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Interior minister says ammonium nitrate likely caused at least one explosion amid reports hospitals too damaged to treat patientsFull report: huge explosion in Beirut‘We’re cursed’: shock and despair as explosion devastates cityBeirut explosion – in pictures 8.18pm BST Israel, which is technically still at war with Lebanon, has also offered humanitarian assistance.The country’s defence minister, Benny Gantz, said Israel approached the Lebanese government through “international security and diplomatic channels”.בהנחיית שר הביטחון בני גנץ ושר החוץ גבי אשכנזי, פנתה ישראל ללבנון דרך גורמים ביטחוניים ומדיניים בינלאומיים והציעה לממשלת לבנון סיוע הומניטארי רפואי. 8.01pm BST Hamad Hasan just announced the updated toll in televised remarks. Continue reading...

Lebanese capital in state of chaos as people grapple with scale of blast that has injured thousandsBeirut explosion – live updatesFull report: huge explosion rocks BeirutAs a ghostly brown haze began to clear, the streets of east Beirut emerged in apocalyptic ruin. Even 4km from the centre of the blast each building had lost some, if not all, of its windows. It was just after 6pm. Smoke, dispersed with pockets of pink gas, shrouded some of the carnage. Huge shards of glass covered roads – some jagged pieces had ripped through cars. Trees were shredded, and pools of blood formed puddles in the streets. Related: Beirut explosion: dead and wounded among 'hundreds of casualties', says Lebanon Red Cross – live updates Continue reading...

Guidelines appear to be first to urge handling health issue as complex disease, not just a question of weight lossPioneering guidelines on obesity management published on Tuesday in Canada are challenging doctors to consider the health problem as a complex chronic illness rather than something a little diet and exercise can cure.The guidelines – believed to be the first of their kind in the world – were developed over three and a half years by a committee of 62 professionals led by Dr Sean Wharton, a Toronto internist specializing in weight management. The document advocates for approaching obesity as a complex chronic disease, rather than an issue of weight loss. Continue reading...

Negotiations on bailout package stuck as parties disputeBiden: coronavirus is failing to ‘just disappear’Join us for an online event with Eric Holder to discuss voter suppression in the 2020 election, Thursday at 5pm ET. Register nowSign up to our First Thing newsletter 7.58pm BST “Veep” the hit politics satire series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus found seven seasons of success on HBO. Louis-Dreyfus does not like the new HBO material:God, I wish this was just a dumb show like ours. https://t.co/n3edLDiqiq 7.51pm BST Joe Biden’s election campaign on Tuesday unveiled a plan to address the economic inequalities facing Latinos in America amid financial turmoil caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which has disproportionately harmed communities of color.The plan was introduced a day after the anniversary of the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, that took the lives of 23 people and where the shooter is accused in federal court of deliberately targeting Hispanics. Related: Biden reaches out to Latino voters with plan to tackle inequalities Continue reading...

President floundered in conversation with Axios, claiming Covid-19 was ‘under control’ and attacking mail-in votingDonald Trump stumbled through his second damaging interview in as many weeks, floundering in a conversation with the news website Axios over key issues he is tasked with responding to as president.It’s been just over two weeks since the president made a series of shocking statements in a one-on-one interview with Fox News, but he packed another host of extraordinary claims into a 37-minute interview released on Monday night by Axios. Continue reading...

Joint statement says ex-minister should not be allowed on to the Commons estate A coalition of charities and trade unions has called on parliament to suspend the Conservative MP accused of rape while he faces investigation, warning that failing to do so is “yet another example of minimising violence against women”.The unnamed ex-minister was arrested at the weekend after a former parliamentary aide accused him of assaulting her, forcing her to have sex and leaving her so traumatised she had to go to hospital. Continue reading...

Palace refuses to reveal former monarch’s location one day after he announced exile The whereabouts of Spain’s scandal-hit former king remained shrouded in mystery on Tuesday, one day after it was announced that Juan Carlos would be leaving the country in a bid to protect the crown from mounting scrutiny over his financial dealings. On Monday, Spain’s royal house published a letter sent by Juan Carlos to his son, King Felipe VI, saying he would “move, at this time, outside of Spain” amid the “public repercussions that certain past events in my private life are generating”. Continue reading...

Musician files lawsuit against the president for copyright infringement after Rockin’ in the Free World and Devil’s Sidewalk were played at a rallyNeil Young is suing Donald Trump’s campaign for alleged illegal usage of his music at a rally.The musician claims that Rockin’ in the Free World and Devil’s Sidewalk were played at the president’s recent rally in Tulsa without a license. Both songs have also been used before by the campaign. Continue reading...

If countries that use tourism to fund conservation are not supported, species and habitats will disappear At London zoo, the giraffes, which are easily visible from the street, had regular visitors even during lockdown, and an illuminated NHS sign on their famous building. Like most other attractions that rely on tourists for income, zoos forced to shut owing to the coronavirus face a financially fraught future. But the risks to captive animals and their keepers are nothing to those faced by wild creatures and the people who guard them. Already under huge pressure from multiple sources, international conservation efforts have been thrown into fresh chaos.The picture that is emerging of the global impact of Covid-19 on wildlife is complicated. Fishing hours were found by researchers to have fallen by 10% in March and April, for example, while South Africa reported a 53% drop in the number of rhinos killed by poachers, compared with the first six months of last year (from 316 in 2019, to 166). The sudden dramatic fall in air pollution and traffic (road, sea and air) brought rapid if short-lived benefits for many of the planet’s non-human inhabitants. In the UK, as in other countries, people who could afford to took the opportunity of the lockdown to spend more time in the countryside or their gardens. So far, it is a bumper year for British butterflies. Continue reading...

We’ve all experienced tragedy but usually there is comfort in the wider world carrying on. With Covid, the jig is upThis is part of a series of essays by Australian writers responding to the challenges of 2020As a teenager, I loved feeling scared. Horror films were my go-to. The Exorcist, Poltergeist, The Omen, even the slightly sillier ones like Friday the 13th. In my youth I mistook that manufactured titillation for real fear, but now I know better. Now I know true fear is not exhilarating. True fear cannot be easily soothed by a quick cuddle from Mum. True fear is intense, exhausting, merciless. True fear is an invisible pathogen that threatens to strip you of everything you love.“Would you prefer to get your results on a less ominous day?” I joked as I booked patients in for their appointments on Friday the 13th of March, Some laughed and others hesitated but most seemed to eventually suppress any niggling superstition. Continue reading...

President unhappy that Lewis did not attend his inaugurationTrump questions value of Civil Rights Act: ‘How’s it worked out?’Donald Trump refused to praise the late John Lewis, the Georgia congressman and original Freedom Rider, during his latest one-on-one interview, and also questioned the value of the pivotal Civil Rights Act of the 1960s, which Lewis fought and almost died for. Related: Coronavirus US: Biden tells Trump 'step up and do your job' over Covid-19 death toll – live Continue reading...

An explosion has rocked central Beirut in Lebanon, shattering windows and shaking buildings for several hundred feet. The source of the blast is still unclearBeirut explosion – live updatesFull report: huge explosion in BeirutVideo: Beirut footage shows massive blast Continue reading...

Woman has come forward claiming she recalls seeing duke at Mayfair nightclub with GiuffreThe FBI has been passed information from a witness claiming to have seen the Duke of York at a nightclub with a woman who alleges the pair had sex when she was a teenager.The US lawyer Lisa Bloom, who is representing the victims of the royal’s former friend and convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, said Shukri Walker recalled seeing Prince Andrew at Tramp nightclub in Mayfair and had come forward to support Virginia Giuffre’s version of events. Continue reading...

Reigning champion pulls out of tournament due to pandemicMadrid Open had already been moved from May Defending champion Rafael Nadal has pulled out of the US Open citing concerns over coronavirus. The four-time winner at Flushing Meadows does not want to travel to the United States while Covid-19 cases are on the rise. He joins women’s world number one Ashleigh Barty in pulling out of the tournament due to the treat of coronavirus. Continue reading...

Video circulating on social media shows a massive explosion rocking central Beirut - shattering windows, knocking down doors and shaking buildings several hundred feet away. Lebanon’s health minister told journalists a ship carrying fireworks had blown up in the port, though the size of the blast heard across the country raised suspicions it might have resulted from a rocket strike or detonation of explosives - deliberate or otherwise. The source of the blast has not been confirmedBeirut explosion: 'hundreds of casualties' dead and wounded, says Red Cross – live updates Continue reading...

Alleged victim says he was beaten with baseball bats after asking man to put on maskCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA man using a launderette in a Paris suburb says he was beaten by two men with baseball bats in front of his young children after asking a customer to put on a face mask.Masks are obligatory inside all public places in France to combat a recent surge in coronavirus cases. Continue reading...

President again says he is doing ‘incredible job’ fighting pandemic and casts doubt on Jeffrey Epstein’s cause of deathCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageDonald Trump visibly floundered in an interview when pressed on a range of issues, including the number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the US, his claims that mail-in voting is fraudulent, and his inaction over the “Russian bounty” scandal.The US president also repeatedly cast doubt on the cause of death of Jeffrey Epstein, and said of Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite who has pleaded not guilty to participating in the sex-trafficking of girls by Epstein, that he wished her well. Continue reading...

Exclusive: gallery removes reference to venue as ‘most amusing room in Europe’ as call grow for artwork’s removalTate Britain has removed a reference to its restaurant as “the most amusing room in Europe” after complaints about racist depictions in a 1920s mural.The Rex Whistler restaurant is covered floor to ceiling in a specially commissioned mural by the eponymous British artist titled The Expedition in Pursuit of Rare Meats, which depicts the enslavement of a black child and the distress of his mother. It also shows the boy running behind a horse and cart which he is attached to by a chain around his neck. Continue reading...