Hong Kong on Friday confirmed it has requested AstraZeneca suspend delivery of its Covid-19 vaccine amid fears of severe side effects and concerns over its efficacy against new variants of the coronavirus.

Chinese leaders endorsed a sweeping overhaul of Hong Kong's electoral system Tuesday, slashing its number of directly elected seats and ensuring a majority of the city's lawmakers will be selected by a reliably pro-Beijing committee.

Britain told Hong Kong on Friday that it had "no right" to order other countries not to accept a UK travel document for a popular youth working scheme after the city confirmed it had made the request to several other nations.

Hong Kong stocks fell Thursday as investors took a breather following a healthy three-day rally, with tech firms hurt after Joe Biden's nominee as commerce secretary indicated she would not remove telecoms giant Huawei from a US trade blacklist.

Thousands of Hong Kongers were ordered to stay in their homes on Saturday for the city's first coronavirus lockdown as authorities battle an outbreak in one of its poorest and most densely packed districts.

Hong Kong will ban evening dining at restaurants and close fitness centres, the city's leader said Tuesday, as part of new measures aimed at stemming a fourth wave of coronavirus infections.

Eight Hong Kong democracy activists including three former lawmakers were arrested Tuesday for their part in a July protest, the latest in a broad crackdown by authorities under a sweeping new security law.

The detained include veteran activist "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung, the former chief of Hong Kong's Democratic Party Wu Chi-wai, ex-legislator Eddie Chu and Figo Chan, the organiser of an annual rally marking the British handover of the city to China in 1997.

The New York Times on Wednesday said it was moving its digital news hub from Hong Kong to South Korea as a result of a national security law Beijing imposed on the city last month and trouble obtaining visas.

Hong Kong police said they had arrested at least 180 people Wednesday -- including seven under a new national security law -- as thousands of protesters defied a ban to rally on the anniversary of the city's handover to China.

Hong Kong police cast a dragnet around the financial hub's legislature on Wednesday and fired pepper-ball rounds in the commercial district as they stamped down on protests against a bill banning insults to China's national anthem.