On Sunday, a French forensic police unit arrived in the Lebanese capital to begin work on an investigation into the explosion. At the same time, a US envoy also touched down in Beirut to assist with the probe into the August 4 explosion which killed more than 170 people and injured thousands.
The actual cause of the fire that ignited tons of ammonium nitrate still remains unclear.
French divers have already explored the underwater crater created by the explosion and taken samples of explosives.
Meanwhile, at section of the port left undamaged, workers were unloading wheat. Earlier in the week, the World Food Programme said 17,500 metric tons of wheat flour and a three-month supply of wheat is on its way to Lebanon.
In a separate development, the United Nations launched an appeal for $565 million in assistance for Lebanon.
The money will used for reconstruction efforts.
Najat Rochdi, a UN humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon said: “The task of rebuilding people’s lives and recovering from the devastation is only just beginning.”
Listen to the report
Even before the blast, Lebanon was suffering a deep economic crisis and struggling to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. The country recorded record high unemployment levels, sluggish growth and holds one of the highest debt ratios anywhere in the Middle East.
Last week, international leaders took part in a virtual donor conference pledging nearly $300m in humanitarian assistance which will be directly delivered to the people through the United Nations, international organizations and NGOs.
The EU welcomes the announcement on the normalisation of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, and acknowledges the constructive role played by the US in this respect. The EU has for many years promoted the development of relations between Israel and the countries of the region. Israel and the United Arab Emirates are both important partners of the European Union. A normalisation of their bilateral relations will be beneficial to both countries and a fundamental step for the stabilisation of the region as a whole. We remain committed to a comprehensive and lasting peace for the entire region and stand ready to work to this end together with our regional and international partners.
Israel’s commitment to suspend plans to unilaterally annex areas of the occupied Palestinian territory is a positive step. Any unilateral decision that undermines a lasting, agreed solution should be avoided. The EU remains firm in its commitment to a negotiated and viable two-state solution built upon the internationally agreed parameters and international law – and reaffirms its readiness to work towards the resumption of meaningful negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, building also on the commitment by the parties of the joint statement to engage diplomatically and continue efforts to achieve a just, comprehensive and lasting peace.
From across the region, the UN in the Pacific brought together artists UN leaders, heads of State and international celebrities in the world’s first regional COVID-19 concert.
“I’m very proud to be part of this historic event”, said Tofiga Fepulea’i, who hosted the concert in character as the popular television persona ‘Aunty Tala’. “Now is the time for us to come together, to celebrate the strength and solutions that are possible when the Pacific unites”.
The two-and-a-half-hour show featured contributions from 12 Pacific island nations, including musical performances from Jahboy of the Solomon Islands, Mia Kami of Tonga, Juny B of Kiribati, Te Vaka of New Zealand and many more.
“This is the first ever virtual concert to comprise primarily of artists from across the region and be accessible to audiences not only in the Pacific but around the world”, Mr. Fepulea’i added.
Moreover, videos messages of solidarity were delivered from international guests, such as the United Kingdom’s Prince Charles, Oscar-winning actor and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) advocate Forest Whitaker, and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
The virtual concert provided a platform for the geographically remote Pacific region to connect. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohamed reinforced the message that working together is the only way to overcome COVID-19.
“Much remains to be done, and no one person, island or country can do it alone,” she said in her video remarks.
The UN deputy chief highlighted the responsibility of the global community to come together to help “our small island neighbours” respond to the pandemic by ensuring equitable access to vital medical equipment, supplies and – when they become available – vaccines. She noted that the global community must also help the hard-hit economies of small island developing States through debt relief and rapid support that stimulates inclusive and resilient growth.
“Let us keep standing together to fight the virus. Let’s say no to violence, no to discrimination, no to stigma, no to vicious misinformation,” she urged. “And let’s say yes to solidarity, yes to compassion, caring for each other in the Pacific way.”
Multidimensional impacts
Already among the most remote countries on earth, Pacific island states saw their vital economic links weakened with the evaporation of tourism, severe disruptions to international trade, and a reduction in remittances.
The virtual concert brought attention to the multidimensional impacts of the pandemic, including a rise in domestic violence, unemployment, food insecurity, and mental health issues.
Speakers reinforced the need to build back better by creating a sustainable Pacific that is resilient to the impacts of climate change.
“This new normal should not be the same old story, but with face masks,” said President of Palau, Tommy E. Remengesau Jr, in his video message. “The Pacific has been pushing for big changes in travel, in tourism, in fishing, in plastic use and in energy production. In a strange way, COVID-19 has cleared paths to those objectives. If we manage this challenge the right way, we can build a stronger system than we had before.”
Reach and reception
UN Web TV broadcast the virtual concert on radio and television networks in 12 Pacific island countries, as well as in Australia and New Zealand, throughout Asia, and globally. And it was captioned for people who are deaf or have hearing impairments.
“In the Pacific, we love our music, and to hear from our leaders across the region, and our friends, on how to cope and be safe, and how to ensure that we are living in the new normal, I think it is timely”, said Pacific Disability Forum CEO Setareki Macanawai.
Watching on Facebook, law student at the University of the South Pacific’s Emalus Campus in Vanuatu Louisa Movick, believes in the healing powers of music. “In these difficult times with so many mixed emotions in the air, it is good to take a moment, breathe and listen to the music of our Pacific region through these artists”, she said.
The final act
The concert closed with a moving performance of a song called “We Will Rise”, written about the coronavirus pandemic in the Pacific and performed by Pasifika Voices and the International School Suva.
Sung primarily by children and youth, the heart-warming lyrics concluded on a note of hope.
“Around the world we’re closing borders, COVID-19 on the rise A new world order behind closed doors, the storm will pass, we will survive We will rise, we will rise again, our isles will rise again We will rise, we will rise again, our world will rise again”
UNDP/Luke McPake
The South Pacific archipelago of Tuvalu is highly susceptible to rises in sea level brought about by climate change.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday became the fourth longest-serving Prime Minister in Indian history, after Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Dr Manmohan Singh.
However, PM Modi is the first longest-serving Indian prime minister of non-Congress origin, surpassing Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Narendra Modi took oath as the 14th Prime Minister of the country on May 26, 2014. He started with his second innings as the PM again on May 30, 2019.
Jawaharlal Nehru remains the longest-serving prime minister of India so far. His tenure lasted for around 17 years, followed by his daughter Indira Gandhi who served two terms of little more 11 years and nearly five years respectively. Dr Manmohan Singh served two consecutive terms of five years each.
The other non-Congress prime ministers who could not complete their tenure included Morarji Desai (March 24, 1977 — July 28, 1979), Charan Singh (July 28, 1979 — January 14, 1980), Vishwanath Pratap Singh (December 2, 1989 — November 10, 1990), Chandra Shekhar (November 10, 1990 — June 21, 1991), H.D. Deve Gowda (June 1, 1996 — April 21, 1997) and Inder Kumar Gujral (April 21, 1997 — March 19, 1998).
Narendra Modi has become the fourth longest-serving prime minister just two days ahead of India’s 74th Independence Day. On August 15 he will deliver his seventh Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort.
Under PM Modi’s leadership, the BJP-led NDA government has ushered an era of inclusive and development-oriented governance, catering to the aspirations of the farmer, the poor, marginalised, youth, women and neo-middle class. He has introduced many schemes since 2014 and taken major decisions leading India on a new path of development and progress. He started the Make In India and Digital India and implemented the Goods and Services Tax (GST). He also started the Pradhan Mantri Yojna, Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao projects.
Pope Francis said after the recitation of the Angelus on Saturday that he is “following with particular attention the situation of the difficult negotiations regarding the Nile between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan.”
He urged all parties to “continue on the path of dialogue so that the Eternal River might continue to be a source of life”, uniting, not dividing, nourishing friendship and not hostility or conflict.
“Let dialogue”, he ended the appeal “be your only choice, for the good of your dear populations and of the entire world.”
Context of dispute
In April 2011, construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) began on the Blue Nile in the Ethiopian Genishangul-Gumuz region near its border with Sudan.
Once the $4.5 billion project is completed, it will be Africa’s largest hydroelectric power plant.
Concerns over the dam’s construction, including the possible decrease of water along the Nile in other countries, has created tensions between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan. The Blue Nile merges with the White Nile in Khartoum (Sudan) and provides about 85% of the Nile River’s volume.
Ethiopia, however, holds that the dam will increase access to electricity at lower costs, thus increasing the Nile’s potential to provide irrigation and decrease its flooding potential.
The countries with an interest in the consequences of the dam’s construction have met several times since its construction began.
The second round of talks hosted by the African Union began on 27 July. Observers from the United States, the European Union and experts from the African Union Commission were also present. The goal of this set of talks was a binding agreement governing the filling of the dam and its operations.
On 10 August, a one-week suspension of talks was announced by the Egyptian Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources. The suspension was granted pursuant to a request made by Sudan to complete internal consultations.
Meanwhile, all three countries water ministers will be consulting with each other in preparation for the next meeting.
Germany’s main Protestant church led a crowdfunding effort that purchased the rescue ship Sea-Watch 4 that is ready for work in the Mediterranean Sea to help migrants trying to reach Europe from North Africa.
According to Peter Kenny from Ecumenical News, “The Evangelical Church (EKD) initiated the effort by United4Rescue, a broad alliance to support civilian sea rescue.
“We connect all social organizations and groups that do not want to stand idly by the thousands of deaths in the Mediterranean,” says United4Rescue. “Through donation campaigns, we support rescue organizations that act in a humanitarian manner where politics fails.”
The crew of the “Sea-Watch 4” spent the past few weeks converting this old research vessel into a sea rescue vessel, as reported be the German news agency epd.
Aboard is a protection area with 24 beds for women and children along with a hospital ward.
When the crew has passed its mandatory quarantine it can start its work.
Due to the corona situation and the lockdown in Spain, the first mission was delayed almost four months.
Sea-Watch 4 is to set sail from the Spanish Burriana in the the coming days of August, less than a year after a petition was published by the 12th Synod of the Evangelical Church in Germany, the WCC reported.
The petition asked the church council to continue to campaign for sea rescue, communal reception, safe escape routes, fair asylum procedures and legal migration opportunities.
“We ask for God’s blessing on the crew of Sea-Watch 4 and on their important mission. May each of us, too, become a vessel of hope and instruments of peace for our neighbors,” said Rev. Ioan Sauca, interim general secretary of the World Council of Churches.
Work to convert the old research vessel into a sea rescue ship is almost complete and the crew is currently undergoing training and drills.
They will soon set out on their first mission.
Due to the COVID-19 situation and the lockdown in Spain, the mission was delayed almost four months.
Since the end of all state-sponsored rescue operations, only private ships have been sailing in the Mediterranean to rescue people who have fled from distress at sea.
It is estimated that around 400 people have drowned in the Mediterranean in 2020.
“One does not let any single human drown, end of discussion,” said Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, chairperson of the Evangelical Church in Germany, during the ceremony that launched the mission in February, in the city of Kiel.
The fundraising efforts that enabled Sea-Watch 4 to prepare to operate started in December, with a campaign of the alliance called “United4Rescue” named #WirschickeneinSchiff (“We send a ship”).
The coalition initiated has more than 500 supporting organizations, ranging from congregations and student groups to diaconal agencies as well as secular partners.
In January, the alliance succeeded in auctioning the former research ship “Poseidon” at a cost of 1.3 million euros, including 1.1 million euros donated by United4Rescue.
“Today I would like to pray in particular for the population of the northern region of Nigeria, victim of violence and terrorist attacks.”
Those were the words Pope Francis used after praying the Angelus on Saturday, praying for and asking us to pray for our brothers and sisters in northern Nigeria.
On 8 August, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria issued a statement addressing the “increasing insecurity” and acts of violence in Northern Nigeria.
“We continue to hear of increasing insecurity and unabated acts of terrorism in Northern Nigeria. We are all tired of this situation,” said the Bishops’ statement.
Using the word “massacre” to describe the violence in Southern Kaduna, the Bishops said the “killings must stop.”
Violence on the rise
In June 76 people were killed in an attack on Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State. Five humanitarian aid workers were violently murdered in July by Boko Haram militants after having been abducted in Borno State in June. At least three attacks attributed to the Fulani militia took place in Southern Kaduna in July alone.
On 5 August, at least thirty-three persons, mostly women and children, were killed by unknown gunmen in an attack on five Atyap chiefdom villages in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State. The State government recently imposed a curfew in the area due to the rising tensions.
Appeal to the government and for prayers
The Nigerian bishops appealed to the country’s government of their campaign promises to end corruption, guarantee safety of persons and property and to stimulate the economy. .
In addition, the Bishops turn to all Catholics that we join in prayer, praying praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys and one Glory Be to the Father “every day after the Angelus for forty days.”
This joint prayer will start from 22 August through to 30 September 2020 – the eve of Nigeria’s Independence Day anniversary. On 1 October (Nigeria’s Independence Day), the faithful are to pray the five decades of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary “for God to save Nigeria.”
Pope Francis on Saturday invited Christians to thank and praise God for the good that He has done in our life just as the Virgin did in the Magnificat, which became the source of her joy.
Pope Francis made the exhortation at the midday “Angelus” prayer in Rome’s St. Peter’s Square, on the day the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary into heaven.
The dogma of faith that Pope Pius XII proclaimed on November 1, 1950, asserts that the Virgin Mary “having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory”. Pope Francis said that the Assumption shines “as a sign of sure hope and solace to the People of God during its sojourn on earth”, as the Second Vatican Council puts it.
Addressing a holiday crowd from the window of his studio overlooking the square, the Pope said in Mary’s Assumption into Heaven, we celebrate an infinitely greater conquest than the “giant step for mankind” when man first set foot on the moon. When the lowly Virgin of Nazareth set foot in paradise, body and spirit, he said, it was “the huge leap forward for humanity”.
This, the Pope said, gives us hope that “we are precious, destined to rise again”. “God does not allow our bodies to vanish into nothing. With God, nothing is lost!”
Mary’s lowliness magnifies God goodness
Mary’s advice to us, the Holy Father said, lies in her song, the “Magnificat” – “My soul magnifies the Lord”. “Mary ‘aggrandizes’ the Lord: not problems, which she did not lack at the time,” the Pope explained. She does not allow herself to be “overwhelmed by difficulties and absorbed by fears”. Rather, she puts God as the first greatness of life, which becomes the source of her Magnificat. Her joy is born “not from the absence of problems, which come sooner or later, but from God’s presence”, because He is great and he looks on the lowly ones. “We,” the Pope stressed, “are the weakness of His love.”
Mary, the Pope continued, acknowledges that she is small and exalts the “great things” that the Lord has done for her. She is grateful for the gift of life, she is a virgin yet she becomes pregnant, and Elizabeth, too, who was elderly, is expecting a child. The Pope said, “the Lord works wonders with those who are lowly …, who give ample space to God in their life”, for which Mary praises God.
Forgetting the good shrinks the heart
Pope Francis thus invited all to ask ourselves, whether we, like Mary, praise and thank God for the good things He does for us, for His love, forgiveness, tenderness and for giving us His Mother and our brothers and sisters.
“If we forget the good,” the Pope warned, “the heart shrinks.” “But if, like Mary, we remember the great things that the Lord does, if at least once a day we were to “magnify” Him, then we would take a great step forward,” the Pope concluded, adding, our hearts will expand and our joy will increase.
On Saturday evening, to the applause of the faithful, Archbishop Fabio Dal Cin, Pontifical Delegate to the Shrine at Loreto announced the Pope’s decision to extend the Lauretan Jubilee until 10 December 2021. The Jubilee was granted on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of the proclamation by Pope Benedict XV of Our Lady of Loreto, Patroness of all airmen.
Imparting the news from the Shrine of the Holy House, the Archbishop said, “In this difficult time for mankind, Holy Mother Church gives us another twelve months to start anew with Christ, letting us be accompanied by Mary, a sign of consolation and sure hope for all”.
The Jubilee was officially inaugurated on 8December, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, with the opening of the Holy Door presided over by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, but “unfortunately not celebrated in all its entirety because of the Covid-19 epidemic”.
Apostolic Decree
An Apostolic Decree issued on July 16 by the Apostolic Penitentiary states that there will be for another twelve months to experience grace and forgiveness for all the faithful who visit the Pontifical Shrine. Grace which also extends to the many chapels of the civil airports and air force bases around the world.
The decree co-signed by Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, Major Penitentiary and Regent Father Krzysztof Józef Nykiel also states that “the faithful will draw from the generous extension good intentions and spiritual vigor to be implemented in life according to the law of the Gospel”.
“Fear runs down the spine of many of our people today. The crackdown on dissent is unprecedented. Is this the Zimbabwe we want? To have a different opinion does not mean to be an enemy. It is precisely from the contrast of opinion that the light comes. Our government automatically labels anyone thinking differently as an enemy of the country: that is an abuse,” said the Bishops in a Pastoral Letter released Friday. The letter is signed by all the country’s Catholic Bishops.
Suppression of people’s anger leads to a profound crisis
The Bishops add, “The call for demonstrations is the expression of growing frustration and aggravation caused by the conditions that the majority of Zimbabweans find themselves in. Suppression of people’s anger can only serve to deepen the crisis and take the nation into deeper crisis.”
The Government of President Emmerson Mnangagwa has widely been criticised for human rights abuses that have seen the country’s police and military unleashed on activists, journalists as well as the public. Several observers, such as Amnesty International, -all paint a climate of fear and brutal repression; forced disappearances, arrests, street abductions, and torture of the government’s critics.
#ZimbabweanLivesMatter
The government’s crackdown on peaceful protests has given rise to the hashtag, #ZimbabweanLivesMatter, inspired no doubt by the global movement, #BlackLivesMatter.
Among those still detained, in Zimbabwe, are Hopewell Chin’ono, an awarding-winning journalist. Also, in detention together with many others is Jacob Ngarivhume, leader of Transform Zimbabwe. The two high profile detainees have been charged with inciting public protests and violence.
Lawyers from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said detainees were being held in inhuman prison conditions.
Earlier, Zimbabwean President Mnangagwa, appeared to rebuff South Africa’s attempts to mediate and help ease the country’s crisis. Zimbabwe’s Catholic Bishops describe the failure of South Africa’s emissaries to meet with Church and civil society as regrettable and probably an opportunity missed.
A leadership that blames everyone but itself
According to the Bishops, the country’s political leadership needs to take full responsibility and stop blaming others for the country’s misfortunes.
“It is not clear to us as your Bishops that the national leadership we have has the knowledge, social skills, emotional stability and social orientation to handle the issues that we face as a nation. All we hear from them is blame of our woes on foreigners, colonialism, white settlers, and the so-called internal detractors. When are we going to take responsibility? While our neighbours in the region are strengthening their democratic institutions, we seem to be weakening ours,” reads the Pastoral Letter, in part.
During COVID-19, where does a nation turn to?
“In the face of growing numbers of COVID-19 infections, where does the nation turn to? With the necessary tools in short supply in our hospitals, we notice with wounded hearts, that government officials seem to have more PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) than our nurses and doctors,” observe the Bishops.
The march is never ended
“We make an urgent plea to peace and national building through inclusive engagement, dialogue and collective responsibility for transformation. We are also conscious that the COVID-19 pandemic will expose us to new challenges for the foreseeable future. Indeed, as John Lewis (the African American politician and civil rights leader) realised, the march is never ended, but together we will overcome,” said the Zimbabwe prelates.
