In the early days of the pandemic, doctors noticed something about the people severely ill from COVID-19: Many were obese. The link became more apparent as coronavirus swept across the globe and data mounted, and researchers are still trying to figure out why. Excess weight increases the chances of developing a number of health problems, including heart disease and diabetes. And those are among the conditions that can make COVID-19 patients more likely to get very sick. But there’s some evidence that obesity itself can increase the likelihood of serious complications from a coronavirus infection.

White smoke rose from the smoldering wreckage of Beirut’s port on Friday hours after firefighters extinguished a huge fire that terrified the city’s residents five weeks after a massive blast killed nearly 200 people and destroyed parts of Lebanon’s capital. It wasn’t clear what caused the raging fire that broke out Thursday afternoon and covered the city with dark smoke and toxic fumes for hours, as firefighters and army helicopters struggled to bring it under control. No one was hurt by the fire, the second at the port this week. Caretaker Minister of Public Works and Transpiration Michel Najjar, whose ministry is in charge of the port, told a local TV station the fire appears to have been caused by sparks from a power tool during work at the port.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Friday scrapped plans to fly to Washington with his family on a private plane and said he would instead travel with the official delegation. The reversal came after Israeli media reports that Netanyahu, his wife and two sons would be taking a separate flight to Washington for the White House ceremony marking the normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates evoked public criticism due to the extra cost involved. His Likud party initially defended the decision to take a private plane, saying it was aimed at protecting the prime minister and his family from potential exposure to the coronavirus. The official delegation, which departs Sunday, includes dozens of officials as well as media.

The frum community in Melbourne, Australia is growing more and more worried as Rosh Hashanah approaches, One of the members of the Chareidi community spoke to B’Chadrei Chareidim about the situation in the city earlier this week. “Our state, Victoria, where Melbourne is located, announced today that the restrictions will continue for another two to four weeks and this is after we’ve already been in lockdown for six consecutive weeks.” “This essentially means that there’s no way to hold a minyan for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.

Israel’s biggest bank expects to strike deals soon with major lenders in the United Arab Emirates for the first time, its CEO said after meeting top Emirati business leaders on Wednesday. It was the latest fruit of a historic U.S.-brokered deal to normalize relations between the two countries. Dov Kotler, the head of Bank Hapoalim who led an Israeli business delegation to the UAE this week, told The Associated Press that financial agreements would follow the signing of the pact at a White House ceremony on Sep. 15. Kotler’s visit comes a week after Israeli officials, accompanied by a high-level U.S.

A 3.1 magnitude earthquake near Freehold NJ woke people up across central New Jersey overnight but did not cause any damage or injuries. The 2 a.m. temblor was felt “in much of central New Jersey,” according to the National Weather Service. It lasted about 13 seconds. Shaking and loud bangs were reported, but no injuries. USGS geophysicist Robert Sanders told NBC News that an earthquake in the region is “relatively uncommon.” There are two previous recorded quakes with a magnitude 3.0 and larger within a 10-mile radius of the one in Freehold: A 3.1 earthquake in 1992 and a 3.5 earthquake in 1979. “It will take a few days or weeks before analysts can see if there’s a specific fault line at cause here,” Sanders said. He added that structural damage is possible but unlikely.

In less than 24 hours on the ground, Israel’s first-of-its-kind delegation to the United Arab Emirates received a warm welcome that would have been nearly unthinkable just a few weeks ago. Dozens of Israeli officials and their accompanying traveling press corps got a dizzying taste of Abu Dhabi’s glamorous hotels, historic landmarks and scorching climate. The Emirati charm offensive was on full display as the hosts literally pulled out the red carpet at the airport as they sought to convey a new spirit of friendship following the historic U.S.-brokered deal to normalize relations between the two countries.

The Conference of European Rabbis (CER) called on Israel on Sunday to allow all Jews, regardless of whether they hold Israeli citizenship, to visit their family members in Israel despite the coronavirus pandemic. CER’s president, Rav Pinchas Goldschmidt, sent a letter to MK Yisrael Eichler (UTJ), who suggested at a Knesset committee meeting to allow non-Israeli Jews to visit their elderly parents in Israel after six months of being unable to do so due to the pandemic.

IDF aircrafts carried out strikes against Hezbollah observation posts near Israel’s northern border early Wednesday morning in response to fire from Lebanon toward IDF troops. “During operational activity in northern Israel [Tuesday] night, shots were fired from Lebanon toward IDF troops,” the IDF spokesperson stated. “We responded with fire, and our aircraft struck Hezbollah observation posts near the border.” “This is a severe event and we remain ready to combat any threat to our borders. The IDF holds the Lebanese government responsible for all events stemming from Lebanon. We view this incident with great severity.

Federal authorities on Saturday forced demonstrators away from a plaza near a federal building as dueling demonstrations in Portland by right-wing and left-wing protesters turned violent. The area includes county and federal buildings and has been the site of numerous recent protests. Department of Homeland Security officers moved through the plaza across from an 18-story federal building. A federal courthouse is also near that area. The demonstration began at about noon near the Multnomah County Justice Center in Oregon’s biggest city, local media outlets reported. Demonstrators hurled rocks and other items at each other and got into fights. Streets were blocked amid the mayhem.