Sign up for our daily briefing

Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Denver news in your inbox

Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Des Moines news in your inbox

Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Minneapolis-St. Paul news in your inbox

Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Tampa Bay news in your inbox

Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Charlotte news in your inbox

Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

In photos: A tale of 2 cities on 70th anniversary of Communist China

The Tiananmen Square parade in Beijing marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Photo: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

China showed off a new hypersonic ballistic nuclear missile, the DF-17, as it displayed its military might during a grand parade in Beijing marking the 70th anniversary of Communist Party rule, AP reports. But clashes between police and protesters in Hong Kong cast a shadow over celebrations.

The big picture: Hong Kong authorities had tried to thwart protesters as Chinese President Xi Jinping oversaw the Beijing parade that showcased some 15,000 soldiers and 100,000 performers, per the New York Times. Hong Kong went into unprecedented lockdown, Reuters notes. But tens of thousands of protesters defied a ban on marches and attended rallies throughout the city, per Bloomberg.

Hong Kong police fire a water cannon and blue dye from the central government complex. Photo: Mohd Rasfan/AFP/Getty Images
Beijing marks 70 years since Mao Zedong announced the formation of the People's Republic of China. Photo: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
Protesters burn a Chinese national flag during a march through the streets of Hong Kong. Photo: Mohd Rasfan/AFP/Getty Images
Performers at the parade in Tiananmen Square. Photo: Andrea Verdelli/Getty Images
A march in the Tsuen Wan district of Hong Kong, as demonstrators mark China's anniversary with the "Day of Grief" protests. Photo: Philip Fong/AFP/Getty Images
The Liaoning Province float featuring a giant winged robot passes through Tiananmen Square. Photo: Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images
Protesters carry black balloons as they take part in a march in the Causeway Bay shopping district in Hong Kong. Photo: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images
Military vehicles carrying DF-5B intercontinental ballistic missiles in Beijing's parade. Photo: Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images
Numerous Hong Kong stations are closed across the city, including this MTR underground rail system in the Admiralty area. Photo: Mohd Rasfan/AFP/Getty Images
Military helicopters fly over Tiananmen Square. Photo: Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images
A group of people outside the British Consulate in Hong Kong. Photo: Mohd Rasfan/AFP/Getty Images
An early morning military parade rehearsal in Tiananmen Square. Photo: Andrea Verdelli/Getty Images
Hong Kong protesters carry a mock coffin in the Wanchai district. Photo: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images
The Chinese military forces gather in Tiananmen Square. Photo: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
Hong Kong police check the IDs of young people in the street ahead of anniversary events. Photo: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images
The Guard of Honour of the People's Liberation Army rehearse. Photo: Andrea Verdelli/Getty Images

Go deeper: China's split-screen: Hong Kong protests vs. Communist celebration

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout and more photos.

Go deeper

Fadel Allassan
31 mins ago - World

Putin foe Navalny to be detained for 30 days after returning to Moscow

Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny. Photo: Oleg Nikishin/Epsilon/Getty Images

Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has been ordered to remain in pre-trial detention for 30 days, following his arrest upon returning to Russia on Sunday for the first time since a failed assassination attempt last year.

Why it matters: The detention of Navalny, an anti-corruption activist and the most prominent domestic critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has already set off a chorus of condemnations from leaders in Europe and the U.S.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Axios
1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Biden picks Warren allies to lead SEC, CFPB

Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

President-elect Joe Biden has selected FTC commissioner Rohit Chopra to be the next director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Obama-era Wall Street regulator Gary Gensler to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Why it matters: Both picks are progressive allies of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and viewed as likely to take aggressive steps to regulate big business.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Ashley Gold, Sara Fischer, Kyle Daly
2 hours ago - Technology

The perils of organizing underground

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Researchers see one bright spot as far-right extremists turn to private and encrypted online platforms: Friction.

Between the lines: For fringe organizers, those platforms may provide more security than open social networks, but they make it harder to recruit new members.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow