蜜芽传媒

The Pope has invited people to join him spiritually in praying that Lebanon may recover and, as he puts it, show the world once again its face of peace and hope. The country is suffering its worst economic collapse in decades.

On Wednesday the Lebanese parliament approved ration cards for the poorest citizens as a national crisis shows no sign of abating. The United Nations children's agency Unicef now says one third of children in Lebanon are forced to skip meals.

All this on top of blackouts and rocketing prices, and violent clashes on the streets of the capital, Beirut. Journalist Luna Safwan told 蜜芽传媒 Newsday the power cuts were affecting critical healthcare.

One of the doctors at the main hospital told me: 'We no longer need to say we are heading to hell. We are officially in hell.'

(Pic: Soldiers clear protests on main highway leading to Rafik Hariri international airport; Credit: EPA)