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Can Lebanon recover from the Port of Beirut explosion and who is really to blame? | A 5 News Podcast

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Episode notes

On Tuesday 4th August 2020, the city of Beirut was devastated by a catastrophic explosion. The blast killed over a hundred people, injuring thousands and leaving many more homeless. A large fire had broken out in the Port of Beirut and as it spread from warehouse to warehouse a small explosion was witnessed, before what were seemingly fireworks being lit by the flames. Moments later there was a large explosion, which formed a mushroom cloud in the air and sent a shockwave through the city and surrounding area. Lebanon's President, Michel Aoun, has said the source of the explosion was 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that was being stored unsafely in one of the port's warehouses. President Aoun has now promised an investigation into the catastrophe. Tom Fletcher formerly served as the UK's Ambassador to Lebanon from 2011-2015 - an experienced British Diplomat, Fletcher had previously advised Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron on Foreign Policy. During his time as Ambassador, the UK government budget for Lebanon grew from £2m to £200m, and Tom led a huge partnership between the two countries. His transparent and open diplomacy style is now world-renowned and brought him a lot of attention, through his blogs and his obvious admiration for Lebanon. Tom Fletcher speaks to Andy Bell about the fragility of the Lebanese state and how it came to be through civil war. He discusses the challenges Beirut may now face after the smoke and rubble of the explosion has cleared. How did we get here? Explaining the news is a podcast from 5 News. Join Andy Bell as he explains the world's biggest news stories through interviews with politicians, experts, and analysts.