what happened last week

Who is responsible for the 2020 port explosion in Beirut, Lebanon? We still don't know.

Refresher: On August 4, 2020, hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded in the port of Beirut, Lebanon's capital. At least 218 people died, thousands got hurt, and many more people lost their homes. Nobody higher-up has been held responsible for what happened – so far. Many people in Lebanon are desperate to see some accountability.

Last week, to everyone's surprise, Judge Tarek Bitar was like, 'we need to continue this investigation' and issued charges against current and former senior officials.

Why this matters: The explosion in August 2020 is one of the largest non-nuclear blasts on record. Many believe that 'Lebanon's top officials knew this would/could happen and they didn't do anything about it'. They also believe that impunity is the norm in Lebanon. You can do a lot of f*cked up things and not go to jail for it. Tarek Bitar and this investigation symbolize that justice may one day be served in Lebanon. 

Tell me more
Tarek Bitar was chosen to lead the investigation into the 2020 explosion in 2021. Before him, another person named Judge Fadi Sawan was in charge but was removed because of complaints from some 'important people'. Bitar then accused some of the country's top politicians of being involved, including those connected to Hezbollah, the country's ex-prime minister and the chief prosecutor. But they wouldn't talk to him and said he didn't have the power to do what he was doing. A year later, the people who were checking on Bitar's work retired and no one has replaced them, so the investigation stopped in 2021... until last week. The chief prosecutor, Ghassan Oweidat has fired back, 'you cannot just restart the inquiry on your own. I will notify security forces to not abide by your orders.'

What do the victims' families think of Bitar? 
"This is really bold and courageous. He tried this before and it didn't work. There is no support among the political figures. You feel like he's on a solo mission," Tania Daou-Alam, who lost her husband in the blast. She believes that he is a "modern-day hero". William Noun, who lost his brother in the blast, said of Bitar's move: "This is very much a judicial uprising". (Reuters)

What now?
Well. If the case is not brought to trial by the judicial council, Bitar could still release all of his evidence to the public and help prosecutors in other countries like France and Germany. These countries have ongoing cases because people holding citizenship from their countries died in the explosion. Zina Wakim, the president of Accountability Now and a lawyer for the victims, said that these other cases will depend on Bitar's investigation. She also said that people are still trying to get the United Nations to look into the explosion. She believes that the way the judicial system is set up in Lebanon makes it hard to hold people accountable for their actions and that victims of the explosion have no choice but to take their case to other countries. (Al Jazeera)

• Quote: "We are in shock," Mireille Khoury, mother of Elias Khoury, who was killed by the explosion at the age of 15 told the organizations. "In what state are we living? All this proves that the international investigation is our only hope and that the HRC [Human Rights Council] is our main route. When will the leaders of the world open their eyes to this horrendous injustice against us." (Amnesty International)

New UNESCO listings from Yemen, Ukraine and Lebanon are in danger

UNESCO announced that it added new names to its list of 'important places' and 'important places in danger'. The lists now include The Landmarks of the Ancient Kingdom of Saba, Marib in Yemen, The Rachid Karameh International Fair in Tripoli, Lebanon, and the Historic Center of the Port City of Odesa in Ukraine.

Why this matters: Some of the world’s most impressive wonders are disappearing with every passing day. UNESCO is an agency of the United Nations that is responsible for identifying and protecting cultural and natural heritage sites around the world that are considered to be of outstanding universal value. But, when a heritage site is listed as “endangered,” it means that UNESCO has determined that the site is facing significant threats that could lead to its destruction or significant degradation.

Tell me more about the one in Yemen. I've never heard about it.
The Landmarks of the Ancient Kingdom of Saba in Marib are a pretty huge deal. The Kingdom of Saba is the Yemeni civilization’s backbone and one of the most prominent ancient Arab kingdoms. The Landmarks today consist of seven sites and provide evidence of a powerful kingdom with a centralized and intelligent government that controlled incense routes across the Arabian Peninsula, and also had commercial influence in the Mediterranean and East Africa from the 1st millennium B.C. to the arrival of Islam about 1,400 years ago. Plus, UNESCO is a huge fan of the irrigation system of Marib's sites for its "technological prowess in hydrological engineering and agriculture on a scale unparalleled in ancient South Arabia, resulting in the creation of the largest ancient man-made oasis." (NPR) Its destruction is even referenced in the Koran.

How do people in Yemen feel about this? 
Mixed feelings; happy and fearful. Mohammed Jumeh, Yemen’s permanent delegate to UNESCO, tweeted, "Congratulations to Marib, Yemen, and the Arabs for this significant cultural accomplishment, which was the result of three years of efforts on the ground and in the halls." Muammar Al-Eryani, Yemen’s minister of information, culture and tourism, also congratulated Yemenis, local authorities and the ministry team that prepared the file, adding that there are now five Yemeni sites on the UNESCO list. (Arab News)

Which other Yemeni sites are on the UNESCO list?
Apart from the Marib sites, the UNESCO also includes the historic town of Zabid (used to be the capital of Yemen from the 13th to 15th century), the old walled city of Shibam (one of the oldest examples of urban planning based on high-rise buildings), the old city of Sana'a (inhabited for more than 2500 years) and the Socotra archipelago (exceptionally rich in biodiversity). (UNESCO)

But isn't Yemen at war right now? 
Yes. And that's part of the reason why some specialists in Yemen cannot 'hooray' all the way. 'The government and the Houthi rebels are still fighting. They're even fighting in one of the seven sites of the Landmarks, in the Ancient City of Serwah!' Riyadh Bakarmom, an archaeologist, told Arab News, 'I also fear that, now that the world has acknowledged Marib's sites, people will want to steal and smuggle valuable relics.' (Arab News)

What now? 
The only plus side here maybe is that being on the UNESCO World Heritage list gives sites access to better international assistance, both technical and financial, and helps mobilize the international community to ensure their protection.

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A new survey found out that watching birds and hearing birdsong have a positive impact on our wellbeing for more than nine in 10 people. (The Guardian)

If you find yourself somewhere with no birds (not only are you lying to me but you're also lying to yourself), you can listen to some on YouTube or Spotify or – if you find that birdsong has got an annoyingly repetitive rhythm to it – go check out Egypt/Cairo-based producer and audio experimentalist Abdalrahman's new two-sided single, 'Everything Is In Full Effect' and 'ION-U'; both tracks are full of surprises. I liked 'ION-U' better; felt hypnotic.

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On a funny note

• Refresher: Kondo became an international phenomenon in 2019 with the launch of her Netflix reality series “Tidying Up,” in which she helped people clean up their messy homes and declutter their spaces in an attempt to restore calmness and “spark joy” in their lives.