berlin. tonight, the race to save lives in beirut, and after twin blast leveled much of the city. the explosions killed at least 130 people and injured thousands more. beirut's residents are demanding answers. some important offfficials are undeder house rerest. also comoming up tonight, the building of a hinindu tememple n the very sigight of a demolished mosque. there are tears deconstruction

could reignite religious tensions. and this man confessing to murdering a german politician. the defendant is a far-right extremist who tells courts in frankfurt, "i pulled the trigger ." and joe biden cancels plans to accept the democratic nomination in person with the covid-19 pandemic still raging. the u.s. democratic convention will now be an almost entirely virtual affair. ♪ i'm brent goff. reviewers on pbs in the united states and around the world, welcome. rescuers in beirut are digging through the rubble in a desperate search for survivors following explosions that left much of the city in ruins. the blasts on tuesday leveled

the city's port district. at least 135 people were killed, thousands injured. tens of thousands are homeless. the blast took place at a warehouse storing highly explosive chemicals that were under little, if any oversight. authorities have placed a number of important officials under house arrest and declared a two-weak state of emergency for the lebanese capital. >> a day of grief for lebanon as the country reckons with thee losses and destrucuction causedy tuesday's explosion. with many people still missing, rescue workers are desperately searching for anyone still alive under the collapsed buildings. this man was rescued after over 16 hours under the rubble. a glimmer of hope amid the devastation. shops and homes were destroyed across beirut. hundreds of thousands of people likely unable to return to their

homes for months. as the lebanese begin to deal with the aftermath, a strong sense of community is emerging, but it dealing of disbelief still lingers -- a f feeling of disbelief. "we never seen anything like this in our lives. it's difficult and the scene is shocking and scary. i took everything and after all the destruction. i looked for my family and gathered t them and went outut o the balcony to take a look. it was a massacre. i saw a lot of horrific scenes. i s saw dead people. i saw people rununning and screaming while carrying their children, people who had lost their children. others looking for their mom or sisters. it was horrific. it was difficult. planes carrying rescue teams and eight have begun to arrive from countries around the world. the lebanenese government announced a two-weak state of

emergency and ordered a number of court officials to be placed under housese arrest. they include any officials involved with guarding and storing the chemical, ammonium nitrate, that seems to have caused the blast. "we are determined to investigate and reveal what happened as soon as possible to punish those responsible." investigators have begun searching the wreckage at beirut's port, a first step toward fulfilling the prpresident's s promise e to der justice. brent: w we take this story nono beirut. i'm joined by our correspondent. good evening to you. it has been a little more than a day since the blast. talk to me about what beieirut s like tonightht. >> let me ususthis word -- it's

like a widow.. beirutut citizens in specific ad lebanon in general are still undedeshock. they are still b bringing ththe pieces together. 300,000 citizens are displacace, left alolone. they are seeking foror homes aroundnd beirut in d different s , so y you can imagine howow dramaticic the situation is, especicially that. we arere talking about a c costf billions of dollars to rebebuil. brent: it's the middle of the night right now. we know that there's not much electricity that's being provided in the city right now. what does that mean for search-and-rescue efforts? they sayay there are still peope under the rubble. >> exactly. the black smoke a high me is what is leleft of beirut port -- the black smoke behindnd me.

the rescue hahas become hardeded haharder. some sources involved d in the investigigation told me they are lookoking now for r human pieced that the firefighter crew w that arrived to the area in the beginning in the first place, ththey are vanishehed. there's no trace for them. according g to the s sources, te explosion n left nothing foror e forerensic investigation. everything i is completely deststroyed. brent: what do we know about the investigation concerning peoplee who were supposed to be in charge of the storage of this ammonium nitrate that was in the warehouse that exploded? we understand several p port officialals are under r house at tonight. what else do we knowow? > according to the higher councicil of defensese, they gae

them f five days to enend the investigation. today in an urgent cabinet meeting, they decided to put all officials, a all employees, all those responsible for the storage of this ammonium nitrate at the port under house arrest. the former prime minister's asked for an investigation, but the request was completely refused by the government, according to the minister of the interior. he said he has complete confidencece in t the lococal investigation and lococal secury agencies. as you c can imagine, they have this huge explosion, this huge blast, even politicians are seeking f for some victory. brent: the people in lebanon, do they have confidence in the governmentnt to carry out a thorough i investigationon?

> not at a all. they didid not b buy anyny of te promisises. theyey are asking to r rove allf ththe currentt politicians, to chchange the old regime. since the r regime tookok over,y still have dememands. someme protesters tried to block the road forhehe formeprprime ministerer when n he was tryryio visisit downtown beirurut. his s security guards have clasd withth these protesters, s so ts will give you somee indicicatiof a a little bit off e evidence hw people look k at the politicicis right now. they are saying it isis not time fofor political issues, politicl statatements, anand p political debates, it is timime to put the who are r responsible foror the

corruptition, to put all of t te guys in jail. thth are lookiking to -- brent: briefly, before we run out of timime, let me ask you, what about this state of emergency for the n nt two weeks? whats ththat mean for thehe peoe in beirut? ---- what doeses that m mean? >> this means the armed forces will take control all over beirut. the rereason behindd that, mainy to keep the situatn n unde control. in the s security situationon, e polititical party, the governmet afraid thehe situation w will ld to more e chaotic clashes or moe chaotic moves or actions. that's whwhy they ask the laf to ke c control by announcing t the emergencyy statement.. brbrent: our c correspondent w h the latest from beirut tonight.

thank you very much. i'm joined by a project director based in beirut for the ngo international crisis group. he joins me tonight from austria. it's good to have you on the program. you just heard our correspondent talking about the situation in beirut tonight. based on what you know as well, how well-equipped is lebebanon o deal with this disasterer? > i fear it'ss barely eququid at all for this point in time. the infrastructure is already very, very badly hit by months and months of currency depreciation. acquiring medical supplies is already very difficult. hospitals are full of covid patients.

already on a purely medical level to just treat these people , they are really straining. then comes the food. it wasas a huge grain siloo destroyed. apparently now they have weeks of bread. the port is destroyed so they cannot import. on a very basic level, i do not think they can cope. brent: you heard our correspondent say also that the government in lebanon is not welcoming to the idea of foreignersrs coming in to do a n inindependndent invnvestigatitie explplosion. what does s that tell you about the s stability of the popolitil system at t the momentnt? >> the p political system is

already very fragile. yourur correspdent pointnted out the demonstrations that happened last year, t triggered by prpres failures of many differerent kis and faililures ovever years and years, aspects that really m mae lives of citizens bearablble. bringing in popotentially outsie ininvestigators ---- it is questionable how much that will help. we have an example like that thatat has gone on for 10 years, the investigation into an assassination in 2005. it has yielded no results. can anyone from ththe outside be able to go through thatt thicket

of institutional mismanagement? it's hard to imagine.. brent: it is hard to imagine, especially tonight after this terrible blast. we appreciatee y your time a and insights tonight. thank you. >> you are welcome. brent: here are some of the other stories making headlines around the world. 12 people have died in a bus accident in morocco. around 30 others were seriously injured when the bus overturned on to say the country's southwest coast. local reports say the crash was due to dangerous driving on difficult mountain roads. in the united states, at least six people have died a tropical storm isaiah -- as tropical storm isaias battered the east coastt and cause havoc across several eastern states. the storm is now moving across eastern canada. forest fires ripping through

southern france have left at least two campsites burned to the ground. at least 3000 people have been evacuated from the area close to marseille where 1800 firefighters have been battling ththe blazess since tuesday. around a dozen firefighters were injured. no civilians have been hurt. india has bolstered security in cashmere as it marks one year since scrapping the region's semi autonomous status. the government stripped india's only muslim majority state of its special rights last august. prime minister nur and remotely's government said the move was necessary -- prime minister narendra modi's government said the move was necessary. parallel to that anniversary, the indian prime minister let a ceremony to inaugurate the

building of a hindu temple that has been the focus of a bitter decades-long dispute between hindus and muslims. >> this pit stands for an historic triumph for india's hindu nationalist government. after a decades long dispute, prime minister m modi led the grgroundbreakingng ceremony fore new hindu temple. "this temple wilill become the modern symbol of our culture. i'm using the word modern deliberately. it will be the symbol of our modern faith, our nationalism or cup -- nationalism." the city has long been a fault line at the center of intense sectarian violence. in 19 92, a hindu-nationalist mob razed a mosque here.

the incident left over 2000 people dead, most o of the muslims. hindus believe one of their major deities was born at the site and claim the mosque was buililt on a temple there. this case has b been goioing onr 71 years, but now, finally, the divine moment has arrived and everyone is very happy to bebe able to witness t this temple. we are ecstatitic. modi's bjp had long been rallying for a temple on the site. the verdict caused his appointment among india's muslim community, but many have since come to terms with the decision. "the muslim community has accepted the verdict and we want to help with the construction of the temple."

muslims will be able to build a new mosque on a nearby plot, but prominent muslim leaders fear the new temple could embolden hindu-nationalists to target other mosques in the region. brent: in germany, a far-right extremist has admitted he was the one who killed a pro-refugee politician last june. he is on trial for allegedly murdering the conservative politician. prosecutors say he shot him in the head at close range outside his home. luca had been a powerful voice for refugees and had received death threats for bacacking chancellor merkel's plans to take migrants. >>'s lawyer read a confession statement from the s suspect in which he rode, "at that moment, i saw that he was going to stand

up, and that's when i shot him." he said he took a sponsor ability for the killing and that it was a result of his far-right radicalization. difficult for the family to hear. "you have to hear the accused presenting himself as the victim of a difficult childhood and radicalization and giving the impression that that inevitably had to end in a terrible crime -- that is an extremely awful experience for the family to have to go through. and then there was the smug look on the face of the other defendant as well." the defendant blamed the second defendant for introducing him to the right wing milll you -- rigt wing milieu.

he now disavows such beliefs, but that has not convinced the family. he expressed regret over the act. we will not analyze that now as it is just what he said today. the confession does not mean case closed. authorities also want to help clear up many unanswered questions about the night of the crime and the events leading up to it. brent: with three months to go into the u.s. presidential election, campaigning is intensifying, but the coronavirus pandemic has put a damper on big events and large audiences, both for president trump and for his democratic rival joe biden. democratic officials today announcing biden will not be traveling to milwaukee to accept the party's nomination as planned. instead, he will be giving a speech from his home state of delaware.

democrat tested democrats' nominating convention, set for the end of this month, will now be taking place almost entirely online. that will be a new one for all of us. joining me now is our washington bureau chief. the first ever virtual democratic convention -- is this about being extra cautious because of the virus, or is there more to the story here? >> i mean, sure, they want to protect not only joe biden but all the other speakers and also the community of milwaukee because many thousands of people would have traveled there, but i find another aspect really interesting. we hardly see any rallies this year, so the conventions would have been a place where the people could have experienced their candidate. we always have to keep in mind, after all, joe biden would be 78

years old on inauguration day, the oldest president ever being sworn in. people are eager to learn how his cognitive abilities are. the conventions would have been a place to get a little bit of a feeling about that. brent: that's true. it is almost as if the campaign is not even taking place. let's talk about u.s. president donald trump. he will not be attending the republican convention either, and today he said that he might deliver his acceptance speech for the gop nomination from the white house. that wouould also be unprecedented. is that going to happen? >> it is unlikely. many lawyers are working on that already. normally, they draw a clear line between the presidential business and campaigns. normally a candidate is not

allowed to use the stage of the white house. i think this is also not the only reason why he is shy and away from the conventions. many republicans are getting right candidate for them anymore, and we don't know. maybe he wants to play safe and keep the playbook in his own hands in the white house. brent: it certainly is playing it safe by not attending the convention. keeping it at the white house would definitely be controversial, to say the least. thank you. re arere some of the other stories making headlines this hour -- emergency relief efforts

are under way in south korea after four days of monsoon rainins. at least 15 pepeople are d deadd 11 oththers missing. flash floods have damaged many roads and submerged many areas of farmland. hong kong democracy activivts are on trial for the civil unrest at rockford territory last year. wong says now is not the time to give up the fight for democracy, despite the harsh new security law imposed on hong kong by beijing. now for a change of tune -- concerts and the coronavirus. for months, musicians have been live streaming from their living rooms. madonna even addressed her fans from her bathtub. but when and how will we get back to real, in person concerts? we h have meme answers f for you tonight.

>> thihis is probablbly the east way to feel safe and keep your distance, get out into nature -- the audience seated on a lake amid pastors -- pastors --- amid pastures and cows. the biggest threat to the audience is getting their feet wet. larger scale events have also successfully taken place this summer. opera is back on stage but outdoors. orchestra members were seated far apart and there was no stage set. in verona, two, the approach was less opulent with fewer people in the audience. other ideas have audiences in their own cars, like at this drive in concert in switzerland, so there's a lot to recommend outdoor performances. >> opera comes from napoli's

street. we are back. >> but outdoor concerts are not an option for the winter months, so organizers have to come up with other solutions. the audience sits in plexiglass components at this arena. here they have blocked off entire rows of seats and audience members were required to wear masks, but that is not a long-term solution. >> it is just not economically possible. we have to get to a point where we don't have social distancing, which is why we put all these measures in. i must stress this -- not to prove that the palladium can work, but to prove that every venue can work. >> until a vaccine for covid-19 is found, the search also continues for innovative ways to allow live performances to take place safely.

brent: sports news now, soccer has returned for the first time since the suspension in march due to the coronavirus. all of the last 16 games are being played without fans. germany's holdsworth are out. copenhagen eliminated the turkish champions. manchester united are hosting austria, now leading 5-0. the quarterfinals onwards will all be played right here in germany. as offers of help and prayers from beirut poor in after the devastating explosions, a rare moment of friendship from isisrael, which isis officiallya statate of war w with its northn neighbor lebanon. israel's tel aviv municipality has lit up its city hall with the lebanese flag to show solidarity witith the people of

beirut. the move has prompted outcry, but tel aviv's mayor has defended the move saying, "humanity takes precedence over every conflict." you are watching "dw news" from berlin. after a short break, i will be back to take you through "the day." tonight, from shop to anger in beirut. who is responsible for letting the lebanese capital blowup? we will be right back. ♪

gives de exchange the. the death toll of beirut's explosion climbs to a hundred and thirty five people with thousands more injured authorities continue to search for i was in the rubble and in the water the government saysys that thiss will only. increase this of aberdeen us. has gone back lock down off the cluster o of fifty four infections was discovered. this is coming up from a single bob fosse cafes and restaurants have been ordered to close this wednesday. and far aar