The judge leading the investigation into the devastating port explosion in Beirut in 2020 has reportedly charged more key figures as part of his probe. Despite Tarek Bitar’s work being frozen for 13 months amid legal challenges, he unexpectedly said on Monday that he thought he could restart his inquiries. But on Tuesday the public prosecutor told him that he had no jurisdiction. More than 200 people were killed when ammonium nitrate that was being stored unsafely at a port warehouse ignited. The blast it created was one of the worst non-nuclear explosions in recent history, and devastated a large area of the Lebanese capital. There is no official confirmation of the identities of those who have been charged, or detail of what indictments they may face. Instead, lists of names and potential dates for questioning sessions are being circulated among local journalists, apparently released by judicial sources. Senior figures like the heads of the General Security and State Security departments are new names to appear on the list.(BBC)…[+]

An outback Australian town has re-imposed a controversial policy directed at Aboriginal communities that restricts the sale of alcohol. Under the new restrictions, no takeaway alcohol will be sold in Alice Springs – about 450km northeast of Uluru – on Mondays or Tuesdays. Alcohol can also only be sold between 15:00 and 19:00 on all days except Saturdays. A previous ban ended in mid-2022 after it was deemed as racial discrimination. The leader of the Northern Territory, Natasha Fyles, said the measures were imposed to protect families and children across the town as the town experiences a significant increase in violence. Ms Fyles said data showed alcohol-related harms had risen since the last alcohol ban ended in July 2022.  In the 12 months to November 2022, there were 2,653 assaults in a town of roughly 25,000 people, the Northern Territory government’s crime statistics found. Alongside the restrictions on alcohol, more than 25m Australian dollars (£14.2m) for community services – including women’s services, police funding and CCTV safety lighting – was announced.(BBC)…[+]

At least 124 people died in freezing temperatures in Afghanistan in the past fortnight, Taliban officials say. About 70,000 livestock had also perished in what is the coldest winter in a decade, a State Ministry for Disaster Management spokesman said. Many aid agencies suspended operations in recent weeks after the Taliban banned Afghan women from working for non-governmental organisations. A Taliban minister said despite the deaths, the edict would not be changed. Acting Minister of Disaster Management Mullah Mohammad Abbas Akhund told the BBC that many areas of Afghanistan were now completely cut off by snow; military helicopters had been sent to the rescue, but they couldn’t land in the most mountainous regions. The acting minister said the forecast for the next 10 days indicated temperatures would warm. But he was still worried about a rising death toll – of Afghans, and their livestock.(BBC)…[+]