On 4th August last year 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate blew up in a Beirut port warehouse. The explosion killed 200 people, injured thousands, and destroyed the port. Last month the public enquiry into the blast charged four politicians with negligence, including Prime Minister Hassan Diab. BBC Arabic’s Carine Torbey got an exclusive interview with him.

Cuba’s “sovereign” vaccine
Cuba has entered a new partnership with Iran to trial a new coronavirus vaccine. Its high hopes are summed up in the name, Soberana O-2, or "sovereign". BBC Monitoring's Luis Fajardo in Miami considers what the vaccine and its name mean to Cubans.

Kashmiri papier-mâché 
Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir used to be famous for its papier-mâché artefacts. But decades of insurgency and lockdowns have left producers struggling to survive, as BBC reporter Aamir Peerzada discovered.



Image: Lebanese army member by damaged grain silo, Beirut port blast site (August 7, 2020)
Credit: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo