Lebanese judge charges caretaker PM in Beirut port blast

Beirut (TIP): The Lebanese prosecutor probing last summer’s port explosion in Beirut has filed charges against the caretaker prime minister and three former ministers, Lebanon’s official news agency said. Judge Fadi Sawwan filed the charges on Thursday against Hassan Diab and former Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, as well as Ghazi Zeiter and Youssef Fenianos, both former ministers of public works. All four were charged with negligence leading to deaths over the August 4 explosion at Beirut port, which killed more than 200 people and injured thousands. The explosion was caused by the ignition of a large stockpile of explosive material that had been stored at the port for years. — AP