Hundreds of protesters stormed Hong Kong's parliament late Monday as the territory marked its China handover anniversary, ransacking the building and daubing its walls with graffiti as the city plunged into unprecedented depths of political chaos.

Hong Kong police on Saturday vowed to pursue anti-government protesters who launched a 15-hour siege of their headquarters as historic rallies aimed at ousting the city's pro-Beijing leader evolve.

Hong Kong student groups were preparing to mobilise support for another major demonstration, a union leader said, as a Thursday deadline approached for the pro-Beijing government to respond to demands of protesters who have shaken the city with massive rallies.

Millions have marched this month to oppose a proposed law that would have allowed extraditions to the Chinese mainland, but the huge protest movement has morphed into a larger rebuke of Hong Kong's administration.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam apologised Tuesday for the political unrest sparked by a proposed Beijing-backed law that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China.

Unprecedented mass rallies against the bill have rocked the city's government -- plunging the city into its biggest political crisis in decades -- with protesters calling for Lam to step down.

Hong Kong's embattled government looks set to press pause on a deeply unpopular extradition bill that has provoked unprecedented clashes between police and protesters, multiple local media outlets reported Saturday.

Hong Kong stocks on Thursday morning extended the previous days hefty losses fuelled by nervousness after violent protests hit the city, while investors are also keeping a cautious eye on the China-US trade row.

Hong Kong was rocked Wednesday by the worst political unrest since its handover to China, as police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters who tried to storm parliament and blocked roads in the financial hub.

Two Saudi sisters trapped in Hong Kong say chronic physical abuse by male family members prompted them to flee the kingdom, where they now fear they will be forcibly returned.

The siblings are the latest example of Saudi women plotting their escape from the ultra-conservative kingdom only to find themselves dodging officials and angry family members at every turn, as the country battles criticism of its human rights record.

Press freedom further declined in Hong Kong in 2015, driven by growing self-censorship and government interference as Beijing expands its influence over the city's boisterous media, a new report said Saturday.

The southern Chinese city prides itself on having relative freedom of expression compared with severely restricted reporting in mainland China, a legacy of Britain's handover of power in 1997.

Young supporters of Hong Kong's democracy movement, known as “Umbrella Soldiers”, took seats in the city's first vote since mass street protests -- but pro-Beijing forces dominated the polls in a key test of public sentiment.

The spotlight was on Sunday's district elections to gauge whether support for the democracy movement could translate into votes.