_5_1782985225.jpg)
Vietnam's HCM City posts 8.55% economic growth in first half
2 hours ago
More than 9mn journeys were recorded on the Tehran metro between the morning of July 4 and 9am on July 5 as mourners converged on ceremonies for the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the head of Tehran Municipality's communications and international affairs centre, Hamidreza Gholamzadeh, told Hamshahri newspaper on July 5.
Authorities have been preparing for weeks to set the stage for a send of the second supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, delayed for months due to US war on Iran with security at its tightest over fears of possible attacks from opposing groups and countries, including Israel.
More than 6mn people had attended the Grand Mosalla prayer complex in central Tehran, where Khamenei's body is lying in state, by 9am on the second day of the ceremonies, Gholamzadeh said, with the metro carrying 5.5mn passengers over the period and further crowds arriving on foot, by motorcycle and in taxi vans.
The municipality has prepared accommodation capacity for between 3.5mn and 4mn pilgrims travelling from outside the capital, he said, adding that attendance is expected to peak on July 5 and July 6.
The official said the crowd at the Mosalla flowed continuously on the opening day, with the complex repeatedly filling and emptying, and that millions returned for prayers on the second morning.
Preparations at the site included installing mist sprayers, flattening the pool in the central section of the complex and adding railings to manage the crush of mourners. Obstacles along the procession route were cleared in the days before the ceremonies began.
Gholamzadeh said the municipality had asked for Tuesday, July 7, to be declared a public holiday in Tehran to allow the city to return to normal, including the reinstallation of railings along bus rapid transit lanes, and that the government had approved the request.
Khamenei was killed in a US-Israeli air strike on Tehran on February 28. His funeral processions are due to continue through Qom and the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala before burial in Mashhad on July 9.
Foreign dignatories included officials from several regional countries, including Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as the Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the head of the country's intelligence services.
Related Content
Data
Vietnam's HCM City posts 8.55% economic growth in first half
The services sector remained the main driver of growth, expanding 8.89% in the first six months. It accounted for 54% of GRDP and contributed 56% of overall economic growth.
South Korea's foreign reserves edge higher in June
Foreign securities, including US Treasuries, fell by $330mn from a month earlier to $380.34bn at the end of June.
Russian economic confidence falls to lowest level in two decades as war fatigue deepens
Russian public confidence in the economy has collapsed to its lowest level in at least two decades, according to a new Gallup survey, suggesting the economic resilience that underpinned the Kremlin's wartime strategy may be beginning to fray.
Russian manufacturing PMI returns to growth as domestic demand steadies despite export weakness
Russia's manufacturing sector returned to modest growth in June after more than a year of stagnation, as improving domestic demand offset a renewed deterioration in export markets, although businesses remained cautious over the outlook.
