Hong Kong protest sites to be cleared: Court

Hong Kong’s high court has ordered the main protest sites that have choked the financial city for more than two months to be cleared, building up to a final showdown between pro-democracy activists and authorities backed by Beijing. A local bus company, which was granted an injunction against street blockades at the site in Admiralty, home to government offices and next to the main Central business district, has received an official clearance order from the high court, according to notices posted in local papers on Tuesday. Student groups have been calling for a free vote in the Chinese controlled city through largely peaceful demonstrations.