and even. if you really need to file to realize that we need each other. lebanon is in mourning after some 100 people are killed and thousands more injured and the massive explosion that rocked the country's capital on tuesday a huge shockwave ripped through beirut destroying buildings in the port district leaving 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 anywhere else. you must run the song we felt a boom everything turned over our hands i was moving and it felt like an earthquake . this still holds and something explodes and everything falls with it.

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. a very warm welcome to the program from all of us here at r t h q in moscow thanks for joining us this hour. condolences are being stolen 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 the lives of at least 100 people and left over $4000.00 injured that's according to the country's red cross.

we now bring you live pictures from beirut you can see emergency workers there are still looking for that missing almost nothing left of the once bustling area the city's governor says about 300000 people have been displaced due to the tragedy a blast destroyed nearby buildings and caused chaos across the lebanese capital. given the large number of injured hospitals are under immense strain facilities already dealing with the coronavirus crisis were quickly filled pastie they shit

pleas for blood donations and for generators to keep the lights going here are some 1st hand accounts from people who experienced the shock wave of the blast. the song we found everything turned over our heads i was at home in my bed watching t.v. when the window from over on me the wardrobe also follow us my daughter. and she needs a surgery now. faster that's according to beirut's governor and a t.v. interview he gave her when i would like a tragedy too and nagasaki speaking at the site he broke down into tears. food afraid of much about. the explosion happened in the densely populated port district of the city a blast leveled 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 other countries are 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. i will not rest until we find the person responsible for what happened so we can hold them to account and impose the most severe punishment it is unacceptable as 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 it will aggravate the dire financial situation we spoke to experts about the possible impact. with 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 and 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 there 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 stored there on route 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 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 what's levanon 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.

the economic impact of the coronavirus is becoming increasingly apparent in the u.k. but london taking a hefty head from the pen demick with near empty streets and workplaces it's predicted the capital could lose almost 180000000 pounds a month and 2021 and its fair london will remain a ghost town for some time yet are to study at once dash the 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. 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 employees 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 stay at home state side 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 in a. feels like a bit of a very strong. 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 it's 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 west 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 pogs 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 stuff are entitled up to 80 percent of their normal salary but that doesn't sit well with employers who are footing the bill the owner of the u.k.'s largest palming firm plumbers says some of the staff have been let go for refusing to return to work. it 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 low during the coronavirus lock down have been returning to work but millions more have stayed at home charlie mullins told us his side of the story you could look at it you want to look. you know the people the long the with lives all all very much the place where the want to come by and you know been assigned. a spending solemn on the no over the back so should be since it is their excuse that come up we release you know they're not ready to go back so if we're going to stop the 2 percent close to morrow they'd be back before the invite if you could change anything valid reason not to god's will go with tommy well for them and of course a needle you know and we need to call for them please. malone talking about younger

people who are just. quite sure that they don't want to come to work because they've given night she was sent up there why just style it's the simplest you know all know that these are all successful business and unfortunately the system is not just by mom who's ingenue what bad experience is. still to come with corona virus infections on the rise and france many are blaming young people for the surge details on that story and more after this break. is your media a reflection of reality. in a world transformed. what will make you feel safe.

isolation or community. are you going the right way or are you being led. by. what is true what is faith. in the world corrupted you need to descend. to join us in the death. or inmate in the shallowness. join me every thursday on the elec simon show and i'll be speaking to us of the world of politics sports business i'm show business i'll see you then.

welcome back france's top scientific body is warning that a 2nd wave of corona virus will likely hit the country at the end this summer restrictions were recently tightened with mass 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 i'll swear. 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 tool to rule an 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 it 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's really her like if it's us or if it's them i don't know. 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. amnesty international report that there were $125.00 cases of police violence against demonstrators during the 1st 10 days of the black lives matter protests in the u.s. include beatings and the misuse of pepper spray tear gas and projectiles during the protests there have been growing calls to defund and even dismantle police departments a number of america's largest companies have expressed solidarity with the movement they're now facing a backlash over their support for the police and explains. 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 bombs with police forces which function 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 learn. thing and then the fact the 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 we support diversity equity and inclusion but

one of the key demands of the protesters is defund the police believe they. should. do things to see barely. to see what he was going 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 released 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 that 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 she months of sympathetic statements and postings one facebook to reverse an ugly history. that's our global news wrap up for this hour a bot for further details on all those stories and more head to our website r.t. dot com. the world is driven by dreamers shaped by one person with those words. the day or thinks. we dare to ask.

there are a lot of lawmakers in the state of missouri that we know received huge financial contributions from agricultural industry groups those are the groups that opposed proposition b. and there is no doubt in our minds that those same groups pressured lawmakers to overturn proposition b. and before the session even started there were bills that were pretty filed to do just that you feel bad because it was repealed but you know all of your work all the growth and paid off just made a dramatic difference for this so i mean just the fact that almost half these facilities are out of business who could have envisioned that things are definitely much improved with many of the worst operations eliminated but you still have chronic while looters who are operating you still have any humane treatment of the

animals and you still have this defiant attitude that some folks believe they can do whatever they want there are so. church. is.

going to try to fix it. when they 1st started.

my few friends and i started going around to the mills in iowa and experiencing it 1st hand so our local store is diabetics that shop and we went in there and we saw the puppies and asked them and our 1st they were like from a breeder and got to the center they were very open about it and so we asked if we could contact them and so they gave us their card and we made an appointment and we went and we visited the mill and there was it was awful. and i are in general we have the nagin.