The first batch of cross-boundary vehicles on Wednesday left the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities to drive on the world's longest cross-sea bridge.The 55-km bridge connects China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) in the east and the Macao SAR and Zhuhai of Guangdong Province in the west.The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is the result of nine years of construction.The bridge officially opened to public traffic at 9:00 a.m. local time (0100 GMT) on Wednesday, as the first batch of travelers entered the service hall for customs clearance.At 9:30 a.m. local time (0130 GMT) the first batch of cross-border buses full of passengers, as well as other vehicles hit the road on the bridge for Macao or Zhuhai on the other ends of the Y-shaped bridge.Without the bridge, drivers from Hong Kong, which faces Zhuhai across the Lingding Channel had to detour via several cities including Shenzhen and Dongguan to reach Zhuhai and other cities in the western part of Guangdong.Crossing the mega bridge is a bucket list experience for many residents. A Hong Kong resident surnamed Lee in his 70s was one of them. He got up early on Wednesday to take the first bus to ride on the bridge, only to catch a glimpse of the grand project.The bridge will slash road travel time from Hong Kong to Macao and Zhuhai remarkably.A Hong Kong resident surnamed Wong works in Macao and has to commute between Hong Kong and Macao regularly. He usually takes ferries, as road travel would take about three hours.But the new bus service via the bridge will take less than an hour and the ticket is cheaper, and he plans to take it as a key commuting alternative in the future, Wong said. silicone wristbands canadawristbands for eventsrubber band bracelets
South Korea's former president Lee Myung-bak arrives at the prosecutors' office in Seoul, South Korea, March 14, 2018. [Photo/Agencies] SEOUL - South Korean prosecutors on Monday requested an arrest warrant on former President Lee Myung-bak over a series of corruption charges. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office called for a Seoul court to issue a warrant to arrest Lee, who served out his five-year presidential term through early 2013, according to local media reports. About 18 counts of corruption, including bribery, embezzlement, breach of trust and tax evasion, were levied against Lee who was summoned by prosecutors last week for questioning. The court could reportedly decide on the request Wednesday night. The prosecution office said Lee denied almost all of the wrongdoings, and even basic facts found through probe. Lee was reportedly charged with receiving tens of millions of dollars in kickbacks from the country's intelligence agency and big companies including Samsung Electronics. Samsung is alleged to have paid $5 million of retaining fee, on Lee's behalf, in the United States for DAS, a South Korean auto parts maker which prosecutors said Lee owns under the names of his relatives. DAS is under investigation for embezzlement, tax evasion and the creation of slush fund, which is believed to have been funneled into Lee for his presidential campaign. In return for the legal fee offer, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee is believed to have bought a presidential pardon in 2009 when the Samsung chairman, currently in hospital, got a suspended jail sentence for tax evasion. The National Intelligence Service, the country's spy agency, is believed to have delivered secret operation fund as bribes to Lee's office at his behest through his closest aides, some of whom already admitted the allegation. Lee is also suspected of dodging taxes through accounting fraud in DAS and by owning real estate assets and bank deposits under borrowed names.
