Damascus hunts down Assad loyalists, and US contractors admit to live fire at aid sites

Authorities in Damascus are capturing high-profile figures from Syria’s former Assad regime. US contractors guarding aid distribution sites in Gaza are firing live ammunition and stun grenades at Palestinians rushing to get food near the deadly distribution centres. And business activity in the UAE's non-oil private sector grew in June but was hindered by the Iran-Israel war. On today's episode of Trending Middle East: US contractors guarding Gaza aid sites admit to firing live ammunition at hungry Palestinians UAE non-oil private sector grew in June but Israel-Iran war weighs on demand This episode features Jihan Abdallah, Senior Correspondent; Deena Kamel, Senior Business Reporter — Aviation; and Khaled Yacoub Oweis, Jordan Correspondent. Editor’s note: We want to hear from you! Help us improve our podcasts by taking our 2-minute listener survey. Click here.