lebanon is in mourning after some 100 people are killed and thousands injured in a massive explosion that rocked the country's capital on tuesday a huge shockwave ripped through beirut destroying buildings in the port district and living many residents without electricity the exact cause of the disaster is a clear though it's believed to be linked to the improper storage of explosive materials in a warehouse. in the song we found everything to our hands i was moving and it's like an earthquake suddenly there's so many holes in us something explodes and everything falls we. also this hour despite millions of for

a load workers returning to work in the u.k. the economic impact of the pandemic has seen major cities including london become ghost towns. you're watching our to international bring you your live news update from our studio here in moscow welcome to the program. condolences are being sent from all over the world to lebanon where a devastating explosion ripped through the capital on tuesday the nation is in mourning as the catastrophe has claimed lies of at least 100 people and left over 4000 injured according to the country's red cross.

now these are live pictures from beirut it's about 1 pm there right now there's almost nothing left of the once bustling port as you can see here the city's governor says about 300000 people have been displaced a blast destroyed nearby buildings causing chaos across the lebanese capital. given a large number of injured hospitals are under immense strain the field is already dealing with the coronavirus crisis were quickly field beyond capacity issue pleas

for blood donations and for generators to keep the lights going here are some firsthand accounts from people who experienced the shock wave of the blast. oh you're my son and we felt a boom everything turned over our heads i was at home and my dad watching t.v. when the window fell over on me the wardrobe also follow my daughter. and she needs a surgery now. that. was. because of her. could not be me we were at home we heard the sound of the airplanes above our house well even the op of floor of the building are destroyed. noise from airplanes and suddenly the song falls and i see something explodes and everything falls with it.

i was moving and it felt like an earthquake looked around and resold glass shattered everywhere earlier we spoke to journalists all tough amada who went to the site of the blast forests. well since the early morning hours and throughout last night to the lebanese army and fire fighters have been still trying to put off the fire which is still until today burning through the remains of the warehouses at the ports of the city of beit with the lebanese president michel own has announced 2 weeks emergency state of emergency in beirut today we're expecting an emergency session to be held at the lebanese cabinet we're expecting a lot of this is ins and sacking of poor officials who are accused of negligence and that's had a lot to do was short comings had a lot to do with why this entire situation took the turn it did yesterday rescue

workers are still trying to dig through the rubble to find the remainder or the missing individuals as well as if they can find more bodies unfortunately really are expecting that the death toll is going to continue to rise because of how massive the blast was and because. of the ports were at the ports at the time of the applause or in the time of the explosion. at least 10 rescue workers died in the 2nd explosion of the disaster that's according to beirut's governor and a t.v. interview he gave my one i would like in the tragedy to nagasaki speaking at the site he broke down into tears. on a big beautified of mine about. the explosion happened in the densely populated port district of the city the blast level buildings in the surrounding area and the shock waves were reportedly felt as

far afield as cyprus the world health organization is sending medical supplies as are a number of countries artie's paul flair picks up the story. the country's prime minister has said that the cause of the explosion was 2700 tons of ammonium nitrate that was stored in a way house he said he would reveal facts soon about the way house but he wouldn't do so now because he did not want to preempt an official investigation that's under way now hospitals continue to report being in the state of chaos we know that they've been turning people away they've simply been unable to cope with the huge number of wounded and injured they are calling for blood donations and also for generators to keep the lights going all of this comes as the mini supreme defense council recommended to clearing a disaster stricken city they're also calling for 2 weeks of national emergency the military have now taken control of the security on the streets we're also hearing

that the lebanese government has made available 100000000000 lebanese pounds in emergency funding to assist those who has been affected the prime minister says that they will find that those all those responsible and bring them to book so that i will not rest until we find the person responsible for what happened so we can hold him to account and impose the most severe punishment it is unacceptable it was a shipment of 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate has been present for 6 years in a warehouse without any preventative measures now the lebanese government has asked for assistance there's a host of countries who have responded saying that they sending both humanitarian and or medical aid amongst them. the united states the united kingdom qatar iran and france we are hearing from the american president donald trump who says that this looks like a terrible attack which is a statement that contradicts contradicts the official words that we hear coming from lebanese officials let me begin by sending america's deepest sympathies to the

people of lebanon where reports indicate that many many people were killed and i met with some of our great generals and they just. seem to feel that it was this was not a some kind of a manufacturing. explosion type of event this was a seems to be according to them they would know better than i would but they seem to think it was a attack it was a bomb of some kind yes now and mungo's countries who have been offering assistance ah israel this is despite the fact that the 2 countries are technically at war we have heard from the country's foreign minister banning guns saying that 3rd party mediators have been approached and israel has offered humanitarian assistance no word as of yet what has been of a sponsor from lebanon all of this comes as an emergency security cabinet meeting is due to be held in the lebanese capital this morning it comes as both israel and has been that deny any kind of involvement there has been speculation as to what

caused the blast at this stage the official word from lebanon is let's wait until the investigation is concluded. with the country already going through tough economic times it's fear the tragedy will aggravate the dire financial situation we spoke to experts about the possible impact. what the ground shaking turned into all the windows kind of blowing at the same time some sort of pressure and explosion and it's like nothing i've ever experienced and since then i've been around the city and everything i mean no building is left untouched the level of devastation is shocking it's the best i can come up with a shocking i can't even describe to you like everybody's homes are damaged right now the rich and the poor the economy a living on is on the eve of collapse the unemployment is rising the money is losing the currency is losing all its value the country has

a lot of economic problem because a lot of conflicting information right now some from the interior ministry have said that it was storing their own room to africa others including the prime minister said it was stored there for 6 years in any case whatever the case may be . the responsible party of course it should be held to account what you're likely to see here unfortunately is a game of sort of passing the buck from one official to the next with nobody really wanting to step up and take responsibility for this before this explosion took place living on was in need. of assistance of aid of a proper reform program there are multiple issues built on top of one another and this explosion and the devastation that is wrought in terms of human lives and destruction infrastructure etc is sort of the cherry on top so to speak ultimately though it's what lebanon needs is a proper reform program that needs a cash injection from from the outside in order to to release funds to people so

that they can actually get the economy moving again so as you can see there's compound issues here which make addressing this particular issue very challenging. and other news today the economic impact of the coronavirus is becoming increasingly apparent in the u.k. with london taking a have to hit from the pent demick with near empty streets and workplaces it's predicted the capital could lose almost 180000000 pounds a month and 2021 and it's fear in london will remain a ghost town for some time yet shoddy edwards reports. so the lockdown in london is easing it certainly doesn't feel like it the financial and business district the heart of the city is usually overcrowded and bustling but now it looks like a ghost town even though the government's pleas to get people back into the office i want people to go back to what. the people should be. going back to work you. over own right after saying that boris johnson left downing

street and set off a checker's his country retreat so much for leading by example and while the government gave employers the right to order stuff back into the office many companies are not rushing into that decision but can you blame them when the u.k. is the worst hit by the coronavirus in europe and considering the government's mantra for months was strictly to stay at home stay at home folks stayed home stayed home and sorry for being the country's economic engine pulling in commuters by the millions london is also the capital of entertainment with plenty of things to do and places to eat but this 24 hour city now seems to be. feels like a bit of a ghost town. has been previously a lot of people find you very comfortable working at home so you want to go back to work in offices of engineering and get back to normal this is going to take a while with london stood in a partial shutdown that's expected to have

a devastating impact on the entire economy its business is scared off by this if the potential labor force either doesn't come or goes home if people don't think london is where they want to live and hence fail to attract new businesses the effect on london's g.d.p. could be a huge multiple of this a huge chunk of the workforce at lloyds h.s.b.c. and barclays are expected to work from home until at least september and google are not less group also allowing employees to work from mostly until 2021 with many of the tech companies also following suit it's now predicted that in 2021 the new. normal will be about 30 percent of london based employees still working from home on any one day that would equate to around 178000000 pounds lost on other things like after work drinks cups of tea stationery and other office of quitman each month it's pretty staggering stats even despite the government's latest eat out to help out initiative offering discounts on meals to kickstart the hospitality sector this movement is unique we need to be creative so to get

customers back into restaurants cafes and pods and protect the 1800000 people who work in them i could announce today that for the month of august we will give everyone in the country. to help out discount its office diners 50 percent off meals up to a maximum of 10 pounds per head courtesy of the taxpayer and is the latest of a series of government efforts to tackle soaring unemployment but it's unclear whether or not popular schemes like this one will be enough to rescue the economy especially when the expected 2nd wave of the coronavirus hits shuttered artsy london. meanwhile employers in the u.k. are now required to contribute towards covering their furloughed workers salaries such staff are entitled to up to 80 percent of their normal salary but that doesn't sit well with some employers who are footing the bill the owner of the u.k.'s

largest plumbing firm pimlico plumbers says that some of its staff have been like oh for refusing to return to work trolling mullens has hit out at the government's for a low scheme claiming some employees are taking advantage of it to collect pay without working over half of those for a low during the current virus lock down have been returning to work but millions more have stayed at home charlie mullins told us his side of the story. you want to look. you know the people the long the with us all all very much to play with i want to come by so well and you know been assigned . a splendid salon when the pay you know about so should be since in their excuse that come up we've you know they're not ready to go back so well but if we was to stop the 2 percent close to morrow they'd be back to fall in value if you could change anything valid reason not chicago's well i'll go with the commonwealth

limply and of course a needle you know and we need food often and the people i'm talking about a younger people would just go by surely they don't want to come to the state given night she percent of their whitefish just the simplest you know just question it is a roast sepsis will please and unfortunately the system is not just by mom who is in general what is being made we. still had with corona virus infections on the rise in france many play meaning young people have a search on that and other stories after the short break.

we go to work so straight home. seemed wrong. just don't all. get to shape out just a comforting article and in gainesville equals betrayal. when some many find themselves worlds apart we choose to look for common ground. and.

welcome back princes top scientific body is warning that a 2nd wave of corona virus will likely hit the country after the summer restrictions were recently tightened with masks now mandatory outdoors in the worst hit areas young people though are among those who have been flouting the measure and are widely being blamed for the surge in cases but as charlotte devinsky explains the fault may lie elsewhere. the greek philosopher aristotle once said that young people aha it mind it because they have not yet been humbled by life thousands of years later and little seems to have changed when there is a problem the finger is often pointed at the perceived source the youth as front sees an increase in the number of covert cases and a rise in hospital admissions this age old blame game continues.

the boy. instead of being huddled at home in socially isolated bubbles since lockdown ended in france many young people have decided to party that's shocked some and that the world health organization to issue a warning young people you are not invincible young people can be infected young people can die. only young people can transmit the virus to others so when one french infectious disease expert suggested this i believe more and more

that they should be allowed to infect each other provided they don't visit parents and grandparents otherwise young people will be a reservoir of contamination and we will end up with an unimaginable epidemic by letting them contaminate themselves they will participate in collective immunity you could almost hear the gospel of horror. young people go to the bakery the baker is not necessarily the go to the poor mysie they meet people of all kinds so this is really a totally wrong idea but hold your horses after investigating france's clusters of covert that national health agency has made a rather startling discovery apparently it's not the youth and them ask 3 socially packed parties that are the biggest source of contamination here would you believe it it's actually the office of the $147.00 cost is currently

under investigation more than a quarter of them can be traced back to the workplace social gatherings and that's all social gatherings and not just parties only account for 13 percent of clusters well just seeing your extended family accounts for almost the same number of clusters with the facts clearly on display what the people in paris make of them so it's very easy to point your finger at the youth. but i think it's it's kind of both ways because now that i'm hearing this it's are easy for me to put my finger at the elderly so i don't think it does matter who does it just like that it's happening and we have to be very careful and for me it is really her like if it's us or if it's them. fact i think they're right it's. also facts are all the people who are working despite some of them are going to be carrying the virus and so it is going to spread faster even if we young people decide to stay at home and

not go to work so unless you intend to stay in a bubble best not to point the finger or the bubble might burst pretty quickly so it's even ski r.t. paris. and the sea international reports that there were $125.00 cases a police violence against demonstrators during the 1st 10 days of the black lives matter protests in the us they include beatings and the misuse of pepper spray tear gas and projectiles during the protests there have been growing calls to define and even dismantle police departments a number of america's largest companies have expressed solidarity with the b.l.m. movement there and are facing a backlash over their support for the police philip martin has the details. statements and social media campaigns companies all over the world getting on board with black lives matter but critical observers have smelled hypocrisy from day one

these companies which rely on extraction exploitation to secure their profits have an incentive to form tight bonds with police forces which functions to up hold and protect their interests in the face of community opposition in many states these companies go so far as to back laws to criminalize protests of dirty energy projects such as pipelines openly weaponized in the police and criminal justice system to protect the profits of the fossil fuel industry and the banks to fund them the chief of j.p. morgan took a knee to support the protesters marathon petroleum was unequivocal in their words marathon petroleum corporation stands firmly against racism intolerance and hate of any kind commemorating the ending of slavery in the us is one way we're encouraging low. inning and then perfected dialogue among our employees chevron has spoken up to racism and brutality have no place in america yet these incidents timika

inequality in treatment for no reason other than the color of skin is a stain american society has not yet a raised we reject systemic racism with support diversity equity and inclusion but one of the key demands of the protesters is defund the police believe they. do thing to see a bear leave. he has. to see a new give me a report from the public accountability initiative reveals that fossil fuel and utility companies as well as financial institutions have been contributing to law enforcement for years j.p. morgan chase is an official corporate partner of the police the bank has given $4600000.00 to the new york city police foundation was was.

was police foundations across the country in places like chicago philadelphia and new york city have been showered with corporate money money from the same corporations such as marathon wells fargo and j.p. morgan that now claim suddenly they are woke furthermore these companies sponsor events in dollars that celebrate the police and remind the public that police power is backed up by corporate power it looks very good to shell out money in the name of equality but will money speak louder than words when companies claim to support black lives matter but then fund the police i think. they're placing wagers and bets on all sides. that is to say that i'm sure these petroleum companies they feel that police departments their products and they believe that black lives matter folks buy their products as well however i think that those of

us in the movement see this as hypocritical we see this as inconsistent and i think ultimately it could backfire against these corporations i think it's certainly a p.r. moment and none of us are fooled by it and that is to say it takes more than 2 months of sympathetic statements and postings when facebook to reverse an ugly history. that's a roundup of the day's top news for now as always thanks for 10 am i'll be back in about 30 minutes time. join me every thursday on the alex salmond show and i'll be speaking to guest of the world of politics sports business i'm showbusiness i'll see you then.

how can you explain love i've been to 82 countries i've given 12 but i came here and on those 3 days i just filled with hope. and he kept pretty isn't it sick show it's. made my decision to come here because i felt and you i could build a new life you see it at the. companies and. i was a free man. god decided that this money is no good to be free. then. my one dream is that all my children find the same kind of happiness i do. i love my home i love cold weather i like the culture i like the history i like everything about it. and i know that. i am

a russian fama. hello and welcome across the uk where all things are considered i'm p. roosevelt all across the board trump is down in the polls and not just by a pointer to. traditionally incumbency alone is enough to win reelection but this time around it is a race trump made lose and let's be clear this has little to do with joe biden how did we get to this point.

to discuss this and more i'm joined by my guests across in washington and she is a democratic strategist and political analyst and in los angeles we cross the joe collins he is a g.o.p. congressional candidate in california's 43rd district or across up rules in effect that means you can jump any time you want and i was appreciate ok traditionally i go to the person that got up early is for this program as joe in los angeles welcome to the program joe and i hope i have a nice cup of coffee to keep you company donald trump's in trouble in the polls and one in looking at the candidates see if joe biden which i have to say white honestly i can't imagine how it inspires anyone so obviously this is getting down to being a referendum on the trying time terms of time in office was that a fair characterization a referendum less than an election. no i wouldn't think so in

a reason why is because he was down in the polls whenever he running into every clinton and it's not double digits like this i'm sorry yeah i mean still going to close down the polls regardless of how much you're down and i think what they have to remember is he's running against joe biden i mean he's in my being center one of the most races politicians and the entire united states and when you think about his history politician if he you know out of space america then why what he did and why he was in the senate in 2 he would have probably you know how barack obama fix america by the fact that he feels like right now it is time to fix something that he feels is broking in my opinion asinine i think trump is going to win this election he's running against joe biden who in my opinion that's not a great candy for office to present a united states where i mean should i say i said in my introduction we now i mean we look at the history of the presidency the likelihood of being reelected the incumbent being reelected is quite high.