A bipartisan group of senators formally expressed support Wednesday for protesters in Hong Kong who are opposing a law which would allow suspects to be extradited to mainland China, Taiwan and Macau. 
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at demonstrators who threw plastic bottles on Wednesday as protests against an extradition bill that would allow people to be sent to mainland China for trial descended into violent chaos. 
HONG KONG (Reuters) - The Chinese and Hong Kong governments condemned one of Asia's leading press clubs on Tuesday for hosting a speech by an independence activist that has sparked debate about the viability of the city's freedoms. 
U.S. lawmakers have nominated Joshua Wong, a university student who played a prominent role in pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, and other local activists for the Nobel Peace Prize in a move that risks backlash from China. 
Five officials with a Hong Kong publisher have now disappeared after that company printed books critical of China’s Communist Party, raising concerns that Beijing has escalated its efforts to crack down on opponents in the territory. 
Chinese authorities are now exerting pressure on Christians in Hong Kong, the latest blow to freedoms in the city that has traditionally enjoyed some autonomy from the mainland, the New York Times reports. 
Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement is likely to incur more resistance to reforms in the coming years after the recent defeat of a China-backed proposal for restricted elections in the city, analysts say.
Nearly 50,000 people demonstrated in the streets of Hong Kong on Wednesday, the anniversary of the city’s transfer from British to Chinese rule in 1997. Democracy advocates say Beijing has failed to fulfill its promise to Hong Kong of sustaining a “one country, two systems” policy, whereby city residents would enjoy free elections and more civil liberties than the mainland. 
Thousands of protesters returned to the streets of Hong Kong on Sunday ahead of a contentious vote this week on a China-backed election proposal.
Hong Kong’s traditionally free press is increasingly under assault from the city’s police, censorship by media owners, and violent intimidation, according to a new report. 
President Barack Obama on Monday declined to speak out directly on behalf of the pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, stating that while U.S. officials are concerned about human rights, they must also maintain business ties with China.
