A new investigation by The New York Times has shed more light on the corruption in Beirut that set the stage for the fatal blast last month that killed nearly 200 people.
There have been numerous reports about how officials ignored warnings regarding the 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a port hangar for years. But the Times reveals that even the Russian businessman who chartered the ship that originally carried the explosive material in 2013 sent a cautionary email about the cargo, and a law firm seeking to repatriate the ship's crew to Russia and Ukraine flagged an ominous Wikipedia entry for the port's general manager.
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