Cuba entered a period of national mourning this week, marked by two consecutive days of solemn tributes and mass demonstrations following the return of the remains of 32 soldiers killed in the U.S. military intervention in Venezuela on Jan 3.
The national tribute began on Thursday with the arrival of the soldiers' remains at Havana's Jose Marti International Airport.
The urns with the remains of the soldiers were wrapped in Cuban flags and taken to the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces on army jeeps, as thousands of Cubans lined the streets despite a heavy downpour to pay their respects.
"I believe that those comrades who fell in Venezuela fell for a cause and an ideal, an ideal they instilled in us from a very young age. And what are we here today representing? The people of Cuba, and it is to this that we aspire for the Cuban people to respond," said a Havana resident.
"We are deeply moved and sad, so we pay tribute to our heroes and extend our support to their families with the entire situation they are experiencing right now, both in our country and elsewhere," said another resident.
On Friday, Cubans held massive rallies across the island, including a demonstration in Havana, where President Miguel Diaz-Canel called on Cubans to remain united in the face of U.S. pressure.
Later, demonstrators marched along Havana's famous Malecon seafront avenue near the U.S. embassy in support of Cuba and Venezuela and to condemn the U.S. strikes on Jan 3.
Cubans honor soldiers killed in US raid in Venezuela
Chinese President Xi Jinping awarded Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic the Friendship Medal of the People's Republic of China in Beijing on Monday.
As solemn music played and the golden doors slowly opened, Xi and Vucic entered the hall together, followed by Xi's wife Peng Liyuan and Vucic's wife Tamara Vucic.
Applauding guests rose to their feet, and paid respect to the two heads of state.
A Guard of Honor escorted the Friendship Medal into the hall, and amid solemn music, Xi formally presented the medal to Vucic.
Xi highlighted Vucic's long-standing commitment to advancing China-Serbia friendship and underscored the significance of the honor.
"President Vucic has long stayed committed to China-Serbia friendship, and he has always given China the firmest and clearest support on issues concerning China's core interests and major concerns. He gains the respect from the Chinese people. This medal is not only a high recognition of President Vucic's contributions to bilateral friendship, but also carries the earnest expectations of both peoples for building a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era," Xi said.
The Friendship Medal is China's highest state honor for foreigners, reserved for those who have made outstanding contributions to China's modernization drive, promoting exchange and cooperation between China and the world, and safeguarding world peace.
At the invitation of Xi, Vucic is on a state visit to China from Sunday to Thursday, with this marking his first state visit to China and his ninth trip to the country overall.
Xi awards Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic China's friendship medal
