Hong Kong business to remain closed amid fears of protests

A few businesses in Hong Kong have announced that their stores will remain closed on Saturday amid rising fears of violent protests as the government announced an anti-mask law. The businesses that would be closing its stores today include ParknShop, which is one of the 2 largest supermarket chains in Hong Kong, some reports also suggest that Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) Asia will also close its branches today.

Hong Kong witnessed one of the most violent nights on Friday hours after its embattled leader Carrie Lam banned face masks by invoking colonial-era emergency powers last used more than 50 years ago. The Beijing-backed leader said a ban on face masks that took effect Saturday was ordered under the emergency laws that allow authorities to "make any regulations whatsoever" in whatever they deem to be in the public interest.

But the move enraged protesters, who took to the streets as darkness fell to vent their anger. They set fires, hurled petrol bombs at police and burned the Chinese national flag, in a direct challenge to authorities in Beijing. Police said an officer in Yuen Long, a district in the outlying New Territories that saw fierce clashes in July, had fired a shot in self-defense after a protester threw a petrol bomb at him, setting him on fire. Local media reported a 14-year-old boy had been shot and the city's Hospital Authority said a 14-year-old was in a serious condition, without giving further details.