PHOTO GALLERY: Prayers and lanterns for the dead as Hiroshima marks 80 years since the attack with the first atomic bomb
People watch as small bonfires are lit along the Motoyasu River in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome during a ceremony in remembrance of the victims on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP
Visitors release paper lanterns with written messages out onto the Motoyasu River to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP
Visitors release paper lanterns with written messages out onto the Motoyasu River to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP
Visitors light incense sticks and pray at the Peace Memorial Park ahead of the memorial service to mark the 80th anniversary of the WWII U.S. atomic bombing in Hiroshima. AP
Visitors light incense sticks and pray at the Peace Memorial Park ahead of the memorial service to mark the 80th anniversary of the WWII U.S. atomic bombing in Hiroshima. AP
A volunteer pushes paper lanterns out onto the Motoyasu River after they were released by visitors to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP
A volunteer pushes paper lanterns out onto the Motoyasu River after they were released by visitors to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP
A woman lights incense sticks and prays at the Peace Memorial Park ahead of the memorial service to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima early. AFP
A woman lights incense sticks and prays at the Peace Memorial Park ahead of the memorial service to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima early. AFP
The Atomic Bomb Dome is seen in Hiroshima City. AFP
The Atomic Bomb Dome is seen in Hiroshima City. AFP
Attendees carry floral wreaths to hand over to city officials laying them at the Memorial Cenotaph, during the Peace Memorial Ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP
Attendees carry floral wreaths to hand over to city officials laying them at the Memorial Cenotaph, during the Peace Memorial Ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP
Invited guests queue to lay bouquets of flowers at the Memorial Cenotaph during the Peace Memorial Ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP
Invited guests queue to lay bouquets of flowers at the Memorial Cenotaph during the Peace Memorial Ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP
Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (C) lays a wreath at the Memorial Cenotaph during the Peace Memorial Ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP
Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (C) lays a wreath at the Memorial Cenotaph during the Peace Memorial Ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP
A young man and woman prepare to ring the bell to remember those lost in the bombing, during the Peace Memorial Ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP
A young man and woman prepare to ring the bell to remember those lost in the bombing, during the Peace Memorial Ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP
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Al-Ahram Weekly
19 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Restored Nagasaki bell rings in 80 years since A-bomb - International
Twin cathedral bells rang in unison Saturday in Japan's Nagasaki for the first time since the atomic bombing of the city 80 years ago, commemorating the moment of horror. On August 9, 1945, at 11:02 am, three days after a nuclear attack on Hiroshima, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki. After heavy downpours on Saturday morning, the rain stopped shortly before a moment of silence and ceremony in which Nagasaki mayor Shiro Suzuki urged the world to "stop armed conflicts immediately". "Eighty years have passed, and who could have imagined that the world would become like this? "A crisis that could threaten the survival of humanity, such as a nuclear war, is looming over every one of us living on this planet." About 74,000 people were killed in the southwestern port city, on top of the 140,000 deaths in Hiroshima. Days later, on August 15, 1945, Japan surrendered, marking the end of World War II. Historians have debated whether the bombings ultimately saved lives by bringing an end to the conflict and averting a ground invasion. 'Invisible terror' But those calculations meant little to survivors, many of whom battled decades of physical and psychological trauma, as well as the stigma that often came with being a hibakusha. Ninety-three-year-old survivor Hiroshi Nishioka, who was just three kilometres (1.8 miles) from the spot where the bomb exploded, told ceremony attendees of the horror he witnessed as a young teenager. "Even the lucky ones (who were not severely injured) gradually began to bleed from their gums and lose their hair, and one after another they died," he recalled. "Even though the war was over, the atomic bomb brought invisible terror." Nagasaki resident Atsuko Higuchi told AFP it "made her happy" that everyone would remember the city's victims. "Instead of thinking that these events belong to the past, we must remember that these are real events that took place," the 50-year-old said. On Saturday, 200-300 people attending mass at Nagasaki's Immaculate Conception Cathedral heard the two bells ring together for the first time since 1945. One of them, 61-year-old Akio Watanabe, said he had been waiting since he was a young man to hear the bells chime together. The restoration is a "symbol of reconciliation", he said, tears streaming down his face. The imposing red-brick cathedral, with its twin bell towers atop a hill, was rebuilt in 1959 after it was almost completely destroyed in the monstrous explosion just a few hundred meters away. Only one of its two bells was recovered from the rubble, leaving the northern tower silent. With funds from US churchgoers, a new bell was constructed and restored to the tower, and chimed on Saturday at the exact moment the bomb was dropped. 'Working together for peace' The cathedral's chief priest, Kenichi Yamamura, told AFP, "it's not about forgetting the wounds of the past but recognising them and taking action to repair and rebuild, and in doing so, working together for peace". He also sees the chimes as a message to the world, shaken by multiple conflicts and caught in a frantic new arms race. Nearly 100 countries were set to participate in this year's commemorations, including Russia, which has not been invited since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Israel, whose ambassador was not invited last year over the war in Gaza, was in attendance. An American university professor, whose grandfather participated in the Manhattan Project, which developed the first nuclear weapons, spearheaded the Bell Project. During his research in Nagasaki, a Japanese Christian told him he would like to hear the two bells of the cathedral ring together in his lifetime. Inspired by the idea, James Nolan, a sociology professor at Williams College in Massachusetts, embarked on a year-long series of lectures about the atomic bomb across the United States, primarily in churches. 'In tears' He managed to raise $125,000 from American Catholics to fund the new bell. When it was unveiled in Nagasaki in the spring, "the reactions were magnificent. There were people literally in tears", said Nolan. Many American Catholics he met were also unaware of the painful history of Nagasaki's Christians, who, converted in the 16th century by the first European missionaries and then persecuted by Japanese shoguns, kept their faith alive clandestinely for over 250 years. This story was told in the novel "Silence" by Shusaku Endo, and adapted into a film by Martin Scorsese in 2016. He explains that American Catholics also showed "compassion and sadness" upon hearing about the perseverance of Nagasaki's Christians after the atomic bomb, which killed 8,500 of the parish's 12,000 faithful. They were inspired by the "willingness to forgive and rebuild". Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
3 days ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
PHOTO GALLERY: Prayers and lanterns for the dead as Hiroshima marks 80 years since the attack with the first atomic bomb
People watch as small bonfires are lit along the Motoyasu River in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome during a ceremony in remembrance of the victims on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP People watch as small bonfires are lit along the Motoyasu River in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome during a ceremony in remembrance of the victims on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP Visitors release paper lanterns with written messages out onto the Motoyasu River to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP Visitors release paper lanterns with written messages out onto the Motoyasu River to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP Visitors light incense sticks and pray at the Peace Memorial Park ahead of the memorial service to mark the 80th anniversary of the WWII U.S. atomic bombing in Hiroshima. AP Visitors light incense sticks and pray at the Peace Memorial Park ahead of the memorial service to mark the 80th anniversary of the WWII U.S. atomic bombing in Hiroshima. AP A volunteer pushes paper lanterns out onto the Motoyasu River after they were released by visitors to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP A volunteer pushes paper lanterns out onto the Motoyasu River after they were released by visitors to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP A woman lights incense sticks and prays at the Peace Memorial Park ahead of the memorial service to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima early. AFP A woman lights incense sticks and prays at the Peace Memorial Park ahead of the memorial service to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima early. AFP The Atomic Bomb Dome is seen in Hiroshima City. AFP The Atomic Bomb Dome is seen in Hiroshima City. AFP Attendees carry floral wreaths to hand over to city officials laying them at the Memorial Cenotaph, during the Peace Memorial Ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP Attendees carry floral wreaths to hand over to city officials laying them at the Memorial Cenotaph, during the Peace Memorial Ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP Invited guests queue to lay bouquets of flowers at the Memorial Cenotaph during the Peace Memorial Ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP Invited guests queue to lay bouquets of flowers at the Memorial Cenotaph during the Peace Memorial Ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (C) lays a wreath at the Memorial Cenotaph during the Peace Memorial Ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (C) lays a wreath at the Memorial Cenotaph during the Peace Memorial Ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP A young man and woman prepare to ring the bell to remember those lost in the bombing, during the Peace Memorial Ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP A young man and woman prepare to ring the bell to remember those lost in the bombing, during the Peace Memorial Ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, in the city of Hiroshima. AFP
Egypt Independent
4 days ago
- Egypt Independent
Over 60 African migrants killed and dozens missing after boat capsizes near Yemen, says UN
Cairo AP — A boat capsized Sunday in waters off Yemen's coast leaving 68 African migrants dead and 74 others missing, the UN's migration agency said. The tragedy was the latest in a series of shipwrecks off Yemen that have killed hundreds of African migrants fleeing conflict and poverty in hopes of reaching the wealthy Gulf Arab countries. The vessel, with 154 Ethiopian migrants on board, sank in the Gulf of Aden off the southern Yemeni province of Abyan early Sunday, Abdusattor Esoev, head of the International Organization for Migration in Yemen told The Associated Press. He said the bodies of 54 migrants washed ashore in the district of Khanfar, and 14 others were found dead and taken to a hospital morgue in Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan on Yemen's southern coast. Only 12 migrants survived the shipwreck, and the rest were missing and presumed dead, Esoev said. In a statement, the Abyan security directorate described a massive search-and-rescue operation given the large number of dead and missing migrants. It said many dead bodies were found scattered across a wide area of the shore. Despite more than a decade of civil war, Yemen is a major route for migrants from East Africa and the Horn of Africa trying to reach the Gulf Arab countries for work. Migrants are taken by smugglers on often dangerous, overcrowded boats across the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden. Hundreds of migrants have died or gone missing in shipwrecks off Yemen in recent months, including in March when two migrants died and 186 others were missing after four boats capsized off Yemen and Djibouti, according to the IOM. More than 60,000 migrants arrived in Yemen in 2024, down from 97,200 in 2023, probably because of greater patrolling of the waters, according to an IOM report in March.
