Grey Matter LA stylists wearing face masks cut the hair of clients at a distance on the sidewalk amidst the coronavirus pandemic in Los Angeles, California.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered sweeping restrictions against Chinese-owned social media giants TikTok and WeChat that could strangle their ability to operate in the United States.

The US consulate in Hong Kong on Friday said it was "ludicrous" to suggest its diplomats meeting with pro-democracy politicians could breach the city's new national security law, a charge levelled in a recent Chinese state media report.