River of garbage: parody drone video mocks Beirut's rubbish crisis

Fed up with an eight-month garbage crisis that has seen their city turned into a rubbish dump, protesters have used drones to spoof a tourism ministry film

In February, Lebanon's tourism ministry released a promotional video shot using drones. It shows off the country's postcard beauty: its historic cities, snow-capped mountains and pristine rivers, a country where you can (supposedly) ski in the morning and swim in the ocean in the afternoon.

Conspicuously overlooked in the film is Beirut's garbage crisis - the rampant dumping of trash in the city's parking lots, valleys and shoreline, which has caused an environmental and public health disaster that the state is eager to downplay.