Beirut soup kitchen struggles to keep up as Israeli strikes intensify

Beirut soup kitchen struggles to keep up as Israeli strikes intensify
Josephine Abou Abdo, one of the founders of non-profit organization ‘Nation Station’, prepares meals with volunteers to be distributed for people who were displaced due to ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Beirut, Lebanon September 26, 2024. (REUTERS)
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Updated 28 September 2024
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Beirut soup kitchen struggles to keep up as Israeli strikes intensify

Beirut soup kitchen struggles to keep up as Israeli strikes intensify
  • Beirut soup kitchen struggles with demand from displaced people
  • Nation Station kitchen working at maximum capacity, founder says

BEIRUT: Chains of volunteers spoon rice and vegetables into meal containers while others stir huge pots of boiling rice, as a soup kitchen in Beirut struggles to keep up with demand from displaced people escaping Israeli strikes.
Josephine Abu Abdo, a chef and one of the founders of Nation Station, said the kitchen is serving 700 meals a day and is at maximum capacity, but she then hears 1,000 meals are needed.
“The challenge is that we can’t keep up. We feel like we are just a drop in the ocean,” Abu Abdo said, while a team of volunteers of different ages from all over Lebanon hurriedly packaged up food.
Nation Station was founded to help victims of the devastating 2020 Beirut port explosion, growing from a team of five to a hundred over time. It serves some traditional Lebanese dishes, such as zucchini stuffed with rice and meat, bulgur and tomato, vegetable soup and cabbage salad.
When the Israeli strikes across Lebanon intensified on Monday, forcing around 40,000 into shelters within days, the volunteers cooked more food without any funding, distributing it as an emergency response to the centers housing the displaced.
“We worked from the small savings that we had for the first three days. Then, many people started donating,” Abu Abdo said.
“The donation that we receive will cover us for two or three days. We will see, one day at a time and we will make a decision,” she added.
Israeli attacks have killed more than 600 people in Lebanon since Monday, with the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah at its most intense in more than 18 years.
Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel for almost a year in support of its ally Hamas, which is fighting Israel in Gaza.
Tens of thousands of people on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border have fled their homes and Israel has declared the safe return of its residents as one of its war aims.
“We are all trying our hardest to make a little bit of a difference and to help out. It’s like the least we can do and unfortunately we are used to this,” May Ayash, a professional chef who volunteers at the kitchen said.


Pope Francis urges Lebanon to elect a new president immediately

Pope Francis urges Lebanon to elect a new president immediately
Updated 18 sec ago
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Pope Francis urges Lebanon to elect a new president immediately

Pope Francis urges Lebanon to elect a new president immediately
  • Lebanese parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri has called a presidential election for January 9 in a bid to end a two-year leadership vacuum
VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis called on Lebanese politicians on Sunday to urgently elect a new president, to get the country’s governing institutions functioning again.
“I address an urgent invitation to all Lebanese politicians to elect the president of the republic immediately,” the pontiff said at Saint Peter’s Square at the end of Sunday Angelus prayer.
Lebanon’s institutions need to “start functioning normally again to undertake the necessary reforms and sustain the country’s role as an example of peaceful cohabitation between different religions,” Francis said.
Lebanese parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri has called a presidential election for January 9 in a bid to end a two-year leadership vacuum.
Lebanon has been without a president since Michel Aoun’s term ended in October 2022.
Neither of the two main blocs in parliament — the Iran-backed Hezbollah and its opponents — have the majority required to elect a head of state and they have been unable to agree on a consensus candidate.

Family speak of ‘desperation’ as UK couple still missing in Red Sea

Family speak of ‘desperation’ as UK couple still missing in Red Sea
Updated 40 min 32 sec ago
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Family speak of ‘desperation’ as UK couple still missing in Red Sea

Family speak of ‘desperation’ as UK couple still missing in Red Sea
  • Jenny Cawson, Tariq Sinada disappeared after tourism boat sank on Monday
  • Her parents say they have had to rely on Egyptians for info rather than UK Foreign Office

LONDON: A British family have spoken of their “desperation” after a young couple went missing almost a week ago when the tourist boat they were on sank off the Egyptian coast.

Seven people are still unaccounted for after the sinking of the Sea Story vessel on Monday in the Red Sea, including Jenny Cawson, 36, and her husband Tariq Sinada, 49.

Cawson’s family said they are not being given sufficient information on the ongoing search for the pair by the UK Foreign Office.

Her father Michael Williams told the BBC that they were informed by Sinada’s mother of what had happened. “We were just in disbelief, it’s one of those moments when the world stops,” he said.

Cawson’s mother Pamela said: “Your heart sinks. You ask yourself, have I misread the news? Let’s look again.”

The four-deck vessel was carrying 31 passengers and 13 crew when it sank in stormy weather. It reportedly capsized after being hit by a large wave.

Nationalities aboard included Belgian, Chinese, Finnish, German, Irish, Polish, Slovakian, Spanish, Swiss and American. So far 33 people have been recovered alive, along with four bodies.

The Sea Story set out on a five-day scuba tour. Cawson and Sinada were experienced divers and had traveled to Egypt several times before.

Pamela said: “Everything Jenny and her husband do is highly considered; they do proper research before traveling anywhere. They are not the type of people who take anything at face value.”

The family say they have been forced to reach out to local authorities and sources due to a lack of information from the Foreign Office.

A rescue diver told the BBC earlier this week that five of the 33 survivors had been found alive trapped inside the submerged vessel.

Pamela said: “One of the local sources was kind enough to try and look for (Cawson and Sinada) in local hospitals.”


Gulf leaders arrive in Kuwait for 45th GCC Summit

Gulf leaders arrive in Kuwait for 45th GCC Summit
Updated 25 min 36 sec ago
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Gulf leaders arrive in Kuwait for 45th GCC Summit

Gulf leaders arrive in Kuwait for 45th GCC Summit
  • Summit aims to underscore the importance of collective action among nations in the region

RIYADH: Gulf leaders have started arriving in Kuwait ahead of the 45th GCC summit, which aims to underscore the importance of collective action among nations in the region.

GCC Secretary General Jassem Al-Budaiwi, said the summit was yet another milestone in the chain of accomplishments for attaining the aspired pan-GCC merger, in a statement published by Kuwaiti state news agency KUNA.

 

 

It is rather a platform for the leaders to coordinate their visions and stands toward regional and international issues, said Al-Budaiwi, revealing that leaders would look into strategic files designed to strengthen regional security and stability, in addition to backing up sustainable economic development in the six countries, members of the bloc.

“We recall with pride the developments and innovations that all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have reached, becoming an example to be followed in security, development, flourishing as well as a destination for regional excellence in overall progress,” according to Saudi Ambassador to Kuwait Prince Sultan bin Saad Al-Saud, in a separate KUNA report.

The Saudi envoy affirmed that the GCC had carried out its international duties within the frame of the international community, championing wisdom and balance in the regional and international arenas.

The GCC is a beacon of hope in the region and it has worked as a unifier of efforts by all GCC citizens, he added.

Among those who have arrived in Kuwait, which hosts the event, are Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Qatar’s Ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Bahraini Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, UAE Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and Oman’s Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers Sayyed Fahad bin Mahmoud Al-Said.

The Saudi official delegation includes Minister of State and Member of the Council of Ministers Prince Turki bin Mohammad, Minister of Sports Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki, Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Minister of State, Member of the Council of Ministers and National Security Advisor Dr. Musaid Al-Aiban, Minister of Finance Mohammad Al-Jadaan, Minister of Transport Saleh Al-Jasser and other senior officials, KUNA reported.


Iraq MPs to debate revised bill after outcry over underage marriage

Iraq MPs to debate revised bill after outcry over underage marriage
Updated 01 December 2024
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Iraq MPs to debate revised bill after outcry over underage marriage

Iraq MPs to debate revised bill after outcry over underage marriage
  • Proposed amendments would let people choose between religious or state regulations for family matters
  • A revised version of the bill sets the minimum age at 15 with court approval and retains ‘current conditions’
BAGHDAD: Iraq’s parliament will review contentious legal amendments Sunday, including a reworked family law bill that has sparked civil society outrage over fears of a resurgence in underage marriages.
The proposed amendments would let people choose between religious or state regulations for family matters, such as marriage, inheritance, divorce and child custody.
Critics fear the move could erode protections for Muslim women by lowering the legal age for marriage – currently set at 18, or 15 with the consent of legal guardians and a judge – and pave the way for the adoption of Islamic jurisprudence that could allow marriages as young as nine years old.
A revised version of the bill sets the minimum age at 15 with court approval and retains “current conditions,” according to MP Raed Al-Maliki, who backs the new proposals.
Couples could opt for Shiite Muslim or Sunni Muslim rules under the amendment.
If passed, clerics and lawyers would have four months to establish community-specific regulations. Parliament would then vote again to finalize the changes.
The draft law has already undergone two readings, with votes previously delayed.
An earlier version faced backlash from feminists and civil society groups.
In October, Amnesty International warned the amendments could legalize unregistered marriages – often used to bypass child marriage bans – and strip protections for divorced women.
The London-based rights group also voiced concerns that the amendments would strip women and girls of protections regarding divorce and inheritance.
Sunday’s parliament session will also include a vote on a general amnesty law.
Excluded from amnesty are convictions for terrorism and crimes like rape, incest, human trafficking and kidnapping.
The amnesty, covering 2016-2024, could apply to drug users but not traffickers, according to Maliki.
Cases based on evidence from “secret informants” may qualify for retrial.
The previous 2016 amnesty reportedly covered 150,000 people.

UNRWA chief says pausing aid delivery through key Gaza-Israel crossing

UNRWA chief says pausing aid delivery through key Gaza-Israel crossing
Updated 01 December 2024
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UNRWA chief says pausing aid delivery through key Gaza-Israel crossing

UNRWA chief says pausing aid delivery through key Gaza-Israel crossing
  • Delivery through Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing has been paused due to unsafe route and looting by armed gangs inside Gaza

The UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees is pausing the delivery of aid through the key Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza because of security concerns, its chief said Sunday.
“We are pausing the delivery of aid through Kerem Shalom... The road out of this crossing has not been safe for months. On 16 November, a large convoy of aid trucks was stolen by armed gangs. Yesterday, we tried to bring in a few food trucks on the same route. They were all taken,” UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini said in a post on X.