Introduction to the evening news 11-07-2012

Once again, with a calm, mocking smile, Prime Minister Najib Mikati is facing his problems as if they do not exist. With the same calmness, claims and objections faded away, as if there was a blind trust in the Premiere’s magical solutions.        

Today, the long-awaited budget was approved promptly,while the ranks and salaries scale bill, the LAF funding, the public hospitals plan and all the funding sources were postponed to other date. The STL funding item was also removed from the budget and Mikati surprised everyone by announcing that there is no need to keep this item in the budget “since the tribunal has been funded just this morning, the same way it was done last year.”          

The magical effects were not limited to the budget and reached the telecommunications data. During a meeting headed by Mikati prior to the cabinet session, security apparatuses were handed all the data they requested; or at least this is what Mikati himself said following the session.            

As Lebanese problems are being solved gradually, the Syrian crisis is getting more and more complicated. The Syrian National Council delegation returned from Moscow empty-handed, and the “disappointed” SNC leader Abdulbaset Sieda stressed that there can be no dialogue as long as Assad remains in power, “however, Russia has a different opinion”, he said. For its part, Russia announced that it will keep providing Syria with anti-aircraft missile systems.        

Before diving into political details,an indictment was issued in the Saint Joseph Aintoura’s case of sexual harassment.