27, pointing to the buildings heavily damaged in the explosion.
"We're here because we're sick of the system. If we didn't hope for change and do something and fight for this country, it's not going to change. We need to live in peace and prosper," Hassan said.
His friend Alia Shafic, 22, who is studying in the US, called for unity, saying, "We need to come together as one."
Several people said they were not at all surprised that French President Emmanuel Macron had visited their gutted neighbourhoods near the epicentre of the blast this week while Lebanese leaders had not.
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The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
TEST SQUADS
Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Shafiul Islam, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed.
Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson and Jackson Bird.
The%20specs
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The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Results
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Price: From Dh180,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged and supercharged in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 320hp @ 5,700rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 2,200rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.7L / 100km
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Power: 640hp at 8,000rpm
Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: From Dh1 million
On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022
Company%C2%A0profile
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War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Salah in numbers
€39 million: Liverpool agreed a fee, including add-ons, in the region of €39m (nearly Dh176m) to sign Salah from Roma last year. The exchange rate at the time meant that cost the Reds £34.3m - a bargain given his performances since.
13: The 25-year-old player was not a complete stranger to the Premier League when he arrived at Liverpool this summer. However, during his previous stint at Chelsea, he made just 13 Premier League appearances, seven of which were off the bench, and scored only twice.
57: It was in the 57th minute of his Liverpool bow when Salah opened his account for the Reds in the 3-3 draw with Watford back in August. The Egyptian prodded the ball over the line from close range after latching onto Roberto Firmino's attempted lob.
7: Salah's best scoring streak of the season occurred between an FA Cup tie against West Brom on January 27 and a Premier League win over Newcastle on March 3. He scored for seven games running in all competitions and struck twice against Tottenham.
3: This season Salah became the first player in Premier League history to win the player of the month award three times during a term. He was voted as the division's best player in November, February and March.
40: Salah joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players in Liverpool's history to have scored 40 times in a single season when he headed home against Bournemouth at Anfield earlier this month.
30: The goal against Bournemouth ensured the Egyptian achieved another milestone in becoming the first African player to score 30 times across one Premier League campaign.
8: As well as his fine form in England, Salah has also scored eight times in the tournament phase of this season's Champions League. Only Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, with 15 to his credit, has found the net more often in the group stages and knockout rounds of Europe's premier club competition.
