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Pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong have accepted a last-minute offer of talks with the government after a week of unrest.
Chief executive CY Leung offered the talks with his deputy late on Thursday but rejected calls to resign.
The protesters, angry at China’s plan to vet election candidates, have been occupying parts of the city since the weekend, though numbers have fallen.
Beijing has thrown its full support behind Leung, calling the protests illegal and “doomed to fail”.
Hong Kong temporarily closed government offices in the main protest-hit area today (Friday), saying staff should work from home because roads were blocked, the BBC reported.
Though the protests were significantly smaller today, some groups remained on the streets, and were quarrelling with members of the public objecting to the blockades, according to the South China Morning Post.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said earlier yesterday that protests were continuing outside the Central Government Offices and Legislative Council building in the Admiralty district of Hong Kong.
Protests were also taking place in Central, Causeway Bay, Mongkok and Tsim Sha Tsui, leading to disruption to traffic and public transport services.
Travellers to Hong Kong were advised to monitor local media and transport company websites for information about route changes or station closures, and avoid public demonstrations.