<p class="title">Riot police fired tear gas at pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong Sunday evening during a second consecutive night of clashes, as China delivered fresh warnings over the unrest battering the city.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The semi-autonomous southern Chinese city is reeling from two months of protests and violence triggered by opposition to a planned extradition law that has evolved into a wider movement for democratic reforms.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In the latest unrest, police fired brief volleys of tear gas at protesters who were approaching their lines in the well-heeled Sheung Wan district. The clashes were short-lived as protesters rushed into the subway and moved to a new location -- the bustling shopping district of Causeway Bay where multiple roads were occupied.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The latest unrest came as China's official Xinhua news agency published a new commentary on Sunday saying "ugly forces" were threatening the country's "bottom line".</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The central government will not sit idly by and let this situation continue," the agency wrote.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Hong Kong's protests constitute the most significant popular revolt in decades, directly challenging Beijing's rule as well as channelling rage at both the local leaders and police.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But they have had little luck persuading their opponents who have only hardened their stance.</p>.<p class="bodytext">More than 200 protesters have been arrested, dozens charged with rioting, while the Chinese military has said it is ready to quell the "intolerable" unrest if requested.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The last fortnight has seen a surge in violence on both sides with police repeatedly firing rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse increasingly hostile projectile-throwing crowds.</p>.<p class="bodytext">This weekend proved little different -- but the protests were more fluid and diffuse.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Demonstrators have embraced the mantra "be water", a philosophy of unpredictability espoused by local martial arts legend Bruce Lee, in a bid to keep the city's already overstretched police force guessing.</p>.<p class="bodytext">On Saturday evening police fought hours-long battles with small groups of hardcore protesters in Tsim Sha Tsui, a harbourside district known for its luxury malls and hotels, after they besieged a police station and used a giant slingshot to fire bricks at the building.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Further clashes occurred in Wong Tai Sin, a nearby working-class district where large crowds of angry residents joined protesters.</p>.<p class="bodytext">On Sunday afternoon, protesters held two large rallies in Tseung Kwan O and Kennedy Town that began peacefully but soon descended into violence as protesters took over nearby roads.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Small groups of masked protesters threw bricks and eggs at the local police station, smashing multiple windows.</p>.<p class="bodytext">By Sunday evening roads were still occupied in Causeway Bay and Tseung Kwan O, and a tunnel under the harbour was blockaded for the third time this weekend.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Protesters have vowed to keep hitting the streets.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I'm more worried than hopeful," Florence Tung, a 22-year-old trainee lawyer who was among the thousands marching through Tseung Kwan O, told AFP.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It's like no matter how much us citizens do, we cannot change the government," she added, referring to the city's unelected pro-Beijing leaders. Kai Hou, a 41-year-old education worker, said he disagreed with the tactics of more hardcore violent protesters but supported their overall goals.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Not everyone may approve of their radical acts, but their goal is simple, they want to build a better Hong Kong," he told AFP.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Under the terms of the 1997 handover deal with Britain, Hong Kong has rights and liberties unseen on the Chinese mainland, including an independent judiciary and freedom of speech.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But many say those rights are being curtailed, citing the disappearance into mainland custody of dissident booksellers, the disqualification of prominent politicians and the jailing of pro-democracy protest leaders.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Public anger has been compounded by rising inequality and the perception that the city's distinct language and culture are being threatened by ever-closer integration with the Chinese mainland.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam has made few concessions beyond agreeing to suspend the extradition bill, and has shied away from public appearances.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Protesters are demanding her resignation, an independent inquiry into police tactics, an amnesty for those arrested, a permanent withdrawal of the bill, and the right to elect their leaders.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Protesters hope to ramp up pressure on Lam by launching a city-wide strike on Monday as well as seven simultaneous rallies, a feat that would be a rare accomplishment in a freewheeling finance hub where unions have little sway.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The strike action appears to be gaining more traction than previous walkouts in the last few weeks as the civil disobedience campaign intensifies. </p>
<p class="title">Riot police fired tear gas at pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong Sunday evening during a second consecutive night of clashes, as China delivered fresh warnings over the unrest battering the city.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The semi-autonomous southern Chinese city is reeling from two months of protests and violence triggered by opposition to a planned extradition law that has evolved into a wider movement for democratic reforms.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In the latest unrest, police fired brief volleys of tear gas at protesters who were approaching their lines in the well-heeled Sheung Wan district. The clashes were short-lived as protesters rushed into the subway and moved to a new location -- the bustling shopping district of Causeway Bay where multiple roads were occupied.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The latest unrest came as China's official Xinhua news agency published a new commentary on Sunday saying "ugly forces" were threatening the country's "bottom line".</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The central government will not sit idly by and let this situation continue," the agency wrote.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Hong Kong's protests constitute the most significant popular revolt in decades, directly challenging Beijing's rule as well as channelling rage at both the local leaders and police.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But they have had little luck persuading their opponents who have only hardened their stance.</p>.<p class="bodytext">More than 200 protesters have been arrested, dozens charged with rioting, while the Chinese military has said it is ready to quell the "intolerable" unrest if requested.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The last fortnight has seen a surge in violence on both sides with police repeatedly firing rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse increasingly hostile projectile-throwing crowds.</p>.<p class="bodytext">This weekend proved little different -- but the protests were more fluid and diffuse.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Demonstrators have embraced the mantra "be water", a philosophy of unpredictability espoused by local martial arts legend Bruce Lee, in a bid to keep the city's already overstretched police force guessing.</p>.<p class="bodytext">On Saturday evening police fought hours-long battles with small groups of hardcore protesters in Tsim Sha Tsui, a harbourside district known for its luxury malls and hotels, after they besieged a police station and used a giant slingshot to fire bricks at the building.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Further clashes occurred in Wong Tai Sin, a nearby working-class district where large crowds of angry residents joined protesters.</p>.<p class="bodytext">On Sunday afternoon, protesters held two large rallies in Tseung Kwan O and Kennedy Town that began peacefully but soon descended into violence as protesters took over nearby roads.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Small groups of masked protesters threw bricks and eggs at the local police station, smashing multiple windows.</p>.<p class="bodytext">By Sunday evening roads were still occupied in Causeway Bay and Tseung Kwan O, and a tunnel under the harbour was blockaded for the third time this weekend.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Protesters have vowed to keep hitting the streets.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I'm more worried than hopeful," Florence Tung, a 22-year-old trainee lawyer who was among the thousands marching through Tseung Kwan O, told AFP.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It's like no matter how much us citizens do, we cannot change the government," she added, referring to the city's unelected pro-Beijing leaders. Kai Hou, a 41-year-old education worker, said he disagreed with the tactics of more hardcore violent protesters but supported their overall goals.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Not everyone may approve of their radical acts, but their goal is simple, they want to build a better Hong Kong," he told AFP.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Under the terms of the 1997 handover deal with Britain, Hong Kong has rights and liberties unseen on the Chinese mainland, including an independent judiciary and freedom of speech.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But many say those rights are being curtailed, citing the disappearance into mainland custody of dissident booksellers, the disqualification of prominent politicians and the jailing of pro-democracy protest leaders.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Public anger has been compounded by rising inequality and the perception that the city's distinct language and culture are being threatened by ever-closer integration with the Chinese mainland.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam has made few concessions beyond agreeing to suspend the extradition bill, and has shied away from public appearances.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Protesters are demanding her resignation, an independent inquiry into police tactics, an amnesty for those arrested, a permanent withdrawal of the bill, and the right to elect their leaders.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Protesters hope to ramp up pressure on Lam by launching a city-wide strike on Monday as well as seven simultaneous rallies, a feat that would be a rare accomplishment in a freewheeling finance hub where unions have little sway.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The strike action appears to be gaining more traction than previous walkouts in the last few weeks as the civil disobedience campaign intensifies. </p>