Thoraya Abdullahi gives a round-up of today’s trends.
Trending Middle East
Israeli strike kills paramedics in Lebanon, UN Security Council's revised Gaza ceasefire resolution - Trending
Here's what's trending in the Middle East and around the world. At least 12 paramedics were killed in an Israeli bombing of a civil defense center near the Lebanese city of Balbake. The governor of the region said another Israeli attack on the city also claimed the lives of eight people, including five women, and only 27 the Lebanese health ministry said. More than a year of clashes that recently escalated into war have cost Lebanon more than $5 billion in economic losses, with structural damage amounting to billions more, the World Bank said. The losses are largely concentrated in the commerce, tourism, and hospitality sectors, as well as in the agriculture sector, the report said. A revised Khazde ceasefire draft resolution led by U.N. Security Council's 10 non-permanent members has been reintroduced after the U.S. objective to language that described the conflict and regional escalation, the updated draft seen by the national demands and immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire by all parties, and reiterates its demand for the unconditional release of all hostages. A U.N. diplomat said that Council delayed moving the resolution forward until after the U.S. elections, anticipating a more favorable climate for negotiation, but said there is no indication of any change. President-elect Donald Trump picked Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, and endorsed Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Mr. Trump's picks for the new administration have sparked mixed reactions across social media. Some users expressed concern, saying this is just the beginning of the worst to come, and we are doomed, while others praised the team as the best and brightest. That's all from me, that I have the lie. Thanks for listening. [BLANK_AUDIO]