After a week of protests, Hong Kong's leader has agreed to hold talks with pro-democracy protesters, though he refused step down from his post as they had demanded. And that has created both a literal and figurative standoff.
CNN reports police beefed up their forces outside the office of Hong Kong chief executive Leung Chun-ying Friday in a standoff with pro-democracy protesters who gathered near the building.
The demonstrators reportedly blocked streets and stopped vehicles carrying food supplies from entering those government offices.
Hong Kong has warned the protesters not to seize any government buildings or else they will face "serious consequences." Meanwhile, officials temporarily closed the central government office and 20 different banks Friday. (Video via BBC)
Along with removing Leung from power, the pro-democracy demonstrators are campaigning for free elections and protesting a recent power grab by the central government in Beijing. But it remains to be seen if any of those demands will be met.
A writer for The Washington Post says it's unlikely China's government will budge on anything, "driven in part by fears that successful protests in Hong Kong could inspire dissent to bubble up elsewhere in China."
There are also conflicting reports on the number of people protesting.
Some voices behind the demonstrations say more than 130,000 protesters have now flooded the streets for the so-called "umbrella revolution," though the BBC reports police put the number more in the ballpark of 26,000.
Either way, it's still considered by most outlets as the largest protest China has seen since the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989. (Video via Sky News)
This video contains images from Getty Images / Paula Bronstein, Chris McGrath.
