Tehran: Ali Khamenei’s body arrives at Grand Mosque for funeral

Today’s headlines: Lam Wing Kee, the former Hong Kong publisher persecuted by Beijing, has died; Delhi and Tokyo have signed bilateral agreements to strengthen their economic partnership; Seoul is introducing a more flexible assessment system for foreign professionals in the technology sector; At least nine people have been killed and over 20 injured in a bomb explosion in Damascus.

IRAN

The body of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, killed during US and Israeli attacks at the end of February, arrived this morning at the religious complex of the Grand Mosque of Mosalla in Tehran, where the funeral will be held. Millions of people and a long list of foreign dignitaries are expected to attend the official ceremony scheduled for tomorrow, with Tehran’s leaders calling for a massive turnout to avenge his death. Images show the Grand Ayatollah’s coffin draped in the Iranian flag. Other photos show the crowd at a pre-funeral ceremony dressed in black. The Supreme Leader was killed in the first Israeli-American attack that triggered the war. Mass processions are also planned in Qom and Mashhad, and ceremonies will be held in Iraq as well. Another farewell ceremony will take place tomorrow and on 5 July at the Imam Khomeini Mosque in Tehran, whilst the funeral procession will be held in the capital the following day. This will be followed by another procession in the holy city of Qom on 7 July, and a final procession is scheduled for 9 July in Khamenei’s holy city and birthplace, Mashhad, where he will be buried. A military commander has warned the United States and Israel against any attack whilst the country is holding the state funeral.

HONG KONG – CHINA – TAIWAN

The Hong Kong publisher Lam Wing Kee, who fled to Taiwan to escape persecution by the Chinese authorities, died yesterday at the age of 70. Lam had sought refuge on the island in 2019 after being detained by Chinese agents in 2015 whilst working in a Hong Kong bookshop that sold (among other things) works critical of the Chinese leadership. He was admitted to Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taipei on 30 June, but his condition deteriorated and he fell into a coma. In 2025, he revealed that his lung cancer had returned and was at an advanced stage, despite treatment. At the time, Lam’s detention was part of a coordinated operation by the Chinese security apparatus that led to five publishers in China, Hong Kong and Thailand disappearing, only to reappear in detention and make confessions on state television.

INDIA – JAPAN

Delhi and Tokyo signed a series of agreements yesterday to strengthen their bilateral partnership in the fields of artificial intelligence, metals and energy, drawing up a joint roadmap for economic security. This was reported by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after meeting his Japanese counterpart, Sanae Takaichi, during her three-day visit to India for the 16th annual summit between the two countries. Bilateral trade reached .5 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, whilst Japanese investment in India totalled .2 billion between April and December last year.

SOUTH KOREA

The South Korean government is to introduce a more flexible assessment system for foreign professionals in the technology sector. Candidates will be assessed not only on their academic qualifications, career history and income, but also on their technical skills and the recruitment needs of South Korean companies. The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy have stated that they will begin managing two new tracks under the K-Tech Pass programme: one for qualitative assessment and one linked to government programmes for the recruitment of foreign scholars.

THAILAND

Yesterday, an 11-year-old boy took his parents’ lorry and, whilst driving it, ploughed into a Buddhist procession standing at the side of the road, killing 10 monks and seriously injuring another 10. The group, comprising 35 monks and five laypeople accompanying them, was walking along the verge of a main road in the north-eastern province of Mukdahan during a pilgrimage when the accident occurred. Monks are highly revered in Thailand, entrusted with preserving and passing on the teachings of the Buddha. They often hold public processions and are accustomed to receiving alms from the public.

SYRIA

A powerful explosion caused by a bomb struck a crowded café in central Damascus yesterday, killing at least nine people and injuring 22 others, some of them seriously. This was reported by Syrian media, which stated that there has not yet been an official claim of responsibility, although a jihadist link is suspected. State television added that the device – a homemade bomb – had been planted inside the café, which is located near the Palace of Justice.

RUSSIA

Russia has expanded the number of master’s programmes for training ‘social architects’, specialists in a discipline designed to replace traditional political technologies. Representatives from various universities presented the new course on 30 June; according to Andrei Polosin, vice-rector of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration Ranepa, the programme represents, in a broad sense, “a long-awaited return to classical humanistic education”.

ARMENIA

An interesting archaeological discovery has been made by specialists during excavations at the Amberd Fortress in Armenia. Inside, a coin minted during the reign of the Georgian Queen Tamar, the skeleton of a young man, and Armenian tama sabres were found, although the sabres were only partially preserved. According to a statement from the Ministry of Culture in Yerevan, the discovery has become “yet another striking example of the close interconnection between the histories of the countries of the South Caucasus”.