HK's West Kowloon Station sees annual passenger flow exceed 30 million

The annual number of inbound and outbound travelers passing through Hong Kong's West Kowloon Station on the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link exceeded 30 million for the first time on Sunday, fueled by accelerated regional integration and relaxed visa policies.

The daily average number of border crossings through West Kowloon Station reached 85,000 this year, while the highest single-day figure hit 136,000, according to the Shenzhen General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection in south China's Guangdong Province.

The West Kowloon Station connects Hong Kong with 96 stations in 19 provincial-level regions on the Chinese mainland.

"We mainly want to visit the Canton Tower in Guangzhou and experience the cruise on the Pearl River," said Mr. Sun, a Hong Kong resident, at the station.

The accelerated integration is also boosting study trips between Hong Kong and Guangdong Province.

"Today we will go to Xingning in Meizhou to film our Classical Prose Recitation Competition. We hope that during this trip, students will be able to learn about the culture of our motherland," said Lin Qing, a teacher at Hong Kong's South Yuen Long Government Primary School.

"I'm really looking forward to this trip because we can learn about Guangzhou, and also about some of the development and culture of the Maritime Silk Road," said a student from Hong Kong's Tseung Kwan O Government Secondary School.

This year, nearly 1.4 million foreign tourists have made entry and exit trips via West Kowloon Station, up 24 percent year on year.

China's National Immigration Administration (NIA) in November expanded the country's 240-hour visa-free transit program to five additional ports, including West Kowloon Station on the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link.

"We want to go to Guangzhou and to Shenzhen. Guangzhou -- we know a little bit about older culture -- and Shenzhen I know a little bit because it's a tech hub. I love tech, so I really want to see more," said a tourist from the Netherlands at West Kowloon Station.

"We are going to Huizhou, and also to Shenzhen. Yeah," said a tourist from Spain.

"Because also we are content creators about drones. I think China brands are innovating in the technology world. So it's incredible, because I love to fly drones and try new technology," another Spanish tourist said.

China's new policy introduced in November raised the total number of ports eligible for the 240-hour visa-free transit from 60 to 65.

Under the policy, travelers from 55 eligible countries who meet certain criteria can enter China through any of these ports in 24 provincial-level regions and stay for up to 240 hours, or 10 days, without a visa before heading to a third destination, according to the NIA.

HK's West Kowloon Station sees annual passenger flow exceed 30 million

Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region has suspended in-person classes at all schools and universities following Iran's threats to target U.S.-linked universities in the country.

Local authorities have moved classes online, citing growing security threats from Iran.

The decision came after Iran warned that U.S.-linked universities could be attacked, in response to a recent airstrike on a university in Tehran, which Israel says was involved in ballistic missile development.

"Iran is seriously threatening the Kurdistan region, and we must take this seriously. The lives of people -- and especially our students -- are more valuable than anything," said Mohammad Qadir, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research for the Kurdistan Region.

The sudden move to online learning has been challenging, with many students struggling to stay connected.

"Some students couldn't join the live sessions. Others had electricity problems, internet issues, or other technical difficulties on the first day. Despite all that, in my opinion, online teaching -- with all its shortcomings -- is better than doing nothing and staying at home," said Dana Mohammed Abdullah, an assistant lecturer at Salahaddin University.

Abdullah added that the impact is especially severe on programs that rely on hands-on instructions.

"Many of our courses are practical rather than theoretical and need to be taught face to face. Now that everything is online, it's only a temporary solution -- better than pausing entirely -- but for a fine arts college, it won't be very effective," he said.

For many students, fear is now part of their daily life.

"We don't feel safe. Drones are coming from the sky and can explode at any moment. We don't know where they will hit -- so we can't be fully confident about going back to campus and studying in class," said Zana Amin, a university student.

With no clear end to the conflict, officials say it is too soon to say when classrooms will reopen.

"We can't give a timeline. We are in a war situation, and it has affected Kurdistan and Iraq deeply. Even politicians don't know when things will return to normal. In-person classes will resume when the war ends," said Qadir.

Iraq's Kurdistan region suspends in-person university classes over security concerns