Various activities to mark the International Women's Day were held across China on Sunday, recognizing their contributions to society.
The All-China Women's Federation has launched a series of themed activities to encourage women to strive for progress and play a vital role in Chinese modernization.
In Qilian County located in northwest China's Qinghai Province, reading sharing sessions and floral arrangement workshops were organized, inviting female representatives to experience traditional culture.
In Yiyang City, central China's Hunan Province, over a thousand women enjoyed the vibrant rapeseed flower fields and participated in intangible cultural heritage activities.
Meanwhile, women workers from various industries participated in sports and fitness activities such as walking and fun games in cities like Lhasa, Ningde, Yinchuan, and Dalian to celebrate the special day.
Proactive steps have been taken to support women's employment. In cities like Tianjin, Taiyuan and Lanzhou, special job fairs have been organized to provide employment guidance and policy consulting services. Urumqi City in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has set up online recruitment zones and AI employment services to assist female job seekers through digital means. In Zhaoxing Dong village of Liping County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, workshops on traditional crafts like embroidery and batik have been organized to help women find job opportunities close to home.
In Shijiazhuang of north China's Hebei Province, the local women's federation partnered with medical experts to offer health examination and consultations for female domestic workers.
Diverse activities held across China to celebrate Int’l Women’s Day
At least four people were killed, and ten others injured after Israel attacked a hotel in the Lebanese capital Beirut early on Sunday, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said.
Israeli forces launched a drone attack at dawn, targeting a room at the Ramada hotel in the heart of the city. Following the strike, Israel said that the targets were key commanders of the Lebanon Corps of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force.
The drone attack was the first Israeli attack on central Beirut since hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah resumed, according to media reports.
The Ramada Hotel is located in Beirut's Raouche area, a popular tourist district near the landmark Pigeon Rocks along the Mediterranean coast.
All the windows in the targeted hotel room were shattered, and several adjacent rooms and the exterior facade of the hotel building were also damaged by the airstrike, according to a China Media Group reporter at the scene.
Witnesses said the area had been considered safe, and many displaced people fleeing southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut had taken refuge here, with some staying in hotels and others sleeping in their cars along nearby roads.
"At night, it was quiet until 1:35; there were no sounds of drones or anything at all. Suddenly, we heard something like a shell—very loud. We thought it was a warplane bombing in the area. We ran and saw smoke coming from the hotel, and glass was scattered in the streets. There was black smoke and dust. We ran to the Ramada hotel on the fourth floor, where flames were coming out. People began to exit, ambulances and information branch personnel arrived, and crowds formed," said Shawki Sharifi, an eyewitness.
Another eyewitness said the area was blocked after the attack, and the injured were taken to hospitals for treatment. Authorities said that there were fatalities at the scene.
On Sunday evening, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a statement, saying that the Israeli Navy carried out a precision strike on Beirut, targeting five senior commanders of Iran's IRGC Quds Force who were meeting at a hotel in the city.
The IDF said that the five commanders, "hiding in a civilian hotel," were all killed in the operation. The commanders had served in the Lebanese and Palestinian branches of IRGC and were involved in providing funding and intelligence to Hezbollah and Hamas, the IDF said in the statement.
The Lebanese authorities have not provided more details about the victims or the incident.
At least 4 killed, 10 injured in Israeli strike on hotel in Beirut
