Lebanon needs president who can address security, economic challenges: parliament member

A new president of Lebanon should be elected as soon as possible to lead the country in addressing the security and economic challenges, said a member of the Lebanese Parliament.

Political division in Lebanon resulted in a vacant presidential position following the end of former President Michel Aoun's term on Oct. 31, 2022. The parliament has failed to elect a president for the country in 12 electoral sessions. A caretaker government has been running the country amid the presidential vacuum.

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has announced that he will convene a new session for the presidential election on January 9.

"We must seize the opportunity on January 9 to go to Parliament with determination to elect a president," said Lebanese Parliament member Nabil Bader in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) that aired on Tuesday.

Lebanon was already facing a serious economic crisis before the current round of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, suffering from banking collapse, energy shortage, and severe livelihood problems. The escalation since late September of 2024 has further aggravated Lebanon's plight.

Bader believes that addressing the huge macroeconomic challenges will be an important task for the new government.

"Everyone knows that Lebanon's economy has completely collapsed. Therefore, the first step is to restore the credibility of the Lebanese banking system. Secondly, I hope that the future government will propose new laws to support investment and encourage investors to return to Lebanon, especially in the power sector and business investment area," he said.

Speaking of the current security situation, Bader said that Israel is still violating the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon and the Lebanese people are still worried about their safety. If the new president fails to properly resolve the issues in the ceasefire agreement, he said, Lebanon may fall into crisis again.

"International and regional forces need to get Israel to respect the ceasefire deal and withdraw from Lebanon, and demand that Hezbollah hand over its weapons south of the Litani River. Lebanon should also discuss weapons north of the Litani River internally. These issues should be on the agenda of any future government or president, otherwise we will repeat the mistakes of the past. But Lebanese, including those living in the south, cannot afford another crisis," Bader said.

Lebanon needs president who can address security, economic challenges: parliament member

Lebanon needs president who can address security, economic challenges: parliament member

Lebanon needs president who can address security, economic challenges: parliament member

Influenza activity in China has declined for four consecutive weeks, with recent tests showing common pathogens and no evidence of new infectious diseases, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Tuesday.

At its first press briefing of 2026, the commission reported that flu activity nationwide remains moderate at the moment.

According to Xin Li, a researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, respiratory samples collected from sentinel hospitals indicated that the influenza virus was the most common pathogen, accounting for 27.4 percent of cases, followed by respiratory syncytial virus at 8.8 percent and rhinovirus at 5.7 percent.

"Influenza activity in China has declined for four consecutive weeks and remains at a moderate level overall. Analysis of nationwide fever clinic consultations, influenza-like illness cases at sentinel hospitals, and multi-pathogen testing shows that all detected pathogens are known common ones, with no evidence of unknown pathogens or new infectious diseases," Xin told the press.

Data from sentinel hospitals indicated flu activity was falling across provincial-level regions, while reports of school outbreaks dropped for five consecutive weeks. Laboratory tests showed that 97.3 percent of positive influenza samples were H3N2 subtype viruses.

China flu activity declines for fourth week, no new pathogens detected: official