Introduction to the evening news 07-10-2012

A very busy week is ahead on the economic, parliamentary and political levels. Economically, the strike expected to be held on Wednesday is annoying the prime minister; in fact, he is surprised at the determination to hold it at a time when the government announced its commitment to the ranks and salaries series and the income increase in July 1st. On the parliamentary level, the never-ending electoral law issue will continue to make the headlines this week amid a sharp division between the partisans of the proportional representation system and those endorsing the majority representation.        

Politically, a fierce campaign is awaiting the president upon his return from his Latin-American tour, due to some of his stances that were praised by some other parties.        

In the case of former Minister Michel Samaha, the Syrian President’s adviser Bouthaina Shaaban broke her silence and according to well-informed sources, she told AFP that the reports that arose on her involvement in the case are no more than political bickering which is very common in Lebanon, adding that she will not even bother responding or commenting.            

On another note, Turkey's military fired an artillery round into Syria on Sunday in immediate retaliation after a shell fired from Syrian landed in a Turkish border town. In a remarkable diplomatic statement, Turkish Foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that Syrian Prime Minister Farouk al-Sharaa is a “reasonable man” and may serve as Syria’s next leader in a transitional government.