Pope says Lebanon faces ‘extreme danger’ after blast

Most of Lebanon is set to lose access to state-generated electricity, forcing residents to buy electricity from private providers or be plunged in darkness.

Supporters of the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah staged a protest after a court dismissed a legal complaint about the judge investigating the 2020 Beirut port explosion.

Heavy fighting claimed at least six lives and left dozens wounded in Lebanon's capital as an escalation of tensions around last year's massive portside explosion turned parts of Beirut into a war-zone. The army deployed tanks and troops to quell street battles that sparked memories of the 1975-1990 civil war for a city already traumatised by last year's blast disaster and Lebanon's worst-ever economic crisis.

The army is investigating a soldier suspected of firing toward protesters during Thursday's deadly clashes over the Beirut blast probe. Meanwhile, families of the blast victims have backed the judge leading the probe.

The new Lebanese government is to resume negotiations with the IMF after talks stalled 13 months ago. Success, however, is not guaranteed, warn some experts.

In Lebanon the car has reigned supreme, with little managing to steer people away from the mighty automobile. But now, the economic crisis is succeeding where everything else failed by challenging Lebanon's national passion for automobile ownership, and driving growing numbers towards greener or more collective transport.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has said the Catholic Church needs to be more transparent about abuse scandals. He and the pope also criticized a lack of coherent EU immigration policy with regard to refugees.

Religious minorities in India have reported increased discrimination and violence since Narendra Modi took office in 2014. The pope wants to make an official trip to the South Asian nation, but has so far been shunned.

Lebanon is once again caught in a regional rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran. A diplomatic row with the Gulf states could add to the country's political instability and economic crisis.

More than half of families in Lebanon had at least one child who skipped a meal by October 2021 amid a "dramatic deterioration of living conditions", the UN's children's fund UNICEF said in a report released on Tuesday (November 23). Children have been hit hard by the country's deep economic crisis exacerbated by the global coronavirus pandemic which has left about eight in 10 people poor and threatens the education of some 700,000 children including 260,000 Lebanese, the report said.

Lebanon blast linked to Hamas weapons depot: Anchal Vohra reports

The 2020 Beirut port blast was a traumatic experience for many people in Lebanon. A large number sought therapy in the aftermath. But, with doctors leaving the country, help is not easy to find.