After three years with no accountability, Lebanon mourns Beirut Port blast victims.
August 4, 2023, 4:11 pm

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after three years with no accountability, Lebanon mourns Beirut Port blast victims.

Lebanon on Friday mourned those killed in the port blast that devastated Beirut three years ago as religious leaders and rights groups decried the lack of accountability among political leaders who stymied the official investigation.

The explosion killed at least 220 people and wounded thousands more when hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse detonated just after 6 p.m. (1600 GMT) on August 4, 2020, sending a huge cloud over the city.

Despite the devastation, no senior figures have been held to account and an investigation has been obstructed by legal measures, prompting outrage in Lebanon and abroad.

Survivors and the families of victims say the lack of accountability has kept them stuck in 2020.

Rita Hitti lost her 26-year-old son, 34-year-old brother-in-law and 21-year-old nephew - all firefighters who responded to the call about a fire at the port on August 4 and were killed when the blast went off.

“They were at the prime of their lives. Their lives were cut short - and we died along with them,” she told Reuters.

Many shops and restaurants obliterated by the blast have been painstakingly rebuilt, hosting an influx of tourists and Lebanese expatriates late into Thursday night.

But on Friday, the usually-bustling streets were empty and businesses shuttered to mark a national day of mourning.

Rights group Amnesty International said it was unacceptable that no one has been held responsible for the tragedy.

“Instead, the authorities have used every tool at their disposal to shamelessly undermine and obstruct the domestic investigation to shield themselves from accountability - and perpetuate the culture of impunity in the country,” said Aya Majzoub, Amnesty’s deputy director for the region.

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The explosion is thought to have been set off by a fire in a warehouse. The chemicals had been stored at the port since 2013 when they were unloaded during an unscheduled stop, but no one has claimed the shipment and it remained there despite senior officials knowing of its presence.

The probe, led by Judge Tarek Bitar, has been stalled since late 2021 by a slew of legal complaints filed against him by some of the suspects, including current and former officials.

In a memorial church service on the eve of the blast anniversary, Lebanon’s top Christian cleric Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai backed calls for an international fact-finding committee and called for a halt to meddling in the blast probe.

“What hurts these families and hurts us the most is the indifference of state officials who are preoccupied with their interests and cheap calculations,” Rai said.

The blast hit as Lebanon was already struggling with a financial meltdown that began in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The economy has sunk further since, with the local currency losing 98 percent of its value and thousands of families impoverished.

source: alarabiya

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”