Introduction to the evening news 22-03-2012

The repercussions of the Syrian events are still casting their shadow on the Lebanese borders, both in the north and the Bekaa. In the north, the military tension exacerbated as the Syrian flames went beyond borders, and in the Bekaa, the number of Syrian refugees doubled.        

These repercussions did not only reach Lebanon, but Turkey as well; in fact, today Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called for setting an action plan, saying that “calls alone are not enough”.        

Domestically, it seems that the “electricity-generating ships” issue went back to square one amid the divergence between the approaches of the prime minister and the energy minister. As for the rotten foodstuffs issue, the minister of health detonated a scandalous bomb by announcing that 85% of water companies in Lebanon are unauthorized and that the results of the survey are not encouraging.          

Herein lies the question: if the ministry does not name the unauthorized companies and does not reveal the results of the survey, who will protect citizens from unsafe drinking water? Is the “non-defamation” reason used by some to protect violators a sufficient pretext to let citizens consume rotten foodstuffs and non-potable water?