Hong Kong edged toward normality on Tuesday as the number of people participating in the Occupy Central protests declined. Although hundreds of protesters remained scattered throughout the main protest site, and some areas remained blocked, many streets were relatively passable and civil servants went to work unimpeded for a second day. Young protesters still manned barricades in place in spots such as Causeway Bay, but their numbers were down significantly. As a sign that calm was returning to the city, stock markets, including the benchmark Hang Seng Index, rose Tuesday. Protest leaders and government leaders reached a consensus to start a dialogue on political reform as soon as this week, although students insisted they would not end the protests unless a substantive breakthrough occurs.
