Twin blasts claimed by Daesh kill 41 in Beirut

Residents and Lebanese army members inspect a damaged area caused by two explosions in Beirut, Lebanon

Twin blasts claimed by the Daesh group killed 41 people on Thursday on a busy shopping street in southern Beirut, a stronghold of Hezbollah, in the worst such attack in years.
More than 200 people were wounded; many of them seriously, said Health Minister Wael Abou Faour at the scene of the explosions, in a narrow shopping street in the Burj Al Barajneh neighbourhood.
The attacks appeared to mark a return to the campaign against Hezbollah strongholds between 2013 and 2014, ostensibly in revenge for the militants' support of regime forces in neighbouring Syria's civil war.
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Two men wearing suicide vests carried out the attack, said the army, while the body of a third who had failed to detonate his explosive device was found at the scene of the second blast.
The street, normally home to a market, was stained red with blood according to an AFP photographer, who saw bodies inside nearby shops.
Surrounding buildings were badly damaged by the blasts and security forces were trying to cordon off the scene and keep people from gathering.
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Local television stations showed footage of wounded people being carried away by emergency services and civilians.
Another described the sound of the explosions: "When the second blast went off, I thought the world had ended."
Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam announced a national day of mourning for Friday, local media reported.
World leaders also condemned the attack, which French President Francois Hollande called "despicable".
The White House offered its condolences for what it described as the "horrific terrorist attacks", vowing that "such acts of terror only reinforce our commitment to support the institutions of the Lebanese state".
Un Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Lebanon to "not allow this despicable act to destroy the relative calm that has prevailed in the country over the past year".

• MENA