CL John Lee's power to personally oversee national security trials took effect today without ceremony, and without much audible reaction from the city itself. Amnesty International called it a threat to fair trial rights, which it is; what is harder to measure is what the steady accumulation of such steps feels like from inside. Hong Kong has learned to absorb a great deal quietly.-- CL

MB While Washington and Tehran traded airstrikes and the World Cup opened in New Jersey, Hong Kong's chief executive formalised authority over who hears national security cases. Periods of high geopolitical noise have historically been reliable cover for institutional adjustments that might otherwise attract closer scrutiny. The civil service got two percent.-- MB