#khazen Aug. 24 — Bloomberg’s Vonnie Quinn highlights the photos illustrating headlines from around the world on "Bloomberg Surveillanc

 

#khazen At least one protester died after violent clashes with police in Beirut over the weekend, as thousands filled the streets around downtown Martyrs’ Square on August 22 and 23 in anti-government protests focusing around the issue of waste management. This dramatic drone footage shows the scale of the protests on Sunday, August 23. Credit: YouTube/Tarek Chehab

 

A woman walks near shattered glass as the word "revolution" is seen on a broken advertising billboard in downtown Beirut, Lebanon August 24, 2015. Lebanese protesters said they had postponed a demonstration set for Monday evening, after rallies a day earlier triggered clashes with security forces in Beirut. Protests against the Lebanese government turned violent on Sunday, and Prime Minister Tammam Salam threatened to resign as public discontent brought thousands into the streets. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi

 

A woman covers her nose as she passes by waste management workers as they collect a pile of garbage near the government building a day after a violent protests against the ongoing trash crisis, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Aug. 24, 2015. Organizers of the “You stink” protests that have captivated the Lebanese capital postponed demonstrations set for Monday evening after a night of violent clashes with police during which dozens of protesters and police officers were wounded. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar

 

 

A protester holds up a Lebanese flag as he passes by an Arabic writing on a wall in Arabic that reads, "Solidere = trash,", a day after a violent protests against the ongoing trash crisis, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Aug. 24, 2015. Organizers of the “You stink” protests that have captivated the Lebanese capital postponed demonstrations set for Monday evening after a night of violent clashes with police during which dozens of protesters and police officers were wounded. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) #khazen

 

#khazen Protesters carry banners and a Lebanese national flag as they sit along a wall of concrete barriers erected by security forces on Monday to increase security, a day after protests against the government turned into violent clashes with police, near the government palace in Beirut, Lebanon August 24, 2015. Lebanese protesters postponed an anti-government demonstration set for Monday, after two days of rallies over uncollected garbage ignited fierce clashes and threatened the survival of the government, plunging Lebanon deeper into crisis. The banner (L) reads, "I swear to God, I thought I was at the borders with Israel". REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

 

BBC news

Organisers of protests over the failure of Lebanon’s government to clear rubbish from the streets of Beirut have postponed a rally planned for Monday. But the "You Stink" campaign said the decision did not mean it was finished.

The move comes after two days of demonstrations in the capital descended into clashes in which dozens of protesters and police were hurt. Prime Minister Tammam Salam has appealed for calm and threatened to resign over the crisis.In a televised address on Sunday, he warned that Lebanon was heading towards collapse, with the country’s "political garbage" crippling his unity cabinet.

‘We will not give up’

Thousands of people gathered outside the prime minister’s office in central Beirut on Sunday to protest against the government’s inability to remove the large piles of rubbish which have been building up in the capital for weeks

Chanting "the people want the downfall of the regime", some protesters threw rocks and sticks at riot police and lit fires. Officers responded by firing water cannon and tear gas.

The clashes left at least 44 demonstrators and 30 police officers injured, officials said. Dozens of people were also injured on Saturday, when police fired rubber bullets.

On Monday, the campaign announced that the demonstration planned for Monday evening had been postponed.

"The movement has not and will not stop," a statement on its Facebook page said. "Postponing from today to another date this week is not a retreat. We need to reassess and organise our demands."

You Stink leader Hassan Shams earlier blamed "infiltrators" for the violence over the weekend. "We started peacefully, and we will continue peacefully," he told New TV.

The protests have been largely co-ordinated by You Stink, which was formed when rubbish began piling up on the streets of Beirut and neighbouring areas after the country’s largest landfill was closed last month, with no ready alternative.

Activists blame political paralysis and corruption for the failure to resolve the crisis

Fouad al-Hassan, a 65-year-old actor, told the New York Times that he had decided to attend Sunday’s rally because he wanted to "change the system". "We want new blood or the country will stay the same," he added.

Lebanon has been without a president for more than a year, while members of parliament have extended their own terms until 2017 after failing to agree on a law to govern fresh elections.

The conflict in neighbouring Syria has also exacerbated political and sectarian divisions, and resulted in the arrival of 1.1 million refugees, putting a strain on the economy and public services.

Mr Salam said that if a cabinet meeting scheduled for Thursday was not productive on several issues, including the rubbish crisis, "there would be no necessity for the government after it".

"I warn that we are going towards collapse if matters continue," he added.

"Frankly, I have not and will not be a partner in this collapse. Let all officials and political forces bear their responsibilities."

The prime minister also warned that the government, which brings together all the main Lebanese parties, would be unable to pay civil servants’ salaries next month and risked being classified a "failing state".

If Mr Salam were to resign it could trigger a constitutional crisis because his replacement has to be appointed by the president.