UN urges end to tit-for-tat actions in Gulf region to ease humanitarian crisis

United Nations (UN) Secretary‑General spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Thursday urged an end to tit‑for‑tat actions in the Gulf, warning that the Gaza humanitarian crisis and Lebanon's tense security situation demand a return to diplomacy.

Speaking at a regular press briefing in New York, Dujarric linked the humanitarian crises in Gaza and Lebanon to broader risks for regional and global stability.

Dujarric said the UN, via video link, guided more than a dozen diplomatic missions on a virtual tour of a displacement camp in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, stressing the need to keep diplomats directly engaged with the worsening humanitarian crisis.

On Lebanon, Dujarric said tens of thousands remain in collective shelters, warning that shortages of water, electricity, and fuel show why the conflict must end to ease suffering.

"This tit-for-tat needs to stop; a return to diplomacy is urgently needed for the sake of stability in the region, for the sake of global stability. I mean we keep talking about the impact that this conflict is having on the global economy. I think all of the parties involved need to understand that the best way to end this conflict is a return to the negotiating table," said Dujarric.

China's immigration authorities inspected 20.844 million inbound and outbound vehicles in the first half of the year, up 17.1 percent from last year, the National Immigration Administration said at a press briefing on Friday.

The number included 490,000 aircraft, 56,000 trains, 229,000 ships, and 20.068 million motor vehicles, rising one percent, 5.7 percent, 4.6 percent, and 17.8 percent, respectively, said the administration.

During the same period, the administration issued 10.392 million ordinary passports and 49.585 million travel endorsements for mainland residents traveling to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the Macao Special Administrative Region (Macao SAR) and Taiwan region. It also issued 1.104 million permits for residents of the HKSAR, the Macao SAR and Taiwan region to visit the mainland, and 991,000 visas or permits for foreign nationals.