In Pics | One year of devastating Beirut explosion

A&nbsp;year&nbsp;after&nbsp;a monster explosion at Beirut's port, one in three families in&nbsp;Lebanon&nbsp;have&nbsp;children&nbsp;still&nbsp;showing signs of trauma, the&nbsp;UN&nbsp;said Tuesday.

"One in three families&nbsp;has&nbsp;children&nbsp;still&nbsp;showing signs of psychological&nbsp;distress," said the&nbsp;UN&nbsp;agency for&nbsp;children, UNICEF, citing a July survey of 1,200 families.

"In the case of adults, the figure reaches almost one in two (45.6 percent)," it added in a report published on the eve of the&nbsp;blast's first anniversary.

The August 4, 2020 explosion killed more than 200 people, wounded at least 6,500 others and damaged swathes of the capital.

In the&nbsp;year&nbsp;since,&nbsp;Lebanon&nbsp;has also had to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic and a spiralling economic crisis branded by the World Bank as one of the planet's worst since the mid-19th century.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/lebanon-few-days-away-from-social-explosion-pm-diab-396317">Also read |&nbsp;Lebanon few days away from social explosion: PM Diab</a>

"One&nbsp;year&nbsp;after&nbsp;the tragic events,&nbsp;children's lives remain deeply affected," said Yukie Mokuo,&nbsp;UNICEF's representative in&nbsp;Lebanon.

"Those families have been struggling to recover from the aftermath of the explosions at the worst possible time – in the middle of a devastating economic crisis and a major pandemic."&nbsp;

A&nbsp;UNICEF&nbsp;survey in July found that almost all families that requested assistance in the wake of the Beirut port&nbsp;blast&nbsp;still&nbsp;need help, especially cash and food assistance, the agency said.

Many who lost employment because of the&nbsp;blast&nbsp;have yet to find work,&nbsp;UNICEF&nbsp;added, as&nbsp;Lebanon&nbsp;grapples with soaring poverty, rampant inflation and shortages of basic items from medicine to fuel.&nbsp;

"Children's lives are at risk as the escalating crisis is leaving most families unable to afford their basic needs," Mokuo said.&nbsp;

A year after a monster explosion at Beirut's port, one in three families in Lebanon have children still showing signs of trauma, the UN said Tuesday. "One in three families has children still showing signs of psychological distress," said the UN agency for children, UNICEF, citing a July survey of 1,200 families.

A year after a monster explosion at Beirut's port, one in three families in Lebanon have children still showing signs of trauma, the UN said Tuesday. "One in three families has children still showing signs of psychological distress," said the UN agency for children, UNICEF, citing a July survey of 1,200 families. "In the case of adults, the figure reaches almost one in two (45.6 percent)," it added in a report published on the eve of the blast's first anniversary. The August 4, 2020 explosion killed more than 200 people, wounded at least 6,500 others and damaged swathes of the capital. In the year since, Lebanon has also had to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic and a spiralling economic crisis branded by the World Bank as one of the planet's worst since the mid-19th century. Also read | Lebanon few days away from social explosion: PM Diab "One year after the tragic events, children's lives remain deeply affected," said Yukie Mokuo, UNICEF's representative in Lebanon. "Those families have been struggling to recover from the aftermath of the explosions at the worst possible time – in the middle of a devastating economic crisis and a major pandemic." A UNICEF survey in July found that almost all families that requested assistance in the wake of the Beirut port blast still need help, especially cash and food assistance, the agency said. Many who lost employment because of the blast have yet to find work, UNICEF added, as Lebanon grapples with soaring poverty, rampant inflation and shortages of basic items from medicine to fuel. "Children's lives are at risk as the escalating crisis is leaving most families unable to afford their basic needs," Mokuo said.

Year after Lebanon blast, children still in distress: UN

For Beirut blast survivor Shady Rizk, the time has stopped since August 4 last year when a huge stockpile of ammonium nitrate exploded in the Lebanese capital's port opposite his office. The gigantic explosion killed more than 200 people, injured thousands, and destroyed large parts of the city.

For Beirut blast survivor leaving Lebanon, everyday is August 4

At least three people were killed and several people wounded in an ambush on Shi'ite mourners in a town south of Beirut, a day after a revenge killing of a member of Lebanon's Hezbollah group. The three were shot in the town of Khaldeh, where sectarian tensions have long flared between the town's mixed Shi'ite and Sunni residents.

Three people killed, several wounded in ambush on Shi'ite mourners in Beirut

A judge investigating last year's devastating Beirut port blast said on Friday that he had summoned the outgoing premier and has taken steps towards indicting former ministers and security officials.

On August 4, 2020. Hundreds of tonnes of Ammonium Nitrate exploded in Beirut port. The huge blast killed more than 200 people and injured thousands. Swathes of Lebanon capital were ravaged in the blast

After the blast, it came to light that the officials had knowledge for years that explosive substances were stored unsafely at the Beirut port.

The slow pace of the investigation has sparked outrage at home and fuelled distrust among international donors. 
Tareq Bitar in February became the second judge to probe the explosion following a court order removing his predecessor, who had issued charges against prime minister Hassan Diab and three former ministers over the blast.

Bitar on Friday told a small group of journalists, including one from AFP, that he had summoned Diab, who is still indicted in the case.

He said he had also taken steps towards charging four former ministers -- ex-finance minister Ali Hasan Khalil, former public works ministers Ghazi Zaiter and Yusef Fenianos, and ex-interior minister Nohad Machnouk.

Bitar said he would be looking at possible charges of "probable intent to murder" and "negligence", as the officials "did not take measures to avert the risk of an explosion".

Bitar's predecessor, Fadi Sawan, had in December last year charged Diab, Khalil, Fenianos and Zaiter with "negligence and causing death to hundreds".

But Khalil and Zaiter managed to get a court to remove Sawan in February, arguing that the indictment of a lawmaker needed parliament clearance.&nbsp;

Bitar said he has requested that parliament lift the immunity of lawmakers Khalil, Zaiter and Machnouk.

(With inputs from agencies)

A judge investigating last year's devastating Beirut port blast said on Friday that he had summoned the outgoing premier and has taken steps towards indicting former ministers and security officials.

A judge investigating last year's devastating Beirut port blast said on Friday that he had summoned the outgoing premier and has taken steps towards indicting former ministers and security officials. On August 4, 2020. Hundreds of tonnes of Ammonium Nitrate exploded in Beirut port. The huge blast killed more than 200 people and injured thousands. Swathes of Lebanon capital were ravaged in the blast After the blast, it came to light that the officials had knowledge for years that explosive substances were stored unsafely at the Beirut port. The slow pace of the investigation has sparked outrage at home and fuelled distrust among international donors. Tareq Bitar in February became the second judge to probe the explosion following a court order removing his predecessor, who had issued charges against prime minister Hassan Diab and three former ministers over the blast. Bitar on Friday told a small group of journalists, including one from AFP, that he had summoned Diab, who is still indicted in the case. He said he had also taken steps towards charging four former ministers -- ex-finance minister Ali Hasan Khalil, former public works ministers Ghazi Zaiter and Yusef Fenianos, and ex-interior minister Nohad Machnouk. Bitar said he would be looking at possible charges of "probable intent to murder" and "negligence", as the officials "did not take measures to avert the risk of an explosion". Bitar's predecessor, Fadi Sawan, had in December last year charged Diab, Khalil, Fenianos and Zaiter with "negligence and causing death to hundreds". But Khalil and Zaiter managed to get a court to remove Sawan in February, arguing that the indictment of a lawmaker needed parliament clearance. Bitar said he has requested that parliament lift the immunity of lawmakers Khalil, Zaiter and Machnouk. (With inputs from agencies)

Beirut blast judge takes aim at top officials

A team of French investigators began questioning former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn in Beirut on Monday over suspicion of financial misconduct. Ghosn was arrested in Japan in 2018.

French investigators probe former Nissan chief Ghosn in Beirut

Broken signals, potted roads and dysfunctional system: Beirut struggles to survive

Protests in Lebanon over economic crisis, political deadlock

Protesters blocked roads with burning tyres and dumpsters across Lebanon on Tuesday after the currency tumbled to a new low in a financial meltdown that has fueled poverty.

"We can't bear it anymore...The dollar is going up and they don't care about us. They're still dividing up their gains," Rabih Khaled, who has been unemployed for months, said at one of the protests.

Crushed under a mountain of debt, Lebanon is grappling with a financial crisis that has wiped out jobs, raised warnings of growing hunger and locked people out of their bank deposits.

The collapse of the Lebanese pound, which fell to 10,000 to the dollar on Tuesday, has slashed about 85% of its value in a country relying heavily on imports.

The decline was the last straw for many who have seen prices of consumer goods such as diapers or cereals nearly triple since the crisis erupted.

"They're taking away our dignity. We came down today to say no we have dignity ... We are not insects. They are controlling the dollar for your interests to steal money from the people," 43-year old Tawfik Marei said.

"If I can still afford to get bread to feed my kids, others can't. I'm telling everyone to go down to the streets for these people."

Protesters shut down a main highway out of the capital Beirut and the airport road. People took to the streets in other cities as well after the cost of scarce dollars hit 10,000 Lebanese pounds on the informal market.

That makes Lebanon's minimum wage worth about $68 a month.

Political leaders have failed to agree a rescue plan since the crisis, rooted in decades of state graft, erupted in late 2019 as dollar inflows dried up.

At the time, protesters had swept the country angry over economic hardship and new tax plans, including a daily 20-cent fee on Whatsapp calls.

The currency last touched lows close to 10,000 in the summer of 2020, weeks before the huge August port blast that devastated much of Beirut.

"I'm asking the president to have a conscience and be aware of the tragic situation that we are facing," said Katia Bassil, a graphic designer, in central Beirut on Tuesday.

Protesters blocked roads with burning tyres and dumpsters across Lebanon on Tuesday after the currency tumbled to a new low in a financial meltdown that has fueled poverty.

Protesters blocked roads with burning tyres and dumpsters across Lebanon on Tuesday after the currency tumbled to a new low in a financial meltdown that has fueled poverty. "We can't bear it anymore...The dollar is going up and they don't care about us. They're still dividing up their gains," Rabih Khaled, who has been unemployed for months, said at one of the protests. Crushed under a mountain of debt, Lebanon is grappling with a financial crisis that has wiped out jobs, raised warnings of growing hunger and locked people out of their bank deposits. The collapse of the Lebanese pound, which fell to 10,000 to the dollar on Tuesday, has slashed about 85% of its value in a country relying heavily on imports. The decline was the last straw for many who have seen prices of consumer goods such as diapers or cereals nearly triple since the crisis erupted. "They're taking away our dignity. We came down today to say no we have dignity ... We are not insects. They are controlling the dollar for your interests to steal money from the people," 43-year old Tawfik Marei said. "If I can still afford to get bread to feed my kids, others can't. I'm telling everyone to go down to the streets for these people." Protesters shut down a main highway out of the capital Beirut and the airport road. People took to the streets in other cities as well after the cost of scarce dollars hit 10,000 Lebanese pounds on the informal market. That makes Lebanon's minimum wage worth about $68 a month. Political leaders have failed to agree a rescue plan since the crisis, rooted in decades of state graft, erupted in late 2019 as dollar inflows dried up. At the time, protesters had swept the country angry over economic hardship and new tax plans, including a daily 20-cent fee on Whatsapp calls. The currency last touched lows close to 10,000 in the summer of 2020, weeks before the huge August port blast that devastated much of Beirut. "I'm asking the president to have a conscience and be aware of the tragic situation that we are facing," said Katia Bassil, a graphic designer, in central Beirut on Tuesday.

Protesters shut down roads as Lebanon pound hits all-time low

Months after a monster port blast, a German firm has treated 52 containers of hazardous material at Beirut port and will ship them out of Lebanon, the German ambassador said on Saturday.&nbsp;

On Twitter, Andreas Kindl said the heavy lift transport company Combi Lift 'has treated 52 containers of hazardous and dangerous chemical material that had been accumulated over decades and were a threat to the people in Beirut'.&nbsp;

They stand ready to be shipped to Germany, he added. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The August 4 explosion of a stockpile of ammonium nitrate fertiliser that had been left to languish haphazardly at the Beirut port for years killed more than 200 people, wounded at least 6,500 others and ravaged swaths of the capital.&nbsp;

Lebanon's worst peace-time disaster sparked concerns over remaining shipments of hazardous chemicals still stored at the blast site.&nbsp;

In November, Lebanon signed a contract with Combi Lift, which was already working at the port, to clear containers carrying hazardous chemicals.&nbsp;

The containers, which include corrosive acids, had been stored in an open-air cargo zone for over a decade under the supervision of Lebanon’s customs authority, officials said at the time.&nbsp;

If they catch fire 'Beirut will be wiped out', interim port chief Bassem al-Kaisi said in November.&nbsp;

Kindl on Saturday published pictures on Twitter showing fraying containers at the port and what appears to be chemicals leaking from some of them.&nbsp;

Lebanese authorities have said Combi Lift will ship the chemicals in special containers as part of a $3.6 million deal, with the port authority reportedly to pay $2 million of that.&nbsp;

Lebanon's army and port authority have said they do not have the expertise to handle such a process.&nbsp;

Lebanon has launched an investigation into the August blast amid public anger against a political class widely blamed for the tragedy.&nbsp;

At least 25 people have been arrested, including the port chief and the head of the customs authority, but no politician has been held to account.&nbsp;

Months after a monster port blast, a German firm has treated 52 containers of hazardous material at Beirut port and will ship them out of Lebanon, the German ambassador said on Saturday.

Months after a monster port blast, a German firm has treated 52 containers of hazardous material at Beirut port and will ship them out of Lebanon, the German ambassador said on Saturday. On Twitter, Andreas Kindl said the heavy lift transport company Combi Lift 'has treated 52 containers of hazardous and dangerous chemical material that had been accumulated over decades and were a threat to the people in Beirut'. They stand ready to be shipped to Germany, he added. The August 4 explosion of a stockpile of ammonium nitrate fertiliser that had been left to languish haphazardly at the Beirut port for years killed more than 200 people, wounded at least 6,500 others and ravaged swaths of the capital. Lebanon's worst peace-time disaster sparked concerns over remaining shipments of hazardous chemicals still stored at the blast site. In November, Lebanon signed a contract with Combi Lift, which was already working at the port, to clear containers carrying hazardous chemicals. The containers, which include corrosive acids, had been stored in an open-air cargo zone for over a decade under the supervision of Lebanon’s customs authority, officials said at the time. If they catch fire 'Beirut will be wiped out', interim port chief Bassem al-Kaisi said in November. Kindl on Saturday published pictures on Twitter showing fraying containers at the port and what appears to be chemicals leaking from some of them. Lebanese authorities have said Combi Lift will ship the chemicals in special containers as part of a $3.6 million deal, with the port authority reportedly to pay $2 million of that. Lebanon's army and port authority have said they do not have the expertise to handle such a process. Lebanon has launched an investigation into the August blast amid public anger against a political class widely blamed for the tragedy. At least 25 people have been arrested, including the port chief and the head of the customs authority, but no politician has been held to account.

German firm to clear Beirut port of 52 hazardous containers

Near the wreckage of Beirut's port, a charity is bringing Christmas cheer to a city hammered by a devastating explosion, rising coronavirus infections and the worst economic crisis since Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war.

'Glimmer of hope': Beirut seeks Christmas cheer after devastating year

The judge investigating the Beirut port explosion has charged Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab and three former ministers with negligence over the blast that killed 200 people and devastated swathes of the capital.

Lebanese judge charges PM, ex-ministers over Beirut port blast

The prisoners of a Lebanon jail tried to break out of the detention centre on Saturday, leaving five of the fleeing prisoners dead.

Lebanon's&nbsp;Internal Security Forces (ISF) reported in an official statement that more than 60 detainees tried to break out of the detention centre on Saturday. Five of the prisoners were declared dead after their car rammed into a tree.

A total of 69 prisoners tried to flee the facility which is located near the capital city Beirut and is counted as a&nbsp;part of Baabda district prison. This facility mainly holds the pre-trial detainees.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/dead-end-israel-says-lebanon-is-changing-stance-on-maritime-border-344376">'Dead end': Israel says Lebanon is changing stance on maritime border</a>

As of now, it has not been made clear how the prisoners managed to flee. Out of 69, five were declared dead, 15 were caught again and four turned themselves in immediately after the jailbreak attempt.

According to local media reports, the prisoners escaped from the prison at dawn after they were successful in breaking open cell doors.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-to-sanction-leader-of-lebanons-free-patriotic-movement-341080">US to sanction leader of Lebanon's Free Patriotic Movement</a>

The jailbreak has come a few months after&nbsp;Amnesty International reported riots inside the Lebanese jails, after which the families of the prisoners had organised sit-in protests demanding the release of prisoners fearing a wide spread of the novel coronavirus vaccine. As per the reports, the Lebanese government had released a few prisoners who needed care and had also taken numerous other measures guaranteeing health and safety of the detainees.

President Michel Aoun was briefed by the caretaker interior minister about the break-out and ordered that search operations be intensified and the incident be investigated, the Presidency tweeted

The prisoners of a Lebanon jail tried to break out of the detention centre on Saturday, leaving five of the fleeing prisoners dead. Lebanon's Internal Security Forces (ISF) reported in an official statement that more than 60 detainees tried to break out of the detention centre on Saturday.

The prisoners of a Lebanon jail tried to break out of the detention centre on Saturday, leaving five of the fleeing prisoners dead. Lebanon's Internal Security Forces (ISF) reported in an official statement that more than 60 detainees tried to break out of the detention centre on Saturday. Five of the prisoners were declared dead after their car rammed into a tree. A total of 69 prisoners tried to flee the facility which is located near the capital city Beirut and is counted as a part of Baabda district prison. This facility mainly holds the pre-trial detainees. Also read| 'Dead end': Israel says Lebanon is changing stance on maritime border As of now, it has not been made clear how the prisoners managed to flee. Out of 69, five were declared dead, 15 were caught again and four turned themselves in immediately after the jailbreak attempt. According to local media reports, the prisoners escaped from the prison at dawn after they were successful in breaking open cell doors. Also read| US to sanction leader of Lebanon's Free Patriotic Movement The jailbreak has come a few months after Amnesty International reported riots inside the Lebanese jails, after which the families of the prisoners had organised sit-in protests demanding the release of prisoners fearing a wide spread of the novel coronavirus vaccine. As per the reports, the Lebanese government had released a few prisoners who needed care and had also taken numerous other measures guaranteeing health and safety of the detainees. President Michel Aoun was briefed by the caretaker interior minister about the break-out and ordered that search operations be intensified and the incident be investigated, the Presidency tweeted

Lebanon: More than 60 prisoners break free from jail; 5 dead

Her hands created the gentle smile on the face of the Virgin Mary, the folds in the robes of the Four Evangelists and the glow surrounding the cherubic baby Jesus.

In three decades of exacting work, Maya Husseini had established herself as Lebanon’s premier stained-glass artist, her work making the light of the Mediterranean dance in many of the country’s best-known churches.

As she celebrated her 60th birthday Aug. 3, she was looking forward to wrapping up a final project and retiring. But Lebanon had other plans.

The next day, an enormous explosion in the port of Beirut ripped through entire neighborhoods, gutting apartment buildings, killing more than 190 people and causing billions of dollars in damage. It also tore through churches housing Husseini’s work, reducing a dozen of her delicate tableaux to jagged shards and twisted metal.

“Thirty years of my professional life were gone,” she said in an interview after the blast in her workshop near Beirut. “Dust!”

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/lebanon-protest-movement-marks-harrowing-first-year-336017">Also read|&nbsp;Lebanon protest movement marks 'harrowing' first year</a>

In the aftermath, as her phone filled with images sent by distraught priests and pastors showing her work obliterated, Husseini decided that retirement would have to wait.

“I wanted to stop, but I don’t have the right to stop,” she said. “It is patrimony. You don’t have the right not to bring it back the way it was.”

There have always been risks to working in such a fragile medium in a country so prone to violent shocks.

Since its 15-year civil war ended in 1990, Lebanon has lived through political assassinations, Israeli airstrikes, jihadi car bombings and the influx of more than a million refugees from neighboring Syria. All of that was before new crises over the last year ravaged downtown Beirut and tanked the economy.

Husseini’s life and art had always traversed the chaos that before the Beirut blast only occasionally reached into sacred spaces.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/explosion-at-fuel-depot-in-beirut-kills-four-334196">Also read|&nbsp;Explosion at fuel depot in Beirut kills four</a>

One of those was a church damaged in the 2005 car bombing that killed former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Her first major project — extensive stained-glass images in the Notre Dame du Mont church in the mountain town of Adma, Lebanon — was also damaged when Israel bombed a nearby television antenna during its war with the Hezbollah militant group in 2006.

Last month’s blast, the largest explosion in Lebanon’s history, greatly surpassed the other blows, and the toll on her work was clear during a recent visit to her workshop outside Beirut, where the large metal door had been punched in by the impact. In the entryway sat the remains of shattered stained-glass windows from three churches and one home, in hopes that they could be repaired.

Inside, an energetic Husseini looked on as two assistants pieced together the paper pattern of a large portrait of Jesus, Mary and Joseph during the flight to Egypt. She had installed the original in Beirut’s Saint Joseph Church in 1992 and dug up the original pattern after it was destroyed in the blast to make it all over again.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/lebanon-asks-interpol-to-arrest-russian-ship-captain-owner-over-port-explosion-331906">Also read|&nbsp;Lebanon asks Interpol to arrest Russian ship captain, owner over port explosion</a>

Husseini grew up in a Maronite Christian family in Beirut, where she and her four sisters went to church regularly and she began drawing at age 12. She was 15 at the outbreak of Lebanon’s civil war, when an array of militias battled for turf, scarring and dividing the city.

She studied at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts and did a two-month stint focused on stained glass at Ateliers Loire in Chartres, France, home to the cathedral thought by many experts to have the finest stained-glass windows in the world.

Although Lebanon has more Christians per capita than any other Arab state, stained-glass windows were not common in its churches before the war, Husseini said. But after the guns fell silent in 1990, some congregations wanted to add them as the country rebuilt.

The first barrier she had to overcome, she said, was the hesitation of male church leaders to hire a woman for what was seen as physically demanding work.

“It was not often that they would trust you,” she said.

Her father, an engineer who built churches, convents and religious schools, helped her get started, and she completed her first commission in 1991 — more than 1,300 square feet of glass in the church in Adma featuring scenes from the life of Christ. The next year, she crafted images of saints and a mural of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in Egypt for the St. Joseph Church in Beirut.

As her name spread, she got more jobs, ultimately designing and producing stained glass for more than 35 churches and related facilities around Lebanon. She also did facades and murals for homes and the red, yellow and blue windows of the Sursock Museum, a private contemporary art museum in Beirut.

In 2016, she completed one of her most important projects: 39 windows in the 150-year-old St. Louis Cathedral in downtown Beirut, with the annunciation of Mary, Jesus’ birth, Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, the crucifixion and the resurrection. Around the cathedral’s cupola, she put 10 angel musicians.

“It was a lot of work,” she said. Some pieces were fired in the kiln four times because of all the detail.

Her process has changed little over the years. She works only on blown glass and by hand, with no computers. After getting a commission and visiting the site to assess the light, she draws the design full size in pencil and felt-tip pen.

Each section of the drawing gets two numbers: one for its place, the other for its color. She then cuts them with special scissors and uses the pieces as patterns to cut the glass.

Panes with illustrations such as faces and clothes are painted by hand and fired in a kiln to bind the paint to the glass. The pieces are then assembled with lead strips, welded into a frame and covered with mastic, a kind of sealant, for protection.

Nearly all of the supplies are imported — the glass from France and the lead from Canada — which has made it harder for Husseini to get them, because Lebanon’s currency has lost about 80% of its value since last year.

“Everything is from abroad,” she said. “Only the head and hands are Lebanese.”

Before the blast, Husseini’s major remaining project was the glass for a new basilica in Jordan, near the spot in the Jordan River where it is said that John the Baptist baptized Jesus. That was to take two years, after which she planned to shift to instructing young Lebanese artisans in the craft.

Husseini was in her family’s house in the mountains above Beirut when she heard the blast Aug. 4, but she did not immediately grasp its magnitude.

Her son-in-law’s grandmother was injured and rushed to the hospital, and her patrons flooded her phone with heartbroken messages and photos of her shattered work blown across church floors. A few days later, she began visiting sites that had once held her glass, and it was the St. Louis Cathedral that shocked her most. Of the 39 windows she had labored over for two years, only three remained.

“That’s when I felt the size of the catastrophe,” she said.

In the weeks since, she has returned to work, hiring new assistants to accelerate repair jobs and beginning the lengthy process of getting materials from abroad. Fixing everything could take years, and her most extensive projects are on hold while congregations gather money for restoration.

In Europe, the stained-glass trade was traditionally passed from father to son, she said, but neither of her adult children is interested. Her son is pursuing a doctorate in Switzerland and her daughter, an interior designer, plans to emigrate to Canada.

Husseini hopes the repair process will teach younger artisans the trade and keep it going when she finally retires.

“If I stopped, this work would completely stop in Lebanon,” she said. “And it would be a shame if it stopped.”

Her hands created the gentle smile on the face of the Virgin Mary, the folds in the robes of the Four Evangelists and the glow surrounding the cherubic baby Jesus.

Her hands created the gentle smile on the face of the Virgin Mary, the folds in the robes of the Four Evangelists and the glow surrounding the cherubic baby Jesus. In three decades of exacting work, Maya Husseini had established herself as Lebanon’s premier stained-glass artist, her work making the light of the Mediterranean dance in many of the country’s best-known churches. As she celebrated her 60th birthday Aug. 3, she was looking forward to wrapping up a final project and retiring. But Lebanon had other plans. The next day, an enormous explosion in the port of Beirut ripped through entire neighborhoods, gutting apartment buildings, killing more than 190 people and causing billions of dollars in damage. It also tore through churches housing Husseini’s work, reducing a dozen of her delicate tableaux to jagged shards and twisted metal. “Thirty years of my professional life were gone,” she said in an interview after the blast in her workshop near Beirut. “Dust!” Also read| Lebanon protest movement marks 'harrowing' first year In the aftermath, as her phone filled with images sent by distraught priests and pastors showing her work obliterated, Husseini decided that retirement would have to wait. “I wanted to stop, but I don’t have the right to stop,” she said. “It is patrimony. You don’t have the right not to bring it back the way it was.” There have always been risks to working in such a fragile medium in a country so prone to violent shocks. Since its 15-year civil war ended in 1990, Lebanon has lived through political assassinations, Israeli airstrikes, jihadi car bombings and the influx of more than a million refugees from neighboring Syria. All of that was before new crises over the last year ravaged downtown Beirut and tanked the economy. Husseini’s life and art had always traversed the chaos that before the Beirut blast only occasionally reached into sacred spaces. Also read| Explosion at fuel depot in Beirut kills four One of those was a church damaged in the 2005 car bombing that killed former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Her first major project — extensive stained-glass images in the Notre Dame du Mont church in the mountain town of Adma, Lebanon — was also damaged when Israel bombed a nearby television antenna during its war with the Hezbollah militant group in 2006. Last month’s blast, the largest explosion in Lebanon’s history, greatly surpassed the other blows, and the toll on her work was clear during a recent visit to her workshop outside Beirut, where the large metal door had been punched in by the impact. In the entryway sat the remains of shattered stained-glass windows from three churches and one home, in hopes that they could be repaired. Inside, an energetic Husseini looked on as two assistants pieced together the paper pattern of a large portrait of Jesus, Mary and Joseph during the flight to Egypt. She had installed the original in Beirut’s Saint Joseph Church in 1992 and dug up the original pattern after it was destroyed in the blast to make it all over again. Also read| Lebanon asks Interpol to arrest Russian ship captain, owner over port explosion Husseini grew up in a Maronite Christian family in Beirut, where she and her four sisters went to church regularly and she began drawing at age 12. She was 15 at the outbreak of Lebanon’s civil war, when an array of militias battled for turf, scarring and dividing the city. She studied at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts and did a two-month stint focused on stained glass at Ateliers Loire in Chartres, France, home to the cathedral thought by many experts to have the finest stained-glass windows in the world. Although Lebanon has more Christians per capita than any other Arab state, stained-glass windows were not common in its churches before the war, Husseini said. But after the guns fell silent in 1990, some congregations wanted to add them as the country rebuilt. The first barrier she had to overcome, she said, was the hesitation of male church leaders to hire a woman for what was seen as physically demanding work. “It was not often that they would trust you,” she said. Her father, an engineer who built churches, convents and religious schools, helped her get started, and she completed her first commission in 1991 — more than 1,300 square feet of glass in the church in Adma featuring scenes from the life of Christ. The next year, she crafted images of saints and a mural of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in Egypt for the St. Joseph Church in Beirut. As her name spread, she got more jobs, ultimately designing and producing stained glass for more than 35 churches and related facilities around Lebanon. She also did facades and murals for homes and the red, yellow and blue windows of the Sursock Museum, a private contemporary art museum in Beirut. In 2016, she completed one of her most important projects: 39 windows in the 150-year-old St. Louis Cathedral in downtown Beirut, with the annunciation of Mary, Jesus’ birth, Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, the crucifixion and the resurrection. Around the cathedral’s cupola, she put 10 angel musicians. “It was a lot of work,” she said. Some pieces were fired in the kiln four times because of all the detail. Her process has changed little over the years. She works only on blown glass and by hand, with no computers. After getting a commission and visiting the site to assess the light, she draws the design full size in pencil and felt-tip pen. Each section of the drawing gets two numbers: one for its place, the other for its color. She then cuts them with special scissors and uses the pieces as patterns to cut the glass. Panes with illustrations such as faces and clothes are painted by hand and fired in a kiln to bind the paint to the glass. The pieces are then assembled with lead strips, welded into a frame and covered with mastic, a kind of sealant, for protection. Nearly all of the supplies are imported — the glass from France and the lead from Canada — which has made it harder for Husseini to get them, because Lebanon’s currency has lost about 80% of its value since last year. “Everything is from abroad,” she said. “Only the head and hands are Lebanese.” Before the blast, Husseini’s major remaining project was the glass for a new basilica in Jordan, near the spot in the Jordan River where it is said that John the Baptist baptized Jesus. That was to take two years, after which she planned to shift to instructing young Lebanese artisans in the craft. Husseini was in her family’s house in the mountains above Beirut when she heard the blast Aug. 4, but she did not immediately grasp its magnitude. Her son-in-law’s grandmother was injured and rushed to the hospital, and her patrons flooded her phone with heartbroken messages and photos of her shattered work blown across church floors. A few days later, she began visiting sites that had once held her glass, and it was the St. Louis Cathedral that shocked her most. Of the 39 windows she had labored over for two years, only three remained. “That’s when I felt the size of the catastrophe,” she said. In the weeks since, she has returned to work, hiring new assistants to accelerate repair jobs and beginning the lengthy process of getting materials from abroad. Fixing everything could take years, and her most extensive projects are on hold while congregations gather money for restoration. In Europe, the stained-glass trade was traditionally passed from father to son, she said, but neither of her adult children is interested. Her son is pursuing a doctorate in Switzerland and her daughter, an interior designer, plans to emigrate to Canada. Husseini hopes the repair process will teach younger artisans the trade and keep it going when she finally retires. “If I stopped, this work would completely stop in Lebanon,” she said. “And it would be a shame if it stopped.”

The Beirut blast shattered her masterpieces. Now, the rebuilding starts.

Hundreds have marched in Lebanon's capital to mark the first anniversary of a non-sectarian protest movement. Protesters light torch in front of blash-hit port.

Hundreds in Lebanon mark first anniversary of protest movement; Protesters light 'torch of revolution'

Four people were killed and several more were wounded when a fuel tank exploded in a Beirut building on Friday, the Lebanese Red Cross said.

The explosion caused a large fire to break out in the building in the Tariq al-Jadida neighbourhood, a security source said.

One person was critically wounded, while several others were treated for smoke inhalation, the Red Cross and a hospital source said.

Four people were killed and several more were wounded when a fuel tank exploded in a Beirut building on Friday, the Lebanese Red Cross said. The explosion caused a large fire to break out in the building in the Tariq al-Jadida neighbourhood, a security source said.

Four people were killed and several more were wounded when a fuel tank exploded in a Beirut building on Friday, the Lebanese Red Cross said. The explosion caused a large fire to break out in the building in the Tariq al-Jadida neighbourhood, a security source said. One person was critically wounded, while several others were treated for smoke inhalation, the Red Cross and a hospital source said.

Explosion at fuel depot in Beirut kills four

An explosion and a fuel tank fire in the Lebanese capital has killed four people, rescuers said as panic spread in a city already ravaged by a monster blast in August.

Fuel tank fire and explosion kills four in Beirut

Lebanon's emergency services reeling from a devastating year. Firefighters in Lebanon complain for a diminishing fleet of cars.

Lebanon's emergency services reeling from a devastating year

Lebanon's emergency services are reeling from a devastating year, but are determined to press on.

Beirut firefighters bemoan budget cuts

Port blast on August 4 damaged prized heritage pieces in Beirut. Lebanon's artists are working around the clock to restore their country's heritage. Watch the report to know more.

Beirut Blast: "We will rebuild Beirut", says Artists

Beirut's heritage pieces damaged in Port Blast ; Lebanese artists count cost of blast

Lebanon was left reeling on Sunday without a hint of any end to the multiple crises, after its prime minister-designate stepped down following the failure of talks to form a government, despite international pressure.

Mustapha Adib's resignation on Saturday ended efforts to hammer out a reformist government. All this is happening in the wake of a colossal August 4 explosion in Beirut that killed 190 people, injured thousands and ravaged swathes of the capital.

To this end, Lebanon’s top Christian cleric said the nation faced “multiple dangers” that would be hard to weather without a government.

Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, leader of the Maronite church, Lebanon’s biggest Christian community, said Adib’s resignation had “disappointed citizens, especially the youth, who were betting on the start of change in the political class.”

Many top politicians, both Christian and Muslim, have held sway for years or even decades. Some are former warlords.

Rai said Lebanon now had to navigate “multiple dangers” without a government at the helm.

Rai’s comments were echoed on the streets of Beirut, where mass protests erupted in 2019 as years of mismanagement, corruption and mounting debts finally led to economic collapse, paralysing banks and sending the currency into freefall.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who had pressed Lebanon’s fractious politicians to reach a consensus so that Adib was named on Aug. 31, is to due to speak about the crisis in a news conference in Paris later on Sunday.

Political parties had pledged in early September, during a visit to Lebanon by French President Emmanuel Macron, to form within two weeks a cabinet of independent ministers tasked with ending the country's economic malaise.

Under the Lebanese constitution, the president must now hold further talks to nominate another prime minister to form a government, but it is a process that risks dragging out and even failing.

Adib's efforts were hampered by the claims of two Shiite formations, the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, and its ally Amal, led by parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who demanded the finance portfolio.

According to observers, the Shiite allies dug in their heels after recent US sanctions were imposed on a minister of the Amal party and two companies affiliated with Hezbollah.

Adib's decision to step aside 26 days after his appointment has left the people of Lebanon feeling as though they are back to square one.

Earlier this week, Lebanese President Michel Aoun warned the country was headed to "hell" without a new cabinet.

The Arabic-language newspaper Annahar warned of "grave repercussions", and said all eyes were on Macron, who is due to hold a news conference on Sunday evening.

The UN envoy to Lebanon, Jan Kubis, on Saturday reacted with disbelief: "Such a degree of irresponsibility when the fate of Lebanon and its people is at stake!"

Even before the devastating Beirut port blast, the country was already mired in its worst economic crisis in decades, and its entrenched political class was dealing with widespread popular discontent.

After the country for the first time defaulted on its sovereign debt in March, it launched talks with the International Monetary Fund towards lifting the country out of crisis, but those discussions soon stalled.

Now, with no new cabinet expected any time soon, analyst Maha Yahya said the country was left with a "lame duck" caretaker government.

Many are worried the country is headed from bad to worse, with daily novel coronavirus infection figures on the rise and increasing security incidents reported in recent weeks.

On Saturday night, an attack on an army post in north Lebanon killed two soldiers and an alleged "terrorist".&nbsp;

Police killed nine alleged Islamic State group-linked suspects in a manhunt over a murder last month, a security source said Sunday.

A senior Shi’ite Muslim cleric, Sheikh Ahmed Qabalan, said on Saturday Adib’s resignation as the economy collapsed could “be described as a disaster”, calling for national unity to deliver reforms, the state news agency reported.

The cabinet formation effort stumbled after Lebanon’s two main Shi’ite groups, Amal and the heavily armed Iran-backed Hezbollah, demanded they name several ministers, including finance, a key role as the nation draws up a rescue plan.

Saad al-Hariri, a former prime minister and leading Sunni politician, said in a statement he would not be involved in naming any new premier and said the French plan was “the last and only opportunity to halt Lebanon’s collapse”.

A French roadmap laid out a reform programme for a new government to help trigger billions of dollars of international aid.

(with inputs from agencies)

Lebanon was left reeling on Sunday without a hint of any end to the multiple crises, after its prime minister-designate stepped down following the failure of talks to form a government, despite international pressure.

Lebanon was left reeling on Sunday without a hint of any end to the multiple crises, after its prime minister-designate stepped down following the failure of talks to form a government, despite international pressure. Mustapha Adib's resignation on Saturday ended efforts to hammer out a reformist government. All this is happening in the wake of a colossal August 4 explosion in Beirut that killed 190 people, injured thousands and ravaged swathes of the capital. To this end, Lebanon’s top Christian cleric said the nation faced “multiple dangers” that would be hard to weather without a government. Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, leader of the Maronite church, Lebanon’s biggest Christian community, said Adib’s resignation had “disappointed citizens, especially the youth, who were betting on the start of change in the political class.” Many top politicians, both Christian and Muslim, have held sway for years or even decades. Some are former warlords. Rai said Lebanon now had to navigate “multiple dangers” without a government at the helm. Rai’s comments were echoed on the streets of Beirut, where mass protests erupted in 2019 as years of mismanagement, corruption and mounting debts finally led to economic collapse, paralysing banks and sending the currency into freefall. French President Emmanuel Macron, who had pressed Lebanon’s fractious politicians to reach a consensus so that Adib was named on Aug. 31, is to due to speak about the crisis in a news conference in Paris later on Sunday. Political parties had pledged in early September, during a visit to Lebanon by French President Emmanuel Macron, to form within two weeks a cabinet of independent ministers tasked with ending the country's economic malaise. Under the Lebanese constitution, the president must now hold further talks to nominate another prime minister to form a government, but it is a process that risks dragging out and even failing. Adib's efforts were hampered by the claims of two Shiite formations, the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, and its ally Amal, led by parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who demanded the finance portfolio. According to observers, the Shiite allies dug in their heels after recent US sanctions were imposed on a minister of the Amal party and two companies affiliated with Hezbollah. Adib's decision to step aside 26 days after his appointment has left the people of Lebanon feeling as though they are back to square one. Earlier this week, Lebanese President Michel Aoun warned the country was headed to "hell" without a new cabinet. The Arabic-language newspaper Annahar warned of "grave repercussions", and said all eyes were on Macron, who is due to hold a news conference on Sunday evening. The UN envoy to Lebanon, Jan Kubis, on Saturday reacted with disbelief: "Such a degree of irresponsibility when the fate of Lebanon and its people is at stake!" Even before the devastating Beirut port blast, the country was already mired in its worst economic crisis in decades, and its entrenched political class was dealing with widespread popular discontent. After the country for the first time defaulted on its sovereign debt in March, it launched talks with the International Monetary Fund towards lifting the country out of crisis, but those discussions soon stalled. Now, with no new cabinet expected any time soon, analyst Maha Yahya said the country was left with a "lame duck" caretaker government. Many are worried the country is headed from bad to worse, with daily novel coronavirus infection figures on the rise and increasing security incidents reported in recent weeks. On Saturday night, an attack on an army post in north Lebanon killed two soldiers and an alleged "terrorist". Police killed nine alleged Islamic State group-linked suspects in a manhunt over a murder last month, a security source said Sunday. A senior Shi’ite Muslim cleric, Sheikh Ahmed Qabalan, said on Saturday Adib’s resignation as the economy collapsed could “be described as a disaster”, calling for national unity to deliver reforms, the state news agency reported. The cabinet formation effort stumbled after Lebanon’s two main Shi’ite groups, Amal and the heavily armed Iran-backed Hezbollah, demanded they name several ministers, including finance, a key role as the nation draws up a rescue plan. Saad al-Hariri, a former prime minister and leading Sunni politician, said in a statement he would not be involved in naming any new premier and said the French plan was “the last and only opportunity to halt Lebanon’s collapse”. A French roadmap laid out a reform programme for a new government to help trigger billions of dollars of international aid. (with inputs from agencies)

'Multiple dangers': Lebanon reels after efforts to form government collapse

Lebanon's prime&nbsp;minister-designate Mustapha Adib recused himself from forming a new cabinet on Saturday as he struggled to get various factions together amid international pressure to form a government, over a month after the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/beirut-blast-protest-lebanese-protesters-march-to-presidential-palace-327217">Beirut </a>blasts.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/arms-depot-of-hezbollah-explodes-in-lebanon-several-injured-329556">Also Read: Arms depot of Hezbollah explodes in Lebanon, several injured</a>

"I excuse myself from continuing the task of forming the government," Mustapha Adib said in a televised speech.

Mustapha Adib added that he was stepping down from "the task of forming the government" after meeting President Michel Aoun.&nbsp;

Adib's decision comes after he reportedly failed to get support in a power-sharing structure with Iran-backed Hezbollah and its ally Amal over the finance ministry portfolio.

Lebanon's President Michel Aoun had said earlier that the country would go "to hell" if it doesn't name a cabinet. French President Macron had set a two-week deadline for the government formation which passed last week.

France had drawn up a detailed roadmap for the new cabinet. Macron had visited Beirut after the blasts on August 4 and said later that "if your political class fails, then we will not come to Lebanon's aid."

The Lebanon government had earlier declared a compensation programme for homes and businesses which were devastated by the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/beirut-fire-could-be-due-to-sabotage-ignorance-or-negligence-president-aoun-326586">Beirut </a>port blast in which at least 180 people were killed and several hundred injured.

President Michel Aoun signed a decree allocating over $66 million for the relief package even as just days after the blast the international community pledged around $300 million in emergency aid.

Lebanon's prime minister-designate Mustapha Adib recused himself from forming a new cabinet on Saturday as he struggled to get various factions together amid international pressure to form a government, over a month after the Beirut blasts.

Lebanon's prime minister-designate Mustapha Adib recused himself from forming a new cabinet on Saturday as he struggled to get various factions together amid international pressure to form a government, over a month after the Beirut blasts. Also Read: Arms depot of Hezbollah explodes in Lebanon, several injured "I excuse myself from continuing the task of forming the government," Mustapha Adib said in a televised speech. Mustapha Adib added that he was stepping down from "the task of forming the government" after meeting President Michel Aoun. Adib's decision comes after he reportedly failed to get support in a power-sharing structure with Iran-backed Hezbollah and its ally Amal over the finance ministry portfolio. Lebanon's President Michel Aoun had said earlier that the country would go "to hell" if it doesn't name a cabinet. French President Macron had set a two-week deadline for the government formation which passed last week. France had drawn up a detailed roadmap for the new cabinet. Macron had visited Beirut after the blasts on August 4 and said later that "if your political class fails, then we will not come to Lebanon's aid." The Lebanon government had earlier declared a compensation programme for homes and businesses which were devastated by the Beirut port blast in which at least 180 people were killed and several hundred injured. President Michel Aoun signed a decree allocating over $66 million for the relief package even as just days after the blast the international community pledged around $300 million in emergency aid.

Lebanon's PM-designate Mustapha Adib pulls out of government formation

US officials claim that Hezbollah is storing caches of weapons and ammonium nitrate across Europe. WION's Palki Sharma tells you how Hezbollah is facing a backlash over the Beirut blasts.

Gravitas: US: Hezbollah is storing caches of weapons, ammonium nitrate across Europe

Lebanese soldiers fired rubber bullets and live rounds in air as hundreds of protesters tried to march to the presidential place. It was an anti-government demonstration the call for which was given in the Baabda suburb of Beirut.

There is still a lot of anger against the government among the citizens after the devastating blast at the Beirut port. The blast killed nearly 200 people and injured 6500. To add to the scare, another mysterious and huge blaze was seen at the same site on Thursday.

As the protesters gathered in Baabda where the presidential palace is located, a counter-protest was organised by supporters of Lebanese President Michel Aoun at the same location.

Lebanese soldiers intervened to avoid clashes between the two groups and stood between them. They also blocked the way to the presidential palace.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hezbollah-condemns-bahrain-but-will-more-arab-countries-befriend-israel-in-near-future-327103">Hezbollah condemns Bahrain, but will more Arab countries befriend Israel in near future?</a>

As some of anti-government protesters attempted to break the security cordon and tried to make a dash for the presidential palace, soldiers shot rubber bullets and live rounds in the air.

The anger persists in the country as it is not yet known who was responsible for the Beirut blast. The catastrophe proved to be a tipping point for the collective public anger against years of government mismanagement that has resulted in a deep economic and financial crisis in Lebanon. 
&nbsp;

Lebanese soldiers fired rubber bullets and live rounds in air as hundreds of protesters tried to march to the presidential place. It was an anti-government demonstration the call for which was given in the Baabda suburb of Beirut.

Lebanese soldiers fired rubber bullets and live rounds in air as hundreds of protesters tried to march to the presidential place. It was an anti-government demonstration the call for which was given in the Baabda suburb of Beirut. There is still a lot of anger against the government among the citizens after the devastating blast at the Beirut port. The blast killed nearly 200 people and injured 6500. To add to the scare, another mysterious and huge blaze was seen at the same site on Thursday. As the protesters gathered in Baabda where the presidential palace is located, a counter-protest was organised by supporters of Lebanese President Michel Aoun at the same location. Lebanese soldiers intervened to avoid clashes between the two groups and stood between them. They also blocked the way to the presidential palace. Also Read | Hezbollah condemns Bahrain, but will more Arab countries befriend Israel in near future? As some of anti-government protesters attempted to break the security cordon and tried to make a dash for the presidential palace, soldiers shot rubber bullets and live rounds in the air. The anger persists in the country as it is not yet known who was responsible for the Beirut blast. The catastrophe proved to be a tipping point for the collective public anger against years of government mismanagement that has resulted in a deep economic and financial crisis in Lebanon.

Fresh anti-government protests break out in Lebanon, soldiers fire rounds in air to disperse crowd

Lebanese citizens continues to protest against the government following the massive Beirut port blast that killed more than 190 people. Protesters marched to the Presidential palace announcing a lack of progress in a probe into the blast that ravished the city of Beirut.

Beirut blast protest: Lebanese protesters march to Presidential palace

A huge fire has broken out at the Port of Beirut, triggering panic in the area just a month after a massive explosion there killed almost 200 people and injured 6,500 others.

Beirut port fire just a month after Beirut explosion

Lebanon's President Michel Aoun is at the centre of a new scandal after it was revealed that tea donated by Sri Lanka for victims of the Beirut blast was distributed to families of his presidential guards.

Lebanese President at centre of new scandal: President gave tea to members of entourage

A massive fire is raging at the port of Lebanon's capital, Beirut, a little more than a month after a huge explosion devastated the port facilities and surrounding area.

Lebanon: Massive fire erupts in Beirut port area

Music from a destroyed church echoed through Beirut on Tuesday (September 8) to mourn those lost in the August 4 port explosion and to pray for those who were wounded. Micheline Abi Samra, the founder of Beirut Chants which organises music recitals in Beirut at Christmas, said she was moved to organize the concert to help the Lebanese deal with their emotions through music.

Music resonates across Beirut in tribute to blast victims

Rescue and salvage teams are still working in Beirut, large parts of which lie in devastated condition one&nbsp;month after the blast.

September 4 marked the completion of a month of the blast that killed at least 180 people and injured around 6,000. The blast took place at Beirut port where 2759 tonnes of highly flammable ammonium nitrate was stored.

Rescue workers are still digging the rubble in the hope&nbsp;of finding survivors.

Rescue workers detect&nbsp;"heartbeat"&nbsp;under debris:

Rescue workers had detected a 'heartbeat' or a pulse on their sensor equipments in Mar Mikhael in Beirut. Head of the Chilean rescue team even told reporters on Friday that slow breathing had been detected under the rubble.

The workers then set about digging the area. However, no living person or a body was found till Saturday afternoon.

Rescuers are using scanning equipment to create 3D images of the wrecked building, which once housed a bar on its ground floor, to try to locate anyone alive, television showed.

The localities of Gemmayze and Mar Mikhael have been hardest hit due to the explosion.

City mourns the tragedy:

Authorities in Beirut held ceremonies on September 4 to mark one month of the tragedy that dealt a heavy blow to the city already reeling under economic crisis.

Lebanese government under Hassan Diab resigned in the aftermath of the blast. New government has a huge task ahead of it as Beirut residents are angry and not afraid to express it. Residents still feel that the government is not doing enough to address the situation.

"The government has been completely complacent, has been completely absent," said Stephanie Bou Chedid, a volunteer from a group helping victims of the blast. She was quoted by Reuters.

President Michel Aoun followed up on the operation in a phone call with the civil defence head, the presidency said.

Mohamed Houry, 65, said he hoped someone was alive but, even if only bodies were uncovered, "it`s important their families can find peace". 
&nbsp;

Rescue and salvage teams are still working in Beirut, large parts of which lie in devastated condition one month after the blast. September 4 marked the completion of a month of the blast that killed at least 180 people and injured around 6,000.

Rescue and salvage teams are still working in Beirut, large parts of which lie in devastated condition one month after the blast. September 4 marked the completion of a month of the blast that killed at least 180 people and injured around 6,000. The blast took place at Beirut port where 2759 tonnes of highly flammable ammonium nitrate was stored. Rescue workers are still digging the rubble in the hope of finding survivors. Rescue workers detect "heartbeat" under debris: Rescue workers had detected a 'heartbeat' or a pulse on their sensor equipments in Mar Mikhael in Beirut. Head of the Chilean rescue team even told reporters on Friday that slow breathing had been detected under the rubble. The workers then set about digging the area. However, no living person or a body was found till Saturday afternoon. Rescuers are using scanning equipment to create 3D images of the wrecked building, which once housed a bar on its ground floor, to try to locate anyone alive, television showed. The localities of Gemmayze and Mar Mikhael have been hardest hit due to the explosion. City mourns the tragedy: Authorities in Beirut held ceremonies on September 4 to mark one month of the tragedy that dealt a heavy blow to the city already reeling under economic crisis. Lebanese government under Hassan Diab resigned in the aftermath of the blast. New government has a huge task ahead of it as Beirut residents are angry and not afraid to express it. Residents still feel that the government is not doing enough to address the situation. "The government has been completely complacent, has been completely absent," said Stephanie Bou Chedid, a volunteer from a group helping victims of the blast. She was quoted by Reuters. President Michel Aoun followed up on the operation in a phone call with the civil defence head, the presidency said. Mohamed Houry, 65, said he hoped someone was alive but, even if only bodies were uncovered, "it`s important their families can find peace".

Beirut blast: One month later, rescue workers still search for survivors

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