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Good morning.
We’re covering the search for answers after the explosion in Beirut, a milestone for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and for Hindu nationalists in India and the 75th anniversary of Hiroshima.
Beirut searches for survivors — and answers Rescue workers, still struggling to treat thousands of people wounded in an enormous explosion in Beirut, turned their attention to the desperate search for survivors. More than 100 people were killed in the blast that leveled whole sections of the Lebanese capital on Tuesday.
Anger swelled as people demanded to know who was to blame for the explosion, which may have been caused by thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate, an ingredient in both fertilizer and explosives.
Lebanese officials said the dangerous cache arrived aboard a Russian-owned cargo ship that stopped in Beirut more than six years ago. The cargo was headed to Mozambique but was impounded after port officials discovered “significant faults” on the ship.
“We have been waiting for this to be resolved for six years, in vain,” the general manager of the port said. The blast displaced some 300,000 people from their homes.
Here’s what we know so far. These images show the scale of the destruction.
For those looking for ways to give support, several organizations have mobilized in the region. You can read a personal account from Vivian Yee, our Middle East correspondent, in our Back Story below.
A triumph for Modi on a mosque’s ruins Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday set the ceremonial cornerstone for a new Hindu temple at the site of a destroyed mosque in Ayodhya. Hindus and Muslims have clashed over the Ayodhya site for decades.
Latest Updates: The Coronavirus Outbreak Updated 2020-08-06T10:59:06.078Z
‘We have to try something different’: Experts call for a large-scale rethinking of the U.S. testing strategy. In a worrying sign, France and Germany record higher daily totals than they’ve seen in months. New jobless claims in the U.S. are set to exceed 1 million for the 20th week. See more updates
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Millions of Indians watched the ceremony on television or on social media. But because of the coronavirus pandemic, the gathering in Ayodhya itself was muted, with crowds kept away.
Still, the groundbreaking ceremony for the temple was a milestone in Mr. Modi’s efforts to shift India’s secular foundations toward a more overtly Hindu identity, our correspondents write.
The show of triumph, however, collides with a tough reality: India has been walloped by the virus, racking up more infections than any other nation besides the U.S. and Brazil.
Context: Mr. Modi’s government passed a citizenship law that blatantly discriminated against Muslims. About 80 percent of the country is Hindu, 14 percent Muslim. India’s Muslim community has mostly stayed quiet about Ayodhya.
Remembering Hiroshima, 75 years later City officials and peace activists had envisioned grand events to commemorate what will most likely be the last major anniversary of the bombing for most survivors, who are known in Japan as the hibakusha.
But the coronavirus has forced organizers to curtail the events. Only 800 people will attend, one-tenth of the turnout during a normal year. This year’s commemoration will honor the declining population of survivors — about 136,000 — of the two atomic bombings by the U.S. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to deliver remarks.
The memories of the hibakusha, who now average 83 years of age, are an increasingly precious resource. As their numbers fall, they and their supporters are being forced to envision what the peace movement will look like without the people who have put a human face on the cost of nuclear war.
No more nukes: In 2017, the hibakusha’s peace efforts were rewarded with passage of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons at the United Nations. But the treaty is opposed by nuclear-armed states and Japan itself. Most survivors now say that a world free of nuclear weapons is a distant dream.
If you have 6 minutes, this is worth it Kenyan students must redo the 2020 school year
For Kenyan students, 2020 is turning out to be the year that disappeared. Education officials announced in July that they canceled the academic year and will make all students repeat it. Experts believe Kenya is the only country to take such a drastic measure.
The decision was made not just to protect teachers and students from the coronavirus, but also to address glaring issues of inequality. Many students don’t have the technology to access remote learning. But the move may just make educational inequality worse. Even after the government canceled the rest of the school year, some private schools continued holding online classes and charging tuition.
Here’s what else is happening Tropical Storm Isaias: At least two people were killed by tornadoes, and two others from fallen trees, as Isaias pummeled the Atlantic Coast with ferocious wind and driving rain. Millions were left without power.
Japan’s locked borders: Nearly 100,00 foreign residents have been prevented from re-entering Japan since April under stringent coronavirus-related travel restrictions that have drawn loud protests from foreign businesses. Executives at major international firms say they are rethinking their ties to the country.
U.S. presidential election: Democrats are dialing back plans for their convention, announcing that no officials will travel to Milwaukee, on the advice of health officials. Joe Biden will accept his party’s nomination from Delaware.
Video of the day: Airlines have stepped up their cleaning procedures to keep passengers safe during the pandemic. This is what the new processes look like.
The Coronavirus Outbreak ？ Frequently Asked Questions Updated August 4, 2020
I have antibodies. Am I now immune? As of right now, that seems likely, for at least several months. There have been frightening accounts of people suffering what seems to be a second bout of Covid-19. But experts say these patients may have a drawn-out course of infection, with the virus taking a slow toll weeks to months after initial exposure. People infected with the coronavirus typically produce immune molecules called antibodies, which are protective proteins made in response to an infection. These antibodies may last in the body only two to three months, which may seem worrisome, but that’s perfectly normal after an acute infection subsides, said Dr. Michael Mina, an immunologist at Harvard University. It may be possible to get the coronavirus again, but it’s highly unlikely that it would be possible in a short window of time from initial infection or make people sicker the second time. I’m a small-business owner. Can I get relief? The stimulus bills enacted in March offer help for the millions of American small businesses. Those eligible for aid are businesses and nonprofit organizations with fewer than 500 workers, including sole proprietorships, independent contractors and freelancers. Some larger companies in some industries are also eligible. The help being offered, which is being managed by the Small Business Administration, includes the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. But lots of folks have not yet seen payouts. Even those who have received help are confused: The rules are draconian, and some are stuck sitting on money they don’t know how to use. Many small-business owners are getting less than they expected or not hearing anything at all. What are my rights if I am worried about going back to work? Employers have to provide a safe workplace with policies that protect everyone equally. And if one of your co-workers tests positive for the coronavirus, the C.D.C. has said that employers should tell their employees -- without giving you the sick employee’s name -- that they may have been exposed to the virus. Should I refinance my mortgage? It could be a good idea, because mortgage rates have never been lower. Refinancing requests have pushed mortgage applications to some of the highest levels since 2008, so be prepared to get in line. But defaults are also up, so if you’re thinking about buying a home, be aware that some lenders have tightened their standards. What is school going to look like in September? It is unlikely that many schools will return to a normal schedule this fall, requiring the grind of online learning, makeshift child care and stunted workdays to continue. California’s two largest public school districts — Los Angeles and San Diego — said on July 13, that instruction will be remote-only in the fall, citing concerns that surging coronavirus infections in their areas pose too dire a risk for students and teachers. Together, the two districts enroll some 825,000 students. They are the largest in the country so far to abandon plans for even a partial physical return to classrooms when they reopen in August. For other districts, the solution won’t be an all-or-nothing approach. Many systems, including the nation’s largest, New York City, are devising hybrid plans that involve spending some days in classrooms and other days online. There’s no national policy on this yet, so check with your municipal school system regularly to see what is happening in your community.
“Indian Matchmaking”: The Netflix show has been criticized for normalizing the casteist, sexist and colorist elements of Indian society. But, the novelist Sanjena Sathian writes in an Opinion piece, that doesn’t mean we should dismiss the positive ways the series complicates and advances depictions of South Asian life.
What we’re reading: This article in The Washington Post from 2017 on the Halifax explosion that left 2,000 people dead and devastated the Canadian city in 1917. Before Hiroshima it was the worst explosive disaster. Beirut, sadly, has now joined the list.
Now, a break from the news
Cook: This spaghetti carbonara with egg, bacon and cheese. The main goal here is creaminess.
Watch: Mehrdad Oskouei’s documentary, “Sunless Shadows,” brings empathy to a tough subject: women and girls convicted of murdering male family members in Iran.
Do: Paper flower-making is a popular craft that can result in blooms as complex and realistic as you want. Here’s a guide to making a newspaper rose.
At Home has our full collection of ideas on what to read, cook, watch and do.
And now for the Back Story on … Help and care from strangers in Beirut Vivian Yee, a Middle East correspondent based in Beirut, saw her apartment turned into a demolition site by the powerful explosions that pummeled the Lebanese capital on Tuesday. She was injured but quickly found help from the Lebanese, mostly strangers, who, she said, treated her like a friend. Here’s an excerpt from her account.
When I got downstairs, dodging the enormous broken window that rested jaggedly in my stairwell, my neighborhood, with its graceful old-Beirut architecture and arched windows, looked like a picture from the wars I had seen from afar — a mouth missing all its teeth.
Someone passing on a motorbike saw my bloody face and told me to hop on. When we couldn’t get any closer to the hospital, our way blocked by hillocks of broken glass and stranded cars, I got off and started walking.
As I neared the hospital, elderly patients sat dazed in wheelchairs in the streets, still hooked to their IV bags. A woman lay on the ground in front of the exploded emergency room, her whole body dripping red, not moving much. It was clear that they weren’t taking new patients, certainly not any as comparatively lucky as I was.
Someone named Youssef saw me, sat me down and started cleaning and bandaging my face. Once he was satisfied I could walk, he left and I started wandering, trying to think of another hospital I could try.
I ran into a friend of a friend, someone I had met only a few times before, and he bandaged the rest of my wounds, disinfecting the lacerations with splashes of Lebanon’s national liquor, an anise-flavored drink called arak.
His roommate swept up their terrace as I bloodied their towels. “I can’t think unless it’s clean,” he explained.
Before the end of the night, after my co-workers had found me, after a passing driver named Ralph had offered to take us to one of the few hospitals still accepting patients, after a doctor had put 11 staples in my forehead and another sprinkling on my leg and arms, people would be saying the same thing to me: Thank God for your safety.
“Thank you,” I said in reply, “truly thank you,” and I didn’t mean just for the good wishes.
That’s it for this briefing. See you next time.
— Carole
Thank you
To Theodore Kim and Jahaan Singh for the break from the news. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.
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