Broadcasting from our studios in moscow this is our International Im sean thomas certainly glad to have you with us right now breaking news on our t. V. A devastating explosion ripped through the lebanese capital on tuesday government Officials Say at least 78. 00 people are dead and more than 4000. 00 injured the blast went off in the citys port area destroying at nearby buildings and causing chaos across beirut. There are far more. Going that. We heard from 2 reporters in beirut all tough read and oh in a hole the way they told us more about follow on from the 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 blouse had was held 10 kilometers away from the port where it took place i believe this is going to be a sleepless night for the lebanese and very sad night on social media a lot of lebanese are faring through the incident unfortunately there are pouring through a 1000 levanon here she must course theres no comparison between a nuclear bomb and whats happened today but its 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 down Time Favorite toy stores hopefully everything we can see things from the right side theyve got the right state thats a good amount of people getting injured. Down since if you happen to our like the buildings even construction however be devastating to. Folks around here because he. Sure you can see behind me you know that in terms of the importance of this phrase she infrastructure that. She was very much strength in growing and demichelis condemning this country carried on mine. Taking the world in which it was the right its been. Very very. Costly very very. Countries around the world have offered assistance to lebanon including its neighbors turkey and israel the World Health Organization has also sent medication and a surgical kits with further details here. When its now was off to the blast happened and still there are ambulances on the scene they off airing wounded people to hospitals although the hospitals themselves are reporting that they can no longer handle the volume of people who have been brought to them it is lifea 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 witness reports seen a huge building 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 hospice 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 show. It was destroyed and uniform also a poor thing that any number of its peacekeepers were injured in this explosion at the same time we hear that the roof a car we 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 was chaos at the hospitals there turning people away we heard this from an eyewitness. I saw something flashing and i put it here anymore i looked at a taxi driver wanted to make sure that he was having the same experience experiencing the same thing as musa what i knew some good there is something wrong with me destructive or if you look back at me and then suddenly we heard a few very loud explosions in the glass shattered all of the car the cars around us the buildings and the glass just went down it was raining let us look at the city of beirut now the Lebanese Interior Ministry has said that the needs to be a 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 there 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 its unacceptable theres 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 to the cyprus iran qatar and france israel is another country thats come forward although the 2 countries are technically still is are offering humanitarian and medical assistance through intermediaries 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. Is a physics professor if you told us why he believes the explosion in beirut was an accident. Im sure that it cannot produce such a storm explored in your op its just. 50 kilograms of t. N. T. Or sons in the 100 kilograms per school year we count it 4 times tense or stunts so this is not so at least for sure accidental explosion is my feet and this is not and hiroshima let it lake people some people see they were. Human. But hes tense of plants but anyway this is a personal. One this were now joined live by middle east analyst franklin thanks for being with us here on r t international. If we get right down to it lebanons president michel aoun has said that it was unacceptable that 2750 tons of Ammonium Nitrate were stored at this port for 6 years. How could this have happened i mean where the risk obvious i mean Ammonium Nitrate in itself can be stable but when its around other chemicals it pretty volatile as we well know yes it looks i think its early to its early to speculate on what all the details and its interesting that the president actually. Almost immediately knew that somebody was to blame and then that seemed to be almost his priority in addition to obviously mobilizing force the resources on the ground to help people it seems it seems very early so the infrastructure in lebanon the. The authorities how everything is coordinated in lebanon has been has been not very effective for many years so this could have been an accident waiting to happen on the other hand the middle east particular this part of middle east does not have many things happen by accident so we will have to learn more will have to see more with lebanese be able d to do their own investigation that will be objective will be other forces involved influencing it its hard to know whether it was negligence or whether there was Something Else or something more nefarious it could be weeks or months to know much of the evidence was destroyed to bring up a point there about the president looking for someone to blame is there a sense that lebanons political elite are unwilling to take any responsibility for this i mean to what extent is this a symptom of other widespread corruption and dysfunctional government in the country. Theres the there are the intrinsic issues that you mentioned theres also the external dynamics and optics trying to pull together the International MonetaryFund Assistance package trying to stave off various. Sanctions direct and indirect involving hezbollah and syria the foreign minister who just resigned out of frustration disgust with actually u. N. Official kind of taking his side theres his his position and the Prime Ministers position are are somewhat precarious the fact that he brought in one of his own assistants to take over d the Foreign Ministry portfolio i think is indicative of him wanting to keep everything close keep his people d his people there so that if theres not a lot of interference not a lot of. Undermining of his political position now a number of countries have offered humanitarian aid to lebanon what sort of help does the country need i mean we know that its not a clinton structure is already under immense strain. Yes its under immense strain 1st just because it was under immense strain even 6 months ago but now with the code 19 there is theyre starting to get a surge in cases so they need personal is public the Public Health infrastructure generally and then there is the theres the actual hospitals and other facilities so this is only going to further 1st of all im sure that a lot of medical facilities were taken offline by this explosion plus theyre all the new casualties so theyre going to distance maybe as we did in the United States a hospital ship may be sending sending some of the worst cases to other countries and bringing in mobile facilities and then of course the economy the port is now knocked out which means its harder to get assistance in. This instance for this explosion but also for the victims of this explosion but also for the covert 1000 victims for other just for rebuilding the beirut economy the port is a major is a major its really the main link more than the airport all right interesting to hear thoughts thanks for being with us here middle east analyst aside franklin on Art International or at least 78 people are known to have died in the lebanese capital after the devastating explosion that rocked beirut on tuesday. Government Officials Say more than 4000. 00 others are injured the blast happened in the citys port area destroying nearby buildings and causing damage right across the city the exact cause of the explosion is still unclear but lebanons interior minister has said it happened in a warehouse storing Ammonium Nitrate a volatile chemical compound used in both fertilizers and explosives heres what locals have been saying about the catastrophe. So you might die in the sun we found everything turned over our hands i was at home in my t. V. When we know from the wardrobe also from us my dogs were injured and she needs a surgery i mean we were at home heard the sound of the airplanes about our house releasing the op a floor of the building with the heart just to noise from airplanes and suddenly this song falls and i saw something explodes and everything that. I was moving and it felt like an earthquake and looked around and we saw. The explosion happened in the densely populated port area of the city the blast leveled 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 the World Health Organization has also sent medical supplies including surgical kits to beirut we got reaction from joe child my resident of beirut who was just outside the city when the disaster took place. Assume i sold fun. At the beginning i heard late i felt like a small earthquake which shook the earth and then mice ive heard a small back and forth which later follow through the huge one huge explosion which was heard very loudly for an instant i thought it was somewhere around it was near me which apparently it was it wasnt it was all was in beirut while i was outside beirut its all its basically like its a struction 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 a really sad sight to see. People are struggling around. For food struggling around from money. Because it was a coronavirus on the financial situation so. Theyre trying to get up on their feet that same time and then. Also sudden youve got this explosion in the capital which is really really sad you know most. And italian island has been left struggling to house Asylum Seekers after a surge in new arrivals more than a short break this is international. Seems wrong. Just dont hold. Any. Get to see. This day. And it. Equals the trade. When so many find themselves worlds apart. Just to look for common ground. 54 jets and more than 1300 military personnel are headed to 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 this 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. Join me every thursday on the alec simon show and ill be speaking to us from the world of politics or business im show business ill see you then. Our welcome back this is our t. International now in italian the island is running out of space to house migrants after a surge in sea crossings from tunisia at least 250. 00 arrived in lampedusa in small boats over the weekend bypassing italys Coronavirus Travel restrictions now 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 the lampedusa mayor says the situation is critical. But the Migrant Center is completely closed now there is no longer any space for people in the facilities so therefore we need to hurry up transfers 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 a thorough clean up because honestly its under severe pressure like now. Meanwhile france and the u. K. Are trading on his asians 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. Are to show had been as the story force this small boat is powering its way towards the english coast a board of 5 migrants hoping to make the u. K. That following a destination seems like they simply come home and with the legal michael crossings opening its channel already said to be ready. Now there are warnings that they could reach crisis levels exacerbating tensions between london and paris the number of illegal small boat 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 channels. 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 in 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. 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 wrongly increasing crossings is due to French Police run thing up a fiction that michael camps around the ports of l. A. Has more anguished refugees in calais as if they were just once again clear settlements force people on to boces 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 jollity been ski auti paris. It has been 2 years since 3 sisters were arrested in moscow and charged with the premeditated killing of their father who allegedly abused the case of christina. And Maria Country 2 young men has garnered widespread Media Attention with the public are divided over their actions charges against of the 2 elder sisters will be now examined by the jury with a case of the youngest maria being reviewed by the court separately Saskia Taylor is across the story for us. 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 up the story of the hatch tuireann sisters house who ripped people all across russia. But now a new tun in that 2 years saw will see the eldest sister is trying to fight jury they faced charges of premeditated murder and if found guilty could spend 20 is behind bars as for the youngest who was 17 at the time when she was deemed mentally incapable of committing modern so will stand trial separately facing a 10 year sentence on good books so i suppose d they had a plan and we think they had an ax to grind they wanted money everything that belonged to mikhail you would go to them and we were sifting through the girls feel the same as in previous days they are ready for the trial theyre ready to see 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 mudge 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 him getting that then hit me with the butt of the gun shes been harassing him getting then he 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 know 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. Tell them they 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 premeditated murder was put on the table something that has been welcomed by the late fathers relatives who argue that the goals are not innocent which was not what we welcomed the course decision and have no fear the jury wont believe those and very for it fakes were leaked to the press you know 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 it to them to according to the examination the hedges around sisters are a danger to society and i am scared of being close to them with the trial before 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 an act that continues to shop and to rise people. Or that does for me this hour back of headlines in about 33 minutes stay with us this is international. You know how can you explain love ive been to 82 countries ive given 12 but i came here and on those 3 days i just filled with hope. And he kept pretty isnt a sick joke. I made my decision to come here because i felt i knew i could build a new life you. Know if you could put his name. Was a free man. God decided that this money is no good to be free. Then did you figure out where my one dream is that all my children d find the same kind of happiness i do. I love my home here i love cold weather i like the culture i like the history i like everything about it almost. Thought i was i know that. I am joined a russian fama. Thinking of getting a cue from the ones we got in here she. Is he didnt know its there hes trapped in this tiny little wired you dont need a crate with him he will just start freaking out and he will want to spray even anywhere near it thousands of breeding dogs are caged in inhumane conditions on puppy farm i mean 67 years you know theyve been locked up in cages outside you see no protection from the weather the heat you know the cold air the rain the snow the founder nothing they have no protection. Ok but you. Know its ok. Across the u. S. Cruel puppy mills are supported by dog shows and pet stores most of the puppies that are coming from these large Scale Factory farming kind of operations are being sold at stores even giant a good businesses are involved like ogling mom santa. There has been a shocking amount of the organized opposition to adverts to increase the standards of care for dogs bred in commercial breeding for so many days most of that opposition is coming from huge agricultural groups and industries that have nothing to do with dogs dont buy dogs on over to. Chose seemed wrong. But old roles just dont call. Any new world to be yet to shape out these days it comes to attitude and in detroit equals betrayal. When so many find themselves worlds apart we choose to look for common ground. This is blue bus the one business show you cant afford to miss im bridgeboro in washington coming up beijing is responding to the United States efforts to force a sale of social media picked up with a record from china look like and we have expert analysis on the controversial issue and the lockdown orders are still in