International

Israel offers bitter rival Lebanon aid after blasts

JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israel on Tuesday offered humanitarian aid to Lebanon, with which it is still technically at war, following the huge explosions that rocked Beirut, killing dozens of people and wounding thousands. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed his National Security Council to make contact with UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov “in order to clarify how Israel can further assist Lebanon”. Earlier, Defence Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi […]

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Lebanon PM says 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded in port

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — About 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate were stored in the Beirut port warehouse that exploded Tuesday, devastating large parts of the Lebanese capital, Prime Minister Hassan Diab said. “It is unacceptable that a shipment of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate has been present for six years in a warehouse, without taking preventive measures,” he said at a defense council meeting, a spokesman told a press conference. “It is unacceptable and we […]

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Australian killed in Beirut explosions: PM

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — An Australian was among the dead after massive explosions devastated Beirut’s port on Tuesday and killed dozens, Australia’s prime minister said. “It’s my deep regret to inform you that one Australian has been killed in this horrific blast,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison told The Today Show without providing further details. Two enormous explosions killed at least 73 people and injured thousands, shaking distant buildings and spreading panic and chaos in the […]

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Forest fire in southern France triggers evacuations

by Clemence FOURNIVAL avec Julie PACOREL à Marseille MARTIGUES, France (AFP) — A forest fire Tuesday ravaged 800 hectares of vegetation near the southern French city of Marseille, forcing the evacuation of over 200 people, officials said. There were no casualties thus far from the blaze that broke out west of Marseille, as 1,200 firefighters and water bombing planes were deployed to fight the flames. Some 225 people, mostly tourists and campers, were evacuated by […]

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Pompeo offers US help to Lebanon after ‘horrible tragedy’

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday offered US assistance to Lebanon after Beirut was rocked by massive blasts. “We are monitoring and stand ready to assist the people of Lebanon as they recover from this horrible tragedy,” Pompeo wrote on Twitter. Pompeo in an accompanying statement said that the United States will wait for the findings of Lebanese authorities on the cause of the explosions, which killed at least […]

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Novavax reports promising early trial results of COVID-19 vaccine

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US biotech company Novavax on Tuesday announced its experimental COVID-19 vaccine elicited a robust immune response, producing more antibodies than are present in recovered patients, and with generally tolerable side-effects in its early-stage trial. The company was given $1.6 billion by the US government last month to develop and fund the drug under Operation Warp Speed — but in terms of timeline it is behind other firms including Moderna and […]

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Like an atomic bomb: Scenes of Beirut explosions that killed at least 100, wounded thousands

  (Eagle News) — These are just some of the scenes as provided by photos from Agence France Presse that showed the two enormous explosions which rocked Beirut’s port on Tuesday that killed at least 100 people and wounded thousands more. The explosions that shook distant buildings, with an enomous orange fireball seen in the sky, had “tornado-like shockwaves” that shattered windows kilometers away. Agence France Presse described the bloodied and dazed  people wounded by […]

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France’s Macron calls Lebanese counterpart, says help on the way

PARIS, France (AFP) — President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday called his Lebanese counterpart Michel Aoun and announced the dispatch of French aid to Lebanon after the powerful explosions in Beirut. “He expressed his support and that of France for the Lebanese people,” said the Elysee, the presidential palace. “French aid and resources are on the way,” the Elysee said, without elaborating. © Agence France-Presse

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UPDATED: Two huge Beirut explosions kill 78, injure thousands

by Bachir El-Khoury and Rouba El-Husseini BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — Rescuers worked through the night into Wednesday after two enormous explosions ripped through Beirut’s port, killing at least 78 people and injuring thousands, as they wrecked buildings across the Lebanese capital. The second blast sent an enormous orange fireball into the sky, immediately followed by a tornado-like shockwave that flattened the port and shattered windows across the city. The explosions — which were heard in […]

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Disabled Gaza couple make dolls to give their children ‘decent life’

by Adel Zaanoun RAFA, Palestinian Territories (AFP) — With skilled fingers, disabled Gazan couple Nihad and Zeinab Jarboa have supported themselves by sewing finely detailed dolls and costumes, but coronavirus has hurt their already meagre income. Making a living is a challenge for all residents of the Israeli-blockaded Palestinian territory, which is ruled by the Islamist movement Hamas and where the poverty rate exceeds 50 percent. But the Jarboas face added adversity. Nihad, 37, has […]

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Isaias makes landfall in North Carolina as Category 1 hurricane

MYRTLE BEACH, United States (AFP) — Hurricane Isaias slammed into North Carolina Monday as a category one storm, with winds of up to 85 miles (140 kilometers) an hour, the US National Hurricane Center said. The storm came ashore in the southern part of the state near Ocean Isle Beach at 11:10 pm (0310 GMT Tuesday). Meteorologists warned of heavy rain and potentially life-threatening storm surges. © Agence France-Presse

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75 years on, Japan bomb survivors make final pleas for abolition

  by Kyoko HASEGAWA Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — As Japan marks 75 years since the devastating attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the last generation of nuclear bomb survivors are working to ensure their message lives on after them. The “hibakusha” — literally “person affected by the bomb” — have for decades been a powerful voice calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons. There are an estimated 136,700 left, many of whom were […]

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