Hong Kong protesters vandalise China's official news agency office

HONG KONG: Protesters have vandalised the Hong Kong office of China's official Xinhua News Agency for the first time during the months-long anti-government demonstrations, smashing windows and doors.

Local media showed scenes of the aftermath that included a fire in the lobby of the Xinhua office in Hong Kong's Wan Chai district, with shattered windows and graffiti sprawled over the wall.

It was unclear if there were people in the building.

Protesters have been targeting Chinese banks and businesses perceived to be linked to mainland China as anger builds up against Beijing, which the protesters accuse of infringing on the freedoms guaranteed when Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997.

Earlier Saturday, police fired tear gas and a water cannon in the area after some protesters hurled gasoline bombs at them in another weekend of chaos.