News Introduction for Sunday 01-01-2012

Happy New Year,

2011 may have ended but all political and social changes have yet to find their resolution.

In Syria the sounds of fireworks celebrating the end of the year were mixed with gunshots and explosions; in Iraq the political scene is open to all scenarios and the Iranian scene was crowned with a high caliber surprise: Scientists and researchers at the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran have successfully tested the first domestically produced nuclear fuel rod containing natural uranium.

The Palestinian cause was put on hold amid the Arab Spring and the internal problems of the surrounding Arab countries, while the Israeli settlements are still spreading onto Palestinian soil.

In Lebanon most of the pending issues were postponed till 2012. From the economic problems, the budget plan, the administrative appointments to the security issues and the shootings on the Lebanese-Syrian border, the pending issues are piling up with no solutions in sight.

The first night of 2012 was covered with snow in a huge storm hitting the Lebanese mountains. It was reported that hundreds of cars were trapped in Keserwan while security forces and civil defense were working to clear the roads.