Direct from our studios most of this International Incheon thomas and certainly glad to have you with us lets get right to our breaking news at this hour a devastating explosion ripped through the lebanese capital on tuesday government Officials Say im least 78 people are dead and over 4000 injured the blast went off in the citys port area destroying nearby buildings and causing chaos across beirut. Ard we heard from the 2 reporters in beirut. And oh in a whole the way they told us more about the fallout from the devastating explosion. The devastation here in the lebanese capital is very massive it is being estimated by tens of millions of dollars as we said earlier the last had was felt 10 kilometers away from the port where it took place i believe this is going to be a sleepless night for the lebanese and a very sad night on social media a lot of lebanese are faring through the incident unfortunately there are pouring through a 1000 levanon here shima scores theres no comparison between a nuclear bomb and what happened there but it only shows how deeply impacted and how saddened they are and how devastating this explosion has been on the up and on and on the lebanese what are already grappling with a very bad Economic Situation kovac 19 proreform demonstrations or demonstrations asking to lemonade corruption from the power sharing system for failing in the country at the list goes on so this just adds further hurt and injury and tragedy to the lebanese people. In the pump last system that i think they take right downtown favorite toy stores hopefully everything we can see things from the right side theyve got the right state thats a good amount of people been injured. Down since if you happen to our like the buildings we in construction however devastated. Shops around here been completely destroyed you see behind me you know that in terms of the problems of left in the spaces prior the infrastructure of the ticket was very very much a strength of im going and epidemic or pandemic that to this country yet read on and take taking a lot of interest is. Not the right its been easy to very very nicely and constitute a very state very and thats. Countries around the world have offered assistance to lebanon including its neighbors turkey and israel the world. Organization has also sent medication and surgical kids with further details. When its not our was off to the blast happened and still there are ambulances on the scene they are fearing wounded people to hospitals although the hospitals themselves are reporting that they can no longer handle the volume of people who have been told to then it is life you that those figures will climb some of the people are still trapped in the rubble Emergency Services struggling to reach them that last has flattened much of the citys port area i would pursue as reports seen a huge looting a mushroom over the city as well as fires that broke out everywhere an Army Helicopters are also still on the scene helping to put out those fires now the lebanese president has taken to twitter and he has said that the blast was caused by 2700 tons of Ammonium Nitrate that he said was stored in a beirut port warehouse for 6 years with Safety Measures he said and im quoting that this is unacceptable and that those responsible will receive the harshest punishment now there is an emergency Cabinet Meeting thats due to be held in a few hour winds in beirut a decision is likely to be made that there will be a 2 week state of emergency today has also been declared a national day of mourning for the victims of the explosion we understand that a uni full United Nations interim force in lebanon ship was destroyed and unifil also reporting that a number of its peacekeepers were injured in this explosion at the same time we hear that the Roof International airport has been damaged and the beirut governess saying and im quoting again here that the city is a disaster that theres an enormous scale of damage as i say there is chaos at the hospitals that turning people away we heard earlier from an eyewitness. I saw something and i put your anyone looked at the driver allowed to make sure that he was. Having the same experience experiencing the same thing as music what. There isnt something really destructive or if you look back at me and then suddenly we heard a very loud explosion in the glass shattered all over the car the cars around us the buildings and the glass just went down it was raining worse over the city of beirut now the Lebanese Interior Ministry has said that the needs to be. A waiting for the official results of the investigation that has been a wanted and has urged people to stop speculating meanwhile the lebanese Prime Minister has said that a probe will be undertaken and that those responsible will pay the price he says that they will be accountability. I will not rest until we find the person responsible for what happened so we can hold them to account and impose the most severe punishment it is unacceptable as a shipment of 2750 tons of Ammonium Nitrate has been present for 6 years in a warehouse without any preventative measures now a host of countries have come forward to assist lebanon amongst them are canada the United States jordan the United Kingdom and turkey cyprus iran qatar and france israel is another country thats come forward although the 2 countries are technically still who is offering humanitarian and medical assistance through an intermediary is we know that the israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu has instructed his National Security chief to discuss possible. With the United Nations coordinator for process of the middle east now the israeli president has also offered his condolences both israel and hezbollah have denied any kind of responsibility for what has happened. So dont for all of it is a physics professor he told us why he believes the explosion in beirut was an accident. I am sure that it cannot produce such a strong explorer in the antarctic just. 50 kilograms of t. N. T. Or Something Like that 100 kilograms but still we cant get 4 tons tens of stunts so this is not so at least for sure accidental explosion this is my feet this is not and hiroshima let it lake people some people say because they were there. Times he looked at it but hes had such plants but anyway this is a person. Now we can cross live to Edmund Ghareeb he is then a lebanese american scholar and a middle east expert as well thanks for being with us here on R T International. So lebanons president michel aoun has said it was unacceptable that 2750 tons of Ammonium Nitrate were stored at this port for 6 years why did this happen. What the risks obvious i mean we know that Ammonium Nitrate on its own it is pretty stable but like when its mixed with fuel then it can have some severe consequences. But really this is a terrible tragedy in many ways and for somebody like me you studied lived were going to be rude this is really heartbreaking in many ways and my heart goes to the people who are victims that terrible tragedy i think theres a great deal of mismanagement perhaps carelessness also if it is not. The story being what we already know when the appears that this may be actually what happened. As you pointed out and one in my trade does not is not a threat by itself but when it is next to Something Like betrayal you more. Research you have some. Sure. Learned this could bring about this terrible destruction yes its not nuclear some people up and saying similar through russia but this has done a lot of damage its the devastation to be rude not only the port area but as far as you know like out to the south to the east center the to the north of beirut many buildings have been destroyed a lot of just wrote about how possible and beirut took time to evacuate its people because it was severely damaged and it was a supply are relatively speaking from the poor so old all it does is overlook the sea and so that you know this that to me tell me that there is a problem with the government level the government is. Corrupt in many ways its incompetent the human mismanaged it is the situation were seeing at the results of that of course lebanon also has been coming under a lot of pressure from outside powers lebanon is being dragged into a regional conflict in many ways and its growing up price free for it of course we have also they called it 19 year of the virus which is that was in many ways in many parts of the country almost where they come out and the financial and economic crisis the pressures that have been placed on the lebanese banks the tractor and perhaps as some have been charging recently dont central bank itself and walgren some schemes also got sort of. You know heard the lebanese and and the deposits or so basically its what im trying to say is that this is in many ways the cause of this mismanagement. You know the carelessness and corruption of the political system in lebanon now you mention the political system the corruption we know that theres been push back in the. The youth in the country have been protesting for for a while now actually. But is there a sense that lebanons political elite are not going to really take responsibility for this are they going to find their way around it i mean to what extent is this a certain time of the widespread corruption and dysfunctional government in the country what were trying to thread in many ways that the well was the Political Class they are the ones who end up remaining in politics benefiting from whatever sometimes or problems lebanon faces and it is the poor people its the middle class which has traced the severest. Difficulties and thats why you find lebanon many lebanese are leaving their country have ended up and many many other parts of the world all over the world. That part of that problem is that well as you we end up with having the same Political Leadership remaining in power making many of the same mistakes repeating the same errors. Concerned olie with their own objectives their own goals and not playing sufficient attention to the to their people. There must be i think. They must be held to account and moneywise by the by the people they must be held responsible i mean yes you complained probably thats whats going to happen theyre going to blame 2nd level or even 3rd level officials for what happened at the port but no yalit is that the government itself is also responsible if this was the case there is wells that are so many stories that were hearing out and we dont know what is true and whats not whether its like there was a this is Ammonium Nitrate was taken from a ship seized about 6 years ago or whether its some more saying there are also explosives in that area. Seized from a ship that was carrying smuggling weapons and ammunition to syria. During the early days. When syria went down to go to eason i think that people fishel should be. Not only this government previous governments. Hardiman grave always good to hear your thoughts on these subjects and thanks for helping us get our mind wrapped around this one. Thank you. I know the number of deaths in the lebanese capital is rising by the hour after a devastating explosion rocked the beirut on tuesday. Ah government Officials Say at least 78 people have been killed and more than 4000 injured the blast went off in the citys port area destroying nearby buildings and causing damage right across the city the exact cause of the explosion is still unclear at this time but lebanons interior minister has said it happened in a warehouse storing Ammonium Nitrate a volatile chemical compound used in both fertilizers and bombs heres what locals have been saying about the catastrophe. You my son we found everything turned over our hands i was at home with my dad when the window fell over on me the wardrobe also follow us my dogs are injured and she needs a surgery now. We were at home i heard the sound of the airplanes about our house releasing the op of floor of the building with the hair destroying noise from airplanes and suddenly this song falls unless something explodes and everything falls with it. I was moving and it felt like an earthquake and looked around and we saw glass shattered everywhere. The explosion happened in the port area of the city it is a densely populated district with residential buildings nearby the blast has flattened buildings in the surrounding area and the shock waves were reportedly felt as far afield as cyprus a number of countries have rushed to send aid to the already struggling country World Health Organization has also sent medical supplies including the surgical kits to beirut. Where we got reaction from joe charm a resident of beirut was just outside the city when the disaster happened. You know my still fun. But at the beginning i heard late i felt like a small earthquake which shook the earth and then mice ive heard a small band food which later followed to the huge one a huge explosion bush was heard very loudly for an instant i thought it was somewhere around it was near me which apparently it was wasnt it was or was in beirut while i was outside beirut its all its basically like destruction of the moment well you can say like a word beirut has been. Known at the moment if you see the images at the moment. Which is really a sad sight to see. Risk people are struggling around. For food struggling around from money. Because of the coronavirus on the financial situation so. Theyre trying to get up on their feet and same time and then. Also sudden youve got this explosion in the capital which is really really sad and you know this. An italian island has been left struggling to house Asylum Seekers after a surge in new arrivals more on that story much more of short break this is national. All across the board trump is down in the polls and not just by a pointer to traditionally incumbency alone is enough to make felix but this time it is a very strong and lets be clear this is joe biden. 54 jets and more than 1300 military personnel are headed to heal some air force base in alaska where is that to say come on ill show you whats the reason for any type of enhanced u. S. Military presence in this area russia. What is it suddenly about the South China Sea that makes it so that it 11000000000 barrels of oil. Take a look at this map who really owns what kind of says no it belongs to us india says no we claim that that belongs to us both of these countries have Nuclear Weapons capabilities there is reason for concern so thats why were going to drill down on the story for you today right here on the news with rick sanchez where you know as we always like to say we do believe by golly its time to do news again. You cant be both with yeah you like. I. Back to R T International now an italian island is running out of space to house migrants after a surge in sea crossings from tunisia at least to 250. 00 arrived in in small boats over the weekend bypassing italys Coronavirus Travel restrictions and new arrivals are being quarantined for 14 days and that has caused severe overcrowding at Detention Centers making social distancing impossible to enforce the islands main Holding Center is now running at about 10 times capacity local officials have asked the government to send a ferry to be used as a lockdown facility and of the lampedusa mayor says the situation is critical. But the migrant sensor is completely closed now there is no longer any space for people in the facilities so therefore we need to transfer after we will wait for the next boat arriving at lampedusa and then completely clear out the facilities so we can have a chance for thorough clean up your school mostly its under severe pressure right now meanwhile france and the u. K. Are trading accusations after a Record Number of illegal Channel Crossings over the past week london has urged paris to adopt a tougher stance and stop the migrant boats before they set sail for the u. K. Arties. Has more. This small boat is powering its way towards the english coast a board of 5 migrants hoping to make the u. K. That final destination seems like this become home and with illegal migrant crossings opening its channel already set to be wrecked. Now there are warnings that they could reach crisis levels exacerbating tensions between london and paris the number of illegal crossings we are seeing from france is unacceptably high and migrants continue to arrive in cali to make the crossing the french have to take tougher action those tough words came off to the interior ministers of both countries signed an agreement to create a new joint Police Intelligence unit the idea is to combat migrant traffickers and reduce the number of illegal channel forcings but so far it doesnt seem to be working just last week unwanted records were broken in a single day more than 200 migrants managed to make the crossing making it safely to the beaches at kent before being intercepted by British Border force patrols the good weather and calm conditions are said to be aiding a rifles operation is still ongoing in the English Channel this afternoon over 3700 so far this year i expect to be even bigger as the government is doing nothing one woman head of the u. K. Border force says all Illegal Migrants need to be returned to france. If they want to come to the u. K. They need to make the case on the french side and if they are found in the waterways weve make it is far as dover will say im sorry but you go back there and thats where you will be interviewed and processed on the french side others will only increasing crossings is due to French Police run thing up the fiction at michael camps around the port to l. A. You have more anguish for refugees in cali as if they were just wants again clear settlements forced people into boxes and drive them to distant nations unknown the British Home Office though says any Illegal Migrants will be interviewed and deported where appropriate the french are also intercepting some illegal crossings but plenty are still slipping through what is clear is that despite this joint cooperation to deal with illegal crossings the problem not only persists but it could actually be getting worse so lets even ski auti paris. It has been 2 years since a 3 sisters were arrested in moscow and charged with a very premeditated killing of their father who allegedly abused the case of Christina Angelina and catch a tourin that has garnered widespread Media Attention with the public divided over their actions charges against the 2 elder sisters will be now examined by a jury with the case of the youngest maria being reviewed by the court separately so skewed taylor is across the story for. A story so how rowing it couldnt be true and yet also so how wring it was hard to believe it could have been made the story of the hatch tori and sisters has gripped people all across russia. But now a new turn in that 2 years saga will see the eldest sisters try to fight jury they faced charges of premeditated murder and if found guilty could spend 20 years behind bars as for the youngest who was 17 at the time when she was deemed mentally incapable of committing murder so will stand trial separately facing a 10 year sentence on new book store that they had a plan we think they had an ax to grind they wanted money everything that belonged to mikhail you would go to them and you were to do it girl still the same as in previous days they are ready for the trial theyre ready to seek justice they suffered mental trauma due to their fathers actions recently theyve been interacting with therapists theyve received help so now there is nothing to prevent them from taking part in the trial during the long entangled pretrial investigation stories and footage of the fathers systematic abuse and much to psychologist say all the young women suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder. He started shouting and said he would kill us all he took a gun beat mom 1st then in glee that then hit me with the butt of the gun shes been harassing in green then she wont stop she cant say anything to him she only agrees to everything hes afraid of me though because he knows i will not be silent i will beat you up ok. Your prostitutes new will die as prostitutes this case has become a sensation here in russia and sparked a heated debate about Domestic Violence legislation to protect its victims and the line between selfdefense and for fair and always 400000 people have signed a petition demanding the sisters release as well as calling for the father to be posthumously charged for his crimes people are also taking to the streets determined to. Help them are. Not part of. The public outcry was so strong in fact that last year the prosecutor general pushed for the charges to be downgraded to selfdefense so that was laid to revive us on premeditated murder was put on the table something that has been welcomed by the late fathers relatives who argue that the girls are not all thought innocent which was not we welcome the course decision and have no fear the jury wont believe those and very for it fakes were leaked to the press we dont think there was any cruelty there was severity he was a man of discipline and he wanted to raise good decent goes with parties and through according to the examination the hedges around sisters are a danger to society and i am scared of being close to them with a trial before a jury now set to move forward all eyes will be following the fate of 3 young women who one night 2 years ago desperately committed continues to shop to rise people. More news in just under 32 minutes this is our 2 International Stay with us. A short term of goal and american air play up the war on hiroshima. State not claiming any. Supplement topical grandstanding at. All until you do your. Chin its. Like most americans growing up after the war the bombs were a great thing they ended the war they say hundreds of thousands of lives on both sides and thats what my grandfather always said was his reason for the decision. Truman was hoping for a dual strategy one was to drop the bombs and hope that japan would surrender and number 2 the americans were trying to send a message to the soviet union there was american poor planning in october 145 had chosen 20 targets and russia. World is driven by a dream shaped by the person. Who dares thinks. We dare to ask. Greetings and sell you take. Boy it was a celebration of political grandstanding partisan hackery and outright lying to the public it was on full display in full swing this week