Chain reaction: Inside the 14 August edition of Guardian Weekly

For Lebanon, already ravaged by economic mismanagement and endemic corruption, it felt like the calamitous explosion that destroyed Beirut port last Tuesday would be a tipping point. So it may have proved this week after the entire government was forced to resign in the face of a wave of domestic fury. Martin Chulov reports from a country whose monumental challenge now is to rebuild from the ground up. And, as foreign affairs commentator Simon Tisdall writes, the shockwaves are likely to be felt throughout the Middle East.

Confirmed cases of coronavirus in the US passed 5m this week and the country appears no nearer to gaining any control over the pandemic. Ed Pilkington reports on a situation that some experts fear has gone beyond a danger to the health of Americans and has become a full-blown homeland security crisis. Tom Phillips also reports from Brazil, where the coronavirus death toll passed the 100,000 mark this week.

With many schoolchildren around the world preparing to return to classes in the coming weeks, health writer David Cox takes a look at what we know about Covid-19 and kids, while on our UK pages Archie Bland considers the truth behind the claim that the pandemic may be driving a wedge between age generations.

Extinction Rebellion’s audacious guerrilla tactics brought direct environmental action into the mainstream and inspired millions. But by this year the group had reached a crossroads, amid internal disputes and a shift in strategy. As environmental correspondent Matthew Taylor asks, can XR evolve in the post-Covid world?

Burna Boy is Africa’s most in-demand musical export, having lent his magic to everyone from Beyoncé to Stormzy. On our Culture pages, he tells Lanre Bakare about his unique style of music known as Afro-fusion– and why everyone’s got it wrong about Muammar Gaddafi.

Click here to get the Guardian Weekly delivered direct to your home