on al-jazeera we understand the differences in the similarities of cultures across the world so no matter what we've been using current affairs that matter to you. a nation in mourning the hunt for survivors in beirut 2 days after a devastating explosion. and there are growing demands for change in the country the french president emanuel macron has also called for urgent reform. though i maryam namazie in london you're watching al-jazeera also coming up on the program saudi crown prince is accused of sending a hit squad to canada a lawsuit outlines claims of a watered assassination attempt. and the u.s. attorneys have the n.r.a.

in their sights triggering lawsuits designed to dissolve the gun rights group. as the people of lebanon grieve for the victims of tuesday's blast the french president emanuel macron has been touring neighborhoods devastated by the chemical explosion as despair increasingly turns to anger people have been demanding change with president macron adding his voice to calls for urgent reform the death toll from tuesday's explosion has reached 149 but it is expected to rise about 5000 people injured many of them being treated in hospitals that have already been overwhelmed dozens of people are missing and unaccounted for and then more than 300000 people have been displaced from their homes shopkeepers and residents are still clearing up the rubble that litters the streets and homes up to 8 kilometers away from the last. call for

a transparent international inquiry into what has taken place the french president met with lebanese political leaders after surveying damage from tuesday's blast he was also mobbed by residents in the city who are furious with their government and demanding accountability. what i know is that the people of lebanon have electricity shut down every day and it's not working the provision of imports and exports has collapsed because of the financial system so they're out as for the short term that we need as we know the answer is to fight corruption reform the energy and electricity systems the customers we need transparency for imports and exports we need reforms for all the sectors and insist on these changes quickly it's a public anger against lebanon's ruling class is growing many hold them responsible for the economic collapse of the country and as al-jazeera is in a holder reports from beirut the state has been noticeably absent from the recovery operation search and rescue teams are still digging through the rubble at beirut

port the site of massive explosions that damaged or destroyed much of the lebanese capital families are desperate for news about their loved ones dozens are missing there is pain and grief zainab fears she will never see her husband allie again. there's a still are still you know i don't know where he is i haven't heard from him since 6 pm monday i want to know if he's alive or dead. rescue experts from abroad have started to arrive to help a country that wasn't prepared to cope with a disaster like this all of us are. hoping to each other with army to find more corpses there's still a lot of destruction we need to move the stock to building to find there's somebody . the blasts were felt kilometers away killing dozens and wounding thousands buildings homes shops all destroyed 300000 people displaced billions of dollars

in damage investigations are focusing on possible negligence in storing tons of highly explosive material at the port officials have promised assistance and compensation to those affected by the explosions but driving around the city the state is noticeably absent in destroyed neighborhoods like this one it is the people who are helping each other they are cleaning the streets clearing the debris and distributing food and water to those in need public anger against the political class many believe is responsible for lebanon's near economic collapse is not new decades of corruption and neglect triggered an anti-establishment movement last october we've been fortunate growing used to this day not being present for its citizens we don't have properly just city we don't have a proper garbage infrastructure we don't have proper water infrastructures and unfortunately the people have gotten used to it but it's it's it's a time for change it's we've been asking for change for quite some time and i think

this last catastrophe is going to make change for the country much better the priority now is to help the victims many are still in hospital in critical condition calls for accountability and justice are growing louder for now people are focused to rely on themselves i need money tools to manage myself. and i need everything. i didn't want to be. so this is why i'm here i want to. at least leave. some may call it resilience but for many this is about survival nearly half the population of 5000000 lebanese were below the poverty line before this disaster the situation has since got worse. beirut. smith is also in the lebanese capital beirut protests today near the parliament. we've seen all

day mainly armies of mainly young people with. pickaxes shovels and brushes they're out trying at least to clean up almost everywhere you look every building you look up to the glass has been blown out people are picking up. plastic sheeting and windows to try and give them some sort of privacy of protection from the elements those that have gone homes or shells of homes to go back to there are some 300000 people who do not have to go back to many of got relatives elsewhere in the country they're not even able to go into the mountains for cousins and relatives living up there but there are other people without anywhere to go and that frustration is manifesting itself tonight with a small outbreak of approaches near the parliament building not far from me here in the center of beirut an indication really of the stream frustration and powerless in a speech full of feeling because they are getting any assistance lebanese authorities

said they are they have detained 16 individuals in connection with their investigation into what led to this explosion but of course in the very top of the political tree we haven't had any resignations or any admissions that they are responsible for what happened. the saudi crown prince is accused of dispatching a group of hit men to canada to kill one of his top former intelligence officials. the allegation was revealed in a lawsuit filed by 3 in washington the hit men were allegedly sent by mohammed bin sound money just days after janis jamal khashoggi was murdered inside the saudi consulate in istanbul in october 2018. is seeking damages from the crown prince for allegedly orchestrating an attempted extrajudicial killing and for violating international law might can or is following the story from washington and joins us

now what does that also claim mike. well it's an extensive lawsuit over $106.00 pages lays down to the argument from the fact that the saudi crown prince was responsible for the skewed squad sent them to the united states together before attempting to enter canada to carry out the killing side our job breeze arguing very strongly as well that the crown prince was in communication with him after he left saudi arabia and took up residence in canada he received a number of messages from the saudi crown prince at 1st asking him to return to aid with the transition following the departure of the previous crown prince but then he started getting threatening messages messages saying as well that he was going to be dealt with according to the papers filed in court but a very extensive series of allegations including among the papers

a flow chart that identifies alleged individuals of the hit squad and their links to the saudi crown prince. and why was the case filed in the us instead of canada. well the case is being brought in terms of legislation that allows non-u.s. citizens to take action in u.s. federal courts against foreign individuals who are alleged to have committed torture or carried out extrajudicial killings but in addition sought algebra he contends in the papers that the hit squad assembled in the united states before attempting to enter canada and then very importantly. that his son and daughter are being held by saudi authorities said an undisclosed venue in what he describes as human bait to lure him out of hiding now this has become an issue within the united

states for senators sent a letter to president trump last month asking him to bring his influence to bear to go. the release of the children under way so certainly jobber you would hope that this court case will give impetus to this particular attempt to get the saudi authorities to release his son and daughter thank you from washington mike hanna. the attorneys general of new york and washington of announced a lawsuit aimed at dissolving the powerful national rifle association are accusing organizations leaders of financial mismanagement new york's attorney general that he should james says years of corruption and misspending has undermined its ability to operate as a nonprofit group the n.r.a. has described the lawsuit as a baseless premeditated attack and is countersuing the new york attorney general that he should james for violating their right to free speech jabatan c. is in new york with more on the allegations. $64000000.00 siphoned off from the n.r.a. funds in about 3 years by wayne la pierre the n.r.a. c.e.o.

and 3 other executives the attorney general of new york says they used the n.r.a. as their personal piggy bank to found an obvious lifestyle wayne la pierre has $500000.00 worth of luxury private jet trips to the bahamas not just for him but for the his family and extended family one mr la pierre wasn't even present as well as. life and off money to various friends family's business associates and rather dodgy dodgy business deals the attorney general wants that money paid back but she also says that the n.r.a. has been so destroyed by this corruption it can no longer be registered as a nonprofit organization in new york so this will now go to court the n.r.a. has filed a countersuit this is likely to take a very long time and as you suggested he had already is already suggesting in a very trumpy and fashion that this is simply a part of a witch hunt whatever happens to the n.r.a. the right like you think of this is actually just what we needed just before the

november election to get people to remember why they voted for trump trump in the 1st place and as far as this idea of disillusion is concerned is concerned that the dissolution of the n.r.a. as a nonprofit organization in new york even told trump didn't seem terribly terribly bothered by that that's a very. terrible thing is that. i think the n.r.a. should move to texas. and lead a very good is beautiful life. and i've told them that for a long time i think they did move to texas that would be a great place for to another state of using so this may or may not be the end of the n.r.a. either in the short term or over the long term but historically we've seen that when the gum robi's are under attack follow if they follow us to mobilize. so actually on the program africa has passed and 1000000 coronavirus cases and there are concerns still isn't enough testing. in many countries and a pandemic moratorium on elections is left across the states in the u.s.

millions fear they will be left homeless. however got more lively weather pushing across southeastern parts of australia some wet weather here just moving across south australia some thunder a shower isn't quite an intense area of low pressure now easing across into queensland into new south wales some significant rainfall coming in as we go on through the next couple of days for many even into the interior of new south wales maybe 25 to 50 millimeters of rainfall coming through that weather stretching across much of the state victoria seeing some very wet weather too and that wet weather pushing across secured parts of queensland some heavy downpours coming in here as we go on through friday fun and dry behind not cheap pattinson easy to me

have got a spell of wetter weather coming in this we go on through friday cooler air tucking in from the south as we go through sas day in temperatures then will struggle to get into double figures just figure on this little storm that we have in the tasman the possibility of another east coast low just coming into new south wales as we go on through the next couple of days that could bring some flooding more flooding rains across the good parts of south korea lots of cloud still showing up on the satellite picture here that what's the weather still spilling across the yellow sea outs of eastern china pushing across the korean peninsula heading towards japan but for much of japan is fine dry and sunny. in russia victor national hockey didn't just pull it. to bring the fame fortune and power i thought alexis won a $100.00 investigates on al-jazeera. be

the hero the world needs right now no. washington. the in the ear. of him by a look at the headlines french president emanuel has visited by a route 2 days after its massive chemical explosion is called for a transparent international inquiry and says there must be a new political order in the country the death toll from tuesday's blast has risen to 150 and is only expected to rise from there people are still clearing out rubble littering the streets kilometers away from the port. and i want to headline

a lawsuit filed in the us to accuse the saudi crown prince of dispatching a group of it meant to kill one of his top former intelligence official saad al jobbery in canada. now a surgeon coronavirus cases in africa is alarming public health experts who warn that the pandemic could overwhelm already strained public health systems the number of covert 1000 cases on the continent has surpassed 1000000 and has been at least 21000 deaths recorded 75 percent of the continent's infections are in just 5 countries south africa egypt tonight syria ghana and algeria there's concern that many cases are going on recorded because of a lack of testing just 10 countries account for 80 percent of the new coronavirus testing actually taking place south africa's recorded more than heart of all cases on the continent critics of the south african government say corruption is hampering efforts to curb the outbreak that for me to mina reports now from

johannesburg. south africa's public health sick to has for years been overwhelmed and now with a global pandemic infecting more than 500000 people here public hospitals are under more pressure. more than $24000.00 health workers have contracted kovac $1181.00 have died since march unions and workers say corruption is contributing to push service delivery and is putting lives at risk while the government's given contracts to service providers for personal protective equipment or p p e the prices have been inflated in other instances people has not been delivered at all or contracts have been given to companies and people connected to the

government and the ruling african national congress party. presidents a little more plus i know we can use that as promised to deal with the croft corruption during a national disaster is a particular heinous type of crime those found to have broken the law to enrich themselves through this crisis will not get to enjoy the spoils regardless of who they are with whom they may be connected but drum up was as chief spokeswoman is embroiled in a scandal involving her husband tendencies a way he's company's been accused of winning a $7000000.00 contract to supply p.p. eat through his political connections decodes taken special leave and she and her husband deny breaking any laws the province of halting stop health official bundler

must to go and his wife to. have been implicated when the 1st infections were recorded back in march the government declared a state of disaster which meant that the normal tender procedure for government contracts was abandoned within days of the announcement a number of questionable contracts were awarded now the finance minister tetum but when he says the process has to be more transparent a government agency the special investigative unit says $102.00 companies and how to get a loan under investigation while in other provinces officials have been suspended and investigations have begun but no one's yet to been charged to prosecuted corruption during this health crisis is estimated to have cost the country more than 116000000 dollars at a time when south africa is dealing with the 5th worst outbreak of covert 19 in the world for me to malaya al-jazeera johannesburg. a number of american seeking

unemployment benefits dropped to 1200000 last week hiring picked up in the month of may and june as a states began lifting coronavirus restrictions after a record loss of 21000000 jobs in april more than $16000000.00 americans are now collecting unemployment benefits though and a federal aid package of $600.00 a week in addition to the state benefit expired at the end of july politicians have failed to reach a deal to extend it when millions of people who rent their homes across the united states could soon face eviction experts are saying that it will most certainly lead to the worst housing crisis in a generation and he gallacher reports from miami. even as unemployment rates remain at historic highs the coronavirus pandemic shows no signs of slowing with so many out of work in the midst of a health crisis the specter of massive victims is now real temporary moratoriums meant to prevent renters losing their homes have been lifted in 30 states and

millions of facing a harsh reality the landlord here has started an addiction process like that when my mom lost her child and her father. 19 pandemic and completely scared and frightened because i don't want to become homeless i don't why my family be split in half left at home by shelter over the last few months is job losses of grown so too have the lines that food banks that massive loss of income and increasing desperation not only affects renters but landlords to somebody who own just one property in their service. to pay their bills and they have duplex and they make one have the other without the rental income they can't pay their bills this is absolutely to be drawn and provide additional federal leave to people who've been a lot of in washington negotiations between the democratic party and the

republicans continue over a new relief program some unemployment benefits officially ended last month with no new plans in place that combined with an end to protection from addiction could have a devastating effect housing experts say without action the u.s. could witness a tsunami of addictions that may affect tens of millions of people without homes many are forced to live with relatives or in shelters increasing their risk of contracting covert 19 the court system is overwhelmed hearing addiction cases as a safety net designed to protect the most vulnerable seems to be straining according to the data companies to distance 40. and of americans are now at risk of a vixen for some it's already happened it's heartbreaking. you know last month. the data lost everything else no money no not a claim i don't sleep well off the word of our stuff by some estimates 40000000

people could lose their homes impacting poverty rates homelessness and the wider economy and they go across 0 miami florida or travelers returning to germany from high risk countries will have to take over 19 tests and those who refuse could face fines of up to $30000.00 health minister is one the country's increasing rate of infections is a cause for concern on wednesday germany recalled that its highest daily tally in 3 months with more than a 1000 new cases compulsory testing will come into force on saturday and then a surge in coronavirus cases in the philippines has now made it with the country with the most infections in east asia country recorded more than 3500 cases on thursday pushing its total beyond 119000 overtaking neighboring indonesia the philippines economy has been devastated by the pandemic falling into recession for the 1st time in almost 3 decades with its g.d.p. taking a 16 and a half percent hit from april to june on out some political developments in

belarus the president says that several u.s. nationals have been detained in the lead up to the country's presidential election on sunday but president alexander lukashenko didn't specify who was arrested or why a leader is facing is strongest challenge yet a run up to the vote has been marked by a crackdown on opposition figures who is accused of plotting with foreign powers to topple him set arson as a rally in the capital where thousands of opposition supporters have gathered despite the crackdown. this is unprecedented in ballo really thousands maybe even thousands of people who are shut out of here i don't want to write rightly that you are with you right about the last official opposition rally for days before d.c. on sunday but no concession leader 3 women who are vying for its against are trying to call on their supporters to show off we're. just some government

they didn't call it a rally and so they did say oh ok they were own waiting for them a certain time period so kind of to kind of guy out there but nobody knows where she is actually showed up police force here surrounded go far as they were here with buses and trucks and everyone was worried that people would be arrested today but because of this massive turnout at least i was just standing here and looking at it shankar is increasingly getting worried that is also increasingly clamping down on this unprecedented opposition through our ordinary 200 people who have been detained during this holy lexicon they even become pretty much the main opposition candidate was detained today but he's people are undeterred i think say they are beyond fear. well early results from sri lanka's parliamentary election is showing

a big lead for the governing party the sri lanka people's front party led by the rajapaksa brothers serve as president and formally prime minister looks likely to consolidate power the brothers of promise to repeal a recent constitutional amendment which reduce the powers of the president. now survivors of the world's 1st atomic bomb attack have been marking 75 years since it was dropped on hiroshima about 140000 people were killed when u.s. forces attacked japan in the final stages of world war 2 bride reports. a poignant commemoration of the moment 75 years ago when the world entered the atomic age and the whole city was destroyed with the numbers of the so-called hit the original survivors of the attack declining each year this is likely to be the last major round of bursaries they will attend in large numbers special precautions

in place to protect them from the coronavirus that hiroshima was mair referred to as a new threat facing the world accompanied by a worrying increase in nationalism. we must never allow this painful past to repeat itself but society must reject self-centered nationalism and unite against all threats. i take 15 in the morning local time a single atomic bomb code named little boy exploded 2000 feet above the center of the city killing tens of thousands of people instantly with tens of thousands more dying in the months and years that followed many from radiation related illnesses michiko could die was a child when the bomb was dropped with the pandemic innovative ways have been found for her and other survivors to share their stories with the present generation.

and there is this sense that we don't have much longer to live i'm now 82 i don't know when i won't be able to speak so in some form we need to preserve our stories . 3 days after hiroshima nagasaki was attacked with a 2nd bomb another round of verse or with more survivors to market and in both cities both among the generation who endured the attacks and also the generations that came after them there's a strong piece called through that really focused on abolishing nuclear weapons the experience of being the only country to be attacked with nuclear weapons help shape modern japan. by urging action from each country japan will take the lead in the international community's efforts towards the realisation of a world without nuclear weapons it's a goal still far from being realized but one held still is strongly in the 2 cities that have suffered most from such weapons rob mcbride al jazeera. china has

launched a new satellite that uses senses to form high resolution images of the surface it took off from the joke one center in the northwest of the country is china's 22nd space mission this year beijing says the satellite will mainly be used for city planning and disaster prevention and relief satellite is capable of returning images of such high resolution that it can show details as one meter across. and finally 2 well behaved fever lovers will be happy and relieved to know they're after 400 years they've been allowed back into the wild in england the semi aquatic animals were given paghman and right to remain on the river officer in estab and it follows a 5 year trial that showed that dam building activities were good for wildlife and for people even wanted to extinction in britain more than 4 centuries ago for their meat and a substance they secrete called castor riam which you've probably eaten it's used

in food but also in medicine and a few who work alongside with all form you know hope it's the same with the production the natural management systems like this would be this comparable is one of the old says that promise could be paid to have the be even. our top story this hour the french president emanuel has called for a new political order in lebanon he is the 1st international leader to visit beirut and has called for a transparent international inquiry into the devastating chemical explosion french president also met with lebanese political leaders after surveying damage from tuesday's blast he was mobbed by people in the city who are furious with their government and are demanding accountability for what's happened. he just says it will be needed even if it had been a what i know is that the people of lebanon have electricity shut down every day

and it's not working the provision of imports and exports has collapsed because of the financial system so there are it's is for the short term that we need as we know the answer is to fight corruption reform the energy and electricity systems the customs we need transparency for imports and exports we need reforms for all the sick does and insist on these changes quickly. lebanese authorities have detained 16 people as part of their investigation into the blast according to state media the death toll has risen to nearly 150 now and it's only expected to keep on rising dozens of people are still missing or unaccounted for and the hospitals are overwhelmed people are also still trying to care up the rubble from the streets and their homes kilometers away from the port. in other news a lawsuit filed in the u.s. has accused the saudi crown prince of dispatching a group of hit men to kill one of his top former intelligence officials in canada hit men were reportedly sent by mohammed bin salmond just days after jenna's jamal

khashoggi was murdered inside the saudi consulate in istanbul in october 2018 the attorneys general of new york and washington d.c. of announce a lawsuit aimed at dissolving the national rifle association there accusing the organizations lead as a financial mismanagement the n.r.a. is described the lawsuit as a baseless premeditated attack and is countersuing the new york attorney general a t. shirt james for violating their right to free speech and the number of covered 1000 cases in africa has surpassed 1000075 percent of the continent's infections are from just 5 countries there's concern that many cases are going on recorded because of a lack of testing i want to want he says coming up next investigating the forces at play in russia's brutal mixed martial arts scene. economic growth. we bring you the stories and developments that are rapidly

changing the world we live in. focus. counting the cost on al-jazeera. in russia and him a mixed martial arts phenomena. in the city hundreds of fighters from top to a battle with few rules. but. deep in the caucasus mountains. train from morning till night hoping to find their way. and. i don't see it's a tough path but the payoff. ok.