The Zhuhai port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge has ushered in a peak of traffic inbound for the Chinese mainland since Thursday night, as reported by the Zhuhai border inspection station of the bridge, the world's longest bridge-and-tunnel sea crossing.
The traffic peak was primarily due to the Chinese traditional festival that fell on Friday known as the Double Ninth Festival, a public holiday in Hong Kong and Macao that symbolizes respect for the elderly and family reunions.
From 00:00 on Friday to 14:00 on Sunday, over 250,000 passengers and 46,000 vehicles, both inbound and outbound, passed through the Zhuhai port, according to the inspection station.
The 55-km bridge links China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the city of Zhuhai in the southern Guangdong Province, and the Macao SAR. It has brought tremendous economic opportunities and benefits to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge sees peak of traffic during holiday
Iran's capital Tehran was subjected to large-scale airstrikes by the United States and Israel on Friday night while two U.S. warplanes were downed over Iran and the Gulf, Iranian forces said.
At around 21:00, an aircraft was seen flying over northeastern Tehran, and subsequently, Iran's air defense system was activated.
More than two hours later, Iran was hit by another air attack, leading to major explosions. It came after the Iranian military announced that its air defense system had successfully shot down a U.S. A-10 fighter jet, marking the second U.S. warplane hit by Iranian fire that day. U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday night threatened to hit Iran "extremely hard over the next two to three weeks," a timeline he has recently set for ending the monthlong war.
Iran has rejected a U.S. proposal for a 48-hour ceasefire delivered to Iran through a "friendly" country, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Friday.
The report added that Iran's response to the offer was not given in writing, but through the continuation of attacks in the battlefield.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East.
Tehran hit by large-scale US-Israeli air attacks
