Ministers resign after third day of protests in Lebanon

A Lebanese Christian party has announced it is quitting the government after a third day of protests across the country against tax increases and alleged official corruption. After tens of thousands took to the streets on Saturday, four ministers from the Lebanese Forces party, a traditional ally of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, resigned from his cabinet.
"We are convinced that the government is unable to take the necessary steps to save the situation", said Samir Geagea, head of the party.
Hariri has given his deeply divided coalition until Monday evening to commit to a reform package aimed at shoring up the government's finances and securing the disbursement of desperately needed economic assistance from donors.
Protesters in Beirut’s Riad al-Solh square, a stone's throw away from the seat of government, celebrated as news of the resignations broke.
But they quickly began chanting to demand further resignations, using a slogan conventionally chanted at football matches: "The first shot went in, where is the second?"
Labour Minister Camille Abousleiman, one of the four to quit the government, told Al Jazeera shortly after the decision that they had "lost faith in the government’s ability to effect change and address the problem".
Earlier on Saturday in central Beirut, the mood was fiery and festive, with protesters of all ages waving flags and chanting for revolution outside upmarket retailers and banks that had their storefronts smashed in by rioters the night before.
The number of protesters grew steadily throughout the day, with major demonstrations in the country's second-biggest city, Tripoli, in the north, and other locations.
Many waved billowing Lebanese flags and insisted the protests should remain peaceful and non-sectarian.