Protests sweep through Hong Kong and Moscow yet again

Protests continued to rattle Hong Kong and Moscow on Saturday.

In Hong Kong, demonstrators took to the streets for the ninth consecutive week for a pro-democracy march as they decry Beijing for encroaching on the city's autonomy. The marchers gathered in the city's Mong Kok district — where violent clashes took place during pro-democracy protests in 2014 — one day after thousands of supposedly politically neutral civil servants urged authorities to give in to protesters' demands. Police initially denied permission for the march amid warnings from Beijing and the Chinese army, but they eventually relented.

During the demonstration, protesters reportedly removed a Chinese national flag from its pole and hurled it into Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor. They also blocked a tunnel and surrounded police stations where non-emergency services were suspended. Police reportedly fired tear gas to quell the crowd. Opposition groups are reportedly planning more demonstrations on Sunday and a city-wide strike on Monday.

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Meanwhile in Moscow, police have reportedly detained nearly 600 people following an unsanctioned rally, including prominent opposition activist Lyubov Sobol.

Moscow's citizens have been protesting since authorities banned opposition candidates, including Sobol, from running in a municipal election in September. Saturday's arrests come just one week after police detained more than 1,300 protesters.

Read more at The South China Morning Post and RFE/RL for updates on the protests.