70 hurt in clashes between Lebanese protesters, police

Beirut, Jan 20 (IANS) At least 70 people were injured during clashes between anti-government protesters and riot police in Lebanon's capital city of Beirut. Among the injured in the clashes on Sunday, 30 people were transported by the Lebanese Red Cross to nearby hospitals, Xinhua news agency reported. Protesters also attempted to break into Parliament by throwing stones at security forces who used water cannons to disperse demonstrators. Meanwhile, Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Sunday called for an urgent security meeting to be held on Monday with Defence and Interior Ministers and security agencies to discuss the latest developments in the country. Heavy clashes had started on Saturday due to the failure of the ruling political class to adopt quick measures to save the deteriorating economy prevailing in the country. Saturday's clashes caused a total of 169 injuries, according to the Lebanese Red Cross. Protests have escalated in the past few days due to officials' failure to form a cabinet of independent ministers capable of dealing with the country's different crises. Nationwide protests started in Lebanon on October 17, 2019 and they succeeded to topple the government of Prime Minister Saad Hariri and led to the appointment of Hassan Diab as the new premier.
--IANS ksk/