Hong Kong police fire rubber bullets, gas at crowds

HONG KONG — Police in Hong Kong fired tear gas and rubber bullets repeatedly Sunday to drive back protesters blocking streets with road signs and umbrellas in another night of pitched battles in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

It was the second night in a row that tear gas was used in escalating prodemocracy protests.

Protesters occupied two areas at opposite ends of central Hong Kong on Sunday following a midafternoon rally against police use of tear gas.

On the western end of Hong Kong Island, one group blocked areas near the Chinese government’s liaison office and began to move forward as night fell. Police issued warnings, and protesters threw eggs at them. Officers fired tear gas to halt the advance.

Police then embarked on an hourslong effort to get them to disperse. In New Jersey: Black rag dolls that came with instructions to “find a wall” and slam the toy against it have been pulled from three stores after customers and a lawmaker said they were offensive.

The “Feel Better Doll” featured instructions to “whack” the doll “whenever things don’t go well and you want to hit the wall and yell.”

The president of One Dollar Zone said roughly 1,000 dolls were pulled from its store in Bayonne and two others also in New Jersey.

One Dollar Zone President Ricky Shah apologized for the dolls’ appearance in the stores and said they were pulled Monday after someone posted images online. “This somehow slipped through the cracks,” he said.