Introduction to the evening news 28-07-2012

Today, the world’s attention divides between London and Aleppo.                       

All eyes today were on the city of fog that witnessed the “legendary” inauguration of the 2012 Summer Olympics.  Meanwhile, the world was holding its breath concerned over the fate of Saif al-Dawla, the city where al-Mutanabbi wrote his most beautiful poems. Today, the Syrian army launched a counteroffensive on Aleppo to regain control of it, and even Russians, the regime’s allies, warned of a possible "tragedy" in the city. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia has made no agreement to grant Syrian President Bashar al-Assad asylum and is "not even thinking about" doing so.                               

Just as Queen Elizabeth II seems to have lost her charm, needing “James Bond” to her right and “Mr. Bean” to her left at the inauguration ceremony of the Olympic Games, the Lebanese scene lost its star ruling cast as the Hariri family “enters political coma”, leaving Khaled Daher and Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir to take control of the streets.  Beirut’s resistance is not immune as its prestige seems to be fading under the weight of the Syrian regime, and while the “change and reform bloc” also seems to be taking on the role of the “aggressor” towards workers’ rights. All this as Tripol dances to the beat of death synchronized to that of the Syrian rhythm. As for regular citizens, they are preoccupied by “social media stars” that are imposing their own version of the post-Haifa era on the Lebanese popular culture scene.                         


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