Hong Kong

Hong Kong's new national security law came into force on Saturday, putting into immediate effect tough penalties of up to life imprisonment for crimes including treason and insurrection.

The law — commonly referred to as Article 23 — targets five categories of national security crimes and was swiftly passed by Hong Kong's opposition-free legislature on Tuesday.

Hong Kong will create its own national security law "as soon as possible", city leader John Lee said Tuesday, adding insurrection and other crimes not covered by existing legislation imposed by Beijing four years ago.

Massive pro-democracy protests rocked the finance hub in 2019, bringing hundreds of thousands of people to the streets to call for greater freedoms.

China on Friday accused Britain and the United States of "malicious intentions" after they condemned Hong Kong police for offering bounties for information leading to the capture of five overseas activists.

The city's authorities said Thursday that the wanted individuals would be pursued "till the end" as they offered HK$1,000,000 ($128,000) bounties for help catching them.

Two giant inflatable ducks made a splash in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor on June 9, marking the return of a pop-art project that sparked a frenzy in the city a decade ago.

Regional airlines are struggling to ramp up flights to Hong Kong because of staff shortages at the airport, slowing the city's plan to recapture its travel hub status, industry insiders have said.

Hong Kong, which calls itself Asia's World City, once had one of the globe's busiest, and best-connected, airports.

After two years of separation from his wife in mainland China, Hong Kong resident Cheung Seng-bun made sure to be among the first in line following the reopening of border crossing points Sunday.

Hong Kong's leader John Lee said Tuesday he will only implement United Nations sanctions, after the U.S. warned the territory's status as a financial center could be affected if it acts as a safe haven for sanctioned individuals.

Lee's statement Tuesday came days after a luxury yacht connected to Russian tycoon Alexey Mordashov docked in the city.

Hong Kong jailed five speech therapists for sedition on Saturday over a series of illustrated children's books that portrayed the city's democracy supporters as sheep defending their village from wolves.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday defended his vision of the "one country, two systems" framework against accusations by the U.S., U.K. and others that Beijing has undermined the freedoms and autonomy promised to Hong Kong for 50 years.

Every few generations, Hong Kong transforms itself, evolving from a swampy fishing village to 19th century colonial port, to capitalist outpost and factory after China's 1949 revolution, to 21st century financial center.