Today my heart is with the people of Beirut
Like so many others around the world, I was horrified to hear the news about, and see the pictures of, the huge explosion in Beirut. This is a country, and especially a city, that has already suffered so much in recent decades. Fortunately the people I know in Beirut are safe but shocked.
In 2011, just after the Arab Spring and just before the start of the Syrian civil war, I spent a few days in Lebanon, staying in Beirut. This is such an historic part of the world and it was such a marvellous experience.
You can read my account here.