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Two years on since the Beirut port explosion

<p dir="ltr">It’s been two years since the devastating port explosion that rocked Lebanon and saw the country slowly become even more poor. </p> <p dir="ltr">The terrifying explosion killed 218 people, wounded 7,000 and damaged 77,000 apartments, displacing more than 300,000 people in the already struggling country. </p> <p dir="ltr">Covid was well underway with hospitals already under pressure, but the explosion saw them suddenly overflowing with injured citizens desperate for help. </p> <p dir="ltr">People are saying that the country’s stay-at-home orders saved lives which would have otherwise seen hundreds of thousands on the roads, at work and at the beach near the exploded port.</p> <p dir="ltr">But two years on and the residents are still struggling through the worst economic crisis in 30 years.</p> <p dir="ltr">Electricity runs for an hour a day unless you have a deal with electricity companies, there is also no running water, no bread, no gas, and much more. </p> <p dir="ltr">And it’s only expected to get worse in winter when temperatures plummet and families struggle to keep their loved ones, particularly the elderly, warm. </p> <p dir="ltr">Even putting food on the table has become more difficult with grocery prices soaring exponentially – almost 10 times what they were back in 2019. Families are being forced to ration and even resort to basics. </p> <p dir="ltr">There have been several protests calling for an end to the widespread corruption and tax increases.</p> <p dir="ltr">Will the politicians listen? Probably not, as this has been a long-running issue for Lebanon. </p> <p dir="ltr">Despite all this heartache, Lebanon remains the Paris of the Middle East and is likened to a phoenix, a mythical bird that is born again from the ashes of its predecessor.</p> <p dir="ltr">But what can we do to help Lebanon? Go and visit. </p> <p dir="ltr">Lebanon’s economy continues to rely on tourism and is a stunning summer/spring destination.</p> <p dir="ltr">Travellers will be in awe at the beauty of the Middle Eastern country which is constantly bringing Aussie tourists in.</p> <p dir="ltr">From its capital city Beirut, to Byblos in the seaside of the north of the country, Tyre, also known as Sour (pronounced soor), Harissa and many more it is certainly the place to be. </p> <p dir="ltr">It comes as the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism launched a tourism campaign to bring in Lebanese expats to come to the country during the 2022 summer season. </p> <p dir="ltr">The campaign was dubbed “Ahla Bha Talle,” in reference to a song by late and prominent Lebanese singer Sabah.</p> <p dir="ltr">So in reference to that TikTok video “Yallah come to Lebanon habibi” (Come to Lebanon my love). </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Twitter</em></p>

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Lebanon's entire government resigns after Beirut explosion

<p>Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab has announced that his entire Government's resignation after the deadly explosion in Beirut that killed more than 150 people.</p> <p>In a fiery speech, Mr Diab slammed Lebanon’s ruling elite for allowing “an apparatus of corruption bigger than the state”, and compared the explosion to an “earthquake that rocked the country”.</p> <p>“We have fought valiantly and with dignity,” he said, referring to his cabinet.</p> <p>“Between us and change is big powerful barrier.</p> <p>“We have decided to stand with the people.”</p> <p>The entire resignation of the government comes after three cabinet ministers and seven members of parliament quit.</p> <p>The country's health ministry confirmed that at least 160 people were killed, with 6,000 wounded and around 20 people remaining missing.</p> <p>Lebanese protestors are asking how a massive amount of ammonium nitrate was left unsecured at the port for years, with the country's top officials have promised a thorough investigation.</p> <p>Protestors were also furious about security forces using tear gas against victims of the blast instead of helping them clean their homes and find a safe place to stay.</p> <p>“We need an international investigation and trial to tell us who killed our friends and all the other victims, because they might try to conceal the truth,” said Michelle.</p> <p>However, the country's top officials have stopped short of agreeing to an independent prove led by foreign experts, which is a demand of the protestors. </p>

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"Lucky to be alive": Australian in Beirut recounts moment of devastation

<p>Lebanese rescue workers are continuing to search for survivors in the wreckage of buildings after an explosion at a port in Beirut killed at least 135 people and injured 5000 more.</p> <p>Up to 250,000 have also been displaced, with no home to live in after the explosion shattered their windows and sent their buildings tumbling.</p> <p>Samah Hadid from Australia is among those affected.</p> <p>She’s been forced to evacuate her neighbourhood which sits “within the zone” - just one kilometre from the port.</p> <p>Her apartment has been left “completely destroyed”, but authorities have also issued a warning about the toxic fumes circulating in the air, putting Samah’s health at risk too.</p> <p>“I’m really lucky to be alive,” she told<span> </span><em>The Latest</em>.</p> <p>“The damage was so extensive that it ripped through the entire building and the apartment so I’m really lucky to escape injury.”</p> <p>When the explosion occurred, Samah thought it was either a bomb or an earthquake as her building began to shake.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CDhu2u2lezp/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CDhu2u2lezp/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">My sincere condolences and prayers go out to those affected in Lebanon 🙏🙏🙏🙏 #lebanon #beirut #beirutlebanon #beirut_lebanon #lebanonexplosion</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/vetmedmemesdaily/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> THE VET HUMOR PAGE</a> (@vetmedmemesdaily) on Aug 5, 2020 at 5:06pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“The ceilings came down. Furniture just ripped apart,” she said.</p> <p>Hadid escaped through the building’s stairwell but found “blood all over the staircase from people who were really severely injured”.</p> <p>“The hospitals were so overwhelmed and overcrowded that they should not accept any more people,” she said.</p> <p>“And this is happening in the middle of a pandemic where the health system here is already overstretched dealing with coronavirus and, to put it in perspective, Lebanon was already facing an economic crisis.</p> <p>“People were already living in poverty.</p> <p>“We’re already facing starvation, in my street alone, buildings have been destroyed, neighbourhoods have been ruined, brought to rubble.</p> <p>“The country has been brought to its knees. It’s facing crisis upon crisis.</p> <p>“It desperately needs support and needs international aid support, if people are going to be able to rebuild their lives.”</p> <p>The death toll is expected to rise from the blast that officials believe is due to a large amount of highly explosive material stored for years in unsafe conditions at the port.</p> <p>President Michel Aoun said 2,750 tonnes of seized ammonium nitrate, used in fertilisers and bombs, had been stored for six years at the port without safety measures.</p>

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Nurse saves three newborn babies in wake of Beirut explosion

<div> <div class="reply-list-component"> <div class="reply-component"> <div class="reply-body-component"> <div class="reply_body body linkify"> <div class="reply-body-wrapper"> <div class="reply-body-inner"> <div class="body_text "> <p>Photojournalist Bilal Jawich was on the outskirts of Beirut when the explosion hit, leaving at least 135 dead and thousands injured. Jawich says he followed the smoke until he reached the port of the Lebanese capital. <br /><br />He went on to explain that “professional intuition” took him to Al Roum hospital, in the Ashrafieh district.<br /><br />The area has been left devastated by the blast but Jawich says there was a remarkable sight amidst the rubble. <br /><br />“I was amazed when I saw the nurse holding three newborns,” Jawich said.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Photo by Lebanese photojournalist Bilal Jawich of a nurse at Beirut Roum hospital maternity ward, cradling 3 newborns and calling for help <a href="https://t.co/GWopsPi4Tg">pic.twitter.com/GWopsPi4Tg</a></p> — Kareem Shaheen (@kshaheen) <a href="https://twitter.com/kshaheen/status/1290751278176403457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <p><br /><br />“I noticed the nurse’s calm, which contrasted the surrounding atmosphere just one metre away.”<br /><br />Several dead and injured people lay just nearby, he said.<br /><br />“However, the nurse looked like she possessed a hidden force that gave her self-control and the ability to save those children,” he said.<br /><br />“People stand out amidst these violent and dark and evil circumstances and this nurse was up to the task.”<br /><br />Jawich said the nurse told him later that evening that she was in the maternity ward when the blast hit.</p> <p><br /><img id="__mcenew" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837206/beirut-nurse.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/ddb21a780fd541dd86bfe413acf895fe" /><br />She said she had been knocked unconscious, and when she woke up she “found herself carrying these three children,” he said.<br /><br />Unfortunately, others in the hospital were not so lucky, as 12 patients, two visitors and four nurses died in the explosion. <br /><br />George Saad, emergency preparedness and disaster manager for the hospital, says two remain in critical condition.<br /><br />At least 80 per cent of the hospital has been damaged, along with 50 per cent of its equipment, he said.<br /><br />Saad told CNN that the babies and their mothers have been transferred to other hospitals.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

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Unbelievable footage as massive explosion rocks Beirut

<p>A large blast in the Lebanese capital of Beirut has killed at least 70 people and injured more than 2,700, the health minister explains.</p> <p>Videos have quickly gone viral of the incident, which show smoke billowing from a fire and then a mushroom cloud after the blast in the middle of the city.</p> <p>President Michel Aoun has tweeted that it was "unacceptable" that highly explosive material was stored in a warehouse for six years, with 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate being stored unsafely.</p> <p>Hospitals are said to be overwhelmed and many buildings have been destroyed.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Terrifying video from a guy driving his car while filming the Beirut explosion...<a href="https://t.co/0XpfqCw22L">pic.twitter.com/0XpfqCw22L</a></p> — Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) <a href="https://twitter.com/RexChapman/status/1290769713539305474?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>Videos taken by shocked residents show a fire raging at the port, which sent up a giant column of smoke. The fire then appeared to catch at a nearby building, which triggered a more massive explosion and sent a cloud of thick smoke and a shock wave over the city.</p> <p>"It was like a nuclear explosion," said Walid Abdo, a 43-year-old school teacher in the neighbourhood of Gemayzeh near Beirut.</p> <p>"I saw a fireball and smoke billowing over Beirut. People were screaming and running, bleeding. Balconies were blown off buildings. Glass in high-rise buildings shattered and fell to the street," a witness told Reuters.</p> <p>Another witness says she saw heavy grey smoke near the port area and then heard an explosion.</p> <p>"All the downtown area windows are smashed and there are wounded people walking around. It is total chaos," she said.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Stunning video shows explosions just minutes ago at Beirut port <a href="https://t.co/ZjltF0VcTr">pic.twitter.com/ZjltF0VcTr</a></p> — Borzou Daragahi 🖊🗒 (@borzou) <a href="https://twitter.com/borzou/status/1290675854767513600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>President Aoun has declared a three-day mourning period and said that the government would release 100 billion lire ($66 million) of emergency funds.</p> <p>Prime Minister Hassan Diab said that it was a catastrophe and that those responsible must be held to account.</p> <p>Lebanon's prime minister also called for international help: "I make an urgent appeal to friendly and brotherly countries... to stand by Lebanon and to help us heal our deep wounds," Hassan Diab said.</p> <p>UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the "UK is ready to provide support in any way we can, including to those British nationals affected", and US President Donald Trump sent his deepest sympathies after what he called "a terrible attack".</p> <p>France is also sending aid and resources to Lebanon and Israel said in a statement that it had "approached Lebanon through international security and diplomatic channels and has offered the Lebanese government medical and humanitarian assistance".</p> <p>Prime Minister Scott Morrison said one Australian had been killed and Australia's embassy had been "impacted significantly" in the explosion.</p> <p>"We can report all of the staff there are well, but the building that the embassy is in has been significantly compromised. I'm pleased that apart from some cuts and scratches, our staff are all OK," he said.</p> <p>"But our sympathies to all of the people of Lebanon. There is such a large Lebanese Australian community here and they would be worried about loved ones."</p>

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“I have seen hell today”: Sydney man reports from inside Beirut blast

<p>Scott Morrison has confirmed that one Australian is one of dozens who have died and thousands who have been injured in an explosion in the Lebanese capital of Beirut.</p> <p>The area has now been declared a “disaster zone” and as of Wednesday morning, Lebanon’s health minister says the death toll has reached 78.</p> <p><em>Reuters</em> reports that nearly 4000 people have been seriously injured.</p> <p>While it has not been made clear why exactly the blast in the city’s port occurred, however Lebanon’s PM says a ticking time bomb of 2750 tonnes of fertiliser fertiliser chemical ammonium nitrate was stored on a Beirut dock that fuelled the “nuclear like” explosion.</p> <p>Lebanese officials report that the explosive chemicals had been stored there for six years without adequate safeguards.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837196/beirut-lebanon-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/1b06e264557144fcb2b342d155e9f7f3" /></p> <p>“It’s my deep regret to inform you that one Australian has been killed in this horrific blast, we obviously can’t confirm details of that at this stage because there’s contacts with families and others,” Mr Morrison said.</p> <p>“But our hearts go out to all of those in Lebanon and in Beirut in particular at the moment, you can see from the images of the blasts that it’s just absolutely devastating.”</p> <p>There are 20,000 Australians in Lebanon at any one time, but that number may have significantly decreased because of the COVID pandemic.</p> <p>The Australian Embassy in Beirut is a short distance from the blast and was damaged, but no staff were seriously injured.</p> <p>A Sydney man and his 28-year-old daughter were rescued from the explosion when they ran from a café near the port that they were drinking coffee in when they heard the first blast.</p> <p>“We ran outside to see what was happening. I said to my daughter and friends ‘duck’. I heard something like an aeroplane I thought there was going to be an attack,” he told reporters.</p> <p>“I saw this big white wave come towards us. The explosion was deafening. Then we heard the buildings collapsing one after another. The noise was deafening.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837197/beirut-lebanon.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/8b6ab6461c5b4484997ca8f8cf8c24da" /></p> <p>“The explosion came from the other side of the cafe. The chairs where we were sitting were gone. The tables were gone everything inside was just gone.</p> <p>“I have seen hell today. People are walking the streets like zombies.</p> <p>“We are now driving around giving out water and taking pallets of water and medication to the hospitals. They don’t have enough supplies for their staff.”</p> <p>Reports say the explosion shattered window up to one kilometre away from the blast site.  </p> <p>The eruption was so loud, it could be heard as far away as Cyprus, 200km away in the Mediterranean Sea.</p>

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60 Minutes crew shocked by new twist in kidnapping saga

<p>Sally Faulkner and former solider Adam Whittington have been officially charged with kidnapping by a Lebanese court, after the botched attempt to bring her children back to Australia. </p> <p>The verdict, delivered by Judge Rami Abdullah, was somewhat unexpected, as he had previously stated that he did not believe a mother could be found guilty of kidnapping her own children.</p> <p>The charge of kidnapping comes with a maximum penalty of three years in prison.</p> <p>The 60 Minutes crew that filmed the story is being charged with knowing about a crime and failing to report it, which is punishable by a fine.</p> <p>Ms Faulkner’s lawyer is reportedly hopeful the case will be dismissed on appeal, with Mr Whittington’s lawyer telling the <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>ABC</strong></span></a>, “We are fully confident with the Lebanese criminal justice system that whenever it goes to a trial we will reach to the right appropriate decision, where they consider a kidnapping of a child by his mother is not a kidnapping."</p> <p>After hearing from its legal team in Lebanon, <span>Channel </span>Nine confirmed the charges against the crew had been downgraded in a statement: “There will still be a trial on a date to be determined and out of respect for the Lebanese legal process we will not be making any further comment while the matter is still before the court."</p> <p>What’s your take on the situation? Should Sally Faulkner have to face charges for her actions? Have Channel Nine acted appropriately in this situation?</p> <p>Share your thoughts in the comments. </p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/finance/money-banking/2016/06/10-foods-you-must-stop-buying-at-the-supermarket/" target="_blank"><strong>10 foods you must stop buying at the supermarket</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/06/keep-avocadoes-fresh-for-6-months/"><strong>The easy trick to keep avocados fresh for 6 months</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/travel/travel-tips/2016/06/7-tips-for-healthy-eating-while-travelling/">7 tips for healthy eating while travelling</a></strong></em></span></p>

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60 minutes crew, Tara Brown, Sally Faulkner leave Lebanon

<p>After two weeks inside a Beirut prison Australian mother Sally Faulkner, 60 minutes reporter Tara Brown, and her crew Stephen Rice, David Ballment and Ben Williamson are free.</p> <p>The unexpected release comes after hours of tense negotiations where Nine Network reportedly paid a multi-million dollar sum to have the charges dropped. Ali Elamine denies receiving any payment, saying it was the anguish of cameraman Williamson and sound recordist Ballment at not being able to see their children that led him to drop the personal chargers against his estranged wife and the 60 Minutes crew. He also told the court he did not want his children to think he had left their mother in jail.   </p> <p>Some of the crew were in tears when they were freed from jail. The five departed Lebanon on a flight to Australia on Wednesday night, local time.</p> <p>Speaking with Nine on their way to the airport, Brown said the first thing she did upon being freed was to “call home straight away” and speak with husband John McAvoy.</p> <p>“But not the kids yet, I can’t wait to speak to them obviously, although they have no idea about any of this,” she said.</p> <p>Faulkner also called home, telling Nine: “It’s great to talk to home and it’s great to be going home.”</p> <p>She added, “I mean they treated us well, I can’t complain about that, it’s just the uncertainty that sort of kept me awake at night, not knowing if it was going to be a life-long sentence or what.</p> <p>“I’m just so glad to be out of there.”</p> <p>As part of the agreement for release, Faulkner must grant Elamine a divorce and custody of their two children, Lahela, 5 and Noah, 3. She has also relinquished her right to bring her children to Australia, and can only see them in Lebanon or a third country.</p> <p>Faulkner will remain in Beirut and meet with her husband, their children and the judge on Thursday for a custody hearing.</p> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/12/life-lessons-from-grandparents/"><em>Top 10 life lessons kids learn from grandparents</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/01/5-types-of-grandparents/"><em>There are 5 different types of grandparents – which one are you?</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/01/parents-and-kids-who-look-identical/"><em>10 pics of parents and kids who look identical</em></a></strong></span></p>

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