Iraq engulfed by dust storm, leaving dozens hospitalised and flights grounded

Thick sheet of orange shrouds country as experts say phenomenon to become more frequent due to drought and declining rainfall

Iraq was yet again covered in a thick sheet of orange on Sunday as it suffered the latest in a series of dust storms that have become increasingly common.

Dozens were hospitalised with respiratory problems in the centre and the west of the country.

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Pandemic death toll exceeds 2 million people worldwide – as it happened

Grim milestone comes as Joe Biden’s incoming chief of staff says 500,000 could die in US next month; EU states raise concerns about Pfizer slowdown. This blog is now closed. You can follow our new live blog here

This liveblog has now closed. Our coverage of the coronavirus pandemic continues on our new live blog.

Related: Coronavirus live news: global death toll passes milestone as Emirates cancels Australian flights – live

Pfizer’s reduction of its COVID-19 vaccine shipments will not delay Canada’s goal of getting most people inoculated by the end of September, the country’s procurement minister said as the country battled a second surge in infections.

“This is a temporary delay and we remain on track to have enough approved vaccines for everyone who wishes to get vaccinated by the end of September 2021,” Procurement Minister Anita Anand said.

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Egypt reports 149 new virus cases – as it happened

New toll comes as UK prime minister, who has coronavirus, has been moved into hospital intensive care

We are going to close this live blog. But you can stay up to date on all the latest developments on our new blog here.

In the mean time, you can find all the latest developments below in our At A Glance summary:

Related: Coronavirus latest: at a glance

Just back to Donald Trump’s marathon press conference and he is fielding questions on the US naval commander who was fired over his coronavirus memo, suggesting he doesn’t think his life should be “destroyed” as a result, Sam Levin writes:

He made a mistake. He shouldn’t be sending letter. He’s the captain … you don’t send letters and then it leaks into a newspaper. I may get involved ...If I can help two good people, I’m going to help him

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Labour to accept Hezbollah ban but queries Javid’s motives

Spokesman says party will not oppose measure but cites lack of sufficient evidence

Labour has said it will not seek to block the government’s decision to ban the political wing of Hezbollah in the UK, but suggested the move by Sajid Javid was motivated by his leadership ambitions rather than actual evidence.

Membership of the Lebanon-based group’s military wing is already outlawed, but the proscription will now be extended to its political arm, the home secretary announced on Monday.

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U.S. needs a different role in Yemen

In other parts of the globe, like the Republic of Yemen, lethal forces are stalking victims whom Americans cannot always picture in complicated political scenarios we may not quickly grasp. So the average American blinks, and in that blink opportunists make deals with undemocratic, unprincipled bullies.

Bob Corker on primarying Trump: ‘What is happening right now is not…

Giuliani melts down defending Trump lies about Cohen: 'Unless you're god, you'll never know what the truth is' - Rudy Giuliani, an attorney representing President Donald Trump, insisted that Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen, could not be believed when it comes to allegations Here's How The Chief Palestinian Negotiator Described His Last Meeting With Jared Kushner - DOHA, Qatar - Things continue to not look great for Senior Advisor to the President Jared Kushner's push for a Middle East peace deal. - How could this be? It's not for a lack of meetings Democrats eyeing 2020 presidential bids test simple pitch: Have some money.

The Fall of the House of Ghosn

Giuliani melts down defending Trump lies about Cohen: 'Unless you're god, you'll never know what the truth is' - Rudy Giuliani, an attorney representing President Donald Trump, insisted that Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen, could not be believed when it comes to allegations Here's How The Chief Palestinian Negotiator Described His Last Meeting With Jared Kushner - DOHA, Qatar - Things continue to not look great for Senior Advisor to the President Jared Kushner's push for a Middle East peace deal. - How could this be? It's not for a lack of meetings The Fall of the House of Ghosn - Not everybody at Nissan was happy with their rock-star chairman, Carlos Ghosn.

Pompeo meets Erdogan after talks with Saudis on missing journalist

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he does not want to walk away from Saudi Arabia despite concerns about a missing Saudi journalist, as pressure mounted on the kingdom to answer Turkish allegations he was killed in Istanbul. "I do not want to do that," Trump said in an interview on Fox Business Network when asked if the United States would walk away from its Gulf ally, reiterating his hopes that Saudi leaders were not involved in the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi.

Pompeo meets with Turkish leaders on missing Saudi writer

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, left, talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the Esenboga Airport in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. Pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak on Wednesday said it had obtained audio recordings of the alleged killing of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, left, talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the Esenboga Airport in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018.

Trump criticizes rush to condemn Saudi Arabia over KhashoggiPresident …

President Donald Trump speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018, in Washington. President Donald Trump speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018, in Washington.

Pompeo meets Turkish leaders as account of ‘Saudi writer’s murder’ published

A Turkish newspaper has published an account of the alleged murder of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, as America's top diplomat arrived for talks over the Washington Post columnist's disappearance. The report by Yeni Safak adds to increasing pressure on Saudi Arabia to explain what happened to Mr Khashoggi, who vanished on October 2 while visiting the consulate to pick up paperwork he needed to get married.

Turkish official: Police found evidence of Khashoggi slaying

Police searching the Saudi Consulate found evidence that Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi was killed there, a high-level Turkish official said Tuesday, and authorities appeared ready to also search the nearby residence of the consul general after the diplomat left the country. The comment by the Turkish official to The Associated Press further intensified the pressure on Saudi Arabia to explain what happened to Khashoggi, who vanished Oct. 2 while visiting the consulate to pick up paperwork he need to get married.

Graham pledges to ‘sanction the hell out of Saudi Arabia’ over missing journalist

Lindsey Olin Graham Brunson release spotlights the rot in Turkish politics and judiciary Saudi Arabia, Turkey to form joint investigation into Khashoggi disappearance Democrats must end mob rule MORE on Tuesday said that he would "sanction the hell out of Saudi Arabia" in response to the disappearance of a U.S.-based journalist. Donald John Trump Key takeaways from the Arizona Senate debate Major Hollywood talent firm considering rejecting Saudi investment money: report Mattis says he thought 'nothing at all' about Trump saying he may leave administration MORE should do about the situation.

Timeline on the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi

Since self-exiled Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi walked into the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul this month and vanished, his case has sparked international intrigue and outrage and put leaders of his homeland on the defensive. May 2018: Khashoggi meets Hatice Cengiz, a 36-year-old Turkish Ph.D. student, at a conference in Istanbul and she soon becomes his fiance.

BREAKING. Saudi Arabia Will Admit They Killed Journalist Jamal Khashoggi

On the heels of President Trump sending Secretary of State Mike Pompeo this morning to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, after talking with the Saudi King who denied any knowledge of the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi government is prepared to admit that Khashoggi was murdered. The Saudis are preparing a report that will acknowledge the death of Jamal Khashoggi - the Saudi journalist who went missing two weeks ago - was the result of an interrogation that went wrong, two sources say.

Trump says Saudi king denies knowledge of missing journalist

President Donald Trump said Monday he had spoken with Saudi Arabia's king, who "denies any knowledge" of what happened to the Saudi journalist who disappeared after entering the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul two weeks ago. Trump said he had dispatched Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to the region.