UN Security Council welcomes election of Lebanon's new president

The United Nations Security Council on Thursday issued a statement welcoming the election of Joseph Aoun as Lebanon's new president, ending a presidential vacancy that lasted over two years.

The UN Security Council emphasized that electing a new president is crucial for ensuring the full functioning of state institutions, particularly in addressing Lebanon's urgent political, economic, and security challenges.

Members of the Security Council reaffirmed their strong support for Lebanon's territorial integrity, national sovereignty, and political independence. They also pledged to remain committed to Lebanon's stability during this critical period.

UN Security Council welcomes election of Lebanon's new president

UN Security Council welcomes election of Lebanon's new president

UN Security Council welcomes election of Lebanon's new president

UN Security Council welcomes election of Lebanon's new president

UN Security Council welcomes election of Lebanon's new president

China's railway system handled an estimated 13.95 million passenger trips on Tuesday, the ninth day of the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush in 2026, official data showed.

An additional 1,363 trains were marshaled to meet the surging demand on the day, according to the China State Railway Group.

Meanwhile, the national highway system handled more than 40 million vehicle trips nationwide on Tuesday, and the outbound traffic from large and medium-sized cities started rising.

It's estimated that a total of 760,000 passenger trips were made by waterways across China on Tuesday, as island tours and city sightseeing tours emerge as popular options for Chinese people to make holidays.

The Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year holiday, falls on Feb 17 this year, and the official holiday season lasts nine days from Feb 14 to 23.

The annual travel surge, known as chunyun, is often described as the world's largest human migration. This year's Spring Festival travel rush is expected to generate a record 9.5 billion inter-regional passenger trips during the 40-day period running from Feb 2 to March 13.

Chinese railway system handles 13.95 mln trips on Day 9 of Spring Festival travel rush