Introduction to the evening news 18-06-2012

“Protests” is the most accurate term to describe the Lebanese events today: The relatives of Lebanese hostages in Syria blocked the airport road in protest of what they term as “negligence shown by the official authorities towards the hostage case”.      

EDL contract workers besieged the office of EDL's general director Kamal Hayek in an attempt to prevent calls for tenders for private companies.     

Lebanon’s doctors went on strike to protest the recent arrest of Dr. Abou Hamad.    

And last but not least, the end of the day was marked with clashes between the LAF and Palestinians in Nahr al-Bared after the funeral of Ahmad Qassem.      

These clashes and tensions are not interrelated but they have common repercussions: lack of stability which puts all efforts to save the tourism season in the eye of the storm.       

At the Arab scene, before the end of the 3-day mourning period in Saudi Arabia and in less than 24 hours after Nayef’s funerals, Prince Salman was appointed Crown Prince and Prince Ahmad Ben Abd al-Aziz as interior minister, raising questions on the  “speedy” appointments which were expected to be carried out following  the mourning period and the meeting of the Allegiance Committee.          

In Egypt, though the elections’ results have not yet been announced officially, the Muslim Brotherhood claimed victory in the country's presidential election, voicing adherence to the legitimacy of the lower house of parliament in response to the military council’s decision to dissolve it.