Police, protesters face off ahead of law debate

Government officials in Hong Kong are bracing for a showdown as protesters and police continue to face off into the early morning hours outside the semiautonomous Chinese territory's legislature ahead of Wednesday's debate over changes al l owing extradition to the Chinese mainland.

Opponents of legislation that would allow criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland China started gathering outside the Legislative Council Tuesday night with further demonstrations and labor strikes expected. Several hundred mostly young people have surrounded the building that houses the legislature.