World leaders to hold talks on Sunday to raise aid for Beirut
International leaders will hold talks on Sunday to raise aid for Beirut, five days after the massive explosion which devastated the Lebanese capital. The virtual conference – set up by France and the United Nations – starts at 14.00 Lebanon time (11.00 GMT). International News US President Donald Trump has said he plans to join the call. Officials estimate the blast at the warehouse, which stored 2,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, caused up to $15 billion (£11.5bn) in damage. The explosion left at least 158 people dead, 5,000 injured and 300,000 homeless. Yesterday several thousand people took to the streets, with police firing tear gas at stone-throwing protesters and some demonstrators storming government ministries. In a televised address, Lebanese PM Hassan Diab said he would ask for early elections as a way out of the crisis. The issue will be discussed in the cabinet tomorrow. Lebanon was already mired in a deep economic crisis and struggling to tackle the coronavirus pandemic b