Lebanon’s trash protesters turn up heat on govt

BEIRUT: Pressure was growing Sunday on Lebanon’s government after a protest campaign spurred by a trash crisis gave political leaders a deadline to meet their demands. “Your time is up,” the “You Stink” campaign behind Saturday’s huge demonstration in downtown Beirut said on its Facebook page.
At a mass rally on Saturday, “You Stink” threatened an “escalation” of their protest movement if the government does not meet their demands by Tuesday evening.
The 72-hour ultimatum is calling for a sustainable solution to a trash crisis that flared in mid-July and the resignation of Environment Minister Mohammad Mashnuq.
“You Stink” is also demanding new parliamentary elections to replace a legislature that has been in power since 2009.
On Saturday, protesters gathered in Beirut’s iconic Martyrs Square to express their rage at endemic corruption in the government and lack of basic services, including power and water shortages.