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In photos: Hong Kong government offices shut as protesters rally

Residents argue with police officers at Tamar Park outside the Central Government Complex. Photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images

Police scuffled with protesters as Hong Kong authorities shut government offices as hundreds demonstrated against plans to extradite citizens to mainland China Thursday, Reuters reports — a day after the worst violence in the territory for decades.

Details: Reuters journalists on the scene said protest numbers swelled at one stage to thousands around the legislature — where scores of people were injured in Wednesday's clashes — as demonstrators tried to stop police from removing face masks and food. The mass protests have forced legislators to delay debate on the extradition bill, which Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam backs.

Police officers patrol Tamar Park near the Central Government Complex. Photo: Anthony Kwan/Getty Images
Police walk past debris on a street a day after a mass protest. Photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images
Protesters demonstrate against a controversial extradition law proposal in Hong Kong. Photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images
Volunteers clean debris from a park near the government headquarters. Photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images
One day on from Wednesday's massive demonstration. Photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images
A used tear gas shell is a reminder of Wedneday's clashes in which police fired the chemical on protesters. Photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images
Police officers dissolve the barricades placed by demonstrators a day earlier. Photo: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

Go deeper: Hong Kong's people stand up to China

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3 mins ago - Politics & Policy

UN poll: Most see climate change as global emergency amid pandemic

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg (C) fronts a Fridays For Future protest at the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm in September. Photo: Jonathan Nacksrtrand/AFP via Getty Images

64% of people from around the world say climate change is a global emergency, a United Nations poll published Wednesday finds.

Why it matters: It's biggest global survey on climate change ever conducted, with some 1.2 million participants from 50 countries — including the U.S. where 65% of those surveyed view climate change as an emergency.

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Lachlan Markay
6 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Collins helps contractor before pro-Susan PAC gets donation

Sen. Susan Collins during her reelection campaign. Photo: Scott Eisen/Getty Images

A PAC backing Sen. Susan Collins in her high-stakes reelection campaign received $150,000 from an entity linked to the wife of a defense contractor whose firm Collins helped land a federal contract, new public records show.

Why it matters: The executive, Martin Kao of Honolulu, leaned heavily on his political connections to boost his business, federal prosecutors say in an ongoing criminal case against him. The donation linked to Kao was veiled until last week.

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Lachlan Markay
6 hours ago - Politics & Policy

How cutting GOP corporate cash could backfire

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Companies pulling back on political donations, particularly to members of Congress who voted against certifying President Biden's election win, could inadvertently push Republicans to embrace their party's rightward fringe.

Why it matters: Scores of corporate PACs have paused, scaled back or entirely abandoned their political giving programs. While designed to distance those companies from events that coincided with this month's deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol, research suggests the moves could actually empower the far-right.

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