A protest in Beirut has escalated into violence as armed men trade fire, leaving six dead and more than a dozen injured. 

Hezbollah supporters had gathered in the Beirut Justice Palace calling for the removal of judge Tarek Bitar from the Beirut 2020 port explosion probe, accusing him of bias. Hezbollah supporters also claimed a rival Christian faction targeted the protest with snipers, leading to the chaos.

The Lebanese army was called in to contain the situation.

A new report from the Climate Council warns that the Federal Government's lack of action on climate policy will expose Australia to serious economic consequences through international carbon tariffs.

It forecasts more than $4 billion in gross domestic product and $12.5 billion in national income could be lost if major trading partners join the European Union in imposing the tariffs.

Economist at the Climate Council, Nicki Hutley, says Queensland and New South Wales would bear the brunt with up to 70,000 job losses.

Cases of major depressive and anxiety disorders have increased by more than 25 per cent worldwide, according to a world-first study of the impact of COVID-19 on mental health.

The study led by researchers from The University of Queensland’s School of Public Health, Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research and Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington estimated people living in countries severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic have been the most affected, especially women and younger people. 

800 Small business owners across New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland have been trialling a new mental health coaching program designed by Beyond Blue to combat COVID-19 anxieties.

The New Access for Small Business Owners program provides businesses with practical skills to manage stress and the turbulent economic climate. 

Beyond Blue hopes the six-week program can continue to expand over the pandemic.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied using gas as a political weapon, with skyrocketing gas prices in the European union sparking an emergency summit.

Russia currently accounts for a third of the European Unions gas supply, prompting politicians to blame Moscow for not pumping enough into the system.

President Putin says Russia has met its contractual obligations within an unpredictable market, and is ready to boost supplies if asked.

Danish toy company Lego will no longer distinctly market boys and girls toys after they commissioned research into the influence of gender on International Day of the Girl.

The study conducted by the Geena Davis Institute found that girls still feel restrained by gender biases in toys, and that 71% of boys feel embarrassed about playing with quote on quote “girls toys”.

The company has not detailed what changes it will make to existing or future product lines to remove gender bias.