Here are today’s top headlines from around the world.
Massive explosion rocks Beirut: At least 50 die and thousands injured
WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: The country’s health minster said the blast has left more than 4,000 injured Dramatic footage shows smoke billowing from the port area shortly before an enormous fireball explodes Lebanon’s interior minister said ammonium nitrate had been stored in warehouses at the port since 2014 Blast was equivalent
Beirut’s day of destruction: Explosion lays waste to Lebanese capital
The industrial port that provides Lebanon with crucial trade routes was virtually flattened by the blast Sobering scenes showed citizens in despair as their homes were damaged, with walls blown through Vital infrastructure such as hospitals sustained damage as did the airport despite its location six miles away Entire buildings were razed to rubble in Beirut yesterday after a chemical explosion punched through the city and wreaked devastation for miles.
Trump calls deadly Beirut explosions a ‘terrible attack’
A series of massive explosions in the Lebanese capital’s port area rocked the city on Tuesday evening local time, killing at least 78 people and injuring 4,000 Trump described the blast as a ‘terrible attack’ and said he had been advised by ‘great generals’ that the explosion was caused by
Ryan Reynolds regrets the choice of venue for his 2012 wedding
The Deadpool actor, 43, and the Gossip Girl star, 32, tied the knot at Boone Hall, a former plantation in South Carolina Acknowledging the venue’s racist and tragic history, Reynolds called the choice of location ‘a giant f***ing mistake’ He said: ‘What we saw at the time was a wedding venue on Pinterest.
BREAKING: Virgin Atlantic files for bankruptcy amid pandemic
Virgin Atlantic filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy in New York on Tuesday This comes after Virgin Australia filed for voluntary administration in April The airline industry has been rocked by the pandemic Virgin Atlantic has become billionaire Richard Branson’s second airline to file for bankruptcy this year as the industry continues to be ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic.
Improperly stored ammonium nitrate linked to Beirut explosion that injured thousands
A warehouse storing thousands of tons of unsecured highly explosive material has emerged as a possible source of the massive blast that ripped through the Lebanese capital on Tuesday, killing at least 80 people, injuring 4,000 and sending a shock wave across the city that damaged buildings and blew out windows up to 10 kilometers (6 miles) away.
Harassed, intimidated, detained: Why journalists in India’s Kashmir are afraid of reporting the truth
Almost one year after the start of the communications blackout, some are questioning whether an independent press in Jammu and Kashmir is possible at a time when readers need it most.
US health chief to make most senior visit to Taiwan in decades
United States Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar will lead a delegation to Taiwan, his office announced Tuesday, in a high-level trip that is almost certain to anger Beijing, which claims the self-governing island as part of its territory.
Inside Trump’s TikTok reversal: How advisers mobilized their deal-making efforts
Sen. Lindsey Graham wasn’t entirely sure what TikTok was, beyond a source of videos of piano-playing dogs and dancing cats. Nonetheless, he was tasked with a mission: talk President Donald Trump down from his threatened ban on the Chinese-owned platform that is hugely popular with American kids.
US defense officials contradict Trump: No indication yet of attack in Beirut
Three US Defense Department officials told CNN that as of Tuesday night there was no indication that the massive explosion that rocked Beirut on Tuesday were an “attack,” contradicting an earlier claim from President Donald Trump.
Katy Perry offers support to Ellen DeGeneres
Katy Perry is publicly expressing her support for Ellen DeGeneres.
Former Uber self-driving car exec sentenced to 18 months in prison
Anthony Levandowski, a former Uber executive who oversaw its self-driving vehicle efforts, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Tuesday for stealing an internal tracking document from Google related to its self-driving car program.
Novavax Phase 1 data shows coronavirus vaccine is safe and elicits an immune response
A third US company has released study results showing its coronavirus vaccine is safe and elicits an immune response.
How African generosity dried a teacher’s tears
In our series of letters from African journalists, Kenyan Joseph Warungu looks at the acts of generosity helping ordinary people through desperately trying times. When Covid-19 hit Africa, the effects were devastating – but some people have been crushed more than others, by the illness but also by the measures to deal with it.
The ex-Algerian footballer honoured for never being booked
Many also hit the headlines the wrong reasons with shameful diving, horrific tackles and even biting seemingly more common place in today’s football. One man who fits into both categories is Spain and Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos – a World Cup winner who has 26 red cards to his name.
Coronavirus updates: UK ‘underestimated threat from Europe travellers’ – BBC News
The UK’s coronavirus outbreak could have been curbed more effectively had quarantine restrictions on arrivals been imposed at an earlier stage, MPs have said. The Home Affairs committee said it was a “serious mistake” not to bring in tougher border measures earlier on in the pandemic.
Disney focuses on streaming as it falls to a loss
Disney plans to release Mulan on its Disney+ streaming site this year and launch a new streaming service outside the US next year as it tries to build on its early streaming success. The new service will operate under the Star brand and stream a wider variety of content than Disney+.
Ex-Google robocar engineer sentenced for theft
An ex-engineer for Google’s self-driving car unit has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for trade secret theft shortly before he joined Uber. US District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco said Anthony Levandowski had carried out the “biggest trade secret crime I have ever seen”.
Disney moves ‘Mulan’ release straight to streaming. You can watch in September.
All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers.If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. After months of delays due to coronavirus, Disney has decided to release the highly anticipated live-action Mulan on streaming in September, per THR.
Apple launches new iMac with better display and 1080p webcam
All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers.If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. It’s the return of the … iMac? Get it? Like the Mark Morrison song? Whatever, Apple made a new iMac and you can get it now.
Elon Musk says smaller Cybertruck is ‘highly likely’
Aching for an angular SUV that doesn’t look like any other SUV out there, but Tesla’s Cybertruck is just too big for your taste? Don’t lose hope. According to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a smaller version of the Cybertruck is “highly likely down the road.”
Trump absolutely butchers the pronunciation of ‘Yosemite’ in speech about national parks
President Donald Trump isn’t the best reader. He’s also not very good at typing, spelling, and often writes in ALL CAPS using a Sharpie marker. While we as a nation have grown somewhat accustomed to his linguistic shortcomings, he still managed to surprise people on Tuesday while signing The Great American Outdoors Act.
WhatsApp now lets you fact-check forwarded messages
If you’ve received a link offering a miracle cure for COVID-19, you should know that it’s fake. And yet, so many users just keep forwarding such messages, perhaps with good intentions, but ultimately adding to the confusion and polluting the internet with false information.
