Hong Kong starts enforcing mask ban

The Hong Kong government on Monday charged the first two people with violating a ban on face masks that took effect on Saturday. The charges carry a possible sentence of up to a year in prison. The two protesters, an 18-year-old student and a 38-year-old woman, also face charges of unlawful assembly, punishable by up to five years in jail.

How has the ban affected Hong Kong? It seemed to fuel the protesters, who turned out in the tens of thousands over the weekend. Some vandalized China-linked businesses and threw gasoline bombs at riot police, who responded with tear gas. The Chinese military issued a warning to the protesters after they pointed lasers at one of its barracks in Hong Kong.

Dig deeper: Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey apologized Monday after his since-deleted tweet supporting the protesters cost the team its contracts with two Chinese companies. Read U.S. lawmakers’ criticism of the NBA’s response to the tweets.