Blast News

Beirut was 'lucky', says German firm clearing blast-hit port

By AFP

Beirut - After a blast of historic proportions at Beirut's port last year, Lebanon only escaped a second chemical inferno by chance, the German company clearing the dockside has said.

Death toll in Madrid gas blast rises to four

By AFP

Madrid - The toll from a powerful explosion that gutted a church-owned building in Madrid rose to four on Thursday after a priest died from his injuries.

Death toll in Madrid building blast rises to four

By AFP

Madrid - The toll from a powerful explosion caused by a gas leak that gutted a building in a residential part of Madrid rose to four on Thursday after a priest died from his injuries.

Three dead as gas blast rips through Madrid building

By AFP

Madrid - At least three people were killed on Wednesday when a huge explosion ripped through a building in Madrid, with officials confirming it was caused by a gas leak.

Three dead as gas blast rocks Madrid building

By AFP

Madrid - At least three people were killed on Wednesday when a huge explosion ripped through a building in Madrid, with officials confirming it was caused by a gas leak.

Yemen airport blasts kill 26 as government plane arrives

By AFP

Aden - At least 26 people were killed when explosions rocked Yemen's Aden airport moments after a new unity government flew in, in what some officials charged was a "cowardly" attack by Iran-backed Huthi rebels.

Nine killed in Kabul car bomb targeting Afghan MP

By AFP

Kabul - A car bomb targeting an Afghan lawmaker killed nine people and wounded more than a dozen in Kabul on Sunday, officials said, the latest attack to rock the capital.

Winter rains in Beirut finish off blast-ravaged homes

By AFP

Beirut - Norma Mnassakh was leaving her apartment in the Lebanese capital when a cloud of dust suddenly billowed from the Ottoman-era building next door.

Months after Beirut blast, cinematic tributes stream online

By AFP

Beirut - A distressed son looks for his father, a lazy beach day ends in tragedy: Lebanese can now stream short films about this summer's devastating port blast -- but some say it's just too soon.

At least seven killed in blast at Pakistan religious school

By AFP

Peshawar - At least seven students were killed and scores more wounded Tuesday in a bomb attack on a Koran study class at a religious school in northwestern Pakistan, officials said.

At least seven killed in blast at Pakistan religious school

By AFP

Peshawar - At least seven students were killed and scores more wounded Tuesday in a bomb attack on a Koran study class at a religious school in northwestern Pakistan, officials said.

Lebanese artists in overdrive to restore Beirut's beauty

By AFP

Beirut - Lebanese stained glass artist Maya Husseini had hoped to retire after decades spent designing colourful windows, but she has been flooded with work since the blast that ripped through Beirut.

Terrified mothers-to-be adjust after Beirut blast

By AFP

Beirut - Seven months ago, Lebanese mother-to-be Rana Mneimneh was ecstatic she was pregnant, but after a massive explosion at Beirut's port, she lives in constant fear for her baby girl.

Roadside bomb kills 14 civilians in Afghanistan

By AFP

Kabul - At least 14 civilians, including women and children, were killed Tuesday by a roadside bomb in central Afghanistan, officials said, as violence continues despite peace talks between the Taliban and Afghan government.

Macron accuses Lebanon leaders of 'betrayal' over govt failure

By AFP

Paris - French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday upped the pressure on Lebanon's leaders to form a government in the wake of the Beirut port blast, saying their lack of progress represented a "collective betrayal".

Beirut businesses crowdfund to rebuild after blast

By AFP

Beirut - Standing in the gutted ruins of her bar destroyed by Beirut's massive port blast, Lebanese entrepreneur Gizelle Hassoun said she hopes crowdfunding can help save her business from the rubble.

In blast-hit Beirut, Armenian elders determined to stay

By AFP

Beirut - Beirut resident Vany Bandikian once dreamt of travelling outside Lebanon, but after a massive explosion wrecked her neighbourhood, all she wants is to stay in the home her father built.

After Lebanon blast, future lawsuits pile up against the state

By AFP

Beirut - Elie Hasrouty, who lost his father to the August 4 Beirut port blast, is one of at least 1,228 grieving Lebanese preparing to file a lawsuit against the state.

Dockside dealings: smuggling, bribery and tax evasion at Beirut port

By AFP

Beirut - The huge explosion at Beirut's port last month laid bare a dockside institution riddled with graft which critics say is a microcosm of a corrupt Lebanese state.

Paris city hall charged over deadly 2019 gas explosion

By AFP

Paris - The Paris city hall has been charged with involuntary manslaughter over a massive gas explosion in the French capital last year that killed four people, including two firefighters, judicial sources said Tuesday.

Afghanistan VP lightly wounded in deadly Kabul blast

By AFP

Kabul - Afghanistan's vice president Amrullah Saleh sustained minor injuries Wednesday when an explosion that targeted his convoy killed at least 10 people, as government-backed negotiators and the Taliban prepared to meet in Doha for long-delayed talks.