Huge crowd return to Hong Kong streets

• Protests in Hong Kong continue to follow a roller-coaster path, with huge crowds which have once again converged on the streets, facing a ultimatum by authorities to disperse.
• After a sharp decline in mobilisation following an initial high, crowds supporting the protests surged in the Admiralty area, the political heart of Hong Kong. The build-up followed calls for a demonstration of street power by protests leaders, after the government earlier stepped back from proposed talks, which it said were possible only if the agitators stayed at home.
• But in the back-and-forth between the protesters and the authorities, it was now the government’s turn to warn students to clear the roads. In a televised address, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, Leung Chun-ying, made it plain that the protesters would have to be dispersed by Monday morning so that normality could return. 
• He warned that officials and police would take “all necessary actions” to restore order. Student leaders, taking the ultimatum seriously are hinting at a via media-provide access lanes through which government vehicles can pass, without abandoning the protests.