A rare weather phenomenon called a derecho swept across Nebraska, Iowa, and parts of Wisconsin and Illinois on Monday, causing extensive damage with 100 mph winds. The storm knocked over trees, flipped vehicles, caused widespread property damage, and left hundreds of thousands without power as it moved into Indiana and Michigan. The powerful gusts knocked down the steeple of a church on the Wheaton College campus in Illinois. Workers were rescuing people from damaged cars and houses on Monday, but officials initially reported no fatalities.

One day after protesters tried to storm Parliament, Prime Minister Hassan Diab said he would take a step back to help “fight the battle for change” in Lebanon. Less than a week ago, about 2,700 metric tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse in Beirut exploded, destroying the city’s port, killing at least 160 people, and leaving thousands injured and homeless. Many Lebanese argue corruption and negligence by the Hezbollah-backed government contributed to the disaster.

Hundreds of protesters clashed with security forces on Sunday night as they tried to gain access to the heavily fortified Parliament in Beirut. They also broke into the housing and transport ministry offices on the second day of large-scale protests fueled by last week’s explosion. So far, nine members of Parliament and two government ministers have resigned under mounting pressure.

A plane skidded off a runway upon landing in southern India on Friday and split into two pieces, killing 18 people and injuring 123 others. Monsoon-like conditions contributed to the crash, and forecasters predicted more heavy rain for the region. The coronavirus pandemic has grounded regular commercial flights in the country, but this one was repatriating Indian citizens who were stranded outside the country during the pandemic, authorities said.

French President Emmanuel Macron visited Beirut on Thursday and promised aid but no blank checks, saying Tuesday’s explosion needs to be a turning point. “If reforms are not carried out, Lebanon will continue to sink,” Macron said. Small protests have popped up in the country as citizens decry government corruption and negligence—especially that of Iran-supported Hezbollah—that contributed to the disaster.

Thousands of people throughout the Northeast are still without power after Isaias tore along the East Coast from North Carolina to Canada. The storm left nine dead, with two others dying in a lightning strike in Wilmington, N.C., on Wednesday while clearing downed trees. Officials in North Carolina warned residents to avoid fire ants displaced by flooding, as well as carbon monoxide poisoning from generators running in poorly ventilated garages.

Israel displayed the Lebanese flag in lights on Tel Aviv’s city hall on Wednesday in a gesture of solidarity with one of its enemies. The European Union said it was activating its civil protection system to send firefighters and rescue equipment to Beirut. A massive explosion there on Tuesday killed at least 135 people and injured more than 5,000. Shockwaves ripped miles inland with the effect of a 3.3 magnitude earthquake. Lebanon’s health minister said the blast rendered the homes of up to a quarter of a million people unfit to live in.