China's transportation expanded significantly in scale in November with multiple freight indicators hitting record highs, highlighting continued improvement in the vitality of the country's economic development, official data show.
In November, China's railway cargo delivery volume rose 5.5 percent year on year to reach 350 million tons. The average daily loading exceeded 194,000 train carriages, setting a new record, according to data from China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.
China's railways transported 184 million tons of coal in November, a 3.3 percent increase year on year, with 132 million tons being thermal coal, which grew by 1.9 percent compared to the previous year.
In November, China's civil aviation sector completed a total cargo and mail transportation volume of 837,000 tons, a year-on-year increase of 16.6 percent, and the monthly cargo and mail transportation volume reached the 800,000-ton mark for three consecutive months.
Benefiting from continuous improvement of the route network and the rapid development of new formats such as cross-border e-commerce, the demand for air transportation has continued to be strong since the beginning of this year, driving continuous increase in air cargo volume.
Comprehensive data from the Ministry of Transport showed that in November, China's commercial cargo volume reached 5.09 billion tons, up 4.2 percent year on year, among which road and water freight volumes continued to grow.
In the month, port cargo throughput reached 1.53 billion tons, showing a stable and balanced growth trend in both domestic and foreign trade.
November's high freight figures highlight China's economic vitality
Hundreds of Shia Muslims marched in northern Nigeria this week to protest the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in U.S.-Israeli strikes last Saturday.
Demonstrations erupted in several northern states, with the largest gathering in Minna, capital of Niger state. Protesters waved Iranian flags, held portraits of Khamenei, and chanted slogans denouncing the attacks.
Farina Ibrahim, one of the demonstrators, voiced the community's anguish and demanded an end to the strikes on Iran.
"The continued attack on Iran should be stopped. They should stop killing our brothers. This action has been going on for too long and we can't continue. Even small children are targeted and killed. We condemn the attack," she said.
Khamenei, who served as Iran's supreme leader for decades, was viewed by many Shia Muslims not only as a political authority but also as a source of religious guidance. His killing has sent shockwaves through Shia communities worldwide.
Demonstrators described the event as a turning point for the Islamic world.
"Whatever they're doing, they're not attacking Iran alone, they're attacking Islam; because Iran has not done anything wrong. All we're concerned about is that they're fighting Islam. And they will not succeed. This procession will continue till they stop. Both America and Israeli forces stop their crude ways of doing things, their attack on innocent people, their attack on innocent nations. What they've done is wrong!" said Usman Zubairu, another protester. In response to the protests, the U.S. Embassy in Abuja deployed heavy security and issued a security alert to American citizens in Nigeria, urging them to remain vigilant.
Nigerian Shia Muslims protest killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei
