by reuters By Maha El Dahan, Editing by Timothy Heritage -- -- A report released by Human Rights Watch on Tuesday concluded there was strong evidence to suggest some Lebanese officials knew about and tacitly accepted the lethal risks posed by ammonium nitrate stored at Beirut port before the fatal blast there on Aug. 4 last year. HRW called for a U.N. investigation into the explosion, which was caused by the chemicals stored unsafely at the port for years and killed more than 200 people, injured thousands and destroyed swathes of Lebanon’s capital. The report by the international rights watchdog contained over 700 pages of findings and documents. Its investigation also concluded there was evidence that multiple Lebanese authorities were criminally negligent under Lebanese law.

HRW said President Michel Aoun, caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab, director general of state security Tony Saliba and other former ministers wanted for questioning by judge Bitar, had failed to take action to protect the general public despite having been informed of the risks. The presidential palace offered no comment. Saliba said his agency did all it could within its legal remit, filing legal reports to warn officials, and had an office open at the port only months before the blast. There was no immediate response from Diab. Aoun said on Friday he was ready to testify and that no one was above the law. HRW based its report on official documents it reviewed and on multiple interviews with top officials including the president, the caretaker prime minister and the head of the country’s state security.

by english.alaraby.co.uk — France said on Monday a forthcoming conference on Lebanon needs to gather $357 million in aid to meet the …

By: https://www.annahar.com/

الأوّل من آب، يومٌ منير يَلْتَفُّ الشعب اللبناني فيه كلّ عام حول المؤسّسة العسكرية، كذلك يُعبّر المجتمع الدولي عن ثقته بهذه المؤسّسة لأنها جيش الوطن لا جيش النظام، جيش اللبنانيين لا جيش السياسيين وحصصهم، جيش القيَم الإنسانية الحضارية لا جيش السلطة "البوليسية" المُتَسَلّطة …

الرابع من آب، أصبح يوم الضمير! ويوم العِبرَة للجميع.

عِبرَة مُؤلِمة ودرسٌ قاسٍ، تعلّمنا منهما أن السبيل الأفضل لحماية الأرواح والأرض والمُلكِيّة هو في حسن تطبيق الدستور والقوانين وفي القيام بالواجبات المنصوص عليها على جميع المستويات، وفي السهر الدؤوب على رصدِ ومراقبة كلّ الأخطار المُحدقة بالوطن والشعب، دون أيّ إهمال !

"بين الأوّل من آب والرابع منه"… جامِعٌ مُشتَرَك يَتَظهّر بنَهرٍ من دماء التضحية الزكيّة، دماء شهادة العسكريين وتضحيات المواطنين، وكلّ من روى تراب الوطن في الضنّية ونهر البارد وفي المواجهات مع العدوّ الإسرائيلي، كما في الاغتيالات السياسية والعسكريّة وفي التفجيرات المُدمّرة، أمّا أفظعها لُبنانيًا وعالمِيًا فانفجار مرفأ بيروت، إرهابيَةً كانت أسبابه أم غير ذلك .

by AFP — Beirut: Lebanon’s newly designated prime minister Najib Mikati said Monday that a cabinet lineup would not be announced by …