Thousands of protesters have taken to the parliamentary precinct in the capital demanding the fall of the government days after a major explosion rocked Beirut, killing 159 people injuring more than 6,000. The protests began at sunset and continued into the night, with demonstrators clashing with police and soldiers. The demonstrations come as two government ministers and a string of MPs resigned from their posts, loosening the government’s already parlous grip on power
Beirut explosion: protests outside parliament call for fall of government
In This Story: Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. No recent population census has been conducted, but 2007 estimates ranged from slightly more than 1 million to 2.2 million as part of Greater Beirut, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region and the fifteenth-largest in the Arab world.
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In This Story: Police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and the use of force legitimized by the state via the monopoly on violence.
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