Mournful Iranians bid final farewell to slain Hamas political chief, vow revenge

Mournful people from different walks of life in the Iranian capital Tehran on Thursday held a funeral procession for Hamas Politburo Chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in an alleged Israeli attack a day before.

The ceremony officially began at 08:00 local time (0430 GMT) at the University of Tehran, where Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei led the funeral prayers for the Hamas political chief and his security guard, who was also killed in the same attack.

The funeral prayers were attended by many top Iranian commanders and officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, as well as a large number of mourners.

During the procession, a huge number of Iranians, including top officials and military commanders, accompanied the Hamas political leader's body from the University of Tehran to the iconic Azadi square in central Tehran, while chanting slogans in condemnation of Israel and the United States, holding pictures of Haniyeh and late General Qassem Soleimani, the top Iranian commander who was killed in an attack by the United States in Iraq in January 2020, and waving Iranian and Palestinian flags.

"It's absolutely wrong. They assassinated our dear guest in our own country," said Reyhaneh, a resident in Tehran.

"I demand the most severe and crushing response to this attack. A response that will prevent them from violating our territory again," said Fatemeh, a Tehran resident.

"Israel martyred our guest in our house. Israel should definitely expect a new operation from Iran," said Abolfazl, another Tehran resident.

At the end of the ceremony, which lasted four hours, the Iranians bade a final farewell to the Hamas political leader before the transfer of his body to the Qatari capital city of Doha to be laid to rest.

While a number of countries have strongly condemned the violation of Iranian airspace and blamed Israel for an act of terror, there are serious concerns that ceasefire negotiations to end Israel's war in Gaza are more fragile than ever. The world's eyes are closely monitoring events in Palestine and the wider region, as tensions also escalate between Israel and Lebanese group Hezbollah, and fears mount over Iran's expected retaliation.

Analysts believe the next steps taken by various resistance groups across the Middle East could play a crucial role in determining not only the future of Palestine, but the region as a whole.

Haniyeh, who had been invited to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the Iranian president on Tuesday, was killed along with his bodyguard early Wednesday when their residence in Tehran was hit.

Iran accused Israel of carrying out the assassination while Israel has yet to confirm its involvement.

Mournful Iranians bid final farewell to slain Hamas political chief, vow revenge

Mournful Iranians bid final farewell to slain Hamas political chief, vow revenge

Mournful Iranians bid final farewell to slain Hamas political chief, vow revenge

Mournful Iranians bid final farewell to slain Hamas political chief, vow revenge

Agreements on raft of major investment projects worth an estimated 110.04 billion yuan (about 15.47 billion U.S. dollars) were signed at the 24th China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT), which opened Sunday in Xiamen, a coastal city in China's eastern Province of Fujian.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on the sidelines of the four-day CIFIT for some of the 50 projects which cover a wide range of strategic and emerging industries, such as new energy, new materials, biomedicine and third-generation semiconductors.

This year's CIFIT is taking place with the theme "Investment Linking the World," focusing on industrial cooperation in areas such as the digital economy and green development.

It aims to showcase and introduce the latest investment environment, policies, projects and achievements of Chinese provinces, cities and regions, and serves as an important platform for enterprises from home and aboard to gain comprehensive insights into China's investment policies.

The event drew visitors from 119 countries and regions, of which about 80 percent are Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partner countries.

"The CIFIT is a great platform. I think we should do more to showcase the new development concept China is following and the new achievements we have made so far in fostering new quality productive forces through the fair," said Song Hailiang, chairman of the China Energy Engineering Corporation in an interview with the China Central Television (CCTV) on the sidelines of the CIFIT on Sunday.

This year's fair features a sprawling exhibition with an area of around 120,000 square meters, more than 80 investment events and roadshow activities.

A section for China's outward investment and cooperation allows Chinese firms to highlight their overseas investments and explore new business partners.

"We've set up matching teams dedicated to Guangdong's 20 major industrial clusters to hold extensive exchanges with foreign exhibitors and domestic enterprises from other parts of the country," said Liu Dezeng, deputy director of the Investment Promotion Bureau of Guangdong Province, a manufacturing heartland and leading foreign trade player in south China.

The CIFIT was first launched in 1997 and has become an important platform for boosting investment and facilitating global development. In the past decades, more than 30,000 projects have been signed, of which a large number of foreign-funded projects have been implemented in China, and numerous Chinese enterprises have reached the global market, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

Investment deals worth 110 billion yuan inked at int’l trade fair in Fujian