China's railway freight volume up 3.1 pct in Jan-May

China's national railways transported about 1.64 billion tons of goods in the first five months of 2025, up 3.1 percent year on year, according to data released Sunday by the China State Railway Group (CSRG) -- the national railway operator.

Daily loading volume averaged 181,000 carriages, rising 4.2 percent, said the CSRG.

National railways moved 845 million tons of coal from January to May, including 575 million tons for power generation.

Power plant coal reserves remained high, while shipments of mining and construction materials, metallurgical materials, and grain rose 22 percent, 9.1 percent, and 5.5 percent, respectively, said the railway operator.

Railway authorities have continued to improve the quality of logistics services.

In the first five months this year, a total of 655 logistics general contracting contracts were signed, pushing the shift of bulk cargo transportation from road to rail.

A total of 43 products with a "single bill of lading" for multimodal transportation have been developed, sending 6.833 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo for rail-water intermodal transport, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.4 percent.

Financial services for railway logistics have been expanded, with 19.783 billion yuan (about 2.755 billion U.S. dollars) in credit financing granted to 819 customers.

Cross-border freight remained stable and smooth in the first five months.

From January to May, China-Europe Railway Express operations remained stable. China-Central Asia freight trains made 6,046 trips, up 23 percent year on year. Meanwhile, the China-Laos Railway transported 2.502 million tons of cross-border goods, an 8 percent increase.

China's railway freight volume up 3.1 pct in Jan-May

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