A flag-raising ceremony was held on Wednesday morning at the Golden Bauhinia Square in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) to welcome the first day of 2025.
At 8:00, as China's national anthem resonated through the square, China's national flag and the flag of the Hong Kong SAR were hoisted to the top of the mast.
When the two red flags reached the top, enthusiastic applauses and cheers erupted from the crowd.
Hong Kong holds New Year's Day flag-raising ceremony
Hong Kong holds New Year's Day flag-raising ceremony
Russia on Thursday announced that its forces controlled one more settlement, while the Ukrainian side reported conducting high-precision strikes on Russian command posts.
According to a statement released by the Russian Ministry of Defense on Thursday, Russian troops seized control of one more settlement in the Donetsk region. The ministry also claimed that its forces had successfully repelled Ukrainian attacks and launched offensives in the directions of Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.
The statement also noted that Russian air defense systems had intercepted 67 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles. Besides, strikes were carried out by the Russian side on Ukrainian drone storage facilities and ammunition depots.
On the same day, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that its forces had engaged in 109 battles on the frontline over the past 24 hours. Ukrainian forces claimed to have struck Russian personnel and equipment concentrations, command posts, and electronic warfare base stations.
The Ukrainian side also said that its air force conducted high-precision strikes on a Russian command post in the Kherson region and another command post in the Kursk region.
Russia claims control of one more settlement, Ukraine says Russian command posts raided
